Florida Sea Base News

Good morning.  I am “off” today so this may be brief but I wanted to bring everyone up to date on the tropical development – or at least what the “experts” seem to be saying at this point.  A new wave emerged from Africa yesterday.  There is speculation that this new wave will kill or devour 90L.

From Weather Underground

The above graphic was copied from Dr. Jeff Masters’ Wunderblog dated 30 July 2010.  In the same blog, Dr. Masters commented on the wave that is south of the Dominican Republic.

Tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean
A tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean, south of the Dominican Republic, is moving west at 15 – 20 mph with no signs of development. The wave is under a high 20 knots of wind shear, due to strong upper-level westerly winds from an upper level low centered north of Puerto Rico. This shear is expected to remain remain high through Saturday. By Sunday, when the wave will be approaching Nicaragua, the wave will be far enough away from the upper level low that shear should fall to the moderate range, 10 – 20 knots. Some development is possible on Sunday, but the wave will have only about a 1-day window to develop before its westerly motion brings it inland over Nicaragua on Monday. NHC is giving this wave a 10% chance of developing into a tropical depression by 2pm Sunday.

So we’re not sweating the Caribbean system and 90L and the new African wave are too far out to be overly concerned about at this time.  Locally we are expecting another VERY warm day with light winds – great for diving but a little challenging for the sailors.

Since I’m posting this a couple of hours later than usual this morning I decided to check the comments part of the site and was pleased to find the following compliments of Capt. Dennis and Jon Dobson:

Just a reminder to all Staff: don’t stick your pinkie finger into a hermit crab’s home. The pincher claw will create a blood blister on the end of one’s finger. It seems to hurt a lot. Dunking the attched hermit crab into salt water will only made the hermit crab squeeze tighter thusly hurting more. Shaking the crab appears to make the crab more angry. Also–when screaming for help from Captain Dennis don’t scream “Captain Steve!! Captain Steve!! Hellp! Get this thing off me! Help!” Be aware of the rescuer’s name. Also, I, John Dobson, would like to personally and publicly thank Boat Mate Dan for leaping to my assistance with his Spyderco knife. I did believe he was going to cut my pinkie off, but he attacked the claw. And thanks to Program Office Manager Ellen for her sympathies. And thanks to all the Staff at the July 31st Staff Meeting for their kind comments and subdued laughter. Also thanks go to Captain Rich who reminded me “If you aren’t going to be smart…you’ve got to be tough.”

The actual quote is “If you’re going to be stupid you better be tough” which is attributed to Capt. Mike Lucivero.  One of Capt. Mike’s participants had a stack of bumper stickers printed with the quote and Capt. Mike’s name.  Anyway, it seems like some of the staff are learning life lessons.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

It has been nice not worrying about tropical weather development since T/S Bonnie, sort of like a mental nap.  But nap time is over, the tropical weather is back in the news with two systems worth watching.  They are still a long ways off and may not effect us at all.  But we will be watching them closely.

Credit - National Hurricane Center

At this point, the closer system is forecasted as having less chance of development and has not been formally classified as a tropical wave.

Yesterday was very quiet here both weather-wise and programatically.  So I took a little time to clean the hoses and tubing in the salon air conditioner on Escape and Capt. Rich went lobstering for dinner at Capt. Carol’s request.

DON’T TELL ANYONE, BUT TODAY IS CAPT. CAROL’S BIRTHDAY.  SHE SEEMS TO BE VERY SHY OF THIS REALITY.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL.  NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

I’m running short on time this morning.  I did not receive any updates from the Jambo staff so I’m sure they are very busy and having a great time.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Yesterday was opening day for the 2010 Mini Lobster Season.  No not mini lobsters, a mini (2 day) season.  A pre-season really.  Two days of recreational lobstering before the commercial lobstering season opens on 01 August.  This is an annual event in the Florida Keys.  There are nuts from all over the country spending thousands of dollars to catch a lobster that sells for about $15 (or less) locally.  I have not heard any reports of any deaths yet, but we usually have 3 or 4 each year.  Spending thousands of dollars to catch a few lobsters is nuts.  Dying to catch a lobster is stupid.  The Florida Sea Base allows participants to lobster (no additional fee) while snorkeling, but not while scuba diving.  Capt. Denny Webb from the Schooner Conch Pearl submitted the following:

Captain Denny from the Scuba  liveaboard boat Conch Pearl reports 33 “keeper” lobster taken on opening morning of mini season. many more shorts or ones with eggs were caught and released by Captain Denny, scuba instructor Kyle and the crew from Texas. All done while snorkeling  at Pelican shoals.

