STORM STORIES

In the wee hours of Sunday April 6th as Fortnight was safely setting her anchor in the protected waters at Cat Cay, other boats who had chosen to take different headings that day were battling a raging thunderstorm out in the gulf stream just a few miles away. The next morning the survivors limped into Bimini and that night, over drinks and pot-luck at the marina, they told us their stories.

We had parted company with “Bibi” after rounding the northwest channel light the night before. The favourable forecast enticed Gerry and John to alter their course and head non-stop in a northwesterly direction for West Palm. The storm caught them just off the banks in the deep waters of the ocean. 50k winds whipped waves up in three directions and, as Bibi careened down into the resulting deep troughs, the top of her mast disappeared completely behind walls of water. The boat was battered by enormous waves so intense that they ripped the davits right off the back leaving the dinghy dangling by a line off the stern. When it was finally over, Gerry was surprised to find that his tender had somehow managed to survive the onslaught of wind and waves and, after struggling back to Bimini, set about making repairs to the davits and patching a hole in the dinghy.

“Aurora” from Martha’s Vineyard was right out in the gulf stream itself when the thunderstorm hit her. A few hours earlier she had been in contact with another sailboat that had lost its engine. She led this vessel out past the “hens & chickens” and on into the ocean under sail just before the winds picked up. But when the storm advanced, the two boats lost contact with each other as they both battled to stay afloat. An enormous freighter had been sighted by Aurora about half a mile away before the “mist” of the storm obscured it from view and she was terrified by thoughts of a collision. For two hours the thunderstorm raged directly overhead. The lightning strikes were so continuous that Aurora likened it to living in a lightbulb! When their ordeal finally ended and they found their boat still unscathed they turned around and traveled 40 miles across rough water before arriving in Bimini shortly before noon. As for the other boat that had been traveling behind them, it had disappeared along with the storm and they never heard from it again.

“Aavyi”, owned by Canadian acquaintances from Port Dover, had also survived the storm. But lacking the co-ordinates to safely enter Biminis unmarked channel, found herself now grounded on a sandbar just off the island. With a receding tide, strong current and waves pounding her hull relentlessly against the bar, it looked as if she would begin breaking up soon if something wasn’t done fast! A powerboat in Biminis harbour saw what was happening and set out to offer assistance. Tying a rope to the stricken vessel, he was able to tow her off to safety before the waves and water had a chance to pull her to pieces. Three other boats who had survived the storm also arrived without the necessary coordinates to negotiate the channel and were forced to flounder helplessly off shore until a guest registered at a local hotel got hold of a VHF radio, gave coordinates and “talked” each vessel safely into Biminis harbour.

These sailors had all suffered horrendous experiences and, had the storm veered just a little to the west, a few hours earlier than it did, WE would be telling a similar tale! I am now more than a little terrified to set out onto the ocean again. Everyone had listened to the same forecasts. We all thought we’d be safe—but some of us weren’t. Now I’m not sure if survival depends upon the decisions we make or just blind luck.