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- - - 2011 Hurricane Season - - -
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- Top O' the Mornin' to all!
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:08:04 -0300
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Here's hoping all of you had a great St. Patty's Day. Personally, I celebrated by sleeping off the marathon fishing trip we had the night before. Ah, yes, there's me trying to haul in the last fish of the evening, only to hand my line over to my other half after realizing it was NOT a Yellowtail Snapper but a species of fish that had the capability of pulling me overboard. Of course, his first reaction upon taking my handline from me was that I had hooked the bottom of the ocean but his view quickly changed. I had hooked a 10-foot nurse shark (longer than half our fishing boat). My reaction when he got it to the boat? "You are NOT bringing THAT onto this boat!" Not to worry, it slipped off the hook and swam away as if nothing had happened. Geez.......
Sorry, Dave, no fish for you this time! There was a line up of people waiting on the dock for us when we arrived back in Frenchtown at 4:30 a.m. and all was sold by 4:45 a.m. Seems you have to get up at the crack of dawn these days if you want Yellowtail! It's not that there's a shortage of fish, it's that there's a severe shortage of the weather that we need in order to get out!
The winds here in the Virgin Islands have not been kind to the fishermen these last weeks. Hopefully we'll be getting a few breaks in the next while! In the meantime, take care everyone....and happy fishing!
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- How Interesting!
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:43:22 -0500
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Many, many thanks to Culebra and the site he posted! Yes, that was exactly what we saw (towards the end of the video). Interestingly enough though, the lime green rectangles behind the ball of fire were really what caught our eyes!
*walks away relieved that I'm really not going over the deep end*
-L
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- The NOT Green Flash
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:26:36 -0400
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It started out as a regular night of fishing, albeit a rough one as there was no tide to be had. So J. is chumming the water, my brother is "attempting" to beat out the sister....yeah, right....it's not gonna happen, guys!! (I beat out the guys...*clears throat*)
Anyway, to those of you that happened to glance to the southwest of St. Thomas this evening about 8:00 p.m. or so.....can anyone explain the trail of sparks followed by a line of lime green square boxes that we saw in the sky tonight?
All I can say is I'm so thankful that there were two other witnesses to what I saw! Later, everyone. -L
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- Just an Update.....
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:49:55 -0400
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A little time out from St. Thomas, on to an absolutely lovely afternoon on Water Island, where we celebrated the birthday of a wonderful friend with a HUGE number of other friends!!! Light winds, sporadic showers, but not enough to deter the party goers (read between the lines, Dave.....  ) On the serious side, winds and waves have kept us from our normal fishing nights but have also kept that system to our east away from us. Toss the coin, I suppose.... Until next post,
J & L
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- Fair Weather Friend
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 09:37:15 -0430
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Good Soggy Morning Fellow Islanders,
I have to admit I’m a fair weather friend and it has been a
while since I’ve felt compelled to write.
October was the most beautiful I’ve experienced in the
almost 2 decades I’ve lived here. As always
the October rains have to come sometime and like last
year it appears that November will be
carrying the burden.
As I hung the white load on the clothesline yesterday, optimism
was high. Then later in the day
the solar power was switched to WAPA (our infamous power and
water authority) and the dryer
was used briefly last night. The rest of the load has had
a terrific rain rinse and it will be visiting
the dryer soon come.
The new dog loves to bark at the thunder as if she has the
power to drive it away. With every
boom she charges out to the front gate with a fierceness wasted
on a force she can’t control. The
old dog just groans abit and rolls over. The kitties have
tagged their space on the beds.
We are gaining in the cistern and pool level and the courtyard
is beginning to show a swamp effect.
Our courtyard wall is leaning at the angle from the last
picture I sent but it will not be long before
it all comes tumbling down if this rain keeps up.
We are showing allot of moisture via radar over St Thomas and
west towards Puerto Rico. I am
hoping the aviators in our group take heed today, and the
sailors will probably fill the bars.
Let us know how you are doing down island.
Stay safe and dry, from the cool, grey rain where the Atlantic
is on the Northwest side of St Thomas,
Jane Higgins
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- G'day!
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:45:49 -0700
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We were out fishing the other night and we were looking at the moon with its large ring around it. The next morning while we were selling fish, the fishermen actually mentioned it too (this is in reference to Isabel's comments from St. Croix). The discussions concluded that if the moon has a large orange ring around it, it means that the temperatures will be very hot and if the ring is very small, it means rain. One of those "ya gotta learn something new every day" moments!
Life's good on St. Thomas. Beautiful sunny skies, light breezes and good fishing!
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- Greetings from Frenchtown!
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- By Jimmy and Linda Magner <frenchtownfishing at gmail.com>
- Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:31:11 -0700
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After a couple of years of Dave pestering us.... (guess who, Dave?)..... we finally took the time to drop Gert a line and become volunteers to the site we use the most!
By way of introduction, we are fishermen first and foremost, with a lot of other jobs in between weather-related fishing delays.
As always, we hope that we don't have anything major to report (as I cast ANOTHER glance east of us), but if we do, here's hoping we can do it as well as the rest of you!
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- Caribbean AirForce Collects in Anguilla
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:15:38 -0430
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My husband the aviator and many others from all over the Caribbean are in
Anguilla today for the funeral
of well known pilot Cardigan “Cardy” Hodge. The Anguilla airport is
now filling up with private planes
and the weather is looking good for this gathering.
The Caribbean islands are connected by the boating and aviation communities
that serve us in many ways.
Moving people, freight, milk, bread, newspapers, and loved ones that
have passed are daily tasks.
When one of our pilots pass the support shown by all in the
transportation industry is amazing island
to island. The traditional low fly-bys under the waterfalls from the
fire trucks on the runways always bring
a tear and remembrance of our way of life. If you happen to be visiting one
of our islands and the runway
is closed briefly for this ceremony, please be patient, we take time to
honor our friends.
We can’t drive away from storms like state siders can and we are constantly
depending on good enough
weather to make our flights or boat trips routine. Many school children and
workers commute on ferry boats
or small planes from island to island.
