When will we ever learn?

22/11/2010
In my last blog I was crowing about being in danger of being able to see the tunnel, (not the light at the end of it, mind you !), but we then had the temerity to set sail on a Friday nogal! I justified that by declaring it a “Fishing” trip around to St Georges, as opposed to a “Passage!” Klaus (see pic of the 4 of us at La Sargesse) says we still broke the rule, so what did we expect? But he’s German and inflexible!!
Our leisurely trip started well with a barracuda in the bag even before we reached the drop off line, some 7nm south of the point. On the run back up the line we were hoping for the odd Tuna and Dorado. Fat chance!
As we turned the 270deg to head back, the fresh water pump started screaming like a banshee, sprouting water and generally declaring itself U/S. We were forced to sail the 9 miles back, against the 2.0 knot current, with only 6 to 7 knots of wind on the nose!
We nurdled and tacked our way backwards and forwards, using every little black cloud we could find, and managed to make about 5 miles in 5 hours towards St Georges. Just as we were showing signs of progress, with our perfectly trimmed sails, (making a whole 1.5knots), then the wind stopped… as in zero ! “Shwopper” had to be launched, and lashed alongside, with the little mercury 3.3hp going at full taps. We resumed our progress at a credible 1.4knots, and were able to drop the new Rocna in the often poor holding area outside St Georges. On arrival , I dinghied in to Port Louis and arranged for a mooring, a tow in at 10.00 am next day, and for a mechanic to then visit us at 11.00am. A quick dive on the anchor indicated that it was lying upside down like a wanton woman… Without an engine or breeze to help set it, we could only hope that when push comes to shove, as it were, it would turn around and dig itself in alright!
By 10.30 the next morning, there was no sign of our arranged tow. My phone call at 11.00 only elicited a promise to phone me back! This came at 12.00 with the news that Management Policy had now changed, and they were unable to offer this service. When reminded that we had done the same thing three weeks earlier, I was told that the Insurance policy rules made it impossible now. You will have to make your own arrangements we were told !
Fellow cruiser‘s love a challenge, and are often more useful than Marina hands anyway, so it did not take long before we were safely moored thanks to a fellow cruiser with a 15hp dinghy, while we were watched by the Marina staff from their High Risk twin 60hp Port Louis Marina boat. By now we had missed the mechanic, and were forced to rearrange his visit for Monday.
Day one in the new superyacht berth saw a vicious swell ricocheting off the dock, which caused a terrible jerking and snatching on the docklines. The midship cleat began to move, allowing the pouring rain to soak all our manuals, and when the bowline snapped, we ended up with a deep scratch down the side! I would hate to be in here in a hurricane!

Needless to say I was underwhelmed with Port Louis this time around, and decided to check up on the “policy” stories with the GM, and at the same time offer him a couple of choices.! He could either admit to poor management who failed to a advise their Dock Manager and staff about the “new” policies, ( they had no idea about this when I made the plans with them), or, he could tell me there had been no change of policy, and his team were just slack assed liars! I ran into him in the Marina offices, and asked him to take his pick! He chose a third option! No change of policy: The dock manager forgot to tell the experienced boat driver, who then also failed to pitch up for work. The new boy did not want to rat on his mate once I started phoning, and he did not feel competent enough to do it alone, and leave the marina unattended, and therefore became creative with his excuses. Sorry says GM! i.e. slack assed liars! (S.A.L’s)

