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.
WOW—that is beautiful Tommy,,,,,I haven’t been talking but have been following closely,,,,stay safe
Really gorgeous site.
“This is a fitting place to be the last anchorage for Arctic Solo Sail 2009.”
There will be a 2010 version, I hope?
Cap’n Tommy, thank you for taking us this far with you. Rest well and please keep us updated. Looking forward to resuming the journey.
Cheers,
Will
What a breathtaking sight! The gentle stillness of the air, the quiet onset of dusk, aptly fitting for Cap’n Lem’s peaceful rest. Thankyou so much for sharing your journey. I look forward to the arctic passage next summer, M.
Tommy,
I have been been checking on your adventure nearly daily all summer. I live in Mpls, MN and sailed Lake Superior quite a bit (mostly out of Bayfield, WI). Also on Huron & Michigan and much of it solo.
I have learned that knowing when to say ‘when’ is one of the most difficult skills to attain. You never know if it was the right choice until it is too late. Either you charge on and get into a situation you would have preferred to avoid- or you hang tight and find out that you missed the perfect conditions to bring you to your next destination.
I see Fiona is held up in Resolute as the passage has not yet cleared of ice. You may not be the only one held out of the passage in 2009.
Thank you for taking so many of us with you on your trek through the lakes and up the coast. Who would of thought so many of us would fit on a 31′ boat? Looking forward to coming aboard again in 2010.
Nick
All of us, myself plus all of those to whom I have shown the printouts of your blog, have enjoyed “being aboard.” We look forward to continuing the journey next year.
Tommy,
What a spectacular anchorage to be your last of the year. It sounds like you’ve made a wise decision and will in turn give your followers something to look forward to next summer!
Many blessing to you in all your adventures!
The Team at
Peter James Creative Studio
Thank you for the journey. We’ve enjoyed it all. Take care and keep in touch.
Love, Gayla & Johnny
tommy,
it sounds like you have a nest for “LEM” to rest this winter.
sounds good.
you were the one with the sense to pull into astoria one “dark and stormy night”.
if Nick from Minneapolis could contact me @capt_bruce@hotmail.com i would be happy to talk with a fellow landlocked sailor.
good call tommy.
capt bruce
Arctic Solo Sail 2009 - The Eastbound Adventure
Arctic Solo Sail 2010 - The Westbound Adventure
It fits and it gives all of us another year to look forward to reading and looking at your pics. If you spend some of the interim here in PA and need another Gopher or whatever feel free to contact me at my e-mail. I’m the guy with 1,948 days @ sea on cruise ships tending to computers onboard.
Meanwhile I see your decision not as ending something early but rather as opening a whole new window to extending it in new directions. Sail on to a busy ten months of preparations and expectations. I’ll bet this will give you time to find aspects of the trip that never would have happened otherwise.
I have been following your adventure near daily and thrill when you mention lady love (the tall ship Lady Washington as I rolled the oakum for the corker (caulker) in 1989 that made her ready for the seas. I especially enjoy your writings as they are so descriptive and stir the blood of this 81 year old salt who worked aboard the USMS NORTH STAR and sailed to St Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea in 1947 under Catain Salenjus. Warm regards and best wishes. Ken L.