Like every other person on the water along the east coast, we have been watching the forecasts for Hurricane Matthew. This mornings forecast looks like it was designed by an evil genius to cause as much trouble for as many people as possible.  Every one of the islands in the Bahamas, the coast of Florida, South and North Carolina…  Ouch.  Hopefully the forecasts are wrong!

Here, we don’t have too much to worry about.  We checked with the marina, and they allow boats to stay unless there is a direct hit forecast for a Category 4 storm or stronger, which doesn’t look like it’s in the cards for this storm.  I have great empathy for the management of this huge boat show.  Even a distant passing of a storm could be a real problem.  The downtown area of Annapolis is regularly subject to minor flooding.  The day we arrived, the wind had been blowing from the “wrong” direction for several days, combined with a high tide left the streets that where the boat show tents were being set up under a lot of water.

Looking across the road, then a parking lot (where the tent is), then across the harbor. Saltwater everywhere!

In a few days, this is where the main tent for the boat show will be. Hopefully drier by then!

We get to see all kinds of boats out on the water.  Here is one from the other day, a small (90 feet) US Navy boat called “Stiletto”.  It is a new stealth ship used for coastal patrols.  It has been a test platform for the last several years, and is supposed to be coming into full service soon.  Supposedly capable of “over 60 knots”, here she is doing “only” about 30…

The US Navy’s “Stiletto”.