Boring Mooring

Towards the end of last year we had decided to take a mooring at Dale.

http://ishtaryacht.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/for-our-next-trick.html

The intention was to finish the mooring before the winter chilled the water, but that never happened. A Caribbean holiday and moving house further delayed things, but we had to get on and finish the moorings if we were to use them this year. Our friends Sheila and Vince, of Alana were also taking a mooring there.

The design was as follows:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Mooring design"][/caption]



The idea was to get as much weight on the seabed as I could, subject to the constraints that I must be able to transport the components 90 miles, and then float them out from the bottom of a slip to my mooring.

Components:

3 x 4cwt concrete blocks. Just manageable by 2 men, 32mm chain embedded and galvanised pipe through the chain within each block as strengthening.

12m x 32mm 'Ground chain'. weight (est) 7cwt.

10m x 12mm riser chain.

1 x swivel, to stop the chain winding itself into a knot

1 x 2ft diameter head buoy.

3m x 12mm chain to attach to boat as a tail.

Pickup buoy

3m floating rope as second tail.

Great fun on the way down. I towed my trailer with my ground chain, Vince had his two concrete blocks in his van and his ground chain in his trailer and Louise towed the Rib with our camper van. The RIB trailer got a puncture on the way and wrecked the wheel. Good start.

Arrived at Dale just before low water, drove onto the beach and dropped off the chains and blocks. I attached the head buoys to the chains - it would help with the lifting.

2 hours later we bagan the moving process. Dive, attach lifting bag and fill, tow out to mooring, deflate lifting bag, dive, position, shackle and chain together, repeat. Finished just before 9pm, in time to get some food at the Griffin.





Back on the boat by 8am Saturday, diving to seize all the shackles with wire and fit the risers and buoys. Recovered the RIB just before 12pm.

Very, very tiring, and very cold. Water temperature 9 degrees. Won't fancy doing this again in a hurry.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cold, and tired"][/caption]



Now for some sailing.

And Back....

Louise started squeaking and dived in, chasing a turtle all over the bay. there were a few, actually, one of them enjoying a meal of eelgrass.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Turtle, Martinique"][/caption]

 

A beautiful spot for a beach barbeque as well, Spanish mackeral, roasted, moist with onions and garlic.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Sunset, Martinique"][/caption]

Next stop: Dominica. We'd been looking for Whales all the way sailing Southwards, having been told that Dominica was the best spot. We saw them at last, between Martinique and Dominica on the way back, 3 Humpbacks, spotted by Louise:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Humpback whale, off Martinique"][/caption]

 Another long day as teh miles stretched away behind our stern. We anchored late again, back on Dominica, at Portsmouth, passing whalewatching boats in the sunset, wondering if they had had the luck we'd had.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Dominica, whale watching boats."][/caption]

 

The following morning, as we left the North end of Dominica, there was a change in the weather. It looked as if Dominica was going to be seeing some well needed rain.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Rain, Dominica"][/caption]

Squalls passed us all day, and, although the rain fell, there was no severe wind, although the sea picked up as we approached teh Southern end of Guadeloupe.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Guadeloupe and wet weather."][/caption]

We'd decided to explore the Western shores of Guadeloupe on the way back, rather than sailing through the Riviere Saliere again. By the time we reached Deshaies, on the North Western point, the weather had closed in completely. Spotted this odd rig, in a very wet harbour.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Guadeloupe, Deshaies"][/caption]

The rain cleared in the early hours and, as we picked our way through a seemingly endless field of lobster pots and fishing lines, the sun inched up.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Leaving Guadeloupe"][/caption]

As the day wore on, it warmed up considerably, and was soon back to normal. Antigua grew in the distance and the wind failed us, leaving us motoring in the heat. The day dragged on, but at last we could see the entrance to English harbour, and Nelson's dockyard.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Approaching Nelson's dockyard"][/caption]

 

I'd hoped to take Louise for a meal at Antigua yacht club before we left, but the restaurant was clsed, so we ate in a local bar, probably more in keeping with who we are!The following day, we flew home, but not before spotting yet another megayacht just offshore, the strange and wonderful 'A'.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A"][/caption]

St Lucia

A long day. Wind on the nose and the starboard tack was very uncomfortable into largish waves, so we decided to head SSW, and then, hopefully in the Lee of St Lucia we'd have a smoother tack in. It didn't happen, so we motored the last 10 miles. Uncomfortable, but it had been a long day.

We were all glad to anchor off Pigeon Island for a swim.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Pigeon Island anchorage"][/caption]

We only stayed an hour before heading round to anchor off Rodney bay Marina. This was the place where the transatlantic racers, the ARC, finished, and there were many boats still flying the burgees. Evidently, it was possible in the past to anchor, gratis, in the middle of the marina, but this is no longer possible. New ownership has seen dredging, with a view to attracting the same superyachts we had seen at Antigua.

A sailing friend (Tom) had told us thta the Caribbean was changing, and soon would be spoiled altogether. he may be right.

