Tonight is the windiest it's been in the last several months. The open water looked very choppy this afternoon.

We're also getting periodic rain. Saves me from watering my tomatoes and arugula. More of the same forecast for tomorrow, although it is supposed to calm down later in the week.

We returned to the charter base yesterday and it was indeed pretty choppy, but actually a bit better than last Friday where we were motoring into 30+ knots apparent gusts to get to North Sound.

Wind story: loading the dinghy in the Bight yesterday to take my daughter to the Indians, I had the dinghy tied about 8' off the stern. I had a set of fins and booties in both hands intending to toss them into the dinghy.

Standing on the very edge of the swim platform, I was hit with a gust of wind and started to lose my balance. Unable to take a balancing step and slowly going over forward, I apparently chose to take a flying prone leap into the dinghy with both hands full rather than allow myself to fall into the water.

I was surprisingly unhurt and kept my grip on the fins, but I felt pretty foolish, and my wife and daughter's eyes were wide as saucers!

If it is any consolation, I'm in St. Martin now and the winds are gusting over 30knots as I write. I just checked the windspeed and it was 39 knots! I called the superyacht anchored behind me to tell him I wanted to let out 10m more chain and didn't want his AIS alarm to go off or him to worry. I don't want to drag anchor in these conditions. The poor skipper of the yacht has charter guests on board and they can't do much in these conditions. But at least the winds are going to subside soon. I hope.

Made for awesome sailing.