Plans - what plans?
Oriole
Sun 5 Apr 2015 12:03
Here we still are in Bequia quietly enjoying the company of new and old friends, swimming, walking and liming. We have decided not to go further north with the limited time we have before we are due back in Trinidad, and will probably spend a few more days here and then have a gentle time in the St Vincent Grenadines before heading to Carriacou and Tyrrel Bay where we will take great care to avoid errant ferries.
Start of the first race, with hot jockeying for the first mark.
The Easter Regatta is in full swing and we have been out watching the racing and glad that we are not crewing in the brisk conditions when shoulders and backs bear the brunt of the skippers cajoling to "get that sheet in". All the load bearing winches on Oriole are now electric and great for geriatrics.
One of the local "double enders" practising - no rules, and if you have too many crew you just drop them overboard
The fleet competes with the ferry for the first mark causing chaos - steam does not give way to sail here!
It is a busy morning at 0700 on Easter Sunday, the large tanker which supplies the island has just berthed opposite us and simultaneously the ferry left for St Vincent. The fleet of tankers which supply the islands are British owned and run and are handled with great skill in the confined waters of the small island anchorages. We often see them at sea and there is often one of the fleet in the dry dock in Chaguaramas having its bottom painted.
The reorganisation of the SSB radio net in our absence has meant that there is now a different net controller for each day of the week so John is no longer in charge and running it. Shame! He was finally been allocated a day yesterday, and by the generous admission of the guy who has been very efficiently running it "Normality has returned to the Eastern Caribbean!".
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