Florida Sea Base News

I drove my boss and his wife to Miami yesterday to see the doctor.  I had a doctor’s appointment 30 minutes later about 20 minutes away.  My doctor was on call at the hospital so my 1100 appointment turned into a 90 minute wait.  Fortunately, there is a McDonald’s about 2 blocks from my doctor’s office and they offer free high speed internet.  So I sat in my car, in the Micky D’s parking lot in the rain and listened to XM radio and entertained myself on the world wide web.  I could have never conceived of such a scene when I was in college.  I guess that’s why Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are multi-billionares and I work for the Boy Scouts.  I woke up around 0500, wrote my post for the morning, worked in the office until the server crashed, left the base at 0800, picked up my passengers, drove to Miami, dropped off my passengers, sat at McDonald’s, went to the doctor, picked up my passengers, delivered used scuba equipment to a buyer in Florida City, had an early dinner, and returned to base at 1900.  It was a long day.

Tropical Storm Katia is churning in the Atlantic.  The forecasted track is showing a pretty good curve towards the north; bad news for Bermuda but potentially good news for the US east coast.

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The system in the Caribbean is still not officially designated with a name or number, but is definitely moving towards the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico where it could develop very quickly.  The Weather Channel reports:

Closer to the U.S., we have a more immediate concern. Depicted in the graphic below over the northwest Caribbean is a tropical disturbance with collocated shower and thunderstorm activity. Numerous computer models forecast that this system could develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm later this week as it makes a move towards the western Gulf of Mexico.

It’s too early to say what impacts this system may have, but residents and those with plans along the Gulf Coast late this week into the Labor Day weekend should monitor the situation closely, particularly in Texas and Louisiana.

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My main chores for today include teaming with Captain Rich Beliveau to “seasonalize” our 2411 budget.  The sailing and scuba programs at the Florida Sea Base are joined as a single cost center.  The actual budget is complete.  Now we have to engage in a process that is bizarre.  We have about a dozen different accounts within our cost center.  We have to decide how much we will spend in each account each month.  Here’s why I called the process bizarre.  The National Office uses the seasonalization to forecast their monthly cash flow.  When we make an error, they get upset.  But SO much of this is beyond our control that this whole process is quite frustrating.  We have to foresee not when we will order something, not when we will receive it, not when we will receive the invoice, and not when we will approve the invoice for payment.  We have to foresee when the payment will be issued by the National Office.  Does anyone have a crystal ball they would like to sell?

Other chores for today include ordering more program equipment and getting Kyle Moran and Terri Wells up to speed on selling the used equipment.

Captain Dennis and Dr. Ellen snuck off yesterday while I was in Miami.  They said they will be back for our Christmas season.  Several more staff are departing today including Captain Alex Bergstedt, Maya, Scott Patton and several others.

Stay safe.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

I commented on Invest 92L in yesterday morning’s blog.  By 0500 yesterday the system was upgraded to Tropical Depression 12.  This morning it is Tropical Storm Katia and is now forecasted to be a category 1 hurricane Thursday,a category 2 hurricane on Saturday and reach cat 3 status by Sunday.  We are cautiously optimistic that Katia will turn north and miss the Florida Sea Base, but the computer models are still in disagreement about the system’s future track.

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A tropical disturbance, not yet designated as an “invest” is in the Caribbean and has the potential to move into the Gulf of Mexico and become a system of concern.  The Gulf waters are EXTREMELY warm.

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Monday was a fairly quiet day at the Florida Sea Base.  Most of the seasonal staff was departing, packing, visiting Key West, or sleeping.  I worked my tail off in the office.  By 1600 I had hit the wall and could barely stay awake.  So I packed up and moved to Escape.  Within a few minutes on getting onboard we got smacked by a serious weather cell that brought gale force wind and rain for about 30 minutes.

I have two personal items for sale at Scout friendly prices.  The first is an Aqua Lung Balance BCD, size XL.  It is in excellent condition.  The MSRP is $525, but I will take $250 for it.  I will cover shipping costs within the US, but the price is firm – I am not a horse trader.  The Balance is weight integrated and back inflated.  More information and a sizing chart are available by clicking here.  I am selling the BC because I have lost weight and recently purchased a medium/large size Balance.

