Happy for the Rain

Happy for the Rain

Thursday 28th - Saturday 30th November

Thanksgiving turned out to be a really wet day in Marigot Bay. You might think that was a little depressing, but actually I think we all sort of enjoyed it. The rain forced us to have a lazy morning and we headed over to Doolittle’s bar and restaurant for lunch - which was lovely. More lazing around in the afternoon was followed by two trips up to the top of the mast to replace the ‘topping lift’. We only just managed to finish fitting the new line before it got dark.

Fortunately, dinner was already prepared - smoked salmon chowder - not your typical Thanksgiving dinner, but very tasty nonetheless.

On Friday we rented a car and and drove around the southern part of St Lucia. We had only been driving about 20 minutes when we ran into an unusual problem. A minor landslide had caused a coconut palm to fall over and block the road. This apparently happened only minutes before we arrived, but the local drivers were quick to react, grabbing machetes and chopping off the easily accessible coconuts, thus making the best of the experience!  Luckily, we had just passed through a section of road works and within a few minutes a large bulldozer / digger arrived and made short work of moving the tree. Highlights of our day included walking round the lovely botanical gardens in Soufrierre and hiking along the Tet Paul trail, with outstanding views of the Pitons that soar almost 3000 feet directly out of the ocean below. By early afternoon we still hadn’t eaten lunch, so we stopped at a roadside restaurant and had an excellent meal of garlic pork loin with ‘ground provisions', pasta and salad. 

Driving the rental car in St Lucia was a bit nerve wracking, not because the roads are so difficult, but because we carry such a large financial liability when renting the car. With this company, it is not possible to get car insurance for a single day rental and a $USD 2000 deposit is required. Worse than that, you are forced to sign an agreement that if you breech the contract you are liable for the full value of the vehicle … $35K ! Thankfully all went well and we did get our deposit back.

This morning we departed Marigot Bay and motored up to Rodney Bay. As we arrived we could see there was some kind of regatta taking place. We managed to get anchored without getting in the way of the racing boats, and for the next couple of hours were treated to a great spectacle. It appeared that there were several consecutive races, and at times the boats came really close to Cotinga. It was really fun to watch. We were able to stir ourselves into action in the afternoon and re-filled our diesel jerry cans and brought some more groceries.

14 04.675 N, 60 57.58 W

Mike

A nearby road crew make quick work of clearing the fallen coconut palm and re-opening the road

I love these flowers - but can never remember what they are called 

A focused stacked image from the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens

Backlit palm leaf

Datura blossom

Bullfinch

Purple Throated Carib (hummingbird) on a banana flower

Petit Piton from the Tet Paul trail

Sailboat racing in Rodney Bay, with Pigeon Island (National Park) in the background

I've never raced - I'd love to try it - but it looks chaotic and scary

Spinnaker time!

Now that's what you call 'healed over'

Thankful thoughts

Thankful thoughts

Tuesday 26 November, 2024

As we were planning to depart for St. Lucia on Wednesday, we had quite a list of jobs to get done on Tuesday. Before breakfast, Mike noticed that the battery voltage was quite low.  We started the engine and were surprised to find that the voltage did not jump up while the engine was running. The conclusion was that we had a problem with the alternator.  Mike checked all the wiring to the alternator.  All the connections looked fine, no obvious broken wires, no blown fuses. Our plans for the day were taking a distinct detour.  Checking for voltage everywhere, seemed to  confirm that the alternator was not functioning.  Although there was a possibility that the voltage regulator was the problem.  Thankfully, we had a spare alternator on board.  Mike ascertained that the spare alternator was missing a few bolts.  We all piled into the dinghy thinking that the three of us might start the grocery shopping.  As it transpired, Mike needed to return to the boat straight away, so we picked up the clean laundry and bought ice.  These items went back to the boat with three crew members, while I waited on the dockside. 

