Hello!

I was very saddened to see the boats damaged in Christiansted Harbor.  My heart goes out to them.   There is already a fund raiser for one of the boat owners scheduled. 

Suzy and I went to town and got our Hurricane Omar bracelet.   It is really a nice design.  There are two jewelers that do the bracelets.   It is something unique to St. Croix that IDs you as connected to the island.   If you see someone with a pirate hook bracelet…you know you have something in common.   I have met people from all over that connected with me because of the bracelets.  

We were lucky to get our power back on Saturday.  We were so happy!  I was nice to leave the fan on at night and watch TV later.   I was surprised that we got it back so soon.   I just hope the rest of the people without power gets theirs soon.    The crews have been working long and hard.  The foliage debris pickup is organized.  We need to get some potholes fixed though.  There is one that will bottom out your car.  There is a big orange cone in it but it had already messed up some cars.  

It was a beautiful day today.

Linda Baxter

A few more photos of the St Croix Yacht Club vessels. 

Emergency meetings are have been taking place for the past few days and more today to coordinate efforts for the salvage and clean up of many of the vessels on St. Croix.

We are making the most of everything here, however many people are still very inconvenienced without power and some without water.  We are all pitching in to do what we can to help everyone.  At this time the grocery stores have food, and the ships are back in Gallows Bay port bringing supplies and goods. 

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

A couple of grounded sailing vessels on Beach at St Croix Yacht Club. 

Portions of the dock were removed as it is a removable deck on the dock.  However, they ran out of time and couldn’t get it all off.  There are a few boats that are sunken/submerged at the time I took these photos on Sunday morning.  There were five grounded sailing vessels on the beach.  Many sailing vessels lost there masts but remained on their mooring through the hurricane. 

This end of the island was hit the hardest.  There are trees out here that only have leaves on one side (the south side of the tree).  Many telephone poles and trees down.  The Yacht Club building appears to be fine.  Several sailing vessels that were hauled out on the grass were toppled over but appear to be ok.  Good time to do a bottom job a friend of our said on Sunday when we say him with his boat that had been blown off its trailer.  

At this time, numerous emergency agencies including the US Coast Guard, DPNR (Dept. of Public Works), Government of the VI and numerous other agencies.

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

I have some more reports from my scouts about what has been happening.   Scouts have reported that the mainland reports didn’t indicate that Hurricane Omar did not do any damage to the USVI.  What?   Tell that to my friend Fran who has no power, internet, telephone and her garden is a mess.   Tell that to the people that lost their boats.   My heart goes out to those live-aboard boat owners who not only lost their boat but their home.   I am not sure of the tally but the paper this weekend indicated 40 boats.   My friend Michelle and Bob lost their boat according to scout Barbara.  So sad.  

I have to say that our Governor has mobilized the government and emergency agencies.  This is the most organized that I have seen them. 

Scout Steve said the Divi Bay Resort is open.  The mini golf got damaged but the casino opened the day after the Hurricane.   He said that Tamirand reef got some storm surge and sand but clean up efforts are underway or may even be complete.  

My neighbor had a lot of foliage and tree branch damage.   I now can see the ocean through his unfortunate looking tree.   He was kind enough to help lift a saturated rug onto the veranda to drip dry.  

I am sending out a big hugs and kisses award to my hero, my husband.   He made sure the cat and I were safe and as comfortable as we could be.  This is the first time that I have been in a hurricane where the generator was wired into the house.   This is also our first hurricane together (we have been married 7 wonderful years).   Oh, boy is that nice!  No more orange electrical cords draped to the refrigerator and other appliances.    That is the way to go!   My friend bought a propane generator and is not happy.  Takes up a lot of fuel and they are on the list for a delivery.   They ended up buying a generator that was gas fueled.   My husband is and electrical engineer and he understands all this electrical stuff like load and how to wire it into the house with just a switch so we were in good shape.  

We had company last night and it was nice to be in a/c with music playing and having good food.   Alain called from Montreal to talk with us and Suzy (that’s her honey) and I thought it was a wrong number at first. 

My children’s response to the upcoming hurricane (they are both in school in the states).  You’ll be okay, Mom, you always are.   When my youngest, Michael was in second grade (he probably will kill me for saying this as he is a teenager now)…he told me that other kids in the states didn’t know what a HURDICANE was.    He knew about millibars, knots, longitude and latitude etc.  

