Hurricanes !!!

[Wahoo Sails]

Friends and fellow sailors,
No ... I haven't dissappeared! Hurricane Charley came through this area with 110 kt winds and pretty well tore everything up. My boat sustained very minor damage (part of a teak rubrail is busted out, and the teak frame to my forward hatch is badly broken) ... the Mariner 25 horse outboard I had tied to the dock, wound up flying through the air and wound up under an adjacent dock (already have purchased a Johnson 20 horse to replace it) .... no electricity or phones for days. No sooner did we start to get back to "normal" than Frances came through. That time, I set 2 bow anchors ... and it was much less fierce here on the West coast. Have found out just how weak the pilings & docks that we are tied to really are .... with Ivan roaring up our butts, will be setting stern anchors on Sunday. Unfortunately, I will have to lead the rodes over the dock, but think that is prefferable to not having them at all. For anyone that's curious, no ... I didn't stay on the boat ... and won't this time either! The best hurricane expert in the world cannot tell you exactly where the eye is going to go ... and if the eye passes over you ... well? Not a single boat came through the eye of charley in one piece ... no matter how well tied or anchored they were. I'm not prepared to gamble my life on it missing us! As much as I love this particular boat ... I can always buy another ... IF I live through the experience to do so!
Just got back online this evening, and looking forward to reading all of what's going on with everyone else ... but will have to wait for a bit ... much e-mail to catch up on.
L S/V Eva Luna
Bob

[Alan Wheeler]

Wish you well. Keep safe,
Wheels