It’s 3am and the little town of Slano is glowing from the aftermath of a ferocious lightning storm.
We’ve been anchored in the bay here for the last five days, soaking up this super relaxed town and some of the warmest water. We planned a quick stopover but enjoyed it so much we just stayed…and stayed.
Unfortunately we had a front row seat from our anchorage as the fire climbed the ridge. We were really impressed with how fast helicopters were sent and how quickly they worked to stop the fire from spreading before nightfall.
We went to bed feeling hopeful they had gotten it out—just a few small hotspots were left before it got too dark to do anything more.
Early the next morning it seemed unusually bright outside. We hoped it was the full moon, but when we went up top to check out the brilliant moon-at 3am, we discovered it was being upstaged by the fire which the winds had fanned into an inferno. And now it was heading down the ridge.
At first light tanker pilots were sent. It was incredible to stand on the deck and watch them work. They flew into our anchorage scooping up water into their planes. It was phenomenal to see them glide into the ocean and then climb back into the hills with heavy bellies full of water. We found ourselves holding our breath as they skimmed the ocean’s surface. Most of the time flying right over our deck to get to their watery runway.
We left this afternoon, heading our way south—but it was a little sad to leave the town in turmoil. We’re hoping the epically heroic pilots will have the fire under control before nightfall.
Slano’s bay was a tranquil place for us to stop and relax. We’re hoping this awesome town and its people have that same tranquility restored back to them very soon.
