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Getting Keen
April 7th today, spring started a few weeks back but we woke up to 15cm of fresh snow. I mean really! When will it bloody well end. Fortunately for the TL’s northern crew members, it will all end this Friday as we start our southward migration to St. Barth’s… can’t wait.
And so endeth the regatta….
Slightly lighter winds today – 16–18, and blue blue sky, and warm water. Boats headed out to the racecourse – a single start today with the bigger boats and medium boats (there are no small Swan’s) mixing it up. We had a good start, winning the committee boat, and although rolled by two late starting bigger boats, soon got a lane and headed to the upwind mark in clear air. Watching 90’ Swans set the spinnaker at the mark was…
Day 3 – we need thrust…
Well Joe actually said we need a thrust washer for the propellor that arrived. The New York propellor fed-x kindly sent to New York, so whilst the delivery time was exceptional, the customer wasn’t quite as delighted as they imagined. A brave new shipping business-model perhaps. A thrust washer is just a washer in reality. It just costs more as the word thrust isn’t to be sniffed at. Without the thrust washer though, we still romped around the racecourse today…
Day 2 – the road to Jerusalem
Started the day off by heading to the top of the hill to get Jon and Peter C – they have a stunning view of the sound. Having to hear Jon singing “happy talk” from South Pacific kind of spoiled the moment. Breakfast at “Tamarind” – the eating villa, with Joe arranging for propellors of various shapes and sizes to be fed-x’d to BVI. Customs will think he’s trying to start a drone airline. After the usual fuss of trying…
Day 1 – big wind, big waves, big bar bills….
An early start to the day had a grumbling crew walking up the hill to the breakfast villa. Pancakes the size of race marks were served which partially offset the early hour, and then crew headed off to find the ferry to the yacht club. A few false starts to go back to the villa to pick up the “cold cuts”whatever that is; the missing navigator; and sundry equipment, we made the scheduled 8am ferry at 9am (island time!), and…
Practice makes perfect…
A day of calibrating instruments – until we were arguing about 1/000s of a knot; and putting sails up and down to wear out the crew and practiced shouting at them. This was of course helped by continually dousing them in warm blue water, presumably to stop them from drying out. After several hours of this we headed to berth at the Yacht Club Costa Smerelda, registered and prepared for battle. As there skipper and navigator headed to the briefing,…
and so it starts….
The Triple Lindy circus is now in town – all crew have made the small plane flight into BVI, and worked out where Joe had hidden the villas. Today was a weight saving day – Triple Lindy is now floating higher than even before as toolbox after toolbox and spare rope after spare rope were brought ashore, now tucked away at one of the villas. A practice sail was had, which proved how much we needed a practice. Doing that…
Packing up and on our way
Now at the stage of filling sailing bags with clothes that will never be worn, as we prepare for a week of big breeze sailing in Virgin Gorda (supposedly looking like a reclining virgin – but if she’s reclining, I suspect she’s having a rum and won’t be so pure for long). As usual the instructions from Joe as regards where we are to be, transport, etc. is equivalent to following Blackbeard’s treasure map. It will all become clear tomorrow….
Day 6 – last day.
A coastal day – no more windward leeward! Lightish airs and we have the first start. Good start at the pin end of the line, and shortly after the start with a shifting breeze, put up a reaching chute, which came as a bit of a surprise at the sharp end of the boat! We almost made the rocks but had to do a quick change to jib and back again – light air and we’re already multiple sail changes…