We’ve arrived in Tortola! We left St. Maarten by the 4.30pm bridge and sailed off on a course of 285˚ more or less into the sunset.
Leaving St. Maarten through the bridge
I was feeling all bubbly and excited again at the thought of sailing and all the lovely destinations yet to be arrived at!
Sailing into the sunset
Sarah & I celebrated by polishing off the rose while Dad and Tris tried the dodgy-looking sangria. We were joking that they’d get poorly on it but in fact, it was Sarah and I that ended up feeling a little peaky and seasick after dinner! Sarah managed to sleep it off and for me it was nowhere near as bad as the bout I had on the way to Trinidad so while I had a slightly queasy watch from midnight till 2am, I was feeling altogether better for the dawn watch at 6am – 8am.
I found my night watch considerably busier than I did the ones on the ARC, or even on the trip down to Trinidad. It’s the height of the season here as the weather is milder and there are lots of boats out and about. I passed a catamaran fairly closely on my midnight watch. It’s alarming how one minute the other boat looks far away with its little white light at the top of the mast and red starboard light nearer the waterline, and the next minute they’re so close you can make out their hull in the darkness. On the ARC we were lucky if we saw any other yachts at all! There were also a couple of cruise ships on the horizon but hard to miss, all lit up like Christmas trees as they were!
The sun rose and we were in sight of land and right on course to pick up Ginger Island and the Round Rock Channel we were heading for. Dad & I shared a quiet cup of tea and he decided to get some kip in the cockpit whilst I kept a look out. We passed through the channel and Tortola was off our starboard side. Suddenly it was as though we were going the wrong way up a one way street. Lots of yachts and catamarans were tacking up wind towards us, zig-zagging their way across the strait whilst we blithely mowed up the middle with the wind behind us. Oddly most of these boats were flying Canadian flags and waving in very friendly fashion (of course). It was a little beyond my comfort zone gauging the speed of the many yachts on intercept course with us – I should add they had right of way over us – so I relinquished the helm to Dad.
Not long and we were rounding a small peninsula into an idyllic-looking bay called Soper’s Hole. Idyllic, but choc-full of boats! And we were assigned the most awkward berth to get in to, complete with catamaran moored inconveniently opposite and close for maximum limited manoeuvrability. Did I mention that our bow thrust is out of action too? So with a wicked stern kick to port, a clumsy bow and a strong wind Dad gently brought Maximillian in with great skill. A guy from the marina helped with shore lines and before long we had her alongside the cutest quayside. Cute, but choc-full of tourists! Perhaps from the cruise ships we saw in the night? They’re milling up and down taking photos, pointing and commenting on the boats – I feel a little on display and kind of wish I hadn’t changed into my bikini top!
I’m now all showered and refreshed. I’d forgotten how clammy it gets out at sea at night, your clothes cling to you and your arms and legs feel sticky – nice! I used copious amounts of talc appreciating the lovely fresh smell of it but unwittingly contributing to my general pasty, winter English look. My shower was accompanied by the conversation of some men sat outside who sounded uncomfortably like they were in the next shower cubicle. Interestingly enough they were chatting about whether Jesus would come. Apparently last time they stayed up f***ing late for him. I began to suspect they weren’t in fact talking about the son of God.
The sun is most definitely over the yard arm now and disappearing in the mouth of our pretty little harbour. Tris has already cracked open a Carib beer and once everyone’s had a shower and are all looking presentable again we’ll be heading ashore for a bite to eat. Tristan’s also keen we all try a famous Pusser’s painkiller – I’ll let you know how those go down!
