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Date: 29 Jan 2006 19:01:09
Title: The wet and windy Virgins
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It took 9 days for the wind to get back to something like normality and during that time it has been blowing 40 knots in the Lagoon in St Maarten and the seas outside have been evil.  Even Mirabella V delayed her departure from Antigua to come up to St Maarten.  Finally we could see a weather window emerging for us to slip up to Anguilla again and then do the 90 mile hop across the Anegada Passage to the US Virgin Islands.  As we were sailing acoss to Anguilla we could see the giant Mirabella V getting underway from Marigot Bay on the French side of St Maarten but although we willed her to come our way she shot off to St Bart's for the guests to explore the chique shops. On Wednesday night inspite of the promise of a lovely 15 knot breeze we seldom had more than 6 and we motored all the way overnight arriving early on Thursday morning.  Halfway across we met at least 25 yachts using the window to come east and it was very interesting to see that not one was using the correct lights for a yacht underway.  Most of them looked like fishing boats or pilot boats using their masthead and deck level lights simultaneously which is quite contrary to the Collision Regulations.  One fast motor yacht appeared suddenly wearing the lights for a yacht under sail and came horribly close to us and remained totally invisible on the radar.  Yachtsmen have remained almost free to do their own thing by most governments but the situation is hardly likely to continue if they ignore the rules and make up their own as they go along.   Now that's off our chests!  We cleared into US territory using our laboriously obtained US visas without which yachtsmen are not allowed to enter.  Why air travellers are so much more desirable is a mystery to us.
 
 
Our weekend retreat before it started blowing.
 
As we sailed the last few miles to Cruz Bay to clear customs the weathermen were once again predicting deteriorating conditions with strong winds and rain and severe northerly swells for the next few days. This is not what the brochures advertise.  So we are tucked up in a lovely remote and sheltered anchorage waiting for it to blow itself out again.  Our mobile phones do not work here, but we have the HF radio to talk to our friends in other anchorages and islands and John has been sending weather reports each morning to the Ham Weather Guru in Trinidad making use of his newly acquired Amateur Radio Licence.  As you may have gathered the Eastern Caribbean does not normally get weather in the winter, but there are exceptions to every rule.  Yesterday was totally overcast and we awoke to grey skies this morning which have now cleared, but it is still blowing old boots.  However the anchorage is in the super or even mega bracket so we are not complaining, the water is a lovely temperature for swimming and we are just waiting for the weather to go away so we can explore in a little more comfort.
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