August—The Rainy Season

     Since the last entry life aboard ‘Piano’ has been going at full speed—well as fast as possible with the heat and humidity.  Kay has been and given us a great quote for dinghy chaps and a UV cover while it's stored aboard .  The engine is back aboard and working well (Thanks Falco).   All the sails are now off and packed apart from the main which is having new tell-tales and a thorough inspection.  Pot-luck has had low numbers now that there are only a few cruisers here at Crews Inn, so we cycle to TTSA and join the fun there on a Monday evening.  They had a pretty good Pig Roast the other week which is cooked in a metal box from 9.30 in the morning and ready about the same time that night.

  We have also had a further two meals at the Culinary School and enjoyed both equally.  Our friend Chris (Quicksilver) accompanied us for the final and he too was impressed.
  Ray & Irene (C-Drifters) have been back AGAIN to look at the sewing machine and dare I say that it seems to be working well again.  I finished the new petrol can cover and sundry items which needed repair without a hitch.
  The biggest item of work now is packing for the lift out.  We have a 20 ft container in which to pack EVERYTHING eeek it will be just like Rustlers back in 2009! Except I now have a comprehensive spreadsheet with the location of all items so re loading should be much easier!  The work is estimated to take 3 months and with all the mess we have decided to fly home during September.  We have even secured the cottage for October so will be pleased to see visitors ‘at home’ in Penryn.
Saturday Morning is for catching up on news of blogs from all our friends and Facebook.  So I was very pleased that so many followers liked the new cover shot for my Timeline comments however brief remind us of you all.

Trinidad July 2013

.....Quite a pleasant overnight sail from Tobago to Trinidad.  We were visited by this helicopter, who watched us for a while , then waved and flew off.

  We timed our departure so that we arrived in the ‘Bocca’ early morning in time to check in with C & I .  With both the current and the wind funneling through the narrow gap we literally flew through! and with boats around coming at us in all directions - it was politic to reduce sail.
  After completing the formalities and berthing we were welcomed by Andrew & Susan (S/Y ‘Andromeda’) and invited for dinner,  yum yum, and much to catch up on.  Since then the days have passed quickly with the many and varied jobs to be done.  Top of my sewing list was a new bag for the life-sling and a mark three wind chute.  So a shopping trip into Port of Spain to get the ‘Sunbrella’ was called for. This completed with the help of Susan.  Meanwhile the engine and generator were serviced.  Falco disappeared with the top end to weld and repaint, Narace came to measure up for relining the bathroom ceiling which seems to have been leaking for a while. Graham and Colin came to look us over to enable them to tender for a new gel coat.
  We have had a R&R evening to watch the Leatherback Turtles lay their eggs:

And to see a hatchling:

We also had a superb meal at the Culinary School but you need to look on my timeline at Facebook to see the edible delights.  Apart from that plenty of Potluck BBQ’s , Mexican Train Dominoes and of course the pool when the rain lets up. 

St Lucia to Tobago 28th May - 23rd June

The passage to St Lucia. Tuesday 28th May 2013 arrived Rodney Bay lunch time on 29th May. Welcomed back by the dockmaster who was pleased to see ‘Piano’ again.  We caught up with Mari who is still here and Bridget & Derek who are both looking well.  Invited Jane & Tony over for sundowners. And tried out the waterside steak house which was tremendous.
  Finally decided to move to Bequia on 6th June.  Not quite an all night sail but very slow since the currents are against you when travelling south! Managed to snag a picture of a dolphin!

 Anchored in Lower Bay at ten to eleven that night.  The sea was alive with lots of fish and turtles.  Next day Coffee at the Gingerbread Hotel while the skipper signs us in then a trip to the top of Mount Pleasant with Baldwin and a wonderful view from the top,

Flamboyant Tree

 before a pleasant walk down to the Fig Tree for lunch. Each day we have been visited by Joseph the travelling chef with his offerings of fruit and fresh bread.  He also cooks at the Friday night Fish Fry at the Fig Tree.

