Waiting out Hurricane Noel

Right now, Lou,Tony, Marla and I are waiting out hurricane Noel in a dredged basin in the Camp LeJeune Marine Base in southern North Carolina. Seven other boats are here, mostly sailboats and we know a few from the New Bern Gam. We chose this basin for its safety, but it has turned out to be a lovely and interesting spot as well despite the incessant winds. We are surrounded by marshland and can see occasional boats traveling down the ICW. Contrasted with that are the sounds of machine guns, cannons and Osprey(?) helicopters (the type that can change their wings to fly like an airplane)from the training grounds. Nearby, is an old, rusted tanker. Its bow has a gun mounted to the top and opens to allow tanks to come out. Lou and I went ashore and met a Phillapino couple fishing for mullet with lines and nets; they had caught 19 of them before leaving. They were curious about the sailboats and wondered what they were used for. The idea of recreational cruising was strange to them.

On shore were piles of large oyster shells we assumed were from the dredging. Shoaling is a constant problem along the waterways, as you can imagine, and we were able to see a dredging boat in the distance spewing out the water in a long graceful stream it had sucked out of the channel bed.

Last night was a magnificent sunset; the four of us were busy taking 'art' pictures followed by dinner and rummikub (thanks Carol and Cliff!). I asked myself, "Whatever happened to red sky at night, sailors' delight with a hurricane brewing?" Well, during the night, the wind started up and we all slept poorly, but the morning brought sun. I guess the sailors ditty has it right. The next day was sunny, but very windy. We kept listening to the forecast awaiting the worst, but it never came; the most we got was strong wind gusts which rattled, shook, and turned the boat. Apparently, there is another sailors' ditty about the wind that Lou taught me that explained it all:

Wind before Rain,

You'll soon sail again;

Rain before Wind,

Topsails lowered,

and halyards mind.

They were right again; we were sailing down the ICW the next day, sun shining despite a very cold morning.