Sapodilla Bay, Turks and Caicos. We were through here on the way down, and nothing much seems to have changed except that just before we got here, the UK dismissed the elected government and taken over the show. There have been roads blocked and major protests from the islanders. As far as I can tell from the papers and the radio, it was concerns over escalating crime rates and government corruption that brought this on. Also issues where the defence lawyers may be suspects along with the criminals they are defending. Small place, you know.
You wouldn't know there was a problem out here in Sapodilla Bay. Breezy, bright, blue. Bit of a chore getting here though. Checked out of Mayaquez in Puerto Rico on a Tuesday, and left the next morning early with faith in a forecast that said 10-12 knots, 4-6 foot swells with a long period.
Not. An hour or so in, we were honking along in 20-25 with bigger gusts, and seeing lots of 10-12 foot swells with a crappy wind chop to confuse everything. We reduced sail (and speed) and spent the first night hour-on, hour-off steering through all this slop.
Next day, we continued the routine of sleep-steer-sleep-steer. It was like the Wiley Coyote cartoons with the two sheepdogs: "Morning Ralph. Morning Sam," as one punched out at the time clock and the other punched in. No fishing. It was agreed that we didn't have any extra energy to deal with a fish should one show up. One had, overnight - a flying fish, very stiff on the side deck by the morning.
The second night I took over from Randy at about 3 a.m., wondering how to stay upright (peppermints, cookies, water, dates, all losing their punch, and it was too rough to consider tea). Randy takes precious moments from his sleep shift to tell me that a bird had landed on the boom earlier. Okay, good, it's gone. He goes below, and moments later, something comes flying, whizzing over the dodger, smacks into the cockpit at my bare feet and holy crap starts flapping and jumping all over the place. Flying fish. Figuring that I couldn't steer and try to grab it and pitch it, I hollered for Randy to come back up and get this thing out from underfoot. My hero.
I was grateful for the shot of adrenalin - it kept me awake for the next hour. Several days later we were still finding fish scales. Even on the end of the main boom.
But it was all over in 54 hours, whoo hoo, and while Randy checked in at South Caicos, I tried to tidy up the chaos and shower and sat sort of dazed in the cockpit. ND was caked in salt, and we'd shaken loose one shackle at the tack of the main that fortuitously landed on the sidedeck, but otherwise, unscathed. We did go through a lot of confusion in the next day or so trying to figure out what time it was. The time zone changed from PR to T&C, and then the next day, daylight saving time kicked in. We thought we'd never get it sorted. Somebody else called in to Chris Parker's weather forecast the next day, and said "I don't need the weather Chris, I just need to know what time it is."
We didn't eat much while it was rough, although the second night, we tucked into sb's homemade beef stew like it was really something special. So we lost a few pounds, which we've been doggedly pursuing since we hit the T&C. In a fit of craving, I dug out the bread recipe given to me by Jackie and Bill, and in the last week, I've made bread three times. Oh My Gawd, isn't it good. Thank you Jackie and Bill. I've made it plain, I've made it with roasted garlic and rosemary, another version with apricots and pistachios, I made the cheese loaf, and I made it for our friend Charlie's birthday present. So we seem to have rounded up the lost pounds.
One more salty romp across the banks to Provo and Sapodilla Bay. Again, supposed to be a good day, but we ended up booting it at high speed across very shallow water in very poor visibility. One of us steering, the other on the foredeck locating the nasty black coral heads. Very salty, very tense, windy work, but I have to say, ND just loves the 20-25 breezes, especially in this flat water. Under a partial jib and full main, she gets in the groove and just scoots.
Lovely heavy rain washed us off when we got here, and we've rented a car, been to town, bought fresh veg and fruit and the piece de resistance, Laundry! Giant industrial propane dryers are the bomb. They truly must disinfect everything cause when it's done, you can burn your hands on the clean sheets. Anything I own that has any spandex in it is laughably shot all to hell, but the sheets and towels are germ free. Maybe.
Weather permitting, we're leaving Wednesday for Mayaguana and the Bahamas.
See below for photos.
