No hurricane but...

Hurricane Joaquin took a more easterly route and did not make landfall but it was still ugly.  The storm that had devastated and flooded South Carolina was moving slowly up  the coast.  Eastern North Carolina had received several days of rain before we arrived and then the front really hit.  It was a classic Nor'easter with winds in the 30-40 knot range.  What happens next is the wind blows the water in Pamlico Sound south, building up in the creeks and rivers as all of the water from the rain is trying to make it's way to the ocean.  This causes the water in the creek to rise, and rise and rise.  By Sunday it was causing flooding in the low lying areas and rose above the docks.  There are several problems with the water over the docks: the lines are pulling up instead of laterally, the boat rises making it hard or impossible to get on and off and the electricity gets shut off.  If we had followed our first plan to anchor out for the storm it would not be such a problem.  At anchor the nose turns into the wind and rises and falls with the waves.  Tied to a dock she bounces like a hobby horse and heels left and right with the wind gusts, not a comfortable ride especially if it will last for several days.  We were having a hard enough time getting on and off before the water came over the docks and when we were told the electricity was being turned off we called our good friends Bill and Helen to see if we could stay at there house here at the creek.  We packed some clothes, the computers and a couple of days of food, shut most of the systems down and became dirt dwellers for a couple of days.  The winds continued until Monday evening when they slacked off and the water dropped to just below the docks.

Tuesday the water was still high but we were able to get back on board to continue putting things back together.  With the electricity off I wanted the solar panels mounted to keep the batteries up if the sun came out.  We spent another night ashore since the boat was still a mess with all of the laundry ready to be put away, one of the sails still off and the cushions below deck.

It is Wednesday and the sun is out, the electricity is back on and the water has dropped about a foot, still high but better.  We are in the process of straightening everything out, checking for locations that it may have leaked and gotten things wet and putting the last sail back on.  We were scheduled to be hauled out on Monday but with the weather that could not happen so we have rescheduled.  I am having to make a run back to Minnesota for a week so we will wait until I am back.  Cori is staying to take care of the boat and work some of the projects while I am gone.