The New Jib Arrived!!
11 January 2007 | Staniel Cay
Sunny, 72F, Wind N-E@25-30
Last night was even more windy that the previous one, and this morning it was still at it. The wind speed read a steady 25 kts with gusts to 30. And as it was beginning to move from north-east to more easterly, we decided to head out while it was still at least just on our beam. So we dropped the mooring at Warderick Wells (the only boat that reported in that we would be leaving) and headed out.
The first part of the route was fine as the wind was still behind us, but as we worked our way down, our course gradually took us from south to south-east, and the wind slowly went from north-east to east, so that by the time we arrived at Staniel, it was pretty much on the nose. We didn't mind our small jib today, except that it doesn't sheet properly, and so it doesn't point very well. But we made good time and arrived by mid-afternoon.
We were anchored about 1.5 miles from the yacht club which is quite exposed, so I took the dinghy in. Normally in a wind lke this it can be a wet experience, but alone it was quite dry. The jib was waiting on the Yacht Club porch, so I ran up to the Blue Store and the Pink Store (next door) and picked up a few well-needed supplies, mainly fresh fruit, which ran out a few days ago. In the Blue Store, I was waited on by an old man who carefully wrote the price of each item down on an old newspaper. Then looking longingly at an ancient adding machine, back to his column of numbers, then up at me, he asked "Do you know how to use that thing?" I replied (in spite of not being an accountant) that I thought I could, and with that he smiled, plugged it in and pushed it at me, and read off the numbers.
Back at the Yacht Club I loaded all into the dinghy and headed out. But with the weight of the new jib (about 120 pounds) I was now in for a wet ride. So I was soaked by the time I got back to the boat, but a quick shower solved that problem.
Tonight Bob Gray's stir-fry. We are not sure what we will do tomorrow. It depends on the weather. Unless the wind goes down, and its not forecast to, we will wait here another day, as our next stop is Black Point Settlement for laundry. But that is dead to windward, and not in the cards in this wind. If we are here on Saturday night, we will go to a pig roast on the beach. We're actually anchored at Big Major's Spot, which is the best anchorage close to Staniel in this wind. And the pig roast is set to be held on the beach where the wild pigs come down to be fed. Jeannie's first question was "Where did the pig come from?". She was assured that it was from Nassau. Now for the temperature sensor!