1130: We are both woken up by the grinding of the snubber on the anchor chain.
What is a snubber?
A snubber is an extra line that you run from the anchor chain over to the deck cleat to take the shock load of the chain off the windless.
The wind had picked up and was gusting to 35 knots and we were bucking like a bronco - felt like we were underway again. David was feeling uncomfortable so he decided to put an extra snubber line out. It felt like we had been sleeping for hours but then realized that it was only 1130 and our day was not over.
We climbed back into bed and tried to sleep. Then we heard a Big Bang so David went up on deck again. We keep the dinghy upside down on the deck and the seat and fallen down. Just as he was up there the first snubber line broke. We did not lose the snubber but we did lose the hook! All of the other boats in the anchorage were up and checking their anchors.
David decided to stay up and keep watch. Everyone was worried that their anchor chain could break and might have to move out quick or chance being pushed onto the beach or onto another boat. While David was keeping watch the second snubber line broke, straightening the hook! So he rigged up our third and last snubber! He also started the engine and we opened up the chain locker just in case we were forced to forfeit the anchor and head out. And we got a fender ready to mark the anchor in case we had to come back to retrieve it. I mean the waves were breaking over the bow!
To this point everyone's anchor is holding but no one is sleeping. I made us some herbal tea and we sat in the cockpit waiting for it to get light. By 0530 I climbed back into bed. David moved onto the settee around 0700. Things settled down enough that we could get back to sleep.
David said this is the first time that he ever had to come up with a plan to unleash the anchor and run!
0930: Winds have finally switched around to the ESE. Seas are still a little rough but everything is holding. The northerly winds are very rare for this part of the Pacific and usually this anchorage is very calm.
Good old El Niño strikes again!
Banana pancakes and bacon for breakfast. We opted to spend the day on the boat to regroup. Seas were still rough enough that we did not feel comfortable leaving the boat at anchor without us on it anyway.
The last 48 hours were not fun and had the potential to be much worse. It is times like these that I so appreciate the experience that David has, preparing for the worse, praying (I was doing that part) for the best, giving me clear instructions on what to do, so I can now add this adventure to my experience! No panic attack! No swearing! We even managed to crack a few jokes!
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