Log #43G Touring and Departing Jamaica

Written at: Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

Feb. 19, 2007

After leaving Pigeon Island we motored up to Manatee Bay in Portland Bight for the evening to anchor in a broad bay (17 50.94N, 077 04.58W) facing a long beach and mangrove lined shoreline. It was a bit rolly and I wished we had anchored outside the bay in a finger enclosed by the shoreline and a reef which broke the swells. We had the whole bay to ourselves, but did not bother to go ashore, and instead just dinghied around the deserted shoreline before weighing anchor and heading back to Kingston. This time we skirted the Kingston shoreline to see the large container port, and the industrial/fishing port, as we motored past the derelict cruise ship pylons along the unimpressive Kingston waterfront and over to the RJYC. When we arrived, Tom's boat Stephanie J was back in its slip, and we had to go alongside the fuel dock.

However, Richard found us another unused slip which we occupied for the rest of the week, until our self steering system was returned and we could leave Jamaica. We took a guided tour inland of the Blue Mountains for a day, going up to the Jamaican Defense Force training grounds and over to the National Forest Blue Mountain heritage site. The Defence Force training area had been the base for several British units stationed in Jamaica before independence (see attached picture) and the mountain top heritage park was a glorious setting for hikes, cabins and shelters along the crest of the Blue Mountains. Judy and I thought that if our steering system were further delayed we would like to come up here for a few days to enjoy hiking among these mist shrouded pinnacles.

As it was Judy's birthday we stopped at the luxurious resort of Strawberry Hills for lunch, and a wander around that mountain side spa. On our way down into Kingston we stopped at the Defense Forces barracks to visit the military museum on base; interesting, but not as good as the museum at Chaguaramus in Trinidad.

The following weekend there was a rally and race for the RJYC boats which we were invited to join. The rally started Friday evening out to Lime Cay, but as the winds were high, we decided not to go. However on Saturday Tom and Rowena encouraged us to join the boats at Pigeon Island for the night and the race back to the RJYC on Sunday. OK! At Pigeon Island all the boats were rafted alongside each other at a single mooring buoy set by the club. It was an enjoyable evening with several of the boaters coming over to Veleda to welcome us and to see a long term cruising boat. Sunday morning I took some pictures of all the boats rafted together, and we left before the race began, indicating we would motor sail back to the club rather than race in the heavy winds that day. It was a very heavy slog upwind, motoring into it, and as the yachts tacked back and forth I took pictures of them as they overtook us in the heavy winds and seas. I gave copies of the pictures to the manager, Patti, and to Tom and Bruce, as their boats were photographed pounding into the seas.

Tom liked the picture I took of Stephanie J so much he is using it as his screen saver, as we saw when we were at his place for supper a few nights later. My hat is off to these intrepid sailors for racing into such heavy seas in the restricted waters around Kingston. The hardest leg was inside the harbour into 35 knot winds on the nose.

Finally our Raymarine autopilot arrived at the club on Tuesday, Feb. 6, and we installed it the same day. Next day we went out for a sea trial which was quite successful, showing a deviation of only 1 degree (as opposed to the 15 degrees when defective) and we left next morning, Feb. 8, at sunrise.

We were headed 1200 miles back to Antigua, heading east into the easterly trade winds. We had three options. One, we could head directly into them going along the south coast of Hispaniola, the way we came. Two, we could do a long 700 mile tack south to the coast of South America, then up to Antigua. Or three, we could head NE up to the Turks and Caicos Islands which would (at least in theory) give us a good heading for the leg south to the Dominican Republic and then day sail hops to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and down the Leeward Islands to Antigua. We chose the third option which involved a 380 mile passage from Kingston, up the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti, up to Sapodilla Bay in Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We had a good weather window forecast, with light winds for the next four days, and went for it!

There were light winds as we motored past the east end of Jamaica and up towards the Windward Passage. However, I was concerned that we might be motoring the whole distance to the Turks and Caicos Islands and we might not have enough fuel on board. Running out of fuel and possibly having to put into Cuba or Haiti for such did not appeal, and so we reversed our course to head back to Port Antonio in Jamaica to fill our jerrycans and to get a couple of extra for the trip. This meant a 25 mile motor back, to make another night entry and anchorage in a strange port. We are thankful for our C-map and the Yachtsman's Guide to Jamaica. No problems, as the buoys and lighted range markers were still operational, and we dropped anchor at 2000, 100 yards from the main part of town (18 10.85N, 076 27.27W), after 84 miles from Kingston and had a good night's sleep.

