En Route to Barbuda

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 14 May 2009 21:15
 
En Route to Barbuda
 
 
07:40 on the 14th May, engine on, anchor up and off to Barbuda. Engine off by 08:15 and making good progress with main and genoa. Troll lines out with a piece of sweetcorn on each hook - well anything worth a try
 
 
 
           
 
 
 
Very hard for me to eat breakfast (left over sweetcorn, tomato and mushroom) whilst giggling. Skipper doing a log reading. Antigua fading into the distance.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Barbuda comes into focus, must do something about my horizon.
We had read that throughout its history Barbuda has been an exceptionally dangerous hazard to shipping and there are many submerged wrecks lying off-shore. The safest approach is from the south but slightly to the west of the island. We knew we had to arrive with the sun behind us, furl the sails a few miles off and proceed with a good lookout. We had been doing quite well averaging about 4.8 knots under sail. As soon as we put the sails away and motored it was like hitting a brick wall, 22 knots of wind plus tide against us, raining and very rough patches, "Oh well at least it's warm" thought I and I managed to pick our way through to Low Bay using the forward facing sonar, ably assisted by Skipper of course. The last three miles took nearly two hours, but was it worth it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
We did stall a bit to allow me to pull in this chap. Delighted. Sadly Skipper said he wouldn't trust eating him as we were close to reef and that meant the risk of Ciguatera - that is very toxic. So I plan to keep his jawbone and mount it as a trophy - "well he is my first with teeth".
 
 
 
 
 
 
"And boy, I think he has a great set of gnashers"
 
 
 
 
         
 
 
 
 
The beauty here is a photographers dream.
 
 
 
 
          
 
 
 
 
Us and two other boats on a twelve mile stretch.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A VERY SPECIAL PLACE TO BE.       THE TURQUOISE WATER IS STUNNING.       MILES TODAY 31.6     TOTAL MILES 5447.16