More wind was forecast for tonight, and with it came even more shrimp boats anchoring in the bay. I’m confident in my own ground tackle and in single‑handing, so my focus shifted to the buddy boats.
First stop was SV Cigano, where I helped Geraldo swap his anchor. He had an excellet Rocna onboard, but for some reason the Bruce anchor was set as his primary. In the moderate wind, we pulled up his anchor, I switched them, and he got a solid reset with the Rocna. I’ll sleep better knowing he’s on that anchor tonight.
Then I headed to SV MiCancion. They’re running what I consider an undersized, and not ideal, anchor. I dropped off my big Fortress and helped them rig it so they’d have a backup ready if they started dragging overnight.
With the work done, I wanted to get out of the wind and move my body a bit. I motored over to the western bight, pulled the dinghy ashore, and started the trek across the low‑lying land to the north side of the island. It was well protected from the wind, but when I reached the rocky beach the view was only so‑so, and the footing was rough enough that I didn’t linger long. I headed back. There’s a small hill near where I left the dinghy, so naturally I climbed it, checked the box, and called it good for the day.
As forecast, the wind kicked up hard during the night. With my anchor alarm set and checked frequently, I felt confident Strikhedonia was holding. Around 11 p.m., during a pee break, I noticed one of the yachts was dragging. I tried hailing them on the radio and flashed my spotlight, but got no response. There was nothing more I could do.
For the next hour I watched them drift farther out to sea, passing close to shrimp boats and they dragged. I was bracing for a rescue mission in the morning, imagining them washed up on one of the islands that protect the anchorage. Even though it wasn’t my boat, my adrenaline was spiked watching it unfold.
About ninety minutes later, with huge relief, I saw them motor back into the anchorage. They struggled for a long time to reset their anchor, but at least they were safe. A close call—but thankfully not a disaster. Way too much drama for the end of the season.
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