Well, I am writing this on my computer battery and I am going to start up the generator.   Take care and my prayers to all those who are now affected or have been affected by Hurricane or any bad weather.   

Respectfully submitted:

Linda Baxter

Attorney at Law and Real Estate Broker

5041 Cotton Valley

Christiansted, VI

(340)  773-9168

lawvi at attglobal.net

Whew, the storm brought heavy winds and devastation to St. Croix.  Most of the devastation was downed trees, flooded streets and the loss of many, many boats in Christiansted Harbor and St. Croix Marine.   These photos are hard to look at when you realize that most of these boats were people’s homes as well.  I met several live-a-board men this morning on the boardwalk looking at their boats for the first time after the hurricane.  Many boats were smashed up against the boardwalk with gaping holes in the stern, on the sides of the hulls and many boats had been de-masted from the hurricane.  Many mooring balls were still attached to the boats, however when the boats starting drifting and hitting each other they broke others free to drift into the board walk.  One boat even had its anchor that ended up hanging on the side of the boardwalk, and I took a picture of the anchor locker with another anchor sitting in there. 

There was much debris in the water from the boats.  I saw cabin doors, interior drawers, life jackets, refrigerators, pillows, cushions, and many other items belonging to the sunken or sinking boats.  There was one dock in front of “Angry Nate’s Restaurant that was totally devastated.  There were mostly power boats that were left on this dock that all sank. One boat had the top completely severed from the bottom of the hull.  There were gaping holes in the sides of the hulls and it was not a pleasant sight.  I saw one man that had lost his boat that he had no insurance on and he was just numb.  He didn’t have words to express how he was feeling.  Then there were some boats that were still on their moorings and were completely untouched from the storm.  I counted about 20 boats that had either been grounded or sank and I am sure I didn’t see them all.  There were only 3 that hit the boardwalk that didn’t sink.  One boat that was still afloat was still floating because the young lady aboard said as soon as it drifted through the many boats and docks it finally ended up floating on the side of the boardwalk and she immediately put fenders out to keep it from banging up against the dock.  Her boat did get a small crack in the fiberglass on the stern from hitting a sunken boat and passing by a dock.  She was very lucky.   

Check out the photos for any boats you may be looking for and I hope this helps you understand how powerful these hurricanes can be.  I spoke with one man who said he was not going to stay on his boat through the storm, but he couldn’t get off the boat before the storm gained its strength.  He said he was so scared that he thought he was going to die.  He said he would never do that again.  His boat stayed on the mooring but he said he saw many boats drifting by him and he couldn’t do anything about it. 

After finally getting to the Yacht Club, we took additional photos that will posted soon.  There are a few boats up on the shore, grounded and even sinking.  The Yacht Club is on the East end of the island and that is where the storm was the strongest, thus many power poles and trees down and it was hard for people to get around on the East end and on the South Shore roads. 

We finally got our power back, however, internet is down at my condo right now so I am using my AT & T wireless card to get these messages and photos out.  We finally got our cable restored yesterday and life is returning back to normal.

My husband and I drove out to the marina where we keep our boat (Green Cay Marina on the East End) and I had a sick feeling, but we saw our 2 masts (it is a ketch rig) when we came over the hill and felt a little better, then we walked hand in hand down the dock and noticed that one sailboat lost its jib sail, wind generator, canvas awning (which was tied down) and then we saw our boat.  It was in perfect shape.  We lost a snubber and one dinghy line broke free.  I put so many lines on the boat and it looked like a spider web with a boat in the middle.  I had tears of joy when I saw that our boat was ok.  We walked around to make sure our friends that stayed at the marina were ok.  Our doctor friend and his wife ended up going back to their boat before the storm hit as they thought it was going to hit later. The storm increased speed and intensity just before hitting St. Croix.   Then she said she had to get off the boat before it got worse and they went into the restroom/shower building at the marina and rode out the storm there.  She said ceiling tiles were falling all around them and the winds were very loud.  They made it and she is thankful that she didn’t stay on the boat.  My other friends stayed in “The Galleon” Restaurant and had a nice meal there and watched the weather channel.  They mopped a lot of water that came in and said they checked on the boats about 3:30 am after the storm had passed.  So far everyone was ok.  We set out extra anchors, line and everything we could do to keep the boats in their slips.  (It worked), but we got lucky in this protected marina. 

More photos to come, if I can keep my internet and power.  Our cell phones are very sketchy, but working in most parts of the island again.   

