6 April 2010
I refer to the boat, not our livers! After a stressful 24hours, the first being at anchor on Ua Huka where all night we could hear the surf pounding on the rocks behind us and the wind gusting from the high mountain range that surrounded the bay.
At 5.30 am we looked across to Ronja. Like us, they were up and also like us eager to leave. Dreamcatcher were also awake and we set out a threesome. The swell was high and the wind still blowing from the east. The plan had been to go to an anchorage in the north of Nuku Hiva for shelter from the wind and swell. However halfway across Dreamcatcher lost all steering. Being nearest to them we circled around them under engine for the hour that it took them to connect up the emergency steering. Failing that we would have taken them in tow but with a big sea running not the easiest of manoeuvres.
We motored the last 20 miles to Baie de Taiohae on the south coast being the main harbour of the island, Dreamcatcher following closely in our wake. Ronja went in ahead and gave them assistance to drop the anchor.
A couple of hours later I thought I could hear a lot of water sloshing about in the bow section of our boat. At first I thought it was just the water rushing past the hull, a sound we are so used to hearing it but then it sounded much too near. I lifted the carpet and hatch opposite the forward heads and was horrified to see it full of water right up to the level of the floorboard. David tasted it. Our worst fear was confirmed. It was salty. We bailed like crazy and once we saw that the level was going down, then started to look elsewhere. The under floor of the fore cabin was also full of water and the lockers under the bunks packed with downies were all saturated with sea water. We were baffled and started to suspect that it might be the anchor wash and that it might have been going on for some time as we do not often go up in the bow section.
Once we had everything dry we were all over the front compartment with the torch but could not see anything amiss. It was dark by this time and our dinner ashore with A Lady, Dreamcatcher, and Ronja had to be cancelled. We mopped up for two hours, and once happy that there was no further ingress of water, poured ourselves a stiff drink, had a snack and fell into our bunk exhausted. In the morning the lockers were still dry but we had to rinse the seawater from everything that had been wet, three quilts, the carpet in the lockers and on the floor. It took most of the day and Voyageur looked like a Chinese Laundry! Thank goodness it was a dry day with a nice drying wind to go with it. It still remains a mystery as to what caused it. It could be one of many things and we will now spend our time here checking things out.
Once again divine providence was working for both Dreamcatcher and Voyageur. For Dreamcatcher that they had the searoom when they lost their steering, and for us that we did not discover our own plight until within the safe confines of a safe and calm anchorage......
Susan Mackay