Piano likes the Boys!

Second try.
   Up early the next day we decide to begin the passage –but the other way around the Island.  This means further to sail into the wind but sooner into deep water.  All goes well apart from the fact that I don’t feel so good.  In fact I haven’t felt this bad since we were crossing Biscay.  No sickness though so I stay below.  The consequence is that Malcolm has to be on deck the whole night.  He manages to make lunch , tea and dinner and has a few hours sleep when I surface the next morning.  We arrive in Anguilla later on that day.
  Sunday  (20th May) we go ashore to check in and just as we are deciding where to potter round a car pulls up and the lady offers us a lift to The Valley.  She has only been here 2 weeks and knows very little about the island.  She and her family have moved from St Lucia.  We have a look around then ask in the tourist Office for a map.  The very helpful assistant shows us the points of interest and we decide to walk back along the tourist trail stopping for lunch at a beach restaurant.  Rather sumptuous food and a cool beer later we continue .  The road continues along the beach and then up a track. At the top of which are a few noisy dogs. There owner comes out and asks if we need help? and would we like some cold water ? And then asks us where we have come from etc etc .  Would we like her to get the car out to give us a lift back ? No No we say we can manage. We almost make it as far as the ice cream shop when she pulls over in her car and insists she take us part way.  How can we refuse ?? She drops us at the top of the hill so we only have a short walk around the salt pond and back to Crescendo.
Monday to Thursday were spent recovering from the trip sorting the boat out and repairing the cutlery drawer –which left it’s housing during a vicious tack en passage.  Plus the weather has not been good for more upwind sailing.  Friday it looks much better so we up anchor and begin tacking around Anguilla. How we managed it I don’t know but we picked up a lobster pot! Absolute panic ensued, and the air was blue! But we took down the sails and fortunately had enough rudder control to motor back to Crocus Bay (where we had that lovely lunch the other day) where we could anchor in 4m of water and have a look for ourselves. The journey back involved towing at least 20m of line at the end of which was a lobster pot.   When Malcolm had donned his underwater gear he went to have a look.  The thin rope had managed to wind itself around the rudder ( ? I hear you say I’ve heard about this….) no! here is ANOTHER picture which Malcolm has taken underwater.

One of e floats and the line leading to the pot (off to left)

Underwater he thinks he can get rid of it with a knife if he wears the dive gear.  All this takes rather a long time but of course he is pleased that we have sorted the problem out for ourselves!  We shorten the line on the lobster pot and coil the extra line so that no one else will tag it.  I fully expect the local fishermen to find it tomorrow—by which time we will be long gone. After tea we continue again choosing the other end of the Island which takes us quickly into deep water where there is little chance of more fishing pots.  My eyes are glued to the sea while we are in shallow water.  Then I have a short sleep before my watch from 10-0200.  The rest of the trip was uneventful.
  We arrived at Jolly Harbour, Antigua around 14.00 hrs the next day.  After checking in we moved around the headland to anchor in an empty Five Island Bay and spend the evening listening to Steel Pan music  coming from the Resort ashore.
Sunday was another day sail around to Falmouth Harbour.
Monday coffee & lunch ashore visiting Nelson's Dockyard, sundowners aboard an American charter Cat Ciao Italia.  What a pleasant evening, just two games of Mexican train to finish.

OOOPS! Catastrophy aboard 'PIANO' Friday 12th May

Monday 14th May

 Left Cooper Island for Virgin Gorda. All sail and fair winds we made good time. Just a few high lights in passing.  First three islands called the Dogs ( West, Great and George) On George Dog there is a smaller islet called Cockroach Isle which we did not stop at—even though there are no cockroaches living there!  Next came Fallen Jerusalem named because it looks like a bombed city.  This due to the many boulders strewn around.  These are oversized volcanic boulders which were scattered around like rubble during volcanic activity in the past but each weighing hundreds of tonnes.  Finally we reach Virgin Gorda (the Fat Virgin) and pick up a red ball for lunch.  While I prepared it Malcolm snorkelled.  We then sailed to Spanish Town and stayed overnight in St Thomas Bay so that we could replenish the salad stuff, which seems to disappear by magic.  We had lunch the following day at the Barth & Turtle which had free wi-fi. The Pizza was great but the wi-fi was down.  Malcolm walked to the ruins of an old Copper Mine and did a hiking trail through some of those large boulders.  We sailed past Savannah Bay, Little Dix Bay and into Gorda Sound, Leverick Bay where we picked up a ball for the night.  It rained most of the time and the wind was strong so I made use of the water by doing 2 loads of washing and also made a fruit cake while the generator was on.  We took on some free water and ice at Leverick Marina (it’s included in the fee for the mooring ball) then moved to anchor nearer Prickly Bay ready for sailing off. Strong winds from the SE and more rain gave us another day here.—but hey the water is a good colour blue and there are turtles around so I’m not complaining! 

