Last Saturday morning , I have assisted Her Majesty Renata - to step down from equally majestic S/Y Boxter - onto rubber dinghy "Boxy". These were Renata's first baby steps - to get her closer to so much missed and beloved home - after two exhausting months of cruising Med.

As few tears have gone down, Renata dully praised undersigned Captain for the tangible improvement of 20 knots - since our first Med season. Yes last year I have managed to get Renata behind steering wheel at 55 knots of wind, while this year she has experienced only 35 knots!

As always - Renata chosen perfect timing to make such a wise statement !!!
Previously it was when she has married me...

After saying our Goodbyes - I went to the peaceful, fully enclosed and very safe bay - to enjoy solitude on the decks of Boxter. There is something magic about time spent on yachts while on anchor.

Before 6pm, few clouds appeared on horizon. I have removed cushions from outside - just in case... so there will be no need to dry them next day, if rain was to come.

Twenty minutes later - while sitting with laptop in the cockpit - I had hardly more than 60 seconds to act. Saving what I could, closing hatches, grabbing anything on the decks...

The Perfect Storm arrived!


A minute later 60 Knots of wind hit our decks!
Boxter went underway, it was showing a speed of 6-7 knots and it was heeling like it was with full sails on!

Visibility at times was just few meters and rain came down in heavy loads.

Boxter was running around its own anchor - not dissimilar to a vicious dog - trying to free itself from the chain.

At some moments, I was convinced that surely anchor can not hold that well - thus we will be loosing our hold any second and moving away uncontrollably.

A minute latter, I watched another yacht passing by.... It got so dark that I was rather concerned about it - not having any lights on...

I only realized what happened then, 10 minutes latter - when a man on the rubber dinghy, without motor - was paddling along - in 60 knots of wind and very heavy rain. It looked desperate, but he was just trying to catch his un-manned yacht...!
(see main picture above, if you can see his yacht...)

Earlier that yacht was parked some half a mile to the West from us, by the time the man realized that his yacht is sailing away from him - while he was taking care of things on land - the yacht was half a mile away from us to the East.

We were so lucky to not get hit by that passing yacht !

While wind eased to some 35 knots - I worked out that if Boxter did hold his position in 60 knots - it is relatively save in 35 knots. In pouring down rain, I jumped to the rescue of the very tired paddling sailor. He eventually got onto his yacht and found all in order - outside of few items being blown away...

Again, it was incredibly lucky for them that such a violent wind was blowing exactly along the lines of the long channel - taking this boat with it. If there was any other angle to the wind - this yacht, would have reached rocks on the shores within 100 meters.

The story of this sailor teaches me a lot and gives me all justification I need - when I tirelessly check and re-check hold of our anchor each time we arrive in in the calmest waters - while some of our experienced and less experienced crew are watching with boredom and running out of patience to get on with finer things on their precious schedules....

So here it is - probably my last, but eventful Blog for the season.

Sitting in a cozy cafe near Split - awaiting for Alistair to join me on the last Adriatic leg to the beautiful Venice.

We will lay up Boxter there for a winter.

What a deserving destination - for us to want to come back - for more of it next year !!!!

Ahoy!

Yours,

Captain