Irma Survivor
Scott and Niki Smith describe surviving Hurricane Irma in Road Bay Marina, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands
Anchored in tranquil Privateer Bay in aquamarine waters on board a beautiful 51ft power catamaran, we took a moment after serving our guests canapés and ice cold Pouilly Fume to download the daily weather forecast.
We saw perfectly calm weather predicted for the next three or four days. We also checked the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) website and there, located close to the Cape Verde Islands over 1,000 miles to our east, was a depression becoming organised.
For the following three days we continued the charter with our six guests cruising the crystal clear waters of the British Virgin Islands all the while continuing to monitor the depression. Our guests were stunned by the natural beauty of the islands and the breathtaking snorkelling the waters have to offer while enjoying wonderful cuisine prepared by Chef Niki.
In regular contact with our base we all became more interested in the depression, which had now formed into a hurricane. The NHC prediction model showed Hurricane Irma now heading directly towards the Leeward Islands and then on to the BVIs.
The Moorings Base office informed us to be prepared to be recalled, so asked us not to travel too far away from base. Our American guests, after a lengthy discussion, decided to ‘get the hell out!’ while they had the chance, having experienced hurricanes before. We dropped them off in Trellis Bay, Beef Island to jump on the first available flight out and we motored back to base in Road Bay Marina, Tortola.
On arrival we found the base a hive of activity. Hundreds of yachts were being secured and stripped of their sails; all were anchored with canopies removed in preparation for Irma. After securing our beloved Allie Cat we joined the team of workers stripping the boats of lifebuoys, barbecues, cushions, winch handles and any other potential missiles.
We made the most of the last few hours of daylight to raft up the final yachts coming in from their charters. Hundreds of tyres were sourced locally and put into black polythene bags to be used as additional fenders. Whole new drums of warp were rolled out of the store to be cut to length for us to use. No expense was spared to secure the millions of pounds worth of yachts lying within the marina.
We took refuge in a small basement bedroom in The Moorings hotel next to the marina with six other crew members, as the wind started to pick up through the night. A couple of shots of rum helped ease the tension before we bunked down on the floor to get a few hours rest before Irma came knocking in the early hours.
By first light the wind was at gale force. On stepping out of our room we could see debris starting to gather: branches from trees, loose panels off old buildings and guttering. Yachts were already jerking against their mooring lines and the line of rafted yachts was already starting to snake. This was just the beginning, the outer bands of Irma were already causing significant damage. We stood in a partially covered passageway between two buildings to observe the yachts, but by 1000 it was getting hard to physically resist the force of the wind, and flying debris was becoming a danger. By 1100 the roar and strength of the wind was our cue to return
to the safety of our room, from where we had no view of the marina because the windows had been boarded up the previous day. With each strengthening gust we all could feel the pressure on our ears as if we were diving. The electricity was cut off and the building started to vibrate. The crashing and banging from unknown objects flying through the air was horrendous. The door struggled to stay on its hinges and then the roof of the building was torn off. We heard shouts as guests in the hotel ran for safety to take shelter in other buildings.
For the next hour it seemed certain that the building would be unable to withstand this battering and the extreme forces of Hurricane Irma. We anxiously awaited the respite of the eye of the storm.
As the noises started to abate we cautiously opened the door and stepped out to see the destruction. Trees had been uprooted, the hotel gardens completely destroyed. Turning to look at the marina, we were horrified to see the damage. Allie Cat was still in her berth but with a mast smashed into her foredeck from the neighbouring yacht. There was an eerie stillness in the air and, as we looked up, we could see blue sky surrounded by a bank of swirling grey clouds. The eye of Irma was magical.
The sea level had risen over the concrete pontoons. We stood with others looking at the damage to all the yachts in disbelief. Many masts had fallen, some yachts had been flung on to the pontoon, all were battered and bruised.
Quite suddenly and with no warning the calm was over. The wind howled and strengthened from the opposite direction now blowing in from the sea at an alarming rate. The second half of Irma was upon us.
Shaking and distressed we raced back to the shelter of our room not knowing the worst was yet to come. Water began to flood up through the bathroom shower drain and in from the boarded up patio doors which faced the marina. We had no way of knowing how high the surge would be so we discussed an escape route if the water reached waist height. Fortunately it didn’t come to that. For the next two hours the noise was deafening. In the darkness we sat listening to what can best be described as a freight train powering over and around us.
Finally the wind decreased to a gale and we opened the doors. What once had been a tropical paradise now looked like a fire had raged through it. No leaves were left on any of the trees. Everything was blackened as if a bomb had gone off.
In the marina, we could see a jumble of upturned yachts, severed masts and catamarans flipped like coins on top of each other. Many yachts had been lifted out of the water on to the pontoons; some were barely afloat, heeled over, many others had sunk with just masts marking the spot where they were tied.
We gazed in disbelief – it was as if we had stepped onto the set of an action film. The wind continued to subside and the remaining yachts now lay in a soup of rubble, timber and vegetation. Jetties and finger pontoons were missing, having collapsed under the tremendous force of the wind.
For the last hour of daylight we did head counts, checking for any missing or
injured people. The generators kicked in restoring power to some of the buildings. There was little we could do for the boats until the water levels returned to normal and the winds had dropped making it safer to get on board to assess the few salvageable boats.
Our experience of Hurricane Irma will never be forgotten. It was breathtaking and terrifying. We feel so sorry for the many locals who have lost their homes and businesses all within a few hours.
On a positive note, the Virgin Islands remains one of the most beautiful places on earth, with exquisite beaches, spectacular rock formations, warm turquoise waters and fabulous dive sites. With over 50 islands to explore, each with their own character and vibe this is a never-to-be-forgotten holiday destination that will recover its former glory.
The tropical climate lends itself to creating rich fertile landscapes and the local people are friendly and will be determined to welcome sailors back to their beautiful sailing waters as quickly as possible.