BVIs
Kirofbrixham
Sun 2 May 2010 14:03
Dear Reader,
Day two of Graeme and Patti's holiday and counting
down to the start of the ARC Europe - 11 days to go.
Today was another day in yachty paradise.
Wind easterly force 4, 30% cloud and 33C - perhaps a little too hot. Another
short hop (nearly every trip is short in the BVIs with navigation by mark one
eyeball) across to Virgin Gorda. The trip across was a motorsail because
of the wind direction and a stiff west going current with a crossed sea.
As soon as we got past the Dog Islands the sea flattened off and progress
improved. We checked into the marina for the night, allowing us to stock up
on food and drink for the next few days. It will also allow us to catch up
on some sleep having had a rolly night in Lee Bay after a surge swell entered
the bay in the early hours of the morning. We were reasonably OK but the
boats closer to the beach must have had a very uncomfortable night as the swell
increased in the shallow water before breaking on the beach. As a result
we had an early start and we were across to Virgin Gorda by midday.
Patti is in full holiday mode whilst Graeme and Ian
have started to plan for the Bermuda leg of the ARC including the best way to
pick Jim, the third crew member, up from the airport. Trellis bay has been
vetoed on the basis that it will be near midnight and the forecast is for 20+
knot winds - a bit hairy in the dinghy in any case but crazy if we can't rely on
the outboard (although it seems fine now).
Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour is a nice, medium sized
marina with good facilities. The entrance is amazing with only a narrow
shallow channel around the end of an artificial reef. We enetered with
zero feet under the keel and turquoise water breaking on the reef a few feet to
starboard.
We're looking forwards to exploring Spanish Town
tonight.
If every day is as good as this until we head north
there will be no complaints.
Graeme, Patti and Ian on
Kir.
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