Last evening we motored into one of the only available decent anchorages offering shelter from westerly winds before the 240+ nm run to Cambridge Bay. Weather apps were showing us a low pressure system to our north with predicted wind of 30+, gusts to 45+ for the next 24-36 hours. One Ocean is now anchored in that bay, Bernard Harbour, behind a moderate sized gravel berm running the windward length of the bay on Teddy Bear Island. The berm is high enough to deflect some of the 40+mph wind but 2+ foot wind waves in the bay are making this feel and sound like a significant weather event.
Our anchor is well set with plenty of chain rode (150’). At this depth (23’) all 20 tons of One Ocean should be safe in these conditions. Just to be sure, we will keep an “anchor watch” until the wind decreases significantly, probably 20 hours from now.
The extra time we spent preparing the boat for this wind was worth the effort. Chafe gear around the anchor chain and snubber line; extra sheet wraps around the roller-furling jib; staysail securely tied to the deck; main and mizzen sails gusseted to their booms and all the other deck gear tied down to something. Our dinghy and outboard secure on our transom swim step and all of the slapping-prone halyards secured to eliminate the irritating rattles that keep crew tense and anxious (and sometimes irritated).
Our bay is now dotted with small breaking waves, white caps marching along heading for us, nothing too intimidating as long as the anchor and chain take their jobs seriously and stay the course.
Since leaving Anacortes on May 3, this crew has sailed over 5,000 nautical miles. We’ve experienced a variety of challenges from weather to anchoring to grocery shopping and to living together in a small but comfortable moving capsule. We’ve slept, cooked, cleaned, laughed and sometimes growled (usually only me) together and are still content and excited as we move forward. I’m very proud of them all.
Friend Dave Logan provided a helpful perspective and direction for our passages from Nome and had hoped to stay with us until Pond Inlet. We won’t make his timetable so he will leave from Cambridge Bay. His memories and notes from our Ocean Watch days have been a huge help in negotiating the challenges of arctic navigation. He and I have made many ocean crossings together, we know each other's moves and moods. This ocean stuff runs deep in our veins. Oh, and I shouldn’t leave out his significant culinary and people skills. His pork chops are fabulous and he is good at looking me in the eye and kindly disagreeing with my opinion about almost anything. Thank you Dave, we will miss you.
