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1530 Wednesday, August 9, 2023
The latest marine weather forecast from Environment Canada now includes a "Gale Warning" for our area, as shown in the photo above. A gale warning means sustained winds of 34 to 47 knots, with higher gusts expected.
We got up early and did our one remaining task in St. Anthony, fuel. That meant taking six 5-gallon jugs to the local Ultramar gas station and filling them. They are now lashed at the stern and will be poured into the main tank as needed.
We opted to try and make at least a few miles south before the bad weather got too feisty. So, we set a double reefed main and double reefed jib and headed out of St. Anthony.
The sky was already a low, leaden gray and white caps were kicking up. I set course for a very protected cove, Maiden Arm, about 15 miles southward. It is tucked in the side of Hare Bay and meant that we would not be going straight into the wind and seas. Maiden Arm is a perfect sort of "hurricane hole;" with a winding entrance ending in a small pool with good sticky mud on the bottom for holding the anchor.
We actually sailed, under reefed jib, all the way in through the curves and ledges and dropped anchor in the most secluded and protected spot. The photo below shows our location at the very inner end of the"arm." We are the little red triangle in the upper left of the photo. Sailing in kept us on our toes! We did it using just the roller furling jib and no mainsail. At shallow points we rolled the jib extra small to slow our speed, should we hit a ledge below. All went well.
When we left St. Anthony this morning, the waterfront and wharves were more tightly packed than usual, as shown in the photo below. Perhaps all the boats were coming in before the brewing storm.
The last photo below has the splash of three white sided dolphins playing alongside the boat this morning. We must have seen eight humpback whales and about eight dolphins today.
With the peak of the storm due tomorrow morning, we intend to stay right where we are until Friday morning. It is completely wild and beautiful all around us. An eagle was circling overhead as we came in.
Bill
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