Into the Islands
Malua
Harry Watson Smith
Sat 22 Dec 2012 11:44
We left Barbados having checked out the previous day and packed the boat for the short crossing of only 97 nm.
The weather forecast was for 5 to 15 knot winds so it would take 19 hours at 5 knots. We left at 11:00 am after diving on the mooring block and retrieving my chain and mooring line. The anchor was under the block so I had to take it out while Denny retrieved the anchor. It came up easily and we set sail for Bequia.
The course was 280 and the wind behind but the rain clouds were everywhere. Not before long we were under one and Malua was getting a good fresh water wash. We were travelling at 7 knots with only the main up. The passage continued on a slight swell and we soon caught The Southern Cross - an Australian couple we had met in Barbados sailing a St Frances Cat made in South Africa. Their destination was the same as ours.
At sunset I put the first reef in the main to slow us down and I sheeted the staysail in to reduce the rock and roll. For dinner we had a pre-prepared French stew I had made with the meat from the Canaries and settled down for the night hoping to dodge the rain showers that seemed to be everywhere.
At midnight we were still travelling too fast and the autopilot decided that the rudder was not responding quick enough and it would send out an alarm message. I had enough of getting up and pushing the button so I took the small wheel off and installed the large wheel. I had not used that since the Mediterranean. I hand steered as we entered between the island of Bequia and St Vincent. We could see the loom of the islands 25 nm out at sea.
We had arrived far too early so we set a course down the Bequia coast but far enough off that I felt safe to hove-too until dawn when we could enter the large Admiralty Bay of Bequia