LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 17:
February 12, 2000
0622 Sunrise.

0645 I wipe down the stainless steel and the wood trim, as it rained last night.
My intent is to get as much salt off the surfaces as possible so that over the
next few days I can do some maintenance. There are early signs of pitting
in some of the stainless due to moist salt the surfaces. The stainless will need
to be  rubbed and waxed. The wood surfaces, which are coated with Cetol, are in
relatively good condition but there are a few spots that need to be rubbed and
recoated. If I keep up these things over the next couple of months, I should be
able to  prevent the spring work from being overly extensive. If this stuff is
allowed to slip, a lot of man-hours will be required to restore it. That is one of
the burdens of boat ownership!

0745 I unrig the staysail and the baby stay and stow them. Additionally I
unrig the storm trysail, which has been at the ready on the mast since leaving
Cambridge. To date I have never used it and I hope I won't need to. I do not
expect to re-rig either of these sails until I am ready to take the offshore legs
back to Cambridge in late March/early April.

0815 I have noted a rather peculiar situation with the dual jib. When I
roll it up the Sunbrella (sp?) covering, which is designed to protect the sail
from the ultra violet rays of the sun (when the sail is rolled up) is not doing the
job. The protective cloth is blue, while the sail is white. When the sail is
rolled up it has something of a blue and white candy cane spiral appearance. I
unroll it at anchor and try re-rolling it. The same thing happens. I stand on the
foredeck and pull on the reefing line and I can see that the luff of the sail is
folding over at the initial stage of the roll-up. The effect would be similar to
a person folding the waistband of his trousers down to expose the inside of the
waistband. I climb the mast to in hopes of better understanding what is
happening. What I find is that the sail is damaged at its head with the luff-tape
having been separated slightly by tearing out some it's stitching. There is nothing I
can do at the masthead. I will have to pull the sail off the furler and then
assess the situation. I climb down and make some breakfast.

> 0845 I clean up the galley and give the Force 10 stove an extensive
scrubbing. Its stainless surfaces were covered with rust-colored spots as a result of
being sprayed several days ago by salt water that got into the cabin. It cleans
up nicely.

> 1045 I horse the dinghy out of the forward cabin and up on deck. Clearing
the bimini out of the way I wrestle it to the fore deck, where I unpack and
inflate it. With the spinnaker halyard I lift it into the water and tie it off
astern.

1100 As I look around Carlisle Bay I note seven other yachts from nations
other than Barbados. Three are from France, three from the UK, and one from
Australia. One of the boats from the UK appears to be somewhat smaller than Lord's
Prayer. Another is tiny - about 20'; yet it has a wind steering vane and a wind
powered electric generator at the stern. Its name is "Tramp". From the appearance
of the boat, the name fits nicely. Four of the boats are about the same size or
slightly larger than Lord's Prayer. The last - the Australian boat - is in the
50' range; it is sloop rigged with a hull that looks similar to the "Deer foot"
yachts. Two of the boats are ketch rigged; everything else is sloop rigged.
There is an interesting wooden sailboat in the Bay that is probably local since it
is on a mooring. It has a classic Nova Scotia "Bluenose" hull but instead of a
schooner rig, it is a ketch.

1240 rigged outboard onto dinghy.

1330 I putter around Carlisle Bay in the dinghy to investigate the landing
sites specified in the guide. I find myself passing the Holiday Inn where Laura
Lea and I stayed for 3 days in 1983; I was in the crew of USS John F. Kennedy
(CV67), which was visiting Barbados. I am suddenly seized with grief over losing
her cancer - even though it has been almost 3 years. The grief often times
overwhelms me in this way. Something triggers it; then it hits me like a bolt out of
the blue. I weep like a child. I pass the yacht club and the cruising club.
There are no piers or floats here. All access to and from the boats here is via the
white sand beach. Further north along the shore of the Bay, there is a place
called the "Boatyard". This is the recommended landing site. I do not see any sign
of a boat maintenance facility - just an open-air nightclub. I motor around a
jetty in to the mouth of a river that has a name but this part of it is known
locally as the careenage; there is no longer any place along the river where a boat
can be careened, though. The waterfront here has improved some since I was here
17 years ago. There are some commercial boats and yachts tied up in sort of a
Mediterranean Moor type arrangement but with the bow to a mooring buoy and stern to
the bulkhead. In a few cases there are pilings to form slips. Typically a
concrete slab is cantilevered out over the water along the shore of the Careenage. It
would be difficult to get out of a dinghy here due to the height of the slab
and the lack of any ladders. And there is no place to tie it up where there is not
a risk of the dinghy getting caught under the slab with the potential for
damage if a passing boat were to produce a wake. I motor over into the fishing harbor
to take another look at the area where I refueled yesterday. There is no good
site to tie a dinghy here either. I go back to Lord's Prayer

