Report from S/V Charlotte D

St Vincent and the Grenadines, January 2008. Port Elizabeth, Bequia

After too long ashore in Trinidad, Peter and Catherine finally managed, in late December 2007, to get our Alden 47 ketch “Charlotte D” back into the water. There were a few more days spent re-commissioning at anchor before we sailed away to Tobago. The progress ashore will be the subject of future entries because it’s more fun to write about cruising than it is about re-fitting, as important as boat servicing is for our safety and enjoyment.

We had the pleasure of visitors from the great white north while in Tobago. Brad and Noel were aboard for a week and together we enjoyed swimming in the sea daily, sailing our dinghy, the natural beauty (especially the Rain Forest), the local food, fellow cruisers, and, most of all, the inhabitants of Tobago. The local “old years night” (aka, new years eve) party at Dougie’s Pub spilled out into the street to dance to Bob Marley, and included the traditional bamboo cannons fueled by kerosene, flare guns and other fireworks. A week after the departure of our quests we identified a promising “weather window” for passage north and jumped through it.

We arrived safely in Bequia (“Beck-way”) in the country of St Vincent and the Grenadines on January 16, 2008. It was a wonderful passage of 115 nm from Charlotteville, Tobago. We were fortunate to have picked a day with favourable winds and seas. It was a broad to close reach for the entire passage. The sea was only 1.5 to 2 m and the winds 15-18 knots. Over the 19 hour passage there were only 4 squalls (brief rain with wind gusts to 30 knots). We sailed the entire way on one tack with jibtopsail, forestay sail, double-reefed main and single-reefed mizzen (“engine at rest, mind at ease”). We had good luck fishing on the way. First to the boat was a 75 cm Wahoo, caught on a “Stretch 25” diving lure (the lure is in the photo with Catherine) and close to shore. The wahoo is known locally in the islands as Kingfish and provides lovely steaks for the BBQ. Because this fish can be eaten by two persons in 3-4 days, we continued fishing. Once well offshore, we changed the lure to a pink skirt lure (“Dolphin Jr”) which was trolled for several hours before hooking a Mahi-Mahi (aka Dorado or Dophin Fish). This lovely creature gave us quite a fight. When the strike came, the boat was fully under sail and moving along briskly (about 6 knots). Consequently, most of the line was stripped from the Penn Level Wind reel before we slowed the boat. Then all that line had to be recovered while attempting to hold the boat into the wind. This fish had plenty of stamina and made two additional runs, including a period of leaping clear of the sea, but was eventually brought alongside and dragged aboard by gaff. Peter needed a nap after that, but not before the fish was cut up and in the reefer. This catch, about 1.5 m long weighed in at 10 kg, which is about average for this species.

Catherine made three different marinades for the Mahi-Mahi. There is a mayo, Dijon and pepper sauce marinade, a tahini marinade with roasted peppers, garlic, olive oil, lemon and onion, and a cilantro, sesame, soy marinade. These marinaded sections are tightly sealed in plastic containers and packed into the reefer snuggly against the evaporator, where they will nearly freeze. The head of Mahi-Mahi has lots of meat so it was stuffed with grapefruit, fresh mandarin oranges, fresh pineapple, garlic and onions. The head was the first on the BBQ after the anchor was set in Bequia.

We expect to “chill out” in Bequia, where the blackbirds sing, “Beck Way, Sweet Sweet”. Forecast is for some robust trade winds here over the coming weekend while the deep freeze in on in Canada. The Bequia jazz and blues festival is next week. Some of our cruising friends are here (potluck supper already planned for Friday). As usual, there are many items of boat maintenance. We’ll be swimming every day and walking on the beach, “working” on our tans.

Stay tuned! Eunoia and Madeare, aboard S/V “Charlotte D” at 13-00.010’N 61-14.762’W (check it out on Google Earth).

“The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church”
Ferdinand Magellan.