Oops!
Pelekan
Tom & Jos Hollway
Mon 21 Dec 2015 15:39
Unaccustomed as we are to rapid rising, since retirement, there is nothing like an increasingly loud "whooshing " sound of waves breaking over a nearby reef to catapult one out of bed, at 04.00hrs.
There are strong gusts of wind associated with the local trades but the difference last night was a big change in wind direction. This disturbed the anchor, allowing us to drift towards the reef. Naturally it was pitch dark and half the boats in the bay had no form of lighting, rendering them invisible. In these warm climes Pelekan has a rather splendid, sizeable awning. As Tom pulled up the anchor we came nose to tail with an unlit catamaran. A terrified man shot up at the sound of our engine to be confronted by the red and green running lights of our boat, presumably looking like a bizarre giant marquee, practically in his cockpit!
We re-anchored a few hundred metres away and drank tea, waiting for dawn.
Apart from this close shave (understatement) it has been a pleasant week of catching up with friends and enjoying English Harbour. Lord Nelson hated being in the dockyard when he was here, between 1784 and 1787. We love it.
Nearly time to hang out the stockings
xx Tom and Jos
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