Latest update from Donna Lange - sea anchor fails

by Jane Pares on 17 Apr 2007

Latest update from Donna Lange as she nears the end of her circumnavigation

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 1:50 PM EST:

DONNA'S SEA ANCHOR HAS JUST FAILED.

She has no choice but to sail. She is now on the move to Bermuda, 285 nautical miles East from her current location.

We have confirmation that she has an EPIRB on board.

This was her log after the storm night -

1010UTC Apr 16, 2007

As I said, Alls well that ends well...I am safe and sound...yet I have had an historically rough night.

The storm escalated to tropical storm height..I was just in awe as the storm did not go through but just intensified and intensified. It was a brilliant ride and I was truly soaking up the whole magnificence. I had been on deck from the very beginning of the stronger winds around 2000UTC, but it went too far...It was after the Commander weather router's suggested 0400UTC, when the storm should pass and turn west, that it began to deepen...Finally to where I was barepoled and working with the steering vane, struggling to steer a course with each stronger gust that came.

The godsend was that it was warm. I was soaked for hours..We had taken many 'hits', the norm for growing seas, engulfed stern and I had a bucket to help to bail the cockpit, often literally filled above the seats.

It was around 0600 that we took more than a hit. A huge wave broke completely over the port stern quarter, turned us fully on our side, I was literally holding my breathe fully underwater, holding onto the dodger frame with all my life. It was only a few seconds and Inspired Insanity righted herself. Another wave crashed into the stern.. It was time to stop... and get secured. With so much wind and having been unsuccessful with hoving-to, I didn't want to chance trying to raise the main and do the hove to dance. So I turned to the sea anchor and got her rigged to go.

I am concerned that with all the forces on the steering vane with my attempts to 'help her', I may have damaged the mechanism that transfers the energy from the vane to the inner quadrant. that will be a big question when I get going this morn. Once I had the anchor set, I headed below. Exhausted from 10 hours on deck, dealing with the conditions... the boat was a shambles. I had not really thought about what the essential knock down, or capsize had done below. All the big stuff was secure but every little bit that was in any other thing, was all over.

There was so much force, it flung powdered milk across the whole boat and onto the ceiling handrail. But no harm done.

An hour later, all the bits and pieces were in some home and I was getting out of my soaked clothes. Drinking a hot tea and just quiet inwardly. I had been through the whole night. I just kept moving and doing what needed to be done.. .The storm intensity was not expected by the routers either, at least not for the length of time...they suggested gusts to 70kn but not sustained winds that high. They are still screaming at nearly 50 and the seas 25 feet, but not really breaking. But the other factor is the cold.

With the shift to west wind, the temp dropped drastically to nearer the 55*mark and is nearly 50* this morning. It will be a different day out there today. Iam procrastinating only long enough to do the log, yet as I speak a huge gust just came up that is still in the 50+ maybe 60kn range. It is wild...I may not be able to get underway. There are blue patches of sky. Maybe once the sun is up, it will settle down and warm up.

I got two sets of clothes wet yesterday...But the hardest is that my bed got soaked. When we rolled on the side, water does make its way through the wood slats and top companionway hatch...Overall, all is fine if the wind steering hasn't been damaged. It will take a bit to get the deck cleaned up.