tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83716734357800056012024-02-07T04:41:03.400+00:00SAILING IN LIMBOBluewater voyaging on a small boatAbout ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-36253472371640844652019-01-09T21:21:00.000+00:002019-01-22T21:30:02.412+00:00Limbo is for saleUPDATE: Limbo is now sold and will be moving to Cornwall soon...<br />
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After 10 years of enjoyment we are putting Limbo up for sale, with rather mixed feelings. <br />
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We will be looking for something slightly larger (albeit probably very much in the same style!).<br />
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Please see <a href="http://samphire26.blogspot.com/">samphire26.blogspot.com</a> for details.<br />
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Limbo is in ready to sail condition, lying Southampton. <br />
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-42379177944239830402013-05-19T21:30:00.000+01:002018-06-04T21:56:49.693+01:00Last days in the BVIs. The End.With Limbo stowed on MV Fagelgracht, awaiting her passage back to Southampton, we had a few days to spare before our flights home. Olly and Carlotta on Troskala had offered to have us on board for what turned out to be a wonderfully care-free few days cruising the BVIs - free of the pressures of skippering and among friends. The BVIs turned out to be a spectacularly good cruising ground, with a beguiling combination of line-of-sight navigation, decent wind, yet sheltered seas. The only downside, of course, being the volume of charterers who - I couldn't help thinking - had not really earned their right to be there..<br>
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We sailed, swam, drank, swam again, and took our leave of the Caribbean and the cruising life - for now. I will leave you with a few pictures.<br>
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<a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/05/last-days-in-bvis-end.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-45809517002906461252013-05-14T20:44:00.000+01:002018-06-04T21:57:14.957+01:00Shipping Out (9 to 14 May 2013)We sailed in company with Troskala to Road Town, Tortola - an easy downwind run, with a swimming stop.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troskala approaching Road Town</td></tr>
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We anchored in the inner harbour, where space was tight and holding dodgy. Emma and Stuart on Amorosa were there, after a long and mainly windless sail from the Grenadines, a long way to the south. They had rushed to get to the BVIs in time, and their Sadler 26 would be shipping back with Limbo in a few days. Fantastic to be reunited.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare photo of Amorosa and Troskala together!</td></tr>
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Before we could get our boats over to St Thomas, in the USVIs, we had to perform a convoluted exercise to legally enter the islands. A visa waiver scheme operates for mass transit passengers. With two of us on board, we hardly qualified for this. Longer-term cruising in the States requires a proper visa which can be obtained, following an interrogation, from a couple of inconveniently-located embassies (Trinidad, Puerto Rico). (The answer is to get one in London, before you go, just in case you want to go to the States, USVIs or Puerto Rico - which by all accounts is well worth seeing).<br>
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Fortunately for us, there was a perfectly legal way round this for short stays: (i) travel to the USVIs by ferry; (ii) get your passport stamped with your tourist/mass transit visa; (iii) return to the BVIs by ferry; (iv) enter by yacht, using your pre-stamped passport. <br>
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Getting the magic passport stamp was our mission for the following day, and we joined Emma and Stuart on the fast hydrofoil ferry for a day-trip to St Thomas. On the top deck, it's an exhilarating ride and a great view of the islands we'd soon be travelling through at a much reduced pace. It all went to plan, and we were back on board Limbo that evening.<br>
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We sailed to St Thomas over the next couple of days (distances are short in the islands), with a calm overnight stop at an anchorage north of Cruz Bay on St John's. We gave the Amorosas supper and rum on Limbo. It was hard to believe this was coming to an end.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USVI anchorage. Amorosa on the right.</td></tr>
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Cruz Bay is a port of entry, and we anchored off for a quick trip ashore for customs and immigration. In the process we were, apparently, too close to someone's mooring buoy - and encountered the most aggressive, unpleasant individual we'd seen in months of cruising, who circled us in his dinghy yelling 'haul off!' Welcome to the States...<br>
<a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/05/shipping-out-9-to-14-may-2013.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-64252546408746568462013-05-14T00:08:00.000+01:002017-07-04T15:13:37.008+01:00Stop Press: Coming Home!We are in the US Virgin Islands, having rushed up here at fairly short notice. With the hurricane season fast approaching, and feeling that we weren't ready for another long ocean passage just yet, we've decided the best option is to bring Limbo back on a ship. I'll write about how we made that decision in much more detail when I get time. The organisation has been interesting...<br />
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In the meantime, we're about to enjoy one last evening with our friends on Amorosa before Limbo is loaded on the MV Fagelgracht tomorrow. The trip isn't quite over for us: we're looking forward to a few days sailing with Oliver and Carlotta on Troskala before flying back to the UK.<br />
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Don't stop reading - there are more instalments to come!<br />
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We can't quite believe it's nearly over.<br />
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-33132211750465262002013-05-08T19:35:00.000+01:002018-06-04T21:57:34.686+01:00Happy Days at Saba Rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most of our first day in the BVIs was taken up with paperwork - signing in with immigration, then finding Wifi to confirm our shipping place and sort out payment. We needed to print and scan some forms for the shipping company, and it took a while to get everything sorted - helped by a friendly estate agent who let us use her office. Finally we were free and could relax. It was the 7th May, and we were shipping from the USVIs, slightly later than scheduled, on the 14th.<br>
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At the dinghy dock, we were delighted to finally meet Fiona and Iain on their Sadler 34 Ruffian - they knew several of our friends, including Oliver and Carlotta of Troskala, who were now anchored just the other side of the island. We hadn't seen Troskala since Madeira, and it was time for a reunion.<br>
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</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2015/06/happy-days-at-saba-rock-7-8-may-2013.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-35861691218780366572013-05-07T22:19:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:50:16.858+01:00Heading North Limbo's rendezvous with a ship arranged, we were to head back round the corner to Jolly Harbour to regroup and get some provisions in, before hurrying to the BVIs. <br />
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Except the engine wouldn't start, leaving us feeling vulnerable in the fairly exposed anchorage. Normally switched separately to guard against exactly this eventuality, except when I forgot, our batteries had both been drained by our heavy laptop use courtesy of Dickenson Bay resort's wifi. Not a good moment. But for the first - and almost certainly last - time, we were grateful for jetskis: they use starter batteries. Lugging a heavy battery ashore in the dinghy, we asked nicely and it was soon hooked up to a charger for a few hours' boost. We had a drink in the bar and wandered along the shore for a swim. We couldn't help noticing the deadly bored demeanour of the holidaymakers there. Perhaps they were disgruntled to find themselves on this rather scrubby outpost of a beach rather than among the gleaming white sands and reef-blue waters the Sandals brochure, no doubt, had promised...<br />
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We waited a decent amount of time, headed back, re-installed the battery, and were on our way. Anchored again in Jolly Harbour, we told Bella of our plans and dinghied into the supermarket. Hailed by a late middle-aged couple from their Legend on the way back, we went over for drinks and a chat. A happier evening than the one before.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain off Antigua</td></tr>
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We couldn't have asked for an easier trip north (or, from a sailing point of view, a less satisfactory one). We left Antigua the next day with a nice breeze, and soon some heavy rain. I waited outside the customs hut for more than an hour to clear out - the customs lady, totally unapologetic, explained she'd been doing her shopping. <br />
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The plan was to head to Nevis, but it was straight to windward and we altered course for a more comfortable sail to St Martin. But the often-boisterous Caribbean soon slept, and before long we were motoring over a sea calmer than we had seen for weeks. Natalie, as Chief Dolphin Spotter, duly saw just those on her early evening watch. The islands of Kitts and Nevis stood hazy-blue on the horizon to the west towards dusk, and we carried on through the night. Shooting stars and lightning flickering silently on the horizon. It was a while since we'd done night watches.<br />
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Not long after dawn, we approached St Martin and dropped anchor in the large harbour. I had a swim. We slept. Later in the day we found the uncomfortably high-walled fuel berth where a friendly Rastafarian refilled our tanks, ready for the second half of the trip. We got away without signing in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At anchor off Saint Martin</td></tr>
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We had a beautifully still afternoon sail along the well-developed, well-heeled coastline where jets come in to land just feet above the heads of sunbathers. Saba was visible on the horizon, a stunning island I had glimpsed during a night passage on <i>Trompeta</i> years ago, and had vowed to visit. Maybe next time.<br />
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It was comforting to have islands in sight all the way on these two passages: Nevis, Kitts, Saba, St Barts... For some time it was just us, the wind and the sound of the waves. Sadly, inevitably, the wind died and it was back to the drone of the engine. We raised the BVIs early the next morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BVIs from the south</td></tr>
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It was a stunning approach, sandy-green hillocks emerging as we came closer in the early morning light. We passed through the high cliffs of the deserted, rocky chain of smaller islands to the south and into the shelter of the Sir Frances Drake channel. An hour or so later we dropped anchor off Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. In lieu of sleep, we jumped in and swam in the invitingly clear water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGX3BNrPZElF7ez1dQsHt1zEVLgXHyaUN6Omt4uavhEJvNNMm4BY9BHT3a9fCJubEBzRHeogKf7V0kkK-XCtV7BpEm0Ozs-V26eovjAY76KrJ9-YnIl3Y03j9IZd709OEueD12biV4ON0/s1600/20130507_Limbo_Atlantic_5293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGX3BNrPZElF7ez1dQsHt1zEVLgXHyaUN6Omt4uavhEJvNNMm4BY9BHT3a9fCJubEBzRHeogKf7V0kkK-XCtV7BpEm0Ozs-V26eovjAY76KrJ9-YnIl3Y03j9IZd709OEueD12biV4ON0/s640/20130507_Limbo_Atlantic_5293.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final morning approach to Spanish Town, and the end of our 300-mile dash north.</td></tr>
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-44774298328609344042013-05-04T15:52:00.000+01:002018-06-04T21:44:21.264+01:00Wildlife of the CaribbeanWildlife spotting is one of the many pleasures of sailing and hiking in the Caribbean. We often didn't know exactly what we were looking at (and, in spite of searching in several places, never found a good wildlife guidebook), but - whatever it was - there was a lot of it.<br />
