We are so happy we finally are casting off our lines. It’s a nervous moment when you leave port after such a long time. Did we think of everything? Will the boat work? Do we still know how to sail?
The harbor master and his crew help us with the undocking maneuver and then skipper Karin takes over and navigates JACE out of Woburn and Benji Bay, her home for the past nine months. Our trip for today is short, just a couple of hours to wrap around the southwestern tip of Grenada and then anchor off of St. Georges to position us for the long unwind sail to Carriacou tomorrow.
We enjoy the sunny afternoon and cooling breeze and a first swim. Being out of the wind shelter of the past week means that the temps are a bit lower and feel ultimately more manageable due to the breeze. For a week we’ve been waiting for our first swim off the stern and enjoy it immensely. For sunset we are invited over to another boat, neighbors from the yard who are anchored right next to us, and we enjoy a lovely rum punch, good company, and the gorgeous view.
Our first real sail to Carriacou’s Tyrel Bay is a 35nm NNE leg, usually close hauled and uncomfortably beating into wind and swells. But after all the misfortunate of last week, we are rewarded with an unseasonable ESE wind of 15kn which makes this a very fast and comfortable reach. Except for two squalls that catch and drench us just outside of Tyrel Bay, it is a wonderful day of sailing.
Our attempt to go ashore in search of dinner runs into challenges with the dingy locks (see last post) and we decide to make due with what we have onboard. And there is plenty to eat there. There are more rain systems coming through during the night and we are forced to do the “hatch dance”, opening and closing our ports to keep the rain out and let the heat escape. Not the most restful night.
On Friday we continue on to Union Island, my favorite island in the Grenadines. It is the place that Beryl (see prior post on hurricane Beryl, “A close call”) hit the hardest of all islands. The anchorage at Clifton just behind the massive reef is still there and beautiful. But the signs of destruction are clearly visible everywhere. All the palm trees lining the cost are bent or gone altogether. The houses ashore lack roofs and blue tarp is clearly visible on just about every one. The harbor quay is largely destroyed. The cute little dinghy dock behind a Venice-style bridge is barely usable. The big adjacent restaurant is a construction zone. And my beautiful kitesurfing school is in shambles and not a single kite in sight where last year dozens of crazies were zipping up and down the reef just in front of us. Sad. As I go ashore to check us into the country, people tell me that water is their biggest challenge. Union Island does not have a spring but supplies itself with rain catchment systems on the roofs of houses. With most of the roofs gone, there simply isn’t enough drinking water. Although a mobile desalination system has been installed, water is still scarce – five months after the hurricane hit.
Maybe it’s those impressions. Maybe the aftermath of last week. Maybe the feeling that we have to make up lost time to get to Antigua in time. Maybe a bit of each. Somehow we are finding it difficult to get into cruising mode. Too tense, not yet able to enjoy. It feels weird.
Saturday we do a little better. We leave Clifton and do the short one-hour sail to the Tobago Cays. This is a very special place: a few small specks of land surrounded and protected by a massive horseshoe shaped reef. We find a good place to grab a mooring, next to a tiny island. A bit windy and choppy but very close to the famous turtle beach. And Karin is ready for a few wildlife encounters. And sure enough she finds spotted rays and a few other kind of fish right below JACE and later turtles not too far off. That feels better.
For dinner we treat ourselves to a belated Thanksgiving dinner: “Caribbean turkey”, two half lobsters with plenty of trappings, fried plantains, mixed veggie rice, and banana bread for dessert. The hole thing served right on the beach and under palm trees, in a light breeze as the sun is setting. Perfect! We feel much better.
We are very tired and go to bed early. It is blowing pretty good and the night is somewhat rolly. We get up early and after a quick swim and a bite to eat clear up and set sail to continue north. We still feel that urge to make up lost time and decide to pass by a few more of the Grenadines islands and head for Bequia. The wind is still ESE and once again blesses us with a fast and easy reach on a single tack. In fact we get there so early that we simply carry on and resolve to visit Bequia on the way back in January. Instead, we find a beautiful anchorage near the southern tip of St. Vincent.
And the highlight of the day: As we tidy up and do a few little projects aboard, we also test the water maker again. And, oh wonder, it seems to be working again! We don’t know why exactly but it runs for over 30min making good water before we turn it off with a plan to wait for tomorrow’s cleaner offshore water to make more. Hopefully, it will continue to work – that would be marvelous.
Little by little, we are easing into cruising mode. We get our routine, feel more comfortable with the climate and life afloat.
