Rita is going to be really messy---- right now Cat 5, 165 mph, track for landfall now just a little East of Bolivar Point on Galveston Bay. Predicting storm surge of 20-30 ft at Galveston island (seawall is only 17 ft) and up to 20 feet elsewhere in the bay.
This could be the "last look," unless the high pressure system continues to weaken and move to the East. Took this pic, and then started to get her ready for the blow.
Good luck keep safe. don't take any chances. My nephew Dustin and family as of today are still missing, they lived in Golfport. Boats can be replaced or repaired. I had 18 lines on my boat and allowed for a 6 ft storm surge over high tide. All of the lines helped, even when the docks came apart. The damage to my boat was from other boats that broke loose. I wish now that I had added some lines to the boats near me that the owners neglected to secure for Isebel.
I doubled and tripled some lines, put out enough fenders to make 376 look like a Mississippi tug boat------ if we stay on the back side of the storm, surge will be less, but........... Robert, I remember the pics you posted of what the boat next to you did to your rail. And certainly people are way way more important than plastic boats!!!!
Got 70 mph gusts, but fortunately, Rita was far enough East that the intital winds were out of the NE, shifting to the N, and then NW. This pushed water out of Galveston Bay. Some crazy folks who stayed behind said many boats were resting on their keels for a little while. Note in the picture above that there is a 10-12 foot high berm which is on the N side of my dock. That shielded the wind as well.
We also have one data point now about how dumping Rum into the water in advance of an oncoming storm can be a hurricane repellant. We did this in Galveston Bay (actually Clear Lake, but what's the difference?) late at night after preparing the boats, and whatdoyouknow? It worked! Scientific experimentation of ideas along the lines of how garlic fends off vampires. We'll wait for a few more data points before we submit our paper to the National Hurricane Center and Nature Magazine.
Drunken water, excellent!
Wouldn't work in the Bay, or tied up, but weathering a storm at sea is made easier by dripping fish oil in your slick - hove-to or running. It was Slocum, Pidgeon, or Voss did that, and probably whalers afor them. Biodegradable, right? Definitely repellant!
Was wondering if the mast could be lowered, as some of us do or will be able to, if that would make the boat more stable in a crazy hurricane. Has anybody done this? Don't think you'd want to do it in a marina, but then, why not? Cure for hurricane paranoia follows:
Hurricane Jane
1/4 oz rum
1/4 oz gin
1/4 oz vodka
1/4 oz tequila
1/4 oz curacao
1/4 oz cherry brandy
3 oz sour mix
3 oz OJ
ice.
Dang! let me have a mojito.
Ahh, the Rum Drunk Sea
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