Not so Pacific

Our overnight passage to the next in a succession of anchorages was a rough one, but it was made in relatively good form. I refrain from naming most of these stops because nine tenths of them are named after saints or other religious contrivances and honestly, who cares what they're called?

The wind and waves were predicted to be moderate last night, but the wind was in the low to mid twenties for much of the night. The 2m waves made for a lumpy, wild ride.

I was lying in bed off watch at one point, trying to get some sleep on a bunk that was pitching and rolling under me. I heard a lot of lines running and winches rattling as Eric and Linda worked to keep pace with the rising wind speed by putting a third reef in the main. Suddenly I heard Eric shout an expletive and it wasn't hard to predict what was coming next: all hands on deck. Kay and I joined them to find reefing lines fouled in a 25 knot wind. It was a dark and stormy night... Eric led the effort as he worked to resolve the foul from the top of the coachroof while holding on to the boom for dear life. Linda and Kay worked the lines and held his light, while I managed the helm, somehow keeping the boat oriented so the wind came from forward and to one side of the boat. That kept pressure off the sail and prevented the boom from swinging around while Eric worked. It was a good bit of teamwork and everything worked out in the end, but you never know how things will turn out when you're in the thick of it.

I was on watch again later in the morning as the wind died down and we coasted into the anchorage under a lovely sunny day. The forecast is threatening to hold us here for several days, but it was nice to arrive in friendlier weather.

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