Last night became quite exciting when our boat started swinging, shortly after serving dinner to "Elena" and "A Small Nest". Since we are lying with both a bow and stern anchor here, we don't normally move more than a few feet, so swinging side-to-side is definitely cause for concern. We quickly discovered that our bow anchor rode had parted, as a result of rubbing on a patch of coral on the bottom. With the help of our dinner guests, we were able to set up our spare chain and our third anchor, and we were back in business.
The other two boats were planning to leave after dinner to do an over night crossing to Niku Hiva. As a result of our anchor on the bottom of the drink, "A Small Nest" decided to stay behind to help us dive for the anchor in the morning. Adam and Leonie lent us their dive tank, in case we needed a spare, and decided to continue on to Niku Hiva, in order to guide A Small Nest into the anchorage if they arrive after dark. What a great team! I guess next time, we'll have to serve these guys fancy steaks or something more than hamburgers! :O)
Shortly after first light, Willem arrived with his scuba gear, and he and John began the process of searching for the lost anchor. The anchor still had about 40 ft of chain attached to it, so we were hoping that it would not be too difficult to find, but you never know. Within the first 20 minutes, Willem spotted the anchor at 11 meters deep, and the two of them were able to tie a float to it, allowing us to pull it up shortly after. What a relief. We quickly pulled all three anchors on board, and reanchored further out in the bay.
After we catch up on some lost sleep this afternoon, we'll make our way to Nuku Hiva overnight. We're really excited about this stop, as this is where Amy and Strahan will join us for a few weeks of cruising in paradise. We know they will love it here, and we can't wait to have them onboard. This last week has also been distinguished by the abundance of fabulous wine consumed as a result of Elena's bottomless wine cellar. I don't expect my rate of consumption to decrease as Amy and Strahan come on board. Watch out liver...here they come!!
1 comments:
I bet that you already know this , but here it goes just in case:
Walk a beach and find a hard fishing net float , diameter 10 to 12". Attach this to the shackle between scope and chain with a few feet of poly scope. It has to be big enough to lift 6 to 8' of chain off the sea floor, when there is no load on the rig. In shifty wind or wind against current/tide the bahamian mooring worked for us and we put a swivel where the 2 anchor chains join (make sure the anchor chains are of different length, in case you drag) The bahamian mooring works also well where the seabed drops steeply, one anchor almost on the beach ,one deep.
Nothing like a good night`s sleep after a hard day of play on the beach.
Have fun guys
Matt
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Hi - thanks for leaving a comment on the blog! Cheers - John and Naomi