Britannia Bay, Mustique to Admiralty Bay, Bequia ( 12 nm )

Bootlegger of Mann
Frank Newton
Sun 7 Feb 2010 23:20

Bootlegger of Mann  Log 

 

Date 070210    

13:00N 61:14W 

 

Britannia Bay, Mustique to Admiralty Bay, Bequia ( 12 nm ) 

Caribbean Weather: Fine and sunny. Wind: E 15 – 17kts

 

12:52.74N 61:11.35W Britannia Bay, Mustique. 

08.30 hrs Ran generator for 4 hrs as battery voltage down to 23.7 v 

Others went ashore for island tour of  island including stars homes.

As I have seen it all before I stayed aboard to catch up on chores and boat

administration including the log write up. 

 

The tour party returned having viewed the homes of Mick Jagger, David Bowie

Brian Adams, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Tommy Hillfinger, La Coste,

Mary Lynch, Michael Edwards. They had gone on to view the U.S.$1,400

a night Cotton House Hotel. What a spot ! 

 

Noon: 12:52.74N  61:11.35W  Released ourselves from mooring buoy and

headed out of bay and set a course of 326 degrees for Bequia. Kevin on the helm.

Excellent sail over to Bequis; wind pretty much up the chuff. SOG 5 - 6 kts 15kts.  

 
We had  salad for lunch 

 

13:00 13.00N 61:14W Arrived Admiralty Bay, Bequia anchorage. Guided to a mooring buoy by ‘Tony’

who charged EC$50 for one night for his mooring..  

 

20:00 We had dinner aboard on the cockpit table – steaks. Very good. The after

dinner conversation in the dark cockpit was interrupted by the discovery that

we were on the move backwards ! It turned out Tony’s mooring had parted. We found

ourselves alongside another yacht which we managed to fender off. 

 

Having got the engine started and moved forward in the darkness toward our original

position I found the bow thruster which I’d used earlier to maneuver us onto the

mooring was not operating. The sound indicated the thruster’s prop has broken off. 

Probably caught by Tony’s mooring lines. I will have to go down under the boat

and examine in the morning.  

 

Fortunately I carry a spare bow thruster prop as they are renowned for going. This is

my second prop to go since purchasing the boat. The first went in Las Palmas,

Grande Canaria shortly before I left to cross the Atlantic back in 2007.  

The bow thruster is retractable. It comes out of the hull to operate and then retracts

when its job is done. When down it is highly vulnerable to damage, a stem protruding

as it does some 18” below the bow. 

 

In the absence of a mooring buoy dropped anchor in what is poor holding ground.

It was therefore no surprise when the boat started to drag its anchor in the strong gusts.

We were assisted by a local water taxi who led us to a  large buoy used by a visiting

fuel tanker which we picked up to enable us for the rest of the night to be drama free. 

Ran generator for further 2 hrs as batteries again down.