Night
I was feeling poorly after dinner last night and didn’t have a great night here back at the Rock in Anse la Roche. That left me a bit worried about getting sick enough to have to visit a professional and being in such a remote location as I am here. But I feel better today and am optimistic. Nonetheless it is disconcerting to realize how far (in terms of time) one can be from help even when not at sea.
I’d still like to anchor in closer to shore to get out of the waves, just that one boat length can make the difference between uncomfortable and comfortable.
Morning
My mast leak needs immediate attention, before the interior of the boat filled with freshwater and the wood at the base of the mast started fouling away. I stripped off the thick layer of self-amalgamating tape and quickly discovered why I had a leak.
I had used painter’s tape and plastic bags to seal the mast boot, but there are two drain holes which were now well below my waterproofing job. They look unassuming, but they certainly let in a lot of water.
I’m going to see if I can get the boot put back in place alone, but I’m not sanguine about my chances of succeeding. Update: No luck on the mast boot.
Lunch and afternoon
The anchorage back that the Rock is filling up this Sunday – there are 4 more boats squeezed in and lots of powerboats dropping off people on the beach. I took a chance and swam to the shallows back at the rocks while dodging powerboats. These guys are going full-speed through the anchorage and I don’t trust their observational skills. I feel that the main reason that no accidents have happened are that swimmers are afraid of powerboaters and don’t go in the water when they are about.
Afternoon
That hour of the day where the wind fades and the tide comes around the corner has arrived again. I’d just opened a happy-hour beer and turned on the computer. Now I’ve cleaned the spillage from the keyboard and worktop. It went from mild to extreme in just a couple of rolls. And now it is back to somewhere in the middle of the rolling scale, “annoying”. I can’t wait for the tide to turn or the winds to come back and make life aboard bearable again.
The bottom of my dinghy has quite a bit of growth on it. Mark suggested that all I need to do is lift it out of the water and let it dry for a day, then all the seagrass and stuff will just die and slough off. There’s just one downside at the moment, the boat is rocking so heavily that the dinghy is flying away from the hull and bouncing back. I solved that by tying it securely to the rails.
The next problem, only noticeable once the seaweed starts to die and dry out, is that there’s a putrid odour emanating from the bottom of the dinghy, and it is upwind of the cockpit and master bedroom. I wish that smell would keep the flies away, like smoke would. But it doesn’t.
Evening
I wanted a simple dinner and had some potatoes in fridge ready to boil. The little plastic sack had looked good at the store; but I’d not been wearing my glasses. Upon closer inspection a number of them had to go to Davy Jone’s Locker prior to cooking. And some more afterwards, too.
During the cooking process I went topsides to enjoy the air. The boat got hit broadside with a couple of waves causing some heaving rolling and a loud BANG below told me that something had succumbed to gravity. Below, I found a mess in the galley. Despite the gimballed stove the pot had spilled boiling water all over. A glass in the sink had broken. Items all over the galley had shifted and fallen. So far being back the Rock in the anchorage hasn’t been all that great.
I’d just opened a happy-hour beer and put it aside while cleaning up the mess, and the next set of waves spilled my precious brew, adding to the chaos. <Deep Sigh> Sometimes being on a boat sucks.