Gryphon, by a stroke of luck, was left standing after Irma's 200mph winds hammered Tortola. News of this good fortune did not come quickly. In the days after, social media was buzzing with widely varying reports, completely unreliable. The hurricane had hit Sept 6 and in the early morning on Sept 9 an email chain among the customers of Island Yacht Management turned me on to a 10-minute YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ereQ7AHeLVQ&t=546s taken by a drone. I spotted Gryphon at the 9-minute mark. I instantly recognized my own boat but needed confirmation so first I took a magnifying glass to my laptop screen then I went to a neighbor's and used his large monitor for a better view. There had been so much misinformation. I needed to be sure. I gradually became certain that I was seeing the dinghy on the fordeck, the teak toe rail, the right number of windows and the radar on the backstay. I could also see, by playing the video, that there was daylight between her and everyone else.
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| Gryphon found standing with the rig intact |
I am insured, but a boat is not one of those things that is simple to replace. To go to sea in a boat you need to trust her. I have 95 days invested in learning about this boat, coming to know what to expect, knowing what works and what needs a little TLC. We'd been through an ocean passage, with all the handwringing before departure. But not only did I dread starting over, there was not another boat I could imagine replacing her with. I even looked at the brokerage listings, but I couldn't convince myself otherwise. Even the other Justines out there, or which there are few, did not have the characteristics that I value in mine. For those first few days I feared that the ticket to my adventures was gone.
While I was certainly reassured by the overhead shot, it wasn't until a full month later, and a second hurricane, that I saw pictures from ground level and received reports that the water inside was 6" below the floor boards and that she appeared to have minimal damage. Next the insurance report came in. They say the radar, which is mounted on the backstay, is damaged and probably the backstay, too. One foil section on the headstay needs replacement; some damage to the teak and the rubrail. Hardly anyone probably came out of this storm with a list so short.
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| The view standing on the deck of Gryphon |
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| Getting close |
I am also sensitive about pursuing my own hedonistic pursuits when so many others have suffered the complete loss of their boat. The woman who started the email chain among Richard's customers -- her boat was not even found. It presumably sunk in the marina. It is probably still down there, but no one is looking any longer. Divers were looking for boats, with only one foot visibility, and they were craning them out, but the crane has left. I was a lucky one. Richard himself lost the roof of his house. The guy who does sail training with me can't even live in his house. He and his young family hid behind the baby changing table while the storm tore it apart.
My appreciation for the forces of nature has been enhanced. I have in my own small way experienced the devastation of a hurricane. I have been drawn into the community in Tortola that was devastated. In all these ways, this adventure with the boat continues to add to my life.
Addendum: The Oyster leaning against me apparently weighs 60 tons. We are waiting for a bigger crane to arrive to move it. The backstay of the bigger boat is crossing my forestay. My rig (the wires holding up my mast) must be under enormous tension and is probably damaged.
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| Best angle to see bend in my forestay |
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| Near miss |
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