Passage Firsts

Photographer Janice on Livin' Life took this on Aruba to Cabo de la Vela passage.  Great travelling with buddy boats!

We have made several short passages of late:  Carriacou to Bonaire (4 days), Bonaire to Curicao (to find safe harbour from Hurricane Matthew) Curicao back to Bonaire (for more diving), Bonaire to Aruba, Aruba to Cabo de la Vela, Columbia and Cabo do la Vela to Santa Marta.

For us, passage-making is never dull.  Peter and I enjoy the solitude and beauty of the vast blue.  The movement for our recent passages has been easy and comfortable - mainly downwind or no wind.  Going with the wind means we are surfing any waves that happen to be on our stern which boosts are speed without a roll or, worse, the pound of upwind.  No wind means we motor sail at best or motor sans sails which is aggravating but easy.

Downwind, we put out as much sail as wind speed allows.  We've found that two head sails wing-on-wing moves us along more easily than head sail and main.

We have seen plenty of lightning on these last passages sometimes sending me scurrying around to pack our mobile electronics in the “faraday cage”/oven.  But all has been for not.  So far, so good.

Our 3 day passage from Carriacou to Bonaire was pretty great.  Wind was light and on our stern so we were able to fly our spinnaker for a record 29 hours.  We have previously been more conservative with our sail plan overnight but the moon was so bright and the sky so clear that we thought we’d go for a couple of knots extra speed.  The difficulty with the spinnaker at night is that it requires two to bring it down with a bit of finesse and visuals.  With a full moon, the visuals were okay but it’s always takes more time when one of us is roused from a short sleep, groggy and plodding.  If the weather turns for the worse, the extra time the douse takes is a bit risky.  However, on this passage there was no need for hastey action and we slipped along through the waves without concern.

Spinnaker and screecher

Our happy spinnaker is beautiful against the blue sky and sea.  At least, I think so.

During the days we saw several barn swallows buzz the boat, swooping around and then flying off to who knows where - no land in sight.  There were usually a few together.  One evening a little guy kept me company periodically, perching on the windshield and lifeline.  Peter had the same companion but this time the nervey little guy came right into the saloon and perched on the TV we never watch.  Peter swished him out but he was determined to keep us company, obviously pooped.  Over the day, we made a point of keeping quiet so as not to scare him. I attempted to give him water but he turned his back on it.  With time it was obvious that he was suffering and gradually he flopped with wings spread.  Our first stowaway very sadly became our first burial at sea.  We learned later that other boats travelling at the same time, also spotted the swallows.  We seemed to have been on their migratory path.  I hope where they were going was worth the trip because it sure was a perilous journey.

Our little stowaway on the 3 day passage rested on various perches out of the wind.

Not particularly welcome inside the saloon.

Sad end.

And we finally caught our first fish.  We only occasionally put out our lines but lately we have spent time with cruising fishers or fishing cruisers.  I put out our hand line - no rod or reel, just a line that we put in almost as soon as we set sail for Cabo de la Vela.  By afternoon, not a bite.  I was just settling down to attempt a nap and Peter casually announced that there was something on my line.  He pulled it in with ease to find a 26” tuna.  After some mucking about, not quite sure what to do, he landed the guy, I doused him with cheap rum, Peter filleted and I cleaned and bagged the meat.  It is now in our freezer awaiting purchase of some sushi ingredients.

Tunas have huge beseeching eyes.  A bit guilt inducing, actually.

On the same passage, our friends on Livin’Life caught a tuna or two and a four and a half foot wahoo which they filleted in their dinghy!  Once anchored we all had wahoo for dinner.

Another first: sailing with buddy boats.  For four of our passages we sailed with Livin’Life and Slow Flight.  It feels a little cozier at night to see other tricolour lights twinkling with occasional VHF chatter and updates.  And when we got into harbour, we enjoyed the product of their fishing labours.

Buddy boat "Slow Flight" with pelican perched on pulpit.

"Livin' Life" always great company at sea and on land. 

And finally, a not so fun first.  On our passage from Aruba to Columbia, we had pretty constant lightning to the south of us, sticking to shore.  But a very large black cloud also showed us four water spouts (tornados over water).  One was long enough to raise the water as it neared the sea’s surface.  It was intimidating enough that we quickly doused our spinnaker, took loose stuff in the cockpit inside and put a couple of panels of our enclosure up.  The spouts gradually disappeared but not before giving us a few anxious moments.

This cloud produced four water spouts.  We were too busy securing the boat to take pictures of the other three. We could see the water being drawn up off the sea surface under this one.  Just like tornadoes, it is impossible to predict which direction these ominous things will go.

Views of the coast as we are approaching new lands are always exciting.  Columbia ranged from desert to green mountains and, a first in the Caribbean, a view of a distant snow-capped! mountain range.

Taken at sunrise, the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are on the left side, very faintly in the background.  Who knew you could see snow from a boat in the Caribbean Sea!

Although it was not our first but always exciting, we had large pods of dolphins playing at our bow.  On three different passages, we had striped, spotted and common bottlenose dolphins keeping us company.  Striped are quite small, spotted are very frisky and the bottlenose were almost languid - and sadly, scratched and knicked, by propellers most likely.  All are graceful and happy looking and such a treat to watch.

Love these creatures!

We are now looking forward to our next longer passage - 440 NM from Santa Marta to Providencia.  What “first” will be next?