Tuesday 4th May (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Sat 8 May 2010 15:27
as we ate breakfast this morning. How quickly we have taken these
sights for granted and how quickly we will miss them as we travel
north. The wonderful flocks of birds on feeding frenzies so rarely get
a mention these days but provide us with hours of entertainment.
The wind built to an easterly F5/6 with accompanied swell and we
decided to return when things were calmer to snorkel more and also
visit the Bubbly Pool, a natural pool which fills with bubbling water
through gaps in the rocks. At least with the wind came cooler
temperatures and the thermometer has now dropped to a very comfortable
33°C. We set off with waves breaking over the boat for an anchorage in
the lee of some land. Cane Garden Bay on Tortola was quoted as one of
the best anchorages in the BVIs but it was still a little rolly
although worth a look. Fantastic houses lined the hills but painted in
such garish colours. One was lime, yellow, orange and fuchsia pink and
looked like a holiday camp. Others stuck to one or maybe two bright
colours with crisp white paintwork and looked so much more attractive.
We carried on round the coast and in the meantime caught up with Phil
and Lynda on Festina Lente by text arranging to meet them later off
Guana Island. We dropped the hook into steeply shelving dead coral
stones which was poor holding. Si checked the anchor Caribbean style
with snorkel and thought it best to reset it with the wind still
whistling through an unfortunate gap in the windward hillside. All
settled we ate lunch admiring the view.
Guana Island, so named after a headland which is supposed to look
like an iguana’s head, is privately owned and we can but gaze at the
white sandy beach and lush green hills crying out to be explored.
After a little afternoon rest however, today’s fun came to us as
Festina Lente sailed perfectly as always into the anchorage and
dropped their hook next to us. There followed a very confused occasion
on Brindabella. We sometimes know the date these days, rarely know the
day of the week but with watches and clocks all about us we always
know the time as long as we remember that the saloon is set to UTC.
Today however, just as I realised the day had run away, Si’s watch,
his laptop and the saloon clock all gave us different times: How
spooky and we are not yet in the Bermuda Triangle! I was just about
to go for a swim but after sending an invitation to Phil and Lynda
thought it best to at least clear a space for them to sit in our very
untidy cockpit. I then quickly retrieved my bread dough to reshape it
before teatime and found it pretty ironic that I try in vane to bake
light crusty bread but the lid of my bowl was not tight and today the
dough was light and airy with a rather thick and crunchy crust on top.
I did my best to knead it all back together and swiftly rolled it up
with sundried tomatoes and basil. I reminded myself that the food is
not important it is the people round it that matter.
Our lovely friends arrived and over tea and Lynda’s scrumblejacks
we heard of Bryony’s great week with her parents and exciting places
they’d seen. Lynda totally summed up my present emotions when she said
it now feels like the end of the summer holidays. Tea turned to rum
punch then wine and I threw together a pasta bungit while conversation
turned to our departure with all the necessary rig checks, revision
and provisioning. The next few days will become increasingly busy. The
boys made a date for an early morning astro nav maths session and
feeling a tad squiffy we bid our friends goodnight.