Galle

Arrived: March 27, 2014

After a couple of days in Mirissa Bay, we motor sailed to Galle and announced our arrival to the port authorities by VHF radio. We were instructed to anchor outside of the harbour and await the Navy. Within an hour, two naval officers boarded, checked our papers and passports and then accompanied us to the ‘dock’. Well, call it a dock if you want, but really it’s just a bunch of Tupperware snapped together.

It became crazy and hectic from that moment on. We pulled alongside and the navy officers disembarked as best they could. With the surge coming into the port, the Tupperware dock was snaking and jerking on its minimal attachments as Gromit moved at his own pace and direction in response to the surge, usually opposite to the dock’s motion. At times, it was impossible to step onto the dock as it had pulled 3 or 4 feet away from Gromit. I was dealing with the navy leaving, our agent arriving and preparing for the oncoming rain and squall. Then came all the other officials: Immigration, Customs, Health (the Dr. just stood on land, too scared to come onto the surging dock). The whole time, Michael and Liam were on the dock trying to tie Gromit on better, so that the officials could board safely. The rain came and everything was wet in the cockpit. We were trying to wipe down the seats so that the officials could sit down (it was way too hot and small below to have all the officials come down). Zoe and Maia were making lemonade and washing glasses and making copies of documents etc. In the groups of officials that came aboard, only one was doing any work. The rest were sitting and watching. We had heard that a ‘gift’ is appreciated, of course not ‘expected’, from us for the officials and I’m thinking that is why so many came aboard; they were hoping for one.

When the officials had all gone and we had a moment to look at our situation vis-a-vis the dock, we realized that we couldn’t stay as we were. We knew that it was just too weak to hold us with all the jerking we were doing. We could hear the strain of the lines that were holding the dock to the shore.

So, with the help of Davey from s/v Smoke, we turned Gromit ninety degrees; bow in, aft out and over the next few days, we tied and retied lines. Now there are two anchors off the back of Gromit - dinghied out and dropped by Michael and Liam - and 6 lines off the bow and mid-ships, four of which are tied directly into the shore and not the dock. So, we are feeling much more secure. However, there are still some challenges just to get to land. We climb into the dinghy, pull ourselves along a line that is attached both to Gromit and the dock and then jump onto the dock with precision timing to not end up in the water. Then the next challenge is getting from the Tupperware dock to the cement dock. When the tide is low and the swell is strong it can take up to 5 minutes of waiting until the floating Tupperware dock and the cement overhanging dock on land get close enough so that we can even consider making the leap.