Hurricane Nears Bermuda

High waves from a raging sea pounded the south shores of Bermuda late Monday, knocking yachts loose from their moorings and battering oceanfront hotels as Hurricane Felix drew near.

Residents battened down their oceanfront homes in driving rain and nearly 70-mph winds and fled inland to wait out Felix, an especially large hurricane with top wind speeds approaching 85 mph. Some brave souls gathered to gawk at the waves.

At 8 p.m. EDT, the storm was 85 miles south-southwest of Bermuda, moving west-northwest at 14 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.