Recharging the batteries.
Oriole
Mon 23 Feb 2009 14:08
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Nonsuch Bay, Antigua. 17:05.103N
61:41.420W.
We finally extracted ourselves from
Falmouth Harbour and beat 10 miles down the coast to Nonsuch Bay in company with
Nordlys RCC. At least we started in company with Nordlys but her 47 foot
length to our 40 soon produced its effect and she showed us a clean
pair of heels. However, we were not that long catching her at
anchor in Ricketts Bay on Green Island, a stone's throw from where Robert popped
the question to Dani only two years ago. It
is an idyllic spot sheltered from the sea by reefs with a small beach and good
snorkelling, but a bit crowded with six other yachts. The weather pundits have
been forecasting more strong winds and big seas so we sought more shelter in our
current anchorage in Clover Leaf Bay, a small offshoot of
Nonsuch Bay.
 Our current anchorage amongst the
mangroves in Clover Leaf Bay
when the wind dropped this
afternoon.
Nonsuch has two narrow entrances and
is landlocked except from the east where it is protected from the sea by a
barrier reef but the wind howls across the Atlantic straight across the
bay. In order to get some good wind to drive our windmill to charge our
batteries we have moved slightly to make use of the 20 - 25 knots which is
blowing constantly with some much higher gusts. The seas outside
are big and this morning we walked out to Devil's Bridge (Antigua's
combined Land's End and Giant's Causeway) to view them.
 A big one hits the rocks at Devil's
Bridge. The small grey plume to the left is a blow hole
The Caribbean does not seem to be
able to escape bad news at the moment. Murders in Antigua, strikes and
rioting in the French Islands and now Texan Antigua banker Alan Stanford
arrested for "financial irregularities". From our isolated position both
geographically and from instant world opinion it would seem that the arrests of
a few more bankers for financial irregularities might not go amiss..
The £5 billion that Alan Stanford is said to have misappropriated would seem to
be chicken feed when compared with the scale of the irregularities and
incompetence displayed by UK bankers. Perhaps the fraud squad are burning
the midnight oil. SEE OUR WEB DIARY FOR 28 JANUARY RE- ALAN
STANFORD.
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