Grenada to the Netherlands Antilles.

Heading west for the Netherlands Antilles: Aruba, Bonair and Curacao otherwise known as the ABCs. This is a sail of around 400 miles going with the wind and currents.

Among the jobs in the preparations to set sail is securing the Sewing machine. Probably, one of the reasons the sewing machine does not see the light of day that often. Having a 20 kilogram sewing machine leaping around the cabin in rough seas could be very painful. The sewing machine is strapped down in the quarter berth. Other pre sail jobs are; shopping for food, filling the water tanks and checking the boat is squared away for sailing. It has been a year since Sadiqi arrived in the Caribbean after a 2,000 mile sail from Basil.

Tuesday 17-06-14 @ 1330 Sadiqi departed Prickly Bay, Grenada

Engine: 1384.3 hours

I had said my good byes to friends at the half price pizza night at the Tiki Bar. In the morning I attended Tai Chi saying good bye to Pierre-Yves and Mireille on “Umido” before checking out with Immigration. There seemed to be a big enough weather window between the tropical waves to head westwards.

In the lee of Grenada conditions were rough with capricious winds from all directions, nasty waves and fickle currents. I motored for about an hour to get through the nasty conditions. Toward evening it was beautiful sailing conditions with 15 to 20 knots on the beam. Sadiqi was slicing through the water at 6 to 7 knots.

The 16 metre catamaran "Bob" appeared on the AIS doing 10 knots to Sadiqi's 6 knots. Being fairly close to the coast of Venezuela I disabled the AIS transponder. The AIS WatchMate was only set to receive other vessels positions and not to transmit Sadiqi's position. I see no point in announcing my presence to potentially opportunistic fishermen, who may see fit to relieve me of my possessions.

1700 - beer o clock. A time for reflection and thoughts and libations for family and friends who are no longer with us. And to the fish I hope yet to catch.

I had cooked up Thai green chicken curry the day before. I shall probably be enjoying Thai curry and rice for the next 3 dinners.

Very good it was too - the galley slave excelled himself.

During the night there were a number of stationary flashing lights about. I can only assume that this has something to-do with fighting. Other than the occasional ship there was only the bright canopy of stars until the waning moon appeared.

Wednesday 18-06-14

0100am I heard the cross track-error alarm on the chart plotter. I had already been woken with the sound of rain on the cabin roof. The cross track alarm sounds if Sadiqi's course deviates by more than two miles. Smithy, the wind pilot only steers by the wind, if the wind direction changes smithy will change course. Sadiqi was heading due north.

I gybed the mainsail to get back on course 300 degrees magnetic. Magnetic variation in this part of the world from True North is around 20 degrees west.

Around 0400am I gybed again as the wind had returned from an easterly direction. It takes a few days for me to get into the passage making sleeping routine.

Sailing almost dead downwind I only had the mainsail up, the head sail bangs around too much in the wind shadow of the main. I was in no hurry the sailing conditions and weather were very pleasant.

Noon 1200 hours UTC -4

Wind 12 to 15 knots easterly

Lat: 12 30.84 N Lon: 063 28.88 W

COG: 305 degrees M SOG: 4. knots

Engine: 1385.7 hours

106 miles sailed since departing Grenada.

We were making slower progress than I had planned for. The currents appeared to be negligible. However, it was pleasant to be sailing off the wind again.

Around beer o clock the wind began to strengthen. I unfurled the head sail. Sadiqi was soon slicing through the water at 6 to 7 knots chasing the setting sun. 

Chasing sun sets

Thursday 19-06-14

0400 hours Sadiqi arrived at the turn point (about 100 miles north of Isla De Margarita).

The wind had picked up during the night and Sadiqi was sailing with reduced mainsail only, doing 6 to 7 knots in the current. I gybed the main and set course for (COG) 277 magnetic. This was a compass heading of 257 degrees magnetic to make up for the cross current.

0600 Winds were 18 to 20 knots true. Sea conditions were boisterous. Sadiqi was rolling around and surfing down the waves with speeds up to 9 knots. The items on the boat that had not been squared away properly announced themselves by tapping, knocking or banging into something – spice jars some of the worst offenders. The search was on to silence the noisy items. There is only so much one can take of the repeated tap, tap, tap as screwdriver rolls from one side of its box to the other, as the boat rolls.

0900 the winds started to ease 12 to 15 knots from the east. I unfurled the head sail to maintain a COG of 277 degrees magnetic. Sadiqi was crabbing along sideways in the current.

Noon 1200 hours UTC -4

Wind 12 to 15 knots easterly

Lat: 12 39.84 N Lon: 065 46.23 W

COG: 260 degrees M SOG: 6.5 knots

Engine: 1385.7 hours

135 miles sailed since noon yesterday.

Sailing conditions were very pleasant. After sailing the Caribbean windward islands I was getting used to sailing down wind again.

2230 Winds increased to 20 = 25 knots I reduced the mainsail.

Friday 20-06-14

0430 the wind dropped – I gybed the main.

