St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands: leaving
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands: leaving
April 19
St. Thomas, USVI: leaving
Early on a quiet Sunday afternoon. No cruise ship in port.
I sailed from New Zealand a year ago Tuesday, which seems a good day to leave here. The distance to Colon, Panama, is about 1050 miles, which barring unusual weather should take eight days, plus or minus one. Thus an estimated arrival date of April 29.
I’ll go ashore once tomorrow, perhaps twice. The first to Budget Marine, an overpriced chandlery who have the only possible solar panel since the man who was going to sell me one has never returned. He seemed like a nice guy, too. Odd. And if I do bring back a solar panel, I’ll have to row ashore a second time for the supermarket.
There isn’t anything I need at the chandlery or supermarket that is essential, even the solar panel.
----------
Cacophony. I stopped writing and went to the companionway. People on a nearby boat are feeding the seagulls. How cute.
----------
The photos were taken at Christmas Cove and show the bottom before I scrubbed it. I’m not sure you will be able to see anything in the first, but I like its dreamlike quality. Refraction has made the keel seem smaller than it is.
I had gone in the water earlier in Antigua and sliced off the gooseneck barnacles with a putty knife. They were dozens of them above and below the waterline on the aft port side of the hull and bottom shown in the second picture.
There is nothing wrong with the folding propeller whose blades are folded shut by water pressure as the boat moves forward under sail and spun open by centrifugal force when the engine is on. With neither force in effect, one blade is hanging down because of gravity.
Fixed propellers provide greater thrust under power--although THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is the best handling boat under power I have ever owned--but they also significantly reduce speed under sail, by as much as a knot under some conditions, and my boats have always been optimized to sail not power.
I am pleased by how well the bottom paint, International’s Micron, has held up for a year and more than 15,000 miles.
April 20
St. Thomas, USVI
Just after 6:00 a.m. Music from shore again last night. Perhaps not quite as loud as last week, and ended again at midnight. Closed hatches and got to sleep at 10:00. Waiting for things to open on shore. No cruise ship in sight yet.
Finished first draft of an article about the passage from South Africa. Should be able to rewrite at sea and submit it from Panama.
I have more to do than I like on the day before sailing, but think it manageable.
----------
Just after noon and I’m ashore for the last time.
Came in early, rode the truck/taxi to Budget Marine at the east end of the island, where I bought several things, including a very over-priced solar panel. Then back here, where it was difficult to fit the solar panel in the dinghy with enough room for me to row. I wish they would make these things with rounded edges. It dinged me twice. Band-aids in place.
Back on the boat I got the solar panel hooked up and also the second stage of a repair to a freak break in the connection between the sink drain and the discharge hose to the through-hull fitting. If I could get the remaining half of the fitting off, it would be easy to replace, but it is corroded in place. So yesterday I glued the pieces back together with something that claims to be special plumbing glue; and today I bought some West epoxy resin at the chandlery and wrapped a piece of fiberglass tape over it. I think this will hold. In fact I think I will never be able to get it off.
I still have about an hour’s work to get the boat ready for sea. I expect to sail tomorrow morning, but may have to wait for cruise ships to enter before I can exit.
As always, maybe even more so, I’m glad to be moving on.
Monday, April 20, 2009