Bequia to Canouan - 12:43N 61:19W
Neki
Sun 2 Jan 2011 11:09
We were greeted by the new year with lots of Caribbean rain. The topsides
were nicely washed down but the rain kept coming in typical squalls. We took
the opportunity to have a nice cooked breakfast of Turkey Sausage and
Pancakes. Anji did a great job in the galley as we all ate heartily. Our
original plan was to head to Mustique for lunch but the wind was up in the
20's and we didn't feel the beat into the wind was the ideal point of sail
for our young crew. Instead we continued to our second destination Canoun.
Neki made quick work of the 20 or so mile trip as the wind was consistently
in the 20-25 knot range. We broad reached with both the Yankee and the Main
reefed to the second reef point. We still maintained boat speeds of 8 - 10
knots as we surfed down waves. The crew handled their second big sailing day
much better as they demanded we fish and play games in the cockpit.
Charleston Bay is on the West side of the island and well protected from a
NE wind. It is open to the West so it can be affected by a big Northern
swell. Of course there was a Northern swell and they closed the harbour and
dingy dock as we were pulling in. We went to an inside anchorage near shore
but the wind was to high at this point so we went to the North side of
Rameau Bay where an Oyster 72 Margaretha just pulled in. We took their lead
and nosed up close to the shore in 9 meters of water and dropped the hook.
We swam off the boat, gave the bottom a quick scrub, and dove the anchor.
The kids wanted to play on a beach so we launched the tender and went to
find somewhere to land. We searched every corner of the bay but it was far
too dangerous to land the dinghy and equally troublesome landing them
ashore. The waves were up and the current strong. We spent the afternoon on
the boat cleaning and relaxing. Anji made pork chops, potatoes, and broccoli
for an al fresco dinner. The anchorage was rolling throughout the night but
the holding good and off we are today for Grenada.