Leaving Grenada 11 February 2024

I woke early to write the blog of yesterday. It was another nice morning and this time Joyce made porridge. We got things ready and put away our hose and electric lead and I went to pay the bill for the electrics and water. There was some excitement and trepidation and I checked the weather again and there was little change to our first few days. However there was a gale (force 8) near Columbia but that was disappearing in a few days and the Isobars for the next week did not show cause for concern.

The marina crew came to untie our bow lines which were under water and once released we were off as we had already put slip lines (a rope which is lopped around the cleat but which can be slipped by taking one end off the cleat and pulling the other free) on. We moved past the mega motor yachts near us and moved out of the harbour. We needed to get the dinghy up which was still on deck and do a little more tidying away etc. so we anchored outside and pulled up the dinghy and tied things down etc.

Our passage is about 1,300 miles to Colon in Panama and the idea is to go direct and not stop so we can register with the agent and get in the queue for the canal transit. This passage is likely to take about 7-8 days. As explained yesterday we will stay at least two hundred miles offshore to limit the risk of piracy. We set off about 10.50am and were soon sailing on our course to our first waypoint some 200 nm away. It was a lovely day with calm seas and the wind seemed quite strong but as we moved away from the Island it calmed down and we had to motor for about 45 minutes or so until it came back again. 

We then put out full main and genoa and made reasonable progress but the wind kept changing in strength and it was some hours before it came steady and by then we had the swell.  We were obviously on high alert for other boats and could see a boat ahead of us on the chart plotter going very slowly and moving about. We thought it was a fisherman and we would keep watch. Then another appeared and then there were three but every now and then they disappeared. They all had similar names and so we guessed they were 3 fishing boats together. As a result we changed course slightly to miss then by about 4-5 nm so they could not see us. We passed them and on we went seeing a fleeting glimpse of some dolphins who came to see what we were up to.

I volunteered to do supper and cooked spaghetti bolognaise which people did eat!! I thought they may say that I could not cook again but the crew said I am not getting out of it that easily!!. It is very difficult cooking when the boat is rolling due to the waves and it is also very hot as we have the windows and hatches shut.

It was dark by then and we did not put on our navigation lights and we dimmed our instruments. We also put on our radar which can spot land and boats some 24 nm away. We saw the three fishermen on it as we moved past them.  

It felt good to be back on the water after a number of frustrating days in Grenada and to feel the rhythm of the sea again. It was back to watches again and Joyce and I took the first watch which we started at 12.00 noon with David and Carolyn taking over at 4.00pm. Keith and Jonas will be on at 8.00pm for the start of the night watches.  We have reefed down to 2 in then main and we put the staysail out being our slightly conservative plan for our first night which seemed sensible. Despite this we are making about 7-7.5 kts for which we cannot grumble with a reasonable swell and the galley chorus has resumed with plates and cups and pans rattling away.      

The blog will continue as we head off to Panama and beyond.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com  I can only upload one picture a day.