First the confession. I didn’t set enough scope yesterday. I can blame that on the fact that our chain isn’t yet marked, but that would be another embarrassing admission ( and there it is). As a result of these two mistakes we drug anchor last night. To make matters worse, the direction of travel was towards the pier, the very pier that had been plaguing Victoria’s restless thoughts all night.
So it was that, at 3am, I found myself firing up the engine and raising the anchor. I did a circuit of the cove to reorient against the other vessels and came back surprisingly close to our original spot. This time I wasn’t shy with the chain. Vick and I sat out in the cockpit in the surprisingly warm early morning air and tried to get comfortable with my mistake and subsequent resolution. We returned to our berth and tossed and turned while the boat did the same. I didn’t fall back to sleep after until Ruby called me.
Now for the correction. I don’t think Paradise Cove is so aptly named after all. Sure, it was warm and the air was dry while the rest of the Bay was cool and damp. Sure the sunset was beautiful, and highway noise is blessedly absent. The problem with this anchorage is that it doesn’t have any protection from N through ESE. We had a mere 10-15 knots out of the north last night and the boat was rocking harder that it ever has at any anchorage or mooring. I might stay here again if the forecast predicts W winds, but otherwise i think I prefer the noisier but more protected Clipper Cove anchorage at treasure island.
Some have recommended China Camp, just north of the Richmond bridge. We will have to try that one some day that we can manage and earlier start.