      Tuesday we went to the Italian for a Pizza and Lasagna.  Great idea to have a take away for the trip tomorrow so ordered another Pizza but it came as the next size up so had to be cut to fit a) the fridge and b) the oven

Wednesday 12th June

  Set sail from Bequia to Man of War Bay, Tobago. 

Malcolm says he enjoyed this trip (!) I was more discerning, the grey sky and uncomfortable ride, was not my idea of fun.  I enjoyed lunch but went below for greater comfort and missed out on the Pizza for dinner.  Malcolm battled away all night without calling me for my usual watch. I returned to deck the next morning while it wasn't raining.  That didn't last long, by the time we were 12 miles off Tobago the grey skies had returned and the heavens emptied. Meanwhile down below the towels had a worst time, they ended up in the bath/shower try and the hatch wasn't tightly closed so they were comfy too but sodden with seawater! 

  It was still pouring next morning when we went ashore to sign in.  So we waited ‘til after coffee and then made a dash.  The customs lady ‘Venice’ has just started her job here and is a very happy lady.  Such a change to talk to a human being rather than an official! ( Ramsie you are not alone)

 A good job the water tanks are full so that the washing machine can go on– just need to empty the drying racks to hang it in the drying room/workshop! Plus there was plenty of Pizza and meatloaf left over for a tasty lunch.  The rest of the week was spent making a trek up to Fort Cambleton for the views.  We also visited ‘Sharon and Phebe’s for dinner another night.  Malcolm hiked up Flagstaff Hill too, while I put in some serious ‘liming’.  Wednesday we found Jabba’s store for internet and I was able to forward a few funnies.  Thursday we got free Wi-Fi at the library, but nothing new. 

Monday 17th we took a bus ride to Scarborough! (didn’t we have a luverley time the day we went to …) For a 2 hour trip I thought £1.80 return was good value!  Snaps here and in Picassa

Fort St George.

     Friday 21st June. A short sail round to Parlatuvier Bay, Tobago.  From the seaward side it looked as though it would be rolly but once in (almost on the beach) amongst the fishing boats it was mostly pleasant. Saturday we hiked to Parlatuvier Falls, 

Parlatuvier Falls

the only thing we forgot was the insect repellent!  Of course following a stream we were attacked by many biting insects mosquitoes included.  Malcolm said the water in one of the pools was plenty warm for a swim.  I had a couple of hours on the beach while Malcolm went looking for a restaurant. We haven’t seen a supermarket since St Lucia so we are making good use of the emergency cans which I shall not be replacing! We have sufficient with what’s in the freezer to reach Trinidad! And I’m back to hand kneading the bread as the motor on the bread-maker seems to have a problem. 

    Sunday 23rd June motored round to Englishmans’ Bay   Very nice quiet no other yachts. No Jetty, so we were unable to take the tender ashore here.

 Unpacked the diving gear and had a quick dive,  Malcolm had problems with his mask but managed to get it sorted.  Not much to see with a sandy bottom and just a few underwater rocks.  Quite a long swim back to ‘Piano’ for lunch and liming.  Light rain intermittent during the afternoon.  Also the camera is playing up since we recharged it , one of the lights stays on after it has been turned off!

Pigeon Island Reserve to The Saints 24th May

Friday (!!!)  we sailed for six hours in variable winds. At one point we even got the pretty Multi Purpose Genoa out of it's locker to give it an airing- it hasn't been out since the Atlantic crossing!  Of course as soon as it was set the wind came up so it was furled again -along with all the other sails- as a rain front came through with  strong puffs (30 knots) and big waves.  Still I managed a Hot smoked salmon 'Sub' with fresh french bread for lunch AND Devils Chocolate cake at tiffin time, not bad eh?
      We picked up a mooring at 'teef time.    Iles de Saints , named because there being so many small Islands the explorers couldn't find enough saints names for them all!  Hey Ho! A pleasant few days with no wi-fi and intermittent tropical rain to keep the tanks topped off. It was rather rolly on arrival so we ate aboard.
   I also took some pictures of the 20 or so competitors in the round the Islands race.

