We headed to Melanie Cove today visiting a gorgeous waterfall along the way.
The big adventure was a stern tie. Melissa is not crazy about stern tie because we’ve often had trouble with dragging anchor in this stern tie configuration.
We arrived in the Melanie Cove, and Melissa and Jim realize Dave means to stern tie and scramble to try to get ready without instructions on how this all works. We first let down the main anchor and Dave backs up to get close to shore with the stern. Jim has to get the 500’ line out of storage, get it tied to the boat. We then put the reel into the dingy so Jim can reel it out as he goes to shore. Dave comes back and instructs us to take it all off the reel first. Jim then has to get in the dingy and take the line to shore. He gets in the dingy. Melissa points out that he will want his shoes to climb up on the rocks to where the bolt is located in the rock where we tie the rope. He gets out of the dingy to get his shoes on. Jim gets back in the dingy and asks Melissa “how do I turn it on?”. Melissa shrugs, “I’ve no idea.” She thinks about what she’s seen Dave do and points to the key, “maybe turn that?” Jim gets it started and then we have to figure how to put the drive down into the water. After all that futzing, Jim takes off for the shore in a herkie jerky fashion as he is getting used to driving the dingy for the first time. Jim gets to the shore, has to tie the dingy to a rock, and scramble up the rocks. Its not obvious how to get the rope through the chain and bolt. Eventually he gets it strung through. Though there was still 100 feet or so of line on the stern of the boat. Melissa yells across that Jim needs to pull the rest of the line through. Jim then climbs back down the rock face and comes back to the boat with the loose end. Melissa takes that end and ties it back to the boat, after pulling back in about 100 foot of line. Whew. What a pain. Captain Dave wants to demote both of us to swab at this point as that wasn’t exactly the smoothest of operations – and it took us a good half hour.
After that, the boat settled in at a wonky angle due to the wind blowing directly on our side. We debate whether its holding, and decide its ok. But it was nerve wracking. Melissa stayed up till midnight on watch. Dave slept in the cockpit up top till about 4am when the wind finally died down. Anyone wonder why this maneuver is not our favorite?
It is gorgeous here though.