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We often saw pelicans diving for fish or sitting, statue-like, on moored boats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMhwNzIiKRHMp4gt3anlo0CBvh7y-AHQexBAcS9rzZNYEarwILxQ2T7tMNOewdDQP1BdfO-IqGqnQri7ObFWNvqKYOGD39ZzA0IgeqByq2AVDYL4LDZCbCp77onZT92kAK4kUKSksxB7J/s1600/IMGP1674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMhwNzIiKRHMp4gt3anlo0CBvh7y-AHQexBAcS9rzZNYEarwILxQ2T7tMNOewdDQP1BdfO-IqGqnQri7ObFWNvqKYOGD39ZzA0IgeqByq2AVDYL4LDZCbCp77onZT92kAK4kUKSksxB7J/s640/IMGP1674.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We were delighted to see turtles regularly. They would often appear near the boat in various anchorages, staying for half a minute or so before diving down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfgjXOcyU6mBezjgTL6MUVM9cFP-ZjhrNuqjd9fplXz3S2YY3tMKAiVIIuln4C2TzNdRIe3QuDpJ63OyW2Y5PMSVGoFn93PhhXgY-QR2DsyiKkgftPNbZORL7RoY0DOJFGAvEoYmsEeAb/s1600/IMGP1841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfgjXOcyU6mBezjgTL6MUVM9cFP-ZjhrNuqjd9fplXz3S2YY3tMKAiVIIuln4C2TzNdRIe3QuDpJ63OyW2Y5PMSVGoFn93PhhXgY-QR2DsyiKkgftPNbZORL7RoY0DOJFGAvEoYmsEeAb/s640/IMGP1841.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We think this is a green sea turtle, about two feet long.</td></tr>
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I've no idea what this is..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdn2jRAg7ENasvzyiv5WFVRvtT1DwwOpxCanjE1Hld313gHdWIW1E_Br6WNmJdItEQMeoKmQTSq2RVEe5eO5xSYFALn1OkK9o2CeSpcknn9SdlFSxZQIx5FZc3AFWlrhbjpOz0nhLi-as/s1600/IMGP1665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdn2jRAg7ENasvzyiv5WFVRvtT1DwwOpxCanjE1Hld313gHdWIW1E_Br6WNmJdItEQMeoKmQTSq2RVEe5eO5xSYFALn1OkK9o2CeSpcknn9SdlFSxZQIx5FZc3AFWlrhbjpOz0nhLi-as/s640/IMGP1665.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We saw several of these large, fat caterpillars in Martinique and on other islands. They're a good 10-15 cm long and feed on frangipani.<br />
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Not exactly wildlife..but I liked the photos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_R90sBXWpU8FvPwOA7s3_Zy3ED8AEkC_ue_M0JjyxS9JdFZWK7KoAaJYjadjXEhmkMnameqJ461UavPOO4wFaDsJW8EuOMHe4NSUUqr2GAxq7ckCmg3WfGSrGwR9EDdIRs_7j2ZRjwIkU/s1600/IMGP1681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_R90sBXWpU8FvPwOA7s3_Zy3ED8AEkC_ue_M0JjyxS9JdFZWK7KoAaJYjadjXEhmkMnameqJ461UavPOO4wFaDsJW8EuOMHe4NSUUqr2GAxq7ckCmg3WfGSrGwR9EDdIRs_7j2ZRjwIkU/s640/IMGP1681.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beeeaah</td></tr>
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-73011614829418358282013-05-03T20:48:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:49:53.015+01:00A decision...We woke early and spent some time watching a dolphin (or was it a small whale?) swimming close to Limbo, until it headed out of Hermitage Bay into deeper water. Deep Bay was just 3 miles away, and we headed off against the wind, our sail plan soon augmented with the engine to help against the steep chop. It was only an hour, but not the most enjoyable passage.<br />
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Deep Bay is, not too surprisingly, a deep and indented bay, and notable for the wreck of the Andes in the entrance - its mast just breaking the surface. The Andes sunk in 1905, carrying a cargo of pitch which caught fire, and sits at a depth of only 30 feet or so. We spotted a large turtle as we passed. A quiet anchorage with just a few boats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2zGn6J56QtdriAya8t9r9v-ZroLfD4sRqOcBa2Ou3Bv6LQhzV03THCxjN3fWWs7j-VF3rL-RDJupEHF0BZQ2yDcY7ljgYyBAY1mVUPdOuRYEPBngLtIA4cCuYNRfvzAMa8nu9zai6vql/s1600/20130501_Limbo_Atlantic_5259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2zGn6J56QtdriAya8t9r9v-ZroLfD4sRqOcBa2Ou3Bv6LQhzV03THCxjN3fWWs7j-VF3rL-RDJupEHF0BZQ2yDcY7ljgYyBAY1mVUPdOuRYEPBngLtIA4cCuYNRfvzAMa8nu9zai6vql/s1600/20130501_Limbo_Atlantic_5259.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow over Deep Bay</td></tr>
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The next day was dry and we headed over to the wreck with our snorkel gear in the dinghy. Wreck snorkelling was an eery experience, and the visibility wasn't great (think dark shapes looming out of the murky waters..) so we didn't stay in too long. The afternoon was spent exploring the 18th century battery on the north side of the bay and a stroll along the empty beach towards the 'Grand Royal Antiguan Resort', which seemed strangely deserted. We did see a mongoose - but where was everyone? It was late season, but not that late.<br />
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We headed a few miles further north in the morning and anchored off the Sandals resort at Dickenson Bay - a shallow and fairly unprotected anchorage, the beach far from deserted and with jetskis - but we were there for the wifi! It was a stressful day as we waited for replies to emails and worked through our options. I'd previously thought there was a ship leaving in late May, but now discovered that the service was unconfirmed. Limbo would have to be on the MV Fagelgracht, due into St Thomas in the BVIs on 12/13 May (10 days!) or we would either be sailing back or effectively abandoning Limbo to a boatyard somewhere. Not keen to end our trip so soon, I even looked into shipping to the Med then sailing back, via the canals, but this looked expensive and complicated. We had an email from our friends on Amorosa, who were in a similar situation, and confirmed they were putting their Sadler 25 on the same ship. In a way, that made our minds up.<br />
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By the end of the day, we had a confirmed space on a ship for Limbo, and seats on a flight for us a week later.<br />
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I felt a mixture of relief at the end of our period of indecision and great sadness that the adventure was coming to an end in what felt like an abrupt way. Looking back, much as I liked the idea of arriving back in Falmouth Harbour with all flags flying, I think it was the right thing to do. I've done that crossing before, on board La Cautiva (85 feet) and that year we were heavily reliant on a large engine and generous fuel tanks to get to the Azores. Alternatively it can be rough, with prolonged headwinds, and long passages aren't as much fun on a very small boat when it's cold and wet and at a constant heel. Maybe we would have had a pleasant passage; but perhaps the best way to describe our decision is that we just didn't feel psyched up to do it. This way Limbo would be home safe and sound in a few weeks, and we would have good memories of our ocean crossing.<br />
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We went for a swim and, afterwards, my eyes filled with tears as we watched the sun set.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zKq6E8Kw2ce9_AeUuJTtD-YF7_xDH3f9dwFZ3vehCpHM2V34OUNelrqCMFzzP8zM_yOwlZq0MnU6-4nyRBXcrIrv8Hc609CoV-ZGlCVfMzoE7sAhmtL8Q-pC6QRogLlSDGO_lplYRsS0/s1600/20130502_Limbo_Atlantic_5281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zKq6E8Kw2ce9_AeUuJTtD-YF7_xDH3f9dwFZ3vehCpHM2V34OUNelrqCMFzzP8zM_yOwlZq0MnU6-4nyRBXcrIrv8Hc609CoV-ZGlCVfMzoE7sAhmtL8Q-pC6QRogLlSDGO_lplYRsS0/s1600/20130502_Limbo_Atlantic_5281.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deserted beach at Deep Bay</td></tr>
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-43546478450009152492013-04-30T20:50:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:49:26.448+01:00Jolly Harbour and Rendezvous Bay<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5jr4Wh3Vugn_KsYiaX2GAIBl7zLxYuugR6PORvw5EpjqFIdsc6H5-w4qHLt9CebRshCdDJ4HNRy1uTnNwx8Jcg6YFyh2Wh6j10VgM4em2CeGKZNwg__PzsExPIAtcjkbecnTdxqOZOBe/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5jr4Wh3Vugn_KsYiaX2GAIBl7zLxYuugR6PORvw5EpjqFIdsc6H5-w4qHLt9CebRshCdDJ4HNRy1uTnNwx8Jcg6YFyh2Wh6j10VgM4em2CeGKZNwg__PzsExPIAtcjkbecnTdxqOZOBe/s640/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4891.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mondango</i> leaving Antigua. A mere 170 feet.</td></tr>
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We left English Harbour in light winds, sailing west passed the Pillars of Hercules - column-like rock formations on the cliff face - with the wind behind us. <br />
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The white sands of Rendezvous Bay glistened in the sunshine and Montserrat and Redonda were clearly visible on the horizon; it was a good day for heading through the Goat's Head Passage, a narrow channel between the shore and a reef off the island's south west coast, instead of taking the detour in deeper water around Cades Reef. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhyphenhyphendRCYu71zRht5gsoKPaYmRycTng0xeVHspezmRloIVoK2_rUu6qiZ-OHqStCov1Oe0QQ84Ay153TETtRsrd_Iu-TgjFc4eK3scWvEl-_3muTExcBAisZIZDfb1PERnwIPxy6oW9ZqIV/s1600/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhyphenhyphendRCYu71zRht5gsoKPaYmRycTng0xeVHspezmRloIVoK2_rUu6qiZ-OHqStCov1Oe0QQ84Ay153TETtRsrd_Iu-TgjFc4eK3scWvEl-_3muTExcBAisZIZDfb1PERnwIPxy6oW9ZqIV/s640/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5232.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallow water sailing</td></tr>
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It was Limbo's first taste of reef sailing; polarised sunglasses made the colours of the water more obvious as we kept clear of the aqua-marine shallows, disconcertingly close to port, and stayed in the deeper coloured (and, umm, deeper depthed..) blue of the channel. The wind was dead aft at this point, without much sea-room to sail at a more comfortable angle with less risk of gybing, but we were soon through the passage and round the southwest corner of the island, very close to the coast, where we headed up more comfortably into the wind. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gliding towards Jolly Harbour</td></tr>
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The water here is incredible. It changes from the deeper blue of the ocean to a chalky, vivid almost jelly-like light blue; hard to describe except with a photo. We had a fantastic time sailing close hauled up the coast, through this beautiful water, sheltered by the land, watching a squall hit the sea on the horizon. It was a shame to arrive at Jolly Harbour; we took the sails down at the last possible moment and headed in to anchor outside the harbour, where it is all very shallow. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw_shOePXjCXZfqi7zvCvidgVfFlIfuGAk1A_yEi2MP2p4PVv0TrVE9GB630fjBxwyzEbtTIpPRj8iG4T60M4FJuWuwSgiZvbP4H3_7J89IklLbrlnHh1Zh3IzXUL9ptbVclBh63GDdGL/s1600/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTw_shOePXjCXZfqi7zvCvidgVfFlIfuGAk1A_yEi2MP2p4PVv0TrVE9GB630fjBxwyzEbtTIpPRj8iG4T60M4FJuWuwSgiZvbP4H3_7J89IklLbrlnHh1Zh3IzXUL9ptbVclBh63GDdGL/s640/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5235.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical squall.</td></tr>
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It was always fascinating to see who was already moored at any new harbour. Here, it was Bella - a Hallberg Rassey 352, crewed by Ulrike and Matthias from Germany. We hadn't seen them since Madeira; cue a wonderful impromptu evening on board (my birthday!) catching up with our stories and plans. The next morning, slightly hungover, we were more than pleased to see Matthias heading towards us in the dinghy with a delivery of bread and fresh croissants...<br />
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Jolly Harbour itself, entered through a narrow cut into what used to be swamp (rather like Rodney Bay marina in Saint Lucia), is a rather overdeveloped marina surrounded by identikit waterfront properties, many with their own dock. Built in 1992, it felt slightly run down and in need of investment. But it had an unusually good supermarket (complete with some Waitrose Essentials products - we've no idea how they ended up there!), and the anchorage itself was pleasant and sheltered, if sometimes rolly, off a reasonable beach; and, of course, surrounded by that blue... There were pelicans too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsu_pcNpZcC8Zz6y1v4o9RB9qiJ-mgcgZJiYHaXzWW49eAmE7vRxiWXAjgCwR3bKV53Zplqr5650CavfoZG-o-H2zGM7dQGQ0-ryCcty1oLyLj8HjAeMHo6RxTfn7edsLL3aqEFjGfMbE/s1600/20130501_Limbo_Atlantic_5264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsu_pcNpZcC8Zz6y1v4o9RB9qiJ-mgcgZJiYHaXzWW49eAmE7vRxiWXAjgCwR3bKV53Zplqr5650CavfoZG-o-H2zGM7dQGQ0-ryCcty1oLyLj8HjAeMHo6RxTfn7edsLL3aqEFjGfMbE/s640/20130501_Limbo_Atlantic_5264.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under our excellent awning - made to our specification by Island Canvas, IoW.</td></tr>
