ADIOS HURRICANE JOAQUIN, HELLO GALE

It's with some relief that hurricane Joaquin will not be making landfall here as it tracks out to sea. But, these nor' easter conditions is no day at the beach either. It's been blowing a pretty steady 20 knots in the harbor. I've measured gusts as high as 32! It was apparently too much for this day sailing cat boat on a mooring near BIANKA:

Which sunk sometime during the night. I thought I saw the young owners on the beach trying to comfort each other as they came to check on their boat. Meanwhile, the gale warnings continue into tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the winds calming down. But, perhaps this is what happens when a boat on a neighboring mooring is named Storm Chaser:

Remembering Sandy

It was two years ago the superstorm Sandy hit the area.  I went down to the boatyard in the morning before the storm hit but, the winds had already whipped up Long Island Sound into very rough conditions:


In addition water was already flooding over the only access road in or out to the boatyard. So I was only able to catch a quick glimpse of BIANKA still at her original location before I had to hightail it out of the area or be stuck for as the storm hit. I choose to head back and just barely beat the flood waters:


After the storm passed I found BIANKA a thousand feet from where I had left her the day before. Luckily undamaged and still floating. Which was good since I moved back on board since there I had power thanks to the solar and wind turbine and also the Honda 2000 generator. I also had Internet access via the cell phone. While back on land many did without these due to power lines being down for weeks.  The storm also taught me some important lessons.  .

Nor' easter Season Again

Two days ago I had a delightful sail back to BIANKA'S homeport at the end of a fall cruise to the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival. Today I am tied to a dock as a Nor' easter starts to form just to the south of the Long Island. I actually prefer to ride this weather out on a mooring. But, I am expecting some packages to arrive on shore and wanted to be there to receive them. I have doubled up on the lines and they have stretched enough to make stepping on the dock a little iffy. Another concern is the cleats on the aging dock. Winds are expect to increase even more this afternoon with gusts to 30 knots. Welcome to Nor' Easter season.

THAT WAS QUICK

I went down to the boatyard again on Friday to look for the Kings Loran manual that a sailor in Norway asked me about. While there I found out my new 500 pound mooring was already rigged up and ready to be dropped. But, that also meant the bill would soon be coming in the mail too.  At least I'll be able to relax a little in case another storm like Sandy heads this way knowing the mooring is 200 pounds heavier and has some new chain on it.

A NEW MOORING

I was working on board the boat yesterday when there was a tap on the hull. It was the boat yard manager asking me what I wanted to do about my mooring since they were starting to set things up for the up coming season. We had talked about increasing the size of the mooring ever since I found BIANKA a thousand feet from it's usual location after Hurricane Sandy. The original mooring that held BIANKA since 1996 was 300 lbs. It did an admiral job until superstorm Sandy came ashore last year. I could have jumped up to 400 lbs but, he mentioned BIANKA's bow mounted mast that maybe 500 pounds might be better. I had to agree. Might as well go BIG and not push my luck this Hurricane Season. I drove out of the boatyard singing the Bob Dylan song  New Morning but, changed the lyrics slightly singing the chorus as "new mooring" instead.

500 FEET OF SEPARATION

With BIANKA stored safely away for the winter I've been wondering what was going on around BIANKA as Sandy hit the area. I wish I knew when she made her move across the harbor.  I know she was still at the same location at 11 AM Monday October 29th the day the storm hit. On Tuesday morning she was located over one thousand feet to the southwest still attached to her mooring and floating thankfully. Looking around on You Tube I found footage of what was going on just two miles down the coast from were BIANKA was moored and what the conditions were like on Long Island Sound which was just across the road from where BIANKA was located:






Watching this footage reminds me how lucky BIANKA was. Just 500 feet of a low lying spit of land separated the mooring field where BIANKA was from these conditions. She was protected from the brute force of Sandy but, could not hold on when the storm surge became too great with the the northeast winds of Sandy continually flooding water into the harbor.  I was thinking that maybe a well protected cove located inside of Port Jefferson Harbor might have been a better place to be as it was protected by high bluffs from the north, east and south as shown here:

But, after looking at this video that might not have be such a good idea after all:



No doubt the coastline has changed and there has been a lot of erosion but, to see what the Sound is like in more normal conditions this flyover video of the area shows how the normally rocky beaches (those that are still there)  have ironically become rather "Sandy". While the video below shows how some areas have no beach at all anymore:

  

Now we wait to see if the winter storms will create further changes.

