I’m pretty sure every boater east of the Mississippi has this lady on their minds. A Cat 5 hurricane, just weeks after Harvey, is about to rip its way through people’s lives. I’ve been obsessively checking and refreshing my weather updates, but the news is only getting worse. I am worried sick for everyone in the Caribbean and fearful for those in Florida. For everyone with loved ones in harm’s way, our thoughts are with you.
We are taking it one day at a time in North Carolina, as nobody is able to predict which way the hurricane will turn. Over Labor Day weekend, Conor and I focused our energies on things we could control and tackled a ‘to-do’ list we had of stuff to get done before we move the boat (weather permitting) on September 16th. Here’s what we did to keep distracted:
- Scrubbed/cleaned the boat and outdoor cushions
- Checked our fuel filter+engine fuel level
- Topped off the water in our batteries
- Tightened the stuffing box
- Cleaned the AC filter
- Replaced our water hose at the dock
- Scheduled a hull cleaning for next week
- Plotted our route to Gottschalk Marina and our overnight stays
- Submitted an updated hurricane plan to our insurance for when we are no longer at NWC Marina
All this kept me from obsessing over the hurricane yesterday, but now I’m left with hardly anything to do today! We haven’t done any serious hurricane prep to the boat yet (taking down sails and dinghy, etc) because we are still playing the waiting game. If Irma does head our way, I’ll do a post on everything we have to do to keep our boat safe, and then cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Stay safe.
Love,
Taylor and Conor
Cannons to Cruising 