Attitude Adjustment in Abaco 2001 Part 7

Attitude Adjustment in Abaco 2001 Part 7
Dr.Ralph <rbundy@cfl.rr.com> -- on Friday 8/3/01 @ 6:03 p.m. EST

July 13
I am snorkeling over the Bank in ten feet of water, working a ledge, looking for lobsters. As I round a bend in the ledge, I spot an immense pair of antennae. After two deep breaths, I descend to the bottom opposite the ledge; the biggest lobster I have ever seen is peering out of a rocky crevice. I gently slide my hand along the lobster's flank, being careful not to startle it. But he's suddenly alarmed, flapping his giant tail in an effort to back farther into the crevice. The action wedges him against my hand; I reflexively try to withdraw, but he flaps his tail again, and somehow one of his sharp spines penetrates my heavy glove. As I try to pull back, the spine jams it's way into my hand, right down to bone, pinning it against the rock; now I can't get out. A red stain spreads form the hole, the pain is terrible. Then there is a terrible explosion, everything is shaking, it must be an earthquake. I am frightened, panicky, I can't move, I can't breath, blood is everywhere, now there are sharks, another explosion, a flash, terrible motion, the voice is urgent, "Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!"

I sit up in my bank with a start, bashing my head against the overhead hatch, creating my second hematoma in 12 hours. Bunny is gently shaking me, "It's OK, you were dreaming." It's 3:30 again, and we're in another squall. Attitude is rolling and bucking against her lines, rain is pounding against the deck, and the thunder is almost constant. Glad we're in port! Attitude is staying off the dock piles, so I don't really have a reason to go topside. The storm passes in fifteen minutes, and we're able to go back to bed.

At 8 AM I'm sitting at Attitude's very wet helm in foul weather gear, watching dark heavy clouds drift NE toward Guana, wondering if we'll be able to play today. Months ago we made plans to take Gary M and family fishing, and this is the only full day we'll have together. Better get a weather report; for the first time on this trip, we are far enough SE to hear Cruisers' Net, so I turn on the VHF and bring up channel 68. It's quiet for a moment, then Patty Toler cheerfully takes an early call from someone at Guana Beach Resort, and I drift back to the day I met this remarkable lady.

A few years ago we flew into Marsh Harbour and took the ferry to Hopetown. We had a line on a piece of property, and we wanted to take a look at it. It was late January, the weather was delightful, and we were excited to be in Abaco. I always carry our Sony PC-1 camcorder when we travel; this amazing little device is about the size of a sandwich, yet it records 16-bit stereo sound and high resolution digital images to a matchbook-size cassette. The ferry was crowded, and just before we pulled away from the dock an attractive brunette sat down next to me. She wore dark Costas, white slacks, and a black silk shirt, and she seemed to know everyone on the ferry but us. During the run to Hopetown I stood up a few times to shoot video, being aware that my fellow passengers were watching the goofy tourist with the little camera. After a few moments a young woman seated across from Bunny laughed and said, "I can't believe how small it is."

In mock distress I gasped, "Is it that obvious??!!" There was a brief silence, then the brunette exploded into laughter, as did everyone else in the immediate area. The girl blushed and said, "I meant your camera." Bunny hit me over the head with a rolled up magazine, much as she would a puppy who had misbehaved. The brunette laughed harder, then inquired, "Where are you guys from?"

Turned out Patty knew somebody we knew, and before long the conversation evolved into boating and life in Abaco and finally Cruisers' Net. We have been great fans ever since, and never miss the chance to listen when we are in the Hub area of Abaco. And now Barometer Bob is telling me that the trough is beginning to show signs of tropical storm development, and that a Hurricane Hunter aircraft will investigate the system later today. Bob predicts SW winds of 20 knots and numerous squalls, continuing through tomorrow. Not what I had wanted to hear. I walk the short distance to Gary's condo and give him and Jenn the news; Gary is undaunted. They'll be at the boat at 10:30, we can reassess then.

