Tropical Storm Hanna
Our planned long Labor Day weekend was cancelled because my Dad was hospitalized on August 25th. He was having trouble breathing and with his history, that is nothing to take lightly. Although he was never in any real danger, we were not comfortable being 250 miles away. At this writing he is doing very well and recovering nicely.

While we were home, tropical storm Hanna was wreaking havoc in the Caribbean Sea. She was originally forecast to come ashore in northern Florida, which would have made her a welcome rain event in middle of the state and a cloudy day at the coast. The closer the storm came to shore the more the forecast took her to Whortonsville. She was to land near the North Carolina border as a category 1 hurricane. I was hoping we would dodge the bullet, so to speak but the forecast stopped changing after noon on Thursday. Southern Star was not prepared for a storm. With Hanna threatening and the more serious "Ike" approaching, I delayed as long as I dared but finally requested time off from work to prepare the little ship for a blow.

Thursday September 4, 2008
By starting early and working through my normal lunchtime, I left home in time to get to the coast before dark, but not much before. I was able to unfurl the headsail and get it below before the wind picked up. On a roller furling headsail, you must deploy the sail before you can remove it from the furler. If you wait too long, the wind may not allow you to unfurl without ripping the sail to shreds. When I arrived there were several dock mates performing the hurricane preparation ritual. Our friend Art was helping me get the headsail down and complemented me on the "crispness" of the sail. I told him that (as Judy would say if she had been there) it should be crisp considering how expensive it was. Bill and Susan were down preparing "Bonafide" for the storm. They graciously offered to help and also offered an inland place to sleep. I had to decline their offer because I still had work to do in the morning. Charlie Gibson (our dinghy) was hanging out with his friends in Nick's back yard, and he needed to be packed up and taken home. I still had to remove the bimini cover and other canvas before I would be comfortable leaving.

After working a full day and driving 250 miles I was ready to relax. Art was the only other skipper planning to stay over night so we hung out in the "Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club" cockpit for a while after dinner. Chuck from "Motivation" arrived with a friend of his later in the evening. The weather was very nice. The skies were clear and the wind was barely enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay. There was no visible evidence of an approaching storm. I turned in and slept well.

Friday September 5, 2008
I woke early and got started doing the remaining tasks. Overnight there had been some wind but no rain. The water in Brown Creek was up at least a foot. Cloud bands were starting to be evident and it didn't take a meteorologist to forecast a storm. The canvas was no trouble to remove and Charlie Gibson was in his case in 20 minutes flat. I checked the double dock lines, secured all the hatches and headed for home. I stopped by the "Bean" coffee shop in Bayboro for a cup of good coffee and an unhealthy but delicious sweet roll for breakfast. The rest of the trip was uneventful. I arrived home about 2pm. Judy was not there because she had gone to pick up our grandson Carson for a planned weekend camping trip with Judy's family. My Dad was still in the rest home getting stronger. The camping trip was in a local park only 20 miles from home.

I wasn't able to track Hanna after Saturday morning. The picture above is the forecast track I downloaded at the coffee shop. The scuttlebutt around the campground was that the storm was tracking much further West, which is good news for the coast. We got a few good showers on Friday night at the campground but nothing that could be considered a storm. There is still plenty of opportunity for serious storms this season. There are already two more waiting in the wings. Stay tuned for further developments.