This week was a first we were hoping not to have! Storm Isaias was not yet named when he came through the DR on Wednesday but he certainly made an impression. We prepared for high winds by securing the items on the deck and battening down the hatches. What we did not expect was for our mooring ball to break loose! Earlier in the week, I set our GPS alarm that lets us know if our boat moves from its current location "just in case". On Wednesday afternoon, we were on the boat doing some computer work when the alarm suddenly sounded (when you live on a boat, you can't really feel it moving unless you are going fast). We ran up on deck and saw that the mooring had pulled loose and we were about 50 feet from the boat that was moored behind us. I can definitely say that we got their attention! Bill quickly threw out the anchor and we started the engine to be able to have some control over the situation. I grabbed the VHF radio and called for assistance and within 5 minutes, our heroes had arrived in their dinghy to help us. They had to cut our lines off of the loose mooring and then after much ado attach the lines to a new mooring. We made it through without anyone falling in the water and no boats harmed. Luckily for us, the rain started shortly after the fiasco ended and we still had daylight. The ones after us were not so lucky. About thirty minutes into the storm, the VHF calls began in earnest. At least 15 boats broke loose from moorings and the rescue squad had to recruit others for assistance. Bill jumped into the rescue squad so I spent a nervous hour watching from the boat. The boats that had people living on them were less stressful than the unmanned boats.....when those broke loose, we just watched helplessly as they floated wherever the current took them. All of them ended up in the mangroves or on a sandbar with no damage to any of the active boats so that was a relief. The next morning we woke to a beautiful sunny day so everyone set about helping to get things straight in the bay and in town. It was a really great effort of gringos and locals working together which was wonderful to see!
The other excitement of the week was the arrival of the solar panels. In the States, I used to get excited over a new pair of shoes....in the DR, solar panels are the bomb! I find myself checking the watts being generated by the solar and wind several times a day with the same anticipation as I used to look forward to the new summer blockbusters releasing. My how times have changed! I appreciate all of the emails checking on us during the storm. It meant a lot to us! I hope that the storm passes by the States without any excitement. I'll keep you posted if any others are headed your way!
2 Comments
Rebecca Smith
8/3/2020 03:26:34 pm
So glad y'all are okay! I've been thinking about you! Stay safe ❤
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Allison Davis
8/3/2020 09:02:27 pm
You’re using words I don’t even know! Very impressive and how great to be able to have folks helping total strangers! Stay safe! I love you!
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May 2024
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