We had a horrible night. The wind continued to blow reaching speeds of 36 knots as we were pushed against the pier by the wind and waves with such force that the cabinetry was creaking and sounded as if it could break at any moment. Worse than that was the stern slap. Every time we were about to doze off, the chop would hit the stern of the boat, lift us along with it, and slam us down making a horrific noise. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much.
With the weather forecasted to worsen over the next couple of days, we hadno choice but to get out of Port Ludlow and make the trip to our winter berth where we’d have better protection. But leaving wasn’t going to be easy. The boat was pushed up tight against the pier, and we risked damaging the hull if we didn’t plan carefully.
Fortunately, the crew from the launch in front of us was still around an doffered to help stave us off the pier as we backed up to leave. David got us out of there with such skill that I could hear their praises once again, but this time, they added their applause. The truth of the matter is,and I don’t say it often enough, David’s a brilliant skipper and does an incredible job of keeping us all safe. He weighs every decision carefully using every available piece of information and tool at his disposal before acting. My opinion and advice are always sought, butI can’t think of many occasions where we’ve disagreed. I suppose I’ve come to take it for granted through the years, even though I know that others aren’t as fortunate.
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