Tropical Storm Magnet

At least one of our friends (Bruce from s/v Migration) has emailed us from the safety of Thailand "Geez you guys! You seem to attract Tropical Storms!"

It's probably because Dave so actively has advocated in the last 2 years (in person, and on the radio nets) NOT making the difficult and sometimes dangerous trip to NZ to avoid cyclone season, but staying and enjoying the tropics in the calm summer months.

We have yet to hear an "I told you so." from our friends who think we're crazy for staying in a cyclone zone. But I'm sure several are thinking it!! (as they are emailing us happy to hear we are OK).

Some updates from this morning:

From Dr. Jeff Masters Wunder Blog: "According to a database maintained by NOAA's Coastal Service Center, Evan is the strongest tropical cyclone on record to affect Fiji's main island, with records going back to 1941"

We found an interesting YouTube video supposedly taken yesterday from a boat at Vuda Point Marina, before the height of the storm. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh6S9D6Hs8A Crazy guy, eh?

From our friend Linda who's boat-sitting at Vuda Point Marina, on the hard, on first look this morning: "No huge pileup of boats but stuff all over. Not anything like we have seen in the Caribbean. Guava Jelly (in the water) looks o.k. other than ripped cover. Sidewinder (on the hard) looks good if they took the blades off their wind generator (they did). Can't see anything else just yet. There's a big tree down between me and the marina office."

For a more detailed first-hand account of Tropical Storm Evan at Vuda Point Marina in Fiji, see Island Bound's blog.

We have been re-booked as wait-listed on Air Pacific to leave on Thursday night for Fiji. We never did get through on the phone, but got a near immediate response by email, suprisingly. The first flight (last we heard) was SUPPOSED to go at noon today, California time (right about now). Glad we didn't stick around the airport all night waiting for it to go!!

For now we'll hang in Santa Barbara and keep Evan from s/v Java company.