Since we planned on staying on the boat during hurricane season, we researched our options because we didn’t really want to go back to Grenada again.  So history says, Grenada and Trinidad are out side the hurricane zone or box (terminology is insurance company dependent)   Basically if you intend to be outside the zone or box, the deductible stays the same, in side the zone the deductible percentage goes way up.   So we plan accordingly.  Our box, means we have to be below Latitude 12.5, which means the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) are outside the zone and we are good.  So we made plans and high tailed it down to Bonaire by June 1, the official start of the season.

There was an early storm in the Atlantic that got the first name well before the season actually started, this year is predicted to be above average.  No biggie we are heading out side the zone.  But WAIT,  there is a new invest starting off Africa at 5 degrees, not to worry its a long way away.  A storm is first called “invest” and as it gets worse, it becomes a number, and then if it becomes a hurricane it gets a name.  Of course I (and every sailor) keep an eye on these things.  We watch and watch, then the Facebook heats up with discussions, then NOAA calls it an Invest, thats when it gets real.   The storm was initially modeled to go right over Grenada, but that’s outside the zone.  So much for the box.   Well sure enough its a low rider system and got a name, Bret.   Bret doesn’t really sound like a low rider name, there is not a lot of street cred for a guy name Bret that is a wind bag.   Bret took the low road across Trinidad, where storms never go.  It wasn’t a full fledged hurricane, but had some 50 knot winds.  The second named storm of the season is set its site on our chosen location to hide from the big wind bags.  Must be my magnetic personality.

Early NOAA predictions for Bret

Meanwhile back in Curacao where we are 2 days out prior to the prediction and since we didn’t have too much on the agenda, I started preparing.  Re-Wrapped the jib nice and tight, hadn’t done a great job when we rolled it on the way into Curacao.   Lowered the lazy jacks and tied the sail and sailbag to the boom and removed all excessive windage.  This boat has quite the windage without all the extra bits of awning, canvas, seat cushions, flags and of course anything that can fly away.  I pull out the spare anchor, clean the line locker at the same time, get the secondary anchor setup to drop.  Notice no other activity on the other boats around us.   So we had plenty of time to go on the shopping bus and chat with other cruisers, of course some have been paying attention, others haven’t.   Next day is the day before the night when the winds are predicted to arrive.

Hoards of activity now, canvas on other boats coming down, sails getting wrapped, second anchors being dropped.  Boats moving and looking for more protection.   The boat anchored to our port was close to a shallow spot and I was a bit worried when the wind went south of east we would be really close, but when we came back from the morning shopping run he had moved somewhere else.  Sweet now we have plenty of room.  Take a few more bits of windage down and relax and watch what the others are doing.  Watched 2 boats set the second anchor.  Hmm.. should I do that now?    Just a few more minutes a boat that had been anchored way way up in the front, started moving around and came behind us, that’s fine, but then he changed his mind and when in front, dropped his anchor and floated back way back.  Too close for comfort and I kept an eye on them.  Eventually they came over and explained that their windlass was no good but he dropped 50M of chain and a heavy anchor. Asked if I had more chain to let out to give a little more safety room.  Hmm.. we already had 65M of chain out, sure we can drop another 10M back.  I watched as he dove on his anchor to make sure it was set.   All seemed ok.

Flag wrapped but later removed and stored

I took our secondary anchor in the dinghy and set it off our starboard and just about even with his boat, the first attempt with the bitter end still tied to the boat didn’t go very well, it never set and I could pull it in by hand.  Was getting all beat up in the swell and wind.  Wore my self out, so took a break this time grabbed sailing gloves and dropped the dinghy back in the water and went to retrieve the anchor.  The anchor itself doesn’t weigh much but I think there is 10M of 10mm chain that’s pretty darned heavy when you try to pick it straight up from the bottom, its 8M deep here.  Christine released the bitter end after I had all that aboard and I motored back into the wind and dropped the anchor again, this time it stuck at least I couldn’t pull it with the dinghy.  Gave the bitter end back to Christine to tie on the starboard bow.   Raised the dinghy and started the boat so we could pull up the anchor to the bridle to let out another 10M.  Oh my growth, what nasty stuff grows in less than 2 weeks in these waters.

