Sandy ... A Storm And A Lesson

As I watched the television last night from the comfort of my home, my heart went out to the many people affected by Hurricane Sandy.  It was kind of surreal watching the storm, this time looking in from the outside.  I knew that I was watching a storm that would make history and not be soon forgotten.  Experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and then the recent damage to our house (we're thankful it wasn't worse) from Hurricane Isaac made me empathize with those on the East Coast.  I know the anxiety that so many folks are currently going through, and I felt kind of guilty as I climbed into our warm bed last night. .

As I was beginning to doze off, my thoughts drifted to the tragedy of the HMS Bounty.  This tall ship that had been around since the 1960's and had appeared in several movies had sunk.  Its Captain and one beautiful young woman lost their lives (Captain has not been found, but not looking good).  As a beginner sailor, I don't think I would have made the same decision as the Captain.  However, he paid the ultimate price for his decision and I feel for the families of the two victims.

Thoughts of the tall ship and its demise lead to thoughts of the many sailors and/or cruisers that I've come across thanks to this site and to Facebook.  I thought of those in Sandy's path, and wished the best for them and their boats.  Life is much more important than a possession, but I understand their attachment to their boat.  Like us, many of them view their boat as their home and the vessel to their dreams.  

Yesterday I had visited the sites and Facebook posts of my sailing "friends", and several had chosen to stay on their boat ... secured in a safe harbor. Others had no choice but to secure their boat as best they could and leave the area.  Some of these people had just recently begun their cruising dream, and were sailing down the East Coast before Sandy caused them to change their plans.   I went to sleep hoping that all would "sail" through this storm with no serious damage.  Social media does indeed bring things closer to home!

This morning I watched the news and heard about the flooded subway system in New York City, the extensive damage throughout the East Coast, and the loss of life.  So many people have a long road ahead of them.  I feel blessed to not be going through flood clean-up again, and my "whining" about getting our house fixed and sold for cruising seems selfish.

Once I got to work, I began checking the posts of fellow sailors (the only perk of a slow real estate market) in hopes of hearing that they were all fine.  I'm happy to say that so far all are well, including their boats!  There are a few folks that haven't posted an update just yet, but I'm hoping for good news from them too.

Again I'm reminded at how fragile all of us are.  Mother Nature does not discriminate, nor does sickness or tragedy!   As careful as we may try to be in life, safety is not guaranteed.  Many people think that we're crazy to take the risk of cruising.  However, tragedies can happen anywhere!  Whether it's on a boat, in a car, or maybe just sitting in a movie theater ... bad things can happen.  Most of us will experience our own "storm" of some sort in life.

I say this not to be depressing, but to remind you that you're not alone if you're facing difficulties.  We've definitely had our share, and we haven't yet fully recovered from Hurricane Isaac.  I also hope to remind you to follow your passion!  Figure out the risks involved, take the necessary precautions, then just go for it!  Fear is often what keeps us from living our dreams.  Don't let fear take your dreams away!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Hurricane Isaac - Saving Nirvana!

Nirvana "heeling" and showing her fender board.  This picture doesn't capture the strong winds!

Being born (me) and raised (both of us) in New Orleans, we've been through a lot of hurricanes!  However, preparing for Hurricane Isaac was a bit different because this was the first hurricane that we've had a sailboat to protect (and worry about).  

While I drove my car to my dad's place in Mississippi (it's paid for so it's not flooding!), Ken and a friend stripped Nirvana!  The head sail, main sail, bimini, and grill were removed and everything inside was secured.  We've never seen Nirvana without her top ... she sure looked different!  This was a good learning experience, since this was also the first time the sails have ever been removed from Nirvana.  The sails were laid across our backyard (much bigger on the ground!) and gently rolled up and placed in our home's upstairs loft.

Nirvana stripped down!

We were concerned about the 5-8 foot storm surge that was predicted.  The Gulf of Mexico was going to be pushed into Lake Pontchartain, causing the surge.   If the surge was high enough, Nirvana could be pushed over the pilings and onto our dock.  This would not be good!  So, Ken the contractor decided to bolt some 4x4s onto our pilings and then support them with braces.  He also made a fender board for Nirvana, which would prevent her from rubbing against our dock.  

