We survived a very interesting experience without so much as a scratch, other than the customary liver damage.  It is true that we were never in any danger at any time, although we were never sure what to expect next, given our lack of experience in these matters.  The sail through the rainband and the overnight thunderstorm were the only parts of the experience that one might consider difficult, and even these were not extreme.

What made this adventure unique was the fact that we were never really sure what would happen next.  We experienced moderate wind and rain while sailing through the rainband and wondered if it would pass, or if this was the beginning of something that would get worse and worse until something catastrophic happened to us.  We had no experience in the matter, and really didn’t know.

We made sound decisions based on the best available information, yet in the end continued to place the boat and ourselves potentially in harm’s way.  I say potentially because our situation might have been drastically different had Lenny turned south.  Under those circumstances, we would have wanted to be as far down the island chain as humanly possible, and Rodney Bay or Marigot Bay St. Lucia would have been the safest.  Instead, we continued to move the boat in a direction that took us towards the hurricane.

The final scare hit me several months later when I read a number of reports on the Internet.  I wonder what might have happened if our travel dates were two days later, and we were anchored right in front of the Frangipani in Bequia the morning of November 17, after a night out.  Would our alcohol-soaked brains have recognized what was happening in the early hours and pulled anchor in time?  I shudder to think of it.

Hurricane Lenny was a great educational experience, in that I learned a lot about hurricanes.  I can now look at a satellite photo and weather discussion and know exactly what is happening on the ground.  Basically, you have to be within 50 or so miles, depending on the storm profile, before the wind reaches unbearable speeds.  As long as you are protected from storm surge, you’ll be fine.  This is not to say that I would want to spend any more vacation time experiencing this.  Future annual November trips will be scheduled for the end of the month, thank you very much.