Another blustery day

Yesterday the winds came up as predicted and the swells with them. It certainly was not a day to go for a ride in an eight foot dinghy. As a result we decided to stay aboard and keep an eye on the weather, and the possibility of having to let out more rode to keep from dragging anchor. We had a bit of excitement when I overheard a radio call for our friends (Steve & Lulu) from a boat (Loose Pointer) that is anchored about a hundred yards from their boat (Siempre Sabado). I had been looking up the channel at our friends' boat, trying to tell if it was moving closer to the sea wall located in front of the marina. From my vantage point it looked like it might be and if so, could spell disaster. When the call went unanswered, I called Loose Pointer and asked if he could tell if Siempre Sabado was getting closer to the wall. He said that it was and that he was trying to locate the owners so he could inform them. He said all he had extra was a Danforth anchor that might hold it, but was light. I said that I had an extra 45 lb CQR anchor and 250 ft of 1" anchor rode. We agreed to meet at their boat and secure it with an the additional anchor. Of course my extra CQR was at the bottom of the back lazaret. I ran out to the cockpit and began throwing the contents to Judy who transferred them forward and out of the way. Luckily the rode was right next to the anchor. Once the anchor was loaded, ( Not an easy feat in high swells ) I grabbed the outboard motor and secured it to the dinghy. Off I went, hoping that enough fuel was in the outboard to complete the task, as in the excitement I failed to throw in the oars.




When I arrived at our friends' boat, which was becoming precariously close to the sea wall, Dan from Loose Pointer was on the bow and had already secured his Danforth anchor to the boat. The seas were a lot worse close to the wall and as I came along side Siempre Sabado I stood up and grabbed the toe rail. I reached down and picked up the rode which had become quite heavy, due to getting soaked on the way over. When I tried to lift it up to Dan a big wave hit the dinghy and along with the downward pressure exerted by my lifting the rode, the dinghy damned near capsized. It took about six inches of water over the side. Of course by that time I was knocked down and the water got me soaked. I hate it when that happens. Oh well, it was head around the other side to execute plan "B," which was to toss the free end of the rode to Dan, on what was hopefully a calmer side, yeah right! I damned near went swimming again. Eventually I got all of the tangles out of the rode and headed out into the waves with the 45lb anchor hanging off the side while I acted as counter balance on the other side. When Dan motioned for me to drop the anchor, I did and at the same time another wave hit, adding to my counter balance and I'll be damned if I didn't almost go swimming again.

After regaining my balance, not to mention my composure, I returned to the boat and asked Dan if he wanted me to set the anchor with the dinghy. He said that he felt it dig in and that it was okay. I told him that I was low on fuel and must go before running out, but if he needed me again to give me a call. He okay and I headed back to Wind Raven. By the time I got back the seas were much worse and I had difficulty securing the dinghy to the side, so opted to let it trail off the stern. I then donned dry clothes and sat down for a hot meal.



About an hour later I saw Steve on the bow of his boat pulling anchor. I was going to go down and see if he needed help, but before I could get ready he had them up and was heading our way. He re-anchored about a hundred yards from us and seemed to be okay. I sat around a bit with my conscience gnawing at me for not going over to see if he wanted me to set the CQR from my dinghy that we had used to secure his boat. It got the better of me so into the dinghy I went. I started the motor and headed towards his boat. I got about thirty feet when the engine quit. I was now adrift in high wind and seas. And to top it all off I was headed directly towards the wall. To top it off, I had once again forgotten to throw in the oars. Finally I yelled loud enough to get Steve’s attention, but his response was “yeah I’m okay now.” No, no, no, I’m not, My motor died. I finally got my message across despite the howling wind and breaking waves. Unfortunately, Steve had already taken off his outboard, so had to put it back on his dinghy. This can be a major feat in this kind of weather, especially if you don’t want to use your motor on the bottom as an anchor in the near future. By the time he got it on and was on his way to me, I was becoming very nervous eyeing the rapidly approaching sea wall. Obviously he made it to me in time, but it was nip and tuck there for a while. I threw him a line and he pulled me to a safe distance from the wall before I finally got my engine started. We then headed back in tandem. The waves and wind were getting ornery to a point where when Steve’s boat's bow lifted over a wave, the wind caught it and flipped him around in the opposite direction. I can’t speak for anyone else, but it was a bit exhilarating for me. A good day is a day that ends well, and we were all tucked in warm and cozy last night. All is well!