Our "Oh Shit!" hurricane preparation ... extended pilings and fender board.

Along with stocking up on water, canned food and candles we also stocked up on extra dock lines!  Nirvana had a total of 12 lines securing her to the dock ... two at each location.  We had lines at the bow, the stern, two locations towards the center, and springer lines from the bow and the stern.  Luckily, all of the lines held up!  It was a little nerve-wracking watching Nirvana "heel" from the strong winds, often gusting over 60mph for 36 hours.  We were lucky that the winds were pushing her away from the dock!

We know that a lot of boat damage can occur from the dock, so we debated anchoring Nirvana in the middle of our canal.  However, with the anticipated winds and storm surge we were worried about the anchors holding.  With neighbors and their boats to consider we decided we didn't want to risk the liability of Nirvana crashing into someone else's boat or dock.  All of the boats in our canal were secured at their dock or in their boathouse.

Since Nirvana was tied to our dock, we did have to wade out in "butt-deep" water to raise the dock lines higher up the pilings.  The first picture was taken shortly after we raised the lines.  It doesn't capture it, but those winds were fierce and I couldn't wait till Ken had adjusted the last line.  I was afraid I was gonna blow away!

We were glad to have the extended pilings, because Nirvana got about 18 inches higher than our original pilings.  When I'd look outside, she was about eye level ... scary!  Needless to say Ken and I barely slept for three nights, constantly checking on Nirvana throughout the night.  Since we lost power the first night, we were glad to have our fully charged spotlight to keep an eye on her.

I tell ya, I don't think Ken and I have ever been so stressed and exhausted!  Being so close to our dream of cruising, thoughts of a destroyed sailboat or a flooded home really drained us.  The storm didn't seem to want to leave, and at one point during the last night we really got depressed and were sure our house was going to flood.  It seemed the rain, wind and rising water were never going to stop!

Luckily, everything stopped in time and we're now breathing a sigh of relief and trying to get back to normal.  We do have a few issues to deal with thanks to Isaac, but that's for another post!  Also, our last post has a few pictures of the flooding in our area, as well as a picture of our backyard during the time that the water was the highest.   It got close!

We removed the fender board, but we didn't throw it away.  As far as the extended pilings ... we're gonna keep them on until hurricane season is gone.  We're also going to keep the sails in our loft for now ... just in case.  We can't wait till hurricane season is over!

Thought I'd share this short video of the flooding in Slidell, where we live.

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Hit By Hurricane Isaac!

On the 7th anniversary of Katrina, Ken and I were dealing with a direct hit from Hurricane Isaac!

Located just North of New Orleans in Slidell, LA we were at the worst part of the storm ... the upper right quadrant.  The storm moved at a snail's pace and we had over 36 hours of non-stop rain and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour (I think we had more sometimes).   Ken and I barely slept for 3 nights, keeping a close eye on Nirvana and the rising water threatening to enter our home.

 

However .... I'm happy to say that Nirvana held her own and came through Isaac without a scratch!  Also, with just about a foot to go before entering our home ... the water stopped rising.  Hallelujah!

 

The anxiety and the storm started Monday night, and on Thursday morning we finally realized that we made it through!  Three days later, the water has just receded off our dock this morning.  After 3 days without power (not complaining ... without power for a month with Katrina) we got our electricity back.  We had some minor damage to the house, but nothing that should set us back.

 

We are so thankful that both our house and sailboat survived this storm!  After going through Hurricane Katrina, we've experienced the devastation in the past and know the potential of these hurricanes.

 

Now that the water has receded from our backyard, we've got some tree limbs to cut down and lots of debris to clean up.  I'll be posting about how we prepared Nirvana for this hurricane and more details about our experience in another post this week.  In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures of areas nearby.

Our backyard ... water got close!

 

 A day after the hurricane moved through, right outside of our subdivision.

 

 

Another view of the interstate

 

 

Mandeville lakefront, where we sailed two weeks ago.

 

 

 Also, I wanted to thank everyone that shared their concerns and prayers on our Facebook page.  We really appreciate knowing that we were in your thoughts!

