Last night a high wind maybe 30 knots came down out of the mountains so it made for a restless night of waking, checking position, and dosing sitting up. The anchor alarm went off but I believe it was from the swing radius and not actually dragging. Still, I let out more anchor rode and checked for chaffing. The wind was surprisingly warm. All was well. About middle night it calmed down and I went back to good deep sleep but the break of day popped my eyes open. When I wake up, I have to get up. It’s an old habit.
Getting the anchor up took more than I could muster by hand so I pulled it up short and used the engine to power it out. Not hard, just slow and steady in the opposite direction of last night’s strain. When I got it to the surface I could see why it held so well. It was a ball of good sticky gray mud. I didn’t mind it was a chore to get it clean before bringing it aboard.
One thing I’m learning about Labrador is no two days are the same, this time of the year anyway. In fact things can change from hour to hour. Yesterday started in fog went to bright beautiful sunshine with east wind to hard rain with no wind to no rain and a hard wind. This morning the wind is from the west and building. So, underway again beating into a 12-15 knot wind. There is plenty of good water to tack in and the current is with me most of the morning.
My decision to hold and regroup has bought me some precious time. Time is the Great Problem Solver. The problem with time pressure, that is feeling pressed for time, is I tend to make mistakes faster than time can solve the old ones. That’s not a good thing on a little boat a long way from home. What a relief to just say I will be there when I be there.
Nearing sunset, I rounded Epinett Point in light winds and made way between copious shoals to cross a shallow sandbar with only 3 feet of water to spare below the CAP’N LEM to enter the most protected anchorage of the voyage, the Carter Basin. A lovely forest and sandy beaches ring the basin. There are cabins here and there. Labradoreans have an eye for beautiful settings. I anchor at Lat. 53⁰ 29′ 43.1″N ~ Lon. 059⁰ 51′ 29.7″W in 30 feet of water having traveled 3,330 nm from Two Harbors MN. The sunset was so beautiful it broke my heart. This is a fitting place to be the last anchorage for Arctic Solo Sail 2009. So ends this day.
