For the past couple days our relatives have been calling warning, "Are you watching the weather? There's a bad storm coming." Of course we have been watching the weather, seems every few hours, and calculating where we want to be tied up. In addition to the storm, there are two following days of sub-30deg weather that we would prefer to be plugged into power with heat. Also, its Christmas and we want good WiFi so we can Zoom with family and grandchildren.
We decided to stop at Dowry Creek Marina which we are familiar with and like the ambiance.
As usual, there were good and bad aspects of Dowry Creek. The folks there were super helpful and friendly and the WiFi was okay. Bit spotty for Zoom, but fine for our other needs. The problem with the marina turned out to be its exposure to the South winds which were exactly where the storm winds and waves came from.
The storm winds and rain arrived about 6pm and lasted until after 8pm, coming basically in 2 squall lines and then steady downpour. Fortunately the strongest storms with embedded waterspouts went up the shoreline over Hatteras.
We doubled up our mooring lines and added a third extra line on the starboard bow into the wind. At each break in the rain, we got out to tighten up the lines as they stretch out significantly when they get wet and also slip around the poles.
The ride in the marina rivaled the ride across the Abermarle. It was a bucking bronco for a couple hours. I spent the two hours sitting at the helm seat watching the storm on our radar and instruments as well as my phone.
When we arrived at the marina, they assigned us a slip on the inside of the dock behind two large trawlers. It took some manuevering to get in and will be difficult to leave, but we were very glad to be on the inside as we watched the boats across the pier get pummeled by the waves. One sailboat with its stern to the waves was continually taking spray into the cockpit.
A classic cruising story - after two hours of white knuckled, high stress storm conditions, always at night adding to the fear factor, all was fine at the end, thanks to good preparations.
By Christmas morning, the skies were clearing and locals were out sailing again, even though the winds were still around 20kts with 2ft seas. As we sit here with the heat on, the skies are nearly cloudless and winds down. The temperature is forecasted to be in the 20s for the next 2 nights so we will stay plugged in here until Sunday. Then its off for Beaufort and points further south and warmer weather, although we heard it was 36 in St Augustine this morning. May have to get to Miami to be warm.