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The other item is a set of Aqua Lung Sling-shot fins.  These are brand new, never worn, size XL (11-13).  The MSRP is $198 but I will let them go for $85.  Again I will cover shipping but I will not haggle on the price.  More information is available by clicking here.  I lost one pair so I bought this pair.  Then, as luck would have it, I found the “lost” set.  Since I don’t have 4 feet I am selling the new pair.

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If you’re interested in the BC or fins, send an email at Steve.Willis@scouting.org.

I am headed to the mainland this morning on a combination of BSA business and personal business.  My first stop is to drop my boss and his wife off at the VA hospital.  Then, depending on my doctor’s schedule (he’s on call at the hospital today), I’m either headed to my appointment or back down to Florida City to deliver a set of used scuba gear.  After I complete those two chores I’ll pick up my boss and his wife and head back to the Keys.

Stay safe.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

Technically, today is NOT the first day of fall.  But at the Florida Sea Base, our summer program season has ended and preparations for the fall conference season have begun.  September is essentially closed to both program and conferences.  We will use the time to catch our breaths, transition between missions, and spend most of a week in our internal Staff Planning Conference.

The transition includes resetting the Thomas Building; all of the bunk beds and staff furniture has to be removed.  I believe the carpet is going to be removed and replaced with tile, and then the queen size beds and conference furniture has to be moved in.  Bear in mind that this is a three story building and hustling furniture up and down without damaging it is a huge task.  (There is no elevator but we use the forklift when we can.)

The fall Program Mates will focus on selling used scuba gear and overhauling the equipment we are keeping.  The scuba regulators are life support equipment.  They have to be rebuilt properly.  We have an inventory of 200 regulators that we use during the program seasons.  This past spring and summer we conducted approximately 20,000 dives.  One alternate (back-up) air source malfunctioned.

There are all sorts of ways to finagle statistics.  There are three major parts on the regulator that can malfunction; the first stage (where the regulator connects to the tank), the primary second stage (the part the diver puts in their mouth) and the alternate second stage (used to share air with a buddy in the unlikely event they use up all of their air).  Three failure points per regulator for 20,000 dives equals 60,000 potential failure opportunities.  One incident per 60,000 is not bad.  But one participant injured would be bad.  That’s why scuba divers are trained in various ways to deal with an out of air emergency.

Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm and has left the United States.  Yesterday morning the Weather Channel reported that 10 deaths have been credited to Hurricane Irene in the US.

Some people refer to the Florida Sea Base as the “Club Med” of high adventure.  Maybe so.  Here’s a photo Captain Dennis Wyatt took of a father and son participating in high adventure aboard the BSA Tarpon.  (Captain Dennis needs to quit working his participants so hard.)

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I don’t know who these divers are, but obviously Captain Dennis has worn them out.  Maybe they sang “YMCA” too many times on the boat.

Yesterday afternoon, Captain Scott Martin, Program Director at the Brinton Environmental Center, led his remaining 15 staff members to the Florida Sea Base to join with our 25 or 30 remaining staff members for a grill-your-own steak lunch.  It was good to see Captain Scott and the BEC staff, even for the brief bit they were here.

I slept for almost 6 hours straight last night; pretty good for me.  But around 0400 I just couldn’t fall back asleep.  We will NOT have a staff meeting this morning so I’ve turned off my alarm.  I’m going back to bed and maybe I’ll sleep in until 0700.  Captain Mike Lucivero wants to meet sometime this morning and Scuba Instructor Dave Ball is going to stop by on his way from Key West back to New Jersey.  Speaking of Key West, Captain Dennis and Dr. Ellen Wyatt are planning on spending the day visiting there before heading home.  A few of the other staff have made similar plans.

