Hot Water

[Tomas]

The 0900Zulu weather report was kind to us here. TS Dean had been projected to do a direct hit on us as a hurricane late Saturday night but now it looks like passage through 64W will be down around 15N, well South of my 17.4N location.

I've got a location notched below a hill where I drove two deep stakes, each with short chains attached. I back truck and trailer, boat and all between them and run an industrial grade strap from stake to stake, over the trailer frame. The boat has a similar ratchet strap that goes over the deflated tubes holding the hull to the trailer. If I expect anything gusting over 130mph I fill the hull with water and the truck bed with concrete block. Flying debris is as much or more of a threat than the actual force of wind.

Jamaica and the Cayman Islands look to be in the path of Dean. Good luck guys. BTW, I'm surprised there are no posters here from the Cayman Islands...anybody out there?

[pathalla]

Originally Posted by Tomas

The 0900Zulu weather report was kind to us here. TS Dean had been projected to do a direct hit on us as a hurricane late Saturday night but now it looks like passage through 64W will be down around 15N, well South of my 17.4N location.

I've got a location notched below a hill where I drove two deep stakes, each with short chains attached. I back truck and trailer, boat and all between them and run an industrial grade strap from stake to stake, over the trailer frame. The boat has a similar ratchet strap that goes over the deflated tubes holding the hull to the trailer. If I expect anything gusting over 130mph I fill the hull with water and the truck bed with concrete block. Flying debris is as much or more of a threat than the actual force of wind.

Jamaica and the Cayman Islands look to be in the path of Dean. Good luck guys. BTW, I'm surprised there are no posters here from the Cayman Islands...anybody out there?

hope the nasty weather stays well clear of your digs during this hurricane season Tomas. That recent trailer repair gonna handle the weight of all that water? I guess it's gonna have to if it comes to that, no?

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by pathalla

That recent trailer repair gonna handle the weight of all that water? I guess it's gonna have to if it comes to that, no?

Thank you brother for your kind wishes. Yes, trailer spring heavy like s**t! I tested with a load of fat Cruzan girls and ten cases of Presidente Lager in the boat on a road run up to Point Udall. Everyting jiggle, nothing broke except me after I bought all the beer!

[pathalla]

Originally Posted by Tomas

Thank you brother for your kind wishes. Yes, trailer spring heavy like s**t! I tested with a load of fat Cruzan girls and ten cases of Presidente Lager in the boat on a road run up to Point Udall. Everyting jiggle, nothing broke except me after I bought all the beer!

Boat and trailer tests... I love em!!

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by Tomas

Thank you brother for your kind wishes. Yes, trailer spring heavy like s**t! I tested with a load of fat Cruzan girls and ten cases of Presidente Lager in the boat on a road run up to Point Udall. Everyting jiggle, nothing broke except me after I bought all the beer!

Seems to me that we need pictures to accurately judge your test.


jky

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Seems to me that we need pictures to accurately judge your test.


jky

A reasonable request sir. Soon come

[Tomas]

Dean still tracks South of here. The storm is rapidly strengthening and it looks like it will pass through the Windwards around Dominica, East of here.

Say a prayer for Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. These folks don't need no more trouble in their life than they already got. You guys in the Caymans got everybody's money so we just KNOW you going to be all right.
(If that doesn't get a rise out of them, nothing will)

don Tomas

[Tomas]

The

[Tomas]

The 1900 UTC of Dean.

http://maps.weather.com/images/sat/tropsat_720x486.jpg

Wha?

[Tomas]

It's 0300 zulu Saturday, and the wind here remains Tropical Storm force. Aircraft flew through the storm a while ago and report 145 mph sustained wind with higher gusts. The center is 150 miles south of here and passed through my longitude about an hour ago. We've been without power since late afternoon but the phone line is still working...amazing. I have not had a look at the South shore but the seas must be huge. They were calling for 18-20 ft. breakers. I'll go over there in the morning but the rib is going to stay chained down in the bush. I'm overlooking the North shore and I can see lights of five large ships off shore hanging in the lea. When you start parking oil tankers and container ships you know you got a sea state issue!

Those poor buggers in Jamaica are in for a very bad time, them and the Caymans. The forecast is for further strengthening and it's just shy of Catagory 5 already.

We feel like we dodged a bullet here. It would have been a month of Sundays putting it back together if we'd taken a direct hit.