Getting into a routine
Stream
Darrell Jackson and Sarah Barnes
Tue 4 Feb 2014 13:24
It is with some embarrassment that we realised that it is nearly a week since our last update and the reason is that we are beginning to get into a way of life! Island time, it disappears and you don't seem to have completed that list of jobs! It could also be to do with the lack of wifi in the scenic spots we have chosen to frequent this week. Connectivity is as sparse and intermittent as Tarset! So we have been off the grid as we follow the trail of pirates to deserted islands and beautiful secluded bays. We can see where Robert Louis Stevenson got his inspiration.
But we have been busy experiencing what the BVI's has to offer. Lots of short sails between perfect bays for swimming and exploring. Interspersed by time for chilling and reading on the boat. A nice routine to develop!
There are a lot more yachts around, mainly charter yachts and Americans, which adds to the interest. It gives us more to watch and think about when sailing between bays. Who has right of way? Who is not following the sailing rules? Who will get the buoy first go? A common test that Darrell throws at Sarah to make sure she is paying attention. Sometimes it has the bonus of giving Darrell something to grump about as they do not make their intentions clear enough or understand when under sail who has right of way. Negotiating around the array of moored yachts in order to pick up a buoy can be fun, also avoiding swimmers and snorkelers. Darrell is always careful on the helm, that can not be said for all the charter boats! This is becoming a form of afternoon entertainment, watching how boats pick up moorings. Darrell is blessed with a superb foredeck crew, who are professional in picking up the buoys. Some catamarans do this by committee, with half a dozen people on the foredeck, which usually means a couple of attempts to pick up the pennant. It often involves very dubious hand signals and shouting. In some cases this has resulted in the throwing down of the boat hook and stomping off in huffs by some of the crew. None of this ever happens on Stream thankfully, the Captain does not realise how lucky he is! The BVI's are well organised with good quality mooring buoys in all the popular bays and they are well maintained and easy to pick up. Making it an excellent place for sailing for beginners or those who like calm easy short sails.
This is then followed up when at anchor by the question, who has mast lights on to show they are anchoring? Which technically should be a white one, but big yachts seem to think planes might hit them and therefore have red ones on top, which are meant to denote the port side of the boat when moving, a navigation light. Also there is a tendency to light the spreaders, have underwater lights and blue LED's on the back of boats. Fairy lights and colour changing lights are common. The motor yachts are completely lit up at night. Some bays can be an array of light which does make it more difficult to see the stars! However, we have been lucky enough to find small tucked away places to spend the night, which are peaceful and sitting in the cockpit watching the stars has been a delight.
Having Dave on board has meant we can add to our knowledge by discussing types of sailing boats from afar. This takes the form of looking at their masts and sails to work out whether they are schooners, clippers, ketches or square rigged. I (that is Sarah) never realised how many ways there are for setting up the rigging on boats and the technicalities involved. It has me fascinated and makes the passage interesting.