ANOTHER LESSON FROM SANDY: Securing the dingy

Another lesson I learned after Sandy is when to use and when to secure the dingy outboard.  I was on board the day before Hurricane Sandy hit. Due to the pressure gradient between the departing high pressure and the approach of Sandy the winds piped up to 25 knots with gusts to 35. I was concerned that those winds out of the northeast might make rowing back to the docks northwest of the mooring impossible. Turns out I was able to row the Porta Bote fine in that direction in those conditions without using the engine. But, the big mistake was leaving the outboard on the dingy after I reached the calm conditions inside the marina basin. When I tied up to the dock it was very calm as the the land and bulkhead protected the area from the blowing northeast winds. I thought the dingy would be fine there. I left the motor on because I thought I would need it when I would have to get back on BIANKA at some point before Sandy had totally departed the area.  I tied it on the northwest side of the dock so I also thought the dingy would also be secure even when the winds backed around from the southeast later in the storm   I did not expect the docks to break apart and flip the dingy sending the Honda BF-2 outboard to the bottom.  Below is what it looked like after spending a week on the bottom.

Luckily, I did take my oars with me when I left so I was still able to get back to the boat after the storm. So the lesson learned was to remove the outboard and everything else in the dingy if you are going to leave it at a dock. Though removing it some place secure on land might be the best solution if it can be easily done. I'm in the process of try to revive the drowned outboard which I will post about here in the near future.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM HURRICANE SANDY

It's been almost two weeks since Hurricane Sandy came ashore and decimated parts of the northeast United States especially those living near the shore areas. I was pretty lucky despite finding BIANKA over a thousand feet away from where I left her the night before the storm I found her floating and still attached to her 300 pound mooring. Here are some of the lessons I learned from Sandy:

1) Putting an extra line on the mooring works well as a precaution to keep the boat attached to the mooring. I probably don't need to attach the anchor chain on board to the mooring chain as I did when Hurricane Irene threatened last year.




2)  The surge from a storm is going to have a big impact on weather the boat stays put or decides to wander across the harbor. I may need to think about adding additional anchors to the mooring chain to try and keep it in place or close to it when the tidal surge comes in. This will involve some prep and diving before the storm hits. Perhaps a heavier mooring might be in order.  Upon inspection earlier this year the eye of the mooring was showing quite a bit of wear following last years Hurricane Irene.
This yearBIANKA's mooring had a new eye welded on to it at the beginning of the season. I'll be interested to see what it looks like when it is pulled after Sandy.




3)  I need to be more thorough in making sure I have dogged the hatches. I'm still amazed I missed  latching the overhead hatch in the forward cabin. It was closed but, not secure.

The winds from Sandy were able to lift it and fling it wide open damaging the Charlie Noble vent for the water heater. Luckily there was not a lot of rain when Sandy hit the area and I only found about an inch of water in the bilge and a damp bed quilt.

4) The solar bimini with it's solar panelsI built over the cockpit is strong enough to stand up to hurricane force winds and there is no need to take it down before the storm. The design has now been through three hurricanes with Sandy's gusts to 95 MPH being the strongest so far. I do have to secure the clear  Lexan centerpiece better as the two screws holding it to the frame were not enough to hold it in storm conditions but, that was just a temporary install at the time Sandy hit anyway.