Whilst provisioning at Rodney, we saw this square rigger. We hailed her and was told she was the Black Pearl, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame. Later research told us that we had been had, but she was lovely, nevertheless.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Not the Black pearl"][/caption]

 

The following bay we continued Southwards down the West side of St Lucia. About halfway down, almost hidden from the Sea, is a tiny inlet, Marigot bay. In the past this picturesque anchorage must have been stunning, but, for me, it was overcrowded, and overused. Too many boats, and too many boat boys, constantly trying to sell things.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Boat boy"][/caption]

 

In sailing to such places, we are, of course, part of the problem, and it always makes me think. We snorkelled and took a mooring buoy for the night. About £15.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Marigot bay"][/caption]

Onwards Southwards the following morning, heading for our most Southerly point, Soufriere bay, and the magnifecent Pitons, volcanic peaks, spectacular in the extreme.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="St Lucia, Pitons"][/caption]

 You may just make out the forty foot Catamaran in this picture, for scale:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Soufriere Bay."][/caption]

 

I'd been diving on most of the islands we'd visited, but only seen smashed coral and overfished reefs. When our skipper, Mark, mentioned diving here, I wasn't that keen. I did go in, and the reef was pristine. Very, very pleased, Louise and I had a beautiful 30 minutes, in one of the more picturesque dive locations I've visited.

Diving, St Lucia

And that was that. Time to turn Northwards. 20 miles to sail back to Rodney bay, fishing as we went (we caught a Spanish Mackeral which made an excellent curry), arriving after dark. I'd seen a lot on St Lucia which I didn't like, overcrowding, and growth at the Marina, but today was beautiful, stunning scenery and a beautiful dive. The beer was particularly good that evening.

Martinique

We needed to make up some miles. One of our crew, Emma, was due to fly back to the UK from St Lucia, so we had to get there, and leave enough time to sail back to Antigua for Louise and I to fly home. Long passages are no hardship for me, so sailing 10 hours+ a day, especially with fair winds, blue sea, clear skies and warm weather, was fun.

Martinique was next on our list, although it would be a fleeting visit. On the West side of the island is a large bay,  with shelter all around, and many smaller bays and inlets, as well as the main city, Fort de France.

We stayed in a small shallow bay on the South side. I feared mosquitoes, but there were none.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Martinique anchorageGood winds the following day, as we headed out of the bay and Southwards to St Lucia. Leaving Martinique"][/caption]

Dominica

More upwind sailing, and against the current. Uncomfortable, but it would be churlish to complain. Only 20 miles.

Dominica, when we arrived at Portsmouth on it's NorthWest shore, was completely different from what we had seen so far. Steep sided, with rainclouds on the peaks and what appeared to be just a few shacks, rather than any large scale development. We did see a few buildings and a petrol station later.

This was also the first appearance of the boat boys, which seemed more prevalent as we moved Southwards. These fellows shoot about the bay in wooden boats, with Yamaha Enduro outboards, offering to show you where to anchor, sell you flags, food or water, run tours for you, guard your boat when you are ashore and many other services,

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Eric Spaghetti "][/caption]

 This was Eric Spaghetti, my favourite name, ever, I think. The pilot guide had warned that some of these guys could be rude or threatening, and some would try and steal. This was not our experience at all, they were curteous and good natured. We anchored, Portsmouth being a good anchorage, shallow and sandy, and headed ashore to a bar, Big Papa's, for a beer and to watch the sunset.

 

The street behind this beach bar showed a bit more of the true nature of Dominica, as far as I could tell.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Street life, Dominica"][/caption]

We returned to the boat. Vegetable chilli with rice and Fajitas.

The following morning we had decided to take a trip up 'Indian River', a bit of a tourist attraction, and used in the film Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead men's chest'. $EC 40 each, about £9. No outboards allowed so Eric rowed us through the tangled roots of the mangroves, fish and wading birds all around. No other life though, Eric explained how they'd shot many of the monkeys as they stole bananas. Who'd have thought it, eh?

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Indian River "][/caption]

 At the furthest navigable point up the river, we stopped for a walk in the rainforest and refreshments at a small bar. Grapefruit crush sounded nice, although a later stomach upset left me wondering whether the water came directly from the river.We quickly upped anchor on return to Cafe Seerose and sailed South for the Capital, Roseau. The anchorage was poor, 20m of water close in to the shore, and 200m a mile or so off. First time we anchored with a Stern line ashore, but dragged, so we abandoned tht stern line and managed to hold.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Will the anchor drag?"][/caption]

Look happy don't I? We went ashore for food. A single line of concrete shacks led to the main town. We found a shop for provisions, but walking back, in the dark, I was concerned, staring at people drinking in the unlit insides of dwellings that were open to the street. There was nothing to worry about, and we enjoyed a lovely meal at a local restaurant.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Roseau, Dominica"][/caption]

Guadeloupe

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Baie de Marigor, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe"][/caption]

The Caribbean drought meant that water was not available on the quay. As we filled with diesel, we topped up the water tanks at the same time. $1 US per gallon, so we would be careful with it. Set out for Guadeloupe at 07:40, wind ESE, Force 2, so we motorsailed. Louise spotted a 'dolphin' off the starboard bow, but the second time it surfaced, we ould see that it was solitary, and was far too large. I'm guessing Minke or Pilot whale.

