Author: mtashby

Current Position: 33 57.997’S 25 38.094’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 8; TWD: 148; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth): Moored; Total Miles Sailed: 16072 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 36+15+50;
Comments: I woke up at 4:30. At 8:00 they turned the water and I washed the magnesium dust off the boat. With the help of Derek on the boat next to me by 8:30 I had the asymm pulled out and dropped to the deck to be sewn. At 8:45, Andrew came by to give me the parts he had machined. He made four pins, much sturdier than the original. This of course means the part will never break again. By 10:00, I was finished patching the asymm in two places, a tear about 8” long and a small puncture. I checked the latest GRIB and of course it has changed. It still looks I can leave Saturday, but the winds will be lighter and it looks like I might only be able to make it to Mossel Bay. I went grocery shopping and was back at the boat by 13:00. Besides some minor maintenance, all I need to do is organize the boat and I will be ready to leave with the next favorable weather window.

Current Position: 33 57.997’S 25 38.094’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 17; TWD: 153; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth): Moored; Total Miles Sailed: 16072 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 36+15+50;
Comments: I was asleep before dark last night and slept 10h. It looks like the weather gods will not smile on me for a week, so I am going to get some projects done. Today, I need to find a machinist. Also, I am taking advantage of the calm to deploy my asymmetrical spinnaker so it can be repaired. I started with the TillerPilot pin. The threaded stainless rod was fused the bracket. I removed the bracket from the tiller, put it in a vice, and was able to free the threaded rod with the impact wrench. It is 5/16” or possibly 8mm. I am going to use a 5/16” stainless bolt to manufacture a replacement. The bolt will have a ball machined into the end and it will be held on by a nut. “Andrew” came at 10:00 to collect the parts and materials. He is a fellow sailor with a lathe and said he’d hard the parts ready this afternoon. It is beginning to look like my weather window will be Saturday, possible as far as Hout Bay. I met Christine Elizabeth Turner today. She is a volunteer for the 5.80 race and does the interviews of the racers.

Current Position: 33 57.997’S 25 38.094’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 17; TWD: 153; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth): Moored; Total Miles Sailed: 16072 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 36+15+50;
Comments: It is 17:20 and the winds have been lighter than expected … mostly single-digits. I am about 12 nm off the coast with 88 nm to go and I have 3.6 current. Without the current I’d be hardly moving at all. I’m only going to have the current for another 50 nm. It is 19:00 and I am 79 nm away. The current has dropped to 1.4 kt. I may be too close to the shore. I need to change course further S anyway as there is a ship coming up behind me and is too close to my starboard. It is 21:40 and there is a steady 17 kt wind and 1.7 kt current giving a SOG of over 6 with half the Yankee, storm staysail, and a double-reefed main. I have about 65 nm to go. I should arrive mid-morning. I was getting chilled, so ate something light (hard boiled egg and a bowl of noodles) and I feel quite a bit better. Wish I could get more sleep, but ships are passing every 30m and with the shifting wind and current, I cannot trust the windvane. Once I pass the islands W of Cape Padrone (Bird, Seal and Stag), about 30 nm (about 5h), I will change my course to the waypoint. At 1:15 I adjusted the course to be more aligned with the direction of the current and the flow of traffic. Now in a broad reach, the boat slowed down significantly to 4.4 kt. I am 50 nm from the waypoint. Even in a broad reach, I was heading too far offshore, so I tacked. While the course heading pointed me N of the waypoint, the current put me on a course close to the waypoint. There were two problems. First, the SOG dropped to less than 4 kt in the 9 kt wind. Second, I was running perpendicular to the traffic. Fortunately, of the dozen ships within 20 nm, the only one of concern looked like it would pass to my stern in a little over an hour. The only objects of concern were the aforementioned islands about 20 nm away. While the current was pushing me downstream of the islands, I would be out of the current soon, perhaps in 2h. About that time I should also be out of the shipping lane. The wind is supposed