Saturday 1 June 2019 – Patalas Island

Up at about 8am and the weather looks fine, so we decide to leave.  We have a quick breakfast and get the boat ready.  Richard cannot work out how to connect to the water supply.  So we were about to leave without topping up the water when our really nice Norwegian neighbour helped us out with his connector. So we are set up for a few more days.
Taking up the anchor was a bit of a surprise.  It was difficult to bring up and for a moment I thought we may have crossed anchors with another boat.  But no, it was hard to take up (the windlass was straining) because it was so well set that when it did come up it was just a ball of thick mud covered with a plastic bag! It took ages and a boat hook to clear it.  Then as we left the harbour the wind came up and was on the beam for a change, so we put up the sails.  Regrettably about 5 minutes later the wind dropped and went on the nose!  So we motored for the first hour and a half when the wind did properly get up to a force 4.   So out came the mailsail and the Genoa and off went the engine.  From there on we sailed all the way with the wind increasing to a Force 5 and nearly over as we arrived.

The passage on the way was a bit interesting too.  Richard had plotted a course between islands to get here.  But the line of his plot went through several of the biggest fish farms we have ever seen.  One went on for a least 2 miles, maybe more.  At one point I wondered if they had stuck the tanks in the entrance to this anchorage too, but they didn’t.

We also had a visit from a dolphin.  Richard saw it rise near the boat, but by the time I saw it, it was swimming away from us.

This anchorage is the middle of nowhere.  Other than a couple of industrial or farming buildings, there is nothing here at all. Also it is not nearly so sheltered as we hoped.  We are tucked in where the book shows, but we keep getting knocked about by 15-18 knots winds.  Luckily our anchor seems to be holding well.  But with the howling wind and the motion and worry about the anchor I am not sure how much sleep we will get.  Richard wanted to come here to star gaze, but he has just been out and not seen anything!

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