Places Visited:
St Lucia – Rodney Bay
Guadeloupe
St Martin – Marigot Bay
British Virgin Islands (BVIs) – Virgin
Gorda, Virgin Tortola, Norman Island
Also, a daily diary of our crossing from
BVIs to Bermuda
This blog entry covers 28.4.13 – 25.5.13,
from picking up our crew, and our sail to Bermuda.
St Lucia
On the 30/4 I felt the babies first
flutter, so I was really happy. I asked ‘all the mummies out there’ on Facebook
if what I was feeling was actually the baby as I have no idea!! It was like a
tiny vibration inside of me – really cute.
After a slight delay with our first new
crew members flight, Mandy (39 years old, from the USA) joined us on the 1st
of May. Graham (60 years old from England) joined us a couple of days later.
Finally we collected Stevies sparkly new
passport, and he was dancing with joy all day!! (It’s been 7 months since he
lost his other one, on a drunken night out to the bingo and casino in
Gibraltar).
We moved out to the anchorage on the 5/5
and all 4 of us spent a good few hours diving under the boat to scrub off the
green slime that always manages to grow!!
Once the hull was nice and shiny, we headed off to St Martin, to start stocking up for the Atlantic crossing.
Once the hull was nice and shiny, we headed off to St Martin, to start stocking up for the Atlantic crossing.
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| Maybe time for some new flip flops? |
Guadeloupe
As the conditions for our sail to St Martin
were getting a little annoying – currents and winds against us – we decided to
stop at Guadeloupe for the night. On our approach it started to rain, and
visibility was poor. We dropped our anchor, dried off, and managed to go to
land for some dinner in between showers. We had a good night’s sleep, and then
headed off to St Martin (once again) in the morning.
St Martin
We spent a few days here, got in a massive
4 trolley load of shopping in preparation for our Atlantic crossing.
We took Mandy on a long walk to see the bar where the planes fly over really closely when landing. Mental note – do not walk for over 1 hour, on rough ground, when pregnant, wearing flip flops – my right foot was killing me.
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| Just a wee bit of shopping!! |
We took Mandy on a long walk to see the bar where the planes fly over really closely when landing. Mental note – do not walk for over 1 hour, on rough ground, when pregnant, wearing flip flops – my right foot was killing me.
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| Much busier than when we were last here in Jaunary |
I managed to get a second scan of the baby,
and had the date calculated as 10 days further ahead than I thought, making the
due date the 7th October (My best friend Amanda will be pleased, as
this is her birthday). It was fantastic, as I had my own screen, and managed to
see everything. Stevie was allowed in too, and we both had a wee tear. The baby
really is a fully formed baby now – it’s fab to see. The report was again in
French, and we interpreted that the age of the baby is calculated by measuring
all of the organs, and dating them. I wasn’t surprised to see everything
measuring up to be 17-18 weeks old, and the brain to be 20 weeks old –
definitely Stevies baby!!!
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| 20 wk old - medium sized bump!! |
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| Stevie 30 wks - large bump - he he!! |
BVI’s
Well, the pain in my right foot worsened
within the next few days, to the extent that I could not walk on it. It felt
like the whole sole had tightened into a spasm. Some serious muscle damage I
think. I had painkillers, and deep heat on the boat, but surprise, surprise
every bit of medication says ‘do not take when pregnant until you consult a
doctor or pharmacist’. Of course, we had no internet to google, so I had to
hobble (tears and all) to the nearest pharmacy. He advised using the things I
had, but the next day it wasn’t much better. As we were about to commence our 6
day sail to Bermuda, I decided it was time to visit the doctor. He gave a
little chuckle when I said the distance I had walked in flip flops, and
prescribed me an analgesic cream, that worked a treat. I got him to do a quick
pregnancy check too, and he confirmed all is well.
We enjoyed the BV!s, although we felt like
we were slowly going back to the ‘real world’, after a few months in the rest
of the Caribbean. The prices were pretty ridiculous, and it was full of charter
boats. The supermarkets were poorer than some of the rest of the Caribbean,
with fresh meat, dated 2012, at room temperature in the freezer – no thanks!!
We had a fab day out at the baths at Virgin
Gorda and the Devils beach. We were unable to bring our dingy ashore, so we
tied to a bouy, and swam the rest of the way. The walk along the beach
consisted of crawling and climbing through some caves, that were formed by
massive granite boulders. Probably
one of my favourite days out so far.
We moved around to Norman Island, where
there were no houses, but a couple of bars. One of the bars was a floating boat
called Willy T’s, where the alcoholic crew members (and Stevie) enjoyed a night
out!! I opted for a quiet night in with a movie!!
We caught up with our friends from home, Chris and Steve on yacht Chewsy. It was great to see them again. The last time we saw them was in Antigua, several months ago, and said our ‘final’ farewells, as we did not expect to be crossing back across the Atlantic at that point.
