Sailing to Anguila Mar 23-26, 09
This is a continuous post read down for the latest!
Monday Mar 23,09
We up anchored and sailed off the hook, after loading our “flotilla”,all 4 of them, back on board, around 10:00am.
A brief sail under topsails courses and t’gallants brought us to the other side of Union island by noon. As we approached Union Island I went aloft to the t’gallants to stow the sail. This is the first time I’ve done that and it was exhilarating and scary at the same time.
The Captain has gone ashore to clear us out of St Vincent and the Grenadines and we will be sailing for Anguila some 350 miles to the North.
The passage to Anguila will take about three days which, in the words of our Captain at muster this morning, “For the new people is an epic sea voyage, for those who’ve been aboard longer it’s detox”.
Heh 
Actually it will be nice to have a longer passage. I like the normal watch routine and sailing the ship. It’s quite a comforting routine for me now which is a bit odd but cool too
We hoisted the anchor and sailed off the hook headed North on our passage around 3:30 this afternoon. That is the first time we have done that twice in the same day, at least whilst I have been aboard. A great way to get back in Seaman mode for the passage
The night has fallen and left the ky sprinkled with bright white stars and bright green flashes of phosphorescence along the hull. A great end to a busy day full of seaman’s work on this fine barque of ours.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Tuesday Mar 24,09
Had a great night watch.
I was first helm and we were trying to sail as close to NxW as we could get. We had all sails set and she was steering really well so even though it was a bit tricky to keep from swinging to far into the wind it wasn’t too bad.
About halfway through my trick, around 4:30 or so I caught sight of a bright light to the NE and when I glanced over to see what it was I saw what looked like two objects coming down like very bright and slow meteors towards the East. There was a flash and they vanished. Later as dawn began to break there appeared to be a band of very brightly lit clouds in the NE about where the flash was. These clouds were high enough that they were in sunlight before even the cirrus clouds over us were. As the light grew these clouds spread out into an ellipse almost like a giant smoke ring hanging just over the horizon. They were no longer visible by the time the Sun came up. I think the clouds were the result of an explosion of something at very high altitude. Pretty cool!
We took in all square sail and fired up the engine around 6:30 and are currently motorsailing North.
More later…
Just got off my afternoon watch and we are still motoring North. The winds are light, force 3, from the North. The sky has been cloudy all day and was looking fairly grim at sunset but as we were coming off watch there were a few stars visible so maybe nothing will come of it.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Wednesday Mar 25,09
Had a quiet night watch.
We are still motoring North. For a wile this morning the wind picked up to Force 4 from almost dead ahead and we set the fore and aft sails to try to take advantage of it but soon took them in again as we came abreast of Guadalupe and the wind died away.
The skies are still cloudy but not as threatening looking as they were at dusk yesterday.
The boat frame that we acquired in Grenada is being worked on. The main hatch has become a boatyard and by the end of the day it looks like one with wood shavings everywhere.
More later…
It’s now 3:30pm and we are approaching the island of Montserrat. This island has an active volcano that forced the abandonment of the principle city on the island about 10 years ago. The top of the volcano is hidden in clouds but you can clearly see the broad ashy looking fan of lahar and pyroclastic flow debris running down to the sea from the summit.
The remains of the city can be seen rising above the grey ashy concrete like flows. This area is in stark contrast to the lush green of the north side of the island where most of the people relocated to.
The ash from the volcano seeds the clouds causing them to boil up downwind of the island. It almost looks like it is erupting furiously but it isn’t at the moment.
The 12-4 watch is busy setting all our sails so we will be sailing by the time I go on watch in 20 minutes or so.
Later…
Had a workshop on wooden boat building while the ashy coast of Montserrat passed by to starboard. You could smell the sulphur inm the ash plume. As we passed by the island the wind curved around and briefly headed us then picked up speed so that we were really moving along under all sail by sunset.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Thursday Mar 26,09
We really earned our breakfast today!
About halfway through our night watch. The wind was a gusty force 5, the gusts were up to force 6 apparently,and we were sailing “Full and By” as close to the wind as we could go. We took in all sail and then had to go aloft and stow it as well. While we were stowing the mainsail the Sun came up behind the island of Saba which we were passing at the time. The Sun cast a shadow of Nick SA, David and I on the Main Topmast Staysail. We looked a surprisingly salty trio wrestling with the heavy sail as it flogged a bit in it’s gear.
The 8-12 watch had some excitement as well, about 3:00am the sheet on the flying jib parted with what sounded like a gunshot. I woke up in my bunk to the roaring and deep bass rumbling of the flying jib as it flogged madly. The watch rushed to take it in before it totally shredded itself or wrenched the jib boom awry. I was glad to still have 45 minutes before I had to be on deck!
We are now motoring into fairly heavy seas and a steady Force 5 wind from the NNE trying to make Anguila by early afternoon.
More later…
Arrived in Anguilla around 3:30 this afternoon.
Anchored and headed ashore for the evening.
Believe it or not I am sitting in the Reggae Festival called Moonsplash and thought I would see if there was Internet and surprise there was!
Shoud be a cool evening mon
Thanks for reading.
kJ