5/5/16 Still Firmly in Place
Hi,
While I was fixing dinner, Leonard thought our position had changed enough on the plotter to indicate we were possibly free from our obstruction. Given it was still gusting around 30, neither of us really wanted to try pulling and resetting the anchor somewhere else. We figured, if we'd managed to get untangled with the change in the current, the conditions would be the same in the morning, and we'd try then. The wind finally died back to under 10kts during the night, a welcome change!
5/7/16 Free and to the Dock 30 40.318N, 81 27.944W, 0.2NM
We were up and attempted to haul the anchor before 0700, but the result was the same, a sharp jerk down at the bow, but no resulting release. Time for breakfast. We were having pancakes and when I tested the skillet to see if it was hot, saw both fires had gone out. Not a good sign when I haven't had my coffee yet. Although this propane tank should have lasted until we were home, the gauge read 0 - there would be no pancakes for breakfast. Luckily the water was just hot enough to make coffee. We'd scheduled a lay over here and reserved a car to get propane and do some major provisioning. Until last fall, propane was available within walking distance of the city marina at a gas station turned cafe (that has really great cinnamon rolls). Now the closest refill is at an ACE hardware store - beyond walking or biking distance. We like to refill the empty tank sooner, rather than later to avoid running out which just happened.
We confirmed the diver still was scheduled for the afternoon, we
would have a slip at the dock for the night and that Enterprise
would have a car available (our 'compact' car turned out to be a
over sized SUV!). We just needed to wait for the current to go
slack. Leonard checked anchor prices on line and after getting
sticker shock, was more than willing to wait (we have our old 35#
CQR along with 60' of fairly new chain we really don't want to lose
- although we do have GPS coordinates for the location if we had to
drop it).
Around 1000, the diver called to say he was sending someone within the hour -great news for us - although the current was running, the wind was under 10kts and we assumed they'd factored in the current flow. Given the log wasn't ticking over in the current implied the impeller was clogged again, so we couldn't verify how strong it was. We'd have another chance to see if the stopper valve will pop into place when the knotmeter is removed for cleaning.
I decided the best thing to do while waiting was a bit of cleaning.
While I'd need to wait for shore power to use the vacuum, which
hasn't seen use since Nassau (our inverter isn't big enough to run
it), most surfaces needed dusting and cleaning, so there was plenty
to be done. We'd run the engine just enough while trying to pull
the anchor to have warm water to defrost the freezer, another one of
those pesky chores that needs to be done more frequently in warm,
humid climates. Leonard dug out another anchor in case we'd need to
free up the CQR for the diver, and he's been waiting for the Link 10
to act up so he can take it apart, but it's decided to work!
Whatever, it's a beautiful day - sunny, getting into the 70's and
the wind is light. Another sunny day in paradise (well almost
paradise), what more could we ask? (Some mobility?)
Eventually the diver arrived. Leonard had gone ashore to wait for him, and was coming to to pick me up to get the car when the diver called that he'd arrived (I had the phone and Leonard had the hand-held VHF to communicate with me), so I set him back to pick him up. It was a bit before noon when they arrived, the diver looking a bit green - he got seasick on the dinghy ride out to the boat. It seemed a bit strange to me that a dinghy ride, in fairly smooth conditions, would make anyone seasick, especially if they worked on the water.
That was the first problem, he had problems getting his tank on
while in the dinghy. While we were happy to have the job done
earlier, rather later, we wondered why the diver chose to do the job
at close to peak current - with the new moon, it runs 2+kts, more
than enough to complicate the job, and it did. Even with flippers
and diving gear, he had trouble swimming into the current and was
surprised at how strong it was. Leonard got a line to help keep him
in position, and he went down to look. We'd found a large abandoned
anchor, and our chain had wrapped around it in the current switch,
giving new meaning to setting 2 anchors. He tried to lift the
'spare' anchor, and couldn't budge it, but was able to unwrap our
chain. It worked, with the diver on the scoop, we pulled anchor and
went into the dock (he wasn't anxious to get in the dinghy again).
