Week Five and Arrival Antigua - YAY
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 22 Mar 2020 10:07
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17:04.322
N 061:53.977 W
Week Five to Jolly Harbour,
Antigua
 Monday the 16th. I
got up to a very overcast morning but the sky was gorgeous
with a mix of clouds. At ten thirty the wind had dropped off completely.
   Down came the
main and we swapped the genoa to the port side.
  14:00 Genoa poled out. Bear enjoyed
cottage pie with lashings of melted cheese on top with sweetcorn, peas and
carrots and of course RBG (real beef gravy or you can substitute the B word if
you prefer).
20:00: Slow and sunny doing 2 knots
in 6-8 knots of wind, I think we put the bockers on our romping along by typing
that we hoped to be in on Friday or Saturday..... Bear slept
along the back of the cockpit as we are rolling from side to side. The
pole holding the genoa out is doing a great
job.
20:15: Sub 600 nautical miles to
go.
 Tuesday the 17th.
Sunny but a bit dull. We are now above Suriname and
St Vincent and the Grenadines. We are managing 2.8 to 3.5 knots in 6-8 knots of
wind. Genoa still poled out. Now hope to be in on Sunday or Monday at the minute
– hope the winds picks up just a bit. Bear enjoyed cottage pie with baked
beans.
Bear downloaded a GRIB file which
tells us the wind will pick up a little around midnight and more due at midnight
tomorrow, fingers crossed.
I got up an hour early at 17:00 for a
sub-500 nmiles to go party. It will happen in my shift in the middle of the
night but...... we shared a bottle of rose, Bear had pickled asparagus and we
shared Doritos with guacamole dip. We know how to party.....I lost at backgammon
and sent Bear smartly to bed.
   Wednesday the 18th.
03:45 sub-500 nautical miles to go. Wow. I went to bed feeling when not if. It
is beginning to become a reality. Happy picture, IPad
map and a lovely flat sea.
I won at backgammon and we started a
game of Mex Train. Very strange to see Bear place the double twelve on my open
train – especially as we were playing the 12’s.......I
don’t know how that happened. Because you reached and took not realising it came
from the station, you eejit. At the end of
the nines I went to cook. Bear enjoyed steak and kidney pie (his final pie) with
mash, peas and sweetcorn. For a man who in the past claimed not to be a huge gravy lover, he wolfed through a huge
pot of it.
18:00: Sunny with 9.6 to 11.7 knots
of wind giving us a speed of 4.4 to 5.3 knots. That’s better – hope it stays
like this until we get in.
 20:00: Bear popped out to see me mid
his rest time. I made him come out for a hug, (not a usual
request) and within minutes we both enjoyed
seeing two massive frigatebirds swooping about us
seeing what we were and on the lookout for food. YAY and YEHAA, we are nearing the Caribbean for sure. In fact
two became three and they stayed with us for most of the next day.
 Thursday
the 19th. I got up to eat my final carrot for breakfast. We are now in
what is called the North American Basin.
Bear enjoyed beef
curry with raita (I shared some of my yoghurt and the cucumber that is still
going strong with one more left).... A lovely
sunset.
21:40 three hundred nautical miles to
go. I’m really enjoying Endeavour (the young Morse) series during my overnight
shifts. Too slow a burn story for Bear, he likes episodes that are thirty to
forty minutes as anything longer his interest withers.
A massive thank you to Sue and Helle
(Mailasail office) who are keeping us topped up on the Sat Phone and to Steve
and Chris (Scott-Free) who are keeping us informed about Antigua (virus and
border control). In fact having such good friends watch your back while we are
so far from land has been amazing. These lovely people telephoned from Malaysia
to ensure the authorities in Antigua know we are due in and have been at sea for
a long time. Thank you xx xx
 Friday the 20th. I
got up to a sunny morning but it soon became overcast. Trotting along nicely but
the swell is all from the right with the odd cheeky breaking wave. Rain late
morning but that gave us a gorgeous rainbow, we’ll
take that as a harbinger of good luck.
