Birth of a huricane - death of a catamaran

AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Wed 2 Jul 2014 22:59
In Titusville Municipal Marina
 
These two events are not in any way directly connected with each other. It's certainly not our catamaran and fortunately not our hurricane either. The weather Gods have been deliberating as to where to start the first hurricane of the 2014 season.  They chose to place a tropical depression just north of the Abaco islands of the Bahamas and to the north-east of us at Canaveral a few days ago. It became known as Tropical Depression No.1 which then slowly drifted southwards until it was centred around the West End area of Grand Bahama. Yesterday it turned slightly westwards towards Florida before turning northwards and being renamed Tropical Storm Arthur.
 
Today it is offshore of Canaveral heading northwards and makes an impressive sight viewed from GOES satellite imagery. Later in the week it will become a hurricane wending it's way along the Gulf Stream before turning north-eastwards as it approaches the Cape Hatteras area. This is what everybody up there wants to happen. The most destructive winds are in the north-east quadrant which in Arthur's case means out at sea and not threatening any of the coastal areas further north - but should it forget to make that turn to the north-east then it won't be to pleasant for those on the coast. As for us, our weather today with the storm offshore is a dreary, rainy overcast day with not much wind. Thank goodness!! 
 
    
Tuesday a.m                                                                                                            Weds a.m (blue star is Titusville area)
 
...........And the catamaran. Well, a walk round the yard at Westland Marine next door revealed that somebody has probably not paid their yard bills recently and this 1980s 12m Catalac is taking up valuable space so it has to go. Unfortunately, the previous owner took it into their head to try and modify the sterns sometime in the past and to be honest, not being too unfair or critical, well we reckon they would have probably fallen off on the first trip out to sea. But it's still a shame to see a British built boat (made in Christchurch) being cut up for scrap and placed in a skip. Only 27 made apparently - so that will be just 26 left then - unless others have suffered a similar fate which we can't believe as surely this boat would have been worth something to someone with just a few thousand to spend?  And removing those hideous sterns! In fact there's one just a few miles away on the market for £100,000. Tom & Mary Lack the original builders are probably turning in their grave as we write this!
 
    
The dodgy stern extensions - what was that about?!                       It's the special anniversary edition Sir... oodles of standing headroom on the bridge deck
 
  
Just a little more work required and she'll be 'good to go'                                    R.I.P 12m Catalac
 
More on June to follow soon - must do some work!