Mark Michalski sent the following from Jambo:

Hey Cap’n Steve,

Keep up the great newsletter, it helps to keep us parents informed on the goings on.  Here is one of the news letters coming from Scuba Staff at Jambo, the 2nd page details some of the exhibitors in the exhibitor tent.  You can also check out the pictures on the NJ ScubaStaff Facebook page. (There also is a NJ Scuba Staff Alumni page.)  All of the usual suspects are on their, Bob Tallent, Jan Haase, Jerry Wall, Jim Guard, Jerry Wall, Dave Ball.  Here’s a link to Scuba Staff 2010 if you’re on FB:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=114833179222&ref=ts

Mark Michalski
Baltimore Area Council
NJ Scuba Staff ’93, ’97. ’01, ’05

Mark also provided the following pdf file.  ScallyRag0728 Thanks Mark.  And by the way, your daughter Meghann is a PLEASURE to have on staff.  Has she told you about being Queen of the Ping-Pong Balls?

No news is good news from the tropics.  The local forecast is the same as yesterday – perfect.

Thanks to Capt. Alex Bergstedt I made some headway on the 2011 budget yesterday.  There is still a long way to go.

If you’re a new reader, please take a few minutes to read the other pages on this site, About, Weather, Medical and Links.  That’s where the more permanent information resides.  And check out some of our related sites like the official FSB website and the Ships Store site.  This is the time of year when Rob Kolb makes changes to Participant Guides, medical forms, and other critical data.  I will do my best to let you know when updates of this nature have been released, but it’s a good idea to check the official site from time to time in case I miss something.

More later.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

As happens frequently at the Florida Sea Base, my plans for yesterday were changed for me; I did NOT get to work on the budget.  The plan for today is to sequester Capt. Alex Bergstedt and bug Capt. Rich from time to time and update the program supplies account (77261).  This is the account that all of the smaller program supplies come from such as masks, snorkels, fins, replacement parts (o-rings, snorkel keepers, etc), repair parts and supplies (regulator parts, extra gauges, dive flags, etc), first aid supplies, oxygen kit parts and refills, and a hundred more items.  The vendors, quantity needed and prices need to be updated.  Working in Paradise is just like working back home – with the bonus of a nice sunset most evenings and the occasional hurricane.

Samantha (Sam) Merrill is the Business Membership Liaison for the Diver’s Alert Network (DAN).  Sam and her husband are also active Scouters and are at the National Jamboree.  Here’s a photo of our Dockmaster, Dominic Alesandrini, working hard at the Jambo.

Dominic Alesandrini & 3 Scouts at the National Jamboree

I didn’t hear from anyone else at the jamboree yesterday.

There is NO tropical activity WORLD WIDE – very unusual for this time of year.  The local forecast is the epitome of a summer’s day forecast in the Florida Keys.  High of 90, low of 80, east wind at 10 mph and a 10% chance of rain.  I know that asking for 28 more days like this is asking for too much – but it sure would be nice.  The article is too long to post here, but there is a decent article about the residual oil in the Gulf of Mexico on the New York Times website at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28spill.html?_r=1&hp.

In 28 days the gates will be closed on the summer session of 2010 at the Florida Sea Base.  But no worries, we will be having program and conferences again starting in October.  There may still be openings for December 2010.  You can check at www.bsaseabase.org.

I don’t want to jinx things, but WOW – the seasonal staff continues to be outstanding.  Only 28 more days.  Could this be our first summer without a firing?  One day at a time.  Capt. Dennis Wyatt checks the Monroe County website for me early every morning to make sure no one’s in jail.  Sometimes he finds a look alike, but so far everyone has behaved well enough to avoid incarceration.  Only 28 more days.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

It is budget time at the Florida Sea Base.  I have been piddling with it for a week or two.  It’s time to start getting serious.  On 04 August several of the full time staff will meet to “forecast” how many participants will attend the Florida Sea Base in 2011.  Those numbers then set our budget in motion.  While we do receive donations on occasion, we are self-sufficient and do not receive any subsidies from the National Office or anywhere else.  It is difficult to focus in the office.  You need to be focused when preparing the budget.  You need to have ADHD on steroids when working in the office.  The “issues” brought into the office in person, by phone and via email change every few minutes, sometimes every few seconds.  So I will likely bring the work onto the boat and work on it in seclusion as much as I can.

