............................................--- Sitting Out the Storm ---
......................................--- Wednesday Sept. 29, 2009 ---
Day's Starting and Stopping Points Under Sail:
Today's Starting Waypoint #4 = N. 37o 01.242' -- W. -111o 19.404'
Today's Ending Waypoint #4 = N. 37o 01.242' -- W. -111o 19.404'
Night's Anchorage: Side bay off the east side of South Padre Bay near Boundary Butte.
Anchorage = N. 37o 00.186' -- W. -111o 18.677' -- Waypoint #5
Today's Progress: Sailed Total = 0 miles -- Up-Lake = 0 miles -- Motored = 0 milesTrip Totals: Sailed 19 3/4 miles -- Up Lake Miles 12 -- River Mile 17 -- Motored 9 miles
We sat on anchor all day sitting out the storm that had started the day before. In some ways it wasn't a storm as we had clear skies where we were. The storm was to the north of us and the low pressure system there was sucking in air at a high rate of speed right past us from the high pressure system to our south. As mentioned in the previous day's report the wind died from about 2 a.m. to about 6:30 a.m. and .............
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( Sunrise with Dinosaur Rock on the left and Boundary Butte on the Right (UT/AZ state line )
...........then picked up with more gusto than the day before.
It had now also shifted from the south to the northwest, as predicted, and .........
............................( Early sun on Butte a couple miles north of us. )
.......... as the system north of us marched east across the Utah/Wyoming border it would shift and come into us from a more north northwest or north direction.
............................................( View from in the cabin. )
That would make the anchor that had been set on our south side less effective as the boat swung on the 300 foot shore line that was tied to the rocks west of us.
..............................( Kera Jane resting mainly on the shore line. )
It would help if I could move the shore line further north and.........
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...................................( On shore moving shore line. )
............. it looked like there was a rock ledge I could hook it under to do just that. I took the dingy ashore and that was not problem now as the wind now drove me right into shore..
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I moved the shore line further north by putting it under the rock ledge where the left arrow is. I couldn't tie it there, but it would stay under that ledge.
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After moving the shore line and taking some pictures I returned to the dingy and tried to paddle back out to the boat. I couldn't get 10 feet from shore as the wind kept driving me back. Now I no longer had to worry about getting blown down the lake away from Ruth and the Mac, but how could I get back.
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I rolled my pants up and started pulling the inflatable along and around the shore to over where the shore line went out to the Mac. There are two bow lines.............
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.........on the dingy that come from each side in a "V" manner to 3 links of chain with a large carabiner on the middle link that I use to attach the dingy to the tow line.
Once at the shore line I could of paddled with the now more than 20 mph wind at my back towards the Mac and if I missed it I would be 200-300 yards away off the stern on the other side of the small bay. I decided to try something different though. I hooked the dingy's bow rope to the shore line with the carabiner on it and got in the dingy. With no effort on my part the wind then took the dingy with me in it flying along the shore line to the Mac, I was pretty happy with this until I got to the Mac and then the dingy swung around and rode up the shore line towards the bow with the shore line now under the dingy. I couldn't push the line down and under the dingy with the paddle as the pressure from the wind was just too great. I finally figured out that the line was hung up on the two wheels that swing up or down at the back of the dingy that allow you to pull it along a paved surface with ease. Finally I was able to rotate the plastic wheels to their up position where they should of been anyway and then the dingy swung free of the line. Next I unclipped it from the shore line and worked my way back along the boats starboard side of the Mac and hooked the dingy back to the tow line and climbed back aboard.
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We spent the day in the cabin pretty much as the winds howled outside and leveled off at about 28-30 mph with gusts towards 40 mph. It was windy and tense at times, but the boat held steady.
Around 5 p.m. the winds lowered into the 10-15 mph range and we felt we were past the worst of it. Also on the positive side the temps were in the 70's and it was bright and sunny outside. We hoped to be sailing again the next day if the winds stayed in the 10-20 mph predicted range.
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We spent the day waiting the winds out at waypoint #005 (bottom right arrow) where we had also spent the previous night.
