Saturday, January 23
A new day did, indeed, dawn on Saturday. The first thing we realized was that we would not be able to sail the boat out on this day. The wind was coming in from the east, pushing large waves right into the entrance to our cove. The waves were somewhat reduced by the shoals at the entrance, but they still rocked us very much. However, a check of our GPS coordinates showed that our anchors were holding firmly. We were not moving.
That was good news. After breakfast, Larry undertook to work on the engine again, but he had no luck. Sometimes the engine coughed. Sometimes it did nothing at all. Sometimes it made sounds that we did not like.
By mid-morning, we felt that we had to assess our situation realistically. The engine was not working. Our best chance to leave appeared to be the following Tuesday on the ebb tide with a southerly wind in the 10-15 knot range. We had never taken this boat out of an anchorage without engine power, but we used to do it with our MacGregor, and we felt that Tuesday looked doable. If we succeeded in getting out of the cove, then we knew we could negotiate the big water to get to a location with a diesel mechanic.
No matter where we went, however, we faced the prospect of paying someone to tow us into the harbor. If we went to Nassau, we would have to pay the Bahamian rescue service for a tow. Bill had told us that cost might be considerable. We would also be completely out of our element looking for a diesel mechanic in this unfamiliar community. If we went back to Florida, however, we could call TowBoat US, which is covered by our insurance, and we could go to North Palm Beach, where we have a friend who might be able to help us find a good diesel mechanic. We felt that this option made more sense for us.
As we were talking through these issues, Bill from Duet called on the radio, just to see how we were doing. We shared our thoughts with him, and he said he thought our logic made sense, too.
When this conversation was over, Larry went forward to check our anchors, as he had been doing frequently during this ordeal. He came back with a worried expression. “We have a problem,” he said. The problem was, indeed, worrisome. When we deployed the anchors the day before, we put the primary out first, as you might expect. Having established ourselves in a safe position with that anchor, we still thought that since we were in the path of the daily tidal flow, it would be a good idea to have two anchors. When we deployed the second one, we actually set ourselves up for a problem.
The primary anchor has all chain rode, but the secondary has only 75 feet of chain. The remainder of its rode is rope. When Larry inspected the anchors, he discovered that the rope rode was chafing against metal on the bow. We needed to put something around the rode to prevent the chafing. If we couldn’t put a stop to it, the rode would part and we would lose that anchor. It was a serious problem.
We tried a couple of ideas, but they were not very good. It was hard to add this gear when the anchor was under so much stress, and as the boat bobbed up and down in the wave, the anti-chafe gear moved, leaving the rode exposed to more chafing.
We were in a bad way. We could not leave, because you cannot sail a boat into the wind. We could not stay, because we were in danger of losing our anchor. We struggled with the anti-chafe gear, but it simply would not stay put.
Then we heard Bill call on the radio. “No Boundaries, No Boundaries. Duet.” It turned out that he had seen a big powerboat with two huge outboards pass by. He hailed that boat, and the captain agreed to come and help us move. The captain of M/V Cutting Edge must be another angel. He was very patient and helpful. We pulled our two anchors, and Cutting Edge towed us to a safe and comfortable anchorage beside the white sand beach on White Cay. The water was much quieter, and we felt very safe there. The holding was adequate with one anchor, because we were out of the current. We breathed a sigh of relief and gave thanks to God for this safe and comfortable place to stay.
By this time, it was late in the afternoon. We still didn’t have engine power, but we could relax a bit. With a safe and peaceful anchorage, we could take our time worrying about the engine.
Many times during the day I thought of my son. It was his birthday, and it was the first time I had ever been unable to wish him a happy birthday on the day itself. I had sent cards and notes ahead of time to wish him well. We were all more or less prepared for the reality that we won’t have internet every time we might like it. It still felt strange.
We had a nice dinner, listened to some good music and got a good night’s sleep.
Day 3 will post tomorrow.
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