Hurricane Emily is threatening Cape Hatteras and could come north to Long Island and New England, so we're looking for a hurricane hole. Roy studied the charts this morning and found what appeared to be a good one just a short distance away at West Neck Harbor, but according to the Waterway Guide, it's too shallow for our boat. After further study, Roy decided the best place was to stay right where we are, but when we went into town and talked with some knowledgeable people, they all said, "Don't stay here!" They told us that the breakwater is completely submerged during a hurricane, the downtown streets are flooded, and boats smash up by the dozens. They advised us to take the boat to West Neck Harbor, the very place Roy had thought of earlier. They said we could easily get the boat in and out at high tide. The yacht club dockmaster also suggested the Connecticut River as a good possibility. After considering for several hours, Roy decided on the Connecticut River, and I agreed wholeheartedly. On the river, we'll be much farther inland, there will be high hills protecting us from the wind, and there'll be plenty of room, so we're less likely to be slammed into by another boat. Small places like West Neck Harbor will be packed. A boat's greatest danger in a hurricane isn't from wind or waves but from other boats that have broken loose. So first thing tomorrow, we'll take Jofian to the Connecticut River.
This morning, we took a sack of dirty clothes to the laundromat. We didn't take everything, just what we needed most, especially underwear and socks. It was a very busy, crowded, hectic laundromat. While I washed the clothes, Roy went for a walk. He met an old-timer who remembered Ken Grabenauer and Sue Peters, Roy's girlfriend! He didn't remember Roy, however, even though they'd gone to the same junior-senior high school. Roy got a big kick out of talking with him.
We took the clean clothes back to the boat, ate lunch, and then returned to town. Roy phoned his son Steve, and then we walked to Roy's old school. On the way, we passed three old codgers who were sitting on a bench. Roy struck up a conversation with them. The youngest one was born the year Roy left Sag Harbor, but he'd had the same high school principal and he remembered a lot of other people Roy had known, such as the man at the dump who gave the kids free candy. The oldest codger remembered Sue Peters; in fact, he said he'd dated her. The guy in the middle didn't say anything; he just kept grinning with his oversized false teeth.
Roy went right to Pierson High School as if he were still in eighth grade. Except for a new addition, it looked almost exactly the way it did 57 years ago, but the dump across the street has been filled in and is overgrown with bushes and trees. It was a real thrill for Roy to see his old school again.
We bought a few groceries and took them back to the Royaks. Roy tried to phone Ken but just got his answering machine. I tried to phone Aunt Kitty (I don't know if she's dead or alive) but just got a "no longer in service" message. She'd be 97 years old if she were still alive, so she's probably either dead or in a nursing home.
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