 Saturday we went ashore for a café au lait and general look around. They really go in for electric cycles here!

 Many artisans stores with gaily coloured fabrics and crafts.

 That evening we ate ashore in a pleasant restaurant which had tables around various water features.  No trouble from mosquitoes and the rowdy noise from the frogs made conversation impossible.   Sunday we hiked up hill to the Napoleonic fort for some history.

 1782 Admiral Rodney was here wresting the place from the French along with what I think must have been one of Sir Francis Drakes grandchildren, namely Francis Samuel Drake.  From old records someone had made a model to show 10,11, and 12 o’clock on the day of the battle.  The men o’ war had their ships name on the sail and boats were either red for the Brits or white for the French, it was most impressive.  As were the outside grounds, almost as good as the Botanical Gardens (on a smaller scale).

 The DOWNHILL walk was more to my taste.  It was spitting again by the time we had coffee.
Later….What a tasty Sunday dinner a leg of New Zealand Lamb obtained in the small local supermarket
  Monday was a grey day so we moved to the smaller Islet a Cabrit for more snorkelling. Pleasantly wall to wall fish! Plus we did get to see the mother and baby dolphin too.
Tuesday back to Desaires to sign out and we see the OC Club burgee flying next door so pop over to introduce ourselves to Jane and Tony aboard S/Y ‘Capisce’.  Then the passage to St Lucia.

Many more snaps in the latest folder on Picassa 'The Saints.

The Passage to Guadeloupe 18th May 2013

After a quiet meal at the ‘Piano & Steak Bar’ on Friday evening ( back in Jolly Harbour) we were not in the mood to lift the engine and tender.  So early the next morning we made an effort to get it done before being at the Customs dock at Jolly Harbour.  Saturday is the weekend and we were delayed by a late opening.  However I had a good chance to pass the time with ‘Ramsie’ the Boss who truly epitomises the Antiguan way of life.  He told me that he easily manages to remember the Yacht names if people return year on year and I can vouch that he is one of the best ambassadors for his country.  I’m looking forward to next time!
     So at 9.30 after coffee and strawberry cup cake with Ramsie we slipped the customs dock and set off for Guadeloupe.  Having sighted many fishing buoys ’Piano’ failed to snagg any—or touch any shallow sea bed.  By 10.00 we had set  three reefs in the main with full Yankee and staysail and we were roaring along on a close reach at 7.7 knots!  I had prepared lunch while at the customs dock so we ate ravenously around three in the afternoon. As we approached Deshaies we could see rain over the mountains so Rolled 1/3 of the yankee ( in case there was an acceleration zone). 17.00 we anchored in Deshaies Bay 16° 18’North 61° 47’ West and had tea.  Malcolm then went ashore to clear in ( just a French computer in a general store).
    On Sunday we had an enforced day off due to torrential rain but the upside was that I could finish my part of the quiz and yes Malcolm did his too!
  Monday we took the empty dive bottle in to the dive shop to be filled (5€ ) and they also checked my identification of species so that I could email the final part of the quiz.
  Next we made a visit to the Botanical Gardens—It was MORE expensive than Wisley but even so well worth it. I’ll tel the snaps tell the story. Koi Carp at the entrance:

Map of the Gardens:

A walk in bird avery with brightly coloured Parakeets.  They were tame enough to know that the dispenser gave a sugar drink.

Plenty of Palms :

Bromeliads :

Orchids :

Then a 50 ft waterfall complete with Flamingo enclosure.

Further on a village of McCaw houses with pairs of birds mostly sleeping.  We could see that they had a fun life with tight-ropes and various items of fun around.  (I suspect that their wings had been clipped).

