The Bomb Cyclone

Even at anchor, a sailor watches the weather, especially the wind's force and direction. We had been doing that for over a week now and the forecast looked bleak: gale force northerly winds on the ICW and frigid temperatures for several days. We had already fired up Mr Heater Little Buddy to warm up the cabin when the morning temperatures dipped into the 40s or low 50s, but the forecast was for freezing temperatures, overcast skies and periods of rain.

With fear in my gut, I called the marinas along the Canaveral Barge canal where we would find shelter from the wind and be able to plug into shore power and run our heat, but it was New Years Day and got no answer. I called the Cocoa Village Marina where we had spent the night of December 21st after Bret, the mechanic's visit. Ken answered and said that a group of boats were departing and he would have space for us. We watched as half a dozen powerboats went down river and at 10am, we pulled our hook and took a slip in the center of the west end of the marina behind a sturdy breakwater barrier. At 11:30am, the wind picked up and the sky darkened. The anemometer displayed 32 knots not long afterwards. Happy New Year!

There were white caps all over the river with 3-4 foot waves and in the east end of the marina which only had a sand fence for protection, the boats were pitching badly in their slips. We had waves in the west end as well but it was very manageable. Our anchorage would have been miserable! We paid for a week in the marina, gladly.

The next day, we measured 37 knot gusts at the top of the mast and it rained hard. The freezing temperatures hit during the night and while it didn't rain as hard over the next few days the cold persisted. Tomorrow's forecast is for gradual warming with the lows climbing ten degrees each day over the weekend and by the end of next week, 80 degree temperatures are in the forecast with lows in the mid 60s.

We got word this morning that our haul out was scheduled for Tuesday. Dan and Kathy from Sea Star had generously suggested that we could have the use of their second vehicle and while the boat is hauled for three days we could sleep aboard with them or borrow their camper. We jumped at the chance to use their vehicle and considered the use of their camper. The campgrounds in the area charged $44-$50 per night. I booked an AirBnB that sounds great for $43. Had we gotten the date for the haul out a few days earlier, a room very near the marina would have been $34, but that was no longer available.

Meanwhile, the shore powered heat has been running off and on during the last couple of days and nearly continuously during the nights, but we get to live in shirt sleeves on the boat before bundling up to go outdoors for our walks. At least it has been sunny or partly sunny for two days now and the wind is way down. Things are looking up and I am anticipating Monday when we depart the marina for a night on the river (easterly winds at a maximum 12 knots in the forecast) before opening bridges and transiting the barge canal after curfew on Tuesday.