On the Beach 23

[Riley Smith]

There was a solid line of yellow and red on the radar moving south when we left home for the Labrot House and the beach. We hadn't been in a while because of my surgery and a full life. I could hear constant thunder for a while before we left, and then it decreased and grew silent as I waited on the patio for my wife. When we arrived at the old house, the rain did too, and the sun-scorched grass got a cool drink. We watched from the front porch as the rain headed south out over the water towards the islands and drank in the cool air from aloft.
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The storm had flared up the bones in my neck and nothing was helping. The clouds started breaking up as they came near the coast and there was no thunder. The storm had ripped itself apart. I took a lot of pictures and nosed about the beachfront too, trying to keep from focusing on the neck. It was low tide,  and a tiny bit of the bar was exposed. Enough that the sea gulls landed and rested for a while, just like us on the porch. As the clouds broke apart I saw a boater make the break for the mainland from Horn Island. I am positive that a short time earlier when he saw the black line approaching from the north he wasn't expecting to make that ride and stay dry.
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Those August storms can be insanely violent. This one broke apart before it dashed itself against the Gulf of Mexico. I thought we might see a water spout in one spot as the system broke up over the water. That used to be one dangerous stretch of water before radar and good weather forecasting. It seems to me those type storms are not as frequent as they were in the 60s and 70s. I have seen some doozies come off the land and sweep seaward. One of my buddies was on Horn Island once and saw it coming and was going to beat it to the dock. He didn't even get the boat loaded before it passed between the island and shore, blocking out view of land and generating 60 mph winds. Afterward he told me the ride in was the smoothest he's ever been on.
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I walked out on Hal's pier and took a bunch of pictures. The sun started filtering through the breaking clouds and there were still showers visible out on the water. Something small was biting along the shore, making hundreds of shrimp jump for survival as it sought food. The shrimp are here and that means Prime Time isn't far away. Thankfully the neck bone quit hurting as the weather calmed down, and we headed back home, content to see the old house and everything on that shore was still as we had left it.
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[Frank B.]

I'm a bit jealous as the entrenched drought continues in the northern most part of the Sip. A ten minute drizzle not measurable for the last six weeks, and nothing promising in the forecast.

I do, however, know about those storms you speak of.  Sometime in the early seventies three fools (myself and two friends) decided to take our first sailboat, a seventeen foot yard built  plank on frame with wooden spars from Gulfport to the Chandelelur islands on one fine August weekend. We were just setting the boat up that Saturday morning and the marine hardware stores were closed, so the most experienced of the group (not me) said we could get the things we need at Sears.  So he bought a bunch of aluminum screen door turnbuckles to stay the mast.  I said "B" you sure those things are strong enough and he assured me they were fine. Trip out was mostly motor, not much wind, we met my Father in law who was out in a powerboat with some friends.  Nice night then the next morning we set sail to return with light breezes.  An hour or so later the powerboat passed us heading in.  A little while after that I happened to look back and saw what only could be described as this black as midnight wall rapidly approaching from the rear.  Needless to say when it hit us those aluminum turnbuckles all snapped simultaneously and the mast broke in two.  The motor, which had run flawlessly on the trip out, refused to start. So we jury rigged a sail of sorts and took turns at the tiller with serious lightning and torrential downpour with us the whole way.  The FIL powerboat had pulled in at Ship Island about half way from the point to the fort and it was so dark that they couldn't see us when we came through the pass.  We not only couldn't see them but we did not have enough control to sail to the Lee of ship, just had to keep going north.  We finally limped into Gulfport small craft and managed to snag a pier end and tie up.  We looked at each other and I said "well, I can't imagine any thing worse than that so I guess this sailing is OK".

[Doug SC]

Thanks for the photos.

[Riley Smith]

I'm a bit jealous as the entrenched drought continues in the northern most part of the Sip. A ten minute drizzle not measurable for the last six weeks, and nothing promising in the forecast.

It was heading into that situation here, as the garden plants have taken to dying and the grass is looking brown. An extended time in the Sip w/o rain is miserable. I was glad to see the rain. Maybe we need to make the annual fishing expedition to the beach and chill, being as you can bet the salinity is WAY UP!!! It's too darn hot to do anything in the day and night fishing would be fun. I'm waiting on the doc to say ok to that.