You wouldn't know there was a problem out here in Sapodilla Bay. Breezy, bright, blue. Bit of a chore getting here though. Checked out of Mayaquez in Puerto Rico on a Tuesday, and left the next morning early with faith in a forecast that said 10-12 knots, 4-6 foot swells with a long period.
Not. An hour or so in, we were honking along in 20-25 with bigger gusts, and seeing lots of 10-12 foot swells with a crappy wind chop to confuse everything. We reduced sail (and speed) and spent the first night hour-on, hour-off steering through all this slop.
Next day, we continued the routine of sleep-steer-sleep-steer. It was like the Wiley Coyote cartoons with the two sheepdogs: "Morning Ralph. Morning Sam," as one punched out at the time clock and the other punched in. No fishing. It was agreed that we didn't have any extra energy to deal with a fish should one show up. One had, overnight - a flying fish, very stiff on the side deck by the morning.
The second night I took over from Randy at about 3 a.m., wondering how to stay upright (peppermints, cookies, water, dates, all losing their punch, and it was too rough to consider tea). Randy takes precious moments from his sleep shift to tell me that a bird had landed on the boom earlier. Okay, good, it's gone. He goes below, and moments later, something comes flying, whizzing over the dodger, smacks into the cockpit at my bare feet and holy crap starts flapping and jumping all over the place. Flying fish. Figuring that I couldn't steer and try to grab it and pitch it, I hollered for Randy to come back up and get this thing out from underfoot. My hero.
I was grateful for the shot of adrenalin - it kept me awake for the next hour. Several days later we were still finding fish scales. Even on the end of the main boom.
But it was all over in 54 hours, whoo hoo, and while Randy checked in at South Caicos, I tried to tidy up the chaos and shower and sat sort of dazed in the cockpit. ND was caked in salt, and we'd shaken loose one shackle at the tack of the main that fortuitously landed on the sidedeck, but otherwise, unscathed. We did go through a lot of confusion in the next day or so trying to figure out what time it was. The time zone changed from PR to T&C, and then the next day, daylight saving time kicked in. We thought we'd never get it sorted. Somebody else called in to Chris Parker's weather forecast the next day, and said "I don't need the weather Chris, I just need to know what time it is."
We didn't eat much while it was rough, although the second night, we tucked into sb's homemade beef stew like it was really something special. So we lost a few pounds, which we've been doggedly pursuing since we hit the T&C. In a fit of craving, I dug out the bread recipe given to me by Jackie and Bill, and in the last week, I've made bread three times. Oh My Gawd, isn't it good. Thank you Jackie and Bill. I've made it plain, I've made it with roasted garlic and rosemary, another version with apricots and pistachios, I made the cheese loaf, and I made it for our friend Charlie's birthday present. So we seem to have rounded up the lost pounds.
One more salty romp across the banks to Provo and Sapodilla Bay. Again, supposed to be a good day, but we ended up booting it at high speed across very shallow water in very poor visibility. One of us steering, the other on the foredeck locating the nasty black coral heads. Very salty, very tense, windy work, but I have to say, ND just loves the 20-25 breezes, especially in this flat water. Under a partial jib and full main, she gets in the groove and just scoots.
Lovely heavy rain washed us off when we got here, and we've rented a car, been to town, bought fresh veg and fruit and the piece de resistance, Laundry! Giant industrial propane dryers are the bomb. They truly must disinfect everything cause when it's done, you can burn your hands on the clean sheets. Anything I own that has any spandex in it is laughably shot all to hell, but the sheets and towels are germ free. Maybe.
Weather permitting, we're leaving Wednesday for Mayaguana and the Bahamas.
See below for photos.
posted by Susan at 2:37 PM
2 Comments:
Oh my lord, sounds like you two have been taking a pounding, but came out the other side unscathed. Thank goodness. Now I want that bread recipe. Sounds wonderful. All is well here in PM. Will be glad to see your skinny legs in May. Frenchy's misses you so very much too.
Hugs, G&B
Interesting ... not a peep in the British press re: the Turks and Caico .... hmm maybe the press is busy with oher things.
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