CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Ensenada Honda, near town on Culebra
18 18.326' N, 065 17.979' W

Prudence is as ready as we can make her. Three anchors are in the water with maximum scope and lots of chafe gear. With all sails, solar panels, fenders, jerry cans, and canvas stowed below, there is no more room for us. Therefore, we have fled to the shelter and safety of a room on shore. The guesthouse where we are staying, Casa Ensenada, has a dock which looks out onto the harbor, only a few hundred feet from our boat.



From our room, we could see Prudence if the hurricane shutters were not covering the windows. As it is, though, we will be able to peer out at the boat from the covered 'carport' on the side of the building. We hope to see her remain in place and afloat. With a hurricane on the way, we could ask no more.

As for us, we are living in the lap of luxury while the wind and rain is lashing the building. For now, we have electricity, internet, a hot shower, plenty of comfort food and a bottle of rum. I am currently writing and channel surfing on the TV with a cold beer on the table beside me. Who knew riding out a hurricane could be so nice.

On a serious note, though, we are trying to keep ourselves calm and collected. We have a lot to lose floating out there on the water. It was a very busy morning doing the final hurricane prep and heading off to teach my midday algebra class. By the time I returned from class and we motored the dinghy out to the boat for one final check, one of the first serious bands of wind and rain struck. We made it back to Casa Ensenada's dock to remove our new engine (to store in the room with us) and then rowed over to a nearby public docking area where I tied the Porta-bote to a tree. We hope to stay here in the room, clean and dry, throughout the duration of the storm. However, if we do need to make a trip back out to the boat, we brought one inflatable kayak along with us to the room.

Here are some photos of the results of our preparation activities over the last few days...





...and, just to give you an idea of the condition inside, here is our head:



I will try to post another update later, if the internet and electricity are still on our side. Until then, here is the most recent information on OMAR... {Meanwhile, I need another beer}

Hurricane OMAR
TIME/DATE: 200 PM AST WED OCT 15 2008
POSITION: 15.5 N, 66.6 W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 85 MPH
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES
MOVEMENT: EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 13 MPH
DISTANCE FROM CULEBRA: 210 MILES