22/08/2010
All yachties have them of course. They are necessary bits of our safety equipment without which we are deemed unfit to go to sea. But….. do you ever use them? Daytime anchor balls, that is.
In among the hundreds of designated anchorages, and the many thousands of yachts with whom we have found ourselves at anchor, we have only seen seven boats displaying Anchor Balls by day. One was by a very diligent Dutchman, in a well prepared ketch, (who ruined the whole image with gaudy bright blue cockpit lights at night !) Another was shown by a very serious old salt flying the red “duster”. All the other five were displayed by fearful Americans. I use the word fearful advisedly, as I was informed by one, that it was not that they thought they would be invisible in the anchorage by day without said balls, but in the litigious society from which they come, they know that no matter how guilty another party might be in case of a dragging or ramming incident, they would lose all rights to compensation, if the guilty party had an American lawyer, and they were not displaying their balls!
So, the further north we sail, and the more we encounter some of the alarmingly incompetent bareboat skippers, many who hail from the USA, the greater is my inclination to pull out my balls from the locker, and dust them off ready for display!
These past ten days have been really fantastic, as we have explored the bays, anchorages and islands which were only hearsay and romantic dreams before we left. From Tyrrel bay (Carriacou), we checked into St Vincent and the Grenadines, at Union Island. On our first approach to Clifton, we were forced to turn, run, and take refuge behind Frigate Island, by a huge black thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain, zero visibility, and big winds. The entrance into Clifton harbour is protected by reefs, and is tricky at the best of times… and downright foolish for first timers! An hour later, the sun came out, and we were able to find our way in to a good spot, without the help of the ever present boat boys, always wanting to “take a line” or sell you a mooring buoy. Checking in was a breeze, and we were able to watch the sun set from the unique “Happy’s Bar”, built on to the reef.
We then sailed up to Mayreau, where we anchored in Salt Whistle bay for a couple of days, before spending time in the amazing Tobago Cays. Although the water was not its normal turquoise blue (it had a green hue), it was still very clear, and snorkeling around Horseshoe reef, and amongst all the turtles was very special . It was for Mary a real highlight and sense of achievement. She had always been petrified of swallowing the ocean, and never believed she would be able to get back into the dinghy again! She is now a pro! 
All yachties have them of course. They are necessary bits of our safety equipment without which we are deemed unfit to go to sea. But….. do you ever use them? Daytime anchor balls, that is.
In among the hundreds of designated anchorages, and the many thousands of yachts with whom we have found ourselves at anchor, we have only seen seven boats displaying Anchor Balls by day. One was by a very diligent Dutchman, in a well prepared ketch, (who ruined the whole image with gaudy bright blue cockpit lights at night !) Another was shown by a very serious old salt flying the red “duster”. All the other five were displayed by fearful Americans. I use the word fearful advisedly, as I was informed by one, that it was not that they thought they would be invisible in the anchorage by day without said balls, but in the litigious society from which they come, they know that no matter how guilty another party might be in case of a dragging or ramming incident, they would lose all rights to compensation, if the guilty party had an American lawyer, and they were not displaying their balls!
So, the further north we sail, and the more we encounter some of the alarmingly incompetent bareboat skippers, many who hail from the USA, the greater is my inclination to pull out my balls from the locker, and dust them off ready for display!
These past ten days have been really fantastic, as we have explored the bays, anchorages and islands which were only hearsay and romantic dreams before we left. From Tyrrel bay (Carriacou), we checked into St Vincent and the Grenadines, at Union Island. On our first approach to Clifton, we were forced to turn, run, and take refuge behind Frigate Island, by a huge black thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain, zero visibility, and big winds. The entrance into Clifton harbour is protected by reefs, and is tricky at the best of times… and downright foolish for first timers! An hour later, the sun came out, and we were able to find our way in to a good spot, without the help of the ever present boat boys, always wanting to “take a line” or sell you a mooring buoy. Checking in was a breeze, and we were able to watch the sun set from the unique “Happy’s Bar”, built on to the reef.
We then sailed up to Mayreau, where we anchored in Salt Whistle bay for a couple of days, before spending time in the amazing Tobago Cays. Although the water was not its normal turquoise blue (it had a green hue), it was still very clear, and snorkeling around Horseshoe reef, and amongst all the turtles was very special . It was for Mary a real highlight and sense of achievement. She had always been petrified of swallowing the ocean, and never believed she would be able to get back into the dinghy again! She is now a pro! 
We are now in lovely Bequia, where we will spend about a week before heading south again. This is as far north as we wish to be in hurricane season. Even with all the excellent weather information available , we want to be able to run south for 24 hours, and be well out of its range at the first sign of a “nasty” being on track to ruin the dream!
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