Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Lots going on over here on our end... and not all wonderful. Unfortunately, once Becca flew off to the States, a storm decided to develop and is bound for Carriacou. Keith has prepped the boat and actually moved it to another part of the anchorage to get a little more space. We were anchored pretty tightly amongst other boats, which was fine for the settled weather. However, with the increased winds coming, it's better to have more space, which allows room to put out extra anchor chain (also called, scope). Traditionally, when we anchor, we aim to put out 5:1 scope, which means the length of anchor chain is 5 times the distance from sea floor to where the anchor chain hits our bow. During a storm, the greater the scope, the better. Increased anchor chain length decreases the chances of dragging anchor by decreasing the angle of the chain to the sea floor. By decreasing this angle, you improve the holding power of the anchor. For example, when the wind blows hard and the anchor chain fully stretches out off the sea floor causing the catenary (or curve of hanging chain) to be absent, an angle from chain to sea floor of 12 degrees has a holding power of 50% less than an angle from chain to sea floor of 6 degrees. I managed to find some drawings depicting this.
This was all a bit more than you probably needed or wanted to know. In any case, Keith moved the boat, put out more chain, and now we're ready for the increased winds.
Regarding the storm itself, it's a little unclear how much wind Vagari can expect to see. There are, of course, various models predicting the timing, strength, and path. Not to mention these predictions are constantly being refined. Here are two of the models showing the wind gusts. Vagari is sitting very near to Hillsborough on the map.
While Keith, Bo, and Vagari will be riding out some increased winds in Carriacou, we are thinking of those that will be in the path of this storm as it's meant to increase in intensity after it passes the island. Here are the two models showing how the storm becomes more organized as it heads for the Gulf of Mexico through next Friday, September 30.
You can also see the magnitude of Fiona in these videos as she wreaks havoc on the northern Caribbean islands. Please continue to keep people of these nations in your thoughts.
On a happier note, the postcard at the top again shows the beauty of Mopion in the Grenadines. And to continue the 'in lighter news' talk, here is a video showing our wonderful sail from the USVIs to Martinique earlier this summer. Enjoy!
Much love,
Keith & Becca
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