Irene is now in Canada and fading fast.  Tropical Storm Jose is in the Atlantic but is moving NNE and does look like he may be a threat to Bermuda.  Invest 92L is next in line.  Here are the 0200 computer projections:

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Here’s what Dr. Jeff Masters had to report on 92L yesterday:

Elsewhere in the tropics: Invest 92L forms
A strong tropical wave located off the coast of Africa, about 200 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands, is moving west at 10 mph, and has been designated Invest 92L by NHC this morning. This system has a large amount of heavy thunderstorm activity and moderate amount of spin, and appears likely to develop into a tropical storm later this week, as all of the computer models are developing it. NHC is giving 92L a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression by Tuesday. This storm will be moving more slowly across the Atlantic than Irene did, and will take at least 6 days to reach the Lesser Antilles Islands. Forecast tracks from the long-range GFS and ECMWF models suggest that Bermuda might be the only land area threatened by 92L, but it is too early to be confident of this.

I hope you have a good Monday.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

The last of the summer participants will be gone before lunch today.  With the conclusion of the 2011 summer program season at the Florida Sea Base, our attention is turning to other matters.  We have about a week to conclude our 2012 budget process.  My team has about $21k of scuba gear to sell as quickly as possible, about 150 regulators to overhaul, and as soon as I get a green light to order them, about 80 regulators and BCs to assemble.  My focus is turning to budget, equipment orders, the Divemaster Academy and courses required for me to qualify for the PADI Course Director Training Course.

Applications for the 2011 Divemaster Academy are arriving daily.  If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested, in attending the DMA this winter, you need to submit an application ASAP.  A flyer and application are available by going to the LINKS page on this blog and scrolling to the bottom of the page.  For those of you who have already applied, I have communicated with many of you.  If your application arrived in the last 10 days I may not have contacted you yet, but you should hear from me this coming week.

As applicants are accepted and become candidates, I will again contact them, individually and/or in groups, with further instructions.  PLEASE watch your junk email box and do whatever is needed on your end to insure that my emails get directed to your inbox.  You should also check this blog frequently for additional information.

Want to be a real life super hero?  Ask Florida Sea Base Divemaster Steven Raymond; becoming a PADI Divemaster can get you onto the right path.

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I spent the vast majority of yesterday reviewing DMA applications.  I hope to assemble several equipment orders today.  I may get to sleep in tomorrow.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape

That’s right.  Today is the last day program for the 2011 summer season at the Florida Sea Base.  Tomorrow the last of the Scouts will depart for home.  Therefore, most of the staff are gone as well.

Sunday afternoon we will have a victory dinner for the few remaining staff members.  Then, in just a few more days, Captain Rich and I will celebrate for real when 99.9% of the staff are gone.  Laura Kuras and Kyle Moran are staying on as Program Mates.  Christy Clemenson will be the fall Office Mate.  Two or three will be working as rangers (maintenance) and a few more will stay to man the galley and work as Conference Mates.

We continue to have on-again-off-again rain showers locally.  I do not think they are related to Hurricane Irene, just normal summer rain events.  Hurricane Irene is still a threat to the east coast, but the forecast has been downgraded significantly.  It’s 0445 and I’m watching the Weather Channel while finishing this post.

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In my time away from the Florida Sea Base due to my IDC audit, I was remiss in posting a few photos that were submitted by readers.  Here’s the first submission:

Capt. Steve,

Thanks for your daily blog. It helped our troop to prepare for our trip to FSB. We completed the Scuba Certification process last Wednesday. I read in your blog today that you appreciate photos. Here are two photos taken on Tuesday of divers getting back on the boat after completing our last dive at “Landing Strip”.

Thanks again!

Marc Keuser
BSA Troop 122
Newark, New York

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Thanks for the pictures Marc.

It appears Marsh Harbor, Bahamas survived Hurricane Irene much better than expected.  Here is a link to some photos from a network TV news station in Miami.

http://www.local10.com/slideshow/weather/28974547/detail.html

I will post one or more photos from Captain Dennis Wyatt tomorrow.  Have a great day.  Be safe.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape

Captain Bert Hubby, PADI Course Director, and Director of Training for the Florida Keys Dive Center, a PADI Career Development Center, was able to conclude this Instructor Development Course a day early.  I will be at the 0730 staff meeting this morning and then in the office.  For the IDC candidates, the Instructor Exam starts this evening and will conclude sometime Sunday afternoon.  Just 2 more audits to go.