Gary and daughter Kristen arrive on the dock at the appointed time, and folks, they are ready to go fishing! Gary has rods and a cooler and a glass bottom bucket and tackle and food and some other stuff; Kristin is excited about the boat. There is a lull in the rain, Gary exudes the confidence of a man who anticipates a beautiful day. Every grouper from Guana to Elbow is in jeopardy. Jenn arrives a few moments later, we throw off the lines, and soon we're running NE to Loggerhead channel.

At about the halfway point my radar paints two areas of rain; we look SW and see a line of angry, low clouds. In another few moments the two cells coalesce, forming a jagged line 10 miles in length. Considering our course and its movement, it's obvious that the squall is heading directly at us. I confer with my crew and suggest we find a safe anchorage until the storm passes. We alter course and run between Gumelemi Cay and the extreme NW tip of Guana, then around its north point and along the beach until we find an area where the reef recedes from the shoreline, creating a 200-yard wide anchorage. Bunny clambers up to the bow in foul weather gear and releases the anchor while I position the boat and hit the windlass control. Ten feet of chain drops, then Bunny hollers at me to "Stop!" Murphy's Law strikes: the chain knot on the anchor rode has partially unraveled, and the loose strands have fouled the windlass. As such, I can neither raise nor lower the partially deployed anchor. The downdraft sweeps over us and the rain begins. We are suddenly in a jam, caught between the reef and the beach, unable to drop our primary anchor.

Attitude carries three anchors: in addition to here primary, a 25-pound Delta plow, there is a second 17-pound plow as well as an 18-pound Danforth. The two spares are stowed in a large circular livewell on Attitude's transom. I send Bunny to the helm while I dig out the Danforth, which I then have to hump to the bow, gimp leg objecting. The wind has shifted almost due west, and it's up to 30 knots. Bunny steers us into the center of the anchorage, then a little to windward, and I drop the Danforth in eight feet of water. Fortunately the bottom is soft sand, the Danforth bites quickly, we drop back 60 feet and I cleat off the rode. As I return to Attitude's helm the first squall hits, and it's ugly. We are rocked by heavy rain and gusts to 40-50 knots; I line up a tree on shore and a patch of rocks and watch anxiously to make sure Attitude doesn't drift. But she holds tightly, we're OK.

The squall last about fifteen minutes, the wind relents to 15-20, and heavy rain settles in. The radar shows 360 degrees of rain out to 8-10 miles; Gary thinks the signal has attenuated, and that the rain probably extends beyond. It's now noon; for the next three hours we endure squall after squall, listening to all manner of misery on the VHF. Boats are running for shelter, Bimini tops are blowing away, restaurants are closing, and people are lost. During one of the lulls I climb to the bow with a knife and cut the rode away from the windlass. We can now raise the primary anchor and secure it back into its cradle. I disconnect the chain and bring the end of the rode aft into the cockpit. While the others eat lunch I form a new chain knot by unraveling the three-strand nylon rope and forming a Chinese Crown over the first link of chain. I then back-splice the strands against the running line for about a foot. The last step involves burning the ends with a flame or soldering iron; the strands are drenched and won't ignite, so this step will have to wait until dryer times. Finally, I return the chain and road to the bow and connect it to the anchor.

Gary and family remain upbeat, even though they are drenched. Gary is excited, he has a thousand stories about fishing and boating and flying; Jenn is calm, reassuring. Kristin looks cold, she's wrapped in a towel and shivering; I offer to fire up the generator and turn on the heat for her, but she wants to remain with us at the helm, and she doesn't complain. These are great people to be with. At some point Gary sees a tiny spot of blue sky in the general direction on North Carolina, and remarks that clearing skies are moments away. Ten minutes later we are swept by the fourth squall of the trip, but he remains confident.

