It's never easy predicting the pathway of a hurricane, and Irene is no exception. Tuesday morning, I stood just outside the cockpit, catching lines-- and my breath-- as I choked up with tears. We were saying good-bye to some of our New York friends, while others would just have to get a phone call. It was beautiful weather and a nice window of opportunity to head to the Chesapeake to avoid Hurricane Irene, which was due to head up the eastern coast of the US later that weekend. We had to go while the tide was favorable, so we took the opportunity while it presented itself.
Just as we reached the Verazzano Bridge though, our naval weather expert in North Carolina let us know the pathway was predicting to be worse in the Chesapeake Bay than in New York. I was relieved to turn around and head back to our slip at the 79th St. Boat Basin in Manhattan. Our buddies were smiling as they caught our lines and welcomed us back. We made a reservation to stay Sunday night at Liberty Landing, just across the river in Jersey City. It's a much more protected marina and it's just what you do around here for big weather. Big weather like this is unusual, but it does happen from time to time. This is predicted to be one of the biggest storms New York has seen in many years, but it's still too early to tell.
As it turns out, tracking models now show we should have continued on to the Chesapeake as Irene is now supposed to be heading more easterly. You do what you have to do with the information you have at the time, though. Ignoring weather or pretending things won't be very bad is not responsible behavior. We always plan for the worst so that we're relieved rather than sorry. We now have a reservation to haul the boat out that same NJ marina. We've had a few offers of places to stay with the kids, too, in New York, and we are grateful for the kindness of friends like Kevin and Serge for that. The plan now is to take the sails off, haul out, and drive down to stay with family in Maryland to spend a nice, safe weekend away from the weather drama.
I'll be posting more on the results of Hurricane Irene and saying a prayer for all the other boaters in our area.
Just as we reached the Verazzano Bridge though, our naval weather expert in North Carolina let us know the pathway was predicting to be worse in the Chesapeake Bay than in New York. I was relieved to turn around and head back to our slip at the 79th St. Boat Basin in Manhattan. Our buddies were smiling as they caught our lines and welcomed us back. We made a reservation to stay Sunday night at Liberty Landing, just across the river in Jersey City. It's a much more protected marina and it's just what you do around here for big weather. Big weather like this is unusual, but it does happen from time to time. This is predicted to be one of the biggest storms New York has seen in many years, but it's still too early to tell.
As it turns out, tracking models now show we should have continued on to the Chesapeake as Irene is now supposed to be heading more easterly. You do what you have to do with the information you have at the time, though. Ignoring weather or pretending things won't be very bad is not responsible behavior. We always plan for the worst so that we're relieved rather than sorry. We now have a reservation to haul the boat out that same NJ marina. We've had a few offers of places to stay with the kids, too, in New York, and we are grateful for the kindness of friends like Kevin and Serge for that. The plan now is to take the sails off, haul out, and drive down to stay with family in Maryland to spend a nice, safe weekend away from the weather drama.
I'll be posting more on the results of Hurricane Irene and saying a prayer for all the other boaters in our area.