1600 I go ashore in the dinghy to do a little exploring. I go to the sand
beach at the "Boatyard". I step out into the surf and drag the dinghy up onto
the beach. Afterward I put on my tennis shoes. There is a sign here that offers
services to boaters - showers ($5.00), laundry services (offsite), a place to
change, and repairs if needed (also offsite). I take a short walk around Bridgetown
trying to find a telephone to make an overseas call. After some exploration, I
wind up back at the "Boatyard" where there is a "card-phone". The music is
booming but I attempt my call anyway. Busy at the other end! I decide to grab a bit to
eat at the nightclub and for about $10 I try my first flying fish. It is good.

1803 Sunset. I try my phone call again. This time I get through. Afterward
I return to Lord's Prayer.


Sunday, February 13, 2000
0645 with the wind relatively lighter than the norm, I pull the jib off
the roller, bundle it up and take it below.

0815 I go ashore in the dinghy to attend church services. I carry jacket,
trousers and tie in a backpack and change at the "Boatyard". I had checked out
the location and times of services yesterday when I was ashore and decided on the
0900 service. There were actually 5 options available (0630, 0745, 0900, 1100,
and 1800). I attend services at THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF SAINT MICHAEL
AND ALL ANGELS. This is the Anglican Church or the Church of England. I arrive at the
cathedral about 20 minutes early and find that the 0745 service is still in
progress. It ends just in time for the 0900 start. I take a seat midway down the pews.
As I sit down a dove flies into the sanctuary and zooms to the top of a
chandelier. I am immediately struck by the enormity of the inside of the cathedral.  The
pews are arranged in such a way that 10 or 12 churchgoers could sit in each of
the pews. These are arranged on either side of a central Aisle that leads from
the door at the back down toward the alter area; they are further split by an
aisle that runs perpendicular to reach two side doors at about the midway point.
Outside of these pews there is another lengthwise aisle on either side. There is an
additional set of pews big enough to seat 6-8 on the outside of these aisles.
Above the outside pews there is a balcony seating area on either side that runs
lengthwise and connects with a seating area at the back of the church creating a
U-shape. I am guessing that there may be room to seat 800-1000 people in the
cathedral. In the back, high up, there are pipes for a great pipe organ. The
ceiling, which is wood planked like the hull of a ship, is arched creating a feeling
of openness. This sensation is heightened by the fact that all windows and doors
stand open throughout the service, allowing a gentle, refreshing breeze to pass
through. Down front the organ is off to the right and it makes some very
powerful music, while the choir is to the left. Centrally located on a slightly raised
platform there is a podium to the right from which a good deal of the service is
conducted. On the left there is a pulpit of ornamental wood about 10' in
height. The priest ascends a winding staircase to give his sermon from the pulpit.
Beyond this area the arched sanctuary extends into another room. In here there are
great curved wooden beams supporting the wood ceiling like the frames of an old
wooden  ship. Within this section of the cathedral all of the windows are of
stained glass with beautiful scenes of Christ. A cross stands at the far end. The
construction of the cathedral walls is of stone and mortar. On the insides of the
walls there are many dedications on an assortment of marble and brass tablets.
One of these catches my eye and bespeaks the time when this cathedral was
relatively new - that era when sailing vessels were in their heyday - and the French,
Spanish, Dutch, and British fought major sea battles in and for control of this
beautiful Caribbean Sea. The Tablet, which hints of the human sacrifice in that
time, reads something like this: "In memory of William Alan Lord Proby, Captain
Royal Navy, first son of Jon Joshua, first Earl of Carysfort, born 1779. Died of
the yellow fever in 1804 while in service as the commanding officer of HM
Frigate 'Amelia'. His remains are interred at this site." The sermon today deals
with the subject of love - Gods love and passionate love with some interesting
observations being made by the clergy. The subject seems  rather timely to me
since tomorrow is Valentines Day. As the Eucharist is being completed and the
last of the people are returning to their pews, the whole Sunday school streams
in (50-75 little kids) all colorfully dressed and looking precious and innocent as
they go to the rail to take the Eucharist. The scene fogs my glasses! Each of the
youngsters then goes to sit with his or her parents. The service ends in time for the
1100 group to stream in.

