Tropical Storm Hanna

Hanna was a non-event for the crew of White Pepper.

We did move from a wonderful anchorage in St. Mary's Creek to another wonderful anchorage well up in Mill Creek in Solomons. There we anchored in 9 feet of water, but the attraction was 100 foot cliffs on either side--a virtual hurricane hole.

I set two anchors on 100 feet of chain and 100 feet of rope rode each. They were hardly needed. When the tropical storm came through, the tree tops on the cliffs were swaying in 45 knot breezes, but we hardly got 10 knots at the water level. There were not even ripples to disturb us.

At the height of the storm we dingied ashore to met our new friend Joe Frost for lunch. Joe had so graciously offered the hospitality of his house and dock when we were at Mill Creek. We all went out to lunch and then a book signing by Joe's friend, Connie L. Reeves. As the eye of the storm passed overhead Jan and I went for a walk in AnneMarie Gardens. AnneMarie Gardens could be interpreted as an out post of the Hershorn Museum of Sculpture, one of the Smithsonian institutions. Mrs. Anne Marie Hershorn dedicated most of the pieces and it is a treasure. The people of Maryland have so much culture they do not appreciate it, but then they also do not appreciate a really good hurricane.

By the time Jan and I got back to the boat the southern part of the eye wall had come through and it must have been blowing all of 15 knots across the bow of White Pepper. The sky was calm and clear by sunset. Little did we know that a week later we would be watching in horror as a real cyclone, Ike, roared across familiar waters in Texas.