to continue to back to around 70 by dawn, so the windvane should guide me closer to the waypoint as it does. Unfortunately, it does not look like I can expect much more wind. At 3:30, the wind unexpectedly backed to 40, allowing me a better TWA and some boat speed. I downloaded the most recent GRIB. The models do not agree, especially with respect to wind speed. It is 4:00 and the 6 kt wind is now blowing from due N. None of the models predict this. It is getting light enough that I can see there are no storms in the area. I transferred fuel to the day tank and there was a little water, less than a cup. Not sure if it was condensation or if it got in the vent while the boat was pitching yesterday. The Racor filter already needs to be changed (I just changed it in Richards Bay). Sunrise was at 5:03. It is 7:00 and I am finally starting to get some wind, 16 kt from 100 and I have 29 nm to go. I have been in contact with John Tudehope from the Algoa Bay YC via WhatsApp and he has been very helpful in arranging for a slip and providing me with instructions. All of the YCs in SA are fantastic. I am motor sailing the last bit in an effort to arrive before the big winds this afternoon. I still have 1.1 kt current towards the waypoint and an AWS of 15. I am averaging 6.2 kt with 20 nm to go at 8:15. I have had to hand steer since I got up at 4:00. This is when I really miss the TillerPilot. I believe I will reach the “safe water bouy” about noon. A few miles out, I will drop the sails and ready the lines and fenders. It is 10:00 and I am 10 nm out. I still have 1.1 kt current towards the port. ETA is 11:30. The wind just started gusting in the mid-20s, so I didn’t make it before the wind began. Fortunately, I will have help at the dock. And it was a good thing. Entry into the harbor was a nightmare with huge waves on the beam. Once inside the marina, there was not mush room to maneuver. Most of the boats were half my size and it took three tries to squeeze my boat into the slip. Half of it was hanging out. But, it is secure. Time to get to work to fix the TillerPilot. It looks like the pin was machined out is a threaded rod, and it has a nut on either side that attached it to the bracket. Unfortunately, the threaded pin is stainless steel and the bracket aluminum, so when I took the busts off, the threaded rod will not come out of the bracket. I am going to try the impact wrench tomorrow. Right now, I am going to get cleaned up and get something to eat.

Current Position: 33 33.890’S 27 24.926’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 5.8; COG: 286; TWS: 11; TWD: 177; Current Speed, 3.7 kt; Current Direction, 270; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth, 286): 90 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 15963 nm; Engine Hours: 330; Estimate Fuel: 51+9+50;
Comments: I got up at 4:30 and started getting ready. It started raining about 5:00 and I waited for it to stop, then called Port Control about 6:00. They were busy with another vessel. It was 7:00’before they had gotten back to me, checked my “flight plan”, and I had weighed anchor. In the basin I raised the main. With the rain, I had forgotten to get the storm sail ready, so had to do that once I left the harbor. It is 7:45, 19 nm to HB1, and the seas are big. I count at least 6 isolated rain storms, all low energy, but the wind is all over the place from 3-18 kt as I pass by them. I am using the TillerPilot as the wind direction and speed are unreliable. There is a 1.5 kn current to the W. I can see I got out of the port just before the tanker Hector N arrived at the pilot point offshore. It is 10:00 and as expected the wind has started to back. By the time I reach HB1 (10 nm away), I should have a good TWA to HB2. At 11:00, 5 nm from HB1, I tacked and made for HB2 in 3.4 kt current. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and was awaken at 11:30 by the sails slatting. There is a special bolt on the tiller that is ground to a ball on the end to which the TillerPilot is attached and it had sheared off, leaving the ball-end in the actuator arm of the TillerPilot. I am without a TillerPilot until I can have another bolt machined. I could probably do it onboard, but never in these sea conditions. This is going to become a serious problem later if I am becalmed and need to motor. I have a decision to make … carry on or stop in PE tomorrow. About noon I contacted the marina at PE and filed an amendment to my Passage Plan. I am going to PE to effect repairs. I have slowed the boat down a bit so I don’t arrive before dawn. The other reason I am diverting is I am not feeling 100%. My stomach is upset. It may have been something I ate.

