8/22 We pulled anchor at 6pm, steak & baked potato will have to wait. We circled the lagoon & spoke with a few people who were tied up at a dock. One guy made it clear that this was “private” & it wasn’t safe to stay here…But you see, staying in any harbor is permitted in an emergency & I think a Cat 3 hurricane is considered an emergency wouldn’t you? We put 2 anchors down for the night & would ponder what to do in the morning. 8/23 It was incredibly hot & almost no breeze. We were overwhelmed, scared & felt so alone. Two of the men came by in their dinghy to give us an update & offer suggestions…they were all staying at a hotel in Nassau @ $400/night. We asked about tying up to, what looked like, new & sturdy pilings on the east side of the lagoon. “they belong to the owners & they’re picking us up about noon…you’ll have to ask them.”
Thankfully, we got permission & spent the remainder of the day & the entire next day battening down. The ‘girls’ wouldn’t take their eyes off Wayne as he worked. Wayne put 4 anchors out from the starboard side plus a 120‘ line & tied it to trees on the island in the middle; we secured about 8 different lines to the pilings on the port side; 
we put away or tied everything that wasn’t secured to the boat; removed the canvas from the fly-bridge; prepared a ‘ditch bag’ with all our money, passports, boat documentation & jewelry & lastly, put the dinghy on deck. On the 23rd the sun & heat got to us…we were physically & emotionally
Removed all canvas & secured everything
spent…Wayne worked non-stop ~ I don’t know how he kept up the pace. We didn’t have strength or the appetite for dinner or popcorn as we sometimes do. The 24th we continued the preparations but conditions were better…it was overcast, not as hot & steady breezes…we even went for a swim to
Securing 200' line to trees
shore with the pups. We were happy to get off the boat for awhile. Two other boats came & tied to pilings in front of us & they left too…but we had no where to go.
8/25 The loud sound of the wind in the trees woke us up at 4:45 am…then the hatch above our bed blew open…we were up in a flash. Thankfully this 
storm will occur in the day light hours. 99% of the storms we’ve experienced are in the dead of night making the situation even more agonizing. Seeing how the lines & anchors were lying in the wind was our 1st concern. The bow was facing south, 
starboard to the west. There was some talk that the storm would intensify into a Cat 4 & the center was headed for Nassau! Thankfully, neither happened; she went east of us & remained a Cat 3 ~ At first, the wind was coming from the North & we more exposed, but later, it shifted & came from the west ~ the island gave us protection. You can see on our chart how we followed the storm using coordinates 
from NEMA ~ The circles show the storm’s path ~ the triangle is us & New Providence. Wind speeds at the eye was 115mph traveling about 13 knots. At 9am, the eye of the storm was crossing N. Eleuthera & Harbor Island. We were 60 miles 
storm will occur in the day light hours. 99% of the storms we’ve experienced are in the dead of night making the situation even more agonizing. Seeing how the lines & anchors were lying in the wind was our 1st concern. The bow was facing south, 
starboard to the west. There was some talk that the storm would intensify into a Cat 4 & the center was headed for Nassau! Thankfully, neither happened; she went east of us & remained a Cat 3 ~ At first, the wind was coming from the North & we more exposed, but later, it shifted & came from the west ~ the island gave us protection. You can see on our chart how we followed the storm using coordinates 
from NEMA ~ The circles show the storm’s path ~ the triangle is us & New Providence. Wind speeds at the eye was 115mph traveling about 13 knots. At 9am, the eye of the storm was crossing N. Eleuthera & Harbor Island. We were 60 miles 
Waves crashing outside the cut but none came into the lagoon
ESE of the eye so we were on the border of having hurricane force winds. There was no rain for several hours, only winds gusting up to 69 knots which picked up the water in the lagoon & blew it all around. We were constantly making rounds outside making assessments ~ it was easier to see with a
mask on. (ya just gotta be goofy to ease the stress) By noon light rain started & the wind abated a bit. Wayne adjusted several lines & fenders then he took a nap. Reports of severe damage to property was 
being reported from the south-east cays…The Acklins & Cat Is. got a direct hit with reports of 90%+ property damage; all electric & communication lines are down. No reports of injuries or deaths. By 3pm, the eye was going over Marsh Harbor, Abacos ~ we were now 105 miles south of the eye. 8/26 The dawn of a new & beautiful day! Irene has left the building!! Warnings for all the Bahamas has been lifted. Heard she’s heading to N. Carolina as a Cat 2 hurricane; wind speed reduced to 105mph @ 14mph; reports state she may intensify to a Cat 4 
at the time of landfall in the U.S. (yikes! Hope not) We put the dinghy in & captured this picture of all the boats near us…you can see that LADY HAWK went aground but after the storm passed. Reports from people on every island were being broadcast on the radio describing current conditions & to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy. This truly is a wonderful country. It was so much easier to put everything back than to put it away but was still another full
day & a half of work. We had to use the boom & winches to retrieve the old & monstrously heavy storm anchor. The owners came to get LADY HAWK but unfortunately, she had to be towed. We were so blessed not to have any damage.
being reported from the south-east cays…The Acklins & Cat Is. got a direct hit with reports of 90%+ property damage; all electric & communication lines are down. No reports of injuries or deaths. By 3pm, the eye was going over Marsh Harbor, Abacos ~ we were now 105 miles south of the eye. 8/26 The dawn of a new & beautiful day! Irene has left the building!! Warnings for all the Bahamas has been lifted. Heard she’s heading to N. Carolina as a Cat 2 hurricane; wind speed reduced to 105mph @ 14mph; reports state she may intensify to a Cat 4 
at the time of landfall in the U.S. (yikes! Hope not) We put the dinghy in & captured this picture of all the boats near us…you can see that LADY HAWK went aground but after the storm passed. Reports from people on every island were being broadcast on the radio describing current conditions & to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy. This truly is a wonderful country. It was so much easier to put everything back than to put it away but was still another full
day & a half of work. We had to use the boom & winches to retrieve the old & monstrously heavy storm anchor. The owners came to get LADY HAWK but unfortunately, she had to be towed. We were so blessed not to have any damage. 
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