5) I should have probably taken the sail down below. I did for Hurricane Irene last year. But, this time I opted not to do it. I was on the boat the day before Sandy and the winds were blowing 30 to 35 knots at times and the boat seemed to be riding well. So I opted to leave them on. Not sure how much of difference it would have made since BIANKA's beam is over 11 feet and there were plenty of other boats that dragged that had there sails stripped off of them. But, in the future I will store it below when another storm threatens.

6) I ran out of propane about two weeks before Sandy. Even though I was heading out on a fall cruise I opted not to refill the propane tank  since it was toward the end of the season. I thought I would refill it in the spring. I would use my backup cooking devices for the few remaining weeks. One of my backups is a butane single burner stove. I bought some additional butane canisters but, when I went to try it I found the butane did not flow to the burner. Some parts looked a little corroded  and I did not think it safe to use it.  I then went to my second backup which was a  Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner Stove which works very well 

as a backup but, can only be used at an anchorage in calm conditions because cooking pots and pans are not secure from toppling over. Luckily, I bought some extra Propane Fuel Canisters  for it's use before Sandy hit. Because they might have been scarce after the storm knocked out power and some people on land would be using alternate cooking devices like I was.  As it was I was on my last propane canister when power was restored back at home and was beginning to wonder if I would be able to find more if I needed them. So getting the on board propane tank refilled should be a priority if one wants to be able to move on board after a storm without worry.

7) Communications can get spotty after a storm like Sandy hit's. At first things seemed to be ok but, as the days wore on and the batteries and generators of the cell phone towers ran down communications began to get flaky. Cell phone calls dropped out, internet access via the cell phone modem was slow or non existent at times.  It seemed that emails sent from my Blackberry were the most reliable form of communications when the others were not reliable.

8) Having an  Engel Portable Refrigerator - Freezer and a cooler on board was a great asset to have. I made the decision to move on board primarily because I had all my basic needs available there. Including refrigeration with the Engel . I was able to empty the freezer at home and store most of the frozen items in the Engel in freezer mode and use the Coleman cooler for the items that just needed to be refrigerated. So I threw very little of the food at home away and had plenty for a week of meals on board the boat without having to find a supermarket or grocery store. I took frozen items from the Engel and defrosted them in the Coleman cooler as needed where it helped to keep the cooler items cold too. As I emptied the Engel I froze plastic water bottles to use as the ice ran out in the cooler.





9) Since I was just getting back from a 200 mile fall cruise as Sandy approached I did not refill the gasoline jerry jugs I use for the Honda 2000 generator. I was winding down the sailing season so I had less than a gallon left of the six gallons I usually carry when cruising. Again since it was toward the end of the season I saw no need to refill them. But, after Sandy hit a lot of gas stations had no power for several days and then after power was restored there was a run on gasoline and they were soon shut because they no longer had gasoline. Even as I write this two weeks after the storm gasoline is being rationed by a system of odd and even license plate days. So the lesson learned when a storm threatens refill the jerry jugs before it hits. It turns out I did not need to run the Honda 2000 generator that much. I only ran it for a few hours one day out of the seven I was on board. But, if I had to use it more I might have run out of gas before too long. So the lesson is to keep your fuel supply topped up and ready until you are sure you won't need it. The same goes for the water tanks.

10) Having solar and a wind turbine on board is a real plus for after storm living. As I mentioned above I only had to run the Honda 2000 generator one day for a few hours. That was because we had a some cloudy days during and after Sandy and with the ENGEL running in freezer mode it was draw a few more amps than usual. But, after things got charged up I was able to use both the 12 volt house bank and the 10 kilowatt 48 volt propulsion bank efficiently.  During the day when the sun was out I would power the Engel freezer from the 12 house bank as the two 75 solar panels were able to power it and charge the house bank  a little. I used the 48 volt propulsion bank to power my laptop as I checked emails and blogged. In the evening after I was done using the computer I would then power the ENGEL freezer from the 48 volt bank because in addition to some solar I also had the Marine Air X 48 volt wind turbine helpeing to charge things overnight. I needed to use the 12 volt house bank to power some LED lights and a small radio.

