Hurricane Sandy

When it comes to bad weather, we're usually on the receiving end of e-mails inquiring if we're okay. We were in Niue when the tsunami hit the South Pacific in 2009. E-mails flooded in from folks hoping we were okay. We were fine, although we made a quick departure from our mooring when the tsunami warning came over the radio. We were at Stewart Island, NZ when a major earthquake hit Christchurch, to the north of us. Again, we were safe, but our friends and family had no way of knowing this and we were unaware of their concern. Since we've been sailing, each time there's been a natural disaster in our part of the world, our family has been worried and anxious for us. So it's quite the turnabout this time around, when we are sitting in a calm, serene marina in Tasmania and it's our family on the east coast in Washington, DC and Boston that are experiencing the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. We've been on the internet constantly today, checking NOAA for weather updates and CNN for national news. Electricity is out in a half million homes; phone service is out in many areas and we have no idea what is happening other than the media reports which are general and not specific to our family.

At last, a quick email from my sister and one from our oldest son. Windy, rainy, trees down, flooding, but thankfully all are safe. Our thoughts are with all of our friends on the east coast and we're hoping they are as fortunate and as safe as our family.