Officially dirtless. Hopefully, not homeless after Hurricane Florence!

The good news: We closed on the sale of our dirt home the week of Labor Day.

The bad news: The day of closing, we began decision-making for Hurricane Florence.

The decision: Once committed to the decision to stay in the New Bern marina, we cleared the decks, removed dinghy and outboard from deckhouse, doubled/"spidered" the dock lines, hung all our fenders, tape-sealed doors and windows, and removed keepsakes.

The waiting: We drove to Charlotte to wait out the storm with family, and will be glued to the marina web cam "Camera B A Near" for as long as the power stays on in New Bern.

http://www.newberngrandmarinayachtclub.com/index.php/marina-cam/camera2

The hoping: We anticipate damage to SCOUT, but are hoping the damage will be anything less than a total loss. The amount of damage and type of repairs will determine our next steps. Now that we are "dirtless", Daddy said we may qualify for a FEMA trailer. (I think he's worried we may want to make "my" room in his house our next "home".)

The thankfulness: While I'm frustrated (and emotionally overwhelmed) by the impact Florence will have on our immediate plans, I'm thankful we are blessed to have this boat, and we will be OK. My prayers are for the live-aboards who will struggle if their boats are damaged or lost.

What is he smiling about?

Dock hands referred to SCOUT as the "blue & white" boat.

These ball fenders don't look as huge as when I pulled them out of the locker.

New Bern was boarded up by Tuesday night. Luckily, the bar at Prohibition was still serving Taco Tuesday after the Dennigs and we finished securing our Great Harbour boats.