It's 0012 hrs (that's right, twelve minutes after midnight), Friday the 13th is over, and I'm cuddled up with my favourite fleece blanket in the cockpit. I'm here because we've been riding out a late-season Norther, along with at least twenty other boats, in the mooring bouy field of Puerto Escondido (PE). No worries re: safety; the mooring bouys are fairly new and, apparently, checked every month and I'm all kitted out (ships rules) with my PFD and tether on... flashlight's in one pocket and sailors knife is in the other.
Previously we had been enjoying the beauty of anchorages in and around Isla Carmen. We had been in PE doing laundry and getting some groceries and, as always, watching the weather forecasts. We knew there was a blow coming but had a couple days before it was due so had gone back out to Bahia Marquer. As the predictions of big wind got larger and larger (one source predicted gusts as high as 50!) we realized we needed to head in sooner than planned in order to have the freedom to select a good mooring ball. Having done so, we settled in for the ride.
Preparation for that 'ride' was sort of like getting ready for a long crossing. We 'ship-shaped' the interior, making sure everything was in its place and nothing was left on tables or shelves that could fall off and break or get under foot. We made sure our fuel tank was topped up and we had enough water, and we got out equipment like pocket-sized flashlights, knives, the big spotlight, etc.
Overnight Thursday was calm and we slept well... until 0600 hrs. Friday morning when, as predicted, the winds arrived with a blast. And so they continued for most of the day. Most boats (and ours is no different) spend their time on a mooring bouy doing 'the dance'. It's not unlike the two-step... you know "slow, slow... quick quick" repeat. Each boat swings differently; the style determined by hull design, wind and wave direction, geographical and environmental factors, and Lady Luck. But dance they do, and Shannon's Spirit is no exception. As well as doing the mooring bouy two-step she also leans a bit, pushed over by the gusts; which can be disconcerting at times... but so far, so good. The main way we cope with all this complexity is doing as much prep as we can think of and then setting up anchor watches.
Any time there's a need for a serious 'anchor watch' Kathy and I take turns. One sits up and 'watches' while the other tries to get some sleep. Today/tonight is such a time. We selected our mooring bouy carefully when we arrived; picked one at the north end of the bay, situated in the lee of a large hill. We knew we'd still get the wind but we're close enough to the head of the bay we figured we'd get a lot less wave action due to the short fetch. After listening to some of the other, further away, boats today... we're pretty sure our 'figuring' has paid off. Don't get me wrong, we've still got plenty of wind... saw gusts in the low 30's today (and that's knots, not MPH or KMs).
Zzzzz hi, I'm back. Tried to sleep. Couldn't. The two of us sat up for a while as the gusts are getting higher (as predicted but no where near 50...yet). Kathy's trying to sleep now and I'm on watch. The time is 0300 hrs. And the gusts are... hang on, I ll go measure.
OK, just clocked one at 25.3 Knts. Seemed bigger but that's what the machine said. So, besides the fact it's dark, seas I can hardly see are rolling by, the boat is sailing on her tether, and the wind is going from 25+ gusts, dropping to almost nothing, and then filling in again with a howl as it hisses through the rigging... well, besides all that, we 're doing great! The stars are brilliant (there's no moon tonight) and it will be dawn in less than 3 hours.... at which time I may retire from, yet, another sleepless night.
G'night y'all. CJ
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