Well life was just getting back to normal when the Gods decided to visit the weather furies on us! Last week we had a night of high winds and rain, bit nasty but not too bad then Saturday night blimey!
From nothing to 60+ knots in a matter of moments at around midnight.TBH was up on deck and as the boat lurched violently to one side I was dressed and up with him in a matter of moments.
The strength of the wind and rain made it really hard to breathe, let alone see. Haven't experienced anything like that since our brush with hurricane Emily back in 2005.
We had three anchors out, it's narrow here so we had the 65lb CQR on the bow with 100 feet chain out; the 45lb CQR on the aft with 40 feet chain and 40 feet octoplait and a 25lb Danforth off to one side with 40 feet chain and 40 feet line. It wasn't enough, all THREE dragged and we were fast approaxching an unplanned visit to the marina!
TBH went forward with a couple of fenders, by now we were 10 feet off a large motorboat. I got the engine started and threw it into reverse. Holding my breath as we slowly stopped the forward motion and inexorably began to inch backwards away from the marina. All the while lightning was crashing around us, unbelievable stuff, flashes that lasted for minutes at a time, if you get what I mean! Cracks of thunder, explosions as trees, buildings and more suffered hit after hit. Sirens wailing as the emergency services obviously struggled to cope with a deluge of calls.
Within an hour it was over, we escaped unharmed and without damaging ourselves or anyone else. We reanchored in the river and finally fell into bed around 2am. I was freezing and needed the duvet to get warm again. Man what a night!
You always, well we always, feel that we must have made terrible errors when we drag and suffer traumas but as we awoke and began to look around we realised that we had got off very lightly! There were boats stranded on the marshes, docks overturned, trees down, canvas shredded.....
Yesterday we upped anchor and went north half a mile of so where we reset everything, this time trying a Bahamian moor with the kedge on the aft on a REALLY long line to, hopefully, act as a slow brake but allowing us to swing with the wind. We think that was the main problem on Saturday, being held broadside on to the gusts, maybe this will help! We may find out tonight as there is a forecasted chance of heavy storms again in the area....
2 comments:
oooh you've cheered us up no end!! We're sat in Baddeck, Cape Breton impatiently waiting a change in wind direction to go north and suddenly thinking well mebbe it ain't so bad after all!! Glad you escaped with no damage. Are you still in Savannah? It's a VERY volatile coastline don't you think?? Bee's just informed me the fog is now rolling in as well...
Yup it's crazy weather here. We have abandoned the aft anchor, just got tangled all the time. Now on a Bahamian moor which seems to be holding ok....at last!
Post a Comment