This couldn't look worse.

Hurricane Irene is forecast to make landfall at or near Stamford Connecticut right at high tide, which is about a foot and a half higher than normal because of the new moon.  The hurricane computer models show it pretty much clobbering us here in Stamford.

The NOAA weather forecast doesn't sound too rosey either.

TODAY
E WINDS AROUND 5 KT...INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS
UP TO 25 KT THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS 1 FT OR LESS...THEN 2 TO 4 FT
THIS AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING...THEN SHOWERS
WITH A CHANCE OF TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON WITH VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

TONIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED WITH HURRICANE
CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. E WINDS 30 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 KT...
INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SEAS 4 TO 8 FT...BUILDING TO 12 TO 15 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF
TSTMS EARLY IN THE EVENING. RAIN. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

SUN
HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED. E WINDS 50 TO 70 KT...
BECOMING NW 60 TO 70 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 85 KT IN THE
AFTERNOON. SEAS 13 TO 17 FT. RAIN. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

SUN NIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED WITH HURRICANE
CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. W WINDS 30 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 KT...
BECOMING NW 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS
AROUND 10 TO 15 FT...SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE
OF SHOWERS EARLY IN THE EVENING.

High tide combined with a noon landfall and east winds of 50 to 70 knots will plaster Drift Away broadside, up against our floating concrete dock.   One of our pilings is only eight feet above water at high tide, which means that the dock could float off if the surge is high.  All this is speculation of course.

There's a liveaboard friend here in our marina who intends on riding out the storm on his boat.   I've been trying to persuade him to come with us, so far to no avail.   There won't be anything he can do to save his boat.

I'll post the results of this storm as soon as I am able.