Blog
Weather: Hurricane Dorian
Bahamas Update
From the American Sailing Association:
It has been three months since Category 5 Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahama Islands on 1 Sep as one of the two most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever to make landfall anywhere with maximum sustained (one minute or longer) winds of 185 mph, tying it with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane over the Florida Keys. Dorian’s wind gusts exceeded 220 mph. This was the worst storm in recorded history to strike the Bahamas. Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island was almost completely destroyed. In the understatement of the year Mark and Patti Gonsalves of ASA Affiliate Cruise Abaco Sailing School say that “these are tough times.”
There are a few precious signs of an eventual recovery. Barges with cranes and other heavy equipment to clear the debris began to arrive in late Sep. For those who know Marsh Harbour and environs, Maxwell’s Supermarket had only minor roof damage and plans to re-open when they establish a viable supply chain. They had a soft opening on 7 Nov. Albury’s Ferry has refloated Donnie VIII and, with a change of prop, is providing ferry service as best they can manage. “Little Bill” Albury lost his little Snappas Bar and Grill to Dorian as he did to Hurricane Jeanne back in 2004, but he is eager to rebuild again. Sadly, the Conch Inn, the Jib Room, and Mangoes Marina are all closed down. Over on Elbow Cay where Dorian first made landfall, Hope Town Lighthouse was relighted and provides a beacon of hope.
Further afield, Treasure Cay is selling fuel again, Green Turtle Cay has announced that they will re-open 1 Mar, and over on Grand Bahama Island, where Dorian stalled for more than 24 hours with unrelenting winds, Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbor, all the way out in West End, suffered only minimal damage. They re-opened on 1 Nov. Most of us know Old Bahama Bay as a way station for Abaco-bound cruisers from Florida and Bimini and as a shelter for Florida-bound cruisers waiting for a weather window to cross a percolating Gulf Stream. Now, just 75 nm from Palm Beach, Old Bahama Bay has become ground zero for the arrival and distribution of humanitarian supplies into all of the Bahamas. More than 500 tons of supplies have been delivered and distributed throughout the islands so far.
Thankfully, Navtours Bahamas Sailing School, another ASA Affiliate, at its Palm Cay Marina charter base over in Nassau on New Providence Island was not in the path of Hurricane Dorian. Their marina, boats, and team members survived unscathed and their charter operations have continued uninterrupted. But back on Great Abaco Island, it is not so cheerful for Cruise Abaco. Mark and Patti hope to re-open with one or two boats on 1 Apr.
/ASA
Marksmanship Safety
Squib Load Hazards
One of the things that a new shooter is grilled in is the need for being situationally aware of the possibility of the "squib load.” Being an extremely infrequent anomaly makes the squib load an insidious threat.
Brad Miller, over at American Handgunner has some pertinent comments.
I had been under the impression the bullet had to exit [the barrel] in order for there to be enough reciprocal rearward force to make the slide move far enough back to cycle the gun. I don’t know why I thought that, but I did. And I was wrong.
If that last round didn’t feel or sound right, you’d better check it out before you pull the trigger!
/fl