PTAD (Post Traumatic Anchoring Disorder)

So if you have read the posts in order, my last one was from Shroud Cay just inside the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.  We had a beautiful first day there as you may have seen.  The morning of our second day, we heard on the morning VHF weather report out of Highborne Cay that a very nasty weather system was heading to the Exumas late afternoon and overnight.  We tried to call the Land and Sea Park office to see if we could get a mooring, but they could not hear us on the radio (we were just a little too far away to their north).  We then tried calling back to Highborne Cay to see about a slip in the marina for the bad weather, but again we were too far away to their south. So what to do?

We were able to reach a boat between us and the Land and Sea Park office and asked them to relay a message that we were looking for a mooring ball.  They did this for us; but after an hour and a half they came back and said it was not looking good.  Everyone was staying put on the moorings due to the projected weather.  We talked about just heading toward Highborne or some other marina, but were afraid if we did and they had no space for us we would be stuck with no place to go as the storm approached.  We also talked about changing our anchoring position, but again afraid the better spots might be full by this time and not wanting a large bunch of possibly inexperienced people anchored near us and possibly hitting Southern Style, we decided to stay put.

There was only one other boat in our anchorage and he was a good way off so we had no great fear of us hitting him or he hitting us.  We put the dinghy up and let out a total of 210 feet of anchor chain in the 8-10 feet of water we were in.  For those boaters in the crowd that is about a 20 to 1 ratio (should be good for the gale force winds gusts predicted).  Well the cloud bank rolled in along with the wind which slowly increased from about 4PM-6PM.

By 6PM to 7PM she was blowing pretty good and just kept increasing.  We had stowed the dinghy and brought the kayak into the cockpit of the boat.  We had even taken some things out of cabinets and put them in my fabric grocery bags on the floor in the salon.  Locked all the cabinets that had locks and generally battened down any and all hatches we could.  Let me tell you fellow boaters;  the wind blew steady about 35 mph with gusts to at least 45 mph.  That may not sound like a lot, but constantly from 7PM  until the next morning we were tossed about like being in a washing machine.  Picture flying 13 hours from LA to New Zealand with severe turbulence the entire way (you get the picture).  On top of that, it was dark and we could not see if we were dragging closer to the rock lining the shore at this location.  Even our new dinghy which had been strapped down, came a little loose, but luckily Keith saw this and fixed it before catastrophe could strike.

By the time the sky was just turning light, we had had enough.  It was do something else or die trying.  We decided to head north as there was a private marina we had seen at Norman's Cay (the next cay north) while exploring on the dinghy the previous day.  There had been only one boat there with room for several large boats.  We felt it was likely no one would have gone in there due to the "Private" signs posted all over.  Keith said if anyone asked, he would say his wife was in the boat crying and that she was so traumatized from being at anchor the night before "could we just stay until we could make other arrangements" (PS we have cash).  I told him he did not have to lie, I would go out and cry to anyone asking us to leave before we had some marina lined up.  There was a huge dock open and we pulled right up and tied off.

Luckily we were now far enough north to get Highborne Cay on VHF.  At 8AM when they opened we called, and they had a space that could accommodate us.  They said come when we were ready (I was ready).  It took us another 90 minutes to  motor to up to Highborne Cay in 6 to 8 foot seas and 30+ mph winds.  The ride into the inlet to the marina and getting into our slip was nerve racking to say the least with the crazy, gusting winds.  Captain Keith was AWESOME!!

Everyone on the dock was out watching and a bunch of guys came to grab lines.  Some said they were taking bets to see if we could actually get in.  They were amazed at how we got into our slip on the first try without so much as touching a piling.  I just wanted to be tied up securely and stop the rodeo for a few days.  Thank goodness Keith knew what he was doing and was able to get us in without damage to our boat or anyone else.

We put the cabins back together with no damage but A LOT of mess.  Stuff had to be taken back out of all the grocery bags and put away.  When I looked in the guest head, one bottle of shampoo (purple of course) took a nose dive and squirted all over the bathroom wall, floor, and toilet (it looked like someone knifed a zombie in the bathroom).  In addition, a little bit of water had leaked onto both the twin beds in the third cabin.  I had to launder the sheets and spreads (what a pain) and put that cabin back together.

But after all that, we were both safe and unhurt (a bit frazzled, but unhurt).  Also, a valuable lesson learned.  We will be listening and paying much closer attention to weather forecasts as we move through the Bahamas.  It would also have been very helpful to have had cell service.  We would like to visit some of the more remote places here, but ability to contact marinas and get updated weather needs to be a bigger priority.