Guadeloupe is, in fact, two islands, Basse Terre and Grande Terre. In between is the Riviere Salee, a saltwater 'canal' which joins the sea to the North and South of the Islands. To get to the North end of the riviere, one has to navigate a buoyed channel (IALA 'B') through the coral. We could not resist the chance of a quick swim and snorkel.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Snorkelling, Grand cul de sac de Marin"][/caption]

Not a great photo, but you can see the reef, marked by the light coloured water just above the moored boat in the picture and running left to right. This is why it is not recommended to navigate channels through coral reefs at night. As we later found, not all of the buoys in the channel were lit.

The entrance to the Riviere Salee itself was a mangrove swamp, and with 2m of water maximum, we were concerned. No problem though, and we were soon in a narrow channel. surrounded by mangroves.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Can you hear the Mozzies.....?"][/caption]

A swing bridge controls entry at either end of the Riviere. The bridges open once per day at 04:30, so we anchored just near the bridge to wait. The mosquitoes were well versed in finding sailors.

The bridges opened on time and we navigated the canal with ease, anchoring again just after 05:00 for a couple of hours sleep.

We did not go ashore on Guadeloupe, but the town, Pointe a Pitre, did not look inviting, although there was a marina for fuel and water.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Pointe a Pitre"][/caption]

More reefs and buoyed channels as we left the Southern end of the Riviere Salee and headed south, 20 miles or so, towards the Guadeloupe dependency, Les Saintes. A stop for a swim on the way and we arrived at Terre de Haute just as a cruise ship was leaving, complete with sails.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cruise Ship, Les Saintes"][/caption]

 

It was Louise's 40th Birthday, so we went ashore for a few beers in this charming French town. Ah, no dollars, and no Eastern Caribbean dollar, Euros only. We found a nice looking restaurant, Le Cafe Insolente. Yes it was. Food was OK, my Octopus Bourginoin was too strong a flavour for the fish, but we enjoyed.

The following morning we had eggs, cheese, French bread and good coffee and juice for breakfast.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="South of France?"][/caption]

 

The supermarket was well stocked, although the fresh veg was very poor. The eruption at Monserrat had dusted many crops with volcanic ash, and the drought had not helped matters. The French bakery almost made up for that.

 

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Baie de Marigot"][/caption]

Back to the boat and a 2 mile hop around the corner to Baie de Marigot, where we anchored with two other boats. Just 1km from the town, but we saw Pelicans and iguanas, and, under water, morays, puffer fish and barracuda.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Pelican, landing, er, gracefully."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Iguana"][/caption]

 

A walk into town for an evening beer was followed by fish curry back on the boat. I made Louise an Aubergine curry and she made Chapattis, a favourite on Ishtar, and all was enjoyed.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Making Chapattis"][/caption]

A leisurely start the following morning as we sailed back around to the town, passing Hexagonal bassalts, evidence of the Caribbean's volcanic history, heading South again, towards our next Island, Dominica.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Hexagonal basalts"][/caption]

Antigua

We had a chance for a couple of weeks sailing in the Caribbean, courtesy of a friend and his 40ft Beneteau Oceanis which he sailed there from Greece before Christmas. We'd sailed with Mark in the Ionian last summer, and couldn't wait for a chance to see more of the Caribbean, having only been to the Cayman Islands to date.

Flew out on BA from Gatwick, leaving behind the last of the cold weather, news reports still talking of snow. Flight delayed so arrived in St Johns, Antigua as the sun set. $31 for a taxi ride to Nelson's Quay, on the South coast, where we met up with Mark, Emma and the boat, Cafe Seerose. She was moored against the old quay, part of an up market marina complex restored in the 1950s-1970s, over 150 years after Nelson was stationed here.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cafe Seerose at Nelson's Quay"][/caption]

 

We walked a short distance to a supermarket near Antigua Yacht Club to stock up for our trip. I'd never seen boats as large and luxurious. Each yacht waited, in perfect order, for its next charter, piles of crew shoes on the pontoon nearby.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Mirabella V, the largest single masted yacht in the world"][/caption]

Still tired, and nowhere near used to the heat, we decided to go for a sail. We left the dock and headed out Westwards, ominous smoke billowing upwards from Monserrat. We didn't know it at the time, but a recent eruption, combined with drought in the Caribbean had ensured that fresh fruit and veg would be in poor supply.

Mark explained the 0.5-1kt current that flows from South to North and the fairly consistent SE winds. A beam reach in a SE force 5 with swells, on top of the travelling and the heat made Louise feel a bit seasick. For me, it was great to be sailing in the Caribbean. An hour later and we headed back to Nelson's, stopping for a swim on the way. Water Temperature 27.8C

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cooling off"][/caption]

A longer trip the following day, Westwards along the South edge of Antigua for a couple of dives off Cades reef. Shallow, and not overly exciting, but nice to be diving in warm water.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Diving, Cades Reef, Antigua"][/caption]

 

We caught a yellow tailed snapper on the way back, so anchored in Falmouth and lit a hasty barbeque. Excellent fish. We discussed an early start, and a sail Southwards in the morning, heading for Guadeloupe.