Marina view showing boats with sails and canvas removed to prepare for hurricane Irma.

September began with the marina Labor Day picnic on the 4th. I enjoyed food and drinks with live music. (Ralph was working.) We had a great turnout!

The rest of that week was devoted to hurricane preparations for Irma. The city of Brunswick and the county issued an evacuation order on Friday the 8th so most boaters left, although some of us stayed (based on predicted conditions). Saturday afternoon the rain and wind began with tropical storm conditions arriving Sunday through Monday. Most of the time the winds were in the 30s-40s with higher gusts; Monday the wind was in the 50s with gusts as high as 88. The rain finally stopped Monday afternoon, just in time for the storm surge. As predicted, the surge was only a few feet so the marina was fine since the pilings are high. We never lost power, although it flickered sometimes. By Tuesday some of the small local businesses were open, including the marina. The city and county allowed residents and marina tenants back on Friday.

Thank goodness the rest of the month was pretty quiet!