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.
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| 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.
