Drama at Sea

Admittedly not every passage is wonderful. André does lots of planning and weather watching to attempt to choose the best conditions to set out in.

The morning we left Salinas promised to be a good one, the winds had turned more north and the sea in the bay was flat. We didn't fool ourselves that these would be the conditions once we sailed out of the bay but we hoped for a good few hours in our 21 hour passage, averaging 5 knots, to Casa de Campo.

As we exited the bay the seas picked up and with a swell onto our starboard forequarter we started to smash and bash, pitch and roll but it wasn't too bad! Yet!

About three hours into the voyage the port engine coughed, spluttered and died! We were sure we had solved the problem of it sucking air but it seems not! There was no way with that crashing and bashing we were going to try to clear it at sea, we would make way with some wind and one engine! We crept along averaging 3 - 4 knots! Yuk! This was extending our sea time from possible 21 hours to 26 hours! Doesn't sound like much till you bouncing and rolling, bashing and smashing into seas!

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Ten hours later, at about 3pm, there was a horrible vibration on our working engine. We had been sailing through thick patches of weed and we hoped a lump was stuck on the prop and if we switched the engine off for a while it just might drop off! Well, hope beyond hope, it didn't happen!

We killed the engine again and hanging on, we peered over the stern trying to see if we were trailing anything, nothing could be seen off the starboard sugar scoop! Andre moved over to the port side and gave a shout of 'we have line'!

Dragging through the water behind us was black, floating nylon line! From here we could see a huge clump of it around the starboard propeller.

Catching hold of the floating length just off the port side we started pulling it in! It was unbelievable, it stretched as far as we could see disappearing into the swell far away! We pulled at least 200 meters of line and secured it to stop it pulling back! It had not pulled loose from the bottom of the boat and was obviously hooked around the rudder and or prop!

Pulling in line. Note thigh high pile of line!

Then we started on the starboard side. Here we were pulling in clumps of line between the lengths stretching miles from the boat! Eventually we had pulled in more than 500 meters and we're still pulling in line from beyond as far as we could see! Not having any idea how much was still out there we gave up and tied it off.

Twisted and tangled from the prop rotation!

Then came the worst! Andre donned his snorkel gear took a knife and went overboard with a safety line tied around his middle so I could pull him aboard if he got into trouble or got left behind. We had dropped the sails to slow the boat as much as we could, but the swell and current still kept it moving!

He started on the starboard side dodging the hull as it bounced up above him, smashing down next to him. He began cutting the line until I could pull the pieces loose on that side!

With priorities there was no time for videos or photos. They would have been awe inspiring, scary! Let me paint the picture; I am standing on the sugar scoop. Andre in the water, I have one foot on his safety line to stop it going overboard and possibly tangling on something and holding him underwater! As the scoop rises on the swell I pull in the problem line, then as the boat falls off the swell and submerges me in swilling water to my knees, I grab onto the boat to hold on, keeping Andre in my sights checking it hadn't landed on him!

Miles and miles of the stuff.

Once that side was loose, he then moved to the other side and sawed and cut line slowly loosening pieces as I pulled the ends aboard. There was one left trailing out to sea and no matter how much I pulled aboard we didn't see the end of it. Offering a silent apology to the sea and to any boats who came after us we had no option but to cut the rest of it loose! Finally we were free!

We got the boat moving and quickly showered the salt water off, we were both drenched!

As we gained motion the last swell rode up the port sugar scoop grabbing our conch shell horn, decoration and sunset herald smashing it against the back and washing it off. King Neptune had reclaimed his shell! 

No! It couldn't be! I realized that not having a following sea I had not closed the porthole above our bed! The one looking out onto the scoop! I raced down to our cabin hoping the wash of water up the scoop had not reached the porthole! No such luck! Our bed was now awash with salt water!

That was it, we had both had enough! A major sense of humor failure, but there was nothing we could do! More than halfway into the journey we had to battle on through the night!

Finally we arrived at Casa de Campo at 0830 the next morning. We called in and said we had only one engine and could we anchor until we had sorted it out! They were great, sent out a dinghy to meet us and escorted us to the small anchorage in front of a private beach edged with mansions!

We secured the boat as quickly as possible and both passed out! Exhausted!

Waking at about 11:30 we made our way over to the marina. We had planned to take a slip for the night to have access to fresh water and hoping for an eventless peaceful sleep! When we enquired about price we were told its 'very very expensive'! So what is the price we asked, we need to come in! Then we were informed that had no place at all, not even for one night! Strange! It did to look full to us.

That was ok we would stay on anchor and leave the next morning! That is not possible, they informed us, we had only been allowed the anchor there to sort out the engine but had to leave before the end of the day! We told them we still had not fixed the engine and possibly needed help! They said there were three anchorages between and hour and two away and we could go slowly along the coast on one engine to reach them but we couldn't stay under any circumstances!

So we once again lifted anchor and set out into the rolling smashing sea! We had decided to go with the swell back west to Ilha Catalina, two hours later we once again dropped anchor settled in, had a sundowner and dinner, watched a movie and slept a deep dreamless sleep.