Most people seem to be doing ok from the storm.  The gas stations were busy with people filling up with gas as many people were driving around making sure their friends and family were ok.  For the most part we have concrete homes here that can typically withstand hurricane winds.  This was just the case in the condo I stayed in overnight.  Not to mention I was here last Saturday morning when I woke to the 6.1 earthquake that hit here as well.  Not many people knew about that.  The quake I believe hit near the island of Anegada (North of St. Croix, and NE of St. John- I believe) and was about 15 miles deep, thus the shaking I felt was minimal and no damage here from it.  I did hear a few people had leaking cisterns.  Wow, an earthquake and Category 3 Hurricane all in one week…

Let me know if you are looking for a particular boat or just want to make contact with someone you haven’t heard from here on St. Croix.  Or if you just have a question about St. Croix and I will be happy to try and assist.

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Whew, the storm brought heavy winds and devastation to St. Croix.  Most of the devastation was downed trees, flooded streets and the loss of many, many boats in Christiansted Harbor and St. Croix Marine.   These photos are hard to look at when you realize that most of these boats were people’s homes as well.  I met several live-a-board men this morning on the boardwalk looking at their boats for the first time after the hurricane.  Many boats were smashed up against the boardwalk with gaping holes in the stern, on the sides of the hulls and many boats had been de-masted from the hurricane.  Many mooring balls were still attached to the boats, however when the boats starting drifting and hitting each other they broke others free to drift into the board walk.  One boat even had its anchor that ended up hanging on the side of the boardwalk, and I took a picture of the anchor locker with another anchor sitting in there. 

There was much debris in the water from the boats.  I saw cabin doors, interior drawers, life jackets, refrigerators, pillows, cushions, and many other items belonging to the sunken or sinking boats.  There was one dock in front of “Angry Nate’s Restaurant that was totally devastated.  There were mostly power boats that were left on this dock that all sank. One boat had the top completely severed from the bottom of the hull.  There were gaping holes in the sides of the hulls and it was not a pleasant sight.  I saw one man that had lost his boat that he had no insurance on and he was just numb.  He didn’t have words to express how he was feeling.  Then there were some boats that were still on their moorings and were completely untouched from the storm.  I counted about 20 boats that had either been grounded or sank and I am sure I didn’t see them all.  There were only 3 that hit the boardwalk that didn’t sink.  One boat that was still afloat was still floating because the young lady aboard said as soon as it drifted through the many boats and docks it finally ended up floating on the side of the boardwalk and she immediately put fenders out to keep it from banging up against the dock.  Her boat did get a small crack in the fiberglass on the stern from hitting a sunken boat and passing by a dock.  She was very lucky.   

Check out the photos for any boats you may be looking for and I hope this helps you understand how powerful these hurricanes can be.  I spoke with one man who said he was not going to stay on his boat through the storm, but he couldn’t get off the boat before the storm gained its strength.  He said he was so scared that he thought he was going to die.  He said he would never do that again.  His boat stayed on the mooring but he said he saw many boats drifting by him and he couldn’t do anything about it. 

I didn’t get out to the Yacht Club, but a friend of mine told me that there was a large catamaran up in the trees, along with several boats that were hauled out on their sides.  The dock was gone and many boats were just floating around inside the reef, some grounded there as well.  The Yacht Club is on the East end of the island and that is where the storm was the strongest, thus many power poles and trees down and it was hard for people to get around on the East end and on the South Shore roads. 

We have a curfew tonight and are asked to stay indoors until tomorrow at 6am (except for emergency personnel with passes).  We finally got our power back, however, internet is down at my condo right now so I am using my AT & T wireless card to get these messages and photos out.  Our cable is still out so we can’t see the news. 

My husband and I drove out to the marina where we keep our boat (Green Cay Marina on the East End) and I had a sick feeling, but we saw our 2 masts (it is a ketch rig) when we came over the hill and felt a little better, then we walked hand in hand down the dock and noticed that one sailboat lost its jib sail, wind generator, canvas awning (which was tied down) and then we saw our boat.  It was in perfect shape.  We lost a snubber and one dinghy line broke free.  I put so many lines on the boat and it looked like a spider web with a boat in the middle.  I had tears of joy when I saw that our boat was ok.  We walked around to make sure our friends that stayed at the marina were ok.  Our doctor friend and his wife ended up going back to their boat before the storm hit as they thought it was going to hit later. The storm increased speed and intensity just before hitting St. Croix.   Then she said she had to get off the boat before it got worse and they went into the restroom/shower building at the marina and rode out the storm there.  She said ceiling tiles were falling all around them and the winds were very loud.  They made it and she is thankful that she didn’t stay on the boat.  My other friends stayed in “The Galleon” Restaurant and had a nice meal there and watched the weather channel.  They mopped a lot of water that came in and said they checked on the boats about 3:30 am after the storm had passed.  So far everyone was ok.  We set out extra anchors, line and everything we could do to keep the boats in their slips.  (It worked), but we got lucky in this protected marina. 

