23 May, 2010

The fleet is in port

I decided to go into the harbour of Kalimamos quite early in the afternoon. I had had a great sail from Meganise but the weather was still overcast and slight rain was still falling. The harbour is quite narrow with a newish breakwall. The pilot warned that there were rocks on the inside of the wall and caution should be used when going stern too the breakwall. I decided I would go bow too and drop my kedge anchor in the harbour and run the rode from the stern. The bow would be against the breakwall and hopefully the keel would be far enough off the wall to clear the rocks. I lined up the position on the wall went ahead and threw the anchor off the stern. Everything went according to plan and I was tied up and welcomed before I knew it.
Soon after securing myself a small wooden yacht entered the harbour and decided to repeat my mooring technique. His approach run was not well executed because it started well over my anchor line. When he threw his anchor over the stern it was well over my anchor rode. I pointed this out to him however his response was: he had not yet let go the rode so it was not across my anchor. Was I just stupid and he knew what he was doing. I watched as they secured their little vessel bow to the break water about six boat widths from Malua.
The fleet then started to enter the harbour. Sailing Holidays flotilla of 14 boat started to come into port. The first vessel dropped their stern anchor alongside mine and came up to the breakwater bow first, just on my port side. It was executed perfectly under the guidance of the fleet leader, a competent Kiwi. The next vessel repeated the manoeuvre, then the next and again the next. By the time the space was filled between Malua and the tiny wooden boat six anchor rodes had crossed his anchor. At which point he could take it no more and approached the fleet leader complaining. I must say I could not hold back repeating his words back to him that he knew what he was doing and was he in fact stupid to position is anchor blocking the mooring for six vessels. The fleet leader assured him come the morning all would be sorted.
He left before the fleet left port untangling his rode by using his RIB.
I must say the fleet leader did an excellent job in getting all the fleet into the small port without a single raised voice.

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