Turks and Caicos Islands......
Ananda
Ron Welch
Mon 18 Apr 2011 17:07
Latitude 21:45,81N, longitude 72:10.49W
Some times things don't go as planned and you end up seeing places and meeting people you will never forget.......
The alarm range it's "alarming ring" at twelve midnight and ananda's crew jumped out of bed immediately......when departure time is set to meet the necessary circumstances of arrival time, there is no room for rolling around and rising out of bed in a leisurely fashion.......everything was ready and without any delay we set out for Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Following our track on the chart plotter since it was dark, we left the harbor at Abrahams Bay, mayaguana and set our course south east. Not a lot of wind, and we were heading directly into it, so we were motoring......Ron took the first shift at the helm, while I went back to sleep in the cockpit. I must have looked comfortable, or complained enough about being tierd, because he let me sleep until 4:30am. Small kindnesses such as that, can go a long way to creating a pleasant mood in a small confined space......it works for both of us. After a quick cup of coffee, it was my turn at the helm. The wind had shifted a little more to the east, but we were still pounding into it....swells weren't too big and the ride, while a little rolly, was not too bad, other than the occasional large one that increased the heel momentarily........
Watching for the east star, the first sign of morning, followed by the gradual light of day, with it's pinks and purples that reflect in the water, was an absolute treat. I have come to look forward to being at the helm for the early morning shift; it seems to pass naturally as the show of a new day unfolds....and as a small kindness returned, it works well for Ron, as he enjoys sleeping in in the mornings........... Two shifts down and two more to go. Ron took the helm and I had a little nap. Things were moving along as planned......."as planned"......is a kindness that life offers us!.....to create an expectation, or the illusion that, because there is a plan, that because every t has been crossed, and every i has been dotted things will go according to the plan is a misperception...........
Sun shinning and life smiling, two more shifts complete, we were nearing our waypoint.......
The ocean is a deep cobalt blue color when the water depths are in the many thousands feet range...to be precise, at the moment one of those occasional large swells with a sizable wave washed beneath Ananda from the side rolling us and everything in the cockpit and down below that was not secured well over to the starboard side, we were in 10,245 feet of the beautiful cobalt blue stuff......generally not a problem, however, in this case there was some sort of a problem.......a problem with the engine.......as the boat righted itself, just like she is designed to.....the engine choked....sputtered.....and sighed.....then she lay silent.......one of those deafening silences, where the void is frightening.........the moment when "as planned" falls apart and the reality of the cobalt blue void beneath and all around looms.........quick as we stopped though, Ron was down stairs checking the racor filters.....yuk.....filled with junk...little black floaters.......could it be bad fuel?.......could we be out of fuel?.....the gauge is not really accurate......could we need oil? ......check the oil......that's fine.....perhaps the.........this was the senerio as we bobbed up and down....side to side......as us and everything in the boat were dancing on the sea.......whap,whap,whap,whap,......the sound of a chopper......helicopter..........not going to ask questions now....how, why, just radio them......channel 16........."helicopter flying above, helicopter flying above.....this is sailing vessel Ananda, over"......no response......tried again....still no response......then the questions really arose......as the orange and black coast guard chopper circled down around the boat and then took off towards the island............wait!.....what?....why?.... how could the coast guard have heard about this? It's only been thirty minutes or or so.....but there we were.....we bobbed up and down lugging and slopping the Jerry jugs of extra diesel fuel, and added fuel......but, the engine most obviously was not going to start again.......with the wind on our nose, not a favorable direction for sailing, we were going to have to tack.....all sails up.....all smiles and positive outcome thoughts....we headed off......all beit in the wrong direction.....well, sort of.......our tack took us off the easy direct line course we could follow using the engine....sailing is what we are out here to do, but sailing with out an engine doesn't guarantee ones arrival time; and sometimes our concerns of arriving with good light to see reefs in shallow waters inspires us to "use the motor and arrive as planned".....this was no longer an option......
Sailing south west as apposed to heading south east we sent out a securite radio call on the VHF.....we knew that tacking across the Caicos Banks in very shallow reef strewn waters was not an option....especially since once we reached the banks we didn't have a detailed chart.....our chip for the chart plotter simply read.....UNSURVEYED AREA....no depths or reef data was displayed once the track lead onto the Caicos Banks.........we thought we had crossed every T and dotted every I.....but, somehow this one had remained under the radar.......and now of all times...strange how life works sometimes.......a response came back over the radio from sailing vessel "Victory".......(how appropriate is that?) victory could hear us loud and clear, but the marina and shipyard at Provo could not hear "victory....victory hailed all vessels in the area and "Trubador" answered...they relayed to the marina, who gave them a phone number to call........a phone number?????another I not dotted......we had to charge up the cell phone before we could call to request help.....not to worry we were still tacking south west......is that land?......which island is that? ......fifteen minutes or so later we were on the phone with Bruce, at Caicos Marina and Shipyard....just the kind of person one would hope to get a hold of in a predicament such as this....Bruce turned out to be friendly, supportive, resourceful and connected to the right people.....the police.
