We are just fine, thank you! We have had friends back on "The Continent" (our expression for Canada and the U.S.) express concern for us now that Hurricane Sandy is threatening the East Coast of the United States. That bad girl is 1500 miles away from us. This is about the same as the bottom tip of Florida to the eastern tip of Lake Superior. Now, Ernesto (remember Ernesto?) was a little more of a concern when he passed north of us.

Now that Sandy is big news in the U.S. and Canada, people think of the damage that can occur, and some then think of us. By the time it is the top story on CNN, it is far away from us, and is Someone Else's Problem. Unfortunately, as an SEP, it still isn't nice to contemplate.

There are a number of boats in the Eastern part of the United States who are currently heading south to the Bahamas, or to become Caribbean cruisers. I am concerned for them. Finding a safe place to be during this busy time in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) could be difficult for some. It is even more difficult as Sandy's actual point of landfall is not exact, so it becomes a guessing game. Add to the fact that the nature of the storm is changing so that sustained winds around 60 knots for 24 - 48 hours may occur makes this a particularly miserable storm.

We know some people who are on their way south in their boats. So do a lot of cruisers around here, and we worry about the southbound crowd. Here's hoping that everyone finds a safe place for themselves and their floating homes while this passes by. We are also hoping for safety for the more "land dependent" people whose homes and livelihoods are being threatened.

And for the weather junkies on some of the websites who keep crowing about how cool a storm is, or bemoaning the lack of big storms in a season, be careful of what you wish for. These things may look neat from the outside, but who really wants to be in the middle of it?