Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We had bought chocolate bars, raisins, and little snacks for late night watches, as well as
biltong and dried fruit, fishing tackle, and a few local charts. Fresh eggs were smeared with
cooking oil to prevent them from spoiling too soon due to not having refrigeration. They
got rotated over every week so the yokes wouldn't stick.
Potatoes were carefully washed in a solution of weak bleach and rewashed to kill off any
unwanted bacteria. Cabbages and other vegetables were also washed and stored in brown
paper bags in dark cupboards. All breakable items were carefully stowed and wrapped in
clothing or dish towels, and items like glass chimneys for the lanterns, the bottles of alco-
hol, and all crockery were put away in their various places.
We spent the weekend cleaning the boat, servicing the engine, and filling her two thirty-
five gallon diesel tanks with fuel. These were situated below the cockpit seats and were
connected to each other so as to gravity feed and equalize each other. Separate fuel cocks
were then used to close them off whilst sailing as one would certainly fill the other when
heeled over with disastrous results. All the sheet winches and blocks were serviced and
greased; we made sure that all the running and standing rigging was in good order and gen-
erally readied ourselves for an extended cruise.
I went for one last swim in the lagoon and on my way ashore stepped heavily on a large
rusty nail. I felt the nail sear into the sole of my foot. Christ, it hurt when I pulled my foot
off the submerged plank! To this day I have no feeling in my foot in this area. I hobbled
around for days afterward and had to stick my foot into a bowl of boiling, hot, salty water
to sterilize it.
Monday morning arrived bright and cloudless with a soft, northerly breeze. We made our
way to the customs offices and cleared out without a hitch. Back on-board, the dinghy was
raised and lashed securely on deck; the engine started, and sails bent on their respective
stays. I suggested we put up the largest Genoa and full main as we would be reaching fairly
closely to St. Bart's northeast of us. St. Bart's is the home of the famous singer, Jimmy Buf-
fet, who in fact owned the one bar in town apparently worth seeing. We would be visiting
that for sure as well as touring the island and looking for places of interest.
“If you take up the slack in the anchor rode, I'll motor us upwind,” I suggested to Gavin.
“OK, start going. I'll signal you when we are over it, and belay it to break it out.”
The anchor was well-bedded and, after several jarring attempts, finally broke out and sur-
faced with a lump of thick, black clay which Gavin washed off with seawater from a buck-
et. There is a certain art to tossing a bucket into the ocean and retrieving it full of water.
There is also an art doing so when the boat is under way. Many a good sailor has been
pulled overboard doing this, and I noticed Gavin had the system down pretty well. It was
