Day 02 – Yes, a Tamer Sandy, but the Seas Still Rage
Arnie and I have been getting so many e-mails and Facebook messages asking after our well-being. We have been lucky on the Outer Banks. Most of Hurricane Sandy stayed offshore, so all we got was high winds, gusting sometimes up into the 70s. Save for a few roof shingles lost here and there, there is hardly any damage. The Outer Banks handled the storm well.
That said, the Sound has encroached on some of the land west of the By-Pass, causing flooding in some areas. Avalon Pier, we hear, has a huge chunk missing from its middle, and the bridge across to the north end of Roanoke Island was closed. Kill Devil Hills was flooded in areas, so was closed to traffic. The Beach Road was impassible in places. Except for Avalon Pier, those are inconveniences, and we hear that Avalon Pier, normally closed soon for a few winters months, will be repaired. After all, the whole pier is not gone, just a middle section.
The birds are back. I heard the first one in three days this morning. More followed, to wit the photograph above.
We have felt like pigs in you-know-what. Our group is happy, although one in our group took today off, as he and his wife are worried about their main house in northern Virginia. We keep our fingers crossed for them and hope he returns to us tomorrow.
Meanwhile, we have been photographing up a storm, if you’ll pardon the pun. The winds picked up again today, and have completely reversed direction, now coming from the west. We got sand blasted a bit, but we kept the cameras safe. At least we were not battling the horizontal rains of the past two days that whipped around corners, delighting in spattering our lenses.
The seas are spectacular, and we thought they could not get any better.
Tonight, we went back out to the nearby pier and made some more images, using the lights on the pier for different effects.
After shooting here, we planned on eating across the street at Sam & Omie’s. Kill Devil Grill was cut off, and we heard that Tortuga’s Lie was closing early. However, when we stopped shooting, even Sam & Omie’s had turned off the lights, so we scooted up the By-Pass to the first restaurant we could find. It had lost heat, but there was food and libation, so we were not going to be fussy. After all, we were joking and laughing, and relaxing in each other’s company. And we were out of the wind and much cooler temperatures.
Photographing during weather like this means we have to be flexible. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and she is not prone to letting us know too far ahead what she has planned. We have seen this first hand the last several days, as we check the doppler and weather forecasts, only to find that Hurricane Sandy has changed course yet again.
There was sad news that we heard today.
While we were safe on land, offshore told a different story. Called The Graveyard of the Atlantic, this area, especially around the infamous Diamond Shoals, has claimed hundreds of ships over the centuries. It lay claim to another during Hurricane Sandy.
We were heart-broken to hear about the loss of the HMS Bounty, a replica of the original ship. Built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, famous for its wooden boats, the replica was used in the Marlon Brando movie, Mutiny on the Bounty and later in one of the Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I last saw this magnificent ship in Sydney Harbor many years ago. She was a beauty built in a proud tradition.
The story has been all over the news, so undoubtedly, you have already read about the loss of the ship and the amazingly successful rescue efforts of the Coast Guard during the hurricane. But with the captain still missing, and one of the crew members who was rescued but unresponsive, it is a sad time for the crew and families, and our hearts go out to them.
It is a reminder to all of us to be respectful of weather and water. It makes us doubly glad to be safe and warm.
Next: Who Knows?
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In response to a comment above, I just wanted to let everyone know this was both an extremely educational and exhilarating experience. As a Willing participant of this wonderful adventure of a workshop, at NO time did I ever feel that fool-hardy chances with my life or the lives of the other participants were ever taken. As member of the Emergency Services, I have to say that at no time did I feel that my safety wasn’t on the minds and the primary concerns of both Arnie and Margo.
Thank you both for a True adventure. We had a Fantastic time and hope to see you soon on another adventure.
Don
P.S. still want a refund for not being able to shoot the light houses of the outer banks. LOL
Don,
Thank you for your confidence in us. We so enjoyed meeting you and watching you grow as a photographer.
We look forward to our next meeting. Meanwhile, you’ll have to talk to Mother Nature about that refund! 😉
Take care,
TBC and Arnie
It makes our photo shoot in Bah Habbah in the rain look like sissy stuff. It probably would have been too dangerous for me to get out of the car. Glad you are having a good time. I also lament the loss of the Bounty and members of the crew . I have spent a lot of time in Lunenburg NS over the years and admire their traditions and boat building skills.
Jack Welch
Jack,
It has been amazingly wonderful. I, too, love Lunenburg and all the wooden-boat-building places. The last time Arnie and I were there, there was an upcoming dory competition, and there was one elderly gentleman practicing in the harbor in a beautiful, traditional lapstrake.
Having grown up sailing a wooden boat, they are my first love. I know they are not practical, but to me, there is nothing like a classic wooden boat, whether an old Chris Craft launch, a Concordia yawl, an old tall ship or replica, etc.
Take care,
TBC
I’m sure you got fascinating photographs, but don’t you think going out in this is dangerous and foolhardy? Getting good photographs is one thing, but putting yourself and others at risk is something else altogether.
Sandy,
As we keep saying, we missed the brunt of the storm. We were always safe, and so were our participants. We let people know that certain areas, where the wind whipped around a corner, were to be avoided. After that, it was a matter of inconvenience, not of safety. You know us well enough to know we would never put our participants at risk.
Thanks for caring, and
Take care,
TBC