The four of us had spent the week of Thanksgiving at the island. The weather had been crisp, cold and clear and as always this time of year the Isthmus was almost empty. There were probably 20 boats in the Isthmus and maybe 30 over at Cat Harbor.
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We had a nice Thanksgiving meal at the Harbor Reef and it had been pleasant enough to eat at the patio outside. The trip was winding to a close when the weather report indicated we had some weather headed our way. We started packing up, getting the sail covers off, bending the sheets back on.
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The weather was still beautiful And we weren't in any particular rush. Most of the other boats in the harbor had left earlier. My better half rowed ashore to give Roxi the Klee Kai one more walk before we left. She ran into Teresa one of our islander friends. Teresa asked "So you're going to stay then?" The mate replied no, we all have to get to work tomorrow. Teresa's eyes widened, "You need to go now!"
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We powered out through the fairway as we raised the main and unfurled the jenny. By the time we cleared the reef and passed Ship Rock we were rail down doing 6 knots. Still a little bit cold but a beautiful day. As we left Catalina behind the funneling effect of the island diminished. Swell was a soft 3 to 5 ft. The wind was a little lighter and now coming from our port stern quarter. We were able to ease off the sheets and we are still flying along. Both dinghies were surfing.
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Way off to windward we could see a black wall extending across the horizon. After a couple of hours of a beautiful sail that black wall had become more distinct, but still appeared to be in the far distance. The crew expressed some concern but the captain said no, we are well ahead of it. Another hour passed and the wind had lightened even more. The sun was out and we were taking our jackets off and enjoying the day. Our speed had dropped down to about three and a half knots.
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It looked like we were coming in a little low on the course to the mainland. That black wall only looked a little closer. We are still moving, no need to turn on the engine. At this point we are definitely coming in low. Must be more drift than I figured due to a week's worth of extra gear and too much turkey. I adjusted the course by about 10 degrees. While I was making the minor adjustment to the sails I noticed we were getting a few raindrops. My daughter was already down below passing out the foul weather gear and closing the cockpit ports. The mate made a comment about not quite beating the storm. I guess it's her job to keep the captain humble.
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The wind had started to get a little gusty but the rain increased and increased again and then turned into a deluge. What was at first just the soft hissing of rain on the water turned into an absolute roar. Our visibility dropped down to a hundred yards. We were still making pretty good headway. It crossed my mind that my dad had said they used to throw buckets of water on old sails to make them more effective. We maintained our course but I no longer could see the mainland or more importantly the point. Both the swell and the wind were picking up dramatically and if anything it was raining even harder. The sea started to whip up with whitecaps. I noticed that the increasing swells had started to hump up indicating we were in shallower water. Damn, I don't think we're going to make the point. I hardened up on the course and the crew pulled in the jenny and the main. With the main sheeted in the rain was like a waterfall dumping into the cockpit. Even with that large cockpit drain the water was up to my ankles. How could I have miscalculated the course so badly. I looked a astern and saw the probable cause. Both dinghies were full of water. Instead of towing 200 lb I was towing 2,000 pounds. The stern was already sitting low with the cockpit full of water but I made the decision to get the engine going which would push the stern down even more. We were rail down with the engine at full speed and the boat felt terribly sluggish. The swell is now coming in on our port bow. In the troughs I can see kelp fronds spread out. We still haven't cleared the point. I can't see it and I can't hear it but I know it's there. As we rise to the crest of another white capped swell we hear a loud bang like a gunshot from down below. The old girl is straining under the load. I glance astern and consider casting off the dinghies. I can't see far ahead but it looks like the swells drop off if we can only make it over three more swells I think we will be clear. We made it a little further and the kelp disappeared from the troughs. We eased the sails and fell off the wind. I had the crew quickly snub the dinghies tight to the stern. With a 3/4 following sea all we would need would be for the dinghies to dive bow under and it would stop us like a sea anchor. As we approached the harbor the rain begin to ease a bit and visibility improved.
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We furled the genoa and dropped the main. Once in the harbor all was calm. We now had just a steady light rain. After landing we started to pack up. My son was on the dock bailing out the dinghies but when I looked at him something seemed off. The sleeves of his foul weather gear we're too short by half, and the pants ended mid-calf. Both armpits and the crotch of the pants were split open. Somehow my 6 foot 4 son was wearing my daughter's old foul-weather set. I finally got a chance to go below. The loud noise when we were rounding the point was the cap shroud chain plate cracking in half. The heads of two of the bolts had shot off into the cabin. The only thing holding the Mast up was a single bolt and the backing plate.
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