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Our plans still weren't clear. I checked on laying-up prices in the marina, but half-heartedly. Bella was soon sailing back - why weren't we? We felt lethargic and under the weather, and far from primed for action. We had another evening with Ulrika and Matthias, at the marina bar for happy hour, joined by the crew of a steel live-aboard called <i>Tranquilo. </i>We practised our German. <br />
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The long dinghy ride back to Limbo was starlit, but the atmosphere was rather spoilt by another sighting of our large resident cockroach. I caught him (or her) crawling over a sandal in the cabin and managed to flick it overboard. We hoped this wasn't one of many (we never saw another, fortunately - once acquired, they are hard to get rid of!).<br />
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We continued up the coast in the morning, with our shortest ever trip, to Hermitage Bay - just over half a mile round the point, but even less than that as the crow (or pelican) flies. The trip had its interest though, as we passed through the Five Islands channel, using an island off the headland as a transit and passing close to a prominent rock (seen in the third photo above). It was a quiet anchorage with just a couple of other boats (including <i>Jambalaya</i>, a lovely Caribbean-built charter schooner), and right off an upmarket beach hotel. The advantage of this was unsecured wifi; I picked up an email from a broker explaining that they weren't interested in selling boats worth less than US 40,000 or so. It was not encouraging.About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-78486997228372812052013-04-25T19:21:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:48:59.094+01:00English Harbour and Antigua Classics. 19-25th April 2013.<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Antigua Classics Regatta: above all other events, this was the one I had wanted to make. A week of the world's most beautiful yachts, racing close offshore, combined with a buzzing atmosphere - I couldn’t wait.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We arrived on the second day of racing, the weather humid, wet and gusting to 30 knots. Most of the classics moor in Falmouth, but we watched the few moored near us in English Harbour up-anchor and head out into the rain, heeled well over. </span>Later, we went ashore to clear in; a convoluted process with the usual grumpiness from the officials (and, in Antigua, more expensive than elsewhere, including daily fees for anchoring). The place seemed much the same as it had 14 years before, apart from the addition of a large super yacht dock in a corner of the harbour, removing some of the anchoring space. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialFFy8PkN8PVk3XrCQb63F6O5Dd6IQFl01bLwR45xGjeq5YbSKWIkDH86sjMeXAQRpLNk3KDW3q1pPhuexUnsL_5_TJSPREpksUA5V49LC-rP0axex3yNuvzxaVm7ftXafWAVKztymUku/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialFFy8PkN8PVk3XrCQb63F6O5Dd6IQFl01bLwR45xGjeq5YbSKWIkDH86sjMeXAQRpLNk3KDW3q1pPhuexUnsL_5_TJSPREpksUA5V49LC-rP0axex3yNuvzxaVm7ftXafWAVKztymUku/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4349.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kate</i>, a replica of a 1909 America's cup yacht, heads out into the squalls. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_CL1glORzPh0WbPdKnYYZGx7ioIU8778BRGtR4ENE36LTOn-ffRBllYNGFE26MVOgJjTMlyfwXKQpfAonqHkW7EmWWdEnN5KNSBrahGejHSGqIiP4t9XWUuR8egfazEi04D_iLFa8ckS/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_CL1glORzPh0WbPdKnYYZGx7ioIU8778BRGtR4ENE36LTOn-ffRBllYNGFE26MVOgJjTMlyfwXKQpfAonqHkW7EmWWdEnN5KNSBrahGejHSGqIiP4t9XWUuR8egfazEi04D_iLFa8ckS/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4899.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The weather clearing slightly, we walked across to Falmouth Harbour - just half an hour away - to see the yachts returning from the race. There was activity everywhere as they docked, crews calling good-naturedly to each other across the pontoons. Two boats at least had lost masts, including the Alfred Mylne yawl <i>Blue Peter</i>. Her crew looked understandably downcast, and she earned a round of applause as her lines were thrown ashore. (Coincidentally, I was on a sailing course with her owner and skipper many years ago, just before he took extremely early retirement from a not entirely unlucrative city trading job. But it didn’t seem the moment to say hello). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8jfwjHsN1IwyPBzHJ6V4l4XwF2dQNyGvj9lA7oDwq3viTKW_EyNhadxP3v66jWihnFa7fRPzgaTiW1k9yYNzw4BCZiT1pjcxoNH-bBPYcXrS6Q39ZvShXepUDH6u3BaOj6UhvzaDnyPe/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8jfwjHsN1IwyPBzHJ6V4l4XwF2dQNyGvj9lA7oDwq3viTKW_EyNhadxP3v66jWihnFa7fRPzgaTiW1k9yYNzw4BCZiT1pjcxoNH-bBPYcXrS6Q39ZvShXepUDH6u3BaOj6UhvzaDnyPe/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4584.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blue Peter</i> returns from racing on Day 2...</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We wandered the pontoons for some time, taking photographs, and saying hello to a couple on board a boat we recognised from the <i>Saintes</i>. Over everything towered the silver masts of <i>Maltese Falcon</i>, not unimpressive at 289 feet, but horribly ugly nonetheless. Our gaze was drawn much more by the svelte, sweeping lines of perfect varnish and teak decking of the real classics, many with famous names. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBB2J0Pg_l2P3pvK8zFkfmj8wh5I-8blVcHrD-QZKXfPf21NsPKxRw6VWnPrlPgqIZjHNLJtm7PPSGrPpD3bx-0nH8xpAdPWH1WmskxPsYr7jFDL04_-TNx4JVNZCVDgc8gzzGtg28kBuz/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBB2J0Pg_l2P3pvK8zFkfmj8wh5I-8blVcHrD-QZKXfPf21NsPKxRw6VWnPrlPgqIZjHNLJtm7PPSGrPpD3bx-0nH8xpAdPWH1WmskxPsYr7jFDL04_-TNx4JVNZCVDgc8gzzGtg28kBuz/s1600/20130420_Limbo_Atlantic_4538.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spirited Lady of Fowey</i> returns. The same class of boat seen in the Bond film <i>Casino Royale</i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I chatted to the owner of Troubadour, the yacht I’d photographed sailing off Guadeloupe, and gave him my memory card to copy the pictures from. I had hoped he might have room for an extra crew member, but it was not to be. In ’99 I had raced here on board <i>Arita</i>, a 48’ John Alden owned by the charismatic South African Rob DeHaan - a real sailor in every respect - and it remains one of the most memorable experiences of my life.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOQsOPADrdlPuEHJer8o1OskOe3qk5NBYN9wsiaCRkJwnQgkmJEZIafoOQWHtwWi-uKlUOKT36YvkIC3zR1jP9tQfnDorHUUsM-oyAKgKcQwvbPRqqI9Sh9BE1GU2_lMBpbm480GbfMa/s1600/1388288818_5d47f38ef4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOQsOPADrdlPuEHJer8o1OskOe3qk5NBYN9wsiaCRkJwnQgkmJEZIafoOQWHtwWi-uKlUOKT36YvkIC3zR1jP9tQfnDorHUUsM-oyAKgKcQwvbPRqqI9Sh9BE1GU2_lMBpbm480GbfMa/s1600/1388288818_5d47f38ef4_o.jpg" width="418" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard on the wind on board <i>Arita</i>, Antigua Classics, 1999</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The evening before we had watched a Hallberg Rassy 42 motor into the harbour. Her name was Trompeta and she had been here in Antigua exactly 14 years ago, my younger self on board. Later, in 2003, I went on to join her retired owner, John Arregger, on a trip across the South Pacific, as he continued his circumnavigation. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She was moored on the wall in Nelson’s Dockyard and we went over to say hello to the owners, who had just completed the World ARC rally (a tightly scheduled dash around the world in 15 months - why?). They had bought Trompeta from John Arreger just before his death, but never met him. Sadly, I had not been in touch for some years, but I believe he continued on to Australia and the Indian Ocean before he had to give up for health reasons, the boat being delivered back to the UK. I wondered where the other people I’d met then were now…</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlZnOrbse9biB42EeWdVujdf83K_1GTO5kmcHvkz_qov5Ouzcb3sLUxQ3D-1QJhLKKslNQrx8C5Q8lICYHj4RcaKaJAb_YpV4oY3hekvDHbcDiHbB1GF8A_ygLD4m93n72n2jB-uNJQUr/s1600/1388238804_80f5851bd3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlZnOrbse9biB42EeWdVujdf83K_1GTO5kmcHvkz_qov5Ouzcb3sLUxQ3D-1QJhLKKslNQrx8C5Q8lICYHj4RcaKaJAb_YpV4oY3hekvDHbcDiHbB1GF8A_ygLD4m93n72n2jB-uNJQUr/s1600/1388238804_80f5851bd3_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson's Dockyard in 1999 - much the same as today! In the background is <i>Irene</i>, a west country trading schooner. She lost her mizzen mast in that year's races.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">We had a happy few days in English Harbour. Limbo was perfectly placed for the parade of sail. Cheering mingled with bagpipes and cannon fire! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugHM5ZKZpI_pNok0ioDqANEOym1NSlbOHpgq4GnyMs0B2R4j4mhrdFB_RMeOJXXz36koI-KzSoiZMKmtJ-fG3QB-V6DI5f11mF5I_iYX6s5v28u5Mc4_bEHWVWo1rZQV5r1XUCX7NGtNi/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugHM5ZKZpI_pNok0ioDqANEOym1NSlbOHpgq4GnyMs0B2R4j4mhrdFB_RMeOJXXz36koI-KzSoiZMKmtJ-fG3QB-V6DI5f11mF5I_iYX6s5v28u5Mc4_bEHWVWo1rZQV5r1XUCX7NGtNi/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4780.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The parade of sail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83q5nWG6SoUrzCQXgUVnj-CM2X5q6FG9IvQJRxb8VuZQAlEgiKgUWITYeaf6Pq9RnRsJV_fTT9cDQh8E5-bQpoz3SsMd4FkOXLgaUU9Qpu7Z3JsSsbMVVH4cKUJ8pLNnrWmaYe4taE9-C/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83q5nWG6SoUrzCQXgUVnj-CM2X5q6FG9IvQJRxb8VuZQAlEgiKgUWITYeaf6Pq9RnRsJV_fTT9cDQh8E5-bQpoz3SsMd4FkOXLgaUU9Qpu7Z3JsSsbMVVH4cKUJ8pLNnrWmaYe4taE9-C/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4829.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lone Fox</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GNjYeeI2eDkl8PIVT_IwQBabU3Pni0lulnHFSvV8G9C_lHzsP_sb3gHjKKoEmuO3JZHwIPAZZJLiE_uCCXC7AXkjn29JnAO0wGSh19LCqPJ0v1s6zI4mbHSZkNNuZ4cS1Xqgjpi2AkK9/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GNjYeeI2eDkl8PIVT_IwQBabU3Pni0lulnHFSvV8G9C_lHzsP_sb3gHjKKoEmuO3JZHwIPAZZJLiE_uCCXC7AXkjn29JnAO0wGSh19LCqPJ0v1s6zI4mbHSZkNNuZ4cS1Xqgjpi2AkK9/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4706.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Limbo.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">We joined the crowds watching the friendly layday sculling races by Nelson’s Dockyard. We spent some hours on the cliffs photographing one of the races (</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">photography</span><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> heaven!), getting some good shots from above and narrowly avoiding sunstroke, went out for my birthday for a great meal at one of the places on the strip between English and Falmouth Harbours, drunk some rum, and had a great evening at the obligatory sunset barbecue at Shirley Heights, with legendary views of English Harbour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">We were delighted to see Christian, of the 70 foot <i>Alina </i>from Madeira, who </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">arrived on a delivery trip. We'd seen him last in </span><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Cape Verde, crewing on a friend's yacht. We were delighted to hear him call over to us, and </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">dinghied </span><span style="font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0px;">over to him later on, but sadly he soon had to fly off for another charter delivery. Friends are quickly made in this kind of life, but goodbyes are frequent.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYvc_RJzufl7wRfQW3E79ZQRems1RmGXHDXnbcur-2oqXS00OOs0rrk1cb97FlfsMEug-qDbS8_H5zMgop0mPr0wPfMYKGh8qtZQPWCBA0H-umHlemq4wfPBtX_37ATg2uIBhZv7f5jdV/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYvc_RJzufl7wRfQW3E79ZQRems1RmGXHDXnbcur-2oqXS00OOs0rrk1cb97FlfsMEug-qDbS8_H5zMgop0mPr0wPfMYKGh8qtZQPWCBA0H-umHlemq4wfPBtX_37ATg2uIBhZv7f5jdV/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_4929.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classics from the cliffs</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtnBEiEKzh246g8TXR2j3UZ6U8ngbwahWHYiR31VDKy4HaJQsGcFWeYJ8LEj9KTropx6CgzivZxuWuBcxvklbuosJgqFJaC6BM7ngrBFy0IGyoREdZOaS5rgjGF2U5vRWl3-0dMzY8sq1/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_5043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtnBEiEKzh246g8TXR2j3UZ6U8ngbwahWHYiR31VDKy4HaJQsGcFWeYJ8LEj9KTropx6CgzivZxuWuBcxvklbuosJgqFJaC6BM7ngrBFy0IGyoREdZOaS5rgjGF2U5vRWl3-0dMzY8sq1/s1600/20130422_Limbo_Atlantic_5043.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uu5CH19qFAsxnNGN-AwxXdxlnoqfda3giWc052rCL1kvzGLwMLsztD-CN9DEbWzCCUYLvUWNPUUykt1BnXFbhtnRTikWnrSO_cao9PvtksFs_QzccuX5ZfNSoev26n_oP3MXZQAxvyfe/s1600/20130423_Limbo_Atlantic_5189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uu5CH19qFAsxnNGN-AwxXdxlnoqfda3giWc052rCL1kvzGLwMLsztD-CN9DEbWzCCUYLvUWNPUUykt1BnXFbhtnRTikWnrSO_cao9PvtksFs_QzccuX5ZfNSoev26n_oP3MXZQAxvyfe/s1600/20130423_Limbo_Atlantic_5189.