The week end brought a cruise ship, a rainbow and a little R & R in pretty St Georges, before we placed the order for a replacement pump from Tortola on Monday. It arrived in Grenada on Wednesday morning, but took 6 days to be cleared.. This despite daily follow ups, and a Friday promise that I would have it by 10.00am on Monday ,….and that it would be fitted that afternoon! More S.A.L’s ! Having received it at 5pm on the Monday, the fitment was rescheduled for the next day. On Tuesday, however, we learnt that this too would not be possible as they had other commitments! It took an x -rated tantrum , before the plan was revised, and another mechanic was sent to do the job.
Meanwhile “Lord Perkins Sir Diesel”, has now been officially demoted to “perkins”, until he shows a change of attitude and behaviour. When the new pump is fitted, we will give him an oil change and a few new belts, and put him on “Final Warning”. Perhaps he will see the error of his ways, and behave a little better as we restart our trek north!
“Swhopper” *, on the other hand , was given a smart new UV protective cover, by Mary, as a thank you for his valiant efforts ! The scratch has been fixed, and toe rails re-varnished, so by tomorrow evening we hope to be back to square one, but just a bit more platsak! Visitors from the Cruise liner polished our egos too, by declaring Sheer a really beautiful boat!
But before the mechanic arrived we were asked to move to another mooring, to make way for “Party Girl”… the biggest luxury charter yacht in the Caribbean . (Look it up on Google!! 146ft of opulence.) This confirmed that the no tow policy was nonsense, as we were given all the help we needed, to make room for Party Girl!

*
“Swhopper” is the Gemini dinghy given to us

by Alan Cook, who gave it this name after seeing Terminator 2 , and hearing Arnold Schwarzenegger tell all his men to “get into the Schwopper” ( Helicopter)

Waiting for "Tomas"

June too soon, July stand by, August you must, September Remember, October its Over!! So they say!
24th October saw us beating our way back to Grenada, only to find ourselves in the first stages of a Hurricane panic! “ A large area of Low pressure tropical disturbance, associated with a tropical wave 1050nm south east of the Windwards, has a 20% chance of becoming a tropical storm within the next 48 hours!” This was the National Hurricane centre report that we faced on the 25th October. The next day it jumped to an 80% probability, and the models projected paths ranging between Venezuela, and Trinidad to St Lucia in the North.
Where to duck to……. What to do… ?? People upping anchors and heading North , South, and West! Hyper activity everywhere!
Our planned strategy has always been to run south at the first definite tracking signs of a tropical storm. It was not yet a storm, and the track projections too varied, and we still had 72 hours at least before it reached our longitude. So we prepared the boat, and sat tight in a rapidly emptying Prickly Bay, and decided to make our call the following day, based on the latest information. “Tomas” was named the following day as a Tropical Storm, and a probability of escalating to a Hurricane during the next 48 hrs…. but more significantly, the projected path was showing a more North Westerly track, and indicating a passage through St Lucia. Being in the SE quadrant as it approached , meant that we should miss the worst of it by just staying put, and at worst , it might just give Grenada a glancing blow!

Hurricane holes and mangrove swamps were filling up fast, despite maximum expected winds gusting to 40knots. We moved to a slightly more protected area in Prickly Bay, and deployed our 30kg Bruce on 50mts chain to port, and our new Rocna, also on 50mts at 60 degs to Starboard. Our 25kg CQR, on 20 mts chain, and 60mts nylon warp, was coiled on deck in event of an emergency.
Shops were emptied of water and foodstuffs, and the island waited….. The Grenada Emergency Authorities instructed all non essential service workers to stay at home….and still the island waited. Talk show hosts on radio ratcheted up the hysteria to fever pitch… and everyone waited…. “H” hour came , and went….. No wind…. No rain…. Tomas twitched further north West, punishing Barbados , and heading through St Lucia and St Vincent.
Cruisers start checking the well being of their mates further north. A few boats were damaged, but thankfully all our friends were safe. Mike and Lesley ( Extasea) were in Bequia, and winds maxed out at 50knots, and a few boats around them dragged sustaining some damage. They had a charter group on board, who were just disappointed not to be spending their time at the Cays.
The seas got up a bit for us, but the winds never came! We swung around, and around, and around on our twin anchors ,and created a great big steel koeksister, which took far longer to untangle than it took to deploy! The biggest wind that came our way, was 24knots…… two days after Tomas had passed. A normal sailing day in Hout Bay!
Without doubt, the biggest blessing for cruisers these days, is the incredible advance warning and forecasting services available via wifi and internet, which enable cruisers to make informed decisions and plans. I am including a number of the actual images we saw, as events unfolded. Most of these are thanks to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, plus the satellite based Grib files.
Tomas came, and went, and we were left unscathed , and better prepared for any future threats , and will stick to our rule not venture further North than Bequia in the Hurricane Season!

