A couple originally from Halifax — now in the Dominican Republic — are making preparations to ride out the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.
Rob Postill and Kery May have told Global News that they’ve secured their catamaran in a bay on the northern part of the island, near the town of Luperón.
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They, along with dozens of other boats that are anchored near them are taking shelter from Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, that is continuing to barrel through the Caribbean.
“There’s well over double or triple the amount of boats that would normally be here right now,” he said when reached by video-call on Wednesday.
Even though only the edge of Irma is expected to hit their location, Postill told Global News that it’s going to bring with it winds as strong as 40 to 50 knots, or 74 to 92 km/h.
Although his surroundings were bright and sunny on Wednesday, Postill says he expects Irma to change that when the edge of the storm reaches the Dominican Republic tomorrow morning.
“We expect it to reach us tomorrow at 10 or 11 in the morning,” he said, acknowledging that the weather system could change at any moment. “The wind will pick up and then last for most of the day.”
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The pair plans to remain below decks during the storm and has removed anything from their boat that could be flung around. They’ve tied the boat down to the nearby dock with multiple additional lines and added two anchors.
Postill says he’s prepared for the worst even though he has never been through a hurricane like this.
“It’s scary… the best I can say is to stay calm,” he said.
“Take it, not even one day at a time, take it one hour at a time.”