The staff members are doing great.  Our Dockmaster, Dominic Alesandrini, has left to represent the Florida Sea Base at the National Jamboree.  Hurry back Dom.  We miss you already.   One of our recurring spring time Scuba Instructors, Dave Ball, is also there.  I will include additional names of current and former FSB staff who are at the Jambo as I learn about them.  John Livres, a 2007 and 2008 staff member sent me an email saying he is working with outside contractors.

Today’s NOAA forecast:

Today: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a high near 92. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.

The UV is forecasted to be 14 out of a possible 16.  That means unprotected skin will start sunburning after 10 minutes of exposure.  Applying SPF 30+ sunscreen and drinking copious amounts of water will help prevent sunburn and dehydration.  Our heat index will reach 110º F today.

Time to get out of here.  Included in my prayers for today are the people dealing with the flooding in Iowa and the folks working on the Deepwater Horizon blowout.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

I was gone for a couple of days and essentially had no news about the Florida Sea Base to report.  But I am back now so here’s the tiny bit we missed.

I would like to AGAIN remind the adult leaders that the Coral Reef Sailing, Scuba Certification, Scuba Adventure, Scuba Liveaboard, Out Island and Florida Fishing Adventure participants DO NOT go to Key West as part of their Florida Sea Base or Brinton Environmental Center program.  You are welcome to arrive in the Keys a day early or to stay a day after your program, but you cannot leave the FSB or BEC program to enjoy a day in Key West.  I am aware that there is outdated information in the Florida Sea Base Participant Guide and on the FSB website.  These are being corrected.  Regardless, it is important that you understand that Key West is NOT a part of the above listed adventures.

Other than that, there is little to report.  T/S Bonnie is long gone.  The wind is down and the temperature is up a little.  There is nothing in the tropics that is likely to develop over the next several days.  T/S Bonnie has also passed the Deepwater Horizon blowout location and the workers are returning to their posts.  Their is speculation that the well MAY be permanently shut down some time next week.  Let us pray.

That’s all I have for now (except a lot of catching up).

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

As noted yesterday, T/S Bonnie made landfall in Miami and had very minimal effect on the Florida Sea Base.  It is VERY difficult to not be frustrated with the “science” of weather forecasting.  For three days the forecast said the center of Bonnie would come very close to the Florida Sea Base.  Even as Bonnie was coming ashore in Miami (90 miles away) the data available on the internet showed it to be on track to hit the base.  Since it came ashore about 10:30, it seems reasonable that the 05:00 or 08:00 update could have updated the location and track.

This is not unusual, but that makes it no less frustrating.  Most people in Miami were caught unperpared and those of us in the Keys spent untold man-hours in preparation and – in our case – the kids missed a day of normal program.  About 30 minutes after Bonnie made landfall the “forecasters” corrected the path.

So what’s the good news?  The staff at the Florida Sea Base were being lulled into a false sense of security by a lack of tropical weather.  Now they understand that my “be prepared” speeches are real.  The facilities are a little better prepared for future severe weather.  The newer captains got a taste of how crazy it will be when the real deal happens.  I suspect that there will be some additional purchases of line, chain, hardware, fenders and other storm necessities in the coming week.  It even gave me the motivitation to clear my decks and revisit my level of preparation.  (I really want to add some mid-ship cleats.  Maybe I can make time for that next week.)  In the end, the management, staff, captains and participants all handled the situation exceptionally well.

The weather is fairly cooperative at the Florida Sea Base this weekend.  In a perfect world the wind would lay down to 10 to 15 knots and clock around to the north or northeast.  It’s GREAT to have so little to complain about.

Capt. Steve
Posted from Coconut Grove

Good morning.  It’s 03:36 at the Florida Sea Base.  I got up to check the 02:00 weather update.  All is well here.  All of the sailboats are docked at Sea Base or in some other marina.  The scuba divers on base completed a night dive last night.  The divers on the Scuba Liveaboard Conch Pearl completed three or four day dives plus a night dive last night.  They are at dock on Stock Island.

