"Let it Blow, Let it Blow, Let it Blow"


By Wednesday morning the boat was in decent enough shape for us to make our exit out of Prickly Bay which the boat has called home for the past 4+ months. So, after stocking the cupboards and the fridges we let loose the lines late on Wednesday afternoon. Our first trip was just to St. Georges where we would meet up with some past traveling buddies. Unfortunately the wet weather hasn't made our friends painting jobs any easier and they weren't going anywhere. So after a rain day delay of our own we finally left St Georges on Friday for Carriacou just some 35nm to the north.

The trip north brought short choppy waves and a few squalls as we passed over top of "Kick em Jenny" an underwater volcano which has still been active in recent years. Our landing spot was Tyrell Bay in Carriacou. While out for dinner at the Lazy Turtle we met up with some other Canadians that we've become friends with over the years in Grenada. They were collecting their prize of dinner and wine for winning second overall in the recent Carriacou Sailing Regatta.

Our plan was to visit the Tobago Cays for some snorkelling and exploring but after looking at the weather more closely being at an exposed anchorage behind a reef would not be a good spot to be with the weather reported to be coming our way by the middle of next week. Unfortunately we will have to forgo that trip this time but will put it in our plans on the return trip in the late spring. Our next port of call was to be Bequia and with its well protected anchorage we decided to head that way but first we would stop at Sandy Island for a bit of snorkelling and a quick trip to explore Hillsborough Bay. These winds are called the Christmas Winds and they seem to be arriving earlier every year. Donna and I figure they must arrive as soon as the radio stations start playing the Christmas tunes and don't stop until the last Christmas light is turned off...sometime in February.

While anchoring in Hillsborough the windlass started jamming often and after close examination found the stripper had worked itself loose and a quick fix was necessary before I could retrieve the anchor in the morning. And so the trip in to Hillsborough turned into a trip to find some help in repairing the windlass. It soon became evident that finding a shop that could help would be useless especially that time in the afternoon on a Sunday so a bit of 'Magivering' was necessary.

Not much happens in Hillsborough unless a cargo boat shows up at the dock which I was lucky enough to see while there. It's certainly a different world down here, I thought, as I watched these fit young men unloading the old motor sailing cargo ship by hand. Tossing cases of beer and many other heavy items like they could do it all day. Truck after truck pulled along side and the relay teams would fill each truck in no time, all the while laughing and joking amongst each other.

With each passing squall we would close the hatches and 10min later open everything back up again. And even though this pattern would repeat itself all evening and through the night we still had a great BBQ and a beautiful sunset.

In the morning it was off at 'first light' with fingers crossed hoping my quick fix to the windlass would hold. Thank goodness it did and it was off we went. Again the wind direction and speed, which carried from 17degrees off the nose to 85degrees and from 4kts to 28kts had us motor sailing the entire way through squall after squall. Visibility at times was reduced to nothing. Luckily the waves were not high and the trip wasn't so bad. At times when we could see we saw fish feeding frenzies with tuna jumping out of the water to get over top of their chum. At times the excitement attracted hundreds of birds who come to pick up the chum as the tuna drive them to the surface. At times this activity would be no farther than 60ft from our boat...and yes we had two fishing lines out and no we didn't catch one tuna! Nothing but a skinny Barracuda...I can't explain it.

Once in Admiralty Bay we were greeted by boat boys that showed us to a mooring ball, which I was grateful for so I didn't have to use my anchor windlass. The locals here embraced the cruising community and have enterprisingly set up floating services so that one can buy anything from fresh breads from one boat, vegetables and fruits from another while one boat comes and picks up and returns your laundry an even a floating barge to dispense fresh water, diesel fuel and ice. Small rowing skiffs come by with fresh lobster and fish and if you are low on wine or beer they will bring that the next day as well...all you have to do is ask.

Since it looks like the weather will keep us here for the next week we are busy fixing a few items that need attention and we find good help in some of the small shops in town.