A Tale of Two Chemists: Vieux Fort to Bequia … Friday 2nd Feb 2018

Vieux Fort to Bequia … Friday 2^nd Feb 2018

Simon arrived on schedule on Thursday afternoon and once settled on Cotinga we decided on a plan to head down to St Vincent and the Grenadines. To write this blog we’ve opted for a “crowd sourcing” approach where each of us writes a small section, so here it goes …

Mike:

We have a little under two weeks to cruise St Vincent and the Grenadines and with the current weather patterns it looks like getting south will be easier than coming back north, so our thoughts are to get down as far as Carriacou and Tobago Keys fairly quickly and make our way back with shorter hops. We wanted to get an early departure and needed to clear out of St Lucia, but customs and immigration at the docks only opens at 8am. We were there on the dot, only to find we needed to complete the immigration part at the airport! It seemed like this might take forever, but we quickly got a ride to the airport with a passing taxi, were shepherded into the immigration office where the officials were charming, and were back on Cotinga shortly after 9am. We were under way 45 minutes later. The sailing, initially with just the main, was close to downwind, but we made fast progress. As the day progressed and we headed a little more south and then south east we added increasing amounts of genoa. By mid afternoon we were close to “Petit Byahaut” on the south west side of St Vincent, a location where we could anchor overnight under "quarantine", before heading on to Bequia to clear in with customs and immigration on Saturday morning. However, we were making such good progress we decided to keep on going to Bequia and arrived around 5.45pm, just before sunset. This was one of the best passages we have ever made, 55 nautical miles in about 8 hours, for an average speed of ~ 7 knots and very little motoring. St Vincent looks spectacular from the ocean.

Gloria:

It was a tripartite sail in my view. The first part from Vieux Fort to the north end of St. Vincent was a very broad reach (north east winds and a south of west course) with a significant following swell. The movement of the boat had me staring at the horizon for a good part of the time. Once we were in the lee of St. Vincent, the swells died off, then slowly the wind pooped out as well. This led to section two, motoring down the south west coast of St. Vincent. Once we got toward the southern end of the island the wind filled in from the east. Our course was more south southeast, so that for part three, we were sailing on fairly calm seas on a lovely beam reach. Despite a few gusts above 15 kts, we kept full sail up hoping to reach the anchorage before sunset. We arrived after eight hours of sailing feeling tired but pleased with the day.

Simon:

Hello! I’m simon and I live in Sheffield, England; about as far from the sea as its possible to get. My interests are all land based an, indeed I met Mike through a joint interest in climbing and mountaineering.

My relationship with the sea has always been tinged with a fear of nausea and sickness. I have multiple terrible memories from my childhood regarding channel ferries and fishing trips. My last experience on a boat whilst diving in Thailand resulted in a sudden bout of vomiting that was only resolved by jumping into the sea (clearly this was not to be an option on today’s passage!)

To cut to the chase, it was with a sense of fear and trepidation that I set off on today’s journey with Gloria and Mike. I had been given lots of advice about the condition mildly referred to by Mike as “mal de mere” and after much debate I chose appropriate medication from a selection acquired during four trips to the pharmacist back home … and a long conversation with my GP I might add!

This first sailing experience was to be the longest planned passage on my holiday. Although St Vincent was visible, it appeared in my mind as a dot on the horizon that would likely take many hours to reach. Fortunately, reassurance was quickly offered by Mike; who explained that the wind was coming from my stern (editor !) and that this combined with an average 5ft swell would not only slow our speed but possible make Cotinga feel less stable (editor !!). At times the motion was difficult to cope with; seeming to shift in every conceivable plane. Approximately half way to St Vincent my anxiety was building and I was getting so concerned that conversation was no longer possible (editor – what a relief!). Mike proffered helpful advice about the importance of relaxation, fortunately Gloria was able to give practical direction regarding standing, watching the horizon and shifting my weight, staying cool, etc. This assisted greatly and I was also helped by the distraction of watching Boobies and flying fish.

Happily my nausea passed and I was able to enjoy the sailing and the sandwiches kindly provided by Mike. The situation improved immeasurably as we sailed into the lee of St Vincent Island and swell reduced significantly. Following an extended internal dialogue I was surprised at myself when I agreed to extending the planned passage in order to proceed to Bequia. This final leg proving to be the best of the days sailing; on a beam reach with both sails, cruising through the water at close to maximum speed. We finally arrived in the harbor, just as the sun was setting.

55 miles in 8 hours; a real right of passage for this sailing virgin!