Laurie is checking out of customs and immigration in St. Lucia before heading south for Bequia.
It's one thing to experience rain along the way, but it's quite another to get out of bed and up anchor in the pouring rain. Sets a bit of a tone for the whole day.
We sail right on by the Pitons this year, both going north and returning south.
We enjoyed a large pod of dolphins just off St. Lucia and were thrilled that they stayed with us for over 20 minutes. I took lots of video, so maybe I'll put it together and share it with you soon.
Upon arrival in Bequia (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) the first thing to do is clear into Customs and Immigration. They charge for a month stay whether you stay a day or 30. The Tobago Cays are a part of this island grouping and it's worth it to pay anything they require!
It has been raining here in Bequia for the past 3 days. We were able to sneak in a walk yesterday afternoon and decided that it was time for a dominoes game. We also decided that it was time for a Mac's Pizzeria fix. So off we went at 4:00 in that afternoon with our domino game and wallets and proceeded to order a few beers, played a complete game (13 rounds) and finished up with the best pizza we've had since we were here last December! Laurie is on the left, and Paula and Brian from s/v Magique are on the right.
Blog Supplement: Close Calls
Event #1
Dawn and I have seen whales only a few times this year, and seldom too close-up. Once, when Dawn was getting nervous as we approached a pod, I just stamped my feet four times and they went from sounding every hundred feet to showing us their flukes as they dove out of the way. No problem.
A friend of ours was not so lucky. Chris of Spyglass is a friend from last year. He had real health problems this year so he started rather late. He caught up to us, with his daughter Kate, in Grande Anse D’Arlet, Martinique a few weeks ago, and said that on the way up he hit a whale. “How big?” “What kind?” “What damage to him or Spyglass?” Well, he doesn’t know much about the whale. He was sailing at 7 knots when he came to a rather soft stop, with the bow going down, meaning he hit something soft with the keel. No broken bones or even bruises topside. No whale in the water, but literally a sea of shit. He dove on the boat (not during the poo), and notices a lot of missing bottom paint. No water inside, so hopefully he didn’t cause any damage to the boat/keel joint or fasteners. Since then he says by email to us he has had 4 more whale sightings. He wants to get Kate off the boat, suggesting this beautiful young college graduate is a magnet for the big fishy mammals.
Laurie found this picture online when he was researching why so many sitings of whales this year. I certainly did not take this photo! It was taken this year in Dominica.
Event #2
Also a couple of weeks ago, Dawn and I were in the bunk, fighting through matching Sudoku puzzles. As water lapped against the hull, I said: “I hear water running.” Dawn hears nothing abnormal, so I ignore it, and attempt to focus on finishing my puzzle first. Still, that trickle continues to bother me, so after a bit I get up to investigate. Well, what a mess. There is salt water all over the counter, the floor, and trickling down both sets of stairs into the hulls’ bilges. The salt water tap was left over the counter instead of over the sink, and the switch had shorted out to send electricity to the saltwater pump.
Glad we were on the boat (happy I’m easily annoyed?), and glad we caught it before we were in real trouble. As it was, we had a 40 minute cleanup session before Dawn once again beat me at Sudoku. Note to self: “The saltwater tap has a stupid location for a switch, and the whole system needs another switch to protect us.” This is the third time the boat has used the tremendous energy provided by our systems and the fabulous improvements we have installed to pump saltwater aboard without our permission.Event #3
A little more recently, we were getting ready to scoot into the dock at Le Marin to get new shrouds for Cat Tales. We had some extra time, so I wanted to run over to a boat in the same anchorage and have a look. It was a Tobago, just like ours, and we wished to sidle up to see them to steal ideas about lines, fittings, biminis, etc. However, when we up-anchored, Dawn said there was too much mud on the anchor, and we should drag it through the water. I headed downwind to the other Tobago, being pushed hard by a 20 knot wind. We were almost to it, after turning one way or another around other anchored yachts, when the anchor chain slipped off the gypsy, and 100 feet of chain went over the bow. I threw both engines into hard reverse, ran up front to grab the last bit of chain to put it back on the gypsy, and then, realizing we were now going fast-backwards (close enough to assbackwards), I ran back to the wheel. I got the engines back into forward just before hitting a monohull with a beautiful bikini-clad girl and her non-distinct husband, both of whom had big eyes and nervous/scared expressions. I said: “A beautiful day for it” or something nearly as stupid, and took control as Dawn once again weighed anchor. Now here’s the biggie. As this is being done, I realize we were going full speed towards a shallow reef between the two Tobagos. Note to self: “Don’t even move a boat in Marin without a chart-plotting GPS.” Having no more stomach for sight seeing, we moved very cautiously towards the rigging dock. I guess regular readers know the rest of that day went great.