In short I found that after a storm reeks havoc on land moving onto ones boat is better way to weather the aftermath until things get back to normal on land. Provided of course you already have the systems and provisions on board to live for an extended time at anchor which I did.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Just when things were getting back to normal. On Monday the lights at the marina where BIANKA was tied up came on. Same for the houses in the hills surrounding the harbor. BIANKA was going to be pulled for the winter so it was my last night on board. But, I will be taking the Honda 2000 generator with me. I'm so glad I did not opt for an inboard marine generator when I converted to electric propulsion. I can move the Honda to where I need it. Because as I leave the boat for the winter NOAA is predicting another Nor'easter to hit the area today. It won't be as bad as Sandy but, coastal flood and high wind warnings have been issued. Though today I take comfort that BIANKA is now safely on land for the coming months and I don't have to worry about her as much with the coming Nor'easter as I did last week when Sandy approached.

SANDY AFTERMATH: DAY SEVEN: The End

It was one week ago yesterday that Sandy was raking the harbor with gusts up to 90 MPH and severe coastal flooding. Taking BIANKA for a trip across the harbor and knocking out power for millions of people destroying the homes of others. Today a number of things have come together that mean things are coming to an end at least for me. I had just about given up ever finding the Honda outboard that went to the bottom of the harbor seven days ago when Sandy flipped over the dingy. After several hours using a grappling hook without success one of the boatyard guys suggested I try off another dock where he had seen some bubbles coming up. I did and on the third try I snagged the shaft of the outboard and was able to bring the Honda 2 HP outboard to the surface:

Some fish and crabs fell out from inside the coaming but, the Outboard looked in good condition. I flushed it with some fresh water and took it back home and placed into a bag filled with fresh water. I'll try and resuscitate it in a few days. I have hopes it will once again run. On the way to the house I noticed Utility Company trucks were on the block. So it it looks like the power outage at the house will also soon end.
Today the mast was also unstepped from BIANKA to be stored until next spring.

It means the end of the 2012 sailing season for me. Though I will be sailing in warmer climes over the winter it won't be on BIANKA. But it will be something to look forward to. Tomorrow BIANKA will also be pulled to be stored on land for the winter. Just in time before the next Nor'easter arrives in the area.  So this will be my last night on BIANKA too. Though I will be frequently be on board over the winter working on projects or sometimes just hanging out and staring thinking about the next season. So in some ways it's not the end it's the beginning of the wait for the next sailing season.

SANDY AFTERMATH: DAY FIVE AND SIX

Now the warriors of winter they gave a cold triumphant shout

And all that stays is dying, all that lives is getting out

See the geese in chevron flight flapping and a-racing on before the snow

They've got the urge for going, and they've got the wings so they can go

They get the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

 JONI MITCHELL

SATURDAY  Nov. 4 2012

The boatyard supervisor wants to pull BIANKA early next week and with another Nor' easter heading this way I guess it's time to call end to the season. The docks and piling have taken a beating during Sandy:

Who knows how well they will hold up after another Nor' easter. The nights are getting colder but, the harbor is still pretty dark after the sun goes down as power still has not been restored to a lot of the island.  I hunker down in the cabin once the sun goes down. Nice and cozy with a hot cup of tea. Internet and cell phone service has finally improved quite a bit. I can surf the Internet and see what other areas have experienced. I poked my head out  and saw an orange glow way to the east on the shore. I was thinking uh oh ,  somebody's beach house is on fire and from the Halloween orange glow it's pretty intense. I see it grow bigger as I keep looking. Then I'm thinking there are no houses in that direction on the beach where this fire was. They are on the bluffs. I was relieved a little while later what I had really seen was the orange moon rising through some hazy clouds on the horizon.

