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Monday = Top 3 Worst Day Ever

07 February 2011 | Deshaies, Guadeloupe
by Jen & Maxwell
(The following was written pre-incident.)

The steady wind clocks in around 25-30 knots...the gusts are much higher. We are nestled in the sweet anchorage here in Deshaies, Guadeloupe. Boats are sailing back and forth at anchor with each passing blow but all are holding fast. That is good. Real good.

This VIDEO was taken before conditions worsened.

(Now, post-incident commentary.)

Run-Down of the situation: We had just arrived into the anchorage and chosen our spot, dropped the hook in 29' of water. After about 1/2 hour we decided it was not the best placement. We committed to ultimately moving, but wanted to wait a little while and relax after the day's travels. There was no impending danger but we were not totally OK with where we were anchored. Mistake.

Jen began making lunch. We had chicken thighs in a marinade ready to go. They were baking in the oven when the winds started increasing. By the time they were done, we sat in the cockpit watching boats whipping back and forth in amazement. By then, the wind was in the high 30s. Quickly our appetites dwindled and concern set in.

Our un-favorable placement became a problem. We found ourselves inching closer to the boat astern without much room to lay more chain to secure our position. One boat slipped their anchor and drifted out of the anchorage. Another boat's anchor broke loose and went with the wind like they were powering with all they had. Luckily, those two were both at the back of the anchorage where they just swept clearly out to sea, not taking any other boats with them. The wind was peaking around 40kts and we made the decision to pull anchor and get out. At this point, we had already started the diesel and were powering into the gusts.

Not an easy task of raising anchor! Our headsets were no good because of the high wind...it was blowing so hard, that was all you could hear. (Try driving down the road at 46 miles an hour, stick your head out into the wind and see what you can hear.) Jen went up and Maxwell manned the wheel. Through a series of impromptu hand signals we managed to get all but 40' of the chain up. At that point we broke loose and dragged too for a brief bit until Maxwell powered us away from the other boats still holding fast around us. Jen worked on the remaining chain while Maxwell guided us out of the crowded anchorage where we could plan the next move.

We thought it best to head south away from Deshaies. Along the coast we experienced 50+kts of wind. We had no sail up whatsoever and we were still heeling at 20 degrees! It was the most wind either of us have ever seen. Our dinghy flipped so many times we lost count. Luckily, we removed the outboard earlier that morning and it was secure on the stern rail mount. At times the dinghy submarined while overturned and we thought we would have to cut it loose, but amazingly it survived. Thankfully, all we lost of it was the seat which is floating somewhere on its way across the Caribbean Sea.

I must say...our diesel engine is amazing. At the highest gusts of 54kts (that is what we saw...but we were a little busy to be watching the meter intently), it powered us up into that wind and held. It was all we had because there was no way in hell we were raising any sail at this point.

So we made it to the anchorage farther south at Pigeon Island just after sunset. The wind had begun to subside back to 25-30kts. We can handle that. We arrived, let out a ton of chain and collapsed. Worst day.
Comments
Vessel Name: Anastasia
Vessel Make/Model: 1982 Baba Ta Shing 35' (Flying Dutchman Hull #51)
Hailing Port: Gloucester, VA
Crew: Maxwell & Jen
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Team Anastasia

Who: Maxwell & Jen
Port: Gloucester, VA
Sailing Anastasia

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