to the safety of our room, from where we
had no view of the marina because the
windows had been boarded up the
previous day. With each strengthening
gust we all could feel the pressure on our
ears as if we were diving. The electricity
was cut off and the building started to
vibrate. The crashing and banging from
unknown objects flying through the air
was horrendous. The door struggled to
stay on its hinges and then the roof of the
building was torn off. We heard shouts as
guests in the hotel ran for safety to take
shelter in other buildings.
For the next hour it seemed certain that
the building would be unable to withstand
this battering and the extreme forces of
Hurricane Irma. We anxiously awaited the
respite of the eye of the storm.
As the noises started to abate we
cautiously opened the door and stepped
out to see the
destruction. Trees
had been
uprooted, the
hotel gardens
completely
destroyed. Turning
to look at the
marina, we were
horrified to see the
damage. Allie Cat
was still in her
berth but with a
mast smashed
into her foredeck
from the
neighbouring
yacht. There was
an eerie stillness
in the air and, as we looked up, we could
see blue sky surrounded by a bank of
swirling grey clouds. The eye of Irma was
magical.
The sea level had risen over the
concrete pontoons. We stood with others
looking at the damage to all the yachts in
disbelief. Many masts had fallen, some
yachts had been flung on to the pontoon,
all were battered and bruised.
Quite suddenly and with no warning the
calm was over. The wind howled and
strengthened from the opposite direction
now blowing in from the sea at an
alarming rate. The second half of Irma
was upon us.
Shaking and distressed we raced back
to the shelter of our room not knowing the
worst was yet to come. Water began to
flood up through the bathroom shower
drain and in from the boarded up patio
doors which faced the marina. We had no
way of knowing how high the surge would
be so we discussed an escape route if the
water reached waist height. Fortunately it
didn’t come to that. For the next two hours
the noise was deafening. In the darkness
we sat listening to what can best be
described as a freight train powering over
and around us.
Finally the wind decreased to a gale and
we opened the doors. What once had
been a tropical paradise now looked like a
fire had raged through it. No leaves were
left on any of the trees. Everything was
blackened as if a bomb had gone off.
In the marina, we could see a jumble of
upturned yachts, severed masts and
catamarans flipped like coins on top of
each other. Many yachts had been lifted
out of the water on to the pontoons; some
were barely afloat, heeled over, many
others had sunk with just masts marking
the spot where they were tied.
We gazed in disbelief – it was as if we
had stepped onto the set of an action film.
The wind continued to subside and the
remaining yachts now lay in a soup of
rubble, timber and vegetation. Jetties and
finger pontoons were missing, having
collapsed under the tremendous force of
the wind.
For the last hour of daylight we did head
counts, checking for any missing orinjured people.
The generators kicked in restoring power
to some of the buildings. There was little
we could do for the boats until the water
levels returned to normal and the winds
had dropped making it safer to get on
board to assess the few salvageable
boats.
Our experience of Hurricane Irma will
never be forgotten. It was breathtaking
and terrifying. We feel so sorry for the
many locals who have lost their homes
and businesses all within a few hours.
On a positive note, the Virgin Islands
remains one of the most beautiful places
on earth, with exquisite beaches,
spectacular rock formations, warm
turquoise waters and fabulous dive sites.
With over 50 islands to explore, each with
their own character and vibe this is a
never-to-be-forgotten holiday destination
that will recover its former glory.
The tropical climate lends itself to
creating rich fertile landscapes and the
local people are friendly and will be
determined to welcome sailors back to
their beautiful sailing waters as quickly
as possible.
➜Boats were sunk and capsized, and cleats and bollards were ripped out by the stormABOVE
Devastation in the
marina, with
barely a mast left
standingNEWS