As soon as the seas changed from cobalt to aquamarine we anchored in 15feet of water on the banks edge off the coast of west Caicos. Bruce, who understood our hesitation to cross the banks as it got dark without charts or a motor, had arranged to have the police, who were stationed at the marina come out and tow us in. Anchored in the crystal clear waters, waiting for the tow to arrive we checked the propellor....all clear...that was not the problem......still we had no idea what the trouble was.........
About an hour passed, and a couple of phone calls back and forth were made before Sea Defender arrived.......the two officers on board were polite and friendly as they greeted us and tossed the enormous line over to us.....creating a bridle around the mast and through the chauks at the bow.....not using the cleats.....we secured the rope and Ananda was ready for the ride....one of us sat at the helm steering the rudder to avoid resistance strain as we followed behind Sea Defender......as the sunset and darkness surrounded us, the lights of Providenciales
twinkled in the distance on our port side.......the zig zag course the officers, who most obviously knew the territory....because surely this was not how a police boat would navigate unless.......that was island rum they were sipping on, ......the twists and turns we took made us happy that this help was available....without the engine, in this shallow water....8 to 13 feet, it would have been a nightmare........
By 9:30pm, we arrived at the entrance of the marina...the small entrance to the marina...the small shallow entrance to the marina.....the small, shallow, reef surrounded entrance to the marina.....relief and anxiety...two sides of the same coin...glad to be there...terrified of the ride in......and besides, we had no power ....how would we get into a slip, or up to a dock?.....another phone call was placed to Bruce......"don't worry I've arranged for someone to be there waiting...you will have plenty of help, and besides the officers know the marina, and they will help"......
Well there wasn't one person waiting to help....there was an entire marina....and friends of the marina waiting to help.....with some line throwing and pulling and the assistance of Bruce in the speed boat pulling and nudging, we were tied up next to a dock rather easily....
Watching, and then as assisting from the dock were some German cruisers who were at the Marina too. Once we were secured they insisted we come over for a drink and a sandwich or a bite of something to eat....."you must be exhausted"......."it's the least we can do"....."just come"....."have one drink"......"you will rest better".......so......we did!....and as usual, there was instant rapore, comoradery, and sharing.......one of the most natural things to do in this life style is support and help your neighbor.....it was actually during our conversation with them, that the idea of ....checking for air in the fuel line came about.
The hospitality we received that evening was merely a prelude to the genuine friendliness and helpfulness of the Turks and Caicos people. The police officer who came out on their own time, were pleased with the exchange we arranged, and stopped by to visit, they shared stories of life growing up on the islands, and arranged for his son the take us into town to the grocery, and marine supply.....he also insisted on giving us a wonderful tour of the area. The customs officer, who checked us in told us stories of fishing, which made me wish our friend Wayne, from Joe Wheeler, in Alabama could have the chance to experience some of the "fish stories" he told us....600lb marlins....reeling in half eaten tuna that sharks have taken bites out of while they are on their hook....the locals fish around these island for what they are going to eat...and no more....they have a respect for the balance of things, and we heard from a couple of different people how sad it was that people were using bleach to chase the lobsters out of their hiding places in the reefs.....this is killing sections of the reef....sections that there is no telling how long, if ever they will be restored.....the local people we met, see the ocean and the life in it as a gift to be grateful for and to be respectful of....it is a part of their heritage and culture.......
After a good nights rest we were ready to look at things with fresh minds.....remembering the large swell that rolled Ananda right before the engine stopped, we decided to bleed the fuel line of any air.........bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble.........yes that was the trouble....air in the lines from a low fuel tank and a large swell that tipped us just right for the fuel intake tube to exposed to air and not fuel....and abracadabra .......the " fateful spell" was cast.....luckily we sleuthed it out quickly and the engine started right up.....revved it up, and revved it up to be sure...turned it of and started it again..."yep...that must have been it"......a big sigh of relief about the potential dollars not needed..in this case....there was however, still the Racor junk to be cleaned out......as luck would have it......there was a yanmah engine guy at the shipyard right at the marina....we arranged to use the potential saved dollars on having the fuel polished....the junk turned out to be some algey.....even though we had been using a Baha filter and a biocide....once again thinking we were crossing t's and dotting i's.
We spent three nights and four days at the Caicos Marina enjoying...showers, laundry, and Internet; all luxuries we have a new found appreciation for, however as we crossed back over the bank and into the deep waters of the ocean again I wasn't thinking about them...I was remembering the beautiful people we would not have encountered had things gone as we had planned....and not as life had planned.......