Tuchialic Bay with some luck

This is a 60nm run to an anchoring hole, before a big blow comes. We will crosses several uncharted areas, this means we are guessing the bottom and keeping a very strong eye out fr rocks and bergs. The day starts well, up earlier than normal, and we sail off the anchor and slide silently out between the island channels, a few dolphins a few small bergs bits and still blue sky. The world is feeling very isolated up here. But our little boat is definitely doing a good job of keeping us safe and sleeping well. The day goes well but we are on a tight schedule to arrive before dark, in what is, as always, a strange anchorage. We experience winds up to 35knots and as low as zero. We are behind schedule and resign ourselves to arriving in the dark. After rounding Jigger island and final headland un named and un charted. We are head to wind to make our coarse. The wind has already changed and is definitely about to settle in for a storm. It is more than 25knots and the only way to make progress for the last 10 miles is to motor sail, this is a good opportunity to cook tea. The bay is without detail until we get to bear island and the entrance to to small bay. We set off on port tack and decide to tack and make our entrance along the small charted area near to bear island. All seems very sensible. Tea finished, the wind has got up some more and darkness is here. The surrounding area is all mountain and the feeling in the dark is quite ominous. These simple things make me think it would be best to tack and get under the mountains for the run in and one final tack into the bay. GPS radar all doing overtime. We tack close in and punch along the coast under a big bark shadow of the mountain eventually we are able to tack into the narrow entrance to the bay, hopefully keeping the dry wreck on or port side. Our engine would not be able to punch against these conditions so this is a sailing exersize .
The wind is funnelling out and across the bay, the moon is now behind a cloud and it is totally dark. Our whole plan is based on a paragraph written in a guide book and look at the chart. Seems a bit flimsy at this moment. I have earmarked a spot to anchor and I’m praying the anchor grabs first time. Tarquin heads to the foredeck in his life jacket clipped on and very secure. It would be some mission to do a single handed man overboard in these conditions. In essence we sail into the anchor position 8metres deep and hoping for a muddy grab as the the boat peels off i the wind after the drop. We put out 30 metres to start. Boom it’s a great grab and we let out a further 30 metres the wind is definitely coming. Boat lights on we have a tidy up in the whistling wind then inside for a b ever before bed. Tarquin party shot before bed, wow that was stressful. Over night the wind stays steady at 35kts with some gusts over an 40. The trusty Rocna is buried and does not move an inch. The next day the wind howls all day and we are stuck indoors reading and cooking a roast dinner. Normal sailors life.

On the second day morning it’s time to leave and head north again. There is a nasty surprise awaiting. It’s clear and blue with a nice breeze. I set a coarse up through the narrow charted area next to bear island. We are flying along at 7 knots i decide to scan the path ahead with binoculars. It’s a perfect sailing day and what could go wrong. Well the route we are on has a totally dry uncharted reef in the charted area it is 1 metre out of the water and runs half a mile straight out to sea. Quick change of plan and we do a 5 mile detour. Had we carried on with that plan of entry the night before, we would not have seen it and would have hit the rocks in the dark. A good reminder of how bad the surveys here are. Luck again.Read more