I had forgotten how important it is to pay attention to the wind here on the coast.
Just yesterday, our neighbour Cecil was saying they weren't heading up to their
camp because of forecasted high winds.
Last night we were reminded first hand that it can get
really windy here. Yesterday when I checked the forecast, it showed some rain
and moderate temperatures, but I didn't look at the wind speed and direction.
In the wee hours of the morning, we were woken up by a howl.
It was loud and sustained enough, that I could tell the wind was coming out of
the northeast. We have no wind protection from that direction, and all I could
think about was the new window, yet to be installed, tied up against the deck.
The other window-project supplies including a sheet of
plywood, were up on top tied to the old railing. For the last few days, during
moderate winds everything was fine. However, the deck isn't new anymore, and
laying there in the dark, I visualized the window and plywood acting like a
sail, and pulling the deck apart.
The howling wind turned into thundering gusts, and the house
would shake a little. I laid awake scared just waiting for the crashing sound
of glass and the railing getting ripped off. Realizing the wind was probably
bad enough to be unsafe, it was too late to do anything other than just stay in
bed and pick up the pieces in the morning. After a couple of
hours, the gusts became less frequent and less intense.
We drifted back to sleep and woke to relative calm. Opening
the blinds, showed the deck still holding the window and plywood much as it had
been stored. Chatting with Cec next door confirmed that my fears weren't
unfounded. He too woke in the night and was wondering the same about our
window. It appears we dodged last night's wind bullet more by good luck than
good management.
Note to self, when we're here on Parsons Point, keep a
critical eye on the wind forecast for not only speed but direction, and prepare
for the worst.