LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 24:
Thursday, February 24, 2000
0200 It has taken 2 hours to connect and transfer email. I had to spilt part
23of the log into 3 sections (A, B, & C) to get it to transmit correctly.
0627 Sunrise.
1100 I prepare some nav planning for the return to Cambridge in April and follow that
up with coordinating correspondence. After numerous attempts to