Trouble in Paradise

We have anchored more times in the past four days than we did in an entire season on Georgian Bay!  Slowly our vacation in paradise is turning into the vacation from hell as the happy-go-lucky atmosphere on board Folly is switching to survival mode.  Ok, that may be extreme...maybe not survival mode, but we are definitely testing our coping skills.

It was bad enough that we have our rudder issue but since this huge weather system has moved in we have had nothing but problems.  As I mentioned in my last post, our anchor let loose just as the front hit on Sunday. . Since then we have dragged 5 more times.  It seams Folly, with her wing keel, wants to sail up on the anchor.  Then the wind catches the bow she gets pushed sideways to the wind.  When we hit the end of the rode the wind whips her in the other direction.  And so it goes until she can’t take it anymore and the anchor let’s loose.   We’ve had to reanchor in this wind so many times I’ve lost count…..sometimes due to dragging others to find a more protected spot.  Each time being more stressful than the last.  We have anchored in the night, and in a squall, leaving our nerves raw.  Sleeping has become a luxury that we get precious little of.

During the night-time hours Harley and I have been taking shifts between sleeping and hand steering the boat.  When the wind catches the bow we’ve been steering it in the opposite direction so it doesn’t put too much stress on the anchor when the chain is stretched to the limit.  We could have sailed to the B.V.I.’s for all the miles we’ve put on and we haven’t left the harbour!

Yesterday we were, yet again, trying to anchor when the windless stopped working.  That’s the mechanism that raises and lowers the anchor.  Now, if we need to move the boat, we have to raise the anchor by hand, which is very difficult.  Needless to say, Harley has been frantically try to fix the windless with little success.  It looks like the motor is shot and needing to be replaced.  I don’t want to offend anyone when I say this but if we drag again in a squall… we’re screwed!

Thank goodness we have friends in the harbour!  For a couple of days we were separated and they had no clue what we were going through but Ken heard us talking on the radio to someone regarding the windless.  In no time he was over to help Harley in any way he could.  Between the two of them they got the anchor up and we moved, again, to a more protected spot.  Hopefully now we can sleep (but I somehow doubt it).  The swinging has died down a bit, which should mean we won’t drag. 

Like I said before,  we have never had an issue holding especially with our beefed up ground tackle (all chain and Rocna anchor).  I dont mean to boast, that's not the point, but we know how to anchor so you can imagine our frustration.  Our tolerance level has peaked and, if you haven’t noticed.. (lol), I’m pretty wound up.    This weather is going to be with us for another solid week!  I grit my teeth every time a big gust hits.  Here's hoping the weather predictors are wrong this time.   My teeth are important to me

Working on the windless