Current Position: 33 01.449S 27 53.911’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 10; TWD: 220; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 90 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 51+15+50;
Comments: I got up at 4:30 and started getting ready. It started raining about 5:00 and I waited for it to stop, then called Port Control about 6:00. They were busy with another vessel. It was 7:00’before they had gotten back to me, checked my “flight plan”, and I had weighed anchor. In the basin I raised the main. With the rain, I had forgotten to get the storm sail ready, so had to do that once I left the harbor. It is 7:45, 19 nm to HB1, and the seas are big. I count at least 6 isolated rain storms, all low energy, but the wind is all over the place from 3-18 kt as I pass by them. I am using the TillerPilot as the wind direction and speed are unreliable. There is a 1.5 kn current to the W. I can see I got out of the port just before the tanker Hector N arrived at the pilot point offshore. It is 10:00 and as expected the wind has started to back. By the time I reach HB1 (10 nm away), I should have a good TWA to HB2. At 11:00, 5 nm from HB1, I tacked and made for HB2 in 3.4 kt current. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and was awaken at 11:30 by the sails slatting. There is a special bolt on the tiller that is ground to a ball on the end to which the TillerPilot is attached and it had sheared off, leaving the ball-end in the actuator arm of the TillerPilot. I am without a TillerPilot until I can have another bolt machined. I could probably do it onboard, but never in these sea conditions. This is going to become a serious problem later if I am becalmed and need to motor. I have a decision to make … carry on or stop in PE tomorrow. About noon I contacted the marina at PE and filed an amendment to my Passage Plan. I am going to PE to effect repairs. I have slowed the boat down a bit so I don’t arrive before dawn. The other reason I am diverting is I am not feeling 100%. My stomach is upset. It may have been something I ate.

Current Position: 33 01.449S 27 53.911’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 10; TWD: 220; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 90 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 51+15+50;
Comments: It is 17:40, almost sundown and nearly 7h since I set the anchor the last time. The wind has finally settled down, blowing 12 kt from the E (at least the apparent wind direction). It is clear now from Anchor Watch that the anchor has not been dragged in the last 7h. I am sitting almost exactly (within 10’) of where I “dropped” the anchor in the app. I am still seeing some gusts to near 20, but nowhere near the 30+ kt winds of this afternoon. The cargo ship One Mission arrived outside the harbor at 19:00. Port Control informed them the pilot and tugs would bring them in tomorrow morning. Until then, they would drift. This must be the car carrier. It is bigger than the other one, almost 1000’. At around 23:00 the wind started to shift from N to SW and the boat swung 180 degrees on anchor. The wind is light now, probably less than 10 kt, but it is due to increase to the low 20s with gusts in the low 30s by dawn, in other words the same wind strength but in the opposite direction. I won’t know if the anchor is going to hold (after being spun around) until the wind picks up. However, I suspect the anchorage is better shelter from the SW than the NE (as the latter blows straight up the entrance of the harbor). It is 2:15 and the boat is still moving. By 3:30 the boat had stopped moving. I woke at 5:00. The ship MV Yasa Canary (630’) was told by Port Control to be at the “pilot control station” at 6:00. The pilot and tugs will be sent out soon. I have not been asked to move, even though I am much closer to where the ship docks that I was last time I was told to move. The wind is light right now. The pilot Tristan Tern left to meet the ship at 6:15. The tugs Kganya and Lentswe left about 6:25. The two tugs were attached to the ship differently than they were to the Talia, both on the port side of the ship. They will turn the vessel around in the basin and back her in as before. I am just a stones throw from where the stern of the Talia was … so we’ll see how this goes. The pilot returned at 6:45. The MV Yasa Canary looks very different than the Tristan did … more like a conventional cargo ship. It is being turned around in the basin at 6:50. Perhaps I am mistaken about this ship being here to take the cars. I can see now that the MV Yasa Canary is being placed closer to the mouth of the harbor, where the tanker was when I arrived. I