The old timers here on Cape Cod predict the end of the shoulder season between Indian Summer and the chill of winter with the first strong storm from the south in late October. Today, right on schedule, on the eve of daylight standard time resuming, we’re having a big gale with gusts up to 70 mph and sheets of wind-blown rain. This is the storm that the Perfect Storm was about.
I pulled the boat out of the water yesterday so I could clean the barnacles off the bottom and take a powerwasher to the seagull poop on the deck (as fewer boats remain in the harbor, the gulls tend to single out the remaining decks as their personal toilets). It sits in the yard, forelorn but safe from the gale.
Today’s options are (electricity willing) are:
- Write my book(s)
- Sit on the ergometer for an hour and sweat off five pounds
- Find the couch and watch movies
- Sit in the workshop and work on a long delayed radio-controlled airplane so I can crash it to the high amusement of my nieces and nephews over Thanksgiving.
As it turns out I spent the day doing harbor patrol with my cousin, hauling beached boats, motoring around in his truck shooting storm video and taking pictures.
This is Conrad’s barge going blub-blub. We helped haul it onto the beach with the truck.
The scene on the Sound was pretty wild. The gulls couldn’t fly and had to sit in the waves.
I vote for kamikaze repair and training. i’m using my widewinged rc plane to buzz and annoy the tuba players in the local highschhol’s marching band as they practice on their athleic field. i’ve become quite the menace dude.
My bait tank pump croaked so I gotts replace that in the next coupla weeks before I forget it until the Spring.
Tight lines and bright visible maritme signals!
Jim
It seems the water came up quite a bit at Ropes. Was this during high tide? It would nice to see more pics.
Brian — water was right on the seawall at ropes and crossed Old Shore Road. This was the biggest tide I’ve seen since hurricane Bob in 91.
Pictures are here:
http://flickr.com/photos/46043766@N00/sets/72157594349003032/
Hmmm…supremacy of the seas isn’t enough, now you’ve got to lord over the skies as well?
Great pics. Gusts inland today have knocked out power in many scattered areas.
Nice pics. I suspect if you were hauling boats out of the water that makes up for the lost time on the ergometer,AND hopefully the driving rain acted as natures powerwasher to clean the deck of your skiff.
My parents wondered who that was hauling up the boats. They were in Cotuit for the weekend, closing up the house for the winter.
They said that the town dock was underwater as well, with the dumpster floating in the parking lot. How was Loop Beach impacted?
Very jealous – as a kid I used to love being there during storms. Just not the same in Jersey.
Mike:
The dock was out of control. Planks flying everywhere. Floating docks pitching and rolling all over the place. Dumpster lids flapping in the wind. Nothing like a good storm.
As long as your boat is out of the water.