We are not in any significant danger from any of the forecast variations of what was (for a few hours at least) hurricane Hermine.  But that doesn’t mean we are quite completely off the hook either.

Every tiny little wiggle in the forecast track makes a huge difference this far out, so every update presents us with a slightly different scenario.  Right now my smart money is that sometime Monday we will see heavy rain and winds of between 30 and 45 knots.  Much, much less of an issue for us than a “real” hurricane.  In our little pond here, there will be no real waves, and the wind itself really can’t hurt the boat.

I am very happy with our spot right now, we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure that the anchor is well and deeply set.  If winds of 50 knots are forecast, we’ll be stripping the deck of the boat, to reduce windage as much as we can.  Things like taking the roller furling jib down, taking down extra lines, putting the dinghy and its engine in the locker: basically giving the wind as little to grab hold of as possible.  We do this not to keep things from blowing away but to keep the load on the anchor as low as possible.

Our 88 pound anchor is one of the best, and is actually oversized for our boat. So connected with 3/8″ high test chain, other than enduring a noisy and wet night, we’ll be settled in safe and snug.

This afternoon we’ll be taking the dinghy in and hitting the grocery store and a chandlery for some last minute supplies, then relaxing.  It will be interesting seeing how many boats come up here to hunker down.  Yesterday we were the only boat anchored here.  Last night two more came in.  I am hoping it doesn’t get too crowded.  Other than the weather itself, the one thing I can not control is the skill and equipment other boats anchor with.