50 miles and a week later...

A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Thu 3 Mar 2011 23:59
17:70N
61:51W
 
Sad news, dear reader: the parentos have just climbed into a taxi to head for the airport. The good news is that they left with fresh mango to tuck into before boarding the plane. Together we covered about 50 miles, much in open Atlantic seas and winds well over 20 knots, covering what is repeatedly described as the most treacherous ground in the East Caribbean (without mishap, I hasten to add). Summer Song is now lying at her anchor beside the main road south in the dusty capital, St John's, and we hear every truck that passes with a friendly toot of its horn. In a surprising oversight, there is not a single disembarkation point anywhere along the quay, obliging dinghy passengers to scramble over rocks or clamber up a four foot wharf to gain the shore.
 
We had an extraordinary run down from North Sound this morning. We'd been battered by strong winds and lashing rain during the night, but as day dawned the wind dropped away and the rain subsided to a gentle drizzle. Summer Song bobbed along in the gloom at a couple of knots before we rounded the corner and the wind died away completely. The Gaffer decided to withdraw below to issue navigational advice, and put the kettle on, while the rest of us dripped on deck. It brightened up into a cracking afternoon, though, and we hired a taxi to take us on a reconnoitring mission to nearby Jolly Harbour. The driver was a friendly cove, who took the Gaffer for a guided driving tour of the exclusive housing development attached to the marina, taking in the million-dollar villas with their own docks. We then retired to the coincidentally named 'Starfish Coffee Shop', where we procured fancy caffeine, including another coincidentally-named 'frappucino'.
 
St John's was a queer contrast to the isolated island anchorage of the night before. In the lee of Great Bird Island, we were surrounded by reef teeming with many-coloured fish and ripe for snorkelling. The Gaffer ventured ashore in the dinghy, and we explored the cliffs which are home to red-billed tropic birds. These birds were the first sign of Caribbean life we saw during our Atlantic crossing, with roving individuals soaring nearly 1000 miles from land.
 
The Gaffer had been all lined up for a swim, before the weather closed in and he ended up settling for an equally damp fresh water shower. Mamma did a fair amount of snorkelling and we saw rays, parrotfish, angelfish, wrasse, jacks, grouper, dolphins. She also holds the Summer Song mongoose-spotting record, at one, although not on the same occasion.
 
 
Very tame bananaquit in Nelson's Dockyard
 
Maltese Falcon: a snip at $130m
 
Relaxing on the beach at Green Island after a sploshy sail up from English Harbour
 
 
On the Atlantic side of Green Island
 
Just before an awesome Italian lunch at Harmony Hall
 
Post-luncheon...
 
Fizzing along at seven knots
 
Preparing a cracking lunch of yam and dasheen - a brace of little-combined starchy vegetables
 
More beach weather on Great Bird Island
 
 
 
Good lord, what the devil's that?
 
A red-billed tropicbird
 
End of a cracking day