Antigua 14th January 2007
Osprey
John Bowering
Mon 14 Jan 2008 21:31
After arriving in Antigua on the 31st we spent a relaxing week berthed alongside at the Catamaran Club. Helen who runs the operation is a wonderful character and has the happy knack of keeping everyone happy and under control at the same time. No easy task with the mix of owners and crew she has to deal with. Towards the end of the week our alongside berth came to an end with all the charter boats returning after the Christmas and new year charters. So we had to move out of the berth and move to a new one where we Mediterranean moored stern to the quay with our anchor out ahead of us. First time Anita has done this and she did a perfect job. Dropped the anchor exactly on our amidships line to the berth then very effectively acted as the boats brake as we reversed in between two other yachts with only two foot clearance on each side. We did not touch either boat - nor the quay and were able to pass the lines ashore by hand! This was in marked contrast to our Mediterranean moor in Bermuda where we were not allowed to use the anchor - you had to reverse in and pick up a bow line from the quay which was attached to the berths mooring system. With that arrangement there is no control over the bow of the boat (unless you have a bow thrusters) and in a stiff breeze off the beam we merrily bumped our way in off the adjacent boats -not a happy arrangement. I have to say that as Anita pointed out later, I was nervous at the thought of doing the mooring with Anita on the anchor and had been talking to Neville - the Skipper on the next boat about him coming with us to help with the anchor. The marriage would probably not have survived that situation if I had gone that route!
I have been packing up the boat ready for my departure on Wednesday night and also preparing it for our contract varnishers who are going to finish the topside brightwork which they started in Portland and go on to do the cabin sole and the pilot house. There is a lot of work putting a yacht like this to bed and I have service all the machinery, sterilised the watermaker and heads and stripped off all the topside canvass. We also had to get the dinghy up on deck and Rhys was kind enough to come and help me do that. A total clean of the boat also has to be completed and all the fixtures, curtains and fitting removed from the pilot house ready for the varnishers. All good fun but exhausting. Putting them all back will be another game altogether!
I have now been onboard since the 21st September last year and we have had a huge amount of fun and travelled nearly three thousand miles. Our funniest moment was probably when Jonathan sat on and set off a dry powder fire extinguisher in the pilot house - I am still cleaning up the powder! - our worst moment was either when we were sheltering from hurricane Noel ,trapped against a quay and with the wind pushing us over 25 degrees or when we were in 58 knot winds with the main sail stuck up and not capable of being reefed - we did however manage a record speed of 12.6 knots at that time - not to be repeated I hope. Some idyllic days in the Caribbean islands but Anita says there is work needed at Woodlands so I will be there for a while - probably back on the boat in early April ready for the trip north to the BVI, Bahamas and Miami.