Hurricane Joaquin has done some serious damage in and around the Bahama's and Turks and Caicos. You cannot, and I repeat cannot under-estimate these storms, especially as a Mariner. If you have been following this story, I know people in Jacksonville are, there is a search on right now for the M/V El Faro. It set sail I believe on Tuesday from Blount Island which is the large marine terminal in Jacksonville en route to Puerto Rico. Here is a picture of it.
It was on route that I have taken many times en route to the eastern Caribbean. There are a lot of questions being asked right now of why they went into the storm, specifically the northeast side which is the worst side to be on? Why didn't they alter their course and go farther out to sea? Why didn't they delay their voyage until the storm had past. Why hasn't an EPIRB signal been picked up? Yes, this ship is almost 800 ft long, but it will still get tossed around. I have been in some really high seas before on much smaller ships and know what that's like, and we had fin stabilizers and still told to stay in our racks unless you had to go on watch.
Ever since Hugo hit Charleston, the Navy will sortie all ships from either Mayport or NOB and send us to sea to avoid damage pier side if there is a projection of possible land fall near a naval base. Most of the time we sortied it was not warranted, but you never know what these things will do. All I or we all can do is say a prayer for these sailors and their families and hope they all are found safe.
Saturday we didn't do much. We all enjoyed a much needed sleep in then we ventured out in the rain. Went to Cabelas, again and walked around. This day, there was no .22LR worth buying. Not buying that high priced Match stuff. After we left we went and had a early dinner at one of the best seafood places around this area, Steve's Seafood. I stress early, because you can experience a very long wait to get in there to eat.
Today, we ventured out again. I had to fill my tank up before heading to work tomorrow. We decided to stop by ALDI and do a bit of shopping. If you have an ALDI near you, then you know they have some good prices on some things. We picked up a case of Lima Beans, Black Eyed peas, and some whole potatoes.
Picked up some more pasta. 2 lbs was $1.45
I couldn't resist on picking up a few more Hams too.
Well hopefully this next week, I will be able to get some real canning done with some potatoes on the new dual burner stove I bought. Also, I have always had a interest in the classic primitive weapons, such as the Tomahawk. I already have a SOG Tomahawk and have it for quite a few years and I really like it. It's very easy to throw and stick it into trees.
I got and email last week from a crusty old fart/friend who gave me a head's up on a new Tomahawk from CRKT. I checked it out and it caught my eye. Yes, my SOG is good, but I feel this one from CRKT would be more practical as a survival tool versus more as weapon. Here is a file photo of it, since its on its way to me.
Well I hope everyone has a better week. Stay safe out there.
Senior
Stay careful down there!
ReplyDeleteStay safe - and you're gonna like that tomahawk!
ReplyDeleteI wondered why those guys went to sea with that storm coming. I was aboard U.S.S. Manitowac during a big storm in the North Sea and I never want to repeat an experience like that. The ship was rolling so bad that the sailors told us it might roll right over. LST's are not good ships to be on in a storm. Of course, they were just b.s'ing us but almost everybody was so seasick they weren't worried about much else. I remember they also said if the ship rolled past a certain point all the antennas would blow off to reduce top weight, but I think even then I suspected they were just trying to scare us.
DeleteI have some tomahawks, they are not really high quality. I got them from BudK, think I paid about $10.00 for each one. They are good for throwing at trees and sticking in the blaze mark though.
Glad you folks got through the storm ok with no damage. It was miserable up here, I have not seen such rain since a typhoon on Okinawa.
Thanks Rev, I am looking forward to getting my hands on that weapon.
DeleteHarry,Yes, Gator Freighters usually ride a bit more rough than ships in a line, but you always had better living accommodations than us Tin-Can sailors. We used to keep a tally in rough seas on our Status boards in Combat of who got sick and where. Kind-of made the mid go by a lot faster and funner. Nothing like watching a half-processed chicken nugget go rolling across the deck with a 30 degree roll, LOL. I have had a fancy for Tomahawks for awhile, I feel they are a great survival tool. The rain is still going, was just out walking the property a few minutes ago and it was raining still. Can I catch a break here? Living in Florida for 28 years, I haven;t seen this much rain during any Hurricane or Tropical Storm. I work in Columbia around most of the damage and it is bad down there. I got the alert today on my phone and on the radio as I was heading home of the evac of the community that had the dam break today. The whole cities water system is damaged.
I watched the news today and it looks like S.C. took a real hit to the infrastructure, especially in terms of potable water. I hope they get that mess cleaned up soon.
DeleteSadly, it looks like the ship was lost with all hands. Lots of questions will be raised... Hawks are good for both self protection and as a survival tool! Hope y'all dry out sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteI hope we dry out too, I am so sick of this crap. BTW, they have been releasing a lot of water on Lake Murray. See my comment above. Cant wait to get my hands on that tomahawk. Yes, I hate to say but I think they are all lost, but for some reason I am still holding onto hope for those sailors. Spending 3/4 of my career haze gray and underway, I just have that feeling that someone will be found to tell the story.
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