We didn’t want to spend the Hurricane Season in the Caribbean, but it turned that we don’t have other chance, as many countries are still closed. So, we’re here, in Grenada. Officially below the hurricane belt, but… Everybody here remember recent Hurricane Ivan (September 2004), which literelly flattened Grenada.

During the Hurricane Season in the Caribbean we are checking the weather forecast from The National Hirricane Center. And look what happend recently.

It was a small tropical wave somewhere in the Atlantic which gradually got better organized. Was upgraded to a tropical depression. Then to a tropical storm Gonzalo.

Yes, Gonzalo was a really funny guy. He didn’t follow any of weather models projections showing again that Mother Nature is in it’s control. Finally if was a pseudo event or good skill training.

How was it:

In the last couple of days before it arrived to the Southern Caribbean weather services changed forecast direction and intensity every 3-6 hours. More north, more south, again north… All these days yachties were busy with preparing their boats to stay on anchorage in a storm conditions or to sail south to Trinidad looking for shelter. And we too! Having nervous breakdown when it gets nearly Hurricane status. Making decision, looking for the newest advisory fom National Hurricane Center, changing ming…

But Gonzalo despite of any forecasts was fighting with hot and dry Sahara air and moving straight to the West. Finally it loose it’s strength and passed down of Grenada, over Tobago and Trinidad. All what we had – a short morning squall and in midday and dark skies somewhere south in the midday. That was it. The most dangerous thing we had was our neighbor, dragging with just 25 knots of wind.

But anyway it was a really good skill training.

What we learned? To follow our first decision and don’t relay on any promising weather forecast.

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