Redemption: Tension and Time

After a vicious (40-45 knot winds) crossing of the Sea of Cortez from Bahia Concepcion headed for San Carlos, Sonora I experienced a cascading series of events that landed me stranded on a remote sandbar 20 miles southeast of Guaymas. For the next 11 days I did what any man would do, I saved my girl (boat) and home. For the last 5 years since I got my girl Windswept II she has been my home and we have cruised from California to Oregon, then south around Baja into the Sea of Cortez surviving two hurricanes. When the Mexican Coast Guard urged me to leave with them I calmly declined, knowing that if I did all would be lost.

The next 11 days were spent setting a kedge anchor, at low tide, by hand in the breakers in front of the boat. “Kedging or warping is a technique for moving or turning a ship by using a relatively light anchor. Kedge anchors are sometimes used to recover vessels that have run aground {Wikipedia}”. In the middle of the night and again in the early morning at the high tides I applied tension to the line of the kedge anchor with a jib winch and over time, inch by inch, foot by foot I made my way to deep water. Tension and time.

I need to give a huge thank you to the kind, generous, and caring cruising community who graciously came to my aid during my ordeal. Noreen, Peter, Dale, and Doreen who provided tow back to San Carlos and material support. I especially want to thank my good friend Chris who spent the last 24 hours aboard Windswept II and courageously set the last kedge anchor in neck high breakers with over 500 feet of line and manned the winch till we were in deep water. Since I had lost the rudder and one blade of a three blade prop I was crippled, But Captain Dale handled the tow back to San Carlos very professionally.

Please help with with any donation $5, $10, $15, $20.... that will get me back on the water. Actual cost to date:

Failed towboat attempts: $3,500

New rudder: $5,500

New propeller and cutlass bearing: $1,100

Repair structural damage: $200

Dry dock cost: $2000+

Goal: $12,000