We had a couple of unanswered questions, first of which was - why try it when the current was at max? We were interested in what type of anchor and what part we'd hooked. Once we were on the dock, Chris, the diver, disappeared. It looked like he had another diving job at the dock. Perhaps he learned a valuable lesson - to respect what the current can do, and work with, not against it. Our lesson was hindsight - it would have been cheaper (and less stressful) to have spent 2 nights on the dock. What happened was a fluke, and probably difficult to repeat, not that we'd chose those coordinates to anchor again!
The marina guys deal with the current all the time, and advise how to approach the dock when it's running. Not knowing where we'd be put for the night, we went to the fuel dock and took on fuel (20.3 gal since Marsh Harbor) and did a pumpout We lucked out, and were put on the dock with the charter fishing fleet, and closer to the heads than if we were inside on the long transient dock just after 1300.
Once we got a car, we set about getting the errands done. After they were accomplished, Antares got a much needed washing and cleaning, and looked much better without the salt that had been accumulating. By the time we were finished, it was almost 2000, we were tired and hungry, and walked into town for dinner. The laundry would wait until morning.
Lynnea
Hi,
While I was fixing dinner, Leonard thought our position had changed enough on the plotter to indicate we were possibly free from our obstruction. Given it was still gusting around 30, neither of us really wanted to try pulling and resetting the anchor somewhere else. We figured, if we'd managed to get untangled with the change in the current, the conditions would be the same in the morning, and we'd try then. The wind finally died back to under 10kts during the night, a welcome change!
 |
| Conditions in the Fernandina Beach anchorage with gusts into the 30s |
We were up and attempted to haul the anchor before 0700, but the result was the same, a sharp jerk down at the bow, but no resulting release. Time for breakfast. We were having pancakes and when I tested the skillet to see if it was hot, saw both fires had gone out. Not a good sign when I haven't had my coffee yet. Although this propane tank should have lasted until we were home, the gauge read 0 - there would be no pancakes for breakfast. Luckily the water was just hot enough to make coffee. We'd scheduled a lay over here and reserved a car to get propane and do some major provisioning. Until last fall, propane was available within walking distance of the city marina at a gas station turned cafe (that has really great cinnamon rolls). Now the closest refill is at an ACE hardware store - beyond walking or biking distance. We like to refill the empty tank sooner, rather than later to avoid running out which just happened.
 |
| Fernandina Beach Municipal Marina dock and town under less windy conditions |
Around 1000, the diver called to say he was sending someone within the hour -great news for us - although the current was running, the wind was under 10kts and we assumed they'd factored in the current flow. Given the log wasn't ticking over in the current implied the impeller was clogged again, so we couldn't verify how strong it was. We'd have another chance to see if the stopper valve will pop into place when the knotmeter is removed for cleaning.
 |
| Spring tide high water - only the top of grass showing - an 8+ 'swing compared to an average of 6' |
Eventually the diver arrived. Leonard had gone ashore to wait for him, and was coming to to pick me up to get the car when the diver called that he'd arrived (I had the phone and Leonard had the hand-held VHF to communicate with me), so I set him back to pick him up. It was a bit before noon when they arrived, the diver looking a bit green - he got seasick on the dinghy ride out to the boat. It seemed a bit strange to me that a dinghy ride, in fairly smooth conditions, would make anyone seasick, especially if they worked on the water.
 |
| Getting ready to dive |
We had a couple of unanswered questions, first of which was - why try it when the current was at max? We were interested in what type of anchor and what part we'd hooked. Once we were on the dock, Chris, the diver, disappeared. It looked like he had another diving job at the dock. Perhaps he learned a valuable lesson - to respect what the current can do, and work with, not against it. Our lesson was hindsight - it would have been cheaper (and less stressful) to have spent 2 nights on the dock. What happened was a fluke, and probably difficult to repeat, not that we'd chose those coordinates to anchor again!
The marina guys deal with the current all the time, and advise how to approach the dock when it's running. Not knowing where we'd be put for the night, we went to the fuel dock and took on fuel (20.3 gal since Marsh Harbor) and did a pumpout We lucked out, and were put on the dock with the charter fishing fleet, and closer to the heads than if we were inside on the long transient dock just after 1300.
Once we got a car, we set about getting the errands done. After they were accomplished, Antares got a much needed washing and cleaning, and looked much better without the salt that had been accumulating. By the time we were finished, it was almost 2000, we were tired and hungry, and walked into town for dinner. The laundry would wait until morning.
Lynnea
No comments:
Post a Comment