Nonsuch Bay, Antigua

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Wed 15 Feb 2012 20:52

17:04.40N 61:40.47W

 

Monday 13th & Tuesday 14th February

 

Up bright and early for some proper sailing today. Stugeron had been taken to stiffen the sealegs and settle the stomachs. The early start was designed to avoid any strengthening winds, but in truth the winds were being kind to the sailing novices. We were tacking upwind, our destination Nonsuch Bay. Had I been on a motorway I would have recognised some of the ‘driving’ as undertaking leading almost certainly to roadrage. On the ocean, gallic shrugs took the place of honking horns and much discussion took place amongst the learned as to the protocols which seemed to depend on who had the wind on their starboard bow.

Nonsuch Bay is a delight (we’re still here!). Aquamarine alternates with a deeper blue according to the white sand or coral reef which lies below. To the cheers of watchers on the neighbouring anchorage, sarah picked up the buoy’s mooring rope on the first downwind approach and we settled down to admire the yachts, the water, the ‘bounty hunters’ beach and the continuing miracle which is the Serafina catering department.

Much of the activity here centres around small boats, that is ribs rather than Najad 460s when compared with the anchored super yachts. Apprentice kite surfers learned kite flying from a dinghy before graduating to boards, others tried their hand at sailing a gunter rig wooden dinghy before being rescued by a more conventionally powered dinghy and we, well we packed our snorkels and set off to investigate the reefs that make this Bay a sanctuary from the Atlantic swell.

When Rob’s valiant efforts in logistics eventually gave way to Sarah, this put Tim in charge of knots. Specifically, as they set off for the reef in the rib, Tim was charged with attaching the anchor which would secure the rib whilst all snorkelled. From the secured safety of Serafina’s mooring, Rob watched on with shaking camera as Tim put knot theory into practice. It was some way after the journey started that the anchor was secured with a text book bowline. Nevertheless, Pips requested a back up be put in place. Perhaps this was because she was to stay in the boat. Her snorkelling was to be done in a very individual style, from the safety of the rib with masked face lowered into the water. When the snorkellers returned, complete with conch temporarily raised from the ocean bed by Sarah ‘Cousteau’ Bell, Pips was persuaded into the water and the fun began. Entering a dinghy from Serafina is one thing, from a depth of water something very different. We had not managed to land any fish on our journey to Nonsuch Bay, but we now know the technique for hauling them on board. The snorkelling itself was wonderful, following the edges of the reef and along passages towards the open sea taking in all the different fish amidst the alien underwater landscape.

Back on deck, the commissariat kicked in again as the hostess, modelling her 6th bikini of the trip, prepared what some would call a sausage casserole but, featuring prunes, apricot, aubergine, lentils and enough garlic to make the neighbouring French feel at home, might be better termed something fancier - Nonsuch jambalaya sans pareil?

The two day stay in Nonsuch featured a day night game of Mexican train. A little like when playing rugby in New Zealand, you are not supposed to beat the hosts in this game, specifically the hostess. Sarah was duly in the lead as play resumed on the second day/evening. However, two rum punches seemed to have blunted the sharpness of the mind as Sarah clocked up an impressive first century leaving the youngest, and rum-punch-free member of the crew victorious. And so to bed with a return to Falmouth planned for the morrow.