"The wind is blowin' harder now, 50 knots or thereabouts...

.........there's whitecaps on the ocean and I'm watching for waterspouts." LITERALLY!(This emphasis added by ACJM)




And, that's about the size of it. We rode out a tropical storm last year in Islamorada after our August Bahamas cruise. It was the worst wind I have ever been in and it went on all night long. It was gusting to 50-60 mph which equates to 42-50 knots. Yesterday here in Hope Town we just beat the storm back to FF after lunch at Captain Jacks. It continued to build through the afternoon with a few openings to look outside and adjust the lines. Just before dark I added an additional line across the next slip into the wind to help with what we thought was coming. It was a fairly uneventful night. The usual slapping of the water on the hull of the boat. The usual squeaking of the boat against the fenders and the sound of the lines tightening on the cleats. Just about daylight it seemed as though the winds had died to little or nothing. Almost no slapping of the waves, etc. All at once it hit. The howling of the wind in the outriggers and across the curtains raised me out of bed to check it out. The winds were roaring. I'm guessing 30-40 knots and gusting higher. The whitecaps in the marina were more than I would have wanted most times at home. The rain poured and the wind continued for 3 hours or so. It is now 10:15 AM and the sun is peaking through and the rain seems to be about over. The wind is still blowing but I think manageable in the little hole in the water so we can venture out for lunch on the other side........and maybe a few cocktails. ACJM says more than a few cocktails after riding out that storm! Adding a few pics of the storm from inside and outside the boat......