14:04.56N  60:57.45W

 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

 

Distance Run  52 nm

 

 

Nanook set off at 6.15am and  we did so shortly after.  Squinn had come out to release our lines from the buoys and we motored out to sea.  The wind was non-existent in the lee of the island so we motored for the first hour and a half (8 nm) until the wind filled when we set sail and killed the engine to give it a rest.  We would have preferred not to use the engine at all but the 30 miles between St Vincent and St Lucia has a notorious reputation for being very windy and rough and the earlier we got there the more chance we would have of progressing before the stronger winds set in.

 

The sea was lumpy as usual just north of the island but in the event the wind seldom exceeded 20 knots and the sailing between the islands was very good and fast.  Again we were glad we had prepared with several reefs in both sails but we still manged to gain on several boats who we were not of course racing with.  As we came under the shelter of St Lucia the winds became very gusty, varying between ‘not a lot’ and ‘where the hell did that come from’.  We continued up the west coast of St Lucia, past all the places we visited last year - the Pitons, Soufriere and Marigot Bay - until we approached Rodney bay at the northern end of the island.

 

So after 50 nm we started the engine (whose noise was becoming more continuous and across a wider rev range) put the sails away and looked for a good spot to anchor.  We wanted to turn the engine off as soon as possible and normally we anchor successfully first time.  Of course this time it took 3 attempts and 20 minutes before we found a spot that was rock free and could turn it off again.  Overall we had made good progress and we were peacefully at anchor soon after 3.30pm.

 

Mai Tai arrived in the bay about an hour later and Smart Move a couple of hours after that.  They had both set sail from Bequia a day later than us but sailed it one to St Lucia after a pre-dawn start.  Smart Move were hoping to collect a new windlass in St Lucia next week, theirs having proved uneconomic to repair.  Everybody enjoys much the same thing with boat bits and maintenance!