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the gig races.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvShM0i7k29aqiQMjDrwmfBm7WWLJ3Tu5GrmgJliFlDYCCQZZBUXDNCvXcl7ImoZlHpTsxRagzVObo_UAPiGNljc1MwQPlBZ6t_TrT7oqcDACWlfroxredrpNXODgUoh6AcfUiywvba_3/s1600/20130423_Limbo_Atlantic_5165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvShM0i7k29aqiQMjDrwmfBm7WWLJ3Tu5GrmgJliFlDYCCQZZBUXDNCvXcl7ImoZlHpTsxRagzVObo_UAPiGNljc1MwQPlBZ6t_TrT7oqcDACWlfroxredrpNXODgUoh6AcfUiywvba_3/s1600/20130423_Limbo_Atlantic_5165.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gig racing, English Harbour layday</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40jADDHLJf9COqM_pAl-UCtt6Nvf5SPKGmBtDW8CFwO70D07S-xlax6XwSO9dYA5epHkjrJxoMIKkuTB4wdBydwgxFD6f3RAXNrOCE-H49UiBlqXHRf53oCwfOMXV-WRvjXe24xs7YChV/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40jADDHLJf9COqM_pAl-UCtt6Nvf5SPKGmBtDW8CFwO70D07S-xlax6XwSO9dYA5epHkjrJxoMIKkuTB4wdBydwgxFD6f3RAXNrOCE-H49UiBlqXHRf53oCwfOMXV-WRvjXe24xs7YChV/s1600/20130421_Limbo_Atlantic_4879.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirley Heights sunset. Limbo just visible!</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We left on my birthday after refuelling at Antigua Slipway. This was where I’d lived on board <i>La Cautiva</i>, a 78 foot steel ketch, while prepping her for the voyage back to England. I have more than a few good memories of that square mile or so of English Harbour. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkJRGe7R3cEDRbZLkf-QXmBfblFcr74u8BEjVfm-jH9IzNMiyNyAcXvOwumfT_JJWzDAVDxdRPMO51weh6Ld9jMYI4DdkHwi40JEC-r9ZHklXzaWEGDlMjbhDwV4oD_pxRh8w-VJB_LVy/s1600/1387365929_0e8d912023_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkJRGe7R3cEDRbZLkf-QXmBfblFcr74u8BEjVfm-jH9IzNMiyNyAcXvOwumfT_JJWzDAVDxdRPMO51weh6Ld9jMYI4DdkHwi40JEC-r9ZHklXzaWEGDlMjbhDwV4oD_pxRh8w-VJB_LVy/s1600/1387365929_0e8d912023_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the crew of <i>La Cautiva</i>, English Harbour, 1999. About to depart for the Azores.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsi66X6wVMhjXA2n9lUxCdUauxZoXJDb-nzHHkasNwwi8GQwxy27k_b7TiICoM8mDqBwCM7xjfU2IdNq86J57b_caRSaFZwIpka7WFZuBHbKrkC0SwQFB8DJVQa29cLztuPPemvp2ABNW/s1600/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsi66X6wVMhjXA2n9lUxCdUauxZoXJDb-nzHHkasNwwi8GQwxy27k_b7TiICoM8mDqBwCM7xjfU2IdNq86J57b_caRSaFZwIpka7WFZuBHbKrkC0SwQFB8DJVQa29cLztuPPemvp2ABNW/s1600/20130425_Limbo_Atlantic_5207.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limbo and Natalie, in the same spot, 2013.</td></tr>
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About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-52386085085608297402013-04-19T19:28:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:47:39.520+01:00Bashing onwards to Antigua <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a grey, unfriendly morning, but it was time to get to sea if we were to catch Antigua Classics.<br />
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Deshaies to English Harbour is further than many of the inter-island passages, meaning a 0700 start to be sure of arriving in daylight. The wind was still blowing, but - as we'd discovered - Deshaies seemed to be an almost permanently windy anchorage. It was tempting to wait another day, but we'd signed out with immigration the night before...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H3oU9tf7mzPy1reniRKeV0NSfZ6crYE7aZwzQRgJUbkRdTmlsUmx0q7bT7uit3wENBnwx2Fa0TAOGgz_QXCQMwK0dnO74qKOtlItmsd4iJGe3ojIGiPDEDc68kJNmAvJIdB4isUN1Wd6/s1600/P1130059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6H3oU9tf7mzPy1reniRKeV0NSfZ6crYE7aZwzQRgJUbkRdTmlsUmx0q7bT7uit3wENBnwx2Fa0TAOGgz_QXCQMwK0dnO74qKOtlItmsd4iJGe3ojIGiPDEDc68kJNmAvJIdB4isUN1Wd6/s640/P1130059.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A damp arrival</td></tr>
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I hauled up the anchor and Natalie steered Limbo out past the other boats. I went on deck to get the main up. I didn't hesitate to put a couple of reefs in, until we knew what the conditions were like; the trip was likely to be hard on the wind all the way. We unfurled the genoa and heeled over as we headed out of the sheltered bay. We would be in the lee of the island for a few miles, out of the worst of the sea, but our Doyle guide told us to expect more wind until we were clear of the coast.<br />
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We headed north past the green, craggy shore. We had about force six with stronger gusts which heeled Limbo right over, more than I was comfortable with. It was rough, bucking right into the waves. If it hadn't been for our book's promise of less wind in a couple of miles, we would probably have turned back. Natalie hung on to the tiller while, safety harness clipped on, I climbed up onto the cabin roof to pull down the third reef. Now we were more under control, but the boat was sagging down to leeward, away from our course. Motor sailing was the way forward, and I put the engine on with fairly low revs to keep us pointing up into the wind.<br />
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Further out, we found no less wind but bigger waves of probably 2.5 to 3 metres. Sailing home, I couldn't help thinking, could involve days of this as we headed up to Bermuda.. But we were making progress, and would be there that evening, and we could cope.<br />
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The 42 mile trip was a long slog of torrential rain, scudding grey skies and 30 knot squalls, followed by calm periods which left Limbo rolling around awkwardly in the lumpy seas. We got cold, too cold, and wet. Antigua was visible in the gloom a few miles out, looking like an island somewhere off Scotland rather than in the Caribbean. A big, 65 foot Oyster passed us, going to windward under engine and staysail alone; she clearly didn't much like the conditions either. It was a relief to get the sails down in the flatter water outside the entrance to English Harbour and head into shelter. We put the kettle on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3m_pRqqHMpXSXyerU_fage61Jg_ryepq0IETYmaY_mgoCLJ1PFCAW47VBLvWYEbUci-k2Pz8iIS4IlrrDHLtO0pE5dDEb1wccd7X7rG1f-8I9C1B7vBhyqLAAeybUhNrUqwXoiYEPOMY/s1600/IMGP2430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3m_pRqqHMpXSXyerU_fage61Jg_ryepq0IETYmaY_mgoCLJ1PFCAW47VBLvWYEbUci-k2Pz8iIS4IlrrDHLtO0pE5dDEb1wccd7X7rG1f-8I9C1B7vBhyqLAAeybUhNrUqwXoiYEPOMY/s640/IMGP2430.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freeman's Bay, English Harbour, on a much nicer day.</td></tr>
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Antigua was a place close to my heart. I had fond memories of the island from my previous trip, spending several weeks living and working aboard the 75 foot ketch <i>La Cautiva</i> before helping to sail her back to England where university awaited. It was one of the places I'd always pictured going back to, and now Limbo was anchored here, in Freeman's Bay.<br />
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The anchorage was crowded, and it took a few tries to find a space with swinging room. A big superyacht dock has taken over much of the anchoring space, but nothing much else had changed. The grey buildings of Nelson's Dockyard still stood sentinel, unspoilt though much-visited, the green, forested hill behind the harbour still rose steeply to Shirley Heights, and the waves still broke on the reef to the east of the narrow entrance. This was the place where, more than anywhere else, I thought <i>we have done this.</i> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNA4pvWBd-BSq50GJRcIm4gtFvfjzL14y590Pj6u_g0B4Wla9JL0xe6YMf5NcJRSAOv7d5aa5YBHcTGyHbWLfJW_Oh3Q2H65rOtdFnyMHsiy-HCnGJwxTzQ_SpECHMU_f6wc5wkiSpuYw/s1600/IMGP2426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNA4pvWBd-BSq50GJRcIm4gtFvfjzL14y590Pj6u_g0B4Wla9JL0xe6YMf5NcJRSAOv7d5aa5YBHcTGyHbWLfJW_Oh3Q2H65rOtdFnyMHsiy-HCnGJwxTzQ_SpECHMU_f6wc5wkiSpuYw/s640/IMGP2426.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-51061222132626327142013-04-17T12:17:00.000+01:002018-06-04T20:49:10.436+01:00Sell, sail or ship? We were in Deshaies for two further grey days, the wind howling, and not feeling much like the early start for Antigua.<br />
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Not before time, we started to think about our plans for the next few months in more detail. Not having arrived in the Caribbean until mid February meant we would have a scant twelve weeks in the islands, at most, until it was time to get north and up to Bermuda. The rule of thumb is to be out by mid-May, to arrive in Bermuda by June. It didn't seem like nearly long enough: not only to see what we wanted to see, but to find the energy for another long - and this time more challenging - ocean passage. The winds are far less predictable on the route home in both strength and direction, with a higher probability of both calms and gales. The more I read about the route, the less appealing it seemed. Without the capacity to carry much fuel, we could be sitting out there for a very long time, and water supplies were going to become an issue (on my return trip in 1999 on La Cautiva, a 75 foot steel yawl, we had to motor virtually all the way to the Azores). Feeling that we'd earned our ocean stripes, the motivation was lacking.<br />
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Our first thought, on arrival in Barbados, had been to extend our time in the islands by sailing into the summer. This wasn't possible without missing the weather deadline for heading back to Europe, but maybe we could sell Limbo in the islands instead? I wondered if Solent weekends were ever going to be the same again, and - after all - we were going to have plenty to sort out on our return without looking after a boat (jobs and somewhere to live not being the least of our worries..). With that in mind, we had loosely decided to sail north before heading back south to see the islands we'd missed beyond Saint Lucia (Grenada, the Tobago Cays and the Grenadines providing some of the best anchorages in the Caribbean). Then, down in Trinidad and safely away from the hurricane belt, we could, perhaps, lay up Limbo and put her up for sale.<br />
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As time went by, the flaws in this plan became more and more apparent. Firstly, we didn't really want to sell. Abandoning Limbo to a corner of a humid boatyard was deeply unappealing. Secondly, not only are boat prices in the Caribbean at rock bottom in general, but I had started to realise that there was virtually no market at all for a boat of Limbo's size. An advert in Caribbean Compass for a 30 footer on sale at $3000 US, with free yard time thrown in, drove the point home. I emailed a couple of brokers who had zero interest, one stating they were only interested in boats worth at least $40,000. Maybe there was an expat in the BVI who'd like a boat for weekend sailing? Then I realised the BVI's entire population was about 25,000, and Limbo - lovely though she is - was not going to impress an offshore corporate banker on a tax free salary. Finally, the cost of yard storage and haul-out was much higher than I'd imagined. We were looking at £200 to £250 a month just to keep Limbo somewhere, with no idea of how long that might be for.<br />
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The third option was to ship Limbo back. While we were in Guadeloupe I found out there was a ship going from the BVIs in late May, but this seemed too early. We still wouldn't be able to see the southern Caribbean as planned, and it would be a huge expense, around 5000 Euros, which had never been in the budget. There was also a sailing to Palma in June, and I thought of spending the summer heading back to Biscay through the French canals. But, while this would buy us some time, the cost of getting from the Med to the UK was going to be an issue, having spent so much on returning Limbo to Europe.<br />
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Maybe we should sail back after all? It would be a shame not to complete the circuit, and arriving in home waters, flags flying, would be fantastic. But we kept coming back to the fact that we just didn't feel prepared. On a 35 footer, yes, but it felt as if it could be asking too much of a very small boat (and her crew...).<br />
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There was no clear answer, and we went round in circles. We tried to put the problem to the back of our minds, and looked forward instead to the next island. <br />
