Often news reports tend to get the details wrong and if you saw the stories that hinted at the Bald Head Island ferry marina (where Rover currently is) suffered significant damage, it did not. I wish I could say the same for all the marinas in the area, unfortunately there is some major damage at the Southport and South Harbor Village marinas. Several friends and one sister ship to Rover were, unfortunately, staying at the marinas that were impacted. I did try going over to Southport Marina to check on those boats, but the police have cordoned off the area and I was not able to make it out there or even find a vantage point where I could take decent pictures to send to my friends. I was able to find some pictures taken by others and it looks like my sister ship, Tide Chaser, is still afloat without too many boats piled around it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them, as well as anyone else in either marina, has survived with minimal damage. Unfortunately, I know that will not be the case for everyone.
Given my boats current location at a ferry terminal and a couple ferry captains that seem to think they should be driving for NASCAR, I have a tendency to over-tie-up my boat all the time. When preparing for this storm, I really only had to double up and reposition a few lines and then hope that the marina facilities and structures are up to the task. Yes, I also do other preparations like making sure nothing gets tossed about and all through hulls are closed, etc. Given that the storm had been categorized as everything from a tropical storm to a category 2 hurricane, I didn't take any chances and secured Rover to deal with just about any strength storm. Honestly, my biggest fear isn't in my preparation, but the preparations of others. For this storm, everything turned out fine and both this marina and the one where my boat is normally stored came through just fine.
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| Rover after the storm. (I opened the hatch during my post storm inspection, it was secure during the storm.) |
I actually did not stay on my boat during the hurricane. But the reason may not be what you think. Since I've been stuck in Southport for so long due to safety concerns with COVID19, I've been trying to figure out a safe way to make it back to Colorado. Given that the virus seems out of control in much of the country; the idea of using public restrooms, hotels, and restaurants would only increase the risk that I could catch and then bring the virus back with me on a road-trip back. So, my wife and I decided the best option would be if we acquired a camper trailer. This way I would have a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen that I had control over. The past weeks I've been looking for said trailer and, naturally, finally found one last Friday. I spent Saturday morning sanitizing the trailer and then left it locked up to bake in the sun to hopefully eradicate any "nasties" until Monday.
Of course, that means that I now had a boat, a camper, and a truck that were all in the path of the storm. A fellow boater and dock mate that lived near Southport but several miles inland graciously offered to let me park my "new to me" trailer at his house and stay there for the storm. Nestled between two sturdy houses that protected me from the expected wind direction and relatively clear of potential for flying debris, the camper and I were tucked in to wait out the storm. Other than losing power, internet, and phone service for a while, we all made it through just fine.
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| The camper hiding from the storm. |
So, both I and my property are just fine and I actually may be able to head back to Colorado soon. I have a couple small projects to complete on the boat and now the camper, but then I should be on my way.
My heart goes out to those that were much less lucky than I in this storm. If you are near Southport and need anything, please feel free to reach out to me for help and I will do what I can.
