Benign conditions - no test for the leaks!
Oriole
Sat 29 Mar 2014 23:25
Admiralty Bay, Bequia.
Sunday 30th
March
13:00.52N 61:14.30W
Another early start on Monday with
the promise of light winds for the trip to Bequia, which we thought might be too
light for good progress. However we had probably the best sail this season
with 12-15 knots of wind on the beam clocking 6.5 knots. Even at the windy
north end of St Vincent where the wind always bends round to give you a broad
reach and then a run it only accelerated to 20 knots - almost unheard of.
This is the spot where yachts lose their masts!
This inhospitable and precipitous
north end of St Vincent is dotted with the fields and shelters of the ganja
growers.
Down at the south end of St Vincent
the calm in the lee of the island gives way to the Bequia Channel and more wind,
usually more than enough, but today even a Laughing Gull was able to remain
standing on his surfboard, master of all he surveyed.
Circling this idiot bird for the
photograph did not phase him at all!
We picked up a mooring at the top end
of Admiralty Bay in time for the Admiral's afternoon tea - remembering Simon
Julien's tales when, as a midshipman RN, the Bay contained the West Indies
Fleet with destroyers, cruisers and fleet tankers and even a submarine, and he,
while presiding over the captain's barge while executing an uncontrolled
turn deposited the entire Royal Marine escort over the side!
Admiralty Bay is now also popular with bare boat charter yachts and using
a mooring at the top end of the Bay prevents the repeated problem of
inexperienced crews of giant catamarans anchoring just in front of you and
dragging their anchor during the night! This is just about the only place
we pay for a mooring for self defence.
Once again there has been a gathering
of the clans here and there are friends (mostly also on moorings) on five other
boats in the Bay, so more jollification, meals ashore and
sundowners.
Oh no! I am the only one having
a starter again - excellent lobster soup.
The mild weather did not last long as
today we are back to gusty winds and a big northerly ground swell from a so
called "bomb low" running up from Florida to Nova Scotia, and then no
doubt heading for the UK. It is almost unbelievable that these storms so
far away can send swells as far south as the coast of Venezuela. The sea
breaking on the seawall and beach here have been impressive, in what is normally
a quiet spot.
Belmont Walkway under attack.
Time is running short and our sojurn
in the sun is coming to an end so off south again next week.
For anyone interested in innovative
yacht design and building, some friends have appeared here in their brand
new Stimson 56, designed and built in the UK, but came flat packed in
a container from New Zealand. Ikea are you listening? See www.stimsonyachts.com