Hurricane

[SkiprJohn]

Hawaii

Hurricane Flossie has just been downgraded to a Category 3 but is still headed for the islands. It is predicted to pass just South of us here on the Big Island by Tuesday evening 14 Aug 07. Our club has 4 boats in Reeds Bay so we are concerned.

Wish us well.

JohnL

[Pura Vida]

Good luck Skipper, Care for the boats as you can but care for your friends and family as you must.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha All,

Thanks Pura Vida for the advice and words of encouragement.
Our boat preparations included setting out extra anchors and using chafing gear. We stripped the mainsails off the booms and took down all awnings and dodgers. We pulled our West Wight Potter out and it is on a trailer in front of my house just now.

Hurricane Flossie was really predicted to do some damage but it's eye passed 70 miles south of Southpoint (the southernmost point in the USA). It remained a category 2 until it cleared that area and it just disentegrated. Its nearest passage to Hilo was the eye at 115 miles South. We got just standard summer showers and no wind to speak of here 15 miles south of Hilo. We were very relieved.

For most of you in hurricane alley this is probably not a big thing but here on this particular island we've never had a hurricane direct hit so we were all a bit stressed until last night about 10PM when nothing had happened and the storm tracked south of us and continued West Northwest. The Big Island legend of the two 13,000 mountains guarding us against Hurricanes continues!!

Kind Regards,

JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

The two mountains are Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea at approximately 13,000 feet. The legend is that they'll never allow a hurricane to come ashore on the Big Island. So far, the legend endures. But, in this day and age of weather changes I'm not so certain.
JohnL

[GordMay]

Extreme Points of the United States (50 States)
Point Barrow, Alaska: 71°23' N 156°29' W 2,507
Quoddy Head, Maine: 44°49' N 66°57' W 1,788 2,997
Ka Lae (South Cape), Hawaii: 18°55' N 155°41' W
Cape Wrangell, Alaska (Attu Island): 52°55' N 172°27' E 3,625 5,8331.

[Pura Vida]

And of course from base to peak, as opposed to the standard sea level measurment Mauna Kea is 33,476 feet, the tallest mountain in the world.

[TaoJones]

(Sorry if I've put that tune into anyone's head - it'll only keep repeating and repeating for two or three days )

It is indeed a small world, Gord! I had sent SkiprJohn a PM an hour or so ago, telling him that his mention of South Point had brought to mind a riddle that a clever person can use to win a bar bet.

The riddle is "What US states are the farthest north, south, east and west?"

Almost no one in the US, let alone anywhere else, knows that the answers are:

South: Hawai'i - North: Alaska - West: Alaska - East: Alaska

This is because the Aleutian Island chain stretches across the International Date Line, the arbitrary line separating east and west. It doesn't surprise me at all that you not only know that, Gord, you can give the lat/lon co-ordinates, as well!

Of course, now John can't so easily take advantage of his mates at the yacht club bar, but I'll bet everyone who reads this board will be using this riddle on their friends and families.

TaoJones

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Pura Vida,

You know I don't like to mention to people the mass of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea because most folks don't measure from the sea floor but measure from sea level. It really is hard to get your thoughts wrapped around something that massive. It truly is a "Big" Island. The size of Connecticut with a population of 165,000 and two mountains as tall as Mount Hood in Oregon.

Anyway, thanks for thinking about us outer islanders.

JohnL

[Pura Vida]

Any time Skip, Just don't tell any Texans that you're farther south. Most of 'em are sure Florida is cheating and Brownsville is the winner.

pv

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha pv,
Ok, Brownsville wins. I know they don't want to be consider furthest north though, right?
JohnL