Saturday 12th January 2013
After completion of the necessary clearance documentation at Customs and Immigration, followed by a visit to the marina office to pay dockage, water and electric, went started the engine at 10:00 and slipped our lines by 10:15.
We started slowly through the shallow passage until we were clear of Five Islands and Susan had put away the ropes and fenders before heading out on our course of 305⁰ Magnetic. Around 170 miles lay ahead of us to our next destination of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Most of the crossing was with the wind just forward of the beam, on a starboard tack. We started with everything up, full main, full genoa and staysail but the wind steadily increased to F6 and we had to reef the lot! The sea was very short and choppy making it an uncomfortable night but by dawn we were past the two thirds distance and were looking forward to our arrival. Around midday the wind reduced to F3/4 and we were again able to have everything out and enjoy some beautiful sailing although the sea was still very choppy.
We had originally planned to go to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour by Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda but the anchorage was very busy and looked a little uncomfortable. Instead we continued to the North of the island to Gorda Sound where we had read there was a new Customs and Immigration office at Gun Creek. As we rounded the North of the main island we passed by Mosquito Island, which Richard Branson has recently purchased and then Necker Island which he has owned for some considerable time and which was recently struck by lightning destroying the main house.
Gun Creek looked like a pretty little village but is heavily used by the water-taxis running between there and The Bitter End, Biras Creek and Trellis Bay, causing very regular and annoying swell as they passed by. We plumped for Robins Bay, just around the corner where we anchored at 16:00 in 7 meters with good holding on clean sand.
Statistics: 172 miles; Max wind F6; Max speed 9.1 kts; Av speed 5.73 kts; Position: 18⁰ 29.4’ N 64⁰ 22.2 W
Monday 14th January 2013
We were up early and across to the Customs and Immigration office in Gun Creek to clear in. Unfortunately they were out dealing with a cruise-ship just arrived at anchor in the bay. After a while the officers returned and duly processed us.
We spent a lazy morning swimming and sunbathing on the boat then went across to The Bitter End Yacht Club for a stroll around and some lunch. Susan was unable to resist the temptations of the clothes shops and came away with a loose top for wearing on the boat and a very elegant dress.
During the afternoon we swam and rested again before going out for a sun-downer. Leverick Bay was heaving with charter boats who’s occupants were all crammed into the waterside bar and were already in full swing to the strains of the live band’s version of ‘What shall we do with a drunken sailor?’ We decided to go back to The Bitter End, to the pub on the dock. Unusually, smoking is not even allowed when sitting outside here since the new laws were recently passed – only on the beach where there can be no chance of others being able to inhale your smoke is the official position. As Sue was looking forward to a cigarette with her gin and tonic, we only stayed for one and returned to drink and smoke on our own boat!
Tuesday 15th January 2013
We did the morning radio-net at 08:00 and were quite surprised to hear from Aequitas that they were just entering Gorda Sound and invited us for coffee after they anchored next to us. They no longer have an outboard on their dinghy having lost it overboard in English Harbour so we offered to take them ashore to clear in at Gun Creek. Following our return and the promised coffee, were hoisted our dinghy to the davits and then the anchor. We were a little concerned about the anchor considering our previous problems, but it came up without any troubles and we set off for Trellis Bay.
Our course was directly into the wind leaving Gorda Sound and would be directly behind us once out and on a heading for Trellis Bay and as it was only around 12 miles we elected to motor. We arrived at around 13:30 and attempted to anchor in the North East of the bay very close to Sprat Point. It was a difficult position made more so by a large motor yacht in the entrance which meant dropping very close to them then falling back as we paid out. The first attempt failed, as did the second that went horribly wrong when the anchor swivel twisted on the shank and jammed in
the roller! We motored back out of the bay and Susan released the anchor with the aid of a lump hammer. With the wind getting up again, we considered it prudent to take one of the moorings instead and were soon secure in 2.4 meters immediately to the East of Bellamy Cay.
Bellamy Cay has some history to it. It is now the home of The Last Resort bar and restaurant. The last time I was here in 1996, Tony Snell, an ex-Spitfire pilot turned eccentric troubadour, ran the place providing the entertainment while his wife did the food – including roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes! It is now run by Tony’s daughter Jessica and her husband Ben Banford. The food has moved more up-market and was delicious. The setting is still bizarre much as Tony made it. The numerous animals are still there as before with the exception of the old donkey which apparently drowned one night when drunk!
