Dancing with the waves

It is interesting how quick one can adapt to your environment. What seemed a bit rough at first, is still a bit rough, but does not feel like it. And as with everything, things change, and gradually the rough makes way for slightly less wind. In turn, the sea calms slightly, the swell becomes longer, and we adjust our sails accordingly. Now and then we still bounce over a wave, land softly on the other side, stalling us momentarily and altering our heading. Our momentum keeps us moving forward, the boat finds her way again, speeding us towards St. Lucia. It seems that the boat is having much fun, dancing and weaving on the ocean. Great having Thomas as first mate. He sets the sails very much like I would set them, and it keeps us going at a good speed.

Long thin lines of wind driven saragosa is also riding up and down the swell with us, but at right angles to the boat. As I'm writing, a small grey cloud is spilling some raindrops on us for a few moments. Earlier on, a flock of terns was chirping their high pitched exciting noises. Probably a school of bonito in the area feeding and the terns hunting for scraps. Yesterday we had one staying with us for a few hours, hunting small fish on the surface. Amazing how they can hover sideways in the wind, facing into the sun, and take a plunge every now and then. The bird probably caught a fish every five to ten minutes, and awe inspiring to watch the bird's manouvres in the air. Pure instinct.

St.Lucia is currently two hundred and seventy miles from us, and we expect to arrive there and enter the Caribbean sea in two days. We are not planning to stop, we might anchor for the night. It will also be full moon, or very close to full moon. St.Lucia is spectacularly beautiful with the pitons on the south westerly side of the island. We have been at sea for twenty three days since leaving St.Helena, averaging six point four knots, and used forty hours motoring. After a few weeks at sea, any land looks beautiful, and St.Lucia especially so.

It will be my forty eighth time I sail in past St.Lucia, and I miss stopping at Marigot Bay for a day or two to rest. With covid restrictions, it now takes about four days to quarantine, be tested and be allowed on the island. A bit pressed for time, we may anchor for a night, or shoot straight through to St.Thomas. We might be able to stop there for short visit. We will see how it goes.

Hope the week ahead will be great for you, it will certainly be for us seeing land again, and take on the last quarter of our voyage to Annapolis.

Paul



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