The skies were overcast and grey with rain showers sweeping the
bay. The anchorage on the northern side of the small island had become
uncomfortable with the light easterly wind and the swell coming around Cabo
Inhaca. The water wasn't only restless it was very agitated! I decided to try
and find a more protected anchorage to the east. In hindsight I should have
gone around to the western side of the island and saved myself much pain and discomfort.
I pushed the lever on the seacock for
the engine cooling water - it just felt a little too easy. After starting the
engine water still seemed to exit the exhaust at the stern. I pulled up the
sails and started sailing in the 10 to 12 knot SE. I shut down the engine and
investigated the problem, the water pump was a little warmer than it normally
was.
I was pondering my dilemma
in the cockpit when in the corner of my eye I noticed a very large dark object
rise about 20 metres from the boat to the starboard. That's all I needed - a
whale to enter the fray of my problems. It was a moment that could have been
quite laxative had not the mother and calf considered Sadiqi mostly harmless
and went on their way.
 |
| Whales a little too close for comfort |
Sadiqi continued sailing
eastwards through the increasing swell and the curtain of rain that seemed to
be heading west. I had surmised that the seacock was jammed partially open. I
attempted to check the water pump impeller, water just kept on flowing into the
boat. Fortunately, I had another seacock on board. The challenge was to get the
jammed seacock off the thru-hull fitting and put on the replacement without
sinking the boat. I returned to near to where I had been anchored on the
northern side of Ilha Dos Portugueses and dropped anchor. Due to the current
Sadiqi's stern was pointing east toward the waves and the 12 knot wind. This
made taking the mainsail down extremely difficult. Usually the mainsail is
raised and lowered with the boat is pointing into the wind. Oh, and it was
raining and cold.
The anchorage, 8 meter
depth, was rough and the current strong. It was difficult to stand on deck or
below with Sadiqi pitching and rolling around as she was. It was time to get
wet. I had tied a spinnaker sheet midships so that I would not get washed away.
I also tied a line to a wooden bung I was going to attempt to insert into the
water intake hole from the outside. I lowered myself into the chilly water - 22
degrees C. I now have an idea what it must
have been like to be keel hauled. Thank goodness Sadiqi's bottom is mostly free
of barnacles otherwise I'd have lost a lot of skin. With some difficulty the
bung was inserted.
Back onboard I unscrewed the
jammed seacock, hoping the bung would not fall out with the wild motion of the
boat. The serviceable seacock was screwed on and all hoses reconnected. Being,
probably, a little too smart for myself I pulled on the line attached to
the bung to release it. Alas, the bung
broke leaving a piece in the hole! Some words were shouted! Turning off the
seacock I disconnected the hoses, then turning on the seacock pushed a rod
through to dislodge the piece of the wooden bung. Job done.
While this was going on the
nylon snubber line on the anchor chain had snapped. I was relieved the bow
rollers had not been damaged. Fortunately, already having lost one chain hook
in Bazaruto, I had tied the hook to the chain. Even getting the anchor up was a
mission with the strong current, wild seas and cold rain. The outgoing tide was
still high enough I pointed Sadiqi in the direction of the, hopefully, more
sheltered anchorage on the western side of the small island. Pushing against
the current we eventually made it at around 2000 hours. Just as well I had been
in that area before.
The anchorage was indeed
calm - in fact anything would be by comparison to what we had been in to the
north of the small island. While zebu curry dinner was cooking I spliced the chain
hook onto the snubber line again. Because it was calm I did not use the snubber
on the anchor chain. Filled with curry and rice the skipper hit the bunk and
went to sleep.
Saturday, 13-10-12 at 0115 -
I was roused from my slumbers by the GPS anchor alarm. The wind had picked up a
little from the south east and the tide was high. The anchor had been jerked
out of its holding as there was no snubber line. Sadiqi was drifting in channel
in about 20 metres deep. I decided I'd had enough and would head out to sea.
Fortunately sanity prevailed, it was a really stupid idea, after crossing the
shallows and heading past the northern anchorage. . The seas were not too bad,
I dropped the anchor and tied a snubber line to the chain, not wanting to risk
loosing the new snubber line. I'd get some sleep and hopefully make some better
decisions after a little more sleep.
The sky was very grey and
decidedly damp when I woke at 0600 in the morning. There was very little wind.
Sadiqi rolled around not so gently in the sloppy swell. The forecast was to 10
to 12 knot easterlies around midday.
