It is 9 a.m. on a gray Tuesday. I am standing on our dock at City Island in the Bronx, New York, surveying my handiwork, sipping hot coffee to assuage the gnawing tension. I have just finished preparing my sturdy boat and home, Windbird, to ride out a hurricane on a 40-year-old dock in an exposed marina. The storm is not to arrive for a few hours yet, but a freshening salty breeze and foreboding smudge on the southern horizon foretell its coming. I check and double-check the braided dock lines, which are fitted with rubber snubbers and anti-chafe gear, spiderwebbed between strong points on the boat and various dock cleats of admittedly questionable integrity. Fenders are arrayed on the leeward side of the hull. I’ve removed our dodger and Bimini canvas and lashed the framework in place. I cut short a family vacation and flew into LaGuardia Airport yesterday afternoon to storm-prep the boat. With Dawn absent and me working singlehanded, I decided to leave the headsails in place on their furlers. I hope that wasn’t a mistake.
Two Views of Hurricane Isaias
Key Takeaways:
- The author, a pilot and sailor, encountered Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaias twice: first while flying into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and later while preparing and riding it out on his boat in New York City.
- Despite meticulous preparations, his boat "Windbird" endured significant stress and minor damage in New York, including snapped lines and dock structural failure, due to unexpectedly strong, hurricane-force gusts.
- The experience highlighted the increasing frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones due to climate change, underscoring the critical need for robust storm preparation and prompting the author to revise future plans.
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