Charlestown, Nevis to Phillipsburg, St Martin

Apart from being woken up by the beach bar cranking up the volume for what must have been the last song of the night, we both have a good night’s sleep and are ready to leave by 8.30am.

Photo:  Local fishermen pulling in their nets in Nevis 

We start to motor with just the main up out of the mooring field and I take over the helm.  I don’t know why but ever since we have had had Jeannius, I am reluctant to use the wheel at the helm – I prefer to steer using the autopilot buttons.  Mike knows I can do it and can’t understand my reluctance as I have done it lots of times and have never done anything wrong.  I just feel so little and pathetic (and anyone who knows me knows that this is not me) when behind the helm but I know I have to get over this for the World Arc – I just have to practise more.  I wonder if it’s because you don’t get the same feeling as with a tiller, which is how I learnt years and years ago.

I get out of the flat calm of the mooring field without hitting anything and we turn to go between the south east side of St Kitts and the north west shores of Nevis.  We have tried to sail this course before.  It is the quicker, but more exposed route.  The wind and the sea pick up as soon as we make the turn into the channel and as we turn out of the channel and up east coast of St Kitts, Mike puts the genoa out and cuts the engines.

Photo:  Leaving Nevis behind

It is a bit lumpy and bumpy at first.  The mountains of both islands create strange wind patterns, but as we sail past St Kitts it all settles down.  Although the winds stay around 15-18 knots, Jeannius sails at an average of 6.5 knots.

It is a beautiful day.  We put the fishing line out but nothing is interested in it.  After washing all the blood and gore out of the cockpit yesterday, I am quite happy about this.

Quite frankly, the sailing today is as comfortable as it gets.  It’s steady after the first hour or so, and we both loll around in the cockpit reading and listening to music.  A real lazy day.  We are on the same tack all day so apart from a little fine tuning of the sails, Mike does nothing, and miraculously, nothing breaks, drops off, stops working or seizes up.

We arrive in Great Bay, Phillipsburg just before 6pm.  There is only one other catamaran in the whole bay plus two America’s cup yachts.  Phillipsburg looks dead.

We eat some of yesterday’s catch, the King Fish, cooked simply to see what it tastes like.  It’s good, not spectacular, but good … and free (if you don’t take into consideration the cost of the rod etc!).  We put the water maker on the fill the tank and Mike sorts the internet access out.  Can’t function without internet!!!