AT ANCHOR: CARLISLE BAY, BRIDGETOWN
Hello dear readers
sorry for the lack of update yesterday but you will gather that we arrived
safely in Bridgetown, Barbados at 10.45 am local time yesterday - 01/01/07.
20 days at sea almost exactly, 2678 nm on the log. By the time we had spent
some hours dealing with officials ( please fill in this form 8 times!),
found Effie (and smuggled her into the restricted area of the port), dealt
to a very excellent bottle of champagne (thank you Oscar!), then moved the
boat from the commercial port to beautiful Carlisle Bay - we were feeling
about done for the day.
We determined that the key priority was to get the kids onto the beach -
which we achieved as the sun set. Shirley and Michael relaxing on sugar
powder sand, sipping pina coladas whilst the kids frolic in the gentle surf
as the huge Caribbean sun set behind Aurelia anchored in the bay. Get the
picture?
Our reality was a little different as M raced around the very closed town
(bank holiday) looking for cash and takeaways (no luck), mother getting sand
in her eyes, and feeling quite sick very suddenly due to lack of movement!
All feeling very tired and hungry by the time we retreated back to the boat
where we made a quick chicken soup and straight to bed.
Pina Colada tasted very good though!
Our last day at sea turned out to be the best one for sailing - 176 miles in
a steady 20 - 24 knots from the east. With about 90 miles to go our poor
code zero exploded and is now in its bag in several pieces. It had proven
to be a fantastic sail for the conditions, providing us with significant
increased boat speed in a wide range of wind conditions. Unfortunately 25
knots appears to be beyond the recommended wind range. As the sun rose we
were 20 miles off Barbados - but nothing in sight. There was still no sight
of land by the time the Nav system indicated we were 8 miles off - so we
were checking the charts and starting to feel very keen to see something!
Having traveled across the vastness of the Atlantic ocean we were aiming at
an electronic dot on an electronic screen with nothing apparent in the real
world. Shortly after, Skippy spotted the built up coastline through the
murk - high humidity = lo visibility. The dolphins made a brief appearance
to welcome us to the other side - much to the delight of all on board.
As we made our final approach we found that we had a problem with the
propeller - and a quick swim over the side confirmed that yet another piece
of fishing line had entangled us. This was quickly resolved and we motored
in to the dock
So now we are in Barbados having conquered the Atlantic. In summary the
trip was fairly benign - very little wind over 30 knots, few waves over 3m,
no significant injuries, no major problems that weren't repairable, and the
very pleasant company of Skippy to share the watches with. The kids were
amazing - as Shirley commented last night - not once did they moan "when are
we going to get there" They were interested in our progress but only to the
same extent as the adults.
Do we feel like doing it again? Probably not this week!
Do we like being able to eat without clutching our plates whilst wedged into
a corner - YES.
Do we like sleeping all night in the same bed without holding on? -
ABSOLUTELY!
What next?
Tobago is 120 miles to the south - just a hop and a skip. Will go there in
a few days and stay a week or two there and Trinidad. Georgie Farinacci
(S's AFS Mum) and Doc are coming to meet us there for a visit, so we are
very much looking forward to that!
After that?? we will work ou way north up the island chains to the BVI
After that? We will have to wait and see dear reader...
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