Trip report part 2
Some of the fun events:
- Emily had never spent more than a few hours on a boat. By the end of day two, she looked like I had been beating her with a bat around her legs (yes, it looked that bad.) There was also a bruise the site of an apple on her tukus from an unforeseen rapid decent down the companionway. Of course it was my fault for making the boat heel at that inopportune moment, and for leaving a wet footprint on the saloon floor.
- We ripped the main sail No, it wasn’t too windy, no, I don’t think I did anything wrong, it just ripped along a seam near the clew. Of course it happened near Leverick Bay in North Sound, the day before we were to head out to Anegada. I guess it’s better it ripped there than 12 miles North. I called TWY and talked to Guy, the manager. It was about 4pm, and too late to make a run for Fat Hog Bay. He asked me to take down the sail and put it on the ferry leaving from somewhere in North Sound. I said I was unfamiliar with mast furling, and would rather someone else do the dousing. Really, I just didn’t feel like dealing with it myself. He said he had a guy that could pick it up the next morning, then have it back to us that evening. We wanted to do a dive with a dive shop to the Chikuzen the next day, so this would be perfect right!?!? We went on our dive, hoping that our sail would be taken down, away, and returned by mid afternoon when we got back. It wasn’t. Not only that, but it seemed that the sail had been doubled over, and wound completely into the mast, as though someone tried to use the outhaul without releasing the inhaul (is that what it’s called?) Upon boarding the boat, I found the corner of the sail in the saloon with a note saying “this is over my head, call the base.” I called the base, let them know what had happened, and tried to take the sail down myself. I likely could have done it if I had the right tools, but the boat tool kit was ill prepared. So we sailed…er…motor sailed for Trellis where someone would meet us. Upon arrival, Terrance from TWY showed up with tools and boatswains chair just in case. We managed to get the sail down after about an hour of work, and he said it would be repaired by the next morning. The next morning came. I called Guy at TWY base at 9am…he was just taking the sail over for repairs then. 4 hours later, we got the sail up, and headed for Monkey point. Had I to do it over, I would have taken the sail down myself that first evening, rather than rush over to the bar…however, we had a lovely evening at the bar in Leverick Bay.
- Catching a mooring ball at “The Playgrounds” dive site near Jost (on the North side of the shallow pass between Green Cay and Sandy Spit)was quite the adventure. I was at the helm, the swab at the anchor. We were open to the seas, and it was a bit rough. Approach to the mooring made us go pretty close to the jagged side of Green Cay, but we did it anyway. The approach went fine, Emily snagged the pennant on the mooring. Then, as always, there was something icky on the pennant, so she couldn’t fit it on the “thingy.” The boat started blowing away, she had the pennant caught on the boat hook and couldn’t release it, and the boat hook hit the anchor…SPOOSH! Down goes the anchor. The tiny line holding it in place snapped under the pressure (imagine if we were under way?!?!) I ran for the bow, just in time to see the anchor dropping. I grabbed the boat hook, released the pennant, and started hauling in the anchor. Since this was the first time we used the anchor, inadvertent as it was, I was about to find out that it would often slip off the roller and pin my foot against the foot rail (so that’s why it’s called a foot rail.) Of course at this time, I calmly requested to my wife that it would be ever so nice if she would man the helm. Just as I was pulling the anchor into place, I realized the boat was going into reverse…something I forgot to emphasize to her was to clear the dingy painter before going into reverse. Obviously, verbal communication in high wind with the engine running is difficult at best. So I ran to the stern just in time to slap it into neutral. Whew. Another run at the mooring, and we got it on the thingy. Closer examination of the mooring…and it was crap. Had to go around green Cay anchor at Sandy Spit, and dingy over to the site. Oh well. I changed the little line holding the anchor in place with a hank of line someone on TTOL said I should bring. GOOD IDEA!
- Don’t drink more than 3 Bushwackers before eating. Now, it’s not fair to say Emily fell out of the dingy after a night on the Willie T., but the description is not far off. After watching a lovely and generous Texas couple pile into their dingy earlier in the evening…and laughing at their shear buffoonery, we were ourselves caught by the same fate just a few hours later. Boarding and motoring to the boat went fine, the extraction was…not good. Emily jumped a bit too late for the platform on the boat. I watched, as if in slow motion, the gap widen between the vessels. With one foot on each, she started going butt first towards a dunk. She managed to catch the ladder with one hand, and the hand grip on the dingy with the other. She sat for a few moments, a human bridge…[censored] in the water. I was doing my best not to…uh…who am I kidding, I was laughing my butt off…and in no shape to help. She struggled, strained, and finally made it aboard. A long night, and difficult morning ensued, but we were both wiser…remember…nothing EVER good comes from the Willie T.