2nd anchor and chain prior to setting

On our shopping trip, we had purchased to cheap brushes, which earlier in the day I drilled 3 holes to attach them together – an experiment to help clean up the gunky mess.  Put 2 bolts on one end and tied a line to the other end so make a chain cleaner.  Think a Texas boot cleaner on top of each other and chain running in the middle.   Well  it worked okay not great but easier than trying to scrub both sides of chain separately… just move the one brush up and down on one side and the other does the other side.  So much better where you don’t mind touching the chain whiskers.    We dropped 10M back and adjusted the secondary anchor and all is good, we had room again.   Of course, I wasn’t going to sleep that evening anyway.   Dropping back 10M definitely put us out of the “approved anchorage”, but winds were coming.

Chain and line cleaner

Watching the NOAA site and various other weather sources, it was interesting when they called for a Tropical Storm Watch for Bonaire and Aruba, but left Curacao out.  Wasn’t until 8 hrs later that the “watch” was applied to Curacao too.  Curacao is directly between the A and B, I guess Curacao was showing their independence.

The start of the rain.

Pizza for dinner round 6pm, earliest the winds would hit would be 8pm.  Of course after dark, and that’s when it started.   Winds and Rain, at first its all good, everyone is staying put, boats swinging like a good ole ho-down, the music of course couldn’t be heard over the roar of the wind.   Had all our instruments set with various alarms in case I missed something.  First and easiest are anchor alarms, distance the boat moved, set on at 50M and one at 60M.  These are not exact unless you set them when you set the anchor position, but gives you a good idea on how far you are moving, be it left right or backwards and forwards.  Then also set the high wind alarm at 35knots.   35k proved to be to conservative as that went off time and time again, had to change that to 45k after we were pretty sure we were sticking in the same spot.  Somewhere around the first alarm, the new boat looked closer but its night and distance is hard to tell with the boat dance going on, I walked to the bow to get a better look and had to walk at an angle to keep balance.  Christine says he is drifting, I say I’m not sure.  Then next waltz we double check and he looks closer, then another alarm for wind, I’m outside watching and see the neighbor going forward??!?  Can’t hear the engine, not sure whats happening, then we swing again and he ends up broadside to the wind and whoosh he is now behind us with both of his anchors dragging.  Yes Christine was right, he was drifting, I had the Air Horn making sure he is aware he is no longer hooked.  We are still hooked but swinging every which direction.   Somehow when he drug, the wind direction had to be just right and didn’t catch our secondary anchor thank fully.  He drove around for a bit in the channel till he found a spot 5M deep and kept his engine running,  When he got settled down he called us on the VHF and apologized for any “concern” he might have caused.  We chatted a bit to learn that he was indeed set again and a pretty good distance from us.

Exchanging emails and texts with new local friends, who kept us up to date on what the local news was saying.   

Another catamaran was working the anchor from the other anchorage behind us, I could see the navigation lights going back and forth, looking for a spot to anchor in 40 knot winds and rain, they too eventually anchored in the channel.     I didn’t see this until the morning but another monohull had also anchored in the channel at some point in the evening.

Had turned on the radar on the boat and found a perimeter alarm setting that goes off when any radar blip comes within a given radius of you.  Perfect, set a ring of protection around the boat and on certain swings it would just alarm as I got close to our first drifter.  Checked the local Doplar radar and there was another band of rain and wind coming so stayed up till that passed and wind abated back to the 20s.    

All turned out good, we still have 2 anchors out while the winds are still blowing, but its back to the normal upper 20s.   Bacon and eggs for breakfast and slowly clean the boat and return some of the canvas and cushions to their spots.   When it slows down, we’ll try and retrieve the anchor from the depth and dislodge it somehow.