[…] just remember, the storm doesn’t last forever.

It can scare you; it can shake you to your core. But it never lasts.

The rain subsides, the thunder dies, and the winds calm to a soft whisper.

And that moment after the storm clouds pass,

when all is silent and still, you find peace.

Quiet, gentle peace.”

S.L. Jennings, Fear of Falling

After our day from hell

we have tried to evaluate if we could have or should have continued…

…at the height of the storm

40 knot winds

2-3 metre waves

one local boater said he had never seen it this bad

a large motor cruiser took over twice as long to return home

another said it would have been worse ahead…

 

And then there is the matter of our crashing emergency stop for the night.

the wind was so forceful while docking

fenders got pushed aside

I heard a crackle crunch sound,

we quickly cleated bow and stern lines

then checked for any damage but saw none

At that point we were just thankful to be secure for the night.

…drenched to the skin,

it took most of the night with the help of our little cabin heater to dry out…

Back at Trois-Rivières Marina we saw the crack…

…we called a local shipwright to evaluate the damage…

he concluded it was just superficial…

JUST?… I thought.

I guess it was bound to happen sometime.

…first big storm

…first scratch

…won’t be our last

…it all adds to our collective experience

 

 

 

We have concluded that we did the right thing by stopping when we did.

Things learned from our Seamanship Course:

Always plan for a safe harbour along your route in advance.

But it didn’t take a Seamanship Course for us to know that

safety, above all else, is the first rule of the road.

 

and things can be fixed.