The Flying Lentil The log of Festina Lente, Sigma 38

Judging by the flowers and the nesting birds , Spring is coming to the Caribbean. For those of you that don’t know , the sailing season out here runs from December to June , as outside those times one is likely to encounter a Hurricane , or at least some hairy tropical storms . Thus many of the boats around us are gathering towards the North of the Caribbean chain, gearing up for the return trip home, whilst the rest are looking to lay up soon or head South where hurricanes are much less frequent. This latter group keep asking why we don’t just leave the boat here and come back next year. Its a good question as the last 6 weeks have been pretty idyllic.
For me at least the answer is that in order to stay out here , I need to know we can get back . Perhaps that sounds rather illogical , but we have met many people who by reason of age , illness , or general disinclination feel that they are trapped out here , and once we have successfully made the journey home we will know if we have the confidence , and indeed the competence , to do it again should we so wish. One chap set off 12 years ago to circumnavigate, his wife jumped ship 2 years ago in Singapore and he is sailing back on his own. He is 75 and sounded very tired.
Another sure sign that the end of the season is approaching is the gathering of various beautiful boats for Antigua Classic and Race weeks. Sadly , at $600 for entry and measurement we have decided it is out of our price range which is a shame as I have begun to get the odd bout of race withdrawal symptoms of late. A year or two ago Jonty and I set up the Boring Old Farts Sailing Anorak Association along with a few other like minded obsessive’s , the entry criteria for which is the ability to recognise and reel off facts about even the most obscure yachts and dinghies and laugh at ourselves for our folly. If we are to set up a Caribbean branch of this august body it would need to recognise an altogether different class of vessel- the average size of which is 150 ft long! Those few billionaires who are not swanning around in these lovely craft probably own the gorgeous houses ( complete with boat houses and dinghy docks) that line the shores of Antigua. We temper our envy with the thought that even if in financial terms we are mere minnows in comparison , we have got just the same stunning view !
Today we have had our first bit of rain and have been busy rigging up the awning as a rain catcher. Typically , as soon as we got it working the rain stopped but there look to be some more clouds on the horizon. The islands themselves are desperate for water and those yachts without water makers have been in real trouble as the shortages take hold. With our solar panels and wind generator we can just about run the fridge and make 20 litres of water a day without having to charge with the engine, but the rain water would still be a boon for washing and showering. !
We have very much taken to Antigua and are currently taking it easy in Nonsuch bay on the east coast. The wind is Northerly , which like much of the weather this year , is very unusual , and perhaps more importantly makes the normal anchorages on the small Islands to our NW ( Saba , Statia , St Kitts , Nevis and Monserrat) relatively untenable, so we have seized on this excuse and slowed down.
Most days find us snorkelling on one reef or another . Lynda is becoming quite fishy and the other day some people described us as “snorkelly sort of people”! I took it as a complement (!) and am thinking about adding it to the little cards we hand out to the friends we make along the way – “Philip and Lynda Meakins – Snorkelly sort of people! “ Back in the dark ages , my sister Louise and I used to spend every Sunday on the coral reefs around Singapore which is perhaps why I so enjoy it now. I cant wait for Bryony to come out and share it with us , especially as she will probably be able to tell us what is going on down there midst all that fishy mayhem.
It being Good Friday, Lynda made hot cross bullets for us to eat this morning after our early morning canoe trip – and very good they were too. So , wherever you are and whatever you are doing , have a happy Easter and at least one more Easter egg than is purely sensible!
Love from the Festinas.