Ophelia is far away enough to not bother today’s rite of passage.
We’ve had overnight showers here in St Thomas, the rain gauges are full and
the driveway still flows.
Take care and pay attention to the West coast of Africa.
Jane Higgins on the Northwest Side of St Thomas, Fortuna, facing the
Atlantic
Thanks to Steve from Anguilla for keeping us updated this weekend.
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- BIG BOOMERS/ NO INTERNET
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:51:04 -0430
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Good Morning Islanders,
Last night again the temperature took a plunge and the thunder
took over. The closest shock therapy
sent the new dog under the bed, so glad we had already
unplugged everything earlier. The thunder was so
strong that it shook the house. We had a few inches of rain in
a short time and the driveway is still
running river like. Last weekends gigantic
bolts of electricity blew out our internet server and
we’ve had
a network outage all week. We can send and receive
emails, but cannot see Stormcarib or anything
else on the internet. Feeling abit blind about Ophelia,
as the weather channel is our only source.
Today is another bright sunny clear day, for September, such a
prize. Even with the few scares we’ve had,
have to say this has been the most pleasant summer
we’ve spent in our 18 years in St Thomas.
We are saturated and moldy and looking forward to pressure
washing it all off.
Take care and stay prepared. From the sunny side of
life.
Jane Higgins
Facing the Atlantic on the Northwest side of St Thomas in
Fortuna.
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- Tropical Storm Ophelia Correction
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- By Cordelia Jones <cordelia667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:03:22 -0700 (PDT)
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Afternoon St. Thomas,
Correction on my earlier post: I said TS Ophelia would pass closest to us on Saturday, 09-25-11 at noon. Sorry, but that is Sunday, 09-25-2011.
My apologies.
$$ Cordelia Jones, Northside
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- Hello Tropical Storm Ophelia
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- By Cordelia Jones <cordelia667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:58:14 -0700 (PDT)
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Good Afternoon St. Thomas,
Tropical Storm Ophelia seems to be going contra to all forecast so far. At 5:00 am, she was 45 mph sustained with NHC and many other models predicting she would not strengthen too much due to the windshear that is affecting her and will be affecting her. However, at the 11:00 am advisory, her winds were at 60 mph sustained. I would say that is quite an increase from one advisory to the next. Currently she is located at 13.0N 43.6W, moving W or at 270 degrees. (At the 5:00 am advisory she was moving at 280 degrees.) So, it does seem she is moving in a more westerly motion than earlier. Her TS force winds extend out 175 miles.
The NHC and most major ensemble members are predicting Ophelia to move W with a gradual turn more to the WNW as it approaches a weakening in the upper level ridge N of PR. This should cause Ophelia to pass us just slightly to our NE at 19.0N 62.0W on Saturday around 12. She is supposed to weaken due to this upper level wind shear before passing at that Lat and Long, but so far, Ophelia is doing her own thing, so will wait and see.
As Ronnie more or less says, the waiting game is on. Let us just hope that Ophelia does not follow the path (virtually) of her Shakespearean namesake and become a tragedy (literally) for us here in St. Thomas.
$$ Cordelia (Delia) Jones, Northside. |
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- Noisy Visitor
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- By kmgilbertson at tropicalhannah.com
- Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:16:13 -0500
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We had a little storm pay us a visit late last night. Very noisy and
lots of rain. Shot a little vid out my window. This is Main St.
downtown Charlotte Amalie. Mother Nature letting us know who's the
boss I guess. Crank up the volume and enjoy...I love thunder and
lighting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVazCVUNtdI
Kevin Gilbertson
St. Thomas U.S.V.I.
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- Ophelia
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:19:30 -0400 (EDT)
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Boy
we sure are being tested this year. Now we are to look out for Ophelia.
We are in the cone and she looks like she will pass north of us. Time
will tell.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Update
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- By 9123081512 at txt.att.net
- Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:25:01 -0500
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Morning St Thomas. I expect Invest 98 will become TD Ophelia today. I agree
with Dave, she has a bad feeling to her. Cordelia, Northside.
--
==================================================================
This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T
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- thud, thunder, thunder
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:26:19 -0430
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I forgot to mention in my last report, that we heard deep thudding thunder
all day yesterday coming from the west, and then
lightening and thunder caught up with us last night around 9:30 pm. It was
really booming, temps dropped and we imagined that something was
re-forming over our heads. All the plugs got pulled and the dogs
whined. Must be storm season again!
Jane Higgins
from the Northwest side of St Thomas
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- Bi-polar Maria, Trade show, and Flight Delays
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:09:47 -0430
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Maria seemed so bi-polar and manic for days and
confused us all. Always better to be ready than not, and the drill
gets fined tuned each time. The solar
panels came down on Friday and will stay down now until all threats are
gone,
they always need a good cleaning a few times a
year anyway. We are having dreary skies and had some gusts and
rain
yesterday, another normal rainy
day.
I was in Orlando at a tradeshow where many
Caribbean buyers and sales reps show up every year mid September
sweating
the weather. There have been times when
weather discussions take over the main focus of the show and we are
all
perplexed on what to do? go or stay?
Some folks came back on Friday, some on Saturday and my husband the
aviator
told me to re-book my Sunday flight home to
Monday. I am glad I did as some of my buyers and rep friends literally
boarded
the flight to St Thomas to be returned to the
terminal with the note “infinite delay” posted next to their flight, so they
stayed
in Miami Sunday night. While getting all clear
reports from those back in St Thomas there was much confusion about the
flight
cancellations as most of the major airlines
cancelled their flights to St Thomas on Sunday. American Airlines
cannot
land a 757
on
our runway if the west (tailwinds) are over 10 knots as they were on Sunday as
our runway is so short. Even on a bright sunny
day
with winds going the wrong way it is hard for travelers to understand this, but
my husband sure did so it was good to just
stay
in Orlando and shop of course.
Flying
over the sea north of Puerto Rico yesterday was fantastic, we saw huge
deep clouds loaded with action from 35,000 feet.
