Day five, and the plan is to reach Dartmouth later this morning for safe shelter from a big storm that’s due soon. The forecast keeps changing but the latest is that it will arrive this afternoon with up to 70 knot winds, and we can’t be on the high seas in such strong winds.
The day begins with a gentle wake up from the morning watch crew for breakfast at 7:20am. The only breakfast option is cereal until Patrik the engineer locates the correct circuit breaker to reset the toasters.
I’m on watch at 8 as we continue the journey to Dartmouth. Light wind, not too cold. I ask about the instruments in the wheel house and see the radios, the radar, the old fashioned looking barometer. We take a reading. It’s dropped 2mbar in under an hour. The wind is picking up.
The storm has arrived early. The captain has been on the radio to Dartmouth discussing how we will moor in these winds. We need to be there before the wind grows strong enough for them to close the harbour.
10am. They’ve closed the harbour. Our only option now is to head for Tor Bay and anchor off shore. The wind is gusting up to 35 knots. We head to Tor Bay and anchor off shore.