Little things come together to make a BIG difference

My blogs have been a bit scarce of late, but our chores and boat work are collectively coming together, and improving our peace of mind, and cruising lifestyle!
We did a night run down to Trinidad a few weeks back, with a big list of things to do, buy, and people to see! Replacing Lord Perkins timing belt, ditching the Mase genset, buying a wet /dry powerful small vacuum cleaner, a Honda 2kva Inverter generator, a 25kg Rocna anchor, new windlass gypsy, momentary foot control switch for the windlass, a new push button Eco stove, security grids for the butterfly hatch, updating the software on the Mastercharger… etc etc!
Amazingly, we nailed it all in two weeks, and still had time to organise a South African cruisers braai at Crews Inn Marina! We were joined by Nick and Lynette Marvin ( Ukulele Lady), Mike and Lesley Blamey (Extasea), Larry and Marlo D’Aguiar ( Beatrice), Walter and Jackie ( Jean Marie) Joop & Jaqualette ( Goody), plus Steve (Cinnamon Girl) and Ralph (Uvubu)
We had a great evening discussing launch dates, plans and routes. While we were busy jolling however, unseen by us, a cruiser moored below, was broken into by ever more brazen crooks, and relieved of computers, cameras, cell phones and cash. Sadly, this is no longer unusual in Chaguaramus, as, two days later, another neighbour had his 14ft dinghy and 40hp outboard stolen one night, even though it was “lifted and locked”. Police and authorities don’t seem to be doing much about it, and the local business folk are resorting to patrols and neighbourhood watch type efforts, to protect their businesses, which are battling in the general economic down turn, combined with worries about crime and Piracy issues. Made me feel like we were back in Hout Bay !
We helped Ukulele Lady to splash (our sister ship Shearwater 39), after a very extensive and professional refit, and two days later, were able to sail back to Grenada in the company of a smart and shiny repainted “Beatrice”. We left at 4.00am for a mostly daylight passage ( so that we could fish), and made Prickly Bay 13hrs later with two Dorado each!
No sooner were we back in Grenada, than a widespread general depression decided to grow into Tropical storm Tomas, which put all jobs on hold, put everyone in a tizz, and caused a lemming like exodus from Prickly Bay ! More about Tomas in the next blog! We battened down the hatches, deployed two big anchors, with a third on standby, and started planning our route up the Island chain in time to join Tom and Johness ( Springtime) in St Martin for Christmas.
Once Tomas had passed through, it was back to the job list, where a new big 185w 24v solar panel was added to the array. The 2 X 85w 12v panels were put in series, and then put in parallel with the new 24v unit, and regulated via a new Blue Skies MPPT Solar controller. What a huge difference!! It pumps in between 18 and 24amps for about 5 hour a day! We have also fitted new “Silent” blue carbon fibre blades to the wind generator, and it too is more efficient, as well as quiet! Together with our little Honda genset, and high output alternator, it seems that we are at last beginning to win the power struggle!!!
The new Rocna anchor , which sets incredibly, the new footswitch, and rust free anchor chain ( courtesy of a Nick Marvin discard!), are all helping to simplify and clean up our anchoring routine. Whereas we only ever knew about the light at the end of the tunnel, because we were told it was there…. We are now in real danger of seeing it!
We have booked our haul out for August to November 2011 in Grenada, and will be flying back to RSA for Oct/Nov, after overseeing the re-spray in August. Between now and then, we hope to explore the Leewards, the Virgins, and possibly the Bahamas, before making our way back to Grenada.