At 3 PM the radar shows a "white-out," the sky is black as ever, and it's becoming obvious that this day is shot. I gently express this to my crew, and they glumly accept. The bad news is that we will have to take the weather "on the nose" on our run back to Treasure Cay. We pack up our food and stow all the loose gear, everyone finds a stable spot, and the trip begins. The wind is on our beam as we approach Gumelemi, rolling Attitude violently. As we emerge from the pass and turn SW, we enter a very angry Sea of Abaco: there is an ugly 2-3 foot chop and heavy rain. I make 14-15 knots and we bounce and crash our way back to TC, tying up at 4:15. During the ride Gary and Jenn have decided to host a "hurricane party" in their condo for later this evening, so they adjourn to dry off and begin preparations. We part with a regretful "some other time."

The one positive aspect of this kind of heavy rain is that Attitude doesn't need a bath, just a little spot cleaning. In the process of squaring her away I empty three inches of rain from her trash bucket! The weather relents, and we decide to make a well-deserved drink and walk down to the beach.

Treasure Cay Beach has been touted as "one of the world's top ten beaches;" we're not exactly sure as to the origin or authenticity of said statement, but it would be difficult to argue the contrary. Sadly, it's not very pretty today, under gray skies and a nasty wind. We walk along the shore in our foul weather gear, knee deep in the warm water, recalling previous happier times here. There are a few adventurous souls who are swimming, braving the lightning and rain, but by and large the beach is deserted, a rare occurrence. The rain begins to pick up, so we work our way back to Attitude. Once we are onboard, we dry off for the first time in several hours. The dressing on my wound is soaked and discolored. After a shower, I gently peel it off, wash away the gunk with peroxide, then dry it with a hair dryer, finally covering it with Neosporin and a new dressing. Yuck!

By 8 we have all gathered in Gary's condo; a noticeable exception is Sinclair, our webmaster, who is stuck in Florida and can't return until the weather clears. But Barbara has brought some nice grouper filets, and we enjoy these along with conch and burgers and a pork loin and way too much rum. AW and family are here as well, it's a wonderful Abaco Board Sorta Hurricane Party. At 10 everyone decides to adjourn to the Tipsy; there's a band and they want to dance. Bunny quietly inquires about my leg, and truthfully I'm ready to jam the ice pick into my cerebrum because it's pretty damn uncomfortable, as well as swollen to double the size of its counterpart. We make our way back to the boat, and this time I take a Naprosyn and two Extra Strength Tylenol. No nightmares tonight! I hope.

Pictures:
Gary M, Kristen, and Jenn, and the squalls that drenched them

Re: Attitude Adjustment in Abaco 2001 Part 7
Pat S. <psmmech@webtv.net> -- on Friday 8/3/01 @ 6:17 p.m. EST

You really had me hooked for a second! I was picturing that giant lobster getting revenge by stabbing your hand and you woke up! What a story teller you are Doc!

That's Jenn.....
Gary M <Uboats737@aol.com> -- on Friday 8/3/01 @ 7:14 p.m. EST

sporting just a portion of her large Nipper's Wardrobe!! Even the cap is a Nipper's original!

Thanks for the tremendous effort Ralph, we still had a great time hanging out with you guys!

Gary M

Re: Attitude Adjustment in Abaco 2001 Part 7
Abacoparrott <parrochie@webtv.net> -- on Friday 8/3/01 @ 9:11 p.m. EST

Dok-tor, My family thinks I'm nuts! I've lost it, Mon. After reading your Gary M. trip report I'm laughing so hard that my mouth hurts. How does a doctor fix that? Sorry ya had to put up with the Molines and Willys in the same day but there was a good side to the story, Sinclair got stuck in Florida. Barbara is a lot better lookin' anyway. Let's go back and get that lobster one day before he kills someone. we'll be doin' the public a service while we fill our bellies with the nectar-of-the-gods. Between you/Bunny and the Hillbillies and their "rum thangs" it's been a hulluva month on the 'ol Abaco Message board.....talk about the ratings going up....WOW! I hope your stories inspire the rest of us to bigger and better trip reports. thanks loads......Ken

Re: Attitude Adjustment in Abaco 2001 Part 7
Sandra Irish <sirish1@compuwise.net> -- on Friday 8/3/01 @ 9:25 p.m. EST

Dr. Ralph, You get the MASTER Storyteller AWARD for 2001. Thanks for the entertaining reports.
Sandra