Never What You Expect

Leaving Provo the weather looked perfect. The six foot seas from the day before had settled right down and the wind was a reasonable speed from a good direction. Chris Parker, the weather guru, did predict some squalls for later, but the cold front was to stall just near the Turks and Caicos. We sailed for hours under clear skys and then these clouds moved in. Since we could see the edge, I thought that this was the end of the front. Beautiful sunset.
Conditions still great 12 hours into the 24 hour trip. Roy had time to have a nice nap in the cockpit. But. Soon things began to change. Winds and waves picked up and up. Of course this action began at dusk and carried on into the night. By the time we were 6 miles off the DR coast the squalls really kick in. Lots of gusty wind and by now the waves were building into an impressive swell. Impressive and really uncomfortable. We bashed and banged through until dawn when we could finally enter the harbour at Luperon. We were in position right at first light. Surfing down the swell into the protection behind the headland we motored into the mirror calm anchorage. The last of the rain disappeared as we picked a spot to drop the hook. The washing machine ride was over and we were glad to jump into the shower and put on some salt-free clothing. By the time the customs guys woke us up by knocking on the side of the hull, the day was calm and clear and beautiful.

Caicos Beach Bonfire

I thought that I'd send along some pics that show some of the people we've been meeting. I realized that most of the photos so far include a lot of blue water and remote landscapes. We do spend time with the people as well. In the Turks and Caicos about 25 boats of all types were anchored in the bay waiting for the weather to settle down enough to resume the trip to the Dominican Republic.
Kevin, a very social and enterprising fellow called for the beach bonfire on Good Friday. He's an enthusiastic fire builder and had the whole fire pit set up, lit, and underway promptly at five pm.











Roy, pulled up our dingy - upwind of the fire so that we'd have a good seat for all the eating and drinking and gabbing. That's Kevin in the white hat whittling a hot dog stick. Too bad you can't quite make out his elaborate handle bar moustache. It took on different shapes each day and was something quite fantastic.

Provo

Providenciales

 

We are definitely getting to know the Sapodilla Bay area here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We've been here for a week now and tomorrow the jump to the Dominican Republic begins. It's been a social time in the anchorage with much coming and going. Since this Bay is located out by the container port, we have to travel several miles to get into town. Luckily, most people who live in the nearby neighborhood will pick you up and give you a lift as far as they are going. Otherwise, almost any Haitian with a car will usually pull over and happily take you along for a few dollars.

 

We've visited the Grace Bay area where all the resorts are located and watched the large swell that has built up over the past week break on the offshore reef. Shopping for food was an experience. The IGA has a great selection of almost everything...for a price. I accidentally bought a $16 dollar sausage!

 

We celebrated Good Friday on the beach with a bonfire at sunset. It was fun to see the people on shore for a change. Some we had only heard on the radio, so it's interesting to put the face with the voice. Kevin from Windigo really made the night by arriving with marshmallows and graham crackers. Perfect for desert.

To The Turks!

We've broken the spell of the Bahamas and have arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It was a journey getting here for sure. Looking at the chart at first you think, no problem it's under 200 miles. Then you realize that the whole trip lies in the same direction from which the winds normally blow. Since you need the wind to help you travel, this is a problem. Luckily, we got the dream weather window. The winds became very light for a period of almost 4 days from the rare and unusual southern direction. We could go! We left Calabash Bay near the top of Long Island for the five hour trip over to Rum Cay. The next day we headed as far east as we could and the turned south for the 28 hour motor sail to Mayaguana island. It was a wonderful journey - the Gods of calm seas smiled on us the whole way. OK, not really calm. You get a kind of selective memory when in comes to real sailing conditions. If you weren't slightly terrified or wildly uncomfortable you remember the water as being "calm". After a five hour pit stop in the anchorage south of Mayaguana we kept heading south. You don't stop too long when the weather is this cooperative! On this leg of the journey we were able to pull out the Jib sail (the one up front) and coast along in what really were calm seas. So calm that we managed to watch a movie on the laptop out in the cockpit. We felt like we were getting away with something. This has not been our usual night watch routine on the trip through the Bahamas. Lots more hanging on and paying attention is generally called for. Arriving in Sapodilla Bay on the island of Providenciales feels like an accomplishment. Maybe we've finally learned how to read the weather charts, or maybe we were just damn lucky. Either way, onward we go..South.