After the tour we had another brilliant meal in the hilltop restaurant and then a leisurely walk down hill to the jetty.
Malcolm took a detour to Pointe Batterie.  A few loose cannons and a picnic area:

    Unfortunately Hemingway's Restaurant is now a ruin with a 700,000 € restoration grant from the European Community!!!
  Tuesday we needed a few items from the shops so took time to tour the small town.  It has a LARGE library, TIC, market area, bakery with coffee shop, tennis courts and all the local shops needed.  Not much in the way of tourism since it is a small village, not on the cruise liner run. Lunch was crunchy fresh French bread and quiche with salad etc from the bakery. As we were finishing S/Y Mistral arrived and came alongside to say Hi.  I mention this as Dave the fridge man was aboard and we haven’t needed anything done recently.   After tidying away we motored round to Pigeon Island Anchorage.  This lies in the Cousteau Marine Park so has good snorkelling and dive sites. I actually followed a small turtle along the rocks. 

Antigua –R & R May 10th

So all the racing is over and we can’t seriously leave until I have some use of my left wrist.  However I can manage small things like finger typing!
 We visited the Antigua Yacht Club to take part in a local Quiz. We now know that Antigua has 365 beaches!!! Our friends Andrew and Susan (S/Y Andromeda) were on the last winning team so had to prepare the quiz for this month.  I hate quizzes but there being no alternative I had to make up the numbers.  So we had a team of four Malcolm myself, Judy from S/Y Wings and Karel from S/Y Tahani-li.  We played against three other local teams and to cut a gripping evening short we WON.

Judy , (S/Y 'Wings), Karel ,(S/Y Tahani-li ) and Sailor Sue with the prizes.

 Mostly due to Karels vast knowledge of Courtesy flags and their countries but with help from all members of the team showing their own specialist knowledge.  Malcolm even managed to calculate the time it takes for light from the sun to reach us on Earth—5000 seconds!  So with 30/42 marks we gained first place and a bottle of 5 year aged Antiguan Rum and the onerous task of preparing a quiz for the next evening of fun.  I have already done my share and need to email it to our co-ordinator so that it can be sent to the Yacht Club Secretary in time.
  The following evening we all met again in the same place to have aperatives, namely the Aged Rum before setting of to the Admirals Inn to have our last supper as a team.  Yes! Fred managed to fail getting the last Lobster but everyone else shared yet another wonderful meal.
    The weather has been cooler inter-spaced with grey days of warm rain.  We returned to Jolly Harbour to do some shopping, fill our water tanks.  Judy and Fred came over for a final sundowners before we leave them to sail South.  They will be travelling towards the ABC’s and Columbia. Another day around at Five Islands Bay for Malcolm to do a spot of hull cleaning– namely the propeller and intake pipes, which seem to have barnacle growth due to being in one place too long.  Needless to say it rained even more now that our tanks are full!
So we set off for Green Island on Sunday 12th May.  Stopping to pick up my computer stick from S/Y Quicksilver.  Coffee en route and we were just saying “What a brilliant sail…” when a peculiar noise was heard and the steering felt ‘funny’.  Ooops what now? The speed dropped and as I looked over the stern I see a couple of yellow things with a rope attached…’Piano’ had snagged another set of buoys! ( What a Girl ehh?) The air around the Captain was ‘blue’ but we managed to get a line around the offending tether and lead it forward.

 Malcolm cut it free and we managed to free the rudder sufficiently to sail back to Five Island Bay.  The new Knife he had bought was a casualty– not tied on he dropped it into 20 m of turbid water. Lunch first , then Malcolm donned the scuba gear once again and removed the remaining line. Note to self don’t say that the sail is brilliant of ‘Piano’ will look for a buoy!



The Eastern End of Antigua. 13th May.

