Saints above
28 February 2017
We had been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as at some point we would have to start our trip back south.
First, this meant heading 120 degrees to St Martin/Sint Maarten. So a quirk in the weather was coming up and the normal trade winds would be disrupted to give winds between SW and NW – this was too good to miss since the normal winds are between ENE and SE. The 81nm is an awkward distance as it cannot be guaranteed to be completed in the 13 hours of daylight, and neither Marigot Bay on the French side nor Simpson Bay on the Dutch side offer much protection from wind in the west. In addition, to enter the Lagoon there are a limited number of bridge opening times. In consultation with Adrian and Clare on Flyin’ Low and Ben and Glynis on Binkertoo, we decided to depart Virgin Gorda at 1700 on Monday 20th February for an overnight sail.
At first, the wind was light SSW 6-8kts so we motored but by 2100 the wind had veered and at 14kts we were making good progress under sail alone. A squall had come through around 2000 giving us gusts to 31kts but it was shortlived. By 0400 we needed some motoring assistance as we were aiming for the 0930 inbound bridge on the Dutch side at Simpson Bay. We were a little early so at 0800 we anchored in a very uncomfortable swell to await our entrance, only to be hit by another squall to 32kts wind.
Anyway the entrance was fine and we anchored in 7 metres with easy access for clearance.
Old friends Robin and Cheryl on Just Imagine and Graham and Joanie on Karma were anchored on the French side and we met up for Happy Hour at Palapa’s (beer US$1) along with the Flyin’ Lows and Binkertoos.
Our stay was short but sweet as we were able to spend much time with Robin and Cheryl who after several decades (slight exaggeration) in the Caribbean are finally taking their catamaran back to the USA.
We also fitted 80 metres of anchor chain which we had ordered from Island Water World. This was a good experience: the people were so helpful and considerate. We used their work dock and we could unload our old rusted chain onto a pallet ashore, straight over the bow. Then we laid out and marked our new chain, ably assisted by two of the chandlery staff. The chain is so shiny it seems a shame to stick it in the mud.
We really enjoyed our stay and wished we could have spent more time, but with Easterly winds of 20-25kts being forecast for the coming week we took the opportunity to continue south.