Hurricane Irene is over 350 miles away from the Florida Sea Base and we are still getting weather from her.  I don’t know if you can tell much from this photo but check out the palm tree and the waves splashing over the seawall.  This seawall is about 20 feet off US 1 on Long Key.

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This photo was taken around 1830 on Thursday, 25 August 2011.  We are getting west winds that make sleeping on the boat like sleeping on the back of an unhappy brahman bull.  Well, maybe a brahman calf.  The point is, it is unpleasant sleeping conditions.

The Bahamas got pounded, as forecasted.  Captain Rich (who else) is leading the charge to see if we can be of assistance in any way to the residents of Marsh Harbor.  Marsh Harbor is the base for our Bahamas’ programs.  Since it is outside the US, we don’t own any property there.  But we may be able to be of assistance to those who lease to us and support our programs.  It’s the Scouting thing to do.  Our Newton Dive Specials have adequate range to get there and can make 20 knots.  They are not “blue water” boats though and we would have to catch a near perfect weather window.  The tough part of the crossing is from here to Bimini.  It’s fairly protected water for the remainder of the trip.  We only need about 5 hours (maybe less under ideal conditions) to make it from here to Bimini.

Regardless of what has happened in the Bahamas, the east coast of the US is likely to be pummeled.  If you are in the projected cone of death, please, take a few days off and visit Nebraska or Idaho.

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Two days left for program this summer.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard the rockin’ & rollin’ S/V Escape

Surprisingly, it worked out.  I actually got to take the day off yesterday.  I got up yesterday morning and wrote my daily (well, very near daily) post and then laid back down for about an hour and a half.  Then I spent a while straightening up below decks.  (I’m a slob to begin with.  When I go more than a week without a day off the boat can become worse than messy.)  Then I cleaned up and drove to Florida City (the tip of the mainland) for a free oil and filter change at Largo Honda.  I had my trusty dusty MacBook Pro with me and took advantage of the wait (and the dealership’s free WiFi and very nice waiting area) to research Irene and our local marine and land weather forecasts.  While on the mainland I tended to a few other chores and bought gas for about 12 cents a gallon less than the cheapest price I could find in the Keys.

While driving back to the Florida Sea Base I stopped at West Marine and exchanged a pair of swim trunks that had blown a non-critical seam.  My next stop was at the grocery store.  Then I headed back to the base.

Captain Rich hosted the 2011 Captains Dinner v2.0 last night.  It started with an end of year debriefing at the Florida Sea Base and then moved to the Islamorada Fishing Club for dinner.  Our captains are VERY fortunate to have Capt. Rich as a boss.

Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s posting on Dr. Jeff Masters’ Wunderblog:

Irene’s impact on the Bahama Islands
Irene is making a direct hit on Crooked Island (population 350) in the Bahamas, and will continue west-northwest and hit Rum Cay (population 80) and Cat Island (population 1700) late tonight. These unfortunate islands will bear the full brunt of Irene’s 115+ mph winds and 8 – 13 foot storm surge, and suffer major damage that will take months to recover from. Major damage is also likely on Long Island (population 3000) and San Salvador Island (population 1000.) Shortly after midnight tonight, winds at the capital of Nassau, home to 70% of the population of the Bahamas, will rise above tropical storm force, and increase through the night. By late morning on Thursday, sustained winds will peak on Nassau at just below hurricane force, 60 – 70 mph. Nassau will miss the brunt of the storm, and I expect the airport should be able to re-open on Friday. Winds on Grand Bahama Island in Freeport will rise above tropical storm force late Thursday morning, and increase to a peak of 45 – 60 mph late Thursday afternoon. Grand Bahama will also miss the brunt of the storm, but Abaco Island to its east will likely experience Category 2 hurricane conditions Thursday afternoon. However, Abaco will probably miss the right front eyewall of Irene with the strongest winds and highest storm surge.

Long Island is one of the locations Captains Mike and Kelly Lucivero like to frequent in the off season.  The Abacos is where the Florida Sea Base Bahamas program is based.  The programs have concluded there so our concerns are with the captains, their families and vessels.

