Wayward Sun Sailing

After a few days in Marathon a stop at West Marine, Publix and, of course, a visit to Castaways for wings and beers (35 cent wings and $2 beers, doesn't get much better) we are getting ancy to get going. Marathon is a great place with everything you need, but I can only take a few days of it. CP's forecast had a small weather window for Sunday, but should be enough to get us across the stream and onto the banks. Light winds from the SE, but we'll have to take it, doesn't make sense to us to sit here and wait for the perfect sailing day - as this time of year it could be a long wait. Our anchorage neighbors are all heading to the Bahamas too, but different times and place. New Perspective was the first to get underway on Saturday and with the winds shifted to the ESE anchors were closer or under the other boats now. They had a tough time and came super close to WS with the stern, but did a really good job of keeping it under control until they got their anchors up. WS was next to leave - midday and it was ugly too. The boat we anchored beside on starboard was now directly in front of us and since we anchored so close I was nervous where our anchor was sitting. They are heading to the Bahamas next weather window, so no chance of them leaving before us and giving us a clear shot to the anchor. Well as expected the anchor was directly under them and we were back and forth trying to get it up without coming too close. At one point we had most of the chain up and I got closer than I wanted so I went hard in reverse for a bit. Then same thing again, to my surprise Capt'n signals to go to Starboard and we were now well off the boat and then Capt'n signaled the anchor was up. I must have dragged it off and away from the other boats when in reverse, I had more than hoped it might do that, but didn't really think it would. So now it is up but Capt'n couldn't get the 60lb CQR on deck - it had a heavy line wrapped around it probably someone's old anchor line lost during Irma. He tells me to keep going for the fuel dock, I'm like really - shouldn't I just do circles through the anchorage until it is freed - NO! Ok, so now I'm in neutral heading for the old draw bridge with no steerage in neutral and I'm doing 2.5 knots with the wind and current. Capt'n finally gets the tangled mess off the anchor and drops the line. Turns out it probably was the best thing to be in neutral as we didn't then wrap the line around our prop and be in more trouble and WS drifted along just fine until we could get her underway again. No one at the fuel dock so pulled in and took on fuel and water then headed out to the outside anchorage to get a good start in the morning and have a "couple" anchor beers after another nerve racking ordeal. What's up with picking up these stray lines, hopefully that is it!. Oh, Capt'n did take a quick swim the one day to make sure nothing was wrapped around the prop and there wasn't so we must have shook that line off with Capt'n Bob's advice. Outside anchorage wasn't bad, winds finally died a bit and not too bad of a spot, little rolly but ok.