Throw out the GPS & get a pig

Across Neptune’s Hell: 10-11 Jul 08

Anegada Passage

Our advice had been to wait for calm seas and light winds, then motor…. The Anegada Passage was to be a challenging sail. Some relief unexpectedly came in the form of Big Bertha, a named cyclone twirling about in the Atlantic to our north…. Now what was that I just said?

With a forecast promising “reasonable winds” the Motleys set off from Anegada late afternoon for an overnight sail directly into seas “that can get quite rough in fresh trade winds”. Needless to say, it didn’t take too long before a bucket came out.

The boys rallied as GS clutched her bucket below and we made a reasonable fist of it under sail, despite getting a little sideswiped by a strong current. This meant we did have to motor for a little while to get back on course and added extra hours to our journey of 20 hours 20 minutes (it seemed sooo much longer!). Obviously I’m still alive; it must have been the scent of fresh baguettes wafting from across Marigot Bay that roused GS.

Galley Slave hard at work

This brings to mind a story we read about a local Caribbean navigation technique involving a very long line and a very hungry pig (both items which must be on board of course!). Traders from St Vincent sailing to Barbados would throw this pig overboard (only when they thought they were close, silly), and spurred on by the smell of sweet molasses, the pig would swim toward the island. The rope ensured the boat followed piggy. Clearly this method was used in a time before the movie Jaws. I wonder did they carry “back-up” pigs on board?

We trailed a lure expecting something decent to attach itself – especially given such quality of burley… All we managed was some hapless seagull who saw a hearty dinner in our lurid pink plastic squid. The Cap’n managed to unhook him and provide first aid. He’d swallowed rather a lot of sea water as you would expect. Happily, he now has something of an adventure to tell his grandchildren. 

From:  Anegada, BVI             Lat/Long:18 44N  64 23W Date/Time: 10/7/08: 1200

To:  Marigot Bay, St Martin  Lat/Long:18 04N  63 05W Date/Time: 11/7/08: 1100
Time Taken: 115nm (20.5hrs) Distance (this year): 192nm (44hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 192nm (44hrs)   Fastest Speed:
Weather: Fresh Trade Winds ENE 12-15kts; 4-5 ft swell; 0.5kt W current