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We still have scuba participants at the Florida Sea Base (Islamorada base).  The wind conditions may make diving very challenging today and tomorrow.  Today may be okay if the wind holds from the north.  If the wind clocks to the west later today or tomorrow there may be no diving.  (Nor sleeping for people on the docks as west winds jerk the boats around in the slips and makes sleeping very challenging.)  The National Weather Service marine forecast reads:

Today…Northwest winds 20 to 25 knots and gusty…except near 25 knots and gusty off the upper keys. Seas 6 to 8 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms…except numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms off the upper keys.
Tonight…West to northwest winds 20 to 25 knots and gusty…highest off the upper keys. Seas 6 to 9 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms…except numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms off the upper keys early.
Friday…Southwest to west winds 20 to 25 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.
Friday Night…Southwest to west winds near 20 knots. Seas 4 to 7 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.
Saturday…Southwest to west winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. 
Sunday…Southwest winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.
Monday…South to southwest winds near 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Scattered showers and thunderstorms.

In addition to Hurricane Irene, Tropical Depression 10 sprung to life overnight in the Atlantic.  The forecast tracks have it going almost due north and hopefully won’t be any threat to land masses.  Only two and a half more months and this hurricane season will be concluded.

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Our local forecast is being complicated by a trough that moved in from the north yesterday colliding with the effects of Hurricane Irene to our east.  The wind and waves have been kicking Escape about in the slip since 0445 this morning.

In the unlikely event that you haven’t seen enough to be convinced that Hurricane Irene is a large, dangerous system, I thought I would edit this morning’s post and add this last graphic before shutting down the computer.

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I will be heading back to the Florida Keys Dive Center in just a few minutes to resume my IDC audit.  We have another instructor candidate joining us today for some last minute refreshers before the Instructor Exam this weekend.   I am cautiously optimistic that we will be finished with the IDC by noon tomorrow.

Stay safe.  Stay dry.  And hang on to you hat!

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

I unofficially have today off.  So I didn’t set the alarm and slept until I woke up.  My brain is awake but my body is wiped out.  I’m going to lay down, turn on the iPod and try to rest (if not sleep) for a while before the phone calls, text messages and emails start pouring in.

The IDC is still underway but my presence is not required today.  I will be back at 0730 tomorrow.  Capt. Bert Hubby is teaching the Emergency First Aid Instructor segment of the IDC today.  In lieu of attending this course (I am already an EFR instructor) I have to complete a $450 on-line course and take written and practical tests in November at the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association show in Orlando.

Hurricane Irene continues to be the local topic of interest.  Yesterday’s earthquake is also causing a stir.  We are now clear of the cone of the death, but we will continue to monitor Irene’s track.  The jelly fish are still thick as molasses.

I failed to mention that two former Florida Sea Base staff members were diving at Florida Keys Dive Center for the past couple of days.  Natasha Stanke, now a veterinarian, was diving with her best friend in the world, Nicole, and James Woods was here with a different friend.  Both Natasha and James worked at the Florida Sea Base as divemasters but during different years and had never met.  Natasha’s brother, Ivan (better known as Moose), works in Key West.

After completing my day at the IDC audit yesterday, I returned to the Florida Sea Base and certified Capt. Ed Miller and Divemaster Mike Roesel in the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider Specialty course.  After that I made my way out to Escape and started my first draft of this post around 2115.  I was POOPED.

Pray for the residents of the Bahamas.  They are going to have a terrifying few days followed by months of recovery.  If you are near the forecasted point of landfall of Irene, please consider evacuating.  The worst I have personally endured was Hurricane Wilma as a weak category 3 system with about three feet of storm surge.  We were still here because she was forecasted to only be a category 1 system as she passed us.  We stayed in the Scuba Dorms which are rated for cat 5 winds.  There was nothing fun about it.  My dad evacuated his home, about 65 miles in-land from the Texas coast, for Hurricane Rita.  The house survived, but he returned (as part of the Red Cross Mass Casualty Unit) to almost two months of extreme summer heat with no electricity, no a/c, no refrigeration, no fans, no lights after sunset, etc.

