The night was pitch black. In the inky darkness the stars shown like bright intense dots of lights. All different size pinpricks showing thru the dark.
The seas were rough. Mile High Dream was pithched around like a cork in a washing machine. The wind was a gale blowing right from the direction we were headed. It was going to be a long desperate night. I am just praying we make it thru.
Sound like a lot of fun doesn’t it. I bet you just can’t wait to come sailing with me.
“Oh, that was not this trip. I hope it is never a trip I am ever on. Only with total lack of planning or forcing yourself to be someplace at a certain time would this happen. “ I tell John my crew mate.
We actually left at 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon. Checking out of customs at Gun Creek on Virgin Gorda went very smoothly. John and I went back to the boat, released ourself from the morning ball and headed for the fuel dock. With the fuel tanks full and the water topped off we head to Eustatic sound. The anchor hits the bottom in 12’ of crystal clear water and we dive over the side. Venessa comes cruising over in her dingy , all excited.
“Look at this. It was floating on top of the surface and I thought it was dead.” Vennesa says while showing us a baby turtle that is now swimming around in a bucket of seawater. “ I guess he was just tired, but he was all limp and just bobbing around. He looks pretty good now that he is in the bucket. I guess he just needed a little break. It is so small I wonder if it just hatched?”
These little events are what make the cruising life so exciting.
We picked this day and time because the winds were suppose to be light and the seas moderate. It was also two days before a full moon. Cruiser’s vary on whether it is more enjoyable to sail under a full moon or with little or no moon so you can look at the vastness of the universe. Tonight it would be light with very few stars showing.
The baby sea turtle back in it’s element we are off to St. Martin. Light winds and calm seas make the night uneventful and we reach St. Marteen around 8:00 am. There is a drawbridge that allows you to enter the inner harbor that is scheduled to open at 9:30 so we stretch out and take a nap.
We have now cleared customs on the Dutch side of St. Marteen. When we sail to St. Bart’s or the north side of the island we will need to clear customs on the French side. Time to relax, explore, fix the head, fix the freezer, do some laundry, clean the boat and have some fun. The list never ends, especially the have some fun part.