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| BVIs |
We caught up with our friends from home, Chris and Steve on yacht Chewsy. It was great to see them again. The last time we saw them was in Antigua, several months ago, and said our ‘final’ farewells, as we did not expect to be crossing back across the Atlantic at that point.
On the 16/5 we left the BVIs for our sail
to Bermuda, as the weather window looked good for the next wee while. Chewsy
had left in the morning, also heading to Bermuda.
Daily Diary – BVIs to Bermuda
So finally we are off. Definitely a sense
of excitement and relief, that we eventually have a descent weather window to
commence our crossing. 850 miles and an estimate of 6-7 days, heading due North
to (apparently) chilly Bermuda. In all honesty, we are all looking forward to
cooling down a little, as 4 bodies on a boat, in the start of the rainy season
in the Caribbean was getting a little uncomfortable!!
17.5.13 – 3am-6am watch
My first night shift of the journey, and we
are flying along at 6-7kts, with 18kts of wind close hauled. I am keeping a
close eye on things, such as the dreaded black cloud s!! We are off to a
fabulous start, and Stevie recons that if this progress keeps up, we may make
it in 5 days. All good, so far
wind wise, and no boats around – a lot quieter than I thought this area may be.
18.5.13 - 6am – 9am watch
Beautiful sunrise shift, but not a terribly
great day!! I was downstairs at around 6.30pm last night, helping Mandy with
dinner, when Stevie decided to start the engine, to give the batteries a good
charge for the night. Immediately we both knew that something wasn’t right, as
the bang and clatter from the engine sounded awful. I shouted to Stevie that it didn’t sound right, and
to shut it off, but he already knew, and the fuel shut off valve would not work.
The engine would not stop, and it started to over rev, sending big black clouds
of smoke into the air!! Mandy and I grabbed fire extinguishers in case needed,
and Stevie managed to shut off the
fuel supply down stairs. We knew instantly that what just happened wasn’t good,
and after much discussion with Graham and investigation, we found fuel in the sump. Looking like possibly a damaged seal of some sort, and not repairable
until we reached land, the consideration as to whether or not to turn back was
on the cards. With 160 miles covered until this time, and still good winds, we
decided to contact my brother Neil in Bermuda, who put us in touch with the
Bermudan coastguard (via my mum – thanks mum and sorry for worrying you!!). My
friend Steve from home gave us an up to date weather forecast, which predicted
2 days of calm, but no storm to follow, as we originally were worried about.
The other consideration was running out of all power. We had new batteries, but
we were worried about the solar not being able to keep them charged enough to
last the night, also we only had a tiny amount of petrol for the generator. After
considering all of the possibilities, we decided to continue to Bermuda.
We are still making good progress, but
expect the wind to die down soon.
18.5.13 7pm
Well as predicted, we have had a very slow
day due to the wind dying on us. Morale a little low, so we decided to crack
open a tin of Quality Street, and life suddenly seems a little better with
chocolate!! Most of my watch during the day has been spent trying to turn the
boat a little to stop the sails collapsing so much, reducing the chance of
damage to them or the rigging. Stevie is very worried, that 48hours of no wind
could do harm to our rigging, and then we would really be in trouble. Quite an
intense 24 hours, to say the least. On the bright side, we are well stocked
with food and water, for continuing on to our Atlantic crossing, so there are
no concerns there. In fact, I am starting to wonder if this trip will take
longer than the actual crossing at this rate!! No other boats been seen for a
while, and no exciting wildlife to report.
19.5.13 5pm
Thankfully the wind picked up a little last
night, and for once clouds have become my friends. They tend to bring gusts of
wind with them, lasting approximately 20 mins, and we fly along for this time.
You just need to keep a close eye that things don’t get too carried away, as we
have heard that some of the squalls around here can increase to 35kts in
minutes – a little too much!! I am starting to enjoy the challenge of having no
engine now that we are over the initial shock of it. I have to really think about
sail trim, and the best course to take, when Stevie is resting. It’s taken away
some of the monotony of sailing, and is making it an exciting challenge (you
have to look on the bright side!!). Glad to be making good progress once again.
We asked for an up to date weather forecast today, and looks like the wind has
increased for our benefit!! Fingers crossed this continues. 370 miles gone, and
480 miles to go!! Current speed 6.5kts – excellent!!
21.5.13 6pm
Well the last 24 hrs have been really crap
to put it politely. The wind really kicked off after dinner last night. We put
a second reef in the main, and minutes later there was a bit of a clatter. We
wondered what had happened now, and realised that our topping lift for the boom
had snapped, and was trailing in the water. (problem 2 of the journey – what
next??). We never release our topping lift when the sail is up, as our boom can
gradually lower and hit off the bimney, also the noise of the loose rope can
become annoying.
The whole day yesterday involved strong
winds on our nose, resulting in constantly banging and smashing into the waves.
No chance of sleep for anyone, and a few things flying inside of the boat.
Everyone was getting a little tired of a very crap passage.
