9/29-10/6, 2015 Rendezvous, Hurricane and Influenza

From Crisfield, we headed for Cape Charles which lies at the bottom of the Eastern Shore.  Wave picked up today (2-3 feet) but were quartering most of the day.  Heading in to Oyster Farms Marina was a bit tricky, but we printed a chart from the marina website which helped to guide us in. 

M.T.O.A. (Marine Trawler Owners' Association) Rendezvous:
Although we missed the "luncheon on board", we did arrive mid afternoon for some workshops and activities.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were packed with workshops.  One lunch and three dinners were included in our registration fee and the meals were excellent.  Although the weather has turned nasty with lots of rain and wind, this marina has been wonderful. 

Hurricane:
By Tuesday evening, all eyes were on Hurricane Joaquin, sitting near the Bahamas.  Ron and I decided to rent a car (Chevy Yukon) in case an evacuation was necessary. We always rent compact cars, but this time, we thought a large SUV was a better choice.   By Wednesday, we had packed up items that we would take in case of an evacuation and came up with several options (hotel, friends' homes, etc.)  The hurricane continued to intensify and it appeared that we were possibly going to take a direct hit here.  On Thursday, it appeared that the spaghetti models of storm track (now a Category 4 hurricane) might veer to the east and miss the Atlantic Coast.  This slow-moving hurricane sat on top of the Bahamas for days, and a container ship with 33 aboard was missing (50 foot waves).  It was later determined that this ship had sunk in the hurricane.  Once Joaquin started to move northeast, there was another front approaching from the west.  The two fronts combined to create record breaking rain over South Carolina, causing flooding and dam breaches from Columbia to Charleston.  Winds here on Saturday and Sunday were very strong and made it unpleasant to be outside.

Tied off for the hurricane

Rendezvous dinner

Party in dock building for those stuck here

Took group to church in rental car. (Windy!)

making potholders for entertainment

restaurant at Oyster Farms

Influenza:
One of the couples who attended the rendezvous had coughs and were not feeling well.  By Friday, several men had come down with symptoms of influenza.  Over the next several days, more men came down with the flu.  Last count, there were 25 people who attended the MTOA Rendezvous who were ill.  A few women have developed symptoms, but it predominately affected men. Ron was in bed from Friday through Monday.  Today (Tuesday) he finally felt well enough to go out to lunch.

Tomorrow, God willing, we will have calm seas and will be able to make it to Atlantic Yacht Basin and join Ken and Ann on the way south. 

Red sky at night, sailors' delight