Hello everyone this is Shane again and this week I had to use my National Park Service assigned spot for the first time. Tropical Storm Isaac passed within a hundred miles of the Virgin Islands and produced 40 knot winds here.
I did not necessary need to go hide from this one, but I wanted to test out my spot and how I had planned to tie it down while it was not such a big deal. The NPS has put down a one inch chain that you attach to using a ¾ inch shackle. My plan was to use my one inch dock lines on the bow and my anchor rode rope for the stern making a four point tie up.
If I have to do it again I think I will use the same system, but point my bow out and get 60 foot long lines for the bows (I used 40 foot) so the boat can ride up and over any swell. Other than that I like the layout and the spot (other boats are fairly close though).
It was pretty cool to look out and see a 10 foot surf pounding the point a mile away and be sitting tucked away with only six inch waves. There was even a good surf hooking around the corner of the creek I was in, but the small reef dissipated it very quickly.
I asked my two person charter (you will read her blog next week) if they wanted to come aboard early and ride the storm out. Since they are looking to buy a boat and sail around, they jumped at the opportunity to see a boat ride out a storm. It was a fun relaxing time as we talked, swam, and napped the day away. We talked about staying an extra day to let everything settle down, but I guess we got restless because we unhooked and were cresting 10 foot waves as we went from the south side to the north side of St John. Once we got to the west end it flattened out and was great. We even had dinner ashore at Caneel Bay, who got made because I took one of the blue concession moorings instead of the regular white mooring. They explained the difference to me in the morning and told me I had to move even though there were still five moorings available for commercial boats. I understood I was in the wrong, but they seemed rather rude about it. Oh well.