Day 298, Year 10: Another Violent Rainstorm
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Weather: Temp in the 80’s; Early Morning Rain, Then Partly Sunny
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, MA
Okay. Enough is enough. We were awakened just before 7:30 am with wind strong enough to make the boat shudder—another violent rainstorm. We were jolted awake and before we could close all the hatches, the pouring rain began. The wind continued to increase from 30 knots to 40 and then to about 43 knots (50 miles per hour). And then a violent banging started. I thought the very tall metal ladder that is tied to the boat so we can climb up and down was the culprit, but when Mark went out he saw that the headsail was letting itself out and flogging in the wind. He said he couldn’t pull it in, but I insisted that he keep trying. I was afraid that if the whole sail unfurled, we would go flying . . . and then crashing. He tried again, and it rolled up easily the second time. What is with this weather? This is our fifth summer here and we have never had violent storms like this before. But now it seems that every time it rains, it pours, and it comes with wind way too strong for my liking. Go away!!!
By 8 am, all was calm and life was back to normal—all except my nerves which seem to be a bit frayed these days. But by 9 am Mark and I were at Heather and Jed’s and off and running with the boys. They built with blocks and played with Matchbox cars for a bit and then we went out for some biking. Sam decided to run instead of bike this morning, but Jonah and Ollie enjoyed their biking while Sam ran beside and in front of them. He is a VERY fast sprinter. Then we headed back to Highfield Hall so that Sam and Granddad could see the fairy houses. We didn’t have much time, but all three boys really enjoyed hunting for just one more fairy house. They are quite smitten with these little treasures. But all too soon, it was time to take Sam to Woods Hole for his School of Science class while the rest of us made a run back into town to buy a few supplies for making our own fairy houses. After class, we dashed back home and spent the afternoon constructing fairy houses for the backyard. We had so much fun sawing, hammering, and gluing. The boys are learning that it takes a little patience to build things, but they are definitely having a good time—each with their own style.
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| 150804 Day 298 Cape Cod, USA–Second Visit to Highfield Hall's Fairy Houses |
Tomorrow is a work day on Windbird. Heather and Jed are planning to take off work in the afternoon and spend time working with Mark to clean and polish the topsides. The boys and I will help when we can and will be off messing about in small boats (the dinghy and the kayak) the rest of the time.
We got what we hope is good news from the insurance company today. It was six weeks ago tonight that we had the microburst hit Windbird and sent us dragging into shallow water with a rocky bottom. The insurance company contacted us today and they are ready to settle for what seems like a reasonable amount for the dinghy motor and the repairs to the bottom of the keel and rudder. We will have to kick in for the sizable deductible, so this is not a free ride for us. But at least the insurance company seems to be playing fair. TowBoat US is settling for around $9,000 for the towing operation. That is almost more than the amount for replacing the dinghy motor and for the repairs. Maybe we need to go into the towing business.
