Saturday, May 10, 2014

WHERE DID THIS COME FROM FORECAST SAYS 12 TO 15?

Well having been smug about the good sailing weather and minimal rain I got my comeuppance last night. I am anchored in Deshaies Guadeloupe and it started to rain late afternoon, at two in the morning we started to get serious squall lines blowing through with gusts to 40 knots or more.

There were boats dragging to the right of me and to the left of me, so I sat up in the cockpit till 4am to make sure I did not drag or have some one drag down on me. The distance prize goes to someone who dragged through the center of the anchorage and well out, he has moved 3 -400 metres and I never saw a light or anyone on deck.

As I write this the gusts are making me shear around sufficiently to have stuff slide off the table. Dizzy my cat thinks this is great as his current favourite toy, a length of virulent green foam swim noodle, is rolling around the cabin sole and he is in hot pursuit. Mad cat half hour.

1 pm update Windguru STILL says 11 gusting 13 and it was much the same forecast during the night and this morning. Well at 11am a big squall came through and it was my turn to drag along with several others. I motored for an hour to keep clear of a boat behind me that with 25 knots of wind gusting much higher from time to time. SInglehanded I knew I would be in trouble with the untended boat behind me if I tried to raise the anchor.

Many thanks to Capta and Nikki from Skipping Stone who helped me out.

Still blowing at least 20 knots with much higher gusts.

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