It
appears we had rain and some intermittent gusts, but nothing
too awful, except the mixed up seas. A friend and his daughter
took
the
11am east end ferry to St John on Monday and had a wild scary ride. The
seas were all muddied up when I passed Lindbergh
Bay
on the south side yesterday by the airport around 3pm and the surf was
looking quite Hawaiian.
Hope all of you are well, we are waiting for our retaining wall to
completely fall down during upcoming rainy season before we
can fix it and I will be pressure washing mold ALLOT!!! soon come.
Now that we’ve had some practice this season we should all be ready for
what could come. The Sahara dust is looking like
a gift to tamp down some future problems.
The Atlantic side has calmed down and we hope for sunshine.
Jane Higgins
from the Northwest End of St Thomas in Fortuna facing the Atlantic.
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- TSMaria...day 3?
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:06:49 -0700 (PDT)
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| Thanks for your concern Rob....We are on a mooring, WAY in the back and thankfully many of the boats in front of us skedaddled for the "storm".
I slept like a baby....tossed & turned & up every few hours =). Actually was able to rest most of the day yesterday, as I'd gotten some serious provisions onboard prior to the melee. Rested even MORE today as we had much more rain today than yesterday. Talk about backwards!
I don't have any photos, other than grey skies there wasn't much to see. To my knowledge no one suffered from breaking free or any other damage. I think Irene's sudden strengthening when she popped along had folks better prepared for Maria. UNfortunately, some may think the next one will 'cry wolf' and let things slide. Not me! 'tis my home
....I don't want to be like a turtle without a shell - homeless.
Kim Back in the bushes Red Hook S/V Slo Dancin "Be good, and you will be lonesome" - Mark Twain
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- Maria went to come back?
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- By Rob Kunkel <weatherstation.amaliaview at gmail.com>
- Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:42:24 -0400
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Monday September 12th. The 11th is over but not Maria memories? I've seen more bad weather in the past six hours than we had all weekend. We still have some of our lovely cruiseship trade in Long Bay. Got a few fairly good before dawn weather progression photos. No drying out today, here. Every ting get wet again..
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- Post Maria
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- By Rob Kunkel <weatherstation.amaliaview at gmail.com>
- Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:04:31 -0400
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We seem to be having more rain and wind now (9pm, Sunday) than we did during the storm. Kim, hope your rest last night was reasonably sound. I think it is impossible to good rest when you own a boat at anchor. Vessup has two holding grounds, you know. An outside one and an inside one. Don't stay too close to shore. They don't come off of that shore unless professionals are there very soon. Us amateurs tried that once, totally in vain. Here are a few near sunset photos of the great weatherstation/music studio near the North Side STT. Not often do you get even pretty good sunset pictures where I live. rr
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- Saturday...Where is Maria?
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:55:42 -0700 (PDT)
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| Popped in a bit late just to see if we were going to get PacMan or....something else. Radar & upper level winds usually can determine what will happen...until tonight. I see UL shear....but still not much direction to the mass of rain that is a plague on SXM and Anguilla tonight. Still not really sure what will happen for STT...hey! I sound like NOAA.
What I *do* know is what's goin' on just past "C" dock at AYH (Red Hook) for my boat....just over the past couple of hours the gusts have increased in intensity and duration...and this bay opens pretty much due East.....though they aren't more than 25-30 or so kts. We have freshly refurbished ground tackle....and have been sailing at 90 degrees for the past half hour or so. STILL no rain on the radar. Just wind..mostly E/ENE.
Rob
mentioned a brief thing about ground tackle....WAY cheaper than insurance...and usually lasts longer, when inspected at regular intervals. I think my mooring(s) have been the most dived in this bay...MY HOME ain't gonna hit the beach unless someone else takes her out. "Welcome to the Caribbean luv!" for the new boat.
Either way, winds have been freshening....which makes life here in the 'back harbor' nice as it chases the BUGS away....and ever awaiting what NOAA has to say for the 11PM update.
Best wishes to every one else on STT! Think it's gonna be not a "miss" but a 'scrape" - we'll see what happens overnight. This boat moves wrong, trust me...*I* will be up. Won't sleep until ...well...bugs bite again.
Captain Kim S/V Slo Dancin "Be good, and
you will be lonesome" - Mark Twain
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- Bring on the entertainment!
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- By Rob Kunkel <weatherstation.amaliaview at gmail.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 18:56:51 -0400
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Hi all -- I am so relieved. Another miss, although we can never rule out and endless rain with poorly managed land development once again polluting the harbor. There may be strong breezes that can still break ground tackle but visiting schooner seems to be spared. I am the eternal pessimist when it comes to boating. Here are some photos. Included is the visiting schooner that hopes to make a tourist practice, I am told, today. Good luck. In the end, ain't it great to live here? Especially, St. Thomas. Where it is all happening...sort of.
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- T? Maria
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:07:30 -0700 (PDT)
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Well, now that the watches & curfews have been lifted..it looks like we're either getting eaten by PacMan or some dragon in this animated link
Kim "Be good, and you will be lonesome" - Mark Twain
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- Pretty Quiet
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- By kmgilbertson at tropicalhannah.com
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:31:19 -0500
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Still partly cloudy with a few sprinkles here and there and it's nice
and breezy. Photo of the harbor...was a bit surprise not to see some
kind of surf slapping the waterfront apron. All warnings canceled as
Maria appears to be falling apart but it's not over yet and I won't
let my guard down on this one till she's past.
We'll Catch Up.....
Kevin Gilbertson
St Thomas USVI
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- Long Bay St. Thomas 9am Sat Re: Maria
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- By Rob Kunkel <weatherstation.amaliaview at gmail.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:57:35 -0400
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Hi All -- 9 am. These are the boats in Long Bay now, (near Yacht Haven, empty) and about 11 on the left side of the harbor and 5 near the Frenchtown (Avery long gone boathouse side). Maybe some boats will move to the mangroves today.
