Cruising mode at last.
Oriole
Tue 23 Dec 2008 13:22
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Admiralty Bay, Bequia
13:00.55N 61:14.30W
Our sea trials last Sunday in
Trinidad were not exactly satisfactory and we found that our newly re-installed
sailing instruments and autopilot would not work properly and the newly
re-packed stern gland was seriously overheating. Back in the marina on
Monday morning John made phone calls to two acknowledged experts at home and
received detailed instructions on both. The sailing instruments and
autopilot were quickly corrected and the advice on the overheating stern gland
was that if spit did not sizzle on it then it was probably ok! We had had
this problem last time it was re-packed 6 years ago and it eventually settled
down, so we hoped that the same would happen again.
So problems sorted we loaded with
duty free stores, cleared Customs and sailed for Grenada at 0500 on Tuesday
morning. We left in the nick of time as Trinidad had, in the next few
days, some of the wettest weather on record with serious flooding. We
arrived in Prickly Bay, Grenada late the same evening and have now dropped
gently into cruising mode. The clouds giving the weather in Trinidad have
evaporated and we are back to normal trade wind weather with a few puffy white
clouds, blue seas and a good sailing breeze.
 Sunset Prickly Bay - six weeks of hard
work amply rewarded.
After a brief overnight stop in the
Lagoon in St Georges, with its smart new Peter de Savery marina rapidly becoming
popular with the superyachts, we sailed up to Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. We met
up with friends there and on Sunday (yesterday) sailed up the Bequia where we
plan to spend Christmas.
 From Tyrrel Bay to Bequia we sailed
boat for boat with Moonsong RCC.
We hope Andrew will arrive here
in Sea Shuttle with his new boss and that most of his post re-fit
gremlins will have been sorted. He has been having a very stressful time
as the new skipper sorting out all the problems as the boat was
re-commissioned. When he took over, the refit which should have been
finished was far from complete and there were a lot of problems to sort
out.
 Admiralty Bay.
It's always slightly disconcerting
when the local fuel delivery tanker siddles up alongside.
Meanwhile our sailing instruments
continue to be ok, the stern gland is gradually settling down and we
are busy getting ourselves organised for Christmas.
WE WISH EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY
CHRISTMAS.
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