 

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Preparing for Isaac!

 

This Wednesday is the 7 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and the irony is that on this day we'll be dealing with an unwelcome visitor .... Hurricane Isaac!  As many of you know, we just finished the repairs on our Katrina-damaged house JUST 2 WEEKS ago!  (Our home is located about 20 miles North of New Orleans).  We finally put our house on the market to start making our cruising dream a reality.  I hope Isaac doesn't change all that!  To be honest, I don't know if we'd be very pleasant people if so.  It's like we're almost out the prison and then the door slams!  As I mentioned in my post, Seven Year Itch, we've been "fixing" homes and our lives for seven years now ... we've had enough! 

 

Today we'll be stripping Nirvana of her sails and bimini and getting her secured for the storm.  Our house got about 3-4 feet of water during Katrina, but hopefully Isaac won't be as cruel.  At this time, I think we'll be staying here at our house.  If we do get water in our house, at least we have the upstairs loft and room with a futon.  We really want to stay and keep an eye on Nirvana.  We've got our dinghy ready if we need it later, gas in our vehicles, canned food, bottled water ... growing up in Louisiana we've done this many times.  However, the anxiety has only gotten worse since Hurricane Katrina.  This is the first time we've had to deal with a hurricane since owning Nirvana.  That makes everything much more stressful!  If we didn't have our sailboat, we'd just get out town for a few days and not stress about it.  The plan of selling our house and cruising on Nirvana changes everything!

 

I won't be on the computer during the next few days, but I plan on posting updates to our Facebook page.  Wish us luck!  Hope to come out of this with good news!

 

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Labor Day with Lee!

View from our back door Sunday morning.  Luckily this was the highest the water got.  Our storage box was almost covered!

This past Labor Day weekend did not go as Ken and I had hoped!  We had planned on taking advantage of the extra day off by spending some time on Nirvana and the water.  Instead, we had an unexpected guest who wore out his welcome and was not pleasant ... Tropical Storm Lee!

The rain started Friday morning and pretty much did not stop until mid-day on Saturday.  While lying in bed Friday night listening to the rain, I thought about Noah and his ark!  It seemed like the rain would never stop, and I was thankful that we had a sailboat in our backyard.

Ken making adjustments Saturday

Some visitors in our backyard!

The rain finally did stop every now and then, only to start and stop again for the next 3 days.  Ken and I were thankful for the breaks, which allowed us to check on Nirvana and make any necessary adjustments.  The breaks were also a great time to run to the store for food and errands, and just to have an excuse to get out the house.   Four days in our house gave us a little taste of what life will be like on our sailboat when anchored on a rainy day ... boring!  I can pick up a book and get lost in it, but Ken is a different story.  He does not like to read and has a lot of nervous energy.  I told him he'd better start learning to enjoy reading or playing Scrabble or he's gonna go crazy!

 More adjustments on Saturday!

Oh, and the rentals!  Thank goodness we only received one call regarding a broken pipe to a water well pump!  Although we were not happy to spend the first 4 hours of Sunday morning running back and forth between our rental and Home Depot, we were very happy to have the well pump back up and running for less than $30.  I am so thankful that Ken knows how to fix just about anything!  However, in between runs to Home Depot the song "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by The Animals kept running through my mind.  You know, the song that goes ...

We gotta get out of this place

If it's the last thing we ever do!

We gotta get out of this place

Girl there's a better life, for me and you!

I had to laugh and tell Ken about this song running through my head.  We do need to get out of here!

Another view from our back door Sunday ... the water at its highest.

On Labor Day, the fourth day, the rain finally stopped and the water started going down ... ever so slowly!  By last night the water was almost off of the dock, but Ken had to keep checking the water level and adjusting the fenders.  Around midnight we both woke up and the water was finally off of the dock!  This allowed Ken to make one final adjustment to the fenders, and allowed both of us a good night's sleep.

