13:00.34N 61:14.52W

5 Feb 2012

So two days moored off the Pitons was great as always.  Some snorkeling and of course the boat cleaning.  Then at a few minutes past dawn we headed off to Bequia, an island south of St Vincent but under their jurisdiction.  St Vincent was not selected since the petty theft has gotten too much and there are no really good anchorages that would fit our boat.

The trip was 53 miles and took nine hours (5.8 knots average).  At the start the winds were poor so we motored south to get past the island of St Lucia that was blocking the trade winds.  Once south the winds grew and we hoisted the sails.  Since this was the first sail with the battens out of the mainsail it was an experiment.  So full main with a reefed genoa.  Did not work.  With no battens the main flailed around at the leach so we furled about half of it in to stop the racket.  Passage to St Vincent was as expected, strong trade winds with seas about 2.5 to 3 meters.  Lots of water now getting onto the top deck.  Once we reached St Vincent things calmed dramatically to the point we had no wind and dead flat seas.  Furled the genoa in and took in some of the main getting ready to motor for a while.  About half was down the island we decided it was time for lunch and the motor provided an easy time for our midday meal.

Breaking out of the protection of the island on the crossing to Bequia we again got strong winds and seas.  The wind were now averaging 25 knots with strong gust to 30-35 knots.  Good thing we had reefed the main previously.  The genoa was adjusted as need to keep the boat sailing happily without burying the gunwale, hey we are cruising not racing.

We reached Admiralty Bay on Bequia at 16:00 and looked for a place to moor or anchor.  We chose a mooring bouy just because anchor chains really wipe the sea life away along the bottom.  Of course most of the mooring in Bequia are not properly controlled and it is a bit of a gamble to pay someone who implies they own the mooring but actually do not.  But watching the local “policer” direct the actions we felt it was a safe bet.  The mooring was very substantial that we eventually agreed to take.  The first try to get you to take one that directs money to them first.  But these are usually poorly positioned.  After three reviews we agreed to the third one and it worked out well.

Admiratly Bay really has little to offer.  The water is inviting but the constant dingy traffic, both boaters and water taxis make swimming dangerous.  However the immigration and customs folks are very efficient and nice.

We also had pictures taken of our boat by a local photographer that waits outside the harbor entrance to take shots and the next day provide proofs to look at.  Really nice guy, very good and honest.  Well respected in the tourist guides.  So we bought some.

Not much to say about Bequia since it was really just a truck stop for us, nothing of real interest on the island.  They do have good baked bread that are delivered to the boat as well as several other items like fuel and laundry service.  The “boat boys” here are very professional and do not try to force junk crafts or poor quality fruits like many other places.  However it is a jammed harbor with boats anchored and moored close together.  Luckily the winds here are very directional and keep boats apart.

File fish at the Pitons

There are snakes in the water also in these places.

Heavily reefed sails for the 35 knot gust we got.  If I knew our picture was going to be taken I would have let out more sail and stowed some of the fenders lying around the deck, oh well it is what it is.  We were making 8.5 knots in comfort.  Our sustained peak was 9.5 knots with this amount of reefing when the winds we 30 knots.  The seas were larger than shown and just knocked the wind out the sails, killing speed.  If it was flat 10 knots would be expected.