We saw yesterday that a tropical storm (Joaquin) has formed
east of the Bahamas and is slowly tracking north-west at 3mph, with the
possibility of being upgraded to a hurricane and coming ashore in Chesapeake
Bay over the coming weekend. It is now officially a hurricane but at this
stage it is moving too slowly and it is too early for the forecasters to model
it’s path but everyone is on alert.
Being new to the whole hurricane thing we decided to pick the brains of
the local OCC port officers for Deltaville, Solomons Island and Anapolis for
recommendations on where we should head to hole up safely well in advance of
any deterioration in the weather. We
were touched how quickly they all replied with useful advice, offers of berths
etc etc and so we have sailed up the Rappahannock River today to Irvington
where several creeks tuck in behind high bluffs and so we’re now anchored in
one such place and plan to stay here several days as we keep an eye on how
things develop weather-wise.
It’s a pretty daunting prospect if a hurricane is to hit the
area but we are well protected where we are and know what to do to prepare the
boat. All the local people we have contacted think we're in an excellent place which concurs with our own views but we have some alternatives to consider if the track of the hurricane dictates we should move. In many ways we feel safer here at
anchor than being in a marina which would be far more exposed to the brunt of
the weather. We’re still hoping Joaquin
will hive off into the Atlantic but if not we’ll put out plenty of chain,
securely fasten down everything, remove all canvas and sit it out. What a start!