Tuesday to Thursday shopping and preparation for upwind sailing to Anguilla the first stop on our way South to Trinidad for the Hurricane Season.

Not such an early start as we would have hoped since the New offices were being opened when Malcolm went ashore to check out.  Instead of 20 minutes he was 2 hours at a civic ceremony with the President of the BVIs and politicians etc.  AND he got his picture taken for the newspaper as he was the first person to be checked out !  so a quick lunch and off we go, brilliant sailing and I saw the sand Island with 2 fake palm trees in azure water just off Neckar Island!  Now read on for the excitement and trauma which followed.....

Well you will be the first to hear of the great accident we had with 'Piano' yesterday.  There we were happily sailing along being photographed by a girl in a rib. Imagine the scene 20-25knot winds quite a bit of swell and her boat was almost flying as she tried to keep up with us.  So here we are coming up for the next tack (change of direction)  and I notice a yellow buoy and say "are you going to tack on top of it ????"  The answer being NO Malcolm then tries to ignore the photographer (who would also be underneath us ) and we do the tack.....the photographer sees the rocks (which the yellow buoy is marking) and scidaddles....

Here's a picture taken last year of the rudder.

  Meanwhile we end up with the line from the buoy jammed around our rudder (and it is soo strong so it doesn't break) so  we become anchored to it  with the added complication that it no longer moves, -so no steering........  OK now the waves are slamming the back of the boat and the cockpit is awash.  It is really uncomfortable.  We secure the buoy to our bow in case we come free and drift towards the rocks.  Then  we get the sails down and try using the bowthruster to turn us . No joy eeek OK we call the coastguard for help this takes a further 20 minutes for all the red tape but we feel happy that help will come.  

Then a motorboat comes out from 'Bitter End Yacht Club' together with a diver. They offer to have a look and see if they can help us.  We say YES PLEASE!  Shaun the diver kits up and jumps in to have a look and Samson holds off to wait.  Soon Shaun is up and tells us the rope is wedged just where the rudder hinges.  He asks for a rope to tie us to the mooring then gets to work cutting us free ..  As soon as we are free we come round head to wind and the slamming of the waves is more gentle, he then spends half an hour removing the jammed rope.  Meanwhile the coastguard has arranged for someone to come out from Neckar Island (Richard Bransons place) so we tell him we are free but still no steering.  After alot of work the rope is free and we manage to get the wheel to turn.  This is enough to get us to a marina where we can see what the damage is.  We motor to the Bitter end Yacht Club and take a buoy for the night. Pay the Government $500 to replace the yellow buoy and ask how much for the assistance given by Shaun and Samson.  NO CHARGE they say but if you want to tip them feel free.
Here are the TREMENDOUSLY helpful guys  'PIANO' and crew say THANK-YOU VERY MUCH XXX

Shaun & Samson, The Bitter End Yacht Club.

We are now back at Spanish Harbour Marina where Malcolm has checked the steering ( with the dive gear on) and can find nothing visibly wrong.  It is more difficult to turn the wheel to port but not so bad. so we are going to set off again tomorrow morning Sunday and see how we get on. Hopefully more Pics on Picasa.

Fun in the British Virgin Islands

Thursday 10th, May  Anchored in Great Harbour, Joss Van Dyke. and Malcolm went ashore to sign in. We then both went ashore to talk to the dive shop and book a refresher dive for 3 that afternoon.  Dive instructor , Martin was an ex pat who had worked in a variety of brilliant place, Thailand, Shar-mel-sheik, Mediterranean, New Zealand to name a few.  We had his undivided attention but we put him to the test with Malcolm’s bouyancy (he now needs only 2 Kg! Plus of course the BCD which we didn’t realise was faulty. Never the less we had our first dive in 2 years and were suitably chastened.  Martin said we both needed work on our bouyancy skills.
Back ashore with a ‘Painkiller’ cocktail we entertained a group of American Cruisers who were chartering a Cat.  They were water challenged and envious that we had 900 gallons aboard.  They also questioned us on our travels and lifestyle. Below is Foxy's Bar with a ceiling covered with boat/business cards.
I repaired Malcolm's BCD which had lost a clip to secure the chest. Also repaired the beach bag which had split yesterday with the weight of all the dive gear, both were sewing machine jobbies and the sewing machine was in a good mood.