More photos to come, if I can keep my internet and power.  Our cell phones are very sketchy if they work at all. 

Most people seem to be doing ok from the storm.  The gas stations were busy with people filling up with gas as many people were driving around making sure their friends and family were ok.  For the most part we have concrete homes here that can typically withstand hurricane winds.  This was just the case in the condo I stayed in overnight.  Not to mention I was here last Saturday morning when I woke to the 6.1 earthquake that hit here as well.  Not many people knew about that.  The quake I believe hit near the island of Anegada (North of St. Croix, and NE of St. John- I believe) and was about 15 miles deep, thus the shaking I felt was minimal and no damage here from it.  I did hear a few people had leaking cisterns.  Wow, an earthquake and Category 3 Hurricane all in one week…

Let me know if you are looking for a particular boat or have a question about St. Croix and I will be happy to try and assist.

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

There are some parts of the island that was hit harder than others.  East End of the Island got it the worse.   Over 50 poles are down.   My earlier report didn’t include my observations east to Lori’s deli at The Reef or reports from my scouts:  Andrew, Fran, Suzy and Barb.  Telephone poles snapped and wires down everywhere on the east end.   Boats were sunk in the Christiansted Harbor and at the Yacht Club.   Texas Jim was  at Gallows Bay Hardware and he said his boat was up on the beach.  He said that the last boat he lost was in Hugo in 1989 and he got the Texas Rose now that is gone.   He also said the boat Serena (42’ sailboat) formerly owned by Tom and Millie was right next to him on the beach.  It was reported that The Yacht Club had boats on the beach.   The paper said 40 boats damaged or sunk.  Boats have personalities and it hurts to see one damaged.   My sympathies to all those who lost boats and had damage to their property.   No one reported any injuries.

The Oil Refinery, Hovensa, was reported that it is almost 100% up.  The hardware store and landscapers will be busy.  Everyone is trying to restore normalcy and order.   We still are laughing and helping each other. 

Suzy says that when you have  your plan and you follow it, you are okay.   She counts herself really lucky.    She listened to what we told her and others, formed her game plan and she is okay.   She said it is hard work to get ready and clean up after.  Lots of work.   You get depressed during the hurricane from the low pressure and then the next day when it is sunny and nice…no depression.  Suzy is brave and strong.  YOU GO GIRL!   

Fran, a retired doctor,  moved here a little over a year ago.  Her area got hit the worse but she has a good attitude—let’s have a pot luck party at your house.  Fran is a trooper and a great dynamic gal.   They are bringing it here because they don’t want to tire me.   I can’t eat it but I sure do enjoy the company. 

Andrew got a contract for our generator so it is checked four times a year.  This is a good idea.  We had a problem with ours and it worked out really well.  I learned one thing for sure—don’t skimp on the generator and keep it serviced.   We have 12KW and we need another one because having the need to keep the a/c running to get the “moisture” out, launder wet towels and run the appliances, etc.  and it all draws power. 

Our house had water come in through the French doors but no damage.  You need to have lots of towels and a mop bucket with a squeezer (I don’t know if that is the right name but you get the idea).   LED flashlights and a battery operated lantern along with a battery operated radio are a must.   Don’t forget the usual stuff.   There are lists of items that you need to have on hand.  

Unfortunately, I wasn’t any help.   I am recovering from cancer after being away from home for 8 months for treatment.  I just came back in a wheel chair on Oct. 4^th.    I am weak and all the work fell to Andrew, my husband.  I felt guilty but what could I do?   I can’t even eat except with a feeding tube.  The good news is that I am cancer free and home to recover.   Would I rather been off island?  Absolutely not.   Andrew said I have  been so brave that I deserve a the newly designed Omar bracelet.   Cancer and a hurricane—what a year!

