A Tale of Two Chemists: Bequia to Kearton Bay Thursday 8th Feb 2018

Bequia to Kearton Bay Thursday 8^th Feb 2018

15 miles and even bigger seas!

I had been looking forward to another night anchored in Admiralty Bay as I had slept very well on the outward leg of the journey. Fortunately I was not disappointed and woke feeling reasonably rested. Sadly the same was not rue of my sailing companions; their bed being immediately behind the bow roller where the anchor chain joins the boat and they were consistently assaulted by a noise that sounded like a shotgun going off as the anchor “snubber” shifts across the bow roller under the stress of strong winds.

Breakfast saw us debating where we would moor in St Vincent and Kearton Bay, about half way up the west side, looked like a reasonable choice. The guide-book described it as a “cute little bay”. The added attraction was to prove the deciding factor; this being the Rock Side Café. High praise was given to this restaurant, run by Orlando and Rosi, for the high quality of the food and hospitality. As the cherry on the cake it was also possible to moor off the beach and obtain a sea taxi to shore; an important consideration given our desire to leave the “Dumb Dog” securely lashed to foredeck in preparation for our next big passage, after Mike and I had done battle against the wind to get it on board. After a quick phone call to the Café a table and mooring were reserved and reassurance given that we would have assistance with the mooring.

Needless to say, the passage was exciting and demanding (again). The thought of our evening meal helped us to get through. Close to Kearton Bay Mike radio ahead to confirm our imminent arrival and clarifying at the end of the conversation that we would be standing by on VHF channel 68. The Bay was indeed “cute”. A small beach with black volcanic sand surrounded by verdant green rain forest. The café was clearly visible, as was a single yacht moored close by. A couple of local men stood in a small dinghy near a mooring ball in between a steep wall of rock and the other yacht, giving hand signals as to the best approach. Our initial approach round the back of the other yacht was waved off with wild gesticulations, but it was unclear what they intended. Mike headed directly to the mooring ball and was told that we needed to moor bow and stern and that he needed to do a “3-point turn” between the wall and the other yacht in a very tight space; not really helped by the “extra advice” from the anxious owner of the other yacht. After an extended period of high stress we were finally able to complete the bow – stern mooring. Mike was also stern, this not being helped by the cheerful explanation by the pilots that they expected him to turn and back into the space. Mike was not a happy bunny but was able to control his discontent by reminding the men that calling him on the radio might have helped clarify this. They shrugged this off with the comment … “Oh yes, my radio is in pocket”. Happily we all recovered and the rest of the afternoon and evening were fabulous.

Great snorkeling was available beneath the cliff; with a small cave and numerous under water canyons providing a perfect location for a wide variety of corals and fish. This included my first sight of a lion fish in Caribbean waters. Another pleasant hour was passed by scraping and brushing barnacles off the hull and rudder of “Cotinga”. No easy work but a privilege for me to be able to show some gratitude for Mike and Gloria’s generous hospitality.

Dinner was a magical experience seated under a thatched roof on the edge of the cliff overlooking the bay. It isn’t every day that your fancy evening out starts with a ride in a row boat and a beach landing. We were welcomed by Rosi and given complimentary cocktails to start with. There was pumpkin soup as an appetizer, followed by a fresh salad, then Mahi-Mahi (aka Dorado / Dolphin fish) with plantains, yam, cassava and a delicious sauce. We finished the meal with cheesecake and were then shuttled back to Cotinga in the row-boat.

Simon

(MHB addition: Simon’s account of the mooring spectacle is spot on – but there were a few things that I could have done to have avoided or eased the situation. We had no idea what was expected and weren’t prepared for a bow-stern mooring (e.g. no stern line); in fact it’s something we’ve never done before. But when we saw the helpers waiving their arms we could have called them on the radio for clarification. It turns out the reason we couldn’t pass behind the other yacht was because their stern mooring attachment went way back towards the shore. When we did arrive directly at the forward mooring-ball we could have tied in the bow and pivoted on the mooring, then attached the stern. Also, in attempting the “3-point turn” I turned to port, which meant that on the reverse section the prop-walk from the propeller was counteracting the turn, which made it really hard to complete the maneuver in a tight space– if I had turned to starboard the prop-walk in reverse would have helped pull us round. I know all these things, but in the heat of the moment they didn’t come to mind ... more practice needed!)