M&M and R&R
Oriole
Sun 7 Feb 2010 15:23
Nonsuch Bay Antigua
17:04.650N 61:40.223W
It would be quite wrong to suggest
that the departure of Dick and Penny necessitated make and mend and rest
and recuperation, but the opportunity was there so we went for it. The
laundry was taken ashore, a new hydraulic reservoir was installed for the
autopilot, the stop button for the engine was overhauled as the electric
system had failed and we had resorted to manually stopping the engine, and there
was some sail stitching to do and then up the mast to tape up a chafe point
on the spreaders. We don't really do weekends any
more as life seems to be one long weekend but we hauled the anchor on Saturday
morning and beat 10 miles up the south coast to Nonsuch Bay where we are
anchored behind the reef with nothing between us and Africa except perhaps for
the Cape Verde Islands. The northerly swells are back again from a storm
system up north and at high water the swell was just creeping over the reef
making the anchorage slightly less than flat calm. All this makes a welcome
change from Falmouth Harbour where the water has become a bit mucky from the
activities of the superyachts which are crowding the marinas with hardly an
inch to spare. We hope they will find space for little Sea Shuttle when
she returns from Andrew's last charter on Tuesday, by which time we will be back
in Falmouth.
On the normal windy
day the ash from Montserrat blows off downwind but on a calm evening often
creates this anvil shaped cloud.
The neighbouring island of Montserrat
whose volcano has been particularly active recently is never far from our
thoughts and has been pouring ash heavenwards. Unless the wind is very
light the ash all goes westwards but Guadeloupe which should be upwind has had a
dose recently. Antigua has escaped so far but we have great sympathy for
the inhabitants of Montserrat which as a UK Protectorate seems to get
precious little protection.
Falmouth has been visited by a small
French yacht with a couple and two small children aboard who are earning their
living while sailing round the world by doing spectacular acrobatic displays
from the deck of their yacht. (sadly the photographs taken at night do not
bear reproduction). The world and his wife and children were there
including some UK friends who we bumped into
unexpectedly en route for a cruise ship holiday. Antigua seems to be a major
crossroads and bumping into friends is a recurring pleasure for us and usually a
great surprise for them!