I flipped a coin 5 times this morning trying to decide to go to Tahiti or not, and 5 out of 5 times told me to go to
I’m in a beautiful anchorage; however I almost lost my boat today!
The wind has been screaming and I decided to pull into the Ahi Atoll (Tuamotos).
Pulling into an atoll can be tricky business as currents can easily overpower your boats engine and put you on a reef. I did all the research possible and entered the atoll at exactly 20 minutes before slack tide. I couldn’t see my charts on my navigation computer as my monitor only stays on for a moment before turning off and I couldn’t take my hand off of the helm because of the extreme current.
Once I was in the pass a cloud bank hid the sun from me making visual navigation impossible. I don’t care what the GPS told me it was not slack water. There was a 5 + knot current in the pass that took control of Namaste and pushed her into a reef. I had the throttle as far down as it would go and the helm hard to starboard but she would not respond.
Why was this current here, it should be slack?
Namaste came down hard on a coral head and rolled off to the port side, I managed to get her pointed into the current again and left the reef at a whopping .2 of a knot using full steam. My hands were shaking, and my heart in my throat, I didn’t want to loose my boat. This is the 3rd time I’ve lost control of Namaste. The first was during hurricane Isabel, the second in a 60 knot “Choko Sano” off the coast of
I haven’t dived to look at damage. I can’t see any water entering the boat and will dive on her tomorrow. The wind is howling from the east and its raining hard. I wish I was at sea and never visited the Ahi Atoll.
I’m a little shook up and going to Contigo for dinner and drinks.
Peace, love, and thank God I still have my boat.
– Alex
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