am confused because there was a different ship, One Mission, outside the harbor last night, and they were told they would be brought in this morning. That vessel is no longer waiting. The stronger wind gusts began to arrive about 7:00. I contacted Port Control. It seems the vessel that will be picking up the cars will not arrive until Sunday night or Monday, so I may not have to move. I now think the cars were moved early because it is the weekend. I have created a series of waypoints for the passage to Haut Bay: HB1 (33 20.935s 28 05.431e), HB2 (34 08.4425s 26 51.418e), HB3 (35 29.568s 23 51.418e), HB4 (36 23.085s 22 06.734e), HB5 (34 59.383s 18 27.221e), HB6 (34 08.951s 18.18251e), and HB7 (34 04.348 18 20.854e). HB1-HB2 is down the E coast in the current until the dip into PE. HB2-HB3 is continuing in the current until a point where I will need to commit to the rest of the route to Haut Bay or bail for Mossel Bay. HB3-HB4 continues with the current (which may be necessary if as predicted there is no wind N of me). HB4-HB5 is the cut across from the current to the W coast. HB5-HB6 is up the W coast. HB6-HB7 is the short stretch into Haut Bay. The main decision points are HB2 (bail to PE) and HB3 (bail to MB) and whether to cut across at HB4 or HB5. It is noon and as I suspected the terrain is doing a good job blocking the wind, which is 8-10 with gusts of 15 from the SW instead of the predicted 12-23 with gusts of 30. The afternoon was uneventful (anchor-wise), so I went ashore, got cleaned up, returned the key and paid my bill, and filled some water bottles. When I got back to the boat I began to prepare the deck (loaded the RIB, ran jack lines, etc.).

Current Position: 33 01.449S 27 53.911’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 18; TWD: 120; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 90 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 51+15+50;
Comments: I was awake by 5:00. There is no wind and the sky is cloudless. It is looking more probable that I will leave Sunday and possible that I will sail straight through to Hout Bay. I have sent a message to the marina there to confirm a slip is available. I have been studying the weather this morning. I have a bit of a Catch 22. If I leave Sunday, the seas will not have had time to settle down and I would be looking at 12’ waves on the beam until I passed Port Elizabeth, but after that would have good wind all the way to Hout Bay. If I wait until Monday, it would be two good days of sailing before I am becalmed for 24h (before I reach Mossel Bay). As Des frequently reminds me, I cannot rely on forecasts beyond 48h. Unless the forecast changes, I am going to make ready to leave early Monday morning and with a plan to go as far as the weather allows me. After monitoring the the anchor in gusts up to 35 during the past 24h, I decided the anchor was secure and I went ashore for a shower and then took an Uber to the museum. I was at the museum for 5m when I received WhatsApp message from Major Tom telling me my boat was dragging. I rushed back to find it dangerously close to the cameraman Kalim. I quickly got back to the boat and repositioned it further down the river (upwind). I don’t understand the anchoring situation here. The boat turned last night as the wind shifted from the SW to the NE, but it stayed in the same spot (within a radius of 10’) for 6h. I simply will not be able to leave the boat again while at this anchorage. I set the anchor again, the boat stayed in the same spot for 30m, then it suddenly started to drag again. I tried to pick a different spot and payed out more chain at 11:40. The wind was blowing at 20 with gusts in the high 20s. It was blowing straight up the river, causing significant chop. I had to reset the anchor again at 12:10 … this time even further upwind and with practically all 350’ of chain. I received an e-mail from John at Port Elizabeth and he suggested I leave Sunday, skip PE, and head straight for Haut Bay. At 12:30 there was a sustained period of 30 kt wind and the anchor held fast. They are lining up more Mercedes Benz cars and vans on the jetty, which means another ship is coming tomorrow. I really hope they don’t make me move. It is 13:10 and the anchor seems to still holding fast in 25-30 kt wind in that I gave not been pushed closer to the marina, although I may be closer to the shore now. A new GRIB became available at 14:00. There were no significant changes. A departure Sunday morning might get me to Hout Bay (630 nm) early Friday morning. It is 16:10 and it is clear the anchor has not dragged in the last 4h. The boat is closer to the jetty, but that is because the wind has backed more to the N.

