Sea Adventure

Coming back from fiesta after setting up buoys in Tingo, I sat on the bow.  It was a fine day and the boat nosed its way to Maribago.  Suddenly the sky darkened and strong winds whipped the seas into a froth.  I froze on the bow, my arms wrapped around its nose for dear life.  Then the boat was tossed to a wave crest, raising my butt several inches off the air.  Strong waves crashed all over as the bow went under.  I was momentarily blinded and I held my breath as the bow stayed underwater.  Then up she went in shaking motion threatening to throw me overboard.  I clipped my hands and feet on the hull while carefully sliding back with my butt inch by inch to the mast.  The bow dove again tumbling air tanks like matchsticks scattered on the deck.  I was just in time to save one tank from getting jettisoned as it rolled over to a gap in the mesh-net perimeter.  Then Junior bellowed.  We just lost an anchor!  As we neared shore, the waves eased up and we discovered a hole near the stern.  The lost anchor hit the boat first, breaching the hull before finding its final resting place at the bottom of the ocean.  Then the sky lightened.  The storm ended as quickly as it had began.

I remember it fully well not because I almost got thrown off in stormy seas, but because it was a real sea adventure in the hands of Ma Nature, who is not always a particularly nice old woman.  At the time, she was throwing a tantrum, putting off our trip to Calanggaman and Capitancillo for two days while we fix the boat!