Twas a rocky and rolly night indeed! The problem wasn’t so much the strong winds, but the gusts and calm periods. The winds would die down and Zanshin would go forward a bit on anchor, then a 30 knot gust would hit the sides of the boat and accelerate the big mass until the anchor snubber would stop the boat with a solid jerk to the side and this would wake me up again. It happened much of the night, so I’m a bit tired today. I motored across to pick up a mooring ball at Leverick to connect to the internet and also to speak with Doug from Dharma; but they had already left by 11:00 when I arrived there. I opted not to sail downwind to join them at Norman Island since the weather still showed strong winds and I didn’t want to buck the winds getting back to the North Sound before bucking the winds once again for the long slog to St. Martin.
After finishing my e-mail access using Leverick’s WiFi connectivity I released the mooring line and had to motor upwind, doing only about 2 knots at 1500 RPM directly against the strong winds, which were whipping up some serious slop and whitecaps in the short fetch of the North Sound. I wanted to get behind Saba Rock, which wouldn’t protect me from the wind as much Prickly Pear would but the current would keep Zanshin aligned with the wind and waves and hopefully allow a much more comfortable night’s sleep; but the prime anchoring spots in shallower water were taken so I idled downwind (doing 5 knots this time) back to my spot from the night before. 100 feet of chain in 15 feet of water should hold me nice and secure for the next 24 hours.
The immaculate condition of Dharma gave me impetus to clean up aboard Zanshin and I got out the gelcoat cleaner/wax and started working on the cockpit area with my best Karate-Kid “Wax on, Wax off” impression and I know that my arms are getting a good workout and will be sore on the morrow. I kept at it until most of the cockpit had been waxed and it was time for that happy-hour bell to ring. Then I cleaned off the oxidation on the forward two solar panels and gave them a covering of repellent. Since they do get a lot of salt spray they need more attention than the 4 panels on the dodger and Bimini
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