I was up a little earlier than others yesterday morning and once I’d done my blog managed to do the accounts for Beagle cruises for January to March, fairly simple because I have been making a point of not putting much through the company whilst away so as to keep it simple.
We had a leisurely breakfast and then, as there was little wind, motored around the corner to Drake Anchorage in Gorda sound. there were two other cruising boats here but no charter yachts.A turtle obligingly swimming past as we arrived although only Katharine and I saw it which was great. We played bridge in the shade in the cockpit. Had lunch went snorkelling on the reef, a tiny white with a yellow outline fish adopted me for the swim to the reef and all the snorkelling, staying with me for the whole time I was in the water, he stayed just behind my face pretty much the whole way, on my starboard side unless I stopped to look at him or try to point him out to Katharine when he would disappear for a few moments but re join me once I started swimming again. I have a yellow mask, whether he found that attractive or something I’m not sure but in any event it was nice to have company! There is a wrecked yacht on the reef and the coral around it is good snorkelling although it’s slightly too shallow to get closer than about 10 m from before a snorkeller runs aground himself. On the way back a large sting ray appeared from the bottom and was flew slowly off to the South, I tried to point it out to Katharine but she didn’t see it.
Back on the boat Patrick made lasagne, from lentils again and we had more bridge / reading tea drinking and so on. Katharine made some one way flap jacks - from the Puffer cook book, whilst the oven was on for the lasagne although I suspect they haven’t been cooked for long enough yet, it’s still a bit like sticky porridge, although delicious. As it was Saturday we were entitled to crisps but ended up having nuts and raisins as that appeared to be what was needed.
I have been remiss in mentioning that the teaspoon situation has improved dramatically as Katharine and Martin brought a fresh infusion of teaspooons with them.
Disappointingly the batteries didn’t last the night last night and I had to start the engine for 20 minutes this morning. I can’t work out what’s wrong, It’s hard to beleive that two sets of batteries now are duff. The load is hard to guage on average because it goes up and down with the fridge and freezer going on and off but is maybe about 5-6 amps on average but probably a good bit less. In theory I have 200 amp hours of battery capacity. The sun stops charging at about 1600 but the batteries are full or nearly so by then. The sun kicks in again at around 0800 , it’s not so straightforward, obviously because the sun does start to trickle charge in a little earlier in the morning and does give a little after 1600, but assuming the above I’m only getting about 90 amp hours. In any event I don’t think I’m going to do much about it before Scotland unless something dramatic happens, I may turn the freezer off overnight.
Not sure what to do today we’ll go to Spanish Town tomorrow and go to the ‘baths’ by taxi, rock pools and caves and go to customs and immigration to clear to St Kitts and Nevis, I’m loath to go to Jost Van Dyke Island as it’s 21 miles downwind but we may do just that. Anyway that’s all for now
Slainte Jock and the gang.
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