14:4.30N 60:56.54W
Whisper
Noel Dilly
Sun 6 Jan 2013 18:43
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2nd/6th January
2013"
13:46.2N 61:4.12W New Years day was a quiet one, spent recovering from our rock climbing activities and New Years Eve festivities. We did take the dinghy and explore the mangroves, a large shallow lagoon edged by dense mangrove growth, used as a bolt hole for yachts in the area in the unlikely event of a hurricane arriving. The roots of the mangroves are long, twisted and intertwined knots, to which mooring lines can be tied to secure the boats firmly. The mangroves are not very tall so the dense cover protects the boats from the immense winds and seas caused by the hurricane. We plan to spend the next couple of days sailing up to Martinique to continue our explorations. 2nd January An early 7am start for the long passage from Tyrell Bay, Grenada to Bequia. It was a long day, these southern islands of the Caribbean are not called the Windward Islands for nothing. The winds are predominantly from the NE, so traveling north was into the wind and with the strong currents running down the west coast, progress was very slow. We eventually arrived in Admiralty Bay in the dark, rather wet and tired. Sweet Sensation had arrived before us and was already at anchor, they had kindly left their green stern lights on so that we could find them in the dark and anchor next to them. This was a blessing, as there were boats of all sizes everywhere, from a brightly illuminated four masted tall ship to small yachts. Unfortunately the anchor did not hold the first time that we laid it, so we had to re-anchor before we could settle down, this took some time. Eventually we had supper and fell into bed, only to have a sleepless night as the wind blew hard all night and we were constantly checking that the anchor was holding and we were not dragging. 3rd January Up at day light and on our way again by 6am, we had hoped to make Rodney Bay, St Lucia, but despite our best efforts, the wind and currents were against us and we were hit by several squalls where our visibility was down to a few yards only. We decided to go into Sousfriere Bay under the Pitons rather than continue for another 4 hours in the dark to Rodney Bay. We were grateful to be helped to find a mooring by a boat boy as it was almost dark when we arrived and another 12 hour day sailing in difficult wet conditions after a bad night previously left us both feeling quite exhausted. Supper and an early night beckoned. We were suddenly woken by what we thought was the mooring buoy knocking on the hull, it was worse than that, we were banging against the boat on the next mooring! We and the Dutch family, tried to rectify the problem but it was hopeless. Sousfriere Bay is so deep that it is impossible to anchor, our mooring was in 39 metres and quite close to the shore. In the end the Dutch boat decided to leave their mooring, which made us feel bad, this was not an end to the problem, as our mooring buoy was on a slider on the rope could not be hoisted on board so continued to be a nuisance all night banging along the hull, one side and then the other. In the morning we could see just how close the buoys were, we think that these buoys were probably a fore and aft mooring for a larger boat, and the scallywag boat boys took the opportunity to make a dollar or two! 4th January A slower start to the day, Rodney Bay is only 25 miles away and we have decided not to press on to Martinique as planned, but to spend a couple of days relaxing. After two long 12hrs days sailing, in poor conditions along with two anxious disturbed nights, we are just too tired. We have tried to retrace our steps north too quickly, so that we can explore other islands, but it was a mistake under those conditions. After a nice meal ashore and a quite berth in the marina tonight, we shall be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow! 5th January A quiet peaceful night, followed by a gentle day shopping for a few boat bits and pieces; visiting the local sailmaker to have two eyelets put in to our wind scoop, although he was busy repairing a sail, he did our job straight away charging us the princely sum of £1; visiting the farmers market in the marina and buying some fruit and salad items, which must have been picked fresh today they were so beautifully crisp; exploring the shopping mall, reached by dinghy as it is at the end of the lagoon and finally, negotiating and ordering a lightweight rib, which will be more suitable to our needs while out here. This purchase means a longer stay here than we intended but we have a list of small tasks to complete and hopefully we will be able to explore a little of St. Lucia as well, so the days will not be wasted. 6th January A very wet and windy day, but in between
showers we managed to complete many of the small tasks and maintenance jobs that
needed to be done. It is amazing just how much needs to be done on a
boat. I am sure that there is not so much daily maintenance to be done at
home!
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