We weighed anchor 11/1/17 and motored back down the Paramaribo River...wind on the nose! We could see from the river all the parts of the city that we had visited on land...very nice! We anchored at the same place (before the mouth of the river) as we did on the way up and after a relaxing afternoon and a good nights sleep, we left Suriname for Trinidad.
The first day sailing was good but on the night the wind increased dramatically, so we reefed to keep control, however it was uncomfortable with the waves slapping on the side. The next day was a bit slow to start with but the breeze picked up and by the afternoon we were doing a nice 6 knots which continued through the evening and night. On day 3 we hit 3 squalls, sea 2 meters, 61/2 knots....reefed down. On the evening of day 4 we had to do something drastic to get back on course as the current and wind had conspired to push us westerly. It seemed that all roads led to Venezuela, which we definately didn't want to go anywhere near due to the instability and reported pirate attacks. There was only one thing for it......motoring north into the wind and swell for 15 hours. We hit a city of squalls! They were all around us but we could see which ones would hit and which would miss.
Whilst in Suriname, we had bought some waterproof outdoor material and fashioned a hood extension/Bimini with the help of a pole across our backstays. This worked remarkably well for a first attempt and protected us from the sun and rain. An added bonus was that we couldn't stand up under the boom because of it, so no chance of knocking our heads.
Artemis was behaving like a hobbyhorse, dunking her nose then tail into the sea, ocean cascading down the decks....great fun...not!
Once sufficiently northward, we were able to alter course and start sailing again. Close hauled but the sea a lot calmer. We both felt exhausted! We enjoyed good sailing, however being close hauled all the time makes you ache as the boat is heeled to one side, so you are continually bracing yourself.
By day 6 we were able to change course to a beam reach, with 55 miles to go to our waypoint (just after Galera Point, Trinidad).
Day 7 Turning between the Islands..Tobago on one side (in the distance) and the north of Trinidad to our port, we motored as the wind was yet again against us. The wind, current and tides here combine to give the strangest sea we have yet seen. Short and spikey, surging this way then that, similar to a boiling cauldron. Deepest cobalt blue, the colour turning to green as we turned to navigate the narrow pass between mainland Trinidad and Monos Island (on the chart as one of the Dragons mouths). The seas power is very strong here and increased our revs to keep a steady course avoiding Chapeau Rock (wrongly marked on Navionics charts as underwater.....Not the case!!!). We passed Scotland Bay, a popular anchorage but not permitted if you haven't checked in at Customs/Immigration first. A little further to Chaguaramas. We motored around the corner, very wary as there seems a lot of places...boatyards, marinas, industrial docks and ships that service the oil platforms to the north and west....such a small area!
We found one of the two remaining anchor buoys and finally relaxed midday. We chose not to anchor as Internet reports and cruisers we had met said that the anchorage bottom is very foul with ropes, nets, chains, sunken vessels etc...
No comments:
Post a Comment