When Pete and Jo returned we started the grocery shopping, armed with the “list”.  After getting the non-perishable items at the “supermarket”  we found a fruit and veg stall to restock our pantry.  Several items were not available at either location but we returned to Cotinga with our “haul” and information about the hours of customs and immigration. Our early departure on Wednesday meant we would need to check out in the afternoon. 

We arrived back at the boat to find the engine running.  Mike had replaced the alternator with the spare. Fortunately, he was seeing the expected spike in battery voltage while the engine was on.  The cabin was still strewn with an assortment of tools.  We waited in the cockpit while Mike cleaned and tidied below.  After putting away the provisions,  Pete, Jo and Mike went back to shore to check out.  Once that was completed, we began boat prep for the passage.  The outboard engine came off the dinghy.  The dinghy was hoisted onto the foredeck and tied down.  The inner forestay was deployed and the stay sail hanked on and sheets and halyard attached. We were so grateful to have solved our charging problem so that we could make the long passage to St. Lucia the following morning. 

Wednesday 27 November, 2024

Five thirty am was a shock to all of us.  We poured coffee (made the night before), got the sails ready and hoisted the anchor.  One reef in the main and the stay sail seemed the right combination for the forecast.  The passage from Bequia to Saint Vincent was somewhat rough but not terrible.  Once behind St. Vincent, the wind died and we motored for a couple hours.  Then, as we approached the north end of St. Vincent, the wind and waves built quite quickly—aided by a squall. The wind at this point was solidly pegged at 22 knots with an occasional gust to 24 knots. It seemed a wee while before the wind settled a bit.  We continued to get Atlantic swells until we were well behind St.  Lucia.  By that point we all were somewhat restless and wanting to arrive at Marigot Bay.  Finally, we picked up a mooring in the outer portion of the bay, having covered 62 nautical miles in about 9 1/2 hours, for an average speed of 6.5 knots.  After a swim and shower, we are all looking forward to dinner and bed.  We were so happy to have arrived at Marigot Bay.

Gloria

It was quite rough off the north coast of St Vincent and it was only after things settled down a little that any of us started taking any photos.

It was actually a beautiful day and a wonderful sail.

Looking back with the island of St Vincent just visible in the top left corner

The single reefed main in conjunction with the staysail worked perfectly in the higher winds (20-24 knots), but as conditions moderated (winds 15-18 knots) we unrolled some of our genoa, thus creating a cutter-rig setup.

Throughout the journey we were accompanied by brown boobies flying laps around the boat. At times they seemed so close you could reach out and touch them. We also saw masked boobies, royal terns and tropic birds

This video is courtesy of Jo Leeming. Taken later in the passage when winds and seas had eased off, this video still gives a good sense of how we were flying along. You will notice swim shorts and wetsuits hanging off the rail, and the partially unfurled genoa doesn't look well trimmed at this point ...!

Bequia

Bequia

Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th November 2024

It was a lovely beam-reach sail up from Tobago Keys to Bequia, and we managed to avoid the many squalls that were passing through the area. Gloria and I have been to Bequia a number of times previously and it really is a delightful place to visit. This time we anchored on the south side of Admiralty Bay, Port Elizabeth, in clear water off Princess Margaret Beach.

On our first morning we tackled yet another boat project. The throttle cable has been getting increasingly stiff and difficult to operate. I thought we needed to buy a new cable, but in order to do so, we wanted to measure the existing cable. I took apart the top of the pedestal, where the controls are mounted, and realized that it was in fact the lever mounted on that pedestal that was the main source of the problem. We took that apart, cleaned and lubricated it, and the system now seems to work much more easily. This is just as well as we were unable to get any meaningful measurement of the cable as it runs down the pedestal and under a poorly accessible space below the cabin sole. Ideally, the cable needs to be pulled out and measured, then a replacement part ordered and re-fitted. However, that’s not going to happen whilst we are down here, so I’m hoping I might get the information from Morris, the boat manufacturer, so that I can order a spare in advance and have Tasha bring it down when she visits in December.

