Nothing Like A Train

We heard that a hurricane sounded like a train.  Not Dorian.  With sustained winds of 185 mph and gust to 220 mph, it felt like we were in a war zone.  That is the only thing I can compare it to.

Our Story

Bottom Line:  First Wave Made It

Scott Securing Lines

She Made It!

She will hopefully be moving to Fort Lauderdale (under her own power) within the next week for repairs.  The mast was knocked off by a piece of roofing, the nav station and cockpit are in need of extensive repairs.  There are sure to be other things once she is pulled out of the water, but she faired so well compared to our neighbors.  Part of it was due to good luck-we were in a great spot.  The other thing is how incredibly well prepared Scott was in prepping the boat.  He insisted on an extensive amount of redundancy with all our new 1" lines.  He and David spent basically 2 days over-preparing before we had to take shelter.  They anticipated the force and movement of the hurricane even while it was still a tropical storm.  Thankfully.
    

Other Bottom Line:  ​We Made It

Drying Clothes-Between Rain

Waiting (and Waiting) for Evacuation

Summer in Abacos/Hurricane Chronology.

​How Did We End Up in The Bahamas During Hurricane Season?

We set sail from The Keys to Bimini in April.  We had a beautiful crossing,  and were very excited about heading off to a new adventure. We arrived in the Bahamas in plenty of time to explore while sailing into the Abacos to work at Seabase for the summer.

Seabase is a High Adventure Boy Scout program based in Marsh Harbour.  Our job was to be a part of a fleet of sailboats from May-August taking weekly sailing trips to explore the Abacos. Our trips varied based on weather and troop interests.  In general, we visited Hopetown, Man O'War, Great Guana, Treasure Cay. We introduced the scouts the joy of sailing a catamaran, snorkeling, and exploring.

We have had so many fantastic summers, and this was one.  We were not sure what to expect, but with Scott's scouting history, our love of sailing First Wave, the joy of being in such a beautiful area, and the desire to share with others, it was one of the best.

Meeting and spending time with these scouts (a new crew weekly for a total of 11), was more fun and intimate than I could have imagined.  We created friendships and longterm relationships.  The last crew departed on August 20th.

Dorian hit the Abacos on August 30th and we were there.

(Press button below to read about our experience)

Read More