1200 I return aboard Lord's Prayer. I hand sew the cringle at the head of
the jib back to the sailcloth. There are places where the needle simply will not
penetrate the cloth, but I find ways of accommodating that difficulty and after
a careful effort, I re-hoist the jib onto the roller and I roll up the jib. All
seems to be behaving as it should now.

1400 I spend the remainder of the day relaxing and reading.


Monday, February 14, 2000 (Valentines Day)
0815 I go ashore for a tour around the Island. As I bring the dinghy
through the surf, she broaches in a breaking wave and I am rolled right out into the
water. I get totally soaked, so I go back out to Lord's Prayer and this time
come in with a bathing suit on and dry cloths in my backpack. I change at the
"boatyard".

0900 My driver's name is Whitmore Gibbons. His card indicates that he also
works as a funeral director. We drive around the entire perimeter of the
Island. On the east (or windward) side the surf is awesome. As it crashes on the rocks
it sometimes explodes upward in a great burst of white spray. I have never seen
waves crashing on a shore in such a dramatic manner. Even 500 yards inland
everything is wetted by what Whitmore calls "sea sprites" - the mist from the
exploding waves. Whitmore was borne in this part of the island and he shares with me
what life was like for a little black boy growing up here some 40 years ago. He
tells me of how his mom used to go into the fields at harvest time to cut sugar
cane and how he would sometimes help her after school. Today they use machinery
to harvest most of the sugar cane. But there are still some places on the island
where the grade is too steep for the machinery and here it is done by hand just
as it was by slaves since the early 1600's. Further south on the east side of the
island there is a beach that is popular for surfing competitions. There is no one surfing
there today, though. In the central part of the island we visit Harrison's Cave. I go in on a
tram. I  have not been in a lot of caves and would not know how this compares. But
there  are some good-sized caverns, some interesting formations, and a
substantial amount of water flowing through. This cave is much larger and more
spectacular than any I have seen previously; so seeing it has been an enjoyable
experience. We pass a lot of churches around the island. Each Parish, of which there
are 11, has its own Anglican church. The structures are far more grandiose than
what I am used to seeing way out in the country. Interestingly, they all seem to
have about the same design. We stop at St. Johns Church in the parish of that
same name and I have a look around. It is built on a promontory overlooking the
Atlantic  Ocean. The site is extraordinary in its beauty. The graveyard surrounds
the church. The view from the graveyard is magnificence. If the dead should be
able to gaze out from wherever they happen to be laid to rest, this would seem to
be a most desirable place to be planted for eternity.
There are lots of other religious denominations here on the island besides
the Church of England; although Anglican reportedly claims 80% of the island
population. This was the first religion on Barbados. Roman Catholic was second and
Methodist was third - or so Whitmore tells me anyway. I also note the presence
of Christian Science and Seventh Day Adventist. There are others - but they are
denominations that are unfamiliar to me.
1700 When I return aboard Lord's Prayer, I find that there is another boat
in Carlisle Bay from the USA. Its homeport is Chester, MD - about 50 minutes up
the road from my home in Cambridge.


Tuesday, February 15, 2000
I spend much of the day today working on my to-do list. I tackle the
laundry, put some Cetol on the exterior trim wood, install pole chocks on the life
rail stanchions, etc., etc., etc. In the early afternoon I take trash ashore and
stop to say hello to the folks in the boat from Maryland. The owners are Tim and
Pam Fisher. Their boat's name is "Querida Grande".  They have a friend onboard
named peter, who is a UK citizen with residences in the UK and Palma, de
Mallorca. They  have just crossed the Atlantic from the Canary Islands - returning after
spending some 4 years in the Mediterranean.


Wednesday, February 16, 2000
I accomplish more of the to-do list today. I clean and vacuum the boat.
She is looking a lot more presentable.
2000 I have cleared out through the Port Authority, customs and
immigration for an early morning departure tomorrow. I will be proceeding to Granada,
which is a  trip of slightly more than 24 hours. I expect to arrive in Granada
sometime on Friday.
END OF LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 17


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