- We were to do our last dive at Dry Rocks East. An open water pile of rocks on the East side of Cooper island. We pulled up, grabbed the mooring suited up, and stood on the back of the boat doing a pre-dive equipment check, just as a local boat motored up on the other side of the rock pile. I mean I was 5 seconds away from diving, when I looked over and saw the two people throwing stuff into the water…”what the…” I crabbed my way over to the binoculars, and took a peek. Sure enough, they were chumming with chunks of fish. My wife, not thrilled with the possibility of running into sharks in the first place, was rather reluctant to dive in a river of chum. Can’t say I blame her. We just sat there for a few minutes in disbelief. We eventually ditched our gear, and motored to another spot nearby. The two old farts on the boat never did look at us, even though I motored a half circle around their boat within 30 feet of them. At that point, I just had to laugh.
- Wind scoops are heaven and hell. It was very kind of Terrance at TWY to rustle up two parachute material wind scoops for us. Of course the lanyards on the wind scoops were about 3 inches too short…again, I had to use the hanks of line I brought along thanks to TTOL folks. After rigging them up (in the dark, with a buzz, wearing only underwear), I was bestowed with a fine stiff breeze through the cabin. Then the wind would ebb and flow, the boat would swing to different points, both causing the scoops to flap, get caught on something, and become ineffective. That’s when it wasn’t raining. When it rained, the scoops managed to completely cover the hatch stifling any breeze that would normally pass through. Women…wind scoops…difficult to get them rigged right, and if you do, they can change with the wind. Pleasure and pain. Can’t live with em’…oh you get the idea.
What would I have liked to do differently?
- Stay in one place more than one day.
- Dive more and enjoy the wilder, less visited sites.
- Dive less and sail more…enjoy more of the less visited sites.
- Stay longer…but that goes without saying.
- Not have a 9 hour layover in San Juan on the way back…again, Africa hot.
- Bring tools. Specifically, a 9/16” wrench. Friggin’ stupid grill.
- Buy less olives, more limes…duh.
- Buy less beer, more rum.
- Drink more…and enjoy meeting others and join them for sparkling conversation.
- Drink less…and not have a hangover from talking to some idiot all night the night before.
- Rig something that would remind me to put the ladder down before diving into the water.
- Brought 5 pairs of shorts…needed em. Brought 5 pairs of undies…didn’t need em.
- Brought 10 shirts…managed to spill something on each, had to buy a couple more to hold me over.
- Get to Anegada. Then phone the base, tell them if they want their boat back, they can come and get it.
- Never, ever have more than 3 Bushwackers, 2 rum and cokes, 2 rum on the rocks, a rum punch, 3 beers and various shots within 4 hours on the Willie T.
What were the best parts of the trip?
-That first swim at Cooper Island.
-The painkiller at Pussers in Road Town.
-The learning process my wife went through. One hand for you, one for the boat.
-Talking with various folks at the various places…the Texans on the Willie T., Barbara and her friend at Cooper, then Marina Cay, then her boat. Big Jim, Jailerman and co. the drunk NY guy and all the others at the Soggy Dollar.
-That last swim on the last night at Cooper.
Trade Wind Yachts
Yes I would, or will, book with them again. Scott at the mothership in Annapolis was a hoot to deal with…for a Brit. Terrance at the base was excellent…but there is a rumor he is headed for Moorings or SunSail. I didn’t really look at the other boats, but I suspect they are similar…not new by any means, seaworthy…within sight of land, and as always…something will go wrong. Just deal with it.
Cost
$1350 for boat for 10 days, insurance, taxes, permits, stay aboard the night before.
$350 for provisions
$350 for restaurants
$500 cash money, drinks, taxis, t-shirts, books, sunburn stuff and other stuff.
$0 Airfare…love frequent flyer miles
$650 dive rental, dive trip, tank fills.
$3200 total…give or take.
Fun ride. Now I’ll have to resume my job search. Drat.
blair
