The Grenadines!
We then set our sails north on Dec. 5th and headed
toward Union Island, another short passage of around
14 hours.
We left in the late evening so we could arrive during the
morning of the next day. We gleefully put the sails up, (it
is a sailboat after all) only to be greeted by a line of rain
storms (not on the weather forecast) that continued all
night. Winds were strong and the seas rough.
I became seasick, reminiscent of our first day out of
Cape Town. I staggered on deck long enough to help
John save the dinghy from falling off. Otherwise, John
sailed single handed for over 18 hours without rest. He
counted 13 separate storms. He is my hero!
The next day we found our way into a safe spot in
Chatham Bay on the west side of Union Island. The
water was wonderful, so we rested and surveyed our
damage. We lost the seat from our dinghy, a fender,
and part of our halyard line. Without the benefit of
alcohol, I can’t go into the details of how John managed
to temporarily solve the halyard issue and get us sailing
again, but it involved his going up the mast twice.
Rested and wiser, we turned our sails toward the
Tobago Cays on Dec. 7th, choosing to manuever our
way around Union Island and past Mayreau. Motoring
all the way, we arrived there in 3 uneventful hours and
anchored safely. The Cays were beautiful and we
dinghied over to the reefs and snorkeled. Actually John
snorkeled, I snorted and coughed and vowed to buy a
new mask and snorkel. We celebrated with our first
lobster dinner, purchased from a local fisherman.(below)
A calm night followed and we decided to try our luck
north again.
We headed north for Bequia on Dec. 8th, having heard
from several cruisers that this is a nice spot.
On our way, John put out his fishing line. No luck with
fish, but our lure did fool a local sea bird.(right). Diving
at it, he managed to snag himself. John hauled him in
and managed to unhook the ungrateful creature,
leaving him in the dinghy.
He stayed there till we got to Bequia, then left without
even a goodbye!
We regrouped in Chatham Bay on the west side of Union Island. (above)
John dove down to survey the halyard issue. The snorkeling there was a
nice distraction from our sailing problems. (below)
John dove down to survey the halyard issue. The snorkeling there was a
nice distraction from our sailing problems. (below)
The Tobago Cays!
Fresh lobster!
I named our stowaway "Clewless".
