On Friday and Saturday the Island Roots Heritage Festival was held with local artisans displaying their wares, music, tug of war, food stands and of course dignitaries from the islands kicking off the event. The Loyalists settled in New Plymouth from 1784 to 1800 and the folks here have created a memorial park in their honor.
Bronze sculptures in Loyalist Park
Mary and the Loyalists at the Festival
While attending the Festival on Friday the excitement continued when we spotted a waterspout heading toward the anchorage where we were moored. We left and raced the dingy back to Emme to batten things down if possible. Fortunately there was a strip of land between us and the twister and it absorbed its energy before it could harm boats in the harbor. It turned into a tornado as it came on land damaging some homes and causing a power outage for much of the island. We saw one home with the shingles stripped from the roof and others with tree and wind damage. We heard that no one was injured and yesterday people were working to clean up and make repairs.
A friend sent us this picture as we were racing by to get to our boat. It was still over water then. We were too preoccupied at the time to take photos as we arrived at the boat just as the freight train noise was starting. The storm was less than a quarter mile away when it began to break up.
This chair had a ride in the tornado.
Yesterday things calmed down and we enjoyed the company of friends at Sundowner's Grill watching the Kentucky Derby and some women even wearing fancy hats and drinking Mint Juleps.
We hope to leave this afternoon at high tide and start working our way across the banks towards the Gulf Stream. More when we get back to the states and get connected again.
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