Bad day at Allen's Cay
Seafever
Thu 25 Feb 2010 23:16
When we went to bed last night the rain resumed and became torrential. We woke (for those who slept) to a raging wind and very rough water. Winds 20-25K from the NW were the prediction and we had thought we would be sheltered, but we weren't. Waves came in the harbor entrance to our north and wrapped around and marched down on us. The boat bucked like a mechanical bull for the next twelve hours (actually, it's been 12 hrs now and it's still bucking, though the wind has subsided a bit.) The big yachts further up in the harb or seem to all be bucking, too.
We moved the boat with difficulty, trying to get better shelter, and the anchor didn't hold at first: a very scary feeling watching the boat sliding through the water taking the anchor with it. Finally, it held strong and has been holding the rest of the day. Garth and the girls spent most of the day in the cockpit in the howling winds, avoiding the queaziness induced by spending too much time below. I spent most of the day in a fetal position, chased back in from the biting wind, listening to them chat, and drifting in and out of sleep. This day was so different from all others: never unmade the bed (that is also our center aisle, never made tea, didn't get around to doing last night's dishes until 5:00). At one point, at low tide, Garth realized we were in 3 feet of water. How such a little bit of depth can be kicked into a frenzy is a mystery. Anyway, he got into the water and baled the dinghy out, which had accumulated about five inches of rainwater. Then he realized he could carry the girls to shore for a few minutes, a much begged-for break by them. One at a time, he gave them shoulder rides to a nearby beach. There Rose made friends with another iguana and they all found some very nice conch shells. This all while the wind was roaring and the waves were crashing. The island is so narrow, you can see the waves on the banks on the opposite side crashing onto the shore and splooshing up cascades of water.
Everyone was soon back on the boat settled back in for the long wait for the storm to pass. As of 6 pm, the wind is lessening. Supposedly, by 7 tonight the winds will be 10-15 from the North.
Tomorrow, the winds should be mild and we plan to leave this place to go to Highborne Cay, where we will get protection from a bigger front coming next (maybe late Saturday)? Highborne has a store where much anticipated ice cream might be sold. We'll resupply with gas and ice and settle in for the next few days.
We hope the weather settles. Yesterday, in the downpour, Garth said he felt like we were in Maine. Today, I'm not sure where it feels like we are, except that until we felt confident that our anchor was holding, this was our scariest day sailimg and we weren't even sailing.