Anguilla 18 11.510N 63 05.911W
Persephone... Cruiser/Racer
Nigel & Karen Goodhew...
Mon 27 Mar 2017 17:21
But before all these treats, we had to get Steve and Brenda on board Persephone. There's no marina as such in Simpson Bay, certainly none we could position Persephone alongside, so the dinghy transfer was the only option. Only Brenda has a massive mental block about the dinghy. Nevertheless, after some supportive words of encouragement, she gingerly descended a helpful ladder on the dinghy dock near the Buccanneer bar, and, gripping the sides of the dinghy, not only made the short transfer, but fairly skipped aboard Persephone, up the swimming ladder on her transom, without so much as a drop of water, blood or any other liquids, spilt. So far, so good.
Sails hoisted, we slipped away on a broad reach. Steve played the part of mast man, hoisting the mainsail, but as soon as we were under way, seemed to succumb to a bout of mal de mer, blaming the physical exertion of the sailing. In fact, I think the amount of physical engagement in our sailing life surprised both Steve and Brenda....the expectation was for a more relaxed scene, sipping cocktails and reading books on deck, but as all you sailors know, it's not quite like that!
Steve's suffering did not abate until some time after we put the anchor down in Road Bay, but then it was time to deal with check in...more transfers between mother ship and dinghy for Brendas phobia, and full relaxation couldn't be properly enjoyed until we were enjoying our second round of drinks in the bar on the beach.
After a happy evening, we wandered up to another restaurant and enjoyed some lovely tapas style food as the sun slipped down over Sandy Island in the west.
Next morning, Steve helped be dive Persephone and we cleaned the hull aided by the crystal clear water. The rest of the day was exploring the bay, swimming and the inevitable few beers on the beach. Then a lovely chicken salad aboard P to close the day off.
With a decent forecast, we planned a circumnavigation of Anguilla and return to St Maarten the following morning. A cracking sail to windward, quite character building on the weather side of Scrub Island on the north east side of the main island. Steve was ill again, alas, but stoical about the ordeal as well. After a fast reach down the length of the Anguilla Channel, we pulled into Marigot on the French side of St Maarten...and again, Steve focussed on recovery, before treating Karen and me to a lovely supper, french Caribbean style in a restaurant overlooking the marina in the lagoon. Very nice indeed.
The Chadwicks settled for a dinghy ride across the Simpson Bay lagoon to return to their holiday apartment. Karen and I will take Persephone back round there in a day or two.
So there you have it; Brenda overcame dinghy phobia and is contemplating buying one for use on the River Mersey, while Steve surprised himself at the degree to which seasickness can debilitate you, even in flat water!
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