Tag: hurricane irene

IF THERE CAN BE GOOD NEWS

The present track of Irene puts the eye of hurricane going over Western Long Island, about 100 miles west of Rhode Island. Very good news for us, not so for those now in the path of the storm. If this holds true, I will be very relieved.

latest NOAA

The storm has also been downgraded and has weakened. Right now the predictions for Newport, RI are 50 knot winds, quite acceptable. (as the reader may know the force of the wind is the square of the speed, a few quick examples will show how dramatically things change as the numbers grow.)

I am feeling cautiously better.

STILL WAITING FOR IRENE

I am still hoping for a miracle, that the hurricane will weaken or go inland and dissipate. Still have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. No choice there.  It is still not possible to tell, however at the moment, it looks as though the hurricane may head over Long Island and up into Western Massachusetts. A blessing for me.

While I am watching and waiting for Irene, my friend Paul Larsen and another group  are cycling The Haute Route, a staged race of 730 km between Geneva and Nice; over some of steepest terrain.

 

IRENE IS HEADED TO RHODE ISLAND

noaa tracking irene

In case you can’t tell, hurricane’s are my phobia. I like the manifestations of nature, but as a homeowner I am always  feeling protective. I have sailed through two hurricanes in my sailing career so far. It makes for good stories, but I never felt threatened or in danger. I worry much more about my house.

James Boyd of The Daily Sail has written a very good two part interview with the crew of Rambler 100 concerning the capsize. The Daily Sail is a subscription blog so I cannot reproduce the article here, only refer you to it. Click here to go to the page.

Finally, IDEC has been righted in Montauk.

IDEC AND IRENE

hurricane irene

Hurricane’s are my one true worry. They are destructive, therefore I always worry about them. As a true New Englander I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I would never want to wish harm to someone else, but neither do I wish to have an encounter with Irene.

Now an update on IDEC and Francis Joyon. The capsized trimaran is under tow, now that the mast has been removed from the boat, to a safe harbor where righting the boat will be attempted.

IDEC under tow

FIRST HURRICANE OF THE SEASON

96 hour NOAA chart

For those of us who live on the east coast, it is the time of year where we are looking over our shoulders. The season officially starts in June, but for the east coast the water temperature and weather systems are not established to guide the storms to us until near now. Really September and October are our danger zone. Hurricanes are apart of life for us, unfortunately. They seems to arrive just when the trees are most vulnerable; the foliage is full and heavy adding considerable surface area. The Midwest has tornado season, which is far more destructive. The power of the tornadoes dwarfs that of most hurricanes.