Nevis
20 April 2010
Dawn arrives shortly after 5:20 and we are up and getting ready to make way....where to, we simply don't know yet, until we head out and check the wind condition. It turns a beautiful day and we set full sail and head for St. Kitts/Nevis. They appear about 1 hour after we leave St. Barts, and with the sun to port and swells under 5 feet we have a lovely sail to windward in a 10-12 kt breeze. Ahhhhh.
We see several schools of flying fish today. It seems that we frighten them as we cut thru the water and they leap and fly away, some of them seeing to go 60 feet or more. They look like silver butterflys as they skitter away from us.
As we pass St. Eustatius (Statia) it looks more like 2 islands, than 1, the northern, older part rugged and stony with rough hewn peaks, and the newer, younger part that shows clearly her rise for the seafloor, and the blown out volcanic top slopeing to the North. From a distance, the cloud tops brushing the island look like smoke and you can almost imagine what it must have been like to watch the top blow off. The crevasses that scar the peak show the lava descent and how it poured into the sea. Really spectacular sight.
We cut thru the pass between Stacia and St. Kitts and were sailing south past sandy point when we heard a loud boom. What the heck? What was that. Darn it - equipment failure. The shackle that holds the top of the mainsheet to the bottom of the boom failed and the boom is now loose and swinging...with the full mainsail up. NOT GOOD! We get the sail down and secure the boom with some lines off the end of it, but sailing with the main is out until we can replace the fitting. We discuss the options and thing we will need to put in at St. Kitts because they have more services, although limited, they are better than on Nevis. Until I remember when I was doctoring Emily's finger two days ago I opened a box marked first aid...but it was filled with gaskets, fuses, etc..like Boat rather than Human first aid. I go check and by God's Grace there is the exact shackle that we need to effect a temporary repair! Daily I pray for His hand of protection and I know there are others praying as well. This is clearly evidence of His providence for us! Thank you to those keeping us covered in Prayer.
So we continue on to Nevis, and pick up a can in a mooring field that seems to stretch for two miles. There are maybe 12 boats moored here, so it looks like row upon row of empty cans. We are drawfed by an OLD vlocano rising 3000 feet from the sea, covered with velvety growth. It has a cloud hanging over it as well, just off to one side, and you can clearly see where the lava exploded from the North side facing us. Incredible view. It is still calm now, and you can clearly see the bottom in 25 feet. Unbelievably we have wifi service! So I will post this and let you all know we are fine, Emily is cooking another gourmet surprise, and we are hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of the green flash.
Weather holds, so we are headed for Guadalupe tomorrow, a long day of nearly 70 miles, 10 hours minimum...we will be up early.