After a few days to recuperate, we have to address the major repair items: sails and chart plotter. We left Marina Cay and sailed to Nanny Cay on Tortola. We popped the chute, using the spinnaker pole to sail dead downwind. A first for our crew on Music. It worked fine, got us moving well and dried us out. Without a plotter, we took the long way around "the Dogs" before figuring out which side of Tortola we were seeing and adjusting course.
Once we arrived at Nanny Cay Marina, we stripped the main and genoa off the boat and carried them to the Quantum Sails loft. Cary, Ginny and I had the main on our shoulders, about 150 lbs, and, wouldn't you know it, our slip was as far from the loft as possible. It felt like a mile. We left the sails with Kevin and told him to do what he needed to do.
We then motored Music to Road Town, Tortola. Tricia went in to the National Parks office to get a permit to use the park moorings, while I removed the chart plotter. Getting from the dinghy onto the ferry dock was a challenge, and Tricia ended up having to request her permit soaking wet. (Cary later saw a shark right where Tricia had been "swimming".) I went in search of Fedex to ship the plotter back to Raymarine. After a long walk to a Tortola Express office in Village Cay, I decided not to use their UPS service. $147 to ship to US, and all their boxes looked beat to heck.
We then moved to an anchorage outside the seawall near the Moorings charter base. It was very rolly, and it took several tries to get the anchor set. It was dark when we finally tucked in to dinner, cards and bed. We woke to find a large cruise ship at the pier next to us. Quite the morning surprise, especially after contemplating the night before how close we could anchor to that dock! We took the dinghy in to the Moorings complex where they were nice enough to let us tie up and come ashore, albeit tied to a sunken concrete walkway covered in green slimy growth. We noticed several boats anchored in the little cove near the Moorings, even though the cruising guide says there is no anchoring here. I think it is fairly shallow. We did see the boat we almost bought instead of Music anchored right where we had seen it 3 years ago. It looks like it hasn't been cared for since.
Tricia and Cary went to the Riteway market for groceries and the french bakery mostly for window shopping, and I set out to find Fedex. The taxi took me to an office I never would have found on foot, only to find them closed on Saturday. Tricia had mentioned a USPS office. USPS in the BVI? Might as well try, so I set out on foot again. I was able to find it. Island Express, near the Supreme Court Building. They carry the mail to St Thomas and then send it from a US Post Office. Yes, USPS. It was only $47, including insurance, so I saved $100!
Provisioning at Riteway was a dream… a big grocery store, with a no-membership bulk store right next door , (which we skipped on this occasion). Buying the groceries was easy, with the exception that only about 1/3 of the prices were marked, and food here costs about double what it would in the States. We did well though, and got just enough to weigh us down for the walk back to the dinghy, and just the right amount to fill the fridge.
Back on board, we were happy to up anchor and head back to Virgin Gorda. On the way, we went to The Baths and snorkeled. The rock formations are cool and there were a few assorted tropical fish. Tricia saw a few squid. Overall, it was nice, but not that impressive. Rough, and it was a low wind day.
No comments:
Post a Comment