<br />About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-9072710042983690492013-04-16T16:54:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:47:48.648+01:00Passing through Guadeloupe <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2MIugyVir8KOGuPOmFSOM6-m1eESiAhm6bW6pq4Mjqjp28KdrdrO-jLrSIfSBoec1WcljxtFFamGzrmq2QF60RC7HSZjJolHBSPIX9ObnKFhVp_vrMMRjk7DvmAKBSIjiGAzsPKrzvy7/s1600/IMGP1805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2MIugyVir8KOGuPOmFSOM6-m1eESiAhm6bW6pq4Mjqjp28KdrdrO-jLrSIfSBoec1WcljxtFFamGzrmq2QF60RC7HSZjJolHBSPIX9ObnKFhVp_vrMMRjk7DvmAKBSIjiGAzsPKrzvy7/s640/IMGP1805.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guadeloupe sunset</td></tr>
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Guadeloupe is a hilly, green, butterfly-shaped island, with lots of coastline to explore and excellent hiking. We didn't have time to see as much as we wanted, in a hurry to get to Antigua in time for Classics Week, but found fantastic snorkelling at Pigeon Island and a relaxed, pleasant anchorage at Deshaies in the north.<br />
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Guadeloupe is less than 10 miles of open water away from the Saintes. Natalie saw a whale breaching in the choppy waters (I managed to miss it every time) and we then had a relaxed sail mostly in the calmer lee of the island. A classic yacht approached and overhauled us, and I managed to get some good pictures as they passed close by. Later, the wind dropped and our engine went on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Troubadour passes us, en route to Antigua.</td></tr>
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Pigeon Island is two-thirds of the way up the coast, a little islet less than a mile from the mainland shore. We arrived shortly before sunset and anchored off a slightly touristy area with several dive shops and restaurants, spotting a turtle as we did so.<br />
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Jacques Cousteau once described Pigeon Island as one of the world's top dive sites, guaranteeing - you might assume - that it would be instantly spoilt. Luckily, we found it was well managed, if inevitably quite crowded. We took the dinghy across in the morning and tied to one of several mooring buoys (anchoring isn't permitted for obvious reasons). The snorkelling was on a different level to anything we'd seen so far: superb visibility, abundant coral, an interesting underwater landscape and no shortage of fish. There were plenty of jellyfish too, but they were the none-stinging kind. It's a shame that our underwater camera had given up by this stage..<br />
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We had lunch back on board before packing up the dinghy and setting off up the coast. A couple of hours later we were anchored in Deshaies, an attractive anchorage with, for once, no rolling. Our fastest turnaround ever! Ashore, landing via a smart dinghy dock, we found a small town with several restaurants and bars, and (this being France) a good small supermarket.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4NWnLCIAfqTlj6ofPbJ3sgnQkBuFSnGs5LMAOF_ICv2e0JNfupO3DgnJaI5rJzsYEjwUCajere68Bgs0dKYjXtuOgiidpmTRXpdkFp-bPL8L5Y__aEiTngCppNZzMP-PTaGgSxK1rqp_/s1600/IMGP1814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4NWnLCIAfqTlj6ofPbJ3sgnQkBuFSnGs5LMAOF_ICv2e0JNfupO3DgnJaI5rJzsYEjwUCajere68Bgs0dKYjXtuOgiidpmTRXpdkFp-bPL8L5Y__aEiTngCppNZzMP-PTaGgSxK1rqp_/s640/IMGP1814.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deshaies, late afternoon.</td></tr>
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We fancied eating out for a change that evening, and (after a particularly good sunset) took our chances with a pizza place one road back from the waterfront. We sat outside on the terrace and enjoyed p'tit punches (white rum, lime juice and sugar - they left the bottle with us!) and were delighted to see musicians turn up. An ancient local was the most energetic dancer to a mixture of local Zouk and reggae, some of the best music we heard on the trip.<br />
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The anchorage had been calm that day, but it wasn't to last. Deshaies is a naturally windy place, the bay funnelling air down from the hills, and in the night we were woken by disconcertingly strong gusts whistling through the rigging. We tried to sleep, hoping it wouldn't last.. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj016bLyXp5IyxTVuGOnMlTDQ3hYm7vCTSeCBVlq49duWb2kVXx5X1nxXZwoWKcl3X9NmQ0W1qwBzsoB-wEuTPLiEv9GjAiPDHB0fgadl7GmJiShj48crdEwzF7IsrlNZbZ_2blWXqvWZ/s1600/IMGP1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj016bLyXp5IyxTVuGOnMlTDQ3hYm7vCTSeCBVlq49duWb2kVXx5X1nxXZwoWKcl3X9NmQ0W1qwBzsoB-wEuTPLiEv9GjAiPDHB0fgadl7GmJiShj48crdEwzF7IsrlNZbZ_2blWXqvWZ/s640/IMGP1823.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limbo, Deshaies sunset</td></tr>
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About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-4449193023365633482013-04-14T13:03:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:47:57.379+01:00The Saintes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the first time, our route north offered a choice beyond just sailing down the lee of the next island. Four small island groups lie between Dominica and Guadeloupe (<a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=guadeloupe&hl=en&ll=16.175111,-61.268005&spn=1.136892,2.081909&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=5.720955,16.655273&hnear=Guadeloupe&t=m&z=9" target="_blank">see map</a>). Should we take the well-trodden route to the Saintes, just 18 miles away, or head for the small, less visited island of Marie Galante further to the east? If the latter, we could sail on to Iles de la Petit Terre, then La Desirade, leaving a good but long reach to Antigua.<br />
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The Caribbean trade winds blow quite consistently from the north east, with some fluctuation either side. This generally makes heading anywhere to the east of north an uncomfortable proposition: into the wind and the sea. The route towards La Desirade would mean three legs to windward, assuming we could land on Iles de la Petit Terre, which are only really accessible in settled weather. It was these two tiny islands which were the real draw, Marie Galante and La Desirade sounding interesting but not unmissable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJzAd8k2IjHzxGV1O1sOx_gkcW1kAinDhtg1ss7uB779oHYMLwBIPVnH1j1tDt8KagOdJop3bAQ4JygBiiDVn9Y4pk6a7b4h05G8D22OwqniJ4Dewb-rqyICcQtTKG5y4T8QRSuZ6fwR2/s1600/P1130040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJzAd8k2IjHzxGV1O1sOx_gkcW1kAinDhtg1ss7uB779oHYMLwBIPVnH1j1tDt8KagOdJop3bAQ4JygBiiDVn9Y4pk6a7b4h05G8D22OwqniJ4Dewb-rqyICcQtTKG5y4T8QRSuZ6fwR2/s640/P1130040.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the islands</td></tr>
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As ever, the wind made the decision for us. I was keen on getting off the beaten track if we could, but we set off from Prince Rupert Bay unsure of our destination. We would see what it was like when we were out of the sheltering lee of Dominica. We found a reasonable if rather lumpy beam sea, and a force four to five wind which had more than enough north in it to make Marie Galante a real thrash to windward. The track was beaten for a reason, and the Saintes it was. We eased sheets very slightly, and stormed along at 6 knots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB0G_GzmHvUzJZRKLL2LsU6oiekQUkd_AmqqL5r5QzAw2FzEahbOTZmEJamEGoB2Lf0XmQabbbixvH4Y134D3CmkYwzFMlnzQ9rbC6FKr-kMY8eziZT1Ws6qcM1W46mPXvxqUkX8gpna2/s1600/IMGP1657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB0G_GzmHvUzJZRKLL2LsU6oiekQUkd_AmqqL5r5QzAw2FzEahbOTZmEJamEGoB2Lf0XmQabbbixvH4Y134D3CmkYwzFMlnzQ9rbC6FKr-kMY8eziZT1Ws6qcM1W46mPXvxqUkX8gpna2/s640/IMGP1657.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terre de Haut and the anchorage</td></tr>
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The Saintes is a cluster of islands offering several anchorages and some interesting walking, all in a very small package. Reluctant to start the engine, and enjoying a great sail in the flatter water between Le Bourg and the jagged rocks of Les Augustins, we didn't get the sails down until the last minute. Dolphins approached us before we picked up a mooring off Terre de Haut towards the end of the afternoon (<a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=guadeloupe&hl=en&ll=15.854022,-61.60223&spn=0.071172,0.130119&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=5.720955,16.655273&hnear=Guadeloupe&t=p&z=13" target="_blank">see map</a>). This bay has strictly delineated anchoring and mooring areas, but the anchoring areas are a token concession, being further out and in deeper water. There weren't too many free buoys, and we ended up moored a fair way from shore. We were approached for payment within minutes of arriving. The slight swell wouldn't let Limbo sit quietly, but the sense of arrival made up for that, and we enjoyed our new surroundings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNMqCsRryQXy02rxaSJp-Z8vwqP2G3228jiu6oGhjhKMJRZ7cZlWGOInTqVd_8MLPDZQ2rYrs6T0dtNeIi4ABZMogjB0D2DoDfVnw3TQOl9EeN7_COeVsXo9wb5RZT5YMw-Q2QMLjeLme/s1600/IMGP1698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNMqCsRryQXy02rxaSJp-Z8vwqP2G3228jiu6oGhjhKMJRZ7cZlWGOInTqVd_8MLPDZQ2rYrs6T0dtNeIi4ABZMogjB0D2DoDfVnw3TQOl9EeN7_COeVsXo9wb5RZT5YMw-Q2QMLjeLme/s640/IMGP1698.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The schooner 'Lilly Bolero' approaching from Guadeloupe</td></tr>
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We had another rocky night, often disturbed by the large metal pick-up loop on the mooring buoy scraping against the hull. In the morning we watched carefully for any departures, and soon got another buoy close up to the shore by a small beach, where it was more sheltered.<br />
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We headed into town to explore. Some of the smaller cruise ships visit the Saintes (few places, it seems, are immune) and the town was horribly crowded. Fortunately the cruise shipper is a plain-dwelling creature and very easily avoided by heading uphill, however slight the incline. We followed the road out of town past the beach, then onwards as it wound towards the summit of the island. It was hot going, several goats and the lizards our only companions. A large iguana dashed across the path in front of us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fku2xZU7uhhyphenhyphenZNwfqHa17rgQvAXK-fpO51TrdSZfuFxZFwrF9PuGZWm4ADAMasxEJKgi3BMqIRBClVNpQXWt06koTUYvamdgI5BJjdvlf5wlTRIvo_D5WrMYEz9iSRTFRg1lGCm_pMIb/s1600/IMGP1608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fku2xZU7uhhyphenhyphenZNwfqHa17rgQvAXK-fpO51TrdSZfuFxZFwrF9PuGZWm4ADAMasxEJKgi3BMqIRBClVNpQXWt06koTUYvamdgI5BJjdvlf5wlTRIvo_D5WrMYEz9iSRTFRg1lGCm_pMIb/s640/IMGP1608.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop</td></tr>
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An old fort building sits at the top of the peak, and we climbed a rusty ladder for a better view, across to Dominica to the south and to Guadeloupe just a few miles away to the north. The shades of the reefs below were startling. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwIgy5nzqc7KdgfqX3FWddI9sNWWCFmKl1p11YbIvyijIHJV_Mz4kMpn9f5gQbMLf3bLz2Hqn4PvhEKHBPq8UOhIOf0ImlactW7yPYqSDOFXC-wU1UWFeWmVhL7LEzXgC0V4e7tH1njgz/s1600/IMGP1620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwIgy5nzqc7KdgfqX3FWddI9sNWWCFmKl1p11YbIvyijIHJV_Mz4kMpn9f5gQbMLf3bLz2Hqn4PvhEKHBPq8UOhIOf0ImlactW7yPYqSDOFXC-wU1UWFeWmVhL7LEzXgC0V4e7tH1njgz/s640/IMGP1620.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilltop Fort</td></tr>
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Commenting to Natalie on the absence of any black people, she replied, 'yes, it's great, isn't it?'. Had I inadvertently become engaged to a closet racist? It transpired she'd thought I'd said<br />
'bike people', meaning moped riders (mopeds are for hire all over the island, but there were none up here). Which was a relief.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfCxJ4CWoKo_RBWUaBT6q9cDJAZkiMEKuM-SWkWt_wpgp1oqwhqTApmCBpsTqn5YX3w9uMZ6rmmpz1UzNTQBrs3wjkIFMZZ3A2ttAGuREGchYxkHDDN4bMbsyJaTl5YNK1u9Tdjl7jbVw/s1600/IMGP1638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfCxJ4CWoKo_RBWUaBT6q9cDJAZkiMEKuM-SWkWt_wpgp1oqwhqTApmCBpsTqn5YX3w9uMZ6rmmpz1UzNTQBrs3wjkIFMZZ3A2ttAGuREGchYxkHDDN4bMbsyJaTl5YNK1u9Tdjl7jbVw/s640/IMGP1638.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit view</td></tr>