The largish schooner closest to the shore on the left side of the harbor (looking southwest) is a brown visiting vessel with a tourist pirate/booze cruise look to her. That holding ground there is awful. I don't think that schooner could not take anything is the 60-70 mph range with typical ground tackle. Even with 40-45 MPH winds, between gusts and the funneling effect of the land here, it can easily go beyond the general wind speed by as much as 50%, in my opinion.
Re: Our domicile: Aluminum hurricane shutters are going to be in place by tonight. All moveables, especially plants are coming in. Will have Ch16 on tonight and the name of the mobile VHF station is "Windolee." Curfew is at 7pm.
Maria seems as if it is starting to break up but STT is still the kingpin in the cone. The Great Bowler in the Sky started the delivery with a left hook, right down the middle. Now it looks like it might hook more to the right by going more north but we will get something. Oldtimers are very suspicious of this one and I'm an old timer by that definition.
I understand that Maria is moving about 15mph with 40-45 MPH breezes. Arrival looks like predawn or dawn.
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- Goodbye
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:37:28 -0400 (EDT)
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Hopefully this is it. No longer on tropical storm watch. Curfew lifted, no more price freeze! A modern miracle!
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Oh well. Maria
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:17:06 -0400 (EDT)
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Maria is slowing down and moving to the north of us .Now we are looking at 35 mph winds tomorrow. A walk in the park!! We should be okay. Still need to take a few precautions in case.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Hurry up & wait..or TS Maria
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:46:51 -0700 (PDT)
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Well, this morning was nice and sunshiny...and breezy. A few scattered squalls. Almost like Christmas Winds! The forecasts are so undecided....all we know is wind & rain headed straight for us. Not much different than Irene, at this point. Maybe we won't have to worry about interrupted cellular service again. HA!
Hunkered down in Red Hook/Vessup(Muller) Bay
Captain Kim S/V Slo Dancin "Be good, and you will be lonesome" - Mark Twain
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- Maria's arrival
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:24:27 -0400 (EDT)
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She i still on track for us as a direct hit. Good thing she remains a baby.By 8 am in the morning at 13 mph she should be here. We will have another memory for 9/11!
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Greetings Before The Storm
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- By kmgilbertson at tropicalhannah.com
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:31:27 -0500
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Greetings from St. Thomas. Thank You Gert for letting me join in on
this great site. A little intro, my name is Kevin and I live in
Charlotte Amalie. Right downtown in fact. I'm on the second floor over
looking Main St. I've become quite a storm fanatic over the years and
I'm a photographer so hopefully I can provide something interesting
here.
Bout 1am and it's pretty quiet. The calm before the storm I guess. I
have to say that this storm has me bothered more than any other storm
that has passed through here in the last ten years. Can't quite put my
finger on it but my gut feeling and looking at all the data has me
worried that we're going to get a good lashing from Maria. I wouldn't
be shocked if she was at least a Cat 1 by the time she gets here
tomorrow. She has lots of warm sea to cross on her way. It didn't help
my concern this afternoon when my 7 yr old daughter Hannah pointed out
that the flock of Seagulls and Pigeons were eerily absent and have
gone into hiding already. Our little sweet birds who visit on the
window sill were no where to be seen today either. Maybe we're crazy
but we think it's a sign. Will try to post here tomorrow the best I
can until we lose power. I hope not but I think phones and power will
go down for sure tomorrow night. I'll try to get some photos tomorrow
too before the curfew goes into effect. Be prepared and stay safe
people.
We'll Catch Up....
Kevin Gilbertson
St. Thomas USVI
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- Maria
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:52:49 -0400 (EDT)
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Small gusts of wind for now. Hopefully she will move a little further north by morning. Wishful thinking. Hope not.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- TS Maria
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 08:01:04 -0400 (EDT)
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Boy can Maria sashay! The projected track changes every few hours. Now she is right back on us. At least she isn't intensifying!
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Maria
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2011 12:08:25 -0400 (EDT)
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Hopefully the shifted south she has had since this morning's report will continue and she will remain south of us! Keep your finger crossed.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- TS Maria
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 11:38:06 -0400 (EDT)
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Don't like her already. Looks just like Marilyn. Hopefully she will turn both. Looks dead on though.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Katia
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:05:37 -0400
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Hopefully she will stay north of us. Does not look good for the eastern seaboard again.
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- The wall soon fall....
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:27:05 -0430
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Good Morning,
We are hoping that everyone in Irene's track pays very close attention and
is ready now for her. Irene is huge and loaded with
rain. The attached photo shows our courtyard south wall leaning at a very
dangerous angle after the saturation level overloaded
the hill behind the wall. We expect this wall to crumble soon. We've had a
very wet summer and the green is glorious, but
the ground can only take so much and the waterfall effect comes very soon
now after any passing shower.
The winds were not bad enough to blow out the tomatoes and peppers on the
deck, but we did hear some raising of a roof
seam and the rain has left a layer of moldy yuck everywhere. There is
plenty of water in the cistern now to pressure wash the
mold, ..... our endless cycle of tropical maintenance.
We are still getting passing showers and have a grey day with a light
breeze from the east. Looking for a little sun to help
the solar dryer do it's work.
Irene knocked on our door and reminded us what a Tropical Storm feels like.
Can't imagine a Cat 3 coming our way again. There is
a certain whistling noise that starts with about 35mph winds that flashes us
back to other times.
Thanks to Dave we were more prepared than we were going to be. First
reports on Sunday made it seem that Irene would be far
enough south to not really bother us, but by the 10 a.m. interpretation by
Dave the aviators were then convinced enough to tuck in their
planes and the shutters were in place soon thereafter. THANKS DAVE.
SUGGEST STRONGLY that you READ Dave's messages on the homepage everyday from
here on out. He seems to be always right.
I just received an inquiry from a future visitor about snorkeling now after
rains like these. Pay attention to the Department of
Natural Resources reports (http://sthomassource.com) before sticking a toe
in the ocean. The run off has been tremendous,
swimming in contaminated water makes no sense. July 1 thru November 1 is
our traditional rainy season, we have some
great weather between the showers during these months, but we are in the
tropics and live with what that word means
everyday.
