I finally got out my last post and now it's time to start writing my next. It's Monday evening, March 27 and we are back from Saba Rock where we got the internet we needed. It only cost us two Painkillers and two Cokes. The Painkillers ran $5.00 each(not a lot of Rum in it) and the Cokes were just $3.00(makes it $18.00 for a six pack!). It was Happy Hour from 1600 to 1800. We stayed around and had a nice chat with some folks from New York City that are down here on charter. We swapped stories about where we had been and what we had done getting back to Zephyr just as the Sun went down but with plenty of time to get Puff back on board and inverted on the front deck. We are out of here tomorrow.
The weather forecast from here to Anegada looks good with winds from the south. Not strong winds but enough to maybe get us there with enough sails pulled out. Need to test the roller furler since we lubed it this morning. Anegada is just 14 miles north of here so not a big trip but since it's surrounded by coral reef, we need to be out of here in time to get there about 1000 so we can see the reefs. I may have to climb a bit of the mast so I can look down but we've been told that they have lots of buoys marking the channel to get close to the island. It's shallow so we will probably have to anchor a ways away and take Puff in but we filled her fuel tank this morning so we are good to go. We have a few things to batten down before we take off but we will be out of here when we need to be. Since the island used to be off limits to charter boats but is now open, it could get a bit congested. Guess we will see.

It's now 1400 and we are nicely at anchor off Pomato Point at 18 43.659N:-064 24.365W with swells coming at us from all directions. As for the trip north, the winds were non existent(as Mother Nature planned) so we had to motor the entire way. No big deal but the winds for the trip up here had been great for the last few days but Mother Nature decided to stop them just for us(and all the others of which there were many). Every boat seemed to be rushing to get up here as anchoring in the main bay area is quite tight and while there are mooring balls, they are in an area where it's too shallow for us to go even though we only draw 6.5 feet.
We pulled into Pomato Point after leaving the Robin's Bay about 0900. We got delayed by a bicycle that had magically wrapped it self around our anchor chain. It was an old one and only some of it was there but enough to stop us dead in our tracks to get the rest of the chain and anchor up. We tried moving it with a boat hook, swinging it every which way but it was on and not coming off. I dropped the chain again trying to get it loose all with no success. In the end, a man on another boat came over in his dinghy with his small daughter and helped get it untangled. As a reward for the young daughter, we gave them the "Noodle" we found yesterday. I figure the two kids on board their boat should enjoy it. Once the bike was gone, we pulled up the rest of the chain and anchor and took off, along with a good 20 other boats. With no wind, we motored which gave us a good look at how well the prop works when it's nice and clean. Looks like it doing it's job as we seem to be doing faster under the same revs we always use. As we neared Anegada, the race was on! Who was going to get in the fastest and get the best spot. Motor yachts and catamarans were busting a gut to get in first. Some beat us and some didn't but since we were planning to come to Pomato Point, it didn't really matter. There were four boats in and already at anchor as a BIG catamaran rushed past us to get a spot closer to the beach. Cats don't draw as much as monohulls do so they can anchor in much shallower water. We stayed out a good ways from shore. With the wind(what there was of it) coming from the south, we were on a "lee" shore meaning our stern was facing the shore. Should the anchor fail, it would not be a good thing. We dropped the anchor in about 10 feet of water and I let our just over 60 feet of chain but I'll be snorkeling down to see it shortly to make sure it's set properly.
With the swells coming from the south, we are rocking back and forth from front to back as well as from side to side. Now the front to back rolling is easier to handle than the side to side so we dragged out one of our "Rocker Stoppers". These are neat pieces of stainless steel that are joined to gather by hinges. Once hung over the side at the end of our boom and deployed in the water, as they go down, they fold up. As Zephyr rolls in the next swell, they open up and create resistance in the water making the rolling from side to side much less and a good bit more tolerable. The other boats in the anchorage(even the "pocket yacht" beside us are rolling all over the place. It takes a while to set up but once in place they work well. We have two and haven't used either since Mexico. Most times, the swells come with the winds so they even out the action in the water. It should make for a much more tolerable night. One big catamaran(about 60 feet) already left the anchorage. We'll be going ashore to get a rental car tomorrow so we can tour the island and see the beaches. Should be fun.