It’s great to wander around the island of Bequia and we have spent a couple of days touring around on foot. Today we repeated a hike that Gloria and I did back in May up Mount Peggy. It was the end of the dry season then and the paths were dry, dusty and covered in leaves. Now we are in the latter part of the wet season and the vegetation is extremely lush and the paths were wet and muddy. It’s hard to say whether dry, slippery leaf covered rocks are harder to descend than a wet, mud covered stream bed - neither were easy. However, on this occasion the mosquitos were rampant in the forest and it was hard to concentrate on navigating the terrain whilst being eaten alive! Regardless, the view from the top was astounding and well worth the effort. The cold drinks in the cafe at the bottom were very welcome. We capped off this afternoon with a swim from Cotinga followed by a shower, and then we returned to land to drop off laundry in town, get some stitching on our canvas dodger repaired, and drink enormous smoothies at the cafe “Sugar and Spice”, watching the sun go down.

Mike

13 00.258 N, 61 14.579 W

Jo and Pete on the top of Mount Peggy, Bequia

A more extensive panorama from the top of Mount Peggy

A squall approaches as we walk back from the east coast of Bequia

Jo and Pete shelter under their umbrellas

Mangrove Cuckoo

Cattle egret perched on the boom of a boat

 

Tobago Cays

Tobago Cays

Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd November 2024

To our delight, moorings were available on the reef side at Tobago Cays.  The combination of brilliant water, sun, turtles, breezes, showers and rainbows delighted us once again.  

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and picked up one of the moorings.  We swam from the boat to Turtle Island. A looping path back to Cotinga showed us turtles swimming near the bottom.  We spent some time watching boats arrive and visitors swimming to and fro.  A dinghy laden with nine people seemed to defy belief.  We kept expecting someone to fall out but it didn’t happen.  

On Friday morning we took the dinghy to shore for a walk up the hill on the island of Petit Bateau.  At several spots we got great views over the lagoon.  The shading of the water from deep to shallow was particularly striking.  More than one photo was taken!  By the time we returned to the beach we were glad to find a shady picnic table where we cooled off a bit.  In the later afternoon, we went snorkeling on the reef, tying the dinghy to red buoy.  The sea was quite rough but we were able to work our way around several sections of reef.  The fish were quite vibrant although much of the coral seemed broken or bleached.  It looks worse than we remember it and in sections it looks like the enormous waves created by hurricane Beryl wreaked havoc on the foundational structure of the reef. In contrast to our previous snorkeling in Chatham Bay, the visibility was outstanding. The approach of a ~ 5 foot reef shark caused some elevation in heart rate! As we made our return in the dinghy, Mike dropped the rest of us off on the ocean side of Turtle island  and we swam back to Cotinga, whilst he stood watch. We saw several more turtles underwater and a few sting rays. We made it back on board just as a dramatic squall created torrential rain and gusty winds. 

What a spectacular place!

Gloria

Looking down on the reef-side mooring field at Tobago Keys from the Petit Bateau hillside

Pete and jo - masters of the selfie

Panorama showing the mooring field

Cotinga moored off Turtle Island. The reef snorkeling was about a quarter mile beyond Turtle Island

Gnarly weather approaches

Distant storm clouds at sunset

Union Island - Devastation

Union Island - Devastation

Wednesday 20th - Thursday 21st November 2024

Our departure from Carriacou was somewhat nerve-wracking. When we came to check-out, the customs officer wanted the forms we had been given when we first checked-in with Cotinga back in May. Of course I had tidied out our document wallet whilst at home and the required forms are either back in Sudbury or buried in a land fill. I had to call Clarkes Court Marina, back in Grenada, and have them email me confirmation of our haul-out and re-launch dates. They sent the information over immediately, but then came the problem of how to get that to the customs agent when there is no internet up and running on Carriacou. Thankfully WhatsApp worked fine and I was able to forward the necessary documents and we were cleared-out to go. We had a lovely sail up to Union Island and dropped anchor in Clifton Harbor to deal with the check-in process for St Vincent and the Grenadines. 

