Rebel Anchor

We exist here in the year of our demise 2024 and I have been chained to land too long. The weight of life dragged me to the floor and my batteries empty. Yet there I was. Here I was.

Three days of work, the last with my usual no sleep. Aeras was loaded and Bella gazed at me apprehensively as I put her in the truck and headed to the Marina. She gazed out the truck window as rain pelted down the windows and a hint of thunder could be heard in the distance. Ominous overtones for a day set to start a journey.

All things bend and hold sway to the will of The Great Magnet. My iron heart was drawn to the turbulent ocean. It was never a question of if I would go, more of a logistical choice of how the journey was to be made.

I settled Bella into her Floof on the boat knowing the Starboard side would be the low side. She can see me better from there and I can feel her eyes steadily watching me move about the cockpit as the mighty Yanmar 2G gurgled and spit to life. The lines unbent and clouds sped overhead in an eery quiet. We were sheltered from the wind for now, but its fury was there lying in wait.

I contemplated putting a reef in as a light rain drifted around us in the channel. A pale light snuck between the clouds casting a glow across the water. We put the docks around the corner and was treated with a view of the marsh. The winds were scheduled to be around 22 knots. Nothing too big. One foot swells at 5 second intervals. I have been in worse. Against the tide and upwind even. I had the head for this.

I turned in the channel and was treated with the fury of the weather. We heeled over 35 degrees under bare poles and I throttled up to keep steerage and stay in the channel. I glanced in at Bella who was steadily keeping her eyes on my as I worked methodically. Looks like the reef was going to be a good idea again. Onward and up.

As we left the channel and I glance windward I saw deep grey black clouds driving towards us. I lashed the tiller and made sure she held. I made my way forward and set the reef and raised the mainsail. Aeras held. A tougher lady than she looks like most of the women in my life. I smiled, released the foresail, and turned the heading towards Plum Gut.

I balanced the sails as best as I could under variable winds. The direction changed and the current surged and sagged. A tricky mix to navigate. I could feel the strength of it through the tiller. One of the reasons I prefer a tiller to a wheel. I can feel every nuance through the tiller. Under sail it is the pulse of my lady. She quickens and I can feel her and together we navigate the waters of life.

I saw two of the Duck Island Racers out with their black foresails out heading downwind. I didn’t recognize the boats, but other than them we had the water to ourselves. My mind tried to jump ahead to jump ahead to Plum Gut Channel, but I reined it in. I had timed it to try to hit slack tide. It can get squirrelly there in bad weather. Add in a foul tide and it can get ugly. Very ugly. I dialed it in and checked the wind vane. I would get to that ugliness soon enough. There was plenty of other things to bring me back to the present. No sense in worrying over a place we weren’t at yet.

As we hit the mid channel marker I hit my stride. Solid beam reach. Waver coming across the beam splashing my rain gear now. A larger wave every fifth set or so. Winds gusting over 20 or so. My hands remained steady on the tiller and I snaked through it all with a glance at the compass pointing me along. Bella slept fitfully on her floof. She was unconcerned. Tiny, and fearless.

I was making good time. Better than expected. GPS had the speed over ground varying from 6.5 to 8.5 as gust pummeled us. I was tuned in to the slight hesitation in the wind right before a heavier gust slammed into us. I wiggled Aeras into the wind or off depending on what the swells were doing. Holding as close to the line as I could manage. Dialed in now. My blood humming along with the waves and wind.

The storm looming over us moved off and the clouds remained outpacing us on their journey to parts unknown. Nothing to concern those of us that move through life like the wind. We move till we break on the mountains, or die off quietly to be a breeze that just reminds you that life is here. Life is now.

A glance at the chart told me we were going to hit Plum Gut much earlier than expected at the peak of the incoming tide. The tiller was pushing against my hand hard but Aeras wasn’t trying to round up into the wind. It was a strong tide. I was going to fight and claw through the gut but the tide was going to drive me through the channel while the wind tried to drive me into the rocks at the lighthouse. I adjusted the sails a bit and turned closer on a heading to Plum Island. I would be driving towards a Lee shore on an Island that I avoided at all costs because Bella is with me. I was told if I run aground there and Bella is with me she will be destroyed. I would rather be broken to pieces on the rocks than go through that. But inching closer to Plum gives us enough room to maneuver and swing clear of the rocks. It also gave us breathing room for an emergency. I always like to plan for an unexpected emergency. It also gave me more room to swing behind the lighthouse and turn on a downwind sail.

I leaned forward towards the cockpit as the radio came alive. A cargo ship was crossing in front of the channel and was hailing a large yacht heading the opposite way. I refocused on balancing the swells and the variable winds as they made plans to cross Port to Port and oddly enough the cargo ship altered course as it had more room to maneuver. I looked over and saw the yachts only option was to move closer to shore. The southbound ship could ease over into the channel over.

As I entered the channel it became a washing machine. I hit the intersection of turbulent water trying to go through the channel in two directions and the whirlpools where they collided. Wind accelerating over Plum Island laid us over to 45 degrees or more. The rail was buried in the wash and I turned more upwind. The rails eased up and Bella opened her eyes briefly and then continued napping unconcerned.

The radio chattered again and the Coast Guard was calling out to a fishing vessel in the area. Then another. No response from the fishing vessel. More likely their radio was off. Two boats were just off Plum Island and I assumed they were getting too close to it for the Coast Guard’s comfort. I laughed when I realized that I felt light. My mind which had been layered with thoughts and worries was quiet. A storm raged around me yet the storm that was ever present in my mind was silent. The calm that arrives after deep weather. We turned the corner of the point and I let the sails loose. The wind was behind us now and the tempo changed and the wind quieted. No better example of life than going from a Reaching Or upwind sail against the tide than turning downwind and with the swell. All was quiet and the sun peaked out. I lashed the Tiller as Bella woke up and began to make frustrated hooting sounds at me. I hooked up her harness and tethered her to the boat. She settled down to enjoy the rest of the sail.

I realized that I was going to be able to navigate the channel without taking the sail down. The sun was out. The water remained devoid of other craft. We were alone. We were free. What a life.

I passed the Greenport lighthouse and turned down the last leg of the sail. As we hit the last channel to get to Townsends I turned downwind briefly and dropped the foresail. I flipped the motor on and idle as we were being carried by the tide.

We arrived almost two hours earlier than I expected. The Marina was mostly empty except for one other occupied boat. We slid into our slip and tied off. We arrived.