The winds and waves subsided overnight and the anchorage was beautiful and calm in the morning. But change is in the air and this change brought in winds from the wrong direction. Zanshin got backwinded enough so that I had to interrupt a conference call to motor away from the rocks only a foot beneath my keel.
Then I had to juggle the boat and wind to get the anchor lifted without hearing that nasty crunching sound below the boat. I’m now safely anchored further out. But once the winds return to normal I’ll want to grab my old spot before someone else does.
Noon
It is calm and hot in the anchorage. I’m hot, but happy. The wind is still onshore, so I’m staying where I am for the moment. But after a long day at the computer I think I’ll head over to the rocks and see if I can get some good pictures of underwater flora and fauna.
Afternoon
I chose to use the calm conditions to zip across to Hillsborough in the dinghy. No wind and flat water made for a quick trip to town, it is only about 1 mile after all.
There are some impressive houses lining the shore on that stretch of water, but of course as a sailor I know that nothing beats the view from sea level while on a boat and sipping fine beverages and listening to even better music. Change is in the air today and it is one of those days where I would gladly exchange places with those onshore.
I have a top 10 and bottom 10 list for dinghy docks. The one at Hillsborough has a solid ranking at the bottom. It is a concrete pad, heavily pitted, with nowhere to attach a line. That dock is usually upwind, so a stern anchor is a necessity. The stairs were designed for floating docks, with an adjustable angle according to the state of the tide. But these are broken and only a cinder block at the bottom prevents them from turning into a ramp. The handrail is 3/4 rusted away and wobbly. The rickety stairs still all shift several degrees when stepping on them, and they are broken and bent as well.