I took off the sail and took it home.  As I headed home I noticed the cars lined up at the gas stations along with several Police officers at each one with gas directing traffic. I was glad I had filled up on Monday right before the storm and I have a small efficient car allowing me to make several trips back and forth without worry.  Though I can understand the desperation of some in the search for gas.  

I still have same gas in the Honda 2000i generator and about a half gallon in a Jerry Jug left over from the latest cruise. But, the winds have been brisk and the sun has been shining so I have not had to fire up the generator for charging in a few days on board.

SUNDAY Nov. 5 2012

After my morning coffee I walked the lopsided stormed tossed dingy docks 

to get to the area where the fellows of the boatyard found my overturned Porta Boat dingy sans the Honda BP2 outboard. The consensus is the outboard went to the bottom when the dingy flipped. It was low tide and I spent an hour throwing the grapple. But, the only thing I caught were some Oysters and mussels:

It's possible the motor is under the dock I was standing on since it was the one that broke away during the storm. I may have to wait until they move it and maybe try some again. But, it may be a lost cause at this point anyway.

I tied up BIANKA in front of a 47 foot Hunter that was moved at some point when I was away. The owner came back this morning to remove some steps and  fenders he had left attached to the dock. I asked how the boat fared which was tied to the dock during Sandy.  He said he had some damage in the stern area because every cleet on the dock except for the stern one had been pulled out during the storm. When I looked at the dock he was right four or five cleats were  missing from the dock.

I dropped the boom on BIANKA and removed all the lines. While I was sorting them out.  The owner of a big beamy Regal power boat across the dock  arrived with his nephew. They were there to siphon some gas out of the Uncles boat so they could keep the generator running at home.

As high tide approached I took a lot of the canned goods I had in BIANKA's galley and put them into an empty cooler to bring home along with the Porta Boat dingy. I'm timing this with the high tide because it is easy to lug this stuff  up the gangway at that time. As I was folding the Porta Boat for the last time this season. I noticed that two of the four screws that hold the transom were missing. Not sure how they could have loosened but, found it strange they were gone while the two others were still there and tight.

I also took some time to go over and see a power boat that washed up near the town docks:

There were a few people working on it. Luckily it landed on a sandy patch next to one of the town docks. They had wood rollers underneath and some heavy thick line wrapped around the bow. I wonder if they are going to try to pull it off on the next high tide which according to my Eldridge is about 9 o'clock tonight. I wish them luck.

HURRICANE SANDY: AFTERMATH DAY FOUR and FIVE

I am noticing a difference at night while living on board BIANKA. The harbor the first night on Tuesday had a different feel to it. Mostly because the lights of the beach parking lot and those houses in the surrounding hills were dark due to the power outages. The nearly full moon rose and played peak a boo in the swirling clouds that were the remnants of Sandy.  It was very calm and somewhat warm enough that I was able to have dinner in the cockpit and enjoy the scene.

On Thursday I drove home to check on the house which was still without power  and did some yard cleanup before returning to BIANKA for the night. It was comforting to return to BIANKA where I had power and food available thanks to solar and wind power which were doing a nice job keeping things topped up. But, I did fire up the generator as the cloud cover during the day did keep the 12 volt house bank a little under charged.  It did not take long to fully charge it and I used the waste heat from the Honda generator to totally dry the portion of the quit on my bunk that got wet from the open over head hatch. I enjoyed the nights dinner which was Pasta with Captain Mike's homemade Bolognese sauce. It was a colder night than the previous ones but, under the down quilt in BIANKA's cabin I did not notice it.