The entertainment was provided by Pete Merrigan who provided us with a 3 hour one-man show, exhibiting his skills with live recording loops on different instruments being brought together with chorus loops of individuals draw from the audience. He was slightly put out when a Polish man named Gerry from Chicago stepped up and played the drums very accomplishedly – the skipper of the boat he was on didn’t even know he could
play!
Statistics: 11 miles; Wind F3/4; Position: 18⁰ 26.9’ N 64⁰ 31.9 W
Wednesday 16th January 2013
After our late night’s entertainment last night, we had a slow start to the day. We chased up the parts we had ordered from the UK to arrive this week in the BVI. The windlass motor still hadn’t arrived at Oyster as they didn’t know we were in a hurry and had left it to be delivered on their normal weekly delivery from Lewmar! This means that if they despatch it tomorrow it should be here by Monday. An extra day’s delay with the clock ticking for us to get to Panama was not what we had hoped for! The circuit-board for the Comar AIS had reached Cincinnati and should be here tomorrow.
After breakfast we went ashore to get rid of some rubbish and walked across to the airport to see if we could get a phone slim-card and a cash machine. We were successful with the cash but not the sim card. On the way back to the dinghy we stopped at a couple of shops and got some fresh food. During the afternoon we relaxed.
Thursday 17th January 2013
Following a leisurely breakfast we slipped the mooring at 11:15 and motored around the North of Tortola, passing under ‘Pull and be Damned Point’ on Great Camanoe and then through the Guana Channel. On passed Rouges Point and Brewers Bay to a mooring in Cane Garden Bay.
Our Comar AIS circuit-board had arrived on the island but we were unable to get hold of Graeme Maccallum at Caribbean Yacht Management – we later found out he wasn’t on the island today.
Went ashore for a late lunch of Jerk Chicken at Quito’s Gazebo
The rest of the day we ended up doing odd jobs, cleaning around the boat and trying to get our journals up to date in order to be able to post to the website. We phoned Nicky on skype to wish her a happy 40th birthday.
That evening we listened to the strains of World Class Reggae performed live by Quito Rhymer and his band The Edge playing gently across the bay. (www.quitorymer.com)
Friday 18th January 2013
Most of the day was consumed by photo selection and uploading to the website. We spoke to Laura then Ben and Nicky on skype, as it was Sam’s 7th birthday.
We had a couple of swims and thought about going ashore but it was too late by the time we had finished the website, so had a drink a listened to the music from on the boat again.
Saturday 19th January 2013
Graeme Maccallum met us at the fuel dock at 09:00 with both our packages. On the way over there our outboard seemed to by ‘slipping’ – like the clutch on a car. As we throttled back, we got back propulsion, increasing throttle made it ‘slip’ again losing propulsion. Back on the boat and reading about this problem on the internet, it would seem that the outboard prop has a built-in sacrificial hub that prevents damage to the engine if the prop hits the bottom. In Trellis Bay we did catch the prop on the way to The Last Resort.
We got a taxi into Road Town to visit the two places that may be able to help. First to the Mariner dealers, Mr Wycliffe’s in Fish Bay then on to Golden Hind Chandlers at Wickhams Cay 2 – no luck at either. Both advised they could get a new prop in less than a week but it would have to be shipped from the USA.
‘Sandman’ returned us to Cane Garden Bay where we refitted the old prop with a new nylock nut and resolved to only use the outboard on ‘get-you-home’ tick over as advised on the Mariner website. We found another Mariner dealer on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Island and sent them an email asking if they had one in stock. We spent the afternoon swimming and cleaning the hull before dinner on board then over to Quito’s to watch the
live guest band and a few beers.
Sunday 20th January 2013
Didn’t sleep well with toothache all night – must have been the reggae base loosened my tooth! We decide that Fox’s Bar on Jost van Dyke would have to wait until the next time we are here. They have a massive weekend of entertainment to mark Martin Luther King Day and the boats are apparently rafted up in the anchorage and on the moorings! We resolved to go to Sopers Hole a little later after a swim, breakfast and a look at fitting the AIS board.
The new AIS board made no difference to it not working! We noticed that a multiwire strip had been pinched under one of the board screws and that it had worn through the insulation and possibly the wire itself. We spoke to Comar and they would look into it further and email us later.
