Where we are now.
Sarah Grace goes to sea
Chris Yerbury and Sophy White
Wed 31 Jan 2007 13:43
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Tuesday 29th January, 2007,
N 11'56 W67'26 Isla Sur, Aves de Barlavento.
We're anchored in 3 metres,
tight up against the cover of the mangroves, off a small sand and coral
island. Mimi is listening to 'Wind in the Willows' and Otti is
eating a KitKat.
We've just had baracuda
fishfingers and rice for supper.
The baracuda arrived on the
line yesterday, as we were sailing into Caye Agua, Los Roques, just as we were
doing a critical turn around a coral shoal along a bearing in tricky
light. Chris ended up hanging off the back of the boat battling this
baracuda, trying to set about it with a winch handle, reminding me of the fight scene in Johnny English,
behind the door. I was at the helm. He was shouting, 'Are you
on 135'?? This thing won't die! I'm bringing it on board, watch
out!' I stood straddled across the cock pit trying to avoid
this four foot leaping rat trap, trying to hold the boat steady, whilst Chris
was being a real hero. Eventually his worry about the future of the
Sarah Grace came to the fore, and he abandoned his fight, leaving it trailing
behind. Meanwhile, we were weaving between coral heads, following a
promising clear patch to starboard, when I shouted,' Breaking wave ahead,
depth six metres, four metres, three, two....I'm going into
reverse! B----- ,I'm going to get a baracuda around the
prop!'
Luckily we managed to
reverse out of shoal, and came into our anchorage down an easier
route.
No more fishing near reefs:
the chance hooking another baracuda must be avoided unless we have a gun or an
axe on board to despatch it.
Here is a picture of Mimi
clambering over coral and saltwort on Aves, with Mark from Jem (also in pink) in
the background.
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