  The second sail to Green Island / Non Such Bay was in fact just as brilliant.  ‘Piano’ definitely sails faster on Starboard tack, probably due to the extra weight on that side.  6 Knots against 4 knots on Port tack. Of course when we tacked we did find a) we were trailing a fender, b) the piano stool had not been screwed down and c) one of the clothes storage cupboards had flown open.  We all know that ‘things’ happen in 3’s!
  OK I’ll set the scene here with a look at the charts for the area,  Google maps possibly won’t have the historical detail.  First of all Non Such Bay was named after the first visiting ‘Yacht’ in 1647.  They must have been blown in downwind to have survived the variable depths, heads of emergent coral and semi submerged rocks.  The entrance is barely 50 m wide with shallow water either side.  Once in, the Bay is 2 miles deep by 1/2 wide, and has about 12, really sturdy buoys to tie up too.  Once settled we could see the reef ahead which protects the Bay from all weathers.  The spot is idyllic with kite boards skimming the surface and the occasional turtles popping their heads up.
Tuesday we take a day off! Well in this world that means mundane jobs like cleaning the weed growth from the tender, hoovering and washing the cabin floor of all the salt taken down during the recent escapades and checking out the life jacket which was used as a safety line the other day.
  Wednesday we made a tour in the newly cleaned tender of the whole bay.  From the entrance at ’Cork Point’ round to Nanny Island is owned by the Mill Reef Club, who are anti Yacht people.  They make money from rich tourists ‘in season’ who pay top whack for the privilege (tee hee). Evidence here is that times are hard, with other restaurants defunct nearby.
   Passing Nanny Island the next Bay is Browns Bay right up close to the head of the bay.  Next comes Hughes Bay, home of the Non Such Bay Resort which is Yacht friendly—and still making money !  The other side of the hill is Ayres Creek and Clover Leaf Bay.  This is called Guyanais Cove by the locals and is a deep mangrove lined bay in just the shape of a clover leaf! (Excellent shelter in a hurricane)
Finally the channel which some yachts leave by is called Spithead Channel (? Where have I heard that ?)

Antigua Classics and Sailing Week. April to May.

Well it’s all over now bar the shouting– and what a month we have had!
When we went ashore at Jolly Harbour the Harbour Master said “Good Afternoon, ‘Piano’ it’s great to see you back ! And I have all your paperwork prepared so just walk this way “ Yes they remembered us from last year!
  Since then we have been so busy all boring stuff which needs to be kept on top of in this damp heat.  A pleasant day off to do some tourism around St Johns including a delicious lunch.

We soon moved round to Falmouth Harbour, where the Team to crew S/Y ‘Wings’ were congregating.  First there was the Classic Yacht Regatta which we viewed from aboard ‘Wings’

with many friends and family,- namely Freds’ sister Jan and her husband Howard.

There was plenty of wind and plenty of action......

  The next week was the Sailing Regatta for ‘Wings’.  Malcolm helped Andrew (from Andromeda) and Per (from S/Y Arctic) change sails on the bow.   He ended up making knee protectors from an old wet-suit to save them getting scraped to the bone.

One evening we had a Beach BBQ to chill out... Fred was full of Race tactics he certainly wanted to win!

A day or so after this Jan managed to fall and break her arm, right on the ball and socket joint OUCH!
  Five days racing with a much needed Lay Day on the Wednesday.
The worst luck was they managed to tare three sails!

 Meanwhile I prepared lunches for the team and organised somewhere to accommodate 12 hungry sailors on the three nights when there was no official ’Party’

A Brilliant night at the Pizza restaurant, only spoiled on the way home when I managed to fall into the tender and sprain my wrist.  A Visit to the First aid center and we agreed that I should have an X-Ray to double check for any breakage.  So off I went and yes I had a hairline fracture of the ulna, so I have to keep it bandaged until the tendons and bruising have gone down! pooh!
So that makes two unhappy people for this week!

Now that the racing is over I can rest until I'm fit to use my wrist, then we can move towards Trinidad for the Hurricane season yet again.