Carol and I were at a shopping mall a few miles west of our condo when the storm front struck at noon yesterday. It was predicted and we could see it coming, but it was alarmingly strong, with torrential rain pouring down so fast it could not run off and caused almost immediate street flooding, and winds of around 50 miles per hour.
The first wave lasted an hour, following which the sky cleared and bright sun came out for another hour, before dark clouds ushered in a second, but less strong period of wind and rain.
The tornados stayed well south of Evanston.
While tornados are not unknown in November, spring is the usual tornado season.
As I’ve pointed out before, the United States is a tough country in which to live. Those few areas that don’t have tornados and severe winters are subject to hurricanes or earthquakes.
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Michael, a sharp eyed reader, observed in the photos of the cardinal points of The Great Cabin, that I was charging my iPad via an inverter. He wrote that he uses a Belkin cord that plugs into a DC cigarette lighter socket avoiding the conversion of DC into AC and back to DC. This is what I do when changing the Torqeedo battery, using a DC cord instead of the standard AC charger.
His suggestion caused me to reconsider iPad charging. I once tried charging by plugging into the Elago USB adapter, but it’s output is only 1 amp and it didn’t work.
Since then I read somewhere of adapters made by Scosche that output 2.1 amps and charge devices faster. I bought one and had been using it, but hadn’t thought to try the iPad. I did and the iPad charged. A simplification. Excellent.
Thank you, Michael.
Another sailor, Jeannette, told me about Columbia Omni-Heat Reflective clothing, which due to their lining which reflects back the body’s own heat are said to be extremely warm.
At my request, Carol gave me Omni-Heat fleece and pants for my birthday. They fit well, over normal clothes and under foul weather gear, seem to do what they claim to, and look better than I expected.
I wore the fleece top for a walk today when it was windy and 40°F/4.5°C and was comfortable.
I noticed in a WEST Marine Christmas catalog a pair of gloves made with the same type of reflective lining and may get them for Christmas.
Thank you, Jeannette, though I don’t think you are reading this any longer.
I may also get for Christmas a bivy.
Steve of SPARTINA fame brought bivies to my attention. He often sleeps in one at anchor aboard his 17’ open boat.
Some of you may recall that I rigged a piece of plastic over my settee berth on THE HAWKE OF TUONELA to prevent drips from the companionway falling on me, (see above) and HAWKE had a dodger.
I hope my Velcroed covers will reduce water leaking through GANNET’s hatch, but I don’t expect perfection.
It is not certain that a bivy will work on an inclined pipe berth, but if it does, I will in severe weather be sleeping in one inside GANNET.
In any event, it will be better than wrapping myself in a tarp on CHIDIOCK TICHBORNE’s floorboards.
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A small boat sailor from Australia wrote asking if I have a list of all the things I’ve bought and done to prepare GANNET. I don’t; but I’ve just finished writing my last magazine article for this year and don’t have much else to do after my daily housekeeping chores, so I’ll try to compile one, though this might be better done when I’m on GANNET.
Some of you may recall that fairly early in my ownership of the little sloop, I roughly added up what I had already spent and was so shocked that I stopped doing that. Because I pay cash, as I have for almost forty years, if I have the money, I buy things I want; if I don’t, I don’t. So I don’t need to keep track.
I’m not going to try to total costs now—if it was shocking a year ago, it would be traumatically more so now—but a list of what has been done and bought might be of interest. To me, if no one else.
Thank you, Vince.
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If you have ten minutes, you might enjoy George Carlin’s insight into euphemisms.
I thank Fred for the link.
The softening process, of both language and brains, of course continues.
I have recently been wondering when did Gypsies become ‘Roma’?. And why?
