Today was a pretty long day. It began out in the anchorage just south of Hospital Point, a little after midnight, when I was jolted from a deep sleep (one gets tired kedging grounded boats free of the bottom) by the banging and scraping of an object against Alana's hull. Not sure whether it was perhaps a buoy or another boat I woke Dad and leaped on deck to investigate. I found that Alana was still securely anchored in her original location, but that a squall had swung one of her neighbors with an excessively long rode into Alana. All of the dozen or so anchored boats seemed to be pointing in a different direction, each responding to the winds and currents in their own unique manner. Of course, like the grounding, this was my fault. The vessel the bumped us was there first, so it was my responsibility to stay clear of her. Of course I had no way of knowing in the dark how much chain the other boat had out, and I should probably assumed the worst, but I didn't. There was insufficient room to move without encroaching on the channel, so I sat up most of the night in the cockpit to prevent a recurrence.
The good news is that neither boat suffered any damage. Alana's wooden rub rail did its job and Bill, the owner of the other boat barely bothered to come on deck after the incident (this make me think that perhaps it was a routine event for him).
Around 8:00 Dad and I weighed anchor and moored in slip D-49 at Tidewater Yacht. We washed down and organized the boat, then Dad drove me around to run some errands . Upon getting back to the boat I repaired the head faucet which was accidentally wrenched from the counter when Alana took a roll, and Dad completed a repair/upgrade of the doors to the chain locker. We celebrated our respective successes with a tasty spaghetti dinner, then went to Food Lion for groceries.
Around 8:00 Dad and I weighed anchor and moored in slip D-49 at Tidewater Yacht. We washed down and organized the boat, then Dad drove me around to run some errands . Upon getting back to the boat I repaired the head faucet which was accidentally wrenched from the counter when Alana took a roll, and Dad completed a repair/upgrade of the doors to the chain locker. We celebrated our respective successes with a tasty spaghetti dinner, then went to Food Lion for groceries.
Dad leaves in the morning, and depending on the weather, I'll start making my way toward Pensacola. I just hope that this recent string of mishaps is about to come to an end.
It's great that you and your dad got to do some cruising together. Time aboard Ariel with my dad has provided a lot of memories that I will treasure for years.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read about your adventures in anchoring. It seems our summer cruises are always filled with unique experiences at anchor, from people anchoring on top of us (as though Ariel were the mothership) to dragging boats to skippers who dump the anchor and a pile of chain and immediately go below for a drink. Glad Alana came through unscathed.
anchoring issues huh? perhaps you should consult BM1 Goguen on the proper techinue, ha.
ReplyDeleteSkipper, glad the trip is generally going well. I enjoy reading of your daily adventures and about fell out of my chair laughing from your decription of the "czar" in charge of the anchorage. Safe sailing
-Conor
Smooth sailing. Calm seas. We love your blog.
ReplyDeleteOh my. Have you done something to annoy The Head? Maybe if you offer up some Marmite toast or something to appease her, you'll have a smooth sail to Pensacola. :-) Seriously, though, hope you're able to get the winds and weather you want to make a good run down to FL.
ReplyDeleteH