Right now we are experiencing the calm before the storm.  There is almost no wind on the Florida Sea Base dock and it is not raining.  I can see the moon through the clouds to our southwest, maybe an hour and a half before it sets for the night.  I checked US and Cuban radars.  There is a large area of gentle rain over Andros Island, Bahamas, right now.  Not much else.  Maximum winds from T/S Bonnie are estimated in the 40 mph range.  The National Weather Service forecast for our area reads:

Today: Tropical storm conditions expected. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 88. North wind 20 to 25 mph increasing to between 40 and 50 mph. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 80. Windy, with a south wind 15 to 25 mph becoming east. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

So we are expecting some rain and a few hours of fairly serious wind.  The winds should be back to normal by this evening.  We will do our best to entertain the kids on the base today and should be back to normal operations on Saturday.

All of the ships have been ordered off the Deepwater Horizon site until the storm makes landfall in Louisiana.  That will obviously stop the skimming and other oil recovery efforts.

2 a.m. update, 23 July

I have time to get 2 hours sleep before the 07:30 staff meeting.  I will post more details after the storm passes.

09:30 UPDATE – Miami and Fort Lauderdale are experiencing an hour or so of intense rain.  There is nothing more than a light drizzle and very mild winds here.

10:30 UPDATE – It looks like T/S Bonnie has missed us and has made landfall near Miami.  The buoys near Miami are reporting 45+ mph wind speeds.  The buoys in the Keys are reporting North winds at about 15 knots.  We are making plans now to get the sailors sailing and divers diving after lunch.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

Yesterday I grounded the dive boats at the Florida Sea Base.  Winds had increased to 25 knots and waves were in the 8′ – 9′ range on the reefs.  We spoke with one captain on the reef with another company who confirmed this data and added that visibility was very poor.  These conditions are too severe for most of our divers.  The divers spent the day sailing, kayaking, playing volleyball and hanging out at the beach.  The was only one minor grumbling (from an adult) who wasn’t too crazy about the small boat sailing.  The divemasters reported that the kids had a great day and did not complain.  Many were particularly happy about getting to sail.  It’s still going to be bumpy today but I hope to get the divers back onto the reef.

Yesterday, Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground made these comments on his weather blog:

A tropical wave (Invest 97L) near the north coast of Hispaniola has been disrupted by interaction with the island, plus the effects of moderate wind shear of 10 – 20 knots. The storm is no longer a threat to develop into a tropical depression today, and the Hurricane Hunter flight that was scheduled for today has been postponed until Thursday. The disturbance has brought heavy rains of 8+ inches to Culebra, Vieques, the Virgin Islands, and some of the northern Lesser Antilles Islands. Wunderblogger Weather456 reported that the power was knocked out on the island of St. Kitts for about 24 hours, due to the intense lightning associated with 97L. All of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are under flash flood watches today.

Satellite images of 97L show a relatively meager number of heavy thunderstorms that are not well-organized. The curved bands to the north and east of the center have disappeared, and there is no evidence of low-level spiral banding or of a surface circulation. Surface observations over the northern Dominican Republic show only light winds, with no westerly winds indicating that a surface circulation is forming. Long-range radar loops from San Juan show a much reduced amount of thunderstorm activity.

Here is the 02:00 track for Invest 97.  The system is back on track to come near the Florida Keys, but the forecasted wind speeds are 50 mph or less when it passes us.  This is less than hurricane strength and we do not anticipate any closures.  We will have to hunker down for part of Friday and then all should be well.  The sailboats will be on a dock or mooring ball.  The divers will be on land.  As soon as the system passes we will resume normal activities.

Weather Underground

Invest 98 is no threat to our area.

Weather Underground

I have a busy day today; 07:30 staff meeting, 08:00 – 09:00 continued evaluation of weather conditions and final decision regarding activities for the divers today, 09:00 – 11:30 monthly Team Meeting and at 11:30 I need to leave for Miami (I’ll be back later this afternoon).  It will be a busy day on the telephone while on the road.  Hurray for “hands free” cell phones.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape

8 a.m. update - 21 July 2010

The updates continue to be good news for the Brinton Environmental Center and Florida Sea Base programs.  Te tracks keep creeping to the north.  The senior management had a meeting at 09:00.  We are making preparations for a Tropical Storm even though this may be a non-event for us.  In either case, we do not anticipate even a Cat 1 hurricane or any forced evacuations by Monroe County.  The local forecast still calls for winds from the east, shifting to northeast, back to east and finally to southeast with wind speeds 15 – 20 knots through Sunday (well after Invest 97 has passed).  We see all of this as encouraging.

The National Hurricane Center will issue it’s next update at 14:00 EDT.  I will try to sneak in another update this afternoon if warranted.

Capt. Steve
Aboard S/V Escape