ORMALLY, I LOVE STORMS, and this black squall was beautiful to watch. The magnificent clouds seemed to explode over Ft. Lauderdale with wind and rain as if Noah were below demanding another flood. Lady Enna was cruising smoothly along the coast from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale, with my husband Nick at the helm. The children and I took pictures of the distant weather. But our excitement turned to dread as the waters around us started chopping, the wind increased from 30 knots to 40, and that black squall came for us. We were still a few miles from our destination, and outrunning storms is only a fallacy. N
Our stern could no longer hold its own. We
began to fishtail in the four- and five-foot
chop, as the boat tossed about like a bath
toy. We all wore life jackets. Visibility was
nil. Nick had his hands full just trying to
keep us upright in this attack of rain, wind,
and waves. I was responsible for the rest of
the boat, and our terrified kids (then just
6 and 8). Honestly, I was scared, too, but
had to keep a positive demeanor or the kids
would’ve completely lost control, “It’s OK
kids, Daddy’s got it under control.”
Continuing north toward our destina-
tion was no longer an option. We turned
180 degrees and put our nose into the wind
and waves. That turn was one of the worst
experiences of my life. Nick called out, “Get
ready,” and the kids and I held on as he
began the turn to port. More wind pushed
against the 25 feet of cabin until I thought
we were going over. From my seat, all I saw
was water. That turn has haunted my dreams
ever since. Once Nick got the bow into the
wind, things seemed easier to handle, and
we stayed that way for the duration of the
storm. After it passed, we resumed our jour-
ney to Ft. Lauderdale. The entire squall had
taken only about 30 minutes. It’s amazing
how quickly beauty can turn into terror.
How DiD we Get Here?
Nick, our two children, and I have so
far covered 4,500 miles of America’s eastern shoreline and the Bahamas aboard our
56-foot Matthews motoryacht. Our journey
was inspired by some simple goals: to connect as a family despite the tumult of life
pulling us apart; to focus on education and
learning as an interactive experience; and
to explore our beautiful country and the
extraordinary people in it. We’re ever on
the lookout for family-friendly locations, for
parks, and for the best learning opportunities. Luckily, cruising has delivered.
We left St. Petersburg, Florida, on May
21, 2009, between gray skies and rocky
seas. Our travels took us around Florida’s
peninsula, up the American southeast coast
and into the Chesapeake Bay for the summer of 2009. We returned to St. Petersburg
for a few repairs and modifications over the
winter, and headed back out to explore the
PHOTOS: ANGELA METRO
toP: the Metros: Angela, Nick, Nicholas, and eileen. BottoM: Enna is the
first initial of each of our names
(most people try to say “emma”).
