INJURED AND LIMPING ALONG

9 July 2023

I awoke this morning feeling very sorry for myself.  My left arm was painful, I couldn’t use it, couldn’t lift it.  I had done something terrible last night. My first thought was something was broken the pain was that bad.  But, the swelling would have been worse for a fracture.  Must be a strain or pulled muscle.

I pottered about the boat and gave my arm a good rub with Tiger Balm, then I took some pain killers, they didn’t help much.  I sat in the cockpit at smoko with a cup of tea and gingernuts and contemplated my situation.  My mind went back a few years to when I broke my ribs on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  I needed a management plan.

The immediate plan is to make ground to the north and find a sheltered anchorage to recuperate for a few days.  I needed to minimise the use of the left arm to prevent the injury getting worse and prolonging the healing time.   

The water at Percy was flat calm and the southerly wind was forecast to arrive shortly after midnight tomorrow.  I decided to motor the twenty-three miles northward to Digby Island.  Anchor at Digby Island and await the southerly wind, then sail with the headsail to Brampton Island some sixty-four miles further north.  Sailing with the headsail is easy and there will be less stress on my arm.

Part A of the plan worked well, I motored on a calm sea to Digby Island passing whales on the way, arriving just after four in the afternoon.  I turned in early, knowing I would be up again in a few hours.  As I was nodding off to sleep I heard strange noises, it took a moment to recognise whale song coming through the hull.  A real lullaby, I slept well.  Just after midnight I was woken by the wind singing in the rigging, by two in the morning we were clear of Digby Island and sailing with a slightly furled yankee doing almost six knots on a building breeze. 

The sail up to Brampton Island was simple, the wind held all day.  I sailed right up to the anchorage and dropped the hook just before two in the afternoon.  So far so good.  Two good days moving north without having to strain the injured arm.  Brampton anchorage was quiet as the breeze died away in the evening and I had a good night’s sleep. 

The following day a good south easterly wind was forecast again.  The plan today was to see how far towards the Whitsundays I could get.  There are a few anchorages along the way, so I had a plan B, C and D in reserve.  Today the wind angle was just not right for free flying the Yankee, I would have to use the pole.  Getting the pole out with one arm was a challenge and took over an hour costing me four lost miles.  Once the yankee was set and pulling the work and pain were worth it, we held a good course downwind with Mickey steering.

Later in the afternoon the tide turned against us creating a nasty short choppy sea, speed was down, then the wind started to go light.  It was slow progress, but we managed to sail around the top of Long Island before putting the motor on and anchoring in Happy Bay.  Finally, away from the offshore Islands and into the protected Whitsunday area.  Now to reassess the situation.