Minerva Reef
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Wed 18 Oct 2017 01:43
We had a brilliant run down to Minerva and arrived at 1800 last night - 12 hours ahead of our predicted arrival! The wind blew from the East at 15-20kts nearly all the way and we maintained an average speed of 6kts. We might normally have sailed with just the genoa and been happy with 5kts but took a lead from Loupan (Arcona 43) and put the mainsail up. We romped along, as ever delighted with Vega's speed when pushed a little and thanks also to the fact that there was no cross swell. The rolling was much more gentle and regular than we have been experiencing (apart from the one roll that caught Annie out - she has the bruise to show for it). For the last 20 miles it clouded over and rained but kindly cleared a little for our entrance.
The pass through the reef at Minerva is pretty straightforward in good light and the reef is clearly visible on either side. Notwithstanding the overall width of around 150m there are shallow areas that you need to steer around and we would have been fully justified in not attempting a night entrance. The lagoon is around 17m deep, rising to a 5m sandy ledge around the inside of the reef. The sand layer on the ledge is thin and overlies coral so we have anchored in 16m on sand with no coral bommies that we have seen. Often at anchor you get a grinding sound that echoes around the boat as the anchor chain drags across rock or coral but here it has been quiet so far.
On the night passages we rediscovered the joy of Radio 4. Annie has lots of podcasts on her iPad, some of which are programs we would never normally listen to because they are broadcast at an inconvenient time or when we have flopped down in front of the television. Radio stimulates the imagination in ways that the TV rarely does. Sitting in the dark cockpit in the middle of the night with only the stars for company you can get really immersed in the emotion of, say, Soul Music or the life experiences played out in Short Cuts. For an hour and a half I listened to Mysteries Abound that was first broadcast at 0130. It is wacky, interesting and hilarious and the kind of thing one would only really listen to at 0130. With a podcast of course you can listen at any time and 0130 in the cockpit is perfect! Quietly raising emotional awareness makes me think of my own life - successes, failures, regrets, what ifs and so on. You can't change any of these of course but there is always time to reflect and maybe even address one or two while you can. I have some ongoing frailties that have at times blighted things for me (and others) but which I am going to try and conquer once and for all.
If I have learnt one thing from these travels it is that working together in a consensual approach is going to make the best outcome for most people. I am now hugely critical of the UK's adversarial, free market, winner takes all approach to life and politics. Of course people must work hard, have respect for themselves and others but pursuit of individual gain as the main driver can be counter productive. I was reminded of this when listening to a couple of old and unplayed podcasts of Dead Ringers. Our "Brexit Bulldog" David Davis is parodied as the no nonsense, table thumping, suspicious of anything foreign, "master negotiator". For satire to work there has to be at least an element of truth and Davis is continually ridiculed and humiliated. What is clear is that the UK wants all the benefits of a "close" trading relationship with the EU without joining the club, abiding by its rules or paying a membership fee. Not only that but we won't even agree to pay for our current membership obligations until we have been given something that no other non member has either expected or been given. Norway and Switzerland are not members but they pay the membership fee and abide by the rules in return for the benefits. As businesses that need a firm base in Europe move their centre of gravity out of the UK it really is sad to see this self inflicted decline being enacted. From our perspective on these travels the only influence from the UK we have come across is as a guardian of tax havens for the wealthy and grudging support for one tiny volcano ravaged island. Oh, and as the "Bulldog" supporter of Gibraltar, a country we would clearly rather hand over to the Spanish at the first opportunity.
I love life. I love the warmth of the sun, the colour of autumn leaves, the taste of good food, the humanity of family and friends. The capacity to enjoy these things is for me the main reason for living. I believe in hard work and self reliance but, despite a fear of poverty, have never wanted power and wealth. Those that do can be a great danger to the rest of us. And I certainly don't need some invented doctrine to tell me how to live my life. I, perhaps presumptuously, suspect that most people throughout the world would admit to similar feelings. I just wish that the most of us could restrain the few in order to work together more closely to achieve it.