Jane Higgins
from the soggy Northwest Side of St Thomas overlooking
a calmed down Atlantic
jhigginswear at islands.vi
Attachment:
photo.jpg
Description: JPEG image
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- Irene - is the rain done?
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:20:22 -0700 (PDT)
|
| Kimmie again, from Red Hook.
I am home, aboard Slo Dancin and Choice (DSL, black tower with 5 green lights) is back online. Cellular service is STILL not restored (at least for ATT customers) and I am still picking up BVI tower's cell service. I have heard of numerous power outages, but nothing specific other than "the north side". If you actually CATCH a cell tower, once in a while...and are having issues keeping a signal - and still have no power - turn the darn cell phone to airplane mode or OFF! All that signal swapping is one of the worst things to drain a cell phone battery.
All of the aforementioned boats have been re-secured, and I have put my cat to walking around with socks on to help mop up the new drips I have found aboard. I guess one positive thing about this
past storm is finding more leaks to fix.
There is still a TON of sargassum/seaweed floating around, so any boaters need to be aware of that and take caution not to let it effect their engines - diesel/inboard or outboard.
I have a feeling the Virgin Islands Daily News will publish the water quality results (if they didn't do it today) SOON, but best guess - stay the HECK out of the water on ANY beach, lest you be prepared for decontamination from runoff. There won't be anything to see snorkeling ANYway, because the visibility won't clear up for a few days.
After seeing the forecast track today, it might be interesting to see if she actually hits Charleston, SC as a CAT 3 as predicted. Sort of a Hugo replay - I am certain NO one wants a replay of that monster.
All in all, not a whole lot more to report from this morning, other
than the cell/internet issues ....I'm ready for a cheeseburger...in paradise? Yup. Can I have rum with that? =)
Captain Kim |
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- Power back on for now....
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:00:31 -0430
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Good Morning,
This will be quick as power just came back on around 9:30a.m. in West
End , Fortuna, after beingt out since yesterday around 1pm.
Our friends in Puerto Rico just called to say that San Juan is a mess and
Irene is moving on leaving plenty of water behind.
We have waterfalls in the courtyard and still plenty of gusty rain.
USAIR did an airshow go around late yesterday afternoon right before the
airport closed and went back to San Juan. Spirit tried
leaving and came back to our terminal. We are hoping those folks did
not have to stay in the airport all night.
Will get back to you with more after I get the dishes washed.
Four cats in one room, and a new adopted dog being taught storm tricks by
the grumpy older dog.
Take care, stay dry and be safe. No reason to go anywhere if you
don’t need to.
Jane Higgins
Northwest super drenched side of St Thomas facing the angry Atlantic.
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- 10am, The "Day After" Irene
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- By Kim Caley <mantaray357 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:00:27 -0700 (PDT)
|
Howdy folks, Kimmie reporting here from the East End of St Thomas, American Yacht Harbor. After signing up as a local correspondent a few years ago, I finally have something to report!
Cellular service is somewhat restored, but still spotty. I have AT&T as do many others and we are having difficulty completing or even making calls. Sprint doesn't seem to have the same issues.
I haven't been back to the boat to try out my Choice digital DSL, but the broadband seems to be working well after a few tense moments of "when is it gonna work! we are having internet withdrawals!".
There were a few harrowing moments in the back harbor with a couple of boats, early in the day. Luckily the only one sunk was unoccupied and is easily flipped back over. In the
outer harbor at Vessup (Muller) Bay, it was rocking and rolling and at one point friends out there said they had 8ft seas. Only 2 boats had issues out that way, and no one was onboard either vessel at the time...and none suffered catastrophic damage and efforts are being made as I type to re-secure both vessels.
I don't believe the marina lost power last night, but I did sleep through SOME of it.
As usual, the residents and visitors to Red Hook are relieved to have this past us, and are still assessing damage. I have heard reports of power outages on the North side of the island, but haven't exactly heard which areas.
Lots of leaves and some branches out this way, and only a few trees between Magen's Point & here.
Time to go, Irene isn't done with us yet - just heard thunder again, so I'm outta here.
Captain
Kim S/V Slo Dancin "Be good, and you will be lonesome" - Mark Twain
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- Irene. The morning after.
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- By Ronnie <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:08:57 -0400
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Just heard some thunder. Still raing and windy.
Ronnie Lockhart
Attachment:
IMG_0695.MOV
Description: QuickTime movie
Sent from Ronnie's iPhone
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- Irene as I live and breathe.
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- By Ronnie <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:36:05 -0400
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Attachment:
IMG_0694.MOV
Description: QuickTime movie
Sent from Ronnie's iPhone
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- Irene
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:11:12 -0400
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I see she has been names as a TS. Now, what to do. Looks like she will pass way south in the morning but, Chili CookOff says they will go on rain or shine but did not discuss wind!!
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Tropical Update from St. Thomas, VI
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- By Delia Jones <delia6667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:18:27 -0700 (PDT)
|
Morning All,
We have quite an active Atlantic with 4 Tropical Waves right now. We have Invests 92L, 93L and now 94L. I mention these specifically because they have the most chance of affecting us here in the Virgin Islands. Although many computer models have 92L skirting North of us, I would still keep an eye on it because it really is a little far out for a more accurate forecast. With regards to 93L, which is 450 SW of Southern most Cape Verde Island, some of the models have this one going more a little to our South. Again, I am going to wait for a few days to see how any of the upper winds or ridges will affect this Tropical Wave. I have found that sometimes these tropical systems that are predicted to go way S of us, do in fact come closer to us than the models have predicted, so only time will give us a better idea.
Now, we have a new Tropical Wave, Invest 94L, which is approximately 700 miles NE of us. Its path right now is moving W, SW at approximately 10 mph. If this Tropical Wave continues on this path, I do believe it will be affecting us here in St. Thomas. As to how much it develops before arriving, to soon to tell. Does not appear it will become a major storm or anything, but nevertheless, still something to watch.
