There comes a time when a ship must sail. As the old Latin saying has it, “it is necessary to navigate,” meaning not only to find your way but to get out there and “do it.” A ship in port forever is not doing the job she was created for. So, from Anguilla we sail north.
After an exceptionally fine 5,000 mile LONG passage from Namibia to the Caribbean, by way of St Helena, and 5 weeks sailing in among sweet islands of the Eastern Caribbean, it become high time we head north towards Bermuda and, of course, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Folks will be waiting for the Picton Castle and her crew of sunburnt ocean seafarers.
While we had all been enjoying the charms of these sun-kissed, palm-fringed, laid-back islands, getting more small boat practice in, we had also been getting the ship ready to sail away, get back to sea, and most significantly out of these generally benign tropics we have been in for so long. I do say “generally.” Replacing old ropes with new running rigging. Bending on new sails. Looking here and there to make sure all is strong enough for an ocean passage through the North Atlantic. Gear all tested and practiced in. Machinery, pumps and emergency systems all run up and purring. Weather forecasts studied for days. The ship is strong. She must be. So are the crew.
Gabi Gumbs, our lovely agent in Anguilla at AXA Yacht Services, cleared us out in a snap. Tammy and Donald did some last-minute shopping for fresh provisions, while the dory Sea Never Dry was sailed back to the ship from her anchorage off Elvis’ Beach Bar, down-rigged and hoisted up in the starboard davits and the ship finally stowed. We got a sack of fine sand from the beach. Sandy Ground sand is so good for mixing in as non-skid in paint. A walk up and down Sandy Ground making our goodbyes, then back aboard and to start to get the anchors back. No main engine required to sail out of the bay on this day. Road Bay, Anguilla is a sailing ship harbour.
We had had some fresh winds piping up at Sandy Ground so we had let to the big port anchor as well as starboard. This big old fashioned 1,500-pound anchor holds some good. Bosun Line and crew got it back and catted leaving only the starboard stockless anchor down in the sand to sail off from. The gang loosed sail to the upper topsails, and fore-n-aft sail too. Braced the fore yards to cast the bow to port then hove up the starboard anchor. With the bow swinging to port with backed fore-upper topsail and a backed jib, we set all sail to the t’gallants and steered north, first around Sandy Island not far away, then with yards squared, sailed westerly to pass in the lee of Prickly Pear, surrounded by reefs on its windward side. Once out from under Prickly Pear we braced up pretty sharp on starboard tack, and left Sombrero rock and light house well to port, for Bermuda we sail, that storied isle laying some 850 miles away almost due north.
Onwards…
