|
On July 10th, after 8 grueling months of working on Caribbean
Soul in the boat yard, we began our much-anticipated vacation.
We had 11 days to move the boat to Corpus Christi Municipal
Marina, get settled in, and start exploring the coast. At
least that was the plan, but then Claudette popped up on the
radar screen!
On Thursday, we signed our slip lease, got our key, and went
directly to "hurricane class." In the marina's conference
room, we joined other wide-eyed sailors who listened intently
to instructions on tying up our boats and battening down our
hatches in preparation for the hurricane that was churning
across the gulf. With growing dismay, we learned that, despite
our best efforts, a strong hurricane would probably destroy
the dock and pile all of our boats into a big, jumbled heap.
Our next step: a call to the insurance company to double-check
our coverage.
The next few days were a blur of activity: moving the boat
across the bay to Corpus Christi, preparing for the storm,
and moving ourselves and most of the boat's contents into
the Best Western across the street. From our room we had a
front row seat to witness Claudette's vengeance on our beloved
boat.
On Monday evening, with misty eyes, we left Caribbean
Soul to face the storm alone. Claudette was expected to
make landfall in Corpus Christi on Tuesday afternoon as a
Category One Hurricane. Sitting just inside the breakwater
facing the bay, Caribbean Soul was on the front line
facing the approaching tempest.
On Tuesday morning, we awoke to the surprising news that
Claudette was already just off the Texas coast at Port O'Connor,
north of Corpus Christi. From the eye of Claudette north to
Galveston, the storm laid waste to beach-front homes and boats.
Two people were killed and initial damage estimates were between
$60 and $80 million. But on the south side of the storm, we
saw minimal impact. We had dodged the bullet!
On Thursday, we started the arduous process of moving back
aboard and putting the boat back together. We finally went
sailing on Saturday--a stressful debut for two lake sailors
unfamiliar with single-digit depths, choppy seas, and big
ships coming astern with horns blowing. And then, just when
we were starting to feel like we were on vacation, it was
time to go home.
And that was our summer vacation!
A late July 4th fireworks show the weekend
before Claudette
|
Radar image of Claudette
View of the dock from our hotel room
Caribbean Soul ready for the hurricane, facing
the bay just inside the breakwater
Dakota enjoyed the birds-eye view from the
hotel room
|