I thought about a really strange scenario seeing all these systems so close to each other and all headed in our general direction. Could it be possible that they all converge on our area and from all sides? 92L maybe going a tad to our North and what if 94L arrives at the same time. Will they merge? Then 93L arrives a couple of days later to our South. We could be surrounded on all sides of storms. I know the likelihood of that happening would probably be the same as me winning the lottery, but thought it would make for a "perfect storm".
Regardless, we here in St. Thomas, need to be viligent and monitor all these Tropcal Waves closely. One can never be too prepared.
Will post more later. Happy Friday.
Cordelia ("Delia") Jones
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
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- Tropical Update: Tropical Wave - Emily?
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- By Delia Jones <delia6667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2011 10:13:08 -0700 (PDT)
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Good Afternoon St. Thomas.
That strong Tropical Wave is about 210 miles East of Martinique and per NWS is strenthening, as it moves West-Northwest at approximately 15 mph. The Hurricane Hunters did not find a closed circulation on one side yet, but the latest information from the National Hurricane Center still gives this TW a 90% chance of Tropical Storm formation at any time within next 24 hours. The Hurricane Hunters will go back this afternoon to obtain more data and decide if this will be named Emily.
Regardless of whether this TW is named Emily or not, the NWS has issued an Hazardous Special Weather Statement for the US Virgin Islands, that this TW is expected to start affecting our local area, with heavy rains and squally weather moving in our area as early as Tuesday morning, with the most intense weather being later Tuesday and through Wednesday evening. They also state that this TW could be named as early as this afternoon and, if so, be prepared for Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings to be issued for the US VI on a very short notice. (Which I do not like that "short notice" part. If VITEMA here knows we are going to be affected by this storm, regardless of whether it is named, they should put up at least Watches, so people can prepare. But that is me.)
At present in downtown St. Thomas, it is mostly sunny and very windy or should I say breezy. It is nice, but you can see clouds beginning to come in, which could be related to this TW or, just the typical local tropical rain we get. I have a feeling that as the day progresses, but more tomorrow, we will not see such nice weather as we do now.
Stay safe and be prepared. You never know with Mother Nature which way a storm can go..........
Cordelia L. Jones
Northside - St. Thomas, VI |
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- Well?
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:19:27 -0400
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Sitting and waiting to see. Everyone talking about it. Hopefully we will be okay. No wind, too calm.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- Update
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- By 9123081512 at txt.att.net
- Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:49:01 -0500
|
Evening St Thomas. Sent photo of ominous black clouds over Sea on Northside,
leading edge of Tropical Wave, but do not think worked fr
--
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This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T
|
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- Update
|
- By <9123081512 at mms.att.net>
- Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:27:44 -0400 (EDT)
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Attachment:
Pre-Tropical
Description: JPEG image
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- From February to August
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- By jhigginswear at islands.vi
- Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:10:48 -0400 (EDT)
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Yesterday was a fantastic February like day. Clear, breezy, cooler
than any July day ever experienced here. The reality that our summer is
turning out to be more pleasant than stateside is worth revelling in.
Today feels like August, our Invest/ wave is here, bringing heavy air,
choppy seas, and gusting showers off and on. Great to hear that Anguilla
has had such a wet July. At least with all the other trials of getting
thru this slow season, the Anguillans won't have to buy water.
The tops of the tallest trees are starting to roll again, so assuming
another wave of showers is on the way. Using the dryer might be the only
option for the thrice rinsed laundry on the line.
After travelling to Miami last week and returning to cooler air, we can't
take for granted our natural cool down cycle every day. Some find it
hard to believe that we live without air conditioning, but guessing most
of us do.
Still harvesting tomatoes from the January plants and the June plants are
being slower about giving them up. The peppers love this balmy weather
and the passion fruit has re-loaded the fence around the courtyard. Passion
fruit over dark salted chocolate may be one of the best treats yet.
Looks like the rumblings of early this morning are moving on to create
a bigger system on the way north. Take care and let us know what you are
experiencing today.
Jane Higgins
on the Northwest Side of St Thomas
in Fortuna facing the Atlantic
jhigginswear at islands.vi
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- Tropical Update - Invest 90L
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- By Delia Jones <delia6667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:36:21 -0700 (PDT)
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Morning St. Thomas. It appears from satellite imagry, this Tropical Wave is
right on top of us, when actually 90L is to our SE by a few degrees. However,
the leading feeder bands have been affecting us with numerous showers and
scattered T-storms, lightning and wind gusts to 25 mph. As dawn breaks, rain
stopped and it is dead calm. But as I look out E toward BVIs, and SE, dark
ominous line of clouds with lightning are moving in rapidly; temps have
dropped. Expect these T-storms will begin shortly producing large amounts of
rain lightning, thunder and squally weather. Wind gusts has begun again and
visibility reduced dramatically. NWS PR has issued a Hazardous Weather
Statement for VI and PR for today thru Sun. Will give updates. Cordelia Jones.
Northside, STT. ps. "Take you rain jacket today".
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- Tropical Update from St. Thomas - Invest 90L
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- By Delia Jones <delia6667 at yahoo.com>
- Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:08:05 -0700 (PDT)
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Good Afternoon from St. Thomas.
Well, it seems that the Tropical Wave that is located approximately 350 miles SE of us is starting to affect our area here in St. Thomas. It appears that the leading edge of this very Active Tropical Wave is already bringing light rain and gusty winds as I just checked outside my office downtown a few moments ago. I would not be surprised to see gusts up to 30 mph just judging by the trees limbs blowing. Although, it was predicted that this TW would probably begin affecting us much later today, it has begun already. In just the short time I have been typing this, the clouds have completely covered the sky and having more wind gusts. Although it appears the computer models have this TW moving somewhat South of St. Thomas, living here, might have to disagree with them. If this is just the outer or leading edge, and we are supposed to get the most effect from Invest 90L late tonight, Saturday and
Sunday, then it should bring major thunderstorms and really gusty winds as the day progresses and through tomorrow. I will report further as conditions erode from this TW.
