Astra Log - Rudd week, 25th Feb - 2nd March..
Astra Log 25th Feb - 2nd
March -BVI's -Rudd Week Monday 25th Feb Having dropped Astra’s Liz Hurley lookalike (Norah) at the Airport, we headed for Jost Van Dyke, and anchored beside a tiny island call Sandy Spit. Snorkelled, watched the diving birds and pottered around the island as the sun went down. Then moved to a mooring beside Foxy’s Taboo for dinner but unfortunately it was closed so we had Fajitas on board, very good, and as there was no moon the stars were fantastic. John identified Mars; unfortunately it disappeared when we turned off the spreader lights! Brilliant. Tuesday 26th Feb Off to the Indians, (some rocks near
Brilliant. Wed 27th Feb Motored to Brilliant.
Thurs 28th Feb To Wreck Alley, where the stoic divers plunged into the breaking waves of a turbulent sea to explore 3 wrecks (Mary L, Pat & Beata). Beata was a fairly new Tug, good dive, Big Grouper living in the wheel house. Then great 10 mile sail back to the west end of Tortolla, for dinner on the waterfront terrace of the Jolly Roger Inn. George demonstrated his growing prowess on the tender by executing a textbook parking manoeuvre in front of a very impressed collection of diners. A few drinks to the good, it was considered wise to allow Ash to steer the tender back to Astra. We cast off and then couldn’t get the engine started as Ash had neglected to insert the kill chord correctly resulting in a slightly embarrassing bit of drifting around in front of the restaurant. Brilliant Fri 29th Feb Left at 7am and sailed to The Baths
for more tomfoolery. We went into the boulders as one group and emerged as five
separate groups. Most returned to the boat without significant incident but
Nicky was left the task of getting George safely back aboard. She failed:
firstly he kept on attempting to head-butt rocks, then he jumped straight legged
from a rather large boulder into shallow water. Just as things were looking up,
with the boulders behind and Astra insight he fell over and grasped a large
handful of fire coral which is a rather nasty marine equivalent of a stinging
nettle. Norah would have delighted in his staggering incompetence! A fantastic salad for lunch with some ham
that had John groaning with delight at about 95 decibels. The FWS’s (Flipping Wally Society!?
Or something like that. A society
set up to acknowledge acts of lamentable stupidity, inaugurated by Norah
Hickman) membership burgeoned in the afternoon with the arrival of a
particularly unable collection of seamen. After missing their mooring bouy three
times this pathetic excuse for sailors turned through 1080 degrees before
jettisoning their bent boat hook into the sea. Their embarrassment was
accentuated by Sally’s courageous act of selflessly diving overboard to retrieve
the boat hook for this bunch of cretins, risking being run down by this
incredibly poorly helmed vessel. Nicky kite-surfed relentlessly while
George and Ash got back to the serious business of playing boules (3-0). Nicky
managed to escape without injury whilst some of her fellow “dudes” struggled
with the “sketchy” conditions. One poor “dude” took a hit from a “big wave” in
“gnarly” waters and ended up having a very close encounter with a large lump of
rock: very messy. Brilliant.
Sat 1st March More Kite Surfing by Nicky in the
morning as the conditions were less “sketchy” and the “surf” was really “going
off”, then departed to head back to An “awesome” (more kite-boarding speak) week was topped off with an excellent dinner in the restaurant at Trellis bay. Nicky did an outstanding rendition of Walk the Line by Johnny Cash, wooing the punters with her athletic performance. Sally, Jeremy, John, Angie and Nicky all used the dance floor to do an excellent impression of a group of rhythm-devoid dyspraxics. Brilliant.
Sunday 2nd March Sunday was a day of farewells; Nicky tendered to the Airport to
return to Brilliant. George B. |