I understand the pains and hassle of evacuating.  If you have a generator, unlimited fuel supply,  enough food and water to last a month and a cat 5 structure two or three stories high you might be okay.  Otherwise, get out.  When the electricity goes out you have NOTHING.  No water (pumps require electricity), no lights, no ATM, no groceries (cash registers – if you have cash – require electricity), no gasoline, no refrigeration to keep perishable food, no electric stoves or ovens.  It’s almost like the stone age.

Also remember that police, fire and medical personnel will NOT be able to respond, assuming there is phone service.  You will be on your own.

Sorry to rant.  Please be safe and please pray for those who can’t escape this storm.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

Just a few hours after making yesterday’s post, Irene was upgraded to a hurricane and the Florida Sea Base was in the cone of death.  The forecast now calls for Irene to miss most of the major land masses allowing her to intensify to category 4 strength.  If that comes to fruition, someone is likely to get hit with a devastating storm.  The residents of the Bahamas are the immediate target.  We can pray that the storms turns even more to the east and for the safety of those residents impacted by Irene.

The good news for the Florida Sea Base is the forecast track has been moving moving east and we are no longer in the cone. But we still have time for this system to swing back in our direction.  We are still potentially in harms way.  If we make through Thursday without major incident, we will likely dodge another bullet.  Chip Kasper is a senior meterologist with the national Weather Service in Key West.  He thinks the worst we will get is 25 knot winds from the north.  We can certainly live with that compared to a category 4 hurricane strike.

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We are holding on with the end of season and the migration of staff back to school.  We are getting by, but just barely.  Just five more days of program.  (Four really.  The fifth day is “let’s go home day”.)  I tell crews all the time that they don’t have to go home …… they just can’t stay here.

Here is our local forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. East wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. Breezy, with a northeast wind between 15 and 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. North wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 80. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 82. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Back to the IDC audit again this morning.  Eyes are on Irene.  The management of the Florida Sea Base is feeling a little more at ease, but we have been through this before and we fully understand that this system could head straight for us at any time; Katrina certainly did.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape 

Sunday morning, the Florida Sea Base was nearly in the center of the forecasted “cone of death” for Tropical Storm Irene.  While it is business as usual for our participants, the Florida Sea Base senior management is beginning to implement an emergency action plan.  If Irene continues to be forecasted as a tropical storm, we will likely hunker down for a day (maybe two) until the worst has passed and then we will get back to regularly scheduled programs.  The forecasted track keeps edging east which is good news for us.  However, it is not unusual for the computer models to waiver this far in advance so the track could move back in our direction.

Here are the current graphics for Irene:

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The dots on the Weather Underground graphic represent the center line of the or average of the computer models.  It is always important to keep in mind that anywhere inside the cone is at risk.  That’s why the Weather Channel graphic (below) does not include the dots.  I am writing this at 0345.  As of 0300, the Florida Sea Base, Brinton Environmental Center and our Bahamas base were all in the cone.

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I survived another day at the Instructor Development Course audit.  As I have been told for the past three weeks, the Moon Jellies are very thick and a hazard to the divers.  A few people received minor stings but no one was seriously injured.   Captain Greg has been with the Florida Keys Dive Center for many years and has lived in the Keys forever.  He said he has never seen the jellies this thick.

For the past several days we have been providing each incoming crew with written instructions on first aid for jellyfish stings, some Benadryl and hydrocortisone creme.  Yesterday two Scuba Adventure crews checked in.  Today is the final day of arriving sailing crews.  We are definitely winding down.

More diving with the jellies for me this afternoon at the IDC audit.  I also get to teach the section of Adventures in Diving so I was up late making preparations.  (Yeah, homework!!!)

I slept for about 4 hours and woke up.  So I used the restroom, treated my ears (again) to prevent infection from the salt water and pool, and wrote this post.  I am going to try to take a nap before heading to Tavernier for day three of the IDC audit.

Have a great day.  We will be keeping an eye on Irene.  We strongly believe in safety first.  If you have a loved one attending the Florida Sea Base this week rest assured that we will make decisions and take all needed actions to keep them safe if it becomes an issue.  We have been through this MANY times before.  It’s part of the price to live in paradise.

Capt. Steve Willis
Aboard S/V Escape