Tropical storm Barry just passed Cape Coral, Florida, where Nereis is moored at the Cape Coral Yacht Basin, yesterday.  The night before I spent a frenzied hour in torrential rain doubling up lines, removing gear and wishing I had taken down the roller furling jib and mainsail, which I had planned to do that morning in the relative calm but was called away to help a friend.  Instead I said a quick prayer for the jib, which already had six wraps of line around it and did a spiral wrap of the mainsail with another spare line, tying the boom to its gallows with the bitter end.  I guess it was bitter because the knot came last.  Ropes are fickle you know, always have something to say, reminds me of, well that's better not said.  As I was doing this my daughter Liz Reilly, my veterinarian kid, sent an e-mail asking if I was using Hurricane Finder to track the storm.  Silly me, just like everyone else I was watching tv and logging on to the National Hurricane Center's  site.  Belatedly I took a sight on the eye and saved its compass bearing just as it indicates in the instruction manual.  I didn't have to read it though, having written it.  The next morning Nereis was rocking and rolling as if we were at sea again.  Felt like old times.  Miss that when you're semi-land bound in a marina.  I took another sight marking its bearing and then the electricity went off, no tv, no weather forecast, no convenient  track of the storm, no prognostications or prognosticators, no nada. 

It takes but a simple flick of a switch or failure of some intricate part of modern life to throw us back to the stone age.  However not to worry, hah, you always worry that's why they call us sailors, I continued to track the eye and the last one put its bearing exactly where the National Hurricane Center later said it was when the electricity returned.  I sent an e-mail to Liz proclaiming Hurricane Finder Works!  And that's what I did yesterday.  Today was sunny, warm, little wind and everyone, almost including myself, has forgotten the threat.  Until next time America.  Now who says that? 

Take care,

JB