Rivrdog Update

Most fortunately, Riverdog is on top of his game, not only in his current dance with Mother Nature, but with his mastery of internet connectivity as well. My poor dial-up would have crapped out hours ago in that blizzard. So, here's his latest update.

A quick report at 10:30 PST: The storm is right on us now...the 19-degree breeze with moderate snowfall has gotten ugly, with heavy snowbursts and a howling wind. The wind is saving the moorage by blowing the snow off the shed roofs. I shoveled snow this am and kept up with the worst of it, but now my slip is down to 5 inches above water, so I am preparing to move to another one that is in better shape. The change to freezing rain has been postponed until after dark...that will be interesting.

The NOAA finally admitted to reality and posted a full Blizzard
warning for the Columbia River Gorge after the wind gusts got to
70mph with a temp of 11 degrees and moderate to heavy snow.

Time to suit back up and push more snow.

Later.

Rivrdog

I've handled many a yacht in high winds, but thankfully haven't had the dubious pleasure of having to play in the snow to do so. That's one I'll gladly take a pass on.

With much thanks to Acidman, Denita and Misha, and to everyone who has lent Rivrdog support on your blogs and here, in these comments.

No doubt, he'll come through with colors flying, albiet slightly frozen.

Comments

[Ms Anna]

Thanks for keeping us updated, Jim.

[Yellowlegs]

Yes, thanks for the update and we'll continue praying for Rivrdog. And I've worked outside in those kind of conditions and Rivrdog is having a rough time of it.

[Rivrdog]

Evening update: I've got a few minutes until my next watch here. I'm in the fight of my life trying to save this place. Roof-walking in a blizzard saved the small shed, but when we finished, the two of us up on top decided we couldn't continue since we both fell several times and almost went into the 40 degree water. We unassed the roof without clearing the big shed roof, which looked ok at the time. After my dinner break, we took two refugee boats aboard the moorage that had to flee theirs which was in worse shape. In that moorage, a roof-walker fell off the roof and the captain of the boat that came to me rescued him.

Then the freezing rain started.

Now were losing the fight, because there's no way to get the ice off the roof without Capt. Jim's deicing fluid which I'm not prepared to acquire or apply. We've moved boats out from under sagging roofs, but success or failure is up to God now. Another half inch of ice will finish the boatsheds off. I moved M/V Whitewater out of my slip, which is under water now, to a big yacht slip between two towering flybridge yachts.

Whitewater is a low-slung express cruiser, and I can get out even if the roof comes down on the boats on either side of me.

The weather is best discribed as the storm of the century. In the Gorge, the wind is gusting over minimum hurricane force, with the temperature at 11 degrees and snow, sleet and freezing rain falling. The interstate is closed, and even the railroad shut down. All trains will have to be led by plows and switch-clearing gangs.

The only boats moving were the refugee boats, one skippered by an old war buddy of mine who personifies "unflappable".

Hell, I might be a refugee skipper myself soon...

Survived to this point, I have. Keep praying. A temperature rise of 10 degrees is on the top of my wish list now.

Rivrdog