Website entry
S/v Encanto
January 21, 2008Headline: Tropical Storm in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Status Update, no concern warrented
Two weeks ago, a Tropical cyclone rode in from the south, near Fuji, then headed east towards us, but diminished before it could prevail. It was so quick to move and die, that we didn't even catch its name. Designated Tropical Cyclone "F…" was our second cyclone to monitor in the Pacific Region, since Tropical cyclone Daman in December 2007. We have no idea what happen to or where Tropical 'E' occurred in the region.
Today, we are seeing gusts of up to 40 knots mph winds. In the dark of morning, one abandoned, broken mast catch broke off its mooring and slipped pass between four boats, including ours. This was an amazing feat, where it appears that there were no games of bumper boats as it floated down the anchorage. The broken boat is now at the west end of Pago Pago Harbor on the rocks, behind a gigantic barge. We wonder what will become of it? There isn't much of a program for disposing of derelict boats.
At 07:30 AM, a construction barge broke from the shipyard and drifted towards the west end of the harbor. The winds continued to blow between 35 and 45 knots. We woke the girls and asked them to prepare to assist. As good crew, without a whimper, they rose, dressed and awaited orders. We watched as the barge floated towards a small cold molded monohull and towards s/v Thalia. We hailed s/v Thalia as did other boats. No response. Eventually we saw the Captain of s/v Thalia monitoring the situation of the barge from his deck. The rains were light but persistent. The winds continued to gust.
No one lived on the other small sailboat. Its mast lay in the shipyard and we understood that the owners had recently sold it, so it might be considered just a notch above an abandoned boat. The large barge continued to float downstream, eventually snagging on the mooring of the small sailboat. From our vantage point, it was coming dangerously close to rubbing up against the small sailboat. S/v Hot Ice had the phone number of the prior owners who lived ashore and so they were called by cell phone and advised of the situation. We called the shipyard with our cell phone and told them of the eminent danger. Ten minutes later a Harbor Police patrol boat arrived in a gigantic inflatable with four men aboard. With the assistance of the Captain on s/v Thalia, in his dinghy, and the Harbor Police, they were able to hang three large fenders on the sailboat prevent any further damage from the barge.
In the meantime, we called our friend Sam, s/v Purrrfection to let him know of the situation. Sam and his family are living a shore, about a twenty-minute drive from the anchorage. If the barge came loose and the winds shifted, it could blow down on s/v Thalia, s/v Comfy, s/v Purrrfection and s/v Encanto. We decided it was best to alert Sam of the situation, just in case.
Fifteen minutes later, a tugboat arrived to assist. It was able to pull the barge from the small boat. The Harbor patrol dinghy towed the small sailboat to the marina while the tugboat towed the construction barge back to the shipyard. Although the winds continue to gust between 35-45 mph with a wave fetch of 1 to 1-1/2 feet, all is well and we are holding.
Our friends on s/v Hot Ice's who sit on an anchor started to drift during all the morning activities and then their anchor reset and held. In anticipation of the upcoming increased winds, they decided to set out a second anchor, their Danforth, which now securely holds them.
Tomorrow is predicted to bring increased winds of 50 mph and of course, more rain. Ironically, yesterday afternoon the girls and I spent nearly 3 hours filling our water tanks; making use of our six-gallon jugs and many dinghy rides into a nearby water source. With the recent rains and our efforts yesterday, we are overflowing. The Captain declared a Sunday hot shower for everyone. We were very cold after the three hours of manning the water efforts during intermittent light and heavy rain showers and the occasional burst of sun. It was one of those days when the clouds and rainbows played peek-a-boo among the tropical hills.
As the Captain says, "Now we wait for it to blow like stink."