my computer tanked right after my last post. I'm up and running now with a new one. Better late then never. I might have been a bit harsh in my last post. Having said that, I still think that it is incumbent upon all of us to not only protect our own boats in a storm but the boats of those around us as well. Let my try and explain my position with an analogy of sorts. The next time there is one of the worst rainstorms you have ever encountered get in the back of your buddies pickup truck and have him drive down the freeway at 60 Mph while you stand up in the back. Take that feeling and double it. Now add another 10 Mph. Now, do that for 8 hours. Considering that, can you still tell me that there is no possibility that your mooring could fail? Every crew of the 400 some odd boat that were lost in the virgin islands during Hugo thought they were properly prepared as well. I saw them stacked up on the beach 4 deep in places. Many with there head sails still up. Many of these were full time cruisers. People who had a good grasp on what cruising is all about. These were not weekend sailors. Many were not insured because cruising insurance is very expensive. These people lost everything. How would you like to be responsible for causing the loss of everything someone had just because you decided not to properly prepare your boat? I was lucky. The wind only got to 130 where I was. I changed my mind at the very last minute and decided not to go to Culebra. Had I not done so I would have been hit with the 210 Mph winds that swept almost every boat in the anchorage ashore. 210 is where the anemometer at the airport took flight. I have no idea what the actual winds were. I had 4 anchors out on my port side and 5 lines into the mangroves and damn near sunk because the wind on the rig was pushing the mast back so far it was driving the stern under water. Under those conditions do you really think your mooring would have held up? I don't think so. Everyone down wind of you would have suffered because of your decision. Well, that's my position and that's why I hold it. No hard feelings, I hope. The picture is of the bar at the American Yacht Harbor in St. Thomas a couple of days later. I was anchored just down the channel.