Foxy's Bar

Friday 11th,  We moved to Norman Island, having reefed for the 20 kt wind we flew! Our nearest competition was overpowered and even after reefing couldn’t point as near to the wind as we could. On arrival at the anchorage (which caters for 120 charterers) We had dinner The Pirates Restaurant. After watching a group of cruisers playing sticks they gave us a welcome tow back to ‘Piano’.
  It was a perfect 5m anchorage so next morning we decided to use our newly filled bottles to practice finning and buoyancy control.  This in shallow water. While taking our time to think about how to get back aboard when we had finished we noticed that Malcolm’s BCD had inflated itself! Oh yes (we remembered) John had said that the inflation valve may need attention back in Barbados but it hasn’t seen daylight for 2 years .  OK we decide to both use my BCD.  I go first doing a nice step off the boat with little apprehension, give the OK signal then get to work, sorted.
  On my return we find that ’Piano’ has sauntered round to watch, meaning her aft end is now only feet from the shore. Pulling in the anchor doesn't do much so we re-anchor further out, ’Crescendo’ on the other hand different ideas- her anchor still being down she made a brave effort to hold us there but the big girl won. Of course, Malcolm at last went for his practice and was well pleased with himself, good buoyancy control, no mask problems AND he saw more fish than I.  After coffee we sailed to Peter Island,  had lunch in Key Bay then off to anchor overnight in  White Bay.  The tidal scouring of the beach meant that we were dancing at the end of our anchor chain so ‘Crescendo’ was commissioned to stand guard to be sure we didn’t touch the boat next door.

Sunday 13th May
  Next morning we up anchor and motored to Carrot Bay for snorkelling, but wind & swell meant that it was far too exposed so we continued to “Dead Man’s Island” - this all by 09.30 You only get 90 minutes on a ball. I’m aboard so I can catch up on polishing the woodwork. I doubt my blister will allow me to enjoy any more water work this season.  Malcolm saw many reef fish and was happy to leave this rolly buoy under sail for  Salt Island.  So named since it used to produce salt!  The center if the island is one huge salt pan.  The lease for the island is still a bag of salt delivered to the British Crown.  Malcolm snorkelled the Wreck of the ‘M/V Rhone’ a mail ship which was used as a location for Peter Benchley’s film ‘The Deep’.  Once again we sailed off the ball this time to Cooper’s Island where we will have lunch and overnight stay.

Cruising the BVI's 10th May 2012

Looking at the ships log I see that Monkey Island is really called Cayo Santiago so that puts the record straight! After weighing the anchor we set sail for Marina del Rey. Puerto Rico.
This is HUGE, fairly new Marina and we are on the farthest corner.  Being closely associated with the Americans the answer is a golf buggy to transport you to and from the shore. The marina staff are very courteous , helpful and friendly and give us well needed advice as to book swaps (in the laundry), supplies– in the deli and boat stuff in the chandlery.
  Malcolm did manage to service the water pump on the Westerbeake but has not found the leak in the cooling system.  We manage to track down an engineer who spends two days checking, testing and scratching his head but no joy so he doesn’t charge us !  I promised to send an email when we rectified the problem as he couldn’t think where the problem could be.
28th April we sail back to Dewey, Culebra, did I say this is the quietist anchorage in the Caribbean ? Overnight the wind picked up to 25 knots, we were snug and held well in clean sand.
 1st May headed back to Charlotte Amelie, St Thomas, where there was only one cruise boat in.  It was a dull day so we went by bus to K Mart and did some shopping.  I finally found the right sized containers for the oven dishes! Julian will be pleased when I tell him.

3rd May Sailed for Great Lamsure Bay, St John but the weather was pooh! Rain, wind against us, (thunder over St Thomas!) and finally becalmed.  So a good job that it was only a short sail (4 hours) with a tasty lunch on arrival.
We had the bay to ourselves the first night.
Very good snorkelling here with Turtles, Barracuda, squid and Tarpon to name only a few species.  Malcolm also hiked two of the trails right to the top of a mountain close by.  Pictures on Picasa.
5th May motored round to (the next) Saltpond Bay, St John.  I should say that all these little Bays are in the National Marine Park so I’m getting quite good at picking up a mooring! More snorkelling here by far the best yet. Plus it’s no wonder the turtles like the area, yes you guessed , it is so calm you can see the baby Jelly fish pulsing along. They don’t seem to sting here which is a bonus!
6th May, Motored & Sailed through intermittent rain and light wind to Francis Bay, probably named by Sir Francis Drake since ’Francis Drake Passage is close by.
7th (Monday) went ashore at the Campground resort– which isn’t tents but chalets with all mod cons) then walked to the old sugar mill.  Sad to say it rained quite heavily but at least I had worn shoes instead of flip flops so easy walking!.  It was only about 2 miles up and down but not having walked for so long I soon had blisters.  A quick 20 minute walk turned into a 4 hour hike. After a coffee and lunch (the largest avocado I have seen) we toured the inlet/Bay and did a snorkel trail. I swear the same fish followed us around it was so tame.  No doubt it was expecting food?  Malcolm snapped his goggle band so next stop will be a dive shop for new goggles and who knows maybe I’ll get a dive in too!

Straight from the press : yes we did a re-orientation dive yesterday and really enjoyed it (well I did) of course I'm rusty but all I need to do is get plenty more practice and wow what a place to do it!