It's now 2130 and we settled in for the night with a squall coming at us from the south. I did dive down about 1530 and all looked fine with the anchor. She's nicely dug in and should keep us nice and safe while we are here. As for the weather, it looks nasty but hard to tell since the Sun has gone down. We closed up all the port lights and the side panels on the cockpit and watched some TV in the cockpit. Nice and cool with a gentle breeze going past. Blue got lonesome and came out and joined us. A rarity for her as she has taken to staying inside most of the days and night where she used to come out on deck all the time. Finally tonight, since we were out in the cockpit, she joined us. The squall is now joining us as well and we are now rolling from bow to stern far more than from side to side. Winds are now out of the southwest which is a rarity here. From the forecasts, by tomorrow, it's supposed to be back out of the northeast to east but we will see if it really happens. If so, it should calm down where we are. We expect to spend tomorrow touring the island and spending time(if we can rent a car) visiting all the beaches around the island as there are many. Each is supposed to be a bit different. As we looked east as the sun was going down, we saw a large gathering of masts around the corner so we are far from alone at this coral atoll.

Today was "Explore Anegada Day". We went ashore about 1000 and found a nice yellow jeep available(the last one they said)for $65 for the rental and $15 for gas. I could add insurance if I wanted it for another $20. I declined it. We took off with two bags full of snorkel gear and another "dry bag" to keep a change of clothes is if needed. We headed west along the one and only road on the island(it circumnavigates the island)and turned off at different points and made our way into the brush following a worn path in the sand. It's two ruts with grass and weeds growing in the middle. We did this over and over as we made our way around the island. At each spot, we were the only ones there with miles of beach available. Most of the people that come ashore either rent bikes, scooters, cars or take the converted trucks with bench seats in the back for lots of people. Since we wanted to hit off the road places to look for beaches with good coral and lots of nice sand, it seemed the be the smartest move. Sadly, most of places we went to, all the coral was either dead or dying. Not in good shape at all. By 1300 we were getting hungry and stopped at "Flash of Beauty" restaurant. An out of the way place but one of the more reasonable places price wise. A hamburger was only $8.00 which is cheap for this island . We stopped at the "Big Bamboo" restaurant and it was $20 there. The nice thing is that they have a nice beach with powdery white sand with chairs with little roofs over them to lounge in. All the other beaches we went to didn't even have a tree to get under. Snorkeling there was OK but that's about it. Nothing stellar but they had lots of bommies with tunnels and crevasses in them where critters can hide. We spent some time there and then drove back to the dock, had a drink and returned to Zephyr. Would we recommend Anegada for people to come to? Well it depends on what you want. If it's never ending beaches where you are alone most of the time: It's great. If you want great or even good snorkeling: NO, it's not the place to come. If you want to get away from just about everything, it's a great place.

It's now Thursday and we've made the 13 mile trip back to Saba Rock after another night of swells hitting us at all angles. We rocked for and aft as well as side to side even with our "Rocker Stopper" hung over the side. We could watch it flex from two sheets of folded steel to what looked like a solid sheet as it was pulled upwards in the water by the rocking of the boat. As it spread apart on it's hinges, the water flow is slowed making Zephyr rock less in the water. We pulled it up on deck this morning and washed it off and stowed it. It may be stainless steel but the salt water has to get washed off. We had to pull in the boom as it was swung out over the starboard side holding the "Stopper". Once centered on the boat, we lowered it into the boom crutch(supports the boom when the sail isn't up). The engines were started eventually. We had a problem that even though the starter batteries had just been charged, the engine wasn't getting enough juice from the batteries. We started up the generator and tried it again and after a few minutes, it started right up. I think the battery, now almost 6 years old is in need of replacement. Another job for the USVIs. We took off from the anchorage avoiding all the reefs that encircle the island and pulled up the sails and took off southward back to the North Sound at Virgin Gorda, about 13 miles south. We had from 5 to 9 knots of wind in a good direction finally and we could actually sail instead of motoring which it seems like is all we ever do. It took a while but we pulled in about 1245 and once the sails were covered and everything stowed and drag alarms set we had a great lunch of steak and potatoes. AHH, the joys of SOLID MEAT for a change and red meat at that!!!

While I did the dishes, Tracy took off the forestaysail and took a metal brush in hand with clean water and scrubbed all the bronze fittings on the sail. These are hasps that attach the sail to the inner forestay that goes up to the mast. These hasps, attached to the sail, keep it attached to the big wire. With some good anti corrosion liquid applied, we plan on storing it inside. The cover we have for it had to be cut off when the zipper failed to work and we needed to use the sail for a trip. Now, once we finally get the sewing machine fixed, we can restitch a new zipper onto the cover. In the mean time, the sail will sit inside in storage staying out of the weather.