Hurricane Sandy Forces Crew Of HMS Bounty To Abandon Ship

Unless you're living under a rock, you're probably aware of the impending doom that is headed towards the East Coast of the U.S. in the form of Hurricane Sandy. The massive storm is suppose to make landfall later in the day and will eventually clash with another storm front to create the "Frankenstorm" that will unleash all kinds of hell on a third of the American population. By all accounts, it's going to get nasty.

But the storm has already made life miserable for the crew of the HMS Bounty, a tall sailing ship that was built to resemble the original Bounty and to keep the spirit of adventure from a bygone age alive. The ship, which has been used in numerous films, was sailing off the coast of North Carolina when it ran into Sandy over the weekend. Last night the 17-member crew sent up a distress signal calling for help, as the vessel was taking on water and automated pumps were no longer working.

Since that distress signal, the crew has been forced to abandon ship. Donning storm suits, all of the crew members have scrambled into two life rafts and according to this story the U.S. Coast Guard is already in contact with them and attempting a rescue.

Sandy has created rough seas, with 18-foot wakes and 40 mph (64 km/h) winds around the Bounty, which is said to be still upright and floating on the surface of the ocean. Those conditions are not making it easy to get to the two life rafts however and it could be a real challenge to rescue the crew while the storm is still in full swing.

Meanwhile, the residents of New York City, and much of the rest of the Northeastern U.S., are preparing for the worst. Some meteorologists are predicting a storm of unprecedented size and scope, with a massive surge that could flood much of the region. There some forecasts that say NYC could be hit with an 11-foot wall of water once Sandy makes landfall. High winds are expected to knock out power and do a great deal of damage, and all of that comes before the cold front, which is expected to dump heavy snows across the area as well.

To all my friends in the area, be safe. It's going to be a rocky few days ahead, but everything will work out fine in the end.