  13:00, we are on a course between
what are called the Exclusive Economic Zone of Eguador (Fr)
and Guadelupa (Fr), didn’t phase Bear too much, today’s Happy Picture I took through the spokes of the
steering wheel as he made his nest along the back bench. When he woke I made
omelette with the kitchen sink – tinned ham, mushrooms and tomatoes with cheese
served with baked beans – all very colourful and
delicious, why thank you skippy. Too rough for Mex Train so we
played a couple of Triominoes instead. I went to bed in a huff as I was beaten
both games. 196 nautical miles to go.
  Saturday the 21st.
Bear went to bed as normal at 02:00, I settled to an Endeavour. Soon the
chartplotter ‘battery low’ warning chirped and as instructed engine on, revs to
1200, turn key in office to parallel charge house and Beez batteries (all
because St Helena alternator failed) but at 02:40 we ran out of diesel. Up Bear
came to decant our very last twenty litres of fuel. What back luck with the
alternator and the back-up of using the generator until the pull cord broke off
inside. Careful calculations now needed. With pencils on ears, workmen like, we
know we have enough for two two-hour, one three-hour charge and enough to get to
anchor outside Jolly Harbour. Phew. Bear went back to bed. So near. First time
to see Caribbean Sea YAY. The chum ahead of us in the
picture is called Scot Stuttgart. She is on
her way to AGS JO (St Johns, Antigua). 117 x 18 x 5 metres, trotting along at
13.3 knots.
  I came on at ten and Bear stretched
out along the back. How I didn’t wake him with my laughter..... He frowned in his sleep every time the sun washed across
his face, then he did a Pepe by pulling his towel over his
face. I was wet eyed with giggling at the impromptu show he put on.
Huh.
More omelettes to
finish the eggs and at 13:25 we have one hundred miles to go, there is a sense
of real excitement aboard. YAY and YEHAA.
  Sunday the 22nd
03:54 31 nm to the corner
(five up the coast) and 05:20 with 25 nm to the corner, I’m now obsessed with moving our little
arrow along the line showing miles to go. I flopped into bed at six, Bear saying
he would leave me as long as possible. Big swell from the right, quite rough
conditions but I soon fell into a deep sleep.
 Bear woke me at 09:30 (05:30 local
time), I came upstairs to find Sleeping Indian Hill a
silhouette in the early morning light, what a glorious sight to wake up
to. A mile to go to ‘Close the Circle’. WOW.
 I brought us in to anchor off Reeds Point and away from many yachts.
Bear dropped the hook and the engine went off at ten o’clock our time (06:00
local). Very spooky to realise we moved on board Beez Neez on Mothering
Sunday at 10:00 and we end our circumnavigation on Mothering Sunday at 10:00
today some twelve years later. The wind is howling at it is lashing down with
rain – what a welcome, but nothing can lower our soaring spirits.
 The picture I have for so long dreamed about. My
skipper adopting the pose of success.
  The smiles say it
all. Perhaps the most special Flag Ceremony of
them all.
  Wind gusts to 25 knots didn’t dent the
smile as the ‘Q’ flag was hoisted along with the
National flag of Antigua.
  Delving in his
tuck box, Bear had saved himself a piece of Christmas
cake to enjoy with a cup of tea when I get
in. My fluffy boy deserved it.
Miles completed 4,161 nautical
miles
Hours to complete 825:20 or 34 days,
9 hours and 20 minutes.
Motoring 125:45 or fifteen per cent
(a bit more than we had hoped but crossing the Equator.......)
Charging 167:05 (much more than
anticipated but alternator failure.....)
This journey
from St Helena of 4,161 nautical miles has brought our total to 45,169.
Beez
Neez has looked after us through thick and thin, winds to 56 knots, raging
seas, storms, sunshine and anything else we can think of without batting her
eyes. She needs a very well earned rest, lots of TLC and a good rub down. Thank
you Girl.
ALL IN ALL
JUBILANT
ECSTATIC |