Close to Perfection
Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th May, 2024
Perception of perfection changes with perspective! We had such a bad night in Clifton Harbor that pretty much any subsequent anchorage would have seemed good. But I don’t think that the relief we felt in finding flat calm waters in Chatham Bay accounts for my entire impression that where we are now is as close to perfection as we have found in the Caribbean. But lets step back a bit …
Clifton Harbor is protected from the prevailing easterly wind and waves by a solid reef. A smaller reef in the middle of the harbor effectively divides it into two sections, east and west, and we chose to anchor on the west side, closer to town. We dropped hook in 25-30ft of water and felt pretty secure. The anchorage itself didn’t feel too bumpy when we arrived (at low tide), although we had read some negative comments. After spending time ashore, we returned to the boat on Friday afternoon to find it rocking and rolling. The tide had risen by about 2 feet and the waves were sweeping across the reef and around the edge, creating a nasty cross swell in the anchorage. It was so bad that after eating dinner (steak and salad, which we really enjoyed!) we pulled out the bunks in the main cabin, took a couple of Stugeron (anti-seasick tablets) and called it a night. In the morning we took a very quick dinghy ride to town to pick up bread and milk, and then hauled up the anchor and headed west.
It was only a 3 or 4 mile sail to the west side of Union Island and within an hour we were anchored in Chatham Bay. The Bay is quite large, maybe a mile wide and fringed with white sand beaches and wooded mountains behind. The water is crystal clear and there is essentially no swell. The winds can blow quite strongly, but with 100 feet of chain out in 20 feet of water, over a sandy bottom, we felt perfectly safe and comfortable. At various points during our trip we have wondered what the Caribbean might have been like before it got really popular. Chatham Bay has no paved roads, just a small dirt track, that connects it to the rest of the island. There are a few bars / restaurants on the beach, but these are really of the laid back, wooden shack variety. Whilst there are many cruising boats here (perhaps 25 today) there is room for many more. The whole place is beautiful and has the feeling of place from time past.
We went snorkeling in the afternoon and saw more turtles (green and hawksbill) as well as lots of fish. There were several grouper, trigger fish, trumpet fish and trunk fish, to name but a few, and we also saw a golden spotted snake eel. The corals and plants looked beautiful under the bright sun, in crystal clear water. We ate well and slept well last night!
This morning we took the dinghy to the beach and hiked up to a viewpoint overlooking the Bay. It was quite lovely, and as a bonus we saw a Mangrove Cuckoo. We returned to Cotinga for a couple of quiet hours and a late afternoon swim, where we were delighted to see a Spotted Eagle Ray swimming below us. This evening we are heading back to the Sunset Beach Bar for drinks, dinner and a live steel band!
Mike
12 36.183 N, 61 27.047 W
https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Cotinga/?
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