Delia Jones, Currently Downtown, St. Thomas.
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- Windy, soggy, super green
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- By jhigginswear at islands.vi
- Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 13:24:09 -0400 (EDT)
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Have to agree with the Culebra report, being green, seeing green,
all shades of green, maybe it looks greener against the grey skies?
Our orchids are happy with this weather, some new shoots coming on
now that usually appear in November.
Last night's sunset was striking. We had to stop what we were doing
and just sit and watch it evolve. There were some
colors in the upper bands that were beyond description; something like
a marriage of topaz and aquamarine among the velvety undercloud reflections.
We had plenty of rain all night, filling the rain buckets back up. The
tomatoes
seem to be getting fatter by the minute. Now the wind has
picked up and the rain has come to a slow dribble. The wind seems to be
gusting
up and then settling down to a stop, the seas are calm; obviously some more
weather is on the way.
Does it seem more like October than July to you?
We continue our wait for computer parts that melted down during the brownout
about 10 days ago, can't wait to get the old machine fired back up.
Shared more Bertha stories today, if you have any send them in on this
anniversary.
Think of the storms and scares we've been thru since l996, we are still
the lucky
ones.
Jane Higgins jhigginswear at islands.vi Northwest St Thomas, the Atlantic
side
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- Fwd: MEMORIES OF BERTHA JULY 8 1996
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- By Gert van Dijken <gert at vandijken.com>
- Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2011 16:12:56 +0000
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From: Jane Higgins Date: Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 2:49 PM Subject: MEMORIES OF BERTHA JULY 8 1996
As July 8th ,2011 creeps up on us, memories of July 8 , 1996 are clear.
We were caught off guard. After getting womped so badly by Luis and Marilyn in September of 1995, it did not seem possible that we needed to worry about a thing in early July.
My aviation mechanic husband was on call that weekend and we were CAMPING in St John, with our car (meaning car ferry, long drive to campgrounds, long drive back to ferry dock and long drive to airport and home to prepare). We by chance overheard some taximen talking about a possible direct by a storm to the USVI AND BVI, what????
We moved faster than I thought possible to break camp, pack the car and drive a wild ride back to Cruz Bay St Johh, inquire about the possiblity of getting back on the ferry and it was a very tense hour in our marriage while we hoped for some positive words from the ferry crew. These were the days before cell phones for us, we tried contacting the other aviators in the same boat via pay phone to Puerto Rico and St Thomas and received the grim news from the NOAA watchers. Meanwhile, next to the phone booth sat many tourists and locals oblivious to the news; chugging beers and lingering over their breakfasts. It was nerve racking for the cool head that reigns in our household and once on the ferry , the orders were , airplanes first, our house second. This was my first experience at doing most of the hurricane prep myself while waiting for the mechanic with the drill to put the boards up at home after tucking in the planes.
The ride from the airport to our place on the Northside started after Bertha started to blow. For those that know about the steep Dorothea Farm Hill lined with ripe mangoes the description of "driving on mango jam" is clear. We hung the boards with the wind blowing and we'll never be caught in that situation again.
Bertha was nasty to a few large venues in town, shocking to an island still recovering from September 1995. LESSON LEARNED, once the "season" starts, be READY.
Jane Higgins jhigginswear at islands.vi Northweat side of St Thomas
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- Sahara Dust
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:10:42 -0500
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Good Morning
Islanders,
The last few mornings have been clearer
and cooler, great for gardening. The tomatoes
and pepper plants are still providing
us with our favorite red food. The passion fruits
are
are turning golden again and the
herbs are going crazy.
The horizon has left us and as you can
see from the charts, the Sahara Dust is moving in.
We are hoping the weather system moving
up the island chain will bring some more
moisture before the dust tamps down
that possibility.
Anything below 75% humidity is alright
for us. Yesterday's "dryness" at 72% humidity
was a gift.
Take care and continue to clear the
perimeters. Remember BERTHA July 8, l996?
Anyone have any good stories about
her?
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- Black Outs Force Early Storm Preparations
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:03:34 -0500
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Good Afternoon,
Power just came back on about 1 hr ago, after many
hours without, since rolling blackouts
started on Tuesday. We are forced
to live in this post storm mode without a storm, so tuning up the
hurricane
closet meant a trip to the local hardware store
. Shelves of lanterns, batteries, mag lights, plug in
emergency lights , etc. were looking abit
bleak as everyone else in the store had the same thing
in mind. Mosquito coils were sold out, so
will go on the hunt again tomorrow and hope for the best.
Our local power authority has no end date for the
blackouts. We are hoping to not lose all the food
in the fridge but will be shopping meal by meal
until all of this is solved. We all know how to live
without electricity from our history
with hurricanes, but with no storm behind us or on the horizon it
is
too bad we have to live this way
now.
It is so hazy, there is no horizon, and
thunder boomers have been hanging between the West End
of St Thomas and the Spanish Virgins and Puerto
Rico. This system does not seem to be moving,
but it has cooled things down. Very little
rain has come of it, the buildup of clouds and
no visibility has probably been interesting
for pilots.
Now back to doing all the tasks that involve
electricity before it goes out again.
Take care and don't take anything for
granted.
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- Boomers, Blackouts and Bugs
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:46:17 -0500
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Seems to be the hottest June on the Northwest
side of St Thomas in at
least 10 years. Depending on fans at
every level to keep us going, the need for electricity to run the
fans is urgent. A/C is a fantasy.
Solar panels do not work for us at 1a.m.,and sure enough from 1a.m.
til past
5 a.m. this morning the blackout started and
has continued off and on all day. Seems someone
ran into a utility pole and the entire island has
been power challenged for many hours. I could live
without the fan in the middle of the night if it
weren't for the mosquitoes. They seem to be attracted to
ears and really turn up the volume without a fan to
block them out. While putting out mosquito
coils at 3:30 a.m. outside the bedroom
windows, the chanting of a little kitty lost in the bush echoed.
