Fat Storm a-brewing

January 5th. Wednesday afternoon. I'm standing on my deck, looking at the super glassy water in the bay, with my celphone pressed up against my ear. I'm calling the Morro Bay Harbor Patrol. The upcoming storm this weekend, the "triple threat, meteorological event of the decade" is getting me worried. How strong IS the wind going to be? Will my anchors hold? These were my thoughts this morning as I read the newspaper.

Harbor Patrol:
"Uhh, yeah our slips are pretty much all taken. The docks are quite full during winter you know. You said your boat was a..."
"A 29 foot sailboat."
"Yeah, see, you could tie up to one of the big fishing boats, but your little boat might get really banged up. It's hard to say. Your call."

I decided to keep my boat in the anchorage. It is time to hold the fort.
There's a few things I could do to minimize any problems. I went in my cabin, underneath the couch, and pulled out my toolbox. Duct tape, knife, hammer - I took these to the bow, and got down on my knees.

Where the anchor line meets the boat is a critical point- the line is constantly rubbing against the bow "chock". In a storm, the friction can get so vigorous that a thick 3 strand rope can get sliced through in a matter of hours. So I learned a trick with my friend Dave, to protect the line from chaffing: put a rubber hose around it. And to make sure it doesn't move around, spiral a whole bunch of duct tape around it.

I hear birds crawking all around me. The egrets, blue herons, and sea gulls of Morro Bay are doing one last Hurra! before the rain quiets them. They fly in convoys, skimming the surface of the glassy bay. There is absolutely no wind- but far away in the distance, beyond the Rock, I see the purple shades of rain, looming. Which reminds me: I need to fix my leaks.

Spreading the Marine Goop stuff all over my hatches, I feel 50/50 that this will help. The water will continue to drip in, I'm sure. The cabin carpets will get soaked, not to mention stinky, so I get them out. I lay towels on all the surfaces. I think it'll be under control.

Tonight, I've got a hot date with Samantha - we're going to eat dinner at Taco Temple and then watch Garden State at her house. I'm already late, but it was worth it. I've got to be able to enjoy our time together, without worrying too much about the boat.