 I missed the ocean and home so much.   I am an island girl in my soul.   It is not the life for everyone but it is for me.  The people here, the views and the joys all add up to paradise to me.   Three bad weather days doesn’t take that away.   Anyway, there is a special bond when people have gone through a hurricane.  We have stories to tell and we listen to theirs.   We are thankful to be alive and still have our house standing.   No houses lost and no life lost.   St. Croix is working hard to clean up and fix up.  We have extra crews in that work 24/7 at restoring our power.  The Governor has done a great job. 

I founded a real estate company and law office.   I love to help new people moving on island.   I love to see their joy of discovery and hear their stories.  What fun!   I love to see their eyes light up when I find them a house that was just right for them and then make everything smooth through that process.   New friends with new stories and old stories about their former lives.   That transition is such a cool growth process.   It takes a special type of person to live here.  You have to enjoy a quirky small town with a  coconut telegraph.   So St. Croix is doing what it does best—keep going forward.  We might bend but we won’t break.   Signing off for now….  Broker & Attorney Linda Baxter,  5041 Cotton Valley, Chrisitansted, VI  00820  (340) 773-9168  lawvi at attglobal.net

Hello!

Omar surprised us by being a Category 3 in our neighborhood.  We are doing just fine with a generator right now.   The east end got the worst affects but it seems like the rest of the island is business as usual.   There is a cheerful atmosphere at the restaurants last night.   Smiles all around.  To my surprise the next hill over got power yesterday.  That was only a couple of days without power!   I hope we are next.  Visitors can expect a good time in St. Croix.  All the hotels and resorts are in good shape for tourism.  

The ladies are eagerly awaiting the Omar Hurricane Bracelet.  There are a couple of jewelers who design a bracelet and we cannot wait to get one.    I have been here since 1996 and only have been in 3 hurricanes and have bracelets for each one.   It is a badge we Cruzan’s wear proudly.   I just tell everybody when they ask about living in paradise that in the last 12 years I have only had 3 bad weather days.  Compare that to Detroit from which I hail where I have fallen on ice and have people slam into me because the roads were bad.   

My friend, Suzy, who moved from Quebec last year toughed it out by herself because she didn’t want to leave her house.   She didn’t know what to expect and said even a hurricane beat  -50 F below zero and shoveling snow.  The next morning was beautiful.  Blue skies and white clouds.   I sat on the veranda in my lounge chair watching the butterflies and birds.   We had mostly leaves blown off.  Our neighbor had his foliage broken up but he said he needed to trim his trees up anyway but hadn’t plan to do it quite that way and to that extent.   We got in some water under our French doors.   We used every towel in the house to try to sop up the water.   This is the first hurricane in this house and except for the water, we did fine. 

My other friends further east don’t have phone yet nor electricity and she lost some cherished old palm trees.   They moved down from Pennsylvania last year.  She has planned a pot luck on Sunday.  

I hope everyone else affected by Omar is doing well.   We are fine in St. Croix.

Respectfully submitted by:

Attorney Linda M. Baxter

5041 Cotton Valley

Christiansted, VI  00820

(340) 773-9168

lawvi at attglobal.net

Photos of Omar’s devastation in St. Croix in the Christiansted Harbor. 

Notice the dock in the back ground, this is the dock that lost most of the power boats.  One power boat’s top was severed completely from the hull.  

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Docks destroyed in Christiansted Harbor by Omar!

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Photos of Omar’s devastation in St. Croix in the Christiansted Harbor. 

Notice the dock in the back ground, this is the dock that lost most of the power boats.  One power boat’s top was severed completely from the hull.  

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Docks destroyed in Christiansted Harbor by Omar!

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Photos of Omar’s devastation in St. Croix in the Christiansted Harbor. 

Notice the dock in the back ground, this is the dock that lost most of the power boats.  One power boat’s top was severed completely from the hull.  

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Docks destroyed in Christiansted Harbor by Omar!

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

More photos to come of devastation when some of these boats broke loose from their moorings and hit the boardwalk.  This is heartbreaking to know that most of these were boats that people lived on and now they have no where to live.  Most didn’t have insurance! 

We were also gearing up for the Buck to Buc Swim Race this weekend.  It will probably be cancelled as many of these boats that sank were going to take swimmers to Buck Island (5 miles from St. Croix) to swim from Buck Island to the Buccaneer Hotel on St. Croix.  This is a wonderful event for swimmers from all over the world. 