Judy was antsy about the fact we should have left Jamaica within 24 hours of checking out from Kingston, and this stop in Port Antonio would be over 36 hours. In the morning we dinghied over to the Port Antonio Marina (where it was indicated on our 10 year old pilot) to find it was not operational and the new Errol Flynn Marina was the site for fuel and supplies. This is a modern full facility marina close to town and with very co-operative staff. In our dinghy, Wave Dancer we were welcomed alongside a dock, and asked how they could be of service. When we indicated we wanted to buy a couple of extra jerrycans for diesel, it was indicated that such were not available in town. However the gentleman who helped us alongside suggested that some of the grocery stores in town got vegetable oil in 20 litre containers and such empty containers might be available. He took us over town and after checking in a couple of stores bought two plastic containers that would hold diesel fuel. The town is right next to the Marina, and looks like a pleasant place which we would like to visit should we return to Jamaica. We went across the harbour to fill our jerrycans and two containers, returning to the Marina to pay.

There is a Police dock at the town centre, and I wanted to get going before anyone came over to enquire as to our documentation. As we weighed anchor, I noticed a Police launch going over to the fuel dock, and was glad we were under way. However outside the harbour we were stopped by the launch for a boarding! Fortunately, no problem, as they were just doing a safety check and did not want to see any of our entry or exit documentation. On we motored, in the late morning of Feb. 9 into the dramatically calm waters towards the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti. We motored NE into a light force 1 or 2 NE breeze for 18 hours, enjoying the calm seas, the starry night, and the glorious phosphorescence blasting greenish white explosions in our wake. At times it was difficult to distinguish between reflections from the starry sky and the undulating shimmering of the diamond white phosphorescence following the boat over the glassy calm waters. We were glad we got the extra fuel.

However, before dawn on the 10th, the winds had developed into force 4 (15 knots) still from the NE, and our course was 055, right into it. We increased our engine revolutions and hoisted a double reefed main to tack into the winds. By midday of the 10th we were tacking into 20 knots of wind, with Cuba visible on our port. Off the Cuban coast I caught my largest wahoo, 36 inches, giving us 12 thick steaks and a couple of fillets for Sachimi. I cleaned and carved out the steaks and fillets as opposed to Judy who usually cleaned the fish caught. .We could not motor directly into the wind and so tacked, motor sailing back and forth up the Windward Passage. There is a reason they call this the Windward Passage, as the winds howl down it from the NE, and to help matters, there is a current setting from the north through this channel between Cuba and Haiti.

On we slogged through the 10th, the 11th, and the 12th into force 5 to 6 (20 to 25 knot) headwinds, nowhere predicted in our weather forecasts before leaving, in 5 mile tacks! Then our engine started acting up! There was air in the fuel line, causing a shutdown. We had to bleed the fuel filter of the accumulated air. Then it shut down completely. It wasn't only the air in the fuel filter, the fuel filter itself was blocked. I had put in a fuel line solvent which disrupted the fuel line accumulations, and clogged the filters. We had to change all three filters to clear the blockage! However we continued to have problems with air getting into the filters, and had to bleed the filters every 6 hours or so.

Then we noticed the bilge pump was not working, and the level in the bilge was getting dangerously close to the batteries. We used the manual bilge pump. We could not get the automatic bilge pump working, and had to manually pump the bilge every half hour for the last 24 hours of this heavy passage. Water was coming in, but we did not know from where. We identified it from a leaking hose in the cockpit through hull, and from the anchor well which was not draining as it should and was taking water as we bashed into the waves. It took from 40 to 60 pumps each half hour to clear the bilge.

We had a double reefed main and a postage stamp genoa most of the way as we pounded our way up the Windward Passage, two 5 mile tacks to achieve 6 miles towards our destination. We hove to a couple of times to rest, have meals and when we changed the filters. It was not a comfortable passage.

We arrived a couple of miles off West Caicos Island in the dark about 2245 on the 12th, and hove to again as we did not want to try a night entrance onto the Caicos Bank. We left the engine on idle as the starter motor does not readily respond as the solenoid is erratic. By 0400 we had drifted further offshore and were wallowing in the heavy seas. We motorsailed back towards the island, and saw that our mainsail had developed a big tear because of the 35 knot winds still howling. We put in a third reef, which secured the torn section down onto the boom, and continued to motorsail to the southern tip of West Caicos and up the ship channel across the banks to Sapodilla Bay on Providenciales, the westernmost island of the main Caicos group, where we anchored in 8 feet of water (21 44.65N, 072 17.22W) as measured by hand lead and line on the 13th of Feb. From Port Antonio in Jamaica to Sapodilla Bay is 318 miles, but as we had to tack back and forth the total distance covered was 430 miles, plus the 85 miles from Kingston to Port Antonio for a total of 515 miles over a 6 day passage!

Pounding into headwinds for four days, plus going against a south setting current, as well as engine problems with air locks and clogged fuel filters, torn mainsail, leaks from the anchor well and cockpit through hull hose, a nonfunctioning depth sounder and automatic bilge pump, and manually pumping the bilge every half hour, plus concerns about the starter motor; all contributed to the most uncomfortable passage in our 9 years of cruising!



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