In the early morning I ran the engine to charge the batteries. There seemed to be a lot of cumulus cloud and the fridge compressor seemed to be drawing more current than normal.

1000 Wind 15 – 20 knots from the east.

Waves 3 to 4 metres – rolling along.

My original plan had been to make for Curacao. However, it did not look like I would make in in daylight. I decided to head to Bonaire, rounding the southern most point.

Noon 1200 hours UTC -4

Wind 16 to 18 knots easterly

Lat: 12 21.05 N Lon: 067 53.26 W

COG: 235 degrees M SOG: 6.0 knots

Engine: 1386.6 hours

125.5 miles sailed since noon yesterday.

1400 I sighted Bonaire.

1700 Beer o clock Sadiqi rounded the southern point of Bonaire. It was an extremely pleasant sail in flat water I the lee of the island in 15 knot winds on the beam.

A loud roaring sound startled me from my reverie. A large KLM passenger jet was about to land and I was directly under the landing approach. I thought the plane was going to hit the top of the mast it appeared so close.

Close encounters

1840 I picked up a mooring ball just off the city of Kralendijk, Bonaire – just on sunset.

Engine 1387.0 hours.

Trinidad and Grenada

I arrived back in Trinidad, after my half way around the world flights, on Sunday evening May, 18. It was very hot, dry and Sadiqi was covered in dust. There had been very little rain since I had left three weeks before. This makes a change from the mould and mildew that I had experienced when I left the boat in Malaysia.

Now the hard work began with cleaning and painting the bottom of the boat and doing innumerable chores while the boat was out of the water:

• Two coats of bottom paint Jotun Sea Quantum Ultra.
• Repairs to alternators. Serviced the engine.
• Repairs to head sail stitching.
• Food re-provisioning.
• Cleaning the boat.

While in a boat yard I try, where possible, to still live on the boat – saving on accommodation expenses.

I was hoping to depart from Trinidad before the end of May. Forest fires burned in the dry hills near Chaguaramas dropping ash all over the boats. When the bamboo caught fire it sounded like a small war as the bamboo exploded with loud cracks and bangs. Thankfully, the forest fires did not appear to be much of a threat to the boat yards. Several days later it rained enough to settle the dust and put out the forest fires. 

Forest fires - Trinidad

I purchased a new Lenovo laptop to replace the defunct dell. I was given less than $100 US for the dell. I managed to resist the urge for instant gratification of smashing the defunct Dell 14z laptop, then soaking in sea water, even though I was sorely tempted after the run around I had been given by dell US. I retained the hard drive and after eventually updating windows h8 on the Lenovo, swapped the drives and loaded my preferred operating system Linux Mint Cinnamon. The Linux install was very easy and smooth.

Power Boats boat yard prides itself on service and it was one of the more pleasant haulouts that I have had. The facilities were good and clean, the staff friendly and professional. I had worked on a spreadsheet comparing the two boat yards; Powerboats and Coral Cove. Surprisingly, Powerboats came out cheaper for my size boat (30 feet). Coral Cove is cheaper if your don't use their chocks and scaffolding.

On 28 May Sadiqi was successfully re-floated.

I checked out of Trinidad on Thursday May 29, at midday I set sail for Grenada. In the Caribbean one gives Venezuela a very wide berth due to the increasing incidence of piracy and general lawlessness.

It was not an altogether unpleasant sail from Trinidad with mostly easterly winds at 15 to 20 knots in 1 to 2 metre seas. Sadiqi and the skipper got a good salt water wash to get the Trinidad dust and ash off. With Smithy the wind-pilot at the helm and a fresh clean bottom Sadiqi made good speeds. Around midnight I reduced sail to the head sail only, as we were going to arrive in Grenada before day break.

I dropped anchor at 7.00am Friday morning in Prickly Bay.

On Saturday May 31, 2014 it was four years since Sadiqi departed from her home port of Fremantle, Western Australia halfway around the world. A lot of water has passed under the keel since then. Toby who sailed with me from Fremantle to Carnarvon is sailing the Indian Ocean on Sunflower. A big congratulations to Toby and Julie on their engagement.

Toby and Julie's Blog on Sunflower

In Grenada I was hoping to get more jobs done on Sadiqi.

Work up the enthusiasm to get the sewing machine out and do repairs to the awnings and canvas work. And update the blog.

Prickly Bay, Grenada

Prickly Bay being a social place I met up with:

Ted on “Aurora” from Texas.

Ian and Jacqui on “Blackhorn Lady from UK.

John on “Sebastian” from California.

Phil and Faye on “Jig Saw” from Australia

Wayne and Tracy on “Margaret Ann” from South Africa.

Richard and Kathy on “Mr Curly” from Australia.

Spice Island boat yard was rapidly filling up with yachts with the approach of the Caribbean Hurricane season (1^st June). The anchorages were also filling up as boats headed south where there is less probability of Hurricanes.

Grenada was tinder dry and brown with the dry season. The tropical waves began to assert themselves at the beginning of June bringing much needed rain. By the middle of June I could discern a slight green tinge on the lawns of the mansions that overlook Prickly Bay.