HURRICANE PREP

Brunswick, GA

Okay, that hurricane prep list is not going to be so long.

Here's what we've done:

Remove jib from furler
Removed jib sheets (and washed them)
Removed staysail
Tied down furlers (so they won't get blown up the stay)
Tied the furlers so the top piece can't spin
Pinned the bottom part of furlers, so they can't turn
Tied the main with sail ties under the sail cover
Tied the main outside the sail cover
Secured the dinghy on the davits and emptied it
Doubled up the dock lines

Things we didn't do:

Remove the main
We've been through two hurricanes with this boat, once taking off the main. Leaving it on wasn't bad. I did a survey of boats docked here and see that very few have taken off the main. Then I talked to Sherry in the office, who says we shouldn't worry much at all. They never have storms here. Knock on wood. If there's a storm coming while we're here, we might rethink this.

Remove the canvas
What?!?!? Yes, we are leaving our new Bimini and dodger on. If a storm is headed this way, the marina will take it off for us. Therefore, we can get the good sun and UV protection for the cockpit and maybe keep the cabin a little cooler, especially since we will be able to leave our two tiny hatches below the dodger open.

It seems the longer list is the one for leaving the boat. That list to come!

SO IT BEGINS

We've successfully weathered many hurricanes with our other boats and two with Cara Mia, Earl in Manteo, NC, at a dock, and Irene in Mobjack, VA, out of the water. So, this marks our third time to do hurricane prep with Cara Mia, which seems easier this time. Perhaps we've learned a few things.

If we were staying on the boat, we wouldn't bother to do these things unless a storm was actually on its way. Hurricanes are slow moving creatures, thoughtfully leaving plenty of time to react. However, since we'll be off the boat and far away for a month, we can't take a chance. And speaking of chances, we feel they are small. We will be gone early in the season, and, one of the reasons we are in this spot in Georgia is that hurricanes rarely come here. (Let's hope we're not quoting this later.)

The jib seems so huge when it's off -- or when it's up in a stiff wind!

I'm keeping a running list of the things we're doing to prepare and will post it here later for open discussion.

The sultry heat of a Georgia summer sent me crawling through hatches to get the air conditioning back into action for the first time since last summer.

I take out the ducts when we're not using it to take advantage of all that space they consume, so in addition to pulling everything out to do the work, now we have to find places to put the things that no longer have a home. Why do boat chores always create additional chores?

I was able to do all the work myself until it came to burping the water pump. Air comes in the intake and creates an airlock, which requires us to remove the hose, turn on the pump and then replace the hose. Sound easy? Ugh.

The pump is buried deep in a hatch under cushions, the foldout board for making the settee into a bed, and the huge chart drawer. Then you have to lean way down in there and use brute force with arms extended to separate the hose from the flange, which is made to prevent removing the hose. This process took Chip about an hour and eventually required taking the flange off. We plan to replace the hose and put in a Y-valve to burp the system before decommissioning the AC this fall. At least next year it will be easier.

Then we cleaned the nasty water filter, and I can attest that cold air is a great payoff for hot hours of labor.

Now, back to work.

THE IRENE HAULOUT

Zimmerman Marina, Mathews, VA 37º24.43N | 76º21.14W

It was dead calm at 7:30 a.m. when they knocked on the hull to tell us they were ready to haul us out of the water. Who would know there was a tempest headed our way?

I'd never seen a lift like this one: a platform that goes into the water underneath and pushes the boat up instead of lifting it on slings.

We were anxious to see the bottom, which was crystal clear when we left the Bahamas two months ago.

Not bad!

Blocked and chained. They lower the keel onto wooden blocks, and then brace the sides with those stands. Then, they chain the stands together from side to side going under the keel -- to keep the stands from slipping out if the wind rocks the boat.

And now, with the marina's work done, ours can begin.

Hurricane Irene: T minus 28 hours and counting.

READY TO GET READY

Thanks to Irene, who is looking more and more like she has a bead on North Carolina and Virginia, we had a two-hour cruise today, from Mobjack Marina to Zimmerman Marina -- on a day we wouldn't otherwise have chosen to venture out. It was blowing a good 20+ knots on our nose with a stinky little chop, but nothing to keep us from getting Cara Mia to her hurricane hole.

It was our first time to be underway with the new canvas, complete with a larger windshield, and what a difference! I feel like we've added a huge picture window!

We're happy to be tied up in this quiet cove, far up a winding bay, anxious to get out of the water tomorrow -- and get to work.

Irene: T minus 36 hours and counting.

Cara Mia waiting to step out of the water.