This morning Ken and I woke up to sunny skies, low humidity, and temperatures in the low 60's ... just in time to go back to work!  Before heading to work, I checked the interior of Nirvana for the first time in days.  I was afraid that I was going to find a lot of water damage since we have a lot of leaky ports (windows).  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a dry boat!  I couldn't believe it!  The wind must have blown the rain in just the right way to avoid leaks ... another thing to be thankful for.  We can't wait for our new retrofit windows to come in within the next week!  In fact, Mike from Cruising Concepts just called while I was typing this post and we should have our new windows very soon ... woo hoo!

So, although "Lee" put a damper on our Labor Day weekend plans we can't complain.  Our house, our rentals, and our future home (Nirvana) all made it through without any damage.  After going through Hurricane Katrina, we know things could have been much worse.  And, we'll be able to enjoy a week of fall-like weather ... that's unheard of this time of year in Louisiana!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

NKOTB - Bad Weather!

NKOTB (New Kids On The Boat) ... A Weekly Series Sharing Our Thoughts and Questions as Beginner Sailors and Future Cruisers.  NKOTB or Experienced Cruiser ... Tell Us Your Thoughts!

Being new to the cruising world, we have many thoughts (and a few concerns) of what life as a cruising liveaboard will be like.  So, I've decided to add a new series of weekly posts:  NKOTB:  New Kids On The Boat!  It will be interesting to look back at this series once we're cruising to see how our thoughts have changed.

I thought I'd start this series off with what we'd guess is one of the most common concerns for a NKOTB ...

BAD WEATHER!

Getting caught in strong winds, big waves and heavy rain is not something we like to think about!  Add to that a reef or some other obstacle nearby ... the imagination can go wild!  To make things even worse ...

What if the steering goes out?  I bring this up because years ago I took over the wheel for the very first time when speeding along in our power boat.  Ken wanted to check the motor and therefore was focused on that.  Wouldn't you know that as I approached the first turn and spun the wheel ... nothing!  I kept spinning the wheel and we kept going straight.  Since I never really paid attention to such things as driving a boat, I kept hitting Ken's back trying to get his attention instead of just pulling up on the boat's lever.  I didn't know what to do!  Luckily Ken realized what was going on just in time to pull up the lever.  We still ran aground and slammed into the steering column while our poor dog went flying.  Luckily we were all okay, but we had to have another boat pull us out of the muddy swamp.  Ever since then I've been a little paranoid about the steering going out!  We do, however, have a way to steer the tiller manually if needed.

What if the motor dies?  I've already gained a great respect for the wind in the short time we've owned a sailboat.  The thought of high winds and no motor  ... or what about no wind and no motor!  We plan on being coastal cruisers with our Catalina 30, so at least we'll be able to call TowBoat to pull us to shore if we're in their service area.  We need to improve our sailing skills to help in these situations.

I've read that an option during bad weather is to "heave to", basically meaning that the sails are placed in a way to keep the boat in one spot.  This allows the captain and crew to get some rest and wait out the storm.  This is something we'll need to learn, but hopefully won't need to use much, uh ... or at all!  However, this technique would be great for just taking a lunch break without dropping anchor.

And then there's lightning!  With that mast 50 feet in the air lightning is sure to find us, right?!  Do those thingies you can get to prevent lightning strikes really work?  I also remember reading something about putting the electronics in the microwave to protect them during a lightning storm.

Fortnately, most cruisers say that getting stuck in bad weather doesn't actually happen that much, which is great news.  We're gonna go with that!  I just hope the cruiser's definition of "not that bad" is the same as ours!  I've read a few stories on blogs that I follow, and although it's not real common each blog seemed to have a story that made me cringe ... hmmm.  We will take our time, watch the weather, and leave only when the timing is right.  We do realize that not all forecasts are guaranteed, however.  That's yet another reason we'll be "coastal" cruisers.

I may sound scared, but this really isn't something we choose to focus on.  It's not going to stop us, and we will learn what we can to be (somewhat) prepared.  Can you really be prepared for this?  Some folks tell us to go out and sail in a bad storm.  We figure being in a storm for practice or the "real deal" isn't going to be much different, so we'll just wait till we're forced to be in a storm ... thank you very much!  =)

Guess we need to take Nirvana out to the lake with some food and drink so we can learn to "heave to"!  After all, it's gotta be done in the name of practice right?! 

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!