Sailing across the Caicos Banks
Lynn & Mike ..around the world
Mike Drinkrow & Lynn v/d Hoven
Fri 1 May 2009 22:05
21:43.29N 072:26.33W West
Caicos
Today we sailed the 100km's across the Caicos
Banks, which is a massive shallow area - in many areas only 2 to 4 m deep.
This is in contrast to the sea between Grand Turk and the start of the banks
which is up to 2 kilometres deep. Because these sandy banks are so
shallow the water is very calm and the sea the most incredible turquoise.
We had to take great care in planning our route so as to avoid the coral heads
that could rip open the keel. The trip was going very well, with about 15 knots
of wind, we had our smaller spinnaker up (see picture below), and dolphins kept
coming by for a visit.
Our first problem occurred when the radar packed
up, making it a little difficult to navigate, as the outside navigation
display could not work without the radar..But with such calm conditions, clear
skies and 3 of us on board, and the main chart plotter inside, it only meant
going down below occasionally to check that we were still on track.
About twenty minutes later, Johnny and I watched the top of the spinnaker come
loose ..it was slow motion .. the shackle broke and the head of the sail
collapsed into the water. It then ran under the boat, and we needed to anchor
quickly, as we had coral heads in front. Unfortunately you have to start the
engines to lower the anchor, and the sail got caught around the one propeller.
Damn!!! Mike jumped overboard with his flippers and had to cut this
beautiful sail off the prop - very sad but I am sure we can get it fixed. This
sail has been the wars before.
We are now anchored off the north end of West
Caicos, in about 2m of water and the guys are fishing again. Today they managed
to catch a few barracuda, but we have thrown them all back - the danger of
Ciguatera remains. Tomorrow we will head up to Mayaguana, the first of the
Bahaman islands