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We continued down to a small beach by the Pain au Sucre, a distinctive mound of rock which forms one side of a small bay. It was an appealing anchorage, and we decided to move there once we'd finished in town. Terre de Haut is a pastel-coloured place full of T-shirt shops, delicatessens and restaurants, but has a pleasant, holiday atmosphere. It could be in the south of France somewhere. Our Chris Doyle sailing guide had promised cheap set menus, but we couldn't find any for less than 20 Euros, so we gave up and bought a pizza to cook on board.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7adhfbk2CgBGWUXowLo5ApQxjOrSGMWswT7fbCMUqZRleRZzVLpnxWJiQbEqR5XFBKybUEt2pr9b-9OZZ-v7me3kXXfzQhYqVx6RNFrziHskstOkQTHSkblT6HjH3GRu9zNzh2XU6Z7E/s1600/IMGP1687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7adhfbk2CgBGWUXowLo5ApQxjOrSGMWswT7fbCMUqZRleRZzVLpnxWJiQbEqR5XFBKybUEt2pr9b-9OZZ-v7me3kXXfzQhYqVx6RNFrziHskstOkQTHSkblT6HjH3GRu9zNzh2XU6Z7E/s640/IMGP1687.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limbo and the sailing cruise ship Royal Clipper</td></tr>
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We needed to catch up on email, and we had a frustrating day finding a connection. I'd thought we could access one from the boat, using our booster, but after getting back from town it didn't work so we headed back in. We ended up paying to use an internet cafe. In the end, we achieved very little. One of the downsides of cruising is that it can sometimes take ages to accomplish the simplest task. We bought some fresh fish and a baguette.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdp5DVbvwqm3Cl3siRiiqt5xc3ZXNj2nbiEvtt1mGWi87WaZW-fxy5wa9_3iTsD8Gri_lH8J0J4WhpECQvSqzYb9WLeZckTDVDJfHMt4280Xm1cbhkpo8Npw4PzWWCjI4Al-DVDVHwRIC/s1600/IMGP1716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdp5DVbvwqm3Cl3siRiiqt5xc3ZXNj2nbiEvtt1mGWi87WaZW-fxy5wa9_3iTsD8Gri_lH8J0J4WhpECQvSqzYb9WLeZckTDVDJfHMt4280Xm1cbhkpo8Npw4PzWWCjI4Al-DVDVHwRIC/s640/IMGP1716.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pain au Sucre anchorage. </td></tr>
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After three nights off Terre de Haut, it was time for somewhere quieter. We motored the couple of miles to Pain au Sucre and, after a couple of attempts, found a reasonable space not too close to the other yachts or to the reef. It was a lovely anchorage, with some interesting snorkelling around the reef close to shore. We saw a lion fish, a striking brown and white-striped creature with feathery fins: a venomous, invasive species with no natural predators, apparently introduced by thoughtless aquarium owners in Florida. We found out later that several islands hold 'lionfish derbys', with prizes for the most kills. Also disconcerting was the wreck of a catamaran washed up on the rocks, its engine block still lying on the seabed.<br />
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We spent a couple of days lazing on board, with a walk up another hill for the views across the anchorage. We deployed, for the first time, our inflatable kayak (an ebay purchase). Shamefully, we hadn't got around to unpacking it until now. I did wish we'd chosen a slightly smaller, quicker to inflate model, but it was great fun. We were a bit jealous of those with boats big enough to store rigid kayaks on deck, to nonchalantly throw into the water whenever required.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHHg4AWGbIPQ9sNkD71_omXK8T0c8Z70hyFFJXRpjfXCP87x5kdEut7TTTC7WSi9XcUohUlhuLV_n97Y9yIMikMJQdB5kpggihX6pB9yUHqQ9kJ_Xzs_vVW1L8JhpTw8AXH2ACBywqNSr/s1600/IMGP1710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHHg4AWGbIPQ9sNkD71_omXK8T0c8Z70hyFFJXRpjfXCP87x5kdEut7TTTC7WSi9XcUohUlhuLV_n97Y9yIMikMJQdB5kpggihX6pB9yUHqQ9kJ_Xzs_vVW1L8JhpTw8AXH2ACBywqNSr/s640/IMGP1710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking</td></tr>
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We felt slightly isolated at Pain au Sucre. There were several other yachts there, mostly French and American, but nobody really talked to us (and we were bad at approaching them). It had been a while since we'd had an evening with other cruisers, and our friends were scattered far and wide across the island chain at this stage.<br />
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One evening I was excited to see a gleaming gaff ketch approach and anchor near us. She was the Thendara, built in the 1930s, and looked stunning. Limbo was in good company: we were also heading for Antigua Classics, starting in just a few days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHx6_tsS4oIiNWIf88yCpySQvRgGlHnwvzhcfiUDAkrhyphenhyphenUj75r4gmmjwzRr6wnum-7jcA2rCXDvR-vnT58WuQUUA4oPVeMYGL_74ZRBJIrLyDNAvjMvhH5htxHLfA9KbMUdMwNvCp0B6I/s1600/IMGP1729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHx6_tsS4oIiNWIf88yCpySQvRgGlHnwvzhcfiUDAkrhyphenhyphenUj75r4gmmjwzRr6wnum-7jcA2rCXDvR-vnT58WuQUUA4oPVeMYGL_74ZRBJIrLyDNAvjMvhH5htxHLfA9KbMUdMwNvCp0B6I/s640/IMGP1729.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thendara, 1936</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnlfERe01AIwyiGzf1mU60cFOmn98gWQhWkKhcGBOJZ397t9a9ndpmQdVxfwL4xrY2jvc61LmkmzWs-2dBo1VldsLfpUqwnw0zUr705YrQaTAatWgfzVeJWPCMKT7k9F4y94z3Ftzq3AS/s1600/IMGP1757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnlfERe01AIwyiGzf1mU60cFOmn98gWQhWkKhcGBOJZ397t9a9ndpmQdVxfwL4xrY2jvc61LmkmzWs-2dBo1VldsLfpUqwnw0zUr705YrQaTAatWgfzVeJWPCMKT7k9F4y94z3Ftzq3AS/s640/IMGP1757.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-74513128467425949852013-04-09T20:47:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:48:08.686+01:00Prince Rupert Bay, DominicaWe were nearing the end of our time in Roseau. Sara and Phil on Lochmarin were about to head south to the Grenadines, and it was almost time to say goodbye. Before doing so, we spent a day out with them at the Champagne Reef near Soufriere. We packed our snorkelling gear, flagged down a passing bus and enjoyed the sunny ride along the coast road.<br>
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The reef is one of those 'must see' attractions much frequented by cruise-shippers, so I was ready to be entirely unimpressed. The reef was pretty dead, accessed off a pebbly beach, and the 'champagne' effect, caused by volcanic gases bubbling up through the sea floor, could be easily and cheaply achieved anywhere by hiring a flatulent 10-year old to swim beneath you. Perhaps I was getting a bit jaded? On the plus side, there were some large and interesting fish, and we spotted a couple of evil-looking, if small, moray eels. We had a great lunch at a roadside restaurant shack, and chatted to a forthcoming local lady who now lived in the UK. She wasn't enjoying it, missing the weather and the friendly people of Dominica. It was all too easy to see her point of view. <br>
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Roseau had been great, but it was time to move on. We waved goodbye to Phil and Sara, who had shared so much with us, hoping that we would see them again sometime, somewhere. We headed for Prince Rupert Bay, at the north of the island. We tried to sail, but the lee of Dominica is a big windshadow. We were on a dead run, the wind gusting and shifting unpredictably, so - after one anxious moment too many - we ended up motoring.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYRN7dFKiacN8nbv8xfb5qdy5iIeHKpXZdDpkDSBEYj2d6SvjLzWAJ1A5CZXhyphenhyphenFaruupjsXDKDdHatZZ-N-Buv3KE4OnMXqkYVraoye7Z1AaoFpQgzU5LWr52YFR50P3EghfW1aN7e2D8/s1600/IMGP1569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYRN7dFKiacN8nbv8xfb5qdy5iIeHKpXZdDpkDSBEYj2d6SvjLzWAJ1A5CZXhyphenhyphenFaruupjsXDKDdHatZZ-N-Buv3KE4OnMXqkYVraoye7Z1AaoFpQgzU5LWr52YFR50P3EghfW1aN7e2D8/s640/IMGP1569.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince Rupert Bay and Portsmouth, Limbo on the far left.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/07/prince-ruperts-bay-dominica-5th-to-9th.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-57629151502759657092013-04-04T20:24:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:48:16.641+01:00Roseau, Dominica <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The passage to Dominica wasn’t the most relaxing of
sails. We got away at 8.30 and waved
goodbye to the guys on Spirit of Argo. The
wind was fluky in the lee of Martinique, in strength and direction, but it was
calm and we sailed as much as we could.
We took some photos of a larger boat which passed close by as we came
near the north end of the island. We
were becalmed for a while and started the engine, but we could see a line in
the water ahead where there was definitely more wind. Passing it, we heeled well over. Getting up
on deck to put the third reef in was slightly dramatic, but with less sail we
felt much more under control. Even so,
we were still beating straight into a gusty force 5 to 6, with a beam swell. Not exactly the sailing you dream about. Fortunately,
as is common, the wind came round to the east a bit more as we got further out,
and the last few hours heading towards Scotts Head on the south end of Dominica
were a fast beam reach – much better! We
had some strong gusts off the hills as we approached, then the wind died almost
completely in the lee of the island.<br>
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</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/04/roseau-dominica-29-march-to-4-april.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-31964566997255287082013-04-03T16:37:00.000+01:002018-06-04T19:48:25.653+01:00The Boiling Lake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTynMqi10VpQfGkj0VVVSM52m0uPM-kapdj0OkJKNlxLAkPRNv-1rvBzYXZ-vy3bz6P-l8hGNuTgimjgjMJ2Mpx8_j362NaioMQs62EcePQT_8QbH9tlr8VR9IKpjjq2sxSZdOwIxM394w/s1600/IMGP1543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTynMqi10VpQfGkj0VVVSM52m0uPM-kapdj0OkJKNlxLAkPRNv-1rvBzYXZ-vy3bz6P-l8hGNuTgimjgjMJ2Mpx8_j362NaioMQs62EcePQT_8QbH9tlr8VR9IKpjjq2sxSZdOwIxM394w/s640/IMGP1543.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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The Boiling Lake hike in Dominica had been on the list of
things I wanted to do since I was last there, years ago. After our fantastic trip to Victoria Falls
with SeaCat, he was the obvious choice to guide us. </div>
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</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-boiling-lake-3-april.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-371207762019095352013-03-29T21:51:00.000+00:002018-06-04T19:48:36.234+01:00Martinique <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkpWRfhQsRz_coC57EFS4lHTfAPRwGnsHqTF2w-YnoBDAO5W7r4s_xF45jARchhNLmA7W-fMfDRrs9XhDRHPVyddobe_ubEbpdsHI3WGXla-XMlDVmG2R44Dvzqx4uOxeZCanBzmdjbzJ/s1600/French+Caribbean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkpWRfhQsRz_coC57EFS4lHTfAPRwGnsHqTF2w-YnoBDAO5W7r4s_xF45jARchhNLmA7W-fMfDRrs9XhDRHPVyddobe_ubEbpdsHI3WGXla-XMlDVmG2R44Dvzqx4uOxeZCanBzmdjbzJ/s640/French+Caribbean.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Caribbean!</td></tr>
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We’d been hoping to make Saint Anne our first port of call
in Martinique, following recommendations from a couple of people. It’s just round the corner from the big
yachting centre of Marin, in the south east of the island, and promised a
pleasant beach anchorage with an attractive village ashore. Sadly the weather had other ideas: as we came
out of the lee of Pigeon Island at the beginning of the 25 mile passage, we quickly
decided it would be too much of a slog against the wind and the waves. We could
have done it, but it just didn’t seem worth the discomfort. Contrary to the popular image of Caribbean
sailing, it can be really quite rough and windy between the islands. Fortunately
most of the passages are day sails, and it’s great to be able to see your
destination when you set off (on a clear day, at least). We were only a few miles out from Saint Lucia
when the genoa suddenly unrolled, pulling open the snap shackle holding the
tack. The furling line is a bit stiff
and came off the cleat somehow. Rather
than messing around on the foredeck, the best option seemed to be to furl it in
and continue under main and engine towards our Plan B destination, Grande Anse,
a little way up the west coast. So much
for what Don Street describes as one of the finest sails in the Caribbean! <br>
</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/04/martinique-17-to-19-march.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-38633425909861893782013-03-24T19:32:00.000+00:002017-07-04T15:13:36.975+01:00One month in the Caribbean: Barbados and Saint Lucia<w:sdt contentlocked="t" id="89512093" sdtgroup="t"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr><w:sdt docpart="117786E8C0904BA6B4436D84934EA44D" id="89512082" showingplchdr="t" storeitemid="X_144E8B54-E883-4AD1-96EB-F8746D22C38D" text="t" title="Post Title" xpath="/ns0:BlogPostInfo/ns0:PostTitle"></w:sdt></span>
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<b>Barbados</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Port St Charles, on the west coast</td></tr>
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Barbados was the ideal place to rest up after the
crossing. We lay at anchor in Carlisle
Bay with just a handful of other boats.