We slipped the mooring and motored the 5 miles around West End through Thatch Island Cut, along Seaplane Landing to Sopers Hole where we picked up another mooring at 18⁰ 23.2’ N 64⁰42.1 W . I took Susan ashore in the dinghy to have a look around the shops and have a snack and drink at Pussers.
Monday 21st January 2013
Kept awake most of the night again with toothache, took some painkillers and clove-oil to keep it at bay and resolved that in the morning we would go ashore to sort out a dentist.
Comar had agreed to send us out a complete new AIS unit which we asked them to do immediately, reluctant in extending our stay here but preferring to have a working AIS for the next part of the trip. They would despatch it first thing Tuesday morning to hopefully be with Graeme by Thursday.
The dentists couldn’t see me until tomorrow morning, but to arrive as soon as possible after 08:30. We organised a taxi with Dean, for 07:45 to take us to Premier Dental at Fish Bay on the other side of town. Then went back to some of the shops to try some things on, I got a couple of really load shirts and a pirate shirt, Susan got a pirate skullcap. We called into the Pussers store and got a couple enamel mugs, some Nelson’s Blood and the necessary flags to indicate ‘Splice the main brace’.
Tuesday 22nd January 2013
The early appointment at Premier Dental gave me two options: a root-canal repair, which would take a total of four visits over a couple of week period, or to take the tooth out. I decided on the later as it was exactly the same tooth as Susan had taken out in Antigua it would seem to be the fashionable thing to do and keep us equal in the lost tooth stakes!
The rest of the day was spent resting. We did elect to put up the aft awning later in the afternoon having decided that it would give shade from the sun and help with avoiding the ritual running around the boat closing windows and hatches during the frequent rain showers. Of course having put it up, there were no rain showers all that night!
Wednesday 23rd January 2013
The morning was taken up with routine jobs around the boat. Cleaning the port side of the hull as far as possible under the waterline and another was above it to still try and remove the oily stains from English Harbour. Susan then stitched straps to the new ratchets we got for the dinghy while I updated the maintenance log.
Went shopping in the afternoon to stock up on drinks ready for our next passage, after the AIS arrives!
Thursday 24th January 2013
We did a few more odd jobs around the boat this morning. The AIS had arrived and left Memphis, so maybe later today....
Sure enough, the notification came through that the AIS had arrived on the island. We phoned Graeme to find out how to get hold of it and he suggested we get a taxi to town and he would meet us in The Watering Hole – which turned out to be his own wine bar!
As we approached The Watering Hole in the taxi, we spotted Wayne and Hilja walking along the street. We stopped the taxi and I jumped out to call to them. We all then spent the evening catching up with them in the wine bar where Graeme and Bridget made us most welcome. They are such a nice couple and a great support for Oyster Yachts in the Caribbean. We hope to see them over Christmas in Cape Town where they threatened to turn up for an overdue return home.
Friday 25th January 2013
Up early to fit the new AIS, everything worked fine, as before. We went across to Customs and Immigration and checked out remembering to have St Marta on the clearing out forms – this makes a huge difference if you get there without it on the form. Back across to the store on the other side, to get some bottled water and a few other last minute provisions before we were ready to leave. The dinghy was lifted to the davits, the sun awning sides rolled up and we were ready to go.
We started the engine and slipped the mooring at 14:00 for the short trip across to Norman Island. We arrived at 15:15 and took a mooring in the Bight in 7m at 18⁰19.1 N 64⁰37.2 W
After an hour settling in, we dropped the dinghy and went across to the famous Willy T’s (the William Thornton – www.williamthornton.com ) for a couple of sundowners while watching the jumpers (naked people leaping from the highest
part of the roof of the vessel into the water) and the body shots (girls laying on the bar having shots drunk from across their naked bodies).
As darkness fell, we decided to move on to Pirates Bight (www.naormanisland.com ) for our last dinner ashore for a while. The place was good, the food was good, the live blues band was good and we have a great time.
Susan was very pleased to have visited here and grateful that she had the full pirate experience and didn’t miss anything.
The big boys were here with all their toys, Northern Star at 246ft, Pipe Dreams at 148 ft, Just Enough at 141 ft with their full height plume-slide.
It was a stormy night with heavy rain and high winds – I noticed 35 kts when I was up around 04:00 concerned about the awning but the wind instrument recorded a gust of 69 knots!