Mark from Sea Life dropped by at 8AM, shortly after the morning VHF network, to have a coffee in preparation for us heading over to Oyster Pond with Neil and Ross to pick up the charter catamaran that was destined to become the start boat for the Heineken Regatta. We had loaded 100 feet of galvanized anchor chain which we were to add to the existing chain in order to be able to anchor in deep water, should the races require that and fortunately Leo’s truck had room for that plus the 5 of us. Once at the docks we had our first little hiccup, the anchor chain on the cat was much smaller than what we had brought and our connecting link would quite fit. After many attempts it was finally matched up and pounded into place. Mark got the quickie run-through of the catamaran’s systems and although we were ready to go we didn’t have a dinghy and it too quite some time to get that delivered. Exiting Oyster Pond, with a good Atlantic swell and 15-20 knots of wind was an eye opener for me and I can understand why Sunsail/Moorings guides the boats in and out, since many a charter guest (and other sailors such as myself) would have pretty high blood pressure coming out of there. Once clear of the rocks and reefs we set our mainsail (the jib was safely stored below since we had no furler mechanism) and actually managed 6-8 knots on a broad reach and subsequent downwind run. Once outside the Dutch bridge we tested to see if our larger anchor chain would correctly lift the chain off the bottom, which it did, and then picked up a mooring. After our two colleagues left Mark had us untie from the mooring and practiced figure 8s, both in forward gear and in reverse, around two markers to get a feel for the boat before we picked up our mooring again and then repaired to the drinks at the bar that we’d earned during the course of the day.
After returning aboard I got some dinner out of the freezer and read a book while it thawed sufficiently to allow me to plop it on the BBQ. It tasted quite good, and since I’m not a good cook it meant that I’d worked sufficiently that day to make me need some nourishment.
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