Apart from the moronic jetskiers who came from the cruise ships most
afternoons and treated the yachts as a kind of obstacle course (is any other
‘sport’ so inherently anti-social?), we were undisturbed. More pleasant were the race horses swimming
around the anchorage in the mornings, along with the occasional turtle.<br>
</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-month-in-caribbean-barbados-and.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-76113334864190089452013-03-11T14:58:00.000+00:002017-07-04T15:24:50.998+01:00Some technical notes on the Atlantic crossing<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Some more detailed notes on weather, routing, the boat and our equipment:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Weather</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Conditions when we left were quite light, with a big low pressure system
sitting over the north Atlantic replacing the Azores high. The result was
quite unsettled winds for a while, with a couple of days of only 10-15
knots. The sea is the problem, as the waves don’t diminish as quickly as
the wind does. It’s horrible bobbing about with the sails slatting and
refusing to fill. For the most part we managed to keep moving reasonably
well, and the cruising chute and light genoa helped with this. After 7 days
or so it felt as if the tradewinds had established themselves properly again,
and from then on it was much steadier: the wind was generally between force 4
and 5 and from the east or north-east, with 2 metre waves – sometimes more,
sometimes less. The wind strength did vary regularly, meaning lots of
sail changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our worst night was after about 6 days. Thundery clouds built up
and we had dramatic forked lightning in all directions around the boat.
In a word, scary. Most of it was several miles away, but the gap between
the flash and the thunder was occasionally short enough to be quite worrying,
particularly when the mast makes a perfect target. We put the handheld
GPS and the VHF in the oven in case we got struck (Faraday’s cage..) but this
felt pretty futile. I spent the night watching the bolts hit the water
and worrying. In the morning we had two hours of force 7 or 8 squalls,
which we handled fine with very little jib up, but it wasn’t much fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Other than this incident, I was surprised how few squalls we saw.
Apparently January is a dryer month than December or November. There were
a few threatening clouds (especially at night, when it’s hard to tell how dark
they are), but they often turned out to have little wind under them. We
got some extremely heavy rain a couple of times, and a few showers, but we
didn’t see any classic line squalls bearing down on us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The seas weren’t very regular much of the time, and were usually on the
beam or quarter rather than from behind, and Limbo’s motion could be quite
extreme as we rolled our way across them. If you were parachuted in to
ocean conditions it would be very unpleasant, but we’d had plenty of time to
get used to routinely much bigger waves than you’d happily sail on in the
Solent or the channel. I’m not talking about underlying long swells, but
sometimes quite steep waves with breaking crests. Limbo has proved to be
an excellent sea boat: she bobs over the sea with aplomb, and refuses to hurtle
down wave fronts. Instead she sits back as they pass underneath. We
were happy leaving the forehatch open most of the time. We occasionally
had water on the deck, but never got solid water in the cockpit (although
occasionally a hissing wave would creep up and give Limbo a slap, throwing
spray over us).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It got gradually warmer as we went, and after a few days we’d finally
reached that happy state of keeping watch in shorts and t-shirts. The
temperature was well into the high twenties, and little less at night, but the
breeze meant that it wasn’t oppressive. It was sunny most of the time,
with blue skies and classic trade wind cumulus. We didn’t have any
permanent shelter from the sun, but a towel pegged to the sprayhood gave us
some very welcome shade in the afternoons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">While it's true that there's not much you can do about the weather once
you’re out there, you still really want to know what's going to happen over the
next few days: forecasts are very useful to plan sail changes (should you leave
all that sail up overnight or not?) and just for reassurance. As
mentioned, we got regular updates from friends ashore and afloat, which was
sufficient, but information would also have been available via our SSB
receiver. It would have been even better to receive proper GRIB files via satphone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Food</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We stocked up with nearly everything in the Canaries, apart from fresh
goods. In Mindelo we found most of the fruit and vegetables we wanted in
the market. We resorted to the supermarket for oranges, which had been
refrigerated, so didn’t keep well and were starting to go mouldy in just a few
days (they were very good though, and we managed to only throw out a few).
We washed everything before it came aboard, but there were still maggots
in our aubergines... We kept fruit and vegetables in a hanging net and in
a plastic mesh crate, wrapped in brown paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We took lots of potatoes, and they kept well, but we hardly used them:
rice or pasta is much less hassle at sea. Cabbage kept excellently, as
did onions. Eggs were fine, turned occasionally to stop them getting
stale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">With the exception of corned beef and hot dogs, canned meat (but not
fish) was hard to find anywhere outside the UK; you can’t get things like
tinned mince or stewing steak. Even on a boat of Limbo’s size, it would
have been good to have stocked up. Tinned tuna was very useful, as were tinned
chick peas, sweetcorn and tomatoes. UHT yoghurts were easy to find
and quite good. Chorizo was good, keeping well out of the fridge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We were well supplied with crispbreads and crackers, but there’s no real
substitute for proper bread. You can get tasteless white loaves which
will keep for a couple of weeks, but baking is pretty easy, and we made three
or four loaves on passage. Rising time is minimal in the heat. Natalie
also made some banana bread when they inevitably all ripened at once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Breakfast was usually cornflakes, but we also ate a lot of porridge (we
don’t usually – but it was great when you were hungry after a long night
watch).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It was hard to find healthy snacks in the Canaries, particularly as they
like lots of salt. We tried not to, but ate lots of crisps and peanuts on
watch…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We have a small fridge which was great for cheese, butter, leftover food
and - mainly - cold drinks. A can of something cold and fizzy was a real
treat. It’s too small to keep more than one or two meals' worth of meat
or fish in it, so no good for having fresh meat on passage except at the
start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">High-sided plastic bowls were really useful to ensure the contents
didn’t end up everywhere. We didn’t have a rigid menu plan, although we
were starting to run out of inspiration towards the end!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Water</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We carried around 250 litres of water, as well as a few litres of cans,
fruit juice and UHT milk (which seems to taste better than I remember it used
to!). This was spread between two flexible tanks (one under the floor and
one fitted in the quarter berth when we were in the Canaries) and jerry cans,
which were in the cockpit and the cockpit locker. I checked our actual
tank capacity in the Canaries and found it was quite a bit less than the boat particulars
stated – so definitely a worthwhile exercise! A healthy ration is
reckoned to be around 4.5 litres per person per day, but a ‘survivable’ one
around 2.5 litres, so we had more than enough for safety. We could
have carried more jerrycans on deck, but I don’t like obstructing the way
forward or carrying weight too far above the waterline. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We rotated between the two tanks, the idea being that if one burst we
wouldn’t lose all our supplies, and kept the jerrycans for last as they were
the most secure. We aimed to use the vast majority of our water for
drinking. We had an alcohol gel by the sink for handwashing, and washing
up was done in sea water, which worked fine. We had quite regular washes
in the cockpit using sea water, but with a fresh water rinse using a garden
sprayer, which was effective but used very little water. I found
that shaving could easily be done with half a mug of hot water. We didn’t
go as far as cleaning teeth in saltwater. We kept a rough check on how
much we were using, but had plenty left at the end of the passage (at least 60
litres).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gas</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our cooker runs off Camping Gaz cylinders. We had no problems at
all getting hold of replacements all the way down through the Cape Verdes (in
fact, in Mindelo we got new cylinders at about £5 each!). A cylinder
usually lasts us 24 days, although we used less on the crossing as we weren’t
heating water for washing up. We have a pressure cooker which we used for
a few things to save gas (mainly stews and potatoes). Small pressure cookers
seem hard to find in the UK - we bought it in Lisbon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Communications</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We opted to go without a Satphone, mainly for cost reasons, but also
because we liked the idea of an automatic tracker device rather than manually
sending messages each day. We carry a Yellowbrick YB3 transmitter which,
save a few glitches, was great – it kept our position updated automatically on
the web for people at home (except for 12 hours when it failed to update..) and
let us send and receive short text messages. The battery lasts for
weeks. A reliable friend ashore sent us daily forecasts (thanks Rob!) and
we were able to let friends on Lochmarin know that we’d heard their radio
forecast information and position updates on our SSB receiver (a Sony worldband
radio). It was great to know that people were keeping an eye on us and,
hopefully, not worrying...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Wildlife</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Where were the dolphins? After being followed by scores of the
creatures on our way down through Spain and Portugal, we had only two brief
sightings all the way across – pretty disappointing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We saw seabirds most of the way across. Tropic Birds, with their
white plumage and forked tails, were particular favourites. We also saw
Storm Petrels and, closer to arrival, the large and pterodactyl-like Frigate
Birds. No whales – not necessarily a bad thing, as some people we know of
managed to hit one this year – fortunately without damage!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Power</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We use as little power as possible on passage: all our lights, including
our tricolour, are LED (with good LED nav lights available, there doesn’t seem
much excuse for ‘running dark’ to save power) and we have a very low power AIS
receiver - a Vesper Watchmate - which is highly recommended, and incorporates
an excellent anchor watch feature. The AIS displays GPS information so
lets us turn our chartplotter off when away from the coast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We kept a continuous watch on VHF channel 16 and also kept our
echosounder/log running. We have a small Waeco Coolfreeze fridge, which –
while very efficient – was by far the most power hungry piece of
equipment. We think it’s well worthwhile as it let us keep milk, cheese
and leftovers safely and have cold drinks. We have two 30W flexible solar
panels (one permanently fixed to the hatch garage, the other movable), which do
a lot to help, but we still had to run the engine for about an hour to an hour
and a half a day to keep it all running via our two 100Ah batteries. We
replaced both of these in the Canaries, finding that the old batteries were
refusing to hold much charge after a year or two of use.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fishing</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Well, we tried..we can only conclude that there’s either more skill or
more luck involved than people let on, but can’t decide which... Friends
on Amorosa found the packaging from one of their lures was more successful than
the contents! Our tally on this trip to date is one mackerel off
Weymouth. A final tally of 26 flying fish landing on deck at night
during the passage (three came straight into the cockpit, which could be
alarming) but we never had enough at once to make cooking them
worthwhile. We reflected on how extraordinarily unlucky a flying fish must
be to hit a yacht. We saw them all the way across, and it was great to
watch them flitting across the waves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Entertainment</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Natalie got through a few books, but I read far less than I
expected. We have two Kindles (absolutely ideal, although I was fairly
reluctant at first) and carried several paperbacks as well. Our iPod was
very well stocked up with Radio 4 podcasts, Desert Island Discs (!) and the
News Quiz being particular favourites. With music, these kept us going
through the night watches. One pair of headphones gave up, but we
had three – and a second iPod too – the consequences of being without
nightwatch listening being unthinkable! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Watches</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We ran a rotating watch system of three hours on/off from 1800 to 0600,
then four hours in the day. In practice, we stayed up for most of the day
after the first few days. Whoever was coming off watch at lunch or supper
time made that meal. It’s hard to get enough sleep with just two of you,
and we felt tired much of the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gear Problems</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our only gear problem (albeit a potentially very serious one…) was with
the rig. I’m not sure when the damage happened, but about half way across
I inspected everything and noticed several broken strands at the deck end of
the starboard lower shroud. Not a good discovery. However, our
spares kit included some bulldog clamps for exactly this eventuality (he wrote