The damage to the island of Carriacou caused by Hurricane Beryl was all too easy to see. Many houses still had tarps over their roofs and some structures were totally destroyed. However, it appeared that a lot of progress had been made on repairs and there was a sense that life was returning to normal with the supermarkets open and some cafe / bars back in business. We had heard that the damage to Union Island, about 5 miles further north, was more extensive. But when we arrived in Clifton we were shocked to see the devastation. Customs and immigration was open, but working out of a basement in one of the few relatively undamaged buildings. We could not see the original customs building that we visited back in May. It seemed to be completely gone, as was the building that housed the popular Turtle Bar. We could see the floor and the bar of the restaurant where we had lunch on our previous trip, but the walls and roof were gone. None of the shops are open and there appears to be a tent village just outside of town, where we presume people are living. Construction work is ongoing, but there is still a tremendous amount left to do. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not a wealthy country and we wonder where the finance to rebuild will come from. 

(I did not carry my camera ashore in our brief visit to Clifton and it would have felt uncomfortable wandering around conspicuously taking photos of the destruction. However, Jo had her phone with her and took a few shots that are shown below.)

We left Clifton in the mid afternoon and motored round to Chatham Bay on the west side of the island. This is one of our favorite anchorages in the whole of the Caribbean. It still looks beautiful, but the little beach bar and restaurant that we enjoyed so much in May has gone. There used to be a small hotel / restaurant comprised of a few cottages nestled in the trees mid-way along the beach. At first we thought the buildings were still intact and in fact appeared more visible because the surrounding vegetation was blown or washed away. However, it turns out that everything was totally destroyed and what we were seeing from the boat is new construction. I spoke to the manager and she said the eye of Beryl passed over Carriacou, but the worst winds were experienced on Union Island. Every building on the coast of Chatham Bay was leveled to the ground. She said they spent the first two months after the hurricane simply removing trash and debris from the beach. Now they are rebuilding and actually hope to have the restaurant open by mid December, with tents to provide coverage for customers.

We tried snorkeling, but the visibility was so poor that we barely saw anything. This may be due to runoff from the cliffs with all the rain in recent days. Walking along the beach was more interesting, if somewhat sobering. Whilst there is evidence of landslides on the surrounding cliffs, the vegetation is already growing back strongly.  Overall Chatham Bay remains a magical place.

Mike

This was the restaurant we ate at in Clifton back in May (photo: Jo Leeming)

This is all that remains of the beach bar and restaurant that we enjoyed so much in May

The toilet was the only item left standing at this beachside cottage

The small hotel on the shore of Chatham Bay - currently being reconstructed

Leveling hardcore, presumably the sub-floor of a new building before the concrete is poured.

The man responsible for plastering (stucco ?) the new buildings - hot work.

This fisherman used to live in a cottage on the beach, which is no longer in existence. He is now part of the crew rebuilding the hotel / restaurant

Crab on the beach

Brown Booby - fishing near Cotinga in Chatham Bay

Ditto

Pete - on shore at Chatham Bay

Sandy Island and Saline Island

Sandy Island and Saline Island

Sunday 17th Nov (afternoon) to Tuesday 19th Nov (evening), 2024

On Sunday afternoon, we departed Tyrrel Bay for Sandy Island.  As it was quite a short trip we just motored.  We were pleased to find moorings available and after a little messing about, Cotinga was securely tied up. 

Once we started to look around, we were shocked to see that the island had been breached by Hurricane Beryl.  The palm trees seemed quite battered.  We wondered what the condition of the nearby reef would be. To re-acquaint ourselves with snorkeling, we dug out our gear and attempted to swim to shore.  A few technical difficulties were revealed, causing us to turn back toward Cotinga.  More adventures awaited us in the shape of weather events.