Current Position: 33 01.433’S 27 53.843’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 9; TWD: 195; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 180 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 321; Estimate Fuel: 58+10+50;
Comments: The Talia is offloading vans, probably Mercedes manufactured somewhere else for South Africa, before loading the sedans. The 30 kt gusts came about 3:00. The chain got stretched out in a new direction, but the anchor seems to be holding. I still don’t have the bridle on (in case I had to move the boat fast), but I will put it on in the morning. It is 5:30, a half hour after sunrise, and the anchor held overnight. The wind will not be a strong today as it was last night, so I am confident enough to leave the boat to do some shopping. At 5:50 the Port Control contacted Talia and told them the wind was 30 kt offshore, too strong to pilot out the vessel. At 7:00, convinced the anchor was finally going to hold, I deployed the bridal. I went for a “spa day” and shopping today. The Talia was guided out of the harbor at 16:00. I have been studying the weather patterns on the south coast. While the windows to Port Elizabeth have been narrow, the windows for the rest of the way to Cape Town appear to be longer. It seems to me that a departure on Sunday midday and motoring early on and later when I am about 50 nm from Port Elizabeth would put me into a nice westerly wind pattern that would be strong except perhaps Tuesday night that could see me into Hout Bay Thursday morning.

Current Position: 33 01.433’S 27 53.843’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 9; TWD: 195; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 180 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 321; Estimate Fuel: 58+10+50;
Comments: i woke up at 6:00 this morning, well after sunrise. Must still be catching up with my sleep. I was harassed by mosquitos during the night, probably because the air was so still. Will set up the netting tonight. The automobile ship has not arrived by 7:00. I heard second hand it was supposed to come today. I finished fixing the lazarette cover. It feels solid now. It will be very light winds today. The next buster arrived tonight, but will be gone in 24h. Unfortunately, the northerlies will also be short-lived and the next buster arrives Saturday morning. The fair weather looks too short-lived to make my way to Port Elizabeth. However, Monday midday looks good with favorable weather lasting 48h, more that enough time to travel the 130 nm to Port Elizabeth, the first 90 of which will have favorable currents (before the Agulhas Current continues S as I bear W). At 10:30 the wind changes directions unexpectedly. The wind was supposed to back from the SW to the S, but the boat spin around 180 degrees with a strong gust of wind that felt like it was from the E (down stream). I suspect the wind is being redirected in unexpected directions by the landscape (river, hills, etc.). I radioed Port Control at 11:00 to learn when the ship is expected and whether I would need to move. I was told the ship was due 14:00 and I should stay with my boat and monitor 12 to learn if it would be necessary to move. In the meantime I have been monitoring the anchor since I was spun around 30m ago and see no evidence the anchor is dragging. I suspect all my chain has sunk into the silt. I am just doing routine maintenance on the boat now. I found the bucket my running back stays were stored in in a cockpit lazarette was full of seawater and the blocks, cams, and snap shackles were covered in salt and seized up. I soaked them in fresh water for a bit and was able to work everything free. I turned the j strummers on at 11.10 and the apparent wind is blowing SW 10 kt. I e-mailed the Gqeberha Yacht Club in Port Elizabeth (John,082 854 3961, john@gatewaypm.co.za) and alerted them to expect me Tuesday and was told they have room and I would be given help docking. I am to file a flight plan and send John a WhatsApp message before leaving East London. At 11:30 a boat came aside and I was told I would have to move my boat because they were afraid of the ship’s backwash. I reset the anchor about noon and am monitoring the placement. The wind is currently 10 kt from the S, but I am expecting gusts of 30 kt tonight. That will be the real test. I am hoping the ship will have come and gone by then in case I need some room to maneuver. I monitored 12 and heard the vessel communicating with Port Control. It is the Talia (656’). It was interesting to watch the process on AIS. First the pilot ship Tristan Tern met the Talia about 3 nm out, then the pilot was replaced with the tugs Kganta (that took up a position in the stern) then Lentswe (the port side) about 1.5 nm out. There are two turning basins in the river. I am effectively anchored in one of them, the one further from the sea. the tugs turned the ship around in the one closest to the sea before backing in to the jetty with the cars. This is why one of the tugs was on the port side, because the Talia ended up facing the sea and moored to the starboard. The row of cars is 50 long and 2 wide, so 100 cars. I downloaded the latest GRIB at 16:00. Not much has changed … Monday still looks good for a departure to Port Elizabeth.

