2020-04-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

thebridge.Hemaynothavenoticedit.
Later, Davidson instructed
Randolphtostartkeepinghourlylogs
oftheweather.Winddirectionand
force,barometer.Thewindwould
havetobeestimatedbecausethe
ship’sanemometerhadbeenindisre-
pairforweeks.
Thewindwasincreasing,thesea
wascoveredwithwhitecaps, and
theswellsfromtheeastwererising.
Around4pm,theskystartedcloud-
ingover.Schultz,thechiefmate,and
Hamm,hishelmsman,cameontothe
bridgetotakethenextwatch.
At4.46pm,RandolphandDavis
returnedtoallowSchultzandHamm
togotodinner.Thesat-Cprinterde-
liveredthelatestweather,andRan-
dolphbegantoplotit outatthechart
table.Thisinformation from the

NationalHurricane

Centergotthecur-

rentlocationofthe

eyeaboutright.

Shesaid,“Soattwo

inthemorning...it

shouldberighthere.”

Sheindicatedapo-

sitionjustoutsideof

SanSalvadorIsland.

Randolphdidsome

calculationsandbe-

gantochuckle.“We’re

goingtoberightthere

withit.Lookslikethe

stormiscoming right

foru s.”

StayingtheCourse

SchultzandHammreturnedfrom

dinner,andDavidsonshowedup

aroundsundown.ToSchultzhesaid,

“Ijustsentyouthelatestweather.”It

wastheBVSproductdepictinga fore-

castbasedonolddata,withaddition-

alerrorscrankedinduetoforecasting

models.Itwasnotexactlya fiction,

butitwasa poortoolforattempting

a closepassacrossthebowofa hur-

ricane.

Theydecidedtoturntheshipten

degreestotheright,wideningaway

fromthestormfora secondtime.The

newcoursewouldtakethemtothe

westofSanSalvadorIsland,which

fora whilewouldoffersomeprotec-

tionfromthehurricane’swaves.They

madetheturnat7.03pm.

With its engine running at near

CaptainDavidsonthoughtElFaro, headingsoutheast,

could avoid Hurricane Joaquin, heading southwest

El Faroactual route

FLORIDA

CUBA

El Faroplanned route

Alternative route (rejected)

PHOTO COURTESY NOA A

N

120 April 2020

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