smugly), and I used them to fix a wire strop from the chainplate to above the
damaged area, which made a strong repair. Limbo’s rig is 8 years old, so
should be well within its expected lifespan, but - ideally – it would have been
a good idea to replace it before we left, if just for peace of mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Otherwise, there was some wear to the genoa stitching at the foot where
it rubbed against the pulpit. I tried to put some sail repair tape on it
(the overpriced stuff seen in most UK chandlers) and it wouldn’t stick... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Safety</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is a big issue, and is deeply linked to the general seaworthiness
and suitability of the boat (a fact which can be overlooked in favour of an
emphasis on more bits of gear). While small, Limbo is a very stable,
strongly-built boat with a well-protected cockpit, which meant we felt safe in
rough conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We always wore lifejackets/ harnesses when on watch at night; not
because we were about to be thrown out of the cockpit, but because the
temptation is to hurry on deck to sort out a problem quickly. If you’re
already wearing a harness, you will clip on. We also have stand-alone
(none life-jacket) harnesses which are more comfortable to wear when it’s hot,
but didn’t use them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For emergencies, we carry a liferaft and EPIRB satellite beacon, in
addition to our Yellowbrick transmitter. Limbo has two independent bilge
pumps, one operable from inside. The VHF and flares seem unlikely to be
helpful in mid-ocean, but you never know. We have a comprehensive first aid
kit, which we haven’t used, except for very minor injuries. A knife is
accessible in the cockpit at all times for any rope-related incidents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sail Plan</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We opted for twin headsails and no main, which worked well. This
has the serious advantage of accidental gybes not being a problem (and we've
heard of three boats which gybed accidentally this year - on two this exploded
the preventer block, the other was dismasted). In addition, Limbo isn’t
particularly balanced going downwind unless the main is reefed well down – she
gets weather helm – and I thought rolling away the genoa would be much easier
than reefing the main when the wind got up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We had the roller genoa to leeward, poled out with the main boom (this
was held independently of the sail, with the mainsheet as an after guy and a
three-part tackle vang as a foreguy – attached to a webbing strop around the
sailcover then clipped forward to the shroud chainplate). The genoa sheet ran
through a block at the end of the boom. The second sail was hanked on to
our removable inner forestay (a proper Seasure lever arrangement installed at
expense, but well worth it) and poled out with the spinnaker pole, with a
foreguy through a block attached to the forward cleat and an afterguy through
another block attached to a stanchion near the cockpit. This is the
system described by Anne Hammick in the excellent ‘Ocean Cruising on a Budget’
and gave a stable and easily-handled set-up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We mostly had a No.2 sized sail up along with the genoa, but swapped
this for a lighter genoa or a cruising chute when the wind dropped below force
4 or so (I never worked out which was more effective), or the storm jib when it
was particularly strong. The No. 2 and the light genoa were cheap
purchases from ebay. When the wind increased we furled the genoa until it
was slightly smaller than the No.2, then – if it increased further
-dropped the No.2 and replaced it with the storm jib. We found that the
motion (i.e rolling) was much better if we could keep two headsails up,
although if the wind was really strong could simply keep going with a scrap of
genoa. It’s all downwind, so not too much of a problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The wind strength varied between about force 3 and force 6, with a
couple of squalls up to around force 8. We wanted to keep the boat moving
well, and changed sails quite frequently. This involved a bit of
scrambling around on the foredeck, which could be interesting. We mostly
played it safe, by taking the harder-to-handle cruising chute or drifter down
at night, but there were still a couple of hurried changes in the dark when a
particularly black cloud loomed over us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Seasickness</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We both suffer at times, but neither of us was actually sick during the
passage. We took Stugeron on and off, which worked well, and on the whole
seasickness wasn’t an issue. Occasionally we felt queasy, particularly
when cooking, but not severely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Speed</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We weren’t going to press Limbo very hard, but equally on a passage of
this distance an extra half knot of average speed, for us, makes a difference
of 1 1/2 to 2 days. We changed sails regularly to keep the boat moving
properly, and were pleased to see 24-hour runs of over 130 miles on occasion
(with a little help from the equatorial current!). We averaged 4.6 knots,
or 111M per day, which is a good speed for a little boat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Steering</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We steered for a total of about an hour during the 18 days, the rest
being taken care of by Wilhelm, our Windpilot Pacific Light. A good
windvane steering system is definitely the way to go on a small (or
short-handed) boat, being highly reliable and using no electricity. It’s
probably the most important piece of equipment we carry (as well as being the
most expensive!). With only two on board, the failure of automatic
steering on a long passage would be highly inconvenient, to say the least.
An electronic autopilot would be extremely power-hungry – there’s no way we
could have kept it going with our set-up – and I’d want at least one
independent back-up system if relying on an electronic pilot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Navigation</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Really not very complicated! The north end of Barbados is 264
degrees true from Mindelo and 2010 miles away. There’s up to 20 degrees
of variation to think about when applying this to a compass course. The
wind was occasionally too far north to make our course under twin headsails (when
the apparent wind was more than about 50 degrees off the stern, the windward
sail collapsed), but as we went across it became more consistently
easterly. We tried not to worry about a few degrees off either way,
although the wind varied enough to make windvane course adjustments quite
frequent. We plotted a Great Circle course on our chart, (the Imray
Atlantic planning chart), which is a Gnomic projection or equivalent) and tried
to stick to this, but in practice the wind direction had the upper hand.
At this latitude the difference between the Great Circle and Rhumb-line is
minimal, and the GPS will give the Great Circle course anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Routing</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We’d definitely recommend going via the Cape Verdes. Apart from
being a really interesting place, stopping in Mindelo cut the distance by
around 700 miles: getting on for a week on passage for a boat of Limbo’s
size. It also means that you’re straight out into the trade winds, rather
than having to hunt south. We found that it felt all downhill after the half-way
mark, and the days passed surprisingly quickly; but still, we were very pleased
to get in after 18 days, and an extra week would have made a substantial
difference, both psychologically and in terms of carrying enough stores and
water. Heading for Barbados cuts a day off the trip, apart from being a
very pleasant island which you won't be able to visit later on (as it's 90
miles to windward!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-26060574074516099402013-03-10T22:14:00.001+00:002017-07-04T15:21:29.487+01:00Across the Atlantic in a 26-foot yacht<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><a href="https://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2017/07/some-more-technical-notes-on-atlantic.html">Read some more technical notes on our crossing here</a>.</b><br>
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We crossed the Atlantic from Mindelo to Barbados in 18 days
and 1 hour. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpURhoI7gpNUCYjpmD_jRX4OL7BMsxRjO7JtUwT00FRk2Rpvuq-sXOG-qUWIKL4hRa-Vc7UxSJ-8IjZaBhNG7FoeCypWd4oXaUc5uOP6jKjMivRp8HulbZ40-67KktCELOa2HjsozjKP6/s1600/sailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpURhoI7gpNUCYjpmD_jRX4OL7BMsxRjO7JtUwT00FRk2Rpvuq-sXOG-qUWIKL4hRa-Vc7UxSJ-8IjZaBhNG7FoeCypWd4oXaUc5uOP6jKjMivRp8HulbZ40-67KktCELOa2HjsozjKP6/s640/sailing.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limbo going well</td></tr>
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It’s hard to know how to sum
up the experience. The fact we’re here
in the Caribbean still seems quite surreal (even after nearly a month..I can only apologise for the delay in posting this. Perhaps 'island time' has something to do with it..!)<br>
</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/03/across-atlantic-in-26-foot-yacht_10.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-75401157293654421912013-01-28T13:46:00.001+00:002017-07-04T15:13:37.028+01:00Crossing the AtlanticWe’re leaving for Barbados, 2010M to the west. We’d
be happy to do it in 20 days, but we’re expecting some light winds later in the
week so it won’t be a record passage.<br />
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It’s nice to know we’ll have some company: Amorosa (tracking site on the links to the right!) and Tari Tari
are leaving on Tuesday (and should do about the same speed) and Lochmarin is
heading across a day or two later (but will overtake us quickly, being more
than twice the size!). We’re hoping to keep in touch via VHF where we can.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We'll put a few updates on our tracker site as we go across: <a href="http://my.yb.tl/sailinginlimbo">http://my.yb.tl/sailinginlimbo</a><br />
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We’re really excited to be doing this, and looking forward to a rum in three weeks or so!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7Y5cmwisVCxb-APucz1DpgMTYE3wkDgT0yU4QZYRvIfR-L5yRTHsn4IHGu-yynFRaYDpcFT1i8J8ipwH-BfVi317nAM2kUTcTw9zSaJFPFmlTfPnckngN_BrFwRmzWjJXTAOlBgapy7j/s1600/IMGP0797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7Y5cmwisVCxb-APucz1DpgMTYE3wkDgT0yU4QZYRvIfR-L5yRTHsn4IHGu-yynFRaYDpcFT1i8J8ipwH-BfVi317nAM2kUTcTw9zSaJFPFmlTfPnckngN_BrFwRmzWjJXTAOlBgapy7j/s640/IMGP0797.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washing fruit and veg before stowing them away</td></tr>
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="yes" src="http://my.yb.tl/sailinginlimbo/" style="background: #FFF; border-color: #333; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px;" width="600"></iframe>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-26086825250246500032013-01-28T13:45:00.001+00:002017-07-04T15:13:36.957+01:00Cabo VerdeWe’ve had a fantastic time in the Cape Verdes. We were nearly put off coming to Mindelo
after hearing various horror stories of muggings and theft, but It’s all been
very hassle-free. If you’re anchored
off, as we are, you can pay a few euros a day to leave a dinghy in the marina,
so there are no worries about it disappearing, and we’ve had no qualms about
coming back to the boat after dark. The
people seem universally friendly, and used to visitors in the best possible
way: you’re not ignored, but neither do you feel out of place. The only downside has been the extremely
windy and sometimes rolly anchorage. The
channel between Sao Vicente and Santo Antao form an acceleration zone which,
combined with katabatic winds from the hills above Mindelo, has sent regular
gusts of 40 knots or even more across the anchorage. Combined with some swell coming in, it
hasn’t made for quiet nights.
Fortunately the holding for the anchor seems to be very good, but we’ve
got pretty wet going ashore in the inflatable!<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrjOS2uVYppNpOhvPxbtundz6OzM4uT_Ngcm4Tfvnb2o02nZ1D3tutNlW2vRXazfNMHkb7aHVOliRKtz_A_ZbehWc6oFo0FbyT95phIbYcm_8BlwdUPpLMKFY-p9Yi9UiMLgPlLEAuVWo/s1600/IMGP0628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrjOS2uVYppNpOhvPxbtundz6OzM4uT_Ngcm4Tfvnb2o02nZ1D3tutNlW2vRXazfNMHkb7aHVOliRKtz_A_ZbehWc6oFo0FbyT95phIbYcm_8BlwdUPpLMKFY-p9Yi9UiMLgPlLEAuVWo/s640/IMGP0628.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limbo anchored off Mindelo</td></tr>
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<a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/01/cabo-verde.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-56793223073348560792013-01-26T18:28:00.000+00:002017-07-04T15:13:37.001+01:00Passage to Cabo Verde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMMAFrP3_JwAw2DQeng2GDPeBvwLZz6VF4CRjqDApIusGbZPa75a6mYmS92hlk0B9DXywSY4tjOO3U3OqmS1bX_QPdZu9Nm7vdqqC_QfQRZs5B1EmSog2ggeMhEu174Z2uztmvorMAmKp/s1600/P1120655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMMAFrP3_JwAw2DQeng2GDPeBvwLZz6VF4CRjqDApIusGbZPa75a6mYmS92hlk0B9DXywSY4tjOO3U3OqmS1bX_QPdZu9Nm7vdqqC_QfQRZs5B1EmSog2ggeMhEu174Z2uztmvorMAmKp/s640/P1120655.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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We're in Mindelo! It felt disconcerting leaving Gran Tarajal after so long in
the harbour, and it was a windy day, so it was good to have a few hours in the
lee of Fuerteventura to get used to things in slightly gentler conditions. The passage plan to Mindelo was about the
simplest possible: leave the harbour, steer 224 degrees for about 890 Miles,
then turn left for Mindelo breakwater! <br>
</div><a href="http://sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com/2013/01/passage-to-cabo-verde.html#more">Read more »</a>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371673435780005601.post-38911749452736146442013-01-09T12:29:00.002+00:002017-07-04T15:14:31.174+01:00At seaWe're leaving for Mindelo later today. You can follow our progress below, and see what sort of weather we have at <a href="http://www.passageweather.com/">www.passageweather.com</a>!<br />
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Here's hoping for a nice sail..<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="yes" src="http://my.yb.tl/sailinginlimbo/" style="background: #FFF; border-color: #333; border-style: solid; border-width: 2px;" width="600"></iframe>About ushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12180671708868977497noreply@blogger.com0