Current Position: 33 01.433’S 27 53.843’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 9; TWD: 195; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 180 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 321; Estimate Fuel: 58+10+50;
Comments: I had my morning tea, then stowed the storm sail, sheets, and lines before starting my punch list for East London. The main issues are the sewing of the mainsail and fix the hinge of the cover of one of the lazarettes in the cockpit (screws for the hinge have stripped out of the wood). The rest is routine maintenance. There is no office at the marina, just a bar, where I can go to get a key for the gates. However, the bar is not open on Mondays. No worries, was not planning to go anywhere today. I was resting below and a little after noon I hear a horn go off. My neighbor was warning me that my anchor was dragging. It had not dragged the past 18h, but somehow the hold broke loose. It took me three tries to reset the anchor before it took hold in the mud, but when I tried to set it, it dragged again. It is 13:20 and I have dropped the anchor again, this time further upwind. I am going to give it an hour to settle in the mud before I try to set it. It dragged too badly so I had to reset it about 14:00. It is now 17:30 and the anchor has held 3.5h. I have the entire 350’ of chain out, a 10:1 scope. It has been gusting 30 kt, funneled up the river by the breakwaters. Fingers crossed it will continue to hold. I will set 1h alarms tonight to check. It is 20:00 and the anchor is still holding. However, the wind has decreased significantly and it is slack (high) tide. The wind is veering from the NE to the SW overnight. I have taken this into account when anchoring. It seems to me that if there is an issue it will come up in the early morning hours. I am setting an alarm at 2h intervals to check on anchor drag. At 20:45 the wind was from the SSW. Around midnight there was little wind and the boat floated around in various directions, but by 3:00 the wind had shifted and the boat had swung 180. The anchor presumably also swung and I was concerned that it was dislodged. It was hard to tell if the boat was dragging the anchor. I assumed there was a lot of chain in the mud as well and it was taking time to settle down. I assumed the boat should shift 600’ downstream, but instead it was only about 100’ downstream at 3:30. At 4:00 the boat’s position was still moving downstream, presumably as the chain played out. I got up at 6:30, an hour and a half after sunrise. The winds are supposed to be from the SW today with gusts to 25. The winds will lighten up tonight and be very light tomorrow. I am staying on the boat again today. If the anchor stays fast today, I know it will be okay tomorrow, then I may go ashore to get a shower, do some laundry, and do some shopping. Today, I am going to focus on the repairs. I filled the screw holes with some epoxy containing 302 filler and I found some longer screws. While that was curing I got to work sewing the mainsail. I broke the other half of the speedy stitcher needle immediately, so had to stitch the baton pocket by hand. After finishing it, I was not up to try and tackling the grommet reinforcement patches that are coming loose. Since the patches are in the middle of the sail and I do not reef the middle of the sail, they are not critical. I will wait until Cape Town when I can take the mainsail down and do a thorough assessment and repair. The epoxy was not fully cured after an hour … may not have used enough catalyst. I will let it dry overnight. Pretty much everything else on my punch list is routine maintenance (grease the porthole o-ring seals, etc.). It is almost 11 and the boat has not moved the past 7h since the wind shifted. However, the winds have been single-digits. The wind is picking up now and is supposed to gust 25 this afternoon. They have lined 100 Mercedes Benz cars up on the dock. Apparently, a ship is coming tomorrow to take them to the US. I am hoping I do not need to move my boat. I went ashore briefly to get a shower and check in. There is ZERO cost for using the facilities while at anchor.