`NOTE:: The primary position reporter is offline. To find our position click on one of the alternates and enter my Ham Radio Call Sign WD0ETL that is Whiskey Delta Zero Echo Tango Lima. Note that the alternate reporters are not as accurate then the primary. They do NOT use the seconds of the position and thus we might appear over land.
Like a slow moving train a cold front approaches. It has been forecast for a couple of days but it just doesn’t seem real with all the nice weather we have had over the last week. This is one to be reckoned with too – Chris called it probably the strongest of the season this year!!
I look at the internet weather radar and can see it coming the wind has picked up but it is still so nice out here -- about 80 degrees and partly sunny.
The water is getting rough in here so I busy myself with some on board tasks that I wouldn’t normally do – like polish and wax the stainless steel tube pulpits and stanchions, and windlass.
Around 11am we get the first real blast of rain. Interestingly the wind dies down during the heaviest rain. It lets up and I decide I need another line on the mooring hook. My line is only ½ inch as well as my mooring partner. They are predicting severe thunderstorms possible this afternoon. I try to put another line on it but it is too deep in the water to reach. A strong current and wind have it underwater by probably 18 inches. I’ll wait till the current switches.
We have another big rain around noon and finally the wind dies – this is usually due to a wind shift coming. I scrambled and put the third 5/8 inch line on for insurance. Ohh it doesn’t go well – the current is still running g and I have to reach for the hook. I finally get the line on and try to motor away but I get one of the lines wrapped around the dinghy propeller. The motor stops and I’m, stuck. I can’t reach the boat and I can’t free the line. I yell for Karen to grab the new line to relieve the pressure but she is below listening to a book on the IPOD with headphones on. Should have told her what I was doing -- I yelled a couple of times and tried to not bring “too much” attention to myself -- fortunately she hears me and we free the line from the dinghy.
Ahh then another lesson learned. I thought I would take the trash in to throw away – don’t put coffee grounds in the top of the trash bag. Sure enough it fell over in the dinghy spilling some coffee grounds. Well when I got back I decided to pull the dinghy out of the water and put in the davits for the approaching storm. That and with the plug pulled the coffee grounds would be washed away!!
Good thing because 20 minutes later the strong wind is back.
Around 3:30pm the main storm line hits. Not too much wind but blinding rain. I couldn’t see beyond 2 boats in front of me!! A large sailboat had just come in – Australia 31 and they were assigned a mooring clear in the back of the field. I wondered how he was fairing in this rain and wind.. When it let up so I could see I found him at the beginning of the mooring field – real heads up seamanship on his part. When the wind and rain hit he turned into the rain and held position until it let up. I was impressed. He was very patient. I think he waited nearly 30 minutes before heading into the dense portion of the mooring field to find his assigned mooring. That takes real level headed thinking and cool nerves to wait that long.
More rain came but fortunately no hail or micro burst (yet). There is still more of this cold front coming over tonight.
I’m just glad I’m not on the hook tonight.
Enjoy the pics of the cold front coming and hitting.. This is good practice for the Bahamas. In the Bahamas they come even slower and then they continue to blow strong winds for 30 – 48 hours which is not what happens here.
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