As the evening progressed, the wind whipped up.  For a few hours we were experiencing 25-30 knots.  Even tied to the mooring, the boat was yawing side to side and rolling quite a bit.  Eventually, the wind dropped and we all went to bed.  Overnight, we experienced multiple heavy showers.

On Monday morning, Mike found an abundance of water in the bilge.  After an extended bout of pumping the bilge was virtually empty.  It’s not clear what made him check again about 3 hours later.  Disappointingly the bilge was “full” again.  A tasting suggested that the water was salty—setting off alarm bells.  Checking with the salinity meter, we got a reading of 300 ppm—fresh water!   Water tank leaks sprang to mind!  We turned off both tanks and excavated to get to the top of the port tank. Opening the inspection port revealed a water level that seemed consistent with use by four people for 4 days.  Getting to the starboard tank required removing the settee base on the starboard side (which can be pulled out to make a bunk).  Once again, we removed a large number of nuts and washer to open the starboard inspection port.  Water began leaking out as the port was being lifted.  The starboard tank was clearly full.  

Other sources of fresh water were considered. The first being the drain of the galley sink.  Dumping of salt water down the sink did not result in any water in the bilge.  In a similar fashion, we tested the deck drains (many heavy rainfalls could have sent fresh water to the bilge if the hoses were leaking). The deck drains were not the issue.  After much head scratching, Mike decided to check the engine compartment.  The tray under the engine was wet.  Starting the engine, the source of the water was finally determined to be a hose on the salt water circulation system.  The hose clamp had completely failed! Not only that, the salinity meter had sent us down the wrong rabbit hole altogether.  Some hard work got a new hose clamp installed, the engine tray dried, the inspection ports screwed back down and the tools put away.  

After a belated lunch, we set off in the dinghy to snorkel the reef near the eastern end of the island.  Mike bravely rowed us into shore.  Without the weight of the engine we were able to pull the dinghy up the steep beach, well beyond the water line.  Pete and Jo elected to walk to the western end of the island.  Mike and I set off toward the eastern end to get in the water and snorkel.  The waves were quite a bit more intense at the point where we tried to get our flippers and snorkels on!  Not only was I unable to get into the water with my gear on, as I retreated up the beach, I got bowled over by a wave and lost hold of one of my fins.  Despite determined efforts we could not locate the second flipper.  I sat on the beach while the others checked out the reef. Apparently, plenty of fish were observed although the coral was badly damaged.  

The evening turned out quite nicely. Dinner was followed by time in the cockpit watching the lightning (that never came our way) and looking at the stars. The night, however, was disturbed by heavy rain showers, mosquito attacks and rainwater dripping into the aft cabin.  “There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep and that was nothing like a good night’s sleep.”

Tuesday started a bit slowly as most of the crew had experienced interrupted sleep.  We set off eventually to Saline Island (or Bay?). A reef to the north of the island creates a narrow channel along the island’s shore.  Here there is room for three boats to anchor.  We were boat number three.  The current is strong in this area and we had some difficulty getting the anchor to set.  The weather looked very threatening adding to our uneasiness.  We gathered all our gear and set off in the dinghy.  A snorkel buoy allowed us to tie up the ‘dainty dog’.  We had a good swim about looking at fish and some coral that looked pretty good.  We weren’t swept away by the current but found that Cotinga had turned through 180 degrees while we were in the water.  After lunch and a rest, we returned to Tyrrel Bay.  Most of our party went ashore to dump trash and get more fresh fruit and veggies.  I remained behind to write a contribution to the blog (much overdue).

Gloria  

Sandy Island mooring field (part of the Carriacou Marine National Park)

The happy (motley) crew after our mixed success snorkeling trip. (Photo: Pete Leeming selfie)

Sunset from Sandy Island

Threatening weather Sunday evening 

Ditto - wide angle lens

The squall arrives at Sunset

Same location - another evening and a new set of beautiful clouds

Dawn at Sandy Island

Storms to the west of us - Saline Island