I was making breakfast one morning, heard and felt a small bump, and popped my head up the companionway thinking the dinghy had wrapped around the boat. Instead we were being tapped by the bow of another boat! In limited English, the skipper explained that their anchor had hooked a giant chain on the sea floor.

We fended them off, and they let out as much extra chain as they could to position themselves away from us. It was a holiday, and I suspected no dive services were available. They posed a risk to us while they stayed there, so Trip donned his scuba gear and went for a swim.

Sure enough, their anchor was hooked. We ran a line down to the chain and back up again which Gary and I hoisted. That lifted the chain enough for Trip to free the anchor. Whew, crisis averted. The gentlemen on the boat were kind enough to bring us a bottle of whisky as a thank you, which we’ll enjoy this week.

Postscript: A French boat which has anchored much too close for comfort to each of us snagged something while upping anchor. They drove through the anchorage at crazy angles before they freed it and nearly t-boned Gary’s boat in the process. Good to have them gone.

Additional postscript: Woke up to a catamaran once at anchor now tied up to the wall of the fishermen. Another dragging incident? Time to check our chain and anchor, I think.