On Friday I bought the boat to the dock as the boatyard boss was getting antsy to pull her and put BIANKA in the special corner where I get a very nice harbor view over the winter as I work on projects. He wants to do this soon so that he can also put in other boats in front of her and fill up the yard. I've finished the water from the 50 gallon tank on board and switched over to the 30 gallon tank so I guess it's time to think about ending the season anyway. I tried grappling for the lost Honda BP-2 outboard but, I was not able to find it. I may try again over the weekend. A gusty wind kept the Marine Air-X wind turbine spinning all day  nicely adding some  amps into the battery bank and we had enough sun that I did not need to use the Honda 2000 generator to top things up. Driving home to check on the house I notice that gas has become an issue with many gas stations closed because of no supply and those that were open had long lines and Police directing traffic. This is not a crucial issue on an electric boat like BIANKA  the solar and wind generation are able to keep up with my demands while I live on board most days. I heard some scuttlebutt in the boatyard about hiring private security to keep an eye on things. As contractors in the area were finding it hard to find fuel for their trucks and a boatyard full of diesel fueled boats was a tempting target. As for me I will be hiding the half gallon of gas I have on board for the Honda generator and sleeping with one eye open.

HURRICANE SANDY: DAY TWO

I woke up after a restful sleep and things were pretty quiet. But, that's because of triple pane argon filled windows can insulate the sounds pretty good. not like being on the boat where your senses are well aware of what's going on with the weather.  Looking at the trees through the window I could see things were starting to blow a  harder than last night as Hurricane Sandy approaches. I went to the dentists office where of course I found out that the dentist would not be in because of the storm so I decided to drive to the harbor where BIANKA was moored. Since it was 9 AM I thought there was a pretty good chance I could get there since high tide was not until 12 noon. But, I was wrong:

There use to be a road underneath that rising water.  Notice the sign on the left. The bad news is this was taken at 9:30 am and high tide would be at 12 noon. I turned around and took another route. But, that was starting to flood too! However, I took a chance and after I got through parts that were starting to flood. I found the road to the boatyard blocked by town vehicles. I was able to park and get a glimpse of BIANKA which was still floating in the same place I left her last night despite the increase in winds. I could not stay long as the waters were rising and I had to get the car out of there before I would be trapped. Here is a little look of what it was like heading back along the harbor road. Again, this was two hours before the days high tide:


Here is some video I took of  Long Island Sound raging like an ocean. The beach was entirely covered and water was lapping at the parking lot. Again, this was two and half hours BEFORE high tide:



The bad news is this is just the start of the major part of the storm. I don't know when I'll be able to get back near BIANKA I just hope she is floating somewhere in the harbor when I do.

BLOG UPDATE MONDAY 5:45PM:
I've tried contact the boatyard several times today and there is no answer. That's not good news as they maybe busy trying to save the docks, boats etc... I was hoping they might get a visual on BIANKA and let me know if she is still where she is supposed to be. The flooding this morning was not a good sign. Then this "Special Weather Statement" came from NOAA:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED WINDS UP TO 110 MPH
BETWEEN 1500 AND 3000 FEET. SOME OF THESE VERY STRONG...DAMAGING
WINDS WILL OCCASIONALLY REACH THE SURFACE...PRODUCING GUSTS OF
70-90 MPH ACROSS THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA...LONG
ISLAND...AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT THROUGH 8 PM. THE GUSTS TO THESE
LEVELS WILL BE MORE FREQUENT OVER SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT AND 

LONG ISLAND THAN OVER THE NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA. 

Uh oh just lost power again!  I keep thinking that BIANKA with it's wind turbine has all the power I would need. Better sign off for now and save my laptop power.

TIS THE SEASON

Well it's Nor' Easter time again and all eyes are on Hurricane Sandy heading up this way and morphing into a coastal storm.  Lucky for me I'm only a day sail away from BIANKA's homeport finishing up a fall cruise. So we should arrive before things ramp up. Glad I decide to keep using the current down the Hudson and up the East River the other day instead of stopping over in New York for two days. Tomorrow the winds will be variable under five knots. Two days later they are calling for 25 to 30. It would be nice to split the difference but, even if I have to electro sail it will be a quiet thirty miles back to the home harbor.