Earl was good to us here. Truth is, prepping and waiting for the storm wore me out.

I won't regret having to put the genoa and dodger back on today any more than the few merchants and home owners that put plywood on their windows. The forecasts were prudently on the dangerous side.

As the storm approached, the forecasts brought some relief from the worst predictions.

After much anchor setting, we were offered a mooring by the local folks which had been inspected. This gave us good protection from the earliest E and NE winds. I can't say what the wind reached but it never "felt" over 50knts to me in the cabin.

The telltale compass in the veeberth told the story as it held on the NE point for a few hours. I woke up at 3 am to the first swells. A quick glance with the flashlight showed the little dial pegged on N. But I could feel the winds softening as well. Soon Earl blew from the NW, and we were home free. We slept well below with the cowls pumping cubic yards of fresh air into the cabin as no doubt their scuppers poured rivers on the cabintop. The dinghy was full to the thwarts.

The storm was good to us and set the bar for what we'll stay onboard for in the future. Cat1, that's it for us.