Preparing to leave 3-15

Nice quiet evening at Saba Rock. The weather is cooperating for our passage, but the that means the wind has dropped and its pretty hot here without the steady breeze of the trade winds. In morning we head in to shore for coffee and snacks, but forgot to allow for island time. At 8:30, the 7:30 breakfast was still in the ‘hose down the outdoor tables’ stage. We waited for a while, snapping a few quick pictures of Saba Rock and using Wi-Fi to pay a couple of bills and call home via Skype.

  We finally gave up on coffee and headed back to the boat for a quick swim, and then a Skype video call to Noah’s classroom. We could see them, but they couldn’t see us, so we have some tech bugs to work out there. Hopefully it was just the weak signal out at the boat. Even without full video, Noah enjoyed seeing and hearing from his friends. After the call we went in to the docks to top off the water tanks and grab some ice, then we headed towards Spanish Town to clear out of customs/immigrations. We also need to top off the fuel tanks, as we are expecting to motor all the way to St. Martin. This is usually because of the strong headwinds, waves and current, but tonight we are hoping to motor due to light winds.  All of this goes smoothly, and by 4pm we are heading out of Spanish Town/Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor and heading south to the Round Rock Passage.

The passages out of the BVI are unmarked, and surrounded by reef and rocks, which requires that you leave during daylight. The trip to St. Martin is typically 15 hours, so it is not practical to leave in the morning and make the trip before the sunsets. Its equally bad to arrive at a new port in the dark, which is why we are making the trip overnight. Photo below is a reminder of the danger of navigating the passages in the dark.

We clear the passage at 4:30 and heat ESE towards St. Martin. We can see a couple of other boats heading that way. Crew is smiling, but all are nervous. It may not seem like much, just 80 miles, but an overnight crossing where you are out of sight of land for about 10 of the 15 hours and essentially on your own is a big step. All research says this passage is one of the worst in the Caribbean – against the wind, Atlantic swells, and counter currents. But we have been patient, and are lucky enough to have a very favorable forecast for both wind and waves, so fingers are crossed for a peaceful trip.