Sailing and Fishing

It's a bit hard to see in the picture, but here we are under full sail. This means the main sail, the jib and the small cutter sail all out and flowing. We got the rare chance to sail downwind yesterday and was it ever fun. Bonanza is a fine boat - looking good under sail. We made it first to Long Island and then onto Run Cay. This is truly the island time forgot. Apparently they just got electricity here a few years ago. If you are ready for a remote island experience this is the place.
More luck the next day. Roy had just set out the good old "red and white" plug and almost immediately Fish On! Of course this happened when we were the least prepared. Getting them hooked is one thing, but bringing them into the cockpit quite another. Our system is to gaff them while they are still over the side and them bring them into the plastic bin on the cockpit floor. Then we grab the spray bottle with the really cheap vodka and squirt this into their gills and mouth. It works wonders. I like to believe they are sent pleasantly off to sleep...

Georgetown Shuffle

We've been in Georgetown Harbour for a week now. Every morning begins with a Cruiser's Net. This is broadcast over the VHF radio and is basically a live morning show. First you get a weather report and then all the happenings in the harbour are announced by the individuals in charge of each particular event. Activities range from sailing events having to do with the upcoming regatta to volleyball, softball, boccie ball, basketweaving, chess, trivial pursuit, etc. And as with all good talk shows, this one is not without drama. Apparently, this season some of the community has been making a big push to get the French Canadian contingent involved in the activities. Over 20 per cent of the boat population are from Quebec and the various teams and events need participants. So, it was decided that announcements would be make in French too. This is not sitting well with some listeners. In protest, while the french translation is going on, someone has been causing interference over the radio so the message is interrupted. Sometimes name calling and finger pointing ensues. It's just like being home in Canada!

With over 250 sailboats anchored in the harbour, parking the dingy can be a problem. We've never seen a dingy dock like this. A Nice floating dock with cleats to tie off on is mobbed everyday as the cruisers come into town to do their thing. We were very surprised to see that nobody locks their boat either! So, there the dingys sit. But you can believe that there are rules! No pulling up and leaving the dingy near the water hose! The dock provides free water to the people. So, no loitering around the faucet and if you do name calling and finger pointing may break out.
Wondering why the blog updates have been few and far between? I have a great excuse. Yes, we are close to civilization and within easy access to the town. We can walk over to the other side of town to the computer shop. Have a look at the Internet cafe. No cafe, no latte, no air conditioning, no real place to sit, yet the place is packed most
days. You are supposed to bring in your own laptop and log into this hot spot. While we poked our heads in the door a few times, we decided the heat was a bit much! It's amazing to see the steady stream of people bellying up to the internet bar.

Anchor Windlass

You may ask yourself, why is it taking so long for Roy and Michelle to move along? Well, it's true that we aren't setting any speed records, but we have been delayed by mechanical difficulties. We had just finished getting ready to leave Georgetown for Rum Cay when the machine that pulls up the chain and the anchor began making odd noises that sounded much worse than usual. We had replaced the motor and had a tune up on this thing in Ft. Lauderdale, but it never really sounded all that healthy. Sure enough it came to a grinding halt. This piece of equipment had to be replaced before me moved on, so it was back to the marina. Here's Roy pulling it off the front deck. You can see why we had to come to the marina. This project involved removing the anchor and chain from the front of the boat.
Now I know that it doesn't look like much, but for us it's a sight for sore eyes. And it sounds even better. One detail does niggle at the back of my mind. This model doesn't have a round drum on the top. We never figured out a use for that drum on our old windlass and I hope that we don't suddenly realize what that was for a few weeks from now. Talking to other boaters at the marina, we are finding almost everyone is fixing something.

So, you can see why I'm so happy now that the new, sleek anchor windlass is installed. And works. And no one got electrocuted installing it or stuck in the forward anchor locker while bolting it down. Seems like it was a successful day indeed. Now we are waiting for the latest cold front to blow by and then...we move on