Skabenga Rolls in at Dusk

Most cruisers are cautious.  They scrupulously check weather, and when it came to these passes in The Tuamotus I’ve already written about how we all agonized over what time to arrive for slack tide, making sure we had proper sunlight to navigate the coral heads, etc., etc.  But there are always exceptions.

While Lady Carolina and Exodus were anchored on coral heads near the pass at raroia, we got a radio call from an approaching vessel at dusk.  It was someone we knew, s/v Skabenga, and they said they didn’t want to spend the night outside, so they were coming in, and did we have any advice.  Holy Crap.  Coming through the pass now?  Where are we in the tides?  Is there enough light to see?  Where the hell will they anchor?  Where we were wasn’t exactly an anchorage, maybe they could follow the lighted channel to the town?  If it had been either Carolina or I who had picked up the radio, our responses would have been the same.  Our advice to you is to stay outside for the night and come through the pass in the morning when you can, you know, see.  But it was Tim who was first responder, and to be honest I don’t even really remember what he told them, because I was floored that it wasn’t advice to stay outside.  All I remember are his words at the end, “good luck.” 

So, in they come.  No drama.  They come just inside the pass and drop hook just off the coral shelf inside in I don’t know what depth, but probably pretty deep, since we had circled the area for an hour the day before looking for places to anchor.  In the morning their back end looked like it was situated right on top of the coral.  And after talking to Bruce later, it actually was.  They had a foot or two under their stern.  If it had been us, our saildrives would have been bashing but luckily their configuration is different and their saildrives are actually further forward up their hulls.

When it was light enough, they made their way across the lagoon and were no worse for the wear.  So, what are we all stressing about?