Katherine Ann Westabout

Why am I heading West when the course is SSW? Well here goes. The quite solid quartering wind gradually backed so I gybed and fairly soon it was round on the nose again. This last is not a nautical term - it stank. So reefed down to the Storm jib and 3 reefs in the main found very solid and indeed quite uncomfortable heading which tended to the SE. Now one of the course predictions had me going down the Falkland Sound between East and West Falklands and having been there once had no intention of revisiting. 60 miles long and 10 wide with frequent gale force winds funnelling through - no thank you. So with 30 to 35 knots went about and hoping for a further backing, which hasn't occurred, settled in for the night. Hot cocoa and then a hot water bottle with a snug lee bunk started identifying and categorising and dismissing all the sounds of the boat blasting into the seas but then realised something was amiss. On with the wet weather gear and heaving to with a backed storm jib inched forward whilst carefully clipped on and discovered the 44 pound Manson Supreme anchor had come adrift and was wildly belting into the hull on a short length of chain. Now one of the selling points of the Manson is its sharp penetrating point so obviously it had to be secured and secured soon. Not a big job with a strop of spare rope on the pulpit handy by but nevertheless one that had to be carried out carefully to ensure no damage to the fingers. Anyhow stopped the bashing against the hull, got some extra lashings and it's well snugged down. (The anchor had been secured with a tie down but withthe constant submersion had frayed through.) The subsequent shivering was alleviated in no time at all with another hot cocoa and a reheated hot water bottle and settled in for the night listening to the sounds...... So now it's morning time and just waiting for the wind to decrease below some arbritary and diminishing figure to set the proper sails and sail the proper course.