The rat in the sugar bird feeder did not really
elevate the mood, but the atmosphere was decidedly
tropical.
Our shepherd named Max kept all the critters
in line for most of the night. The full
moon and the night sounds were explosive
without the hum of current running thru the island.
After on and off all day with it, now just getting
a new blast of fan motion and some juice into the
computer to send this out. Then flush the
toilet, wash every dish, fill some sinks, and check the
email. We are dark grey cloudy
and have been hearing thunder boomers for
hours. The radar looks to bring some showers
and abit of a cool down. It is 85 degrees
in the shade now.
The pool is 90 degrees, unheard of for
June.....assuming it will be a "hot tub" by August.
Be ready for everything sooner than later.
Stay cool. Enjoy your electricity while you have it.
Jane Higgins on the Northwest Side of Fortuna, St Thomas
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- Update
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- By 9123081512 at txt.att.net
- Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2011 17:28:55 -0500
|
Good Afternoon St. Thomas. Well, Hurricane Season has begun and I will be here
reporting from Northside for you. If the fact that on J
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This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T
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- Hello
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- By Ronnie Lockhart <ronusvi at aol.com>
- Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:14:52 -0400
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It's that time again! Hopefully we will have a quiet season.
Ronnie Lockhart
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- The Cat Days of Summer
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 09:14:41 -0500
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Good Morning Islanders,
As we ring in June 1, pantry filling ideas, storm prep and hot days of
summer are upon us. Here is a picture
of our cat named Buzz Aldrin lounging under a palm frond yesterday
afternoon. It was hot enough to bring
the pool up to 88 degrees already! Feels like we had the hottest May in
ages, but could just be the humidity from
recent welcome rains. The tomatoes , peppers, and herbs are loving it and
the passion fruit is taking over
the courtyard.
Let's stay informed and get ready for anything so we can enjoy our summer.
One of my favorite pantry canned food recipe follows;
one can black beans
one can garbanzo beans
one can corn
toss with Italian dressing, throw in some herbs and any
other fresh veggies available and you have a great "hurricane" canned
salad...
Please send any ideas you have for filling the pantry with something
different this year. Thanks
Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi
St Thomas ,US Virgin Islands
Attachment:
photo.jpg
Description: JPEG image
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- It didn't rain on Carnival J'ouvert Tramp
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 08:46:28 -0500
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Good Morning
Islanders,
Humid and grey are the words for today
as we wait for a blast of moisture coming up from the
Southwest.
See attached, Dave was right, the
parades and most of the Carnival events were spared
downpours.
There was a decent breeze on Main
Street on Friday and Saturday for both parades.
Now we tramp on into "h" season with
our ducks in row.
From muggy Fortuna, northwest side of St
Thomas, US Virgin Islands
I love this picture....
HERE IS THE CARNIVAL J'OUVERT TRAMP , ON THE
WATER FRONT OF CHARLOTTE AMALIE,(our town)
as appeared
in our newspaper The Daily News, picture taken from the helicopter
that my
husband works on .
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Attachment:
scan0009.jpg
Description: JPEG image
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- Carnival Sunset
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 08:53:37 -0500
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Good Morning Islanders,
We are deep in Carnival events and the weather is cooperating. See the
attached photo of last night's sunset
for confirmation. Food Fair yesterday was the most beautiful so far in all
our years here. We brought home
guava berry, coconut, pineapple and apple tarts. The conch in butter sauce
with rice and peas made for an
extravagant lunch and we are savoring the sweet potato pudding .
The island is green and lush after decent rains lately. The backyard
cistern is downloading into the main
cistern making room for more rain to come. The harsh crispness of the
drought is gone.
Lime trees and passion fruit have taken on a rebirth and there are a few
pink tomatoes coming around
to red. The netting is holding against the thresher bird. Threshy seems to
be satisfied with the the cat's food .
Tomorrow is the the Children's parade and Saturday the Adult parade followed
by fireworks, we hope
for the best weather for the troupes.
Take care, and enjoy this time. Storm season soon come.
Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi
Estate Fortuna, on the Northwest Side Facing the Atlantic
St Thomas ,US Virgin Islands
Attachment:
photo.jpg
Description: JPEG image
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- Wintry Rain
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:54:56 -0500
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Good
Morning,
Yesterday around 2 pm it was sweltering
humid and the fans were on full blast. Wishing
for
a cool down brought it on very
quickly. We started with a good car wash rain coming
from
all directions in the
afternoon and it felt
like winter again again within an hour.
With a a good inch plus
of moisture in the
early hours today,it is now looking gray with
no
horizon on the choppy Atlantic. The seas are abit rougher than they
have been for a week.
Thanks Gert for the storm season
update, being lucky will not be enough this season,
being
well prepared is the best we can
do.
The passion fruit vine is putting out
tennis ball size fruit again and the second crop of
tomatoes
are showing some pink
hues. The peppers and tomatoes are swathed in netting and
the Thresher
bird is screaming her
frustration. Oh that bird.......she has enjoyed more from our garden
than
we have over the years, and she just
loves the cat food too.
We are always hoping for rain during
this time of year and yet would love to have clear
weather
for the Carnival events on-going.
A little rain on the parade always cool things
down.
Jane Higgins on the Northwest side of
St Thomas, in Fortuna facing the Atlantic
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- Striking Sunset
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- By "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
- Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:02:57 -0500
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Good Morning Island Neighbors,
Last night's sunset was amazing. See the attached photo, this is looking
North by Northwest on the
Atlantic side of the west end of St Thomas, Estate Fortuna, from our deck.
The sea is flat and calm this morning. The clouds puffy and building. The
news from Dave about
a tropical depression forming in April finally hit the weather channel. Of
course explaining the
very flat sea.
Have a good holiday weekend, we have so much to be grateful for. Let's look
forward to being
very ready for storm season.
Jane Higgins St Thomas,
US Virgin Islands
jhigginswear at islands.vi
Attachment:
photo.jpg
Description: JPEG image
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