I spoke with one man who lost his boat and he was saddened because he was anticipating the race this weekend and using his boat to help the swimmers get to Buck Island.  Then the race is manned with many kayaks to minimize the fuel near the swimmers as they are racing to the finish line at the Buccaneer Hotel.  I don’t know if this has been rescheduled or what the timeline is for the race now.  Please visit www.gotostcroix.com to view the calendar or to get more information.

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Photos of devastation after Omar hit.  Taken around 7:30 am on the boardwalk in Christiansted Harbor.  You can visit www.gotostcroix.com and there is a live web cam that normally shows the harbor cam… if it is up you can see the activity that is going on there right now.  It may be down, but check it out another time to see the clean up from this area from the live web cam.  

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

More photos to come of Omar’s scar on St. Croix.  Several boats sank in the harbor and these are photos of from the boardwalk and harbor in Christiansted.

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Photos of Omar’s devastation in St. Croix in the Christiansted Harbor. 

Notice the dock in the back ground, this is the dock that lost most of the power boats.  One power boat’s top was severed completely from the hull.  

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Docks destroyed in Christiansted Harbor by Omar!

Kelli Barton, TRC, CRS, RSPS, e-PRO

Email:  Kelli at KelliBarton.com

Web Site:  www.KelliBarton.com

Good Day All,

Whew, this has been a busy three days for my husband and I and my friends at Green Cay Marina here on St. Croix.  Several of us live on our boats and this week we prepped for a Tropical Storm then yesterday at 5pm realized we needed additional prep for our boats as this storm was predicted to turn into a Cat 2 over St. Croix.  Lovely, when you live on a boat!  Totally different prep for a hurricane than a tropical storm.  We have been on our boat with two tropical storms that formed right over us.  We got a lot of wind from those, but nothing more than about 45-60 mph.  Today in the marina we dropped 2 anchors near some mangroves for our 50’ Sailboat as we are in a slip a the marina with concrete docks and finger-piers.  We have lines tied to many cleats on the dock and pray that all the work we did will help the boat survive the storm surge and the winds.  We actually had a high tide this morning around 10 am, so that should help us tonight when that decreases when the surge hits.    Today I helped friends with their boats and we did all we could do. It actually was quite nice to see everyone in the boating community come together to help one another drop anchors, tie off lines, and prepare for the storm but most of all give moral support.

I actually went back to put one more line on the boat as my husband was finishing securing the plant he manages on the South shore next door to the oil refinery.   This was the time when the first band went over us as the winds were gustier then with the heaviest rain of the day.  I waited at the marina office until the winds calmed down as the boat is falling off the finger pier quite a bit and hard to get on in calm weather. 

I received a voice mail from my husband asking me to come on to our condo where we are staying through the storm which is on the North shore of St. Croix.  Many boat owners decided to stay at the marina to check on their boats during a lull in the storm tonight.  Well, we did what we could do and feel safer in a concrete structure in a hurricane, as it could strengthen and we want to be prepared (life if more precious than the boat).  That is what insurance is for (I guess). 

We actually were at the condo on Saturday when we felt the earthquake. (Wow, earthquake and hurricane within days of each of other). The condo is a concrete three story structure off the beach about 300 feet or so. The joy is it is still warm, about 73 degrees when we took this picture at 4:30 pm on 10/15/08 before Omar hit.  Notice the waves are rolling in and not crashing into the beach (normally on this shore at the Palms at Pelican Cove on St. Croix they crash into the beach), interesting wave pattern, and I am sure it is much different from the South shore right now.

We have a 6pm curfew in place and are prepared with many gallons of water, food, flashlights (extra batteries), candles and battery operated radios.  (I miss not having my VHF radio that is on the boat though).  Our cell phones and internet along with power are still working and we are thankful for that.  We did a lot of prep work before the storm and got the laundry done, filled up the cars with gas, gathered enough food and have a few good books and cards to make the time go by. 

The photos are from Christiansted around 1:30 pm this afternoon.  The streets were starting to flood from runoff from the surrounding hills of Christiansted.  The street lights were still working and the grocery stores were jam packed.  I noticed several streets that run from the hills were flooded and causing debris to run off into the main streets (bottles, tree branches and rocks).  We hope the streets are clear tomorrow when we head out at first daylight to check the boat (when the curfew is lifted).   Our friends at the marina will hopefully let us know as well if everything is ok there if we still have phone service through the night and can call out.  

To all of our friends here on St. Croix and in the islands and fellow members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in the US Virgin Islands, stay safe and take cover, we are getting ready to get the force of the storm. 

Kelli Barton