Next drama of the last 24 hrs – just to
really rub salt into the wounds - our fridge has quit cooling due to the constant
heeling over and the smashing into waves. (Number 3 problem, and hopefully the
last). This has happened before, and usually turning it off for about an hour
is enough to settle it, but not in this case. Luckily enough, most of our fresh
meat was eaten, and the remaining food (cheese etc) appears to be ok. I am trusting
my super sensitive pregnancy nose to keep us safe!!
It’s been really cold, and we are wearing 3
layers or more on a night shift these days – I miss the Caribbean!!
All in all a truly crap day – but on the
bright side our batteries have been coping really well, and the generator has
only been used to top them up once.
22.5.13 – 1pm
Well things finally calmed down yesterday,
and everyone got a good sleep so we are all feeling much better. The fridge
still isn’t 100% but we are still eating ok. We have seen another boat, and
heard a few on the radio, so finally we are not all alone! Eta 5-6am tomorrow
morning. My wonderful wee brother, Neil, has arranged a boat to assist us into
the harbour in the morning, and I have asked him to bring some cold champagne
as a wee celebration is definitely in order. Also, we made radio contact with our
friends Chris and Steve, who we knew were crossing the same time as us. They
have had a wee leak on their boat, and a bit of a crap time too. They plan to
arrive the same time, and will be joining us for a wee glass of champers!! 95
miles to go!!!
Stevie has heated the water with the
generator (as the batteries are fine and we are nearly there), and we have all
been treated to hot showers – luxury!!
23.5.13 – 2.30pm
Finally we have arrived in Bermuda. Things
didn’t quite go to plan, as we lost all wind during the night, as Chewsy had
predicted. Luckily for us (and a big thank you), Chewsy made their way over to
our course when they heard about our engine failure, and low power causing our
VHF signal to be poor. They reached us around 10.30pm last night – just as the
wind had died. We were having a dilemma as we really wanted to lower our main
sail, and pole out the genoa, as the poor wind had shifted onto our bum, and
this would be the best sail set up for these conditions. However, the dilemma
was, that due to our topping lift for the boom being non-existent, then we
would have to use our spinnaker halliard, but we also needed this rope for the
pole. Decision time - Should we lower the main and not be able to raise it
again, in order to put up our pole – and risk having no control of our boat to
turn into the wind, as this would involve no sails being up for a few minutes?
Chewsy had offered a tow from this point, but as there were still 60 miles or
so to go, we felt that this would be too much to ask. So, using the spinnaker
halliard, we gently lowered our main sail, then, managed to turn the boat to
get the wind onto the genoa, to then raise this sail with the pole out.
Unfortunately, after all of our brainstorming and efforts, the wind was still
so poor that even the poled out genoa was collapsing. So, at 2.30am we decided
to take up the lovely offer of a tow for the remaining 50 miles. Thank you so
much Chewsy – you are a super star!!
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| Chewsy to the rescue!! |
The tow was much easier than I expected. No
steering required, and no jerking like you get in a car – just plain sailing!!
For some strange reason, it appeared that
the coast guard had changed their mind and decided that Neil was not allowed to
tow us in. Steve, from Chewsy, got on the radio, and told the coast guard that
they had been towing us for 50 miles and would be bringing us into the harbour.
As Bermudan customs are strict, they insisted that we must tie up to the
customs dock – even if we did not have an engine!!! Steve, luckily knew what he
was doing, and rafted our 2 boats alongside each other to make this possible.
It appeared that there were several boats hovering around the harbour, some
waiting since 8am, to tie up to the dock to check in. I immediately got on to
the radio and explained that there was no way that if they were going to make
us tie up with no engine, that we were going to hover around, rafted up, for
hours on end, risking damage to both of our yachts. They eventually said it was
ok for us to jump the que.
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| Rafted up with Chewsy, waiting our turn for check in |
So, finally we
dropped our anchor, after checking in, and opened our well-deserved bottle of
champagne.
My wee brother
popped around later in the evening, and was telling me how frustrated he felt
about the whole towing in situation – one minute the coastguard said it was
fine, the next it was a ‘no’. Never mind, all good in the end, and it’s been
fab to catch up with him. Drew, my brother in law, has had a wee look at the
engine, and we think it may be repairable, and not a new engine, as we dreaded
it may be.
The plan is to
tow us around to the Yanmar mechanics in Hamilton in a few days, for them to
have a proper look.
We went out with
my wee brother and his in laws yesterday on their wee boat. So nice to relax,
and catch up with them. Definitely a nice end to a rather hard going week!!!
We also visited Neils new home (which is beautiful), and had a BBQ. My first time in a house for over a year!!
We also visited Neils new home (which is beautiful), and had a BBQ. My first time in a house for over a year!!
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| BBQ lunch at Neils with Graham, Shelly, Mandy & Neil |
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| Swimming with Neil & Pita the dog |
Well, that’s
about all for now. We are all well rested and feeling much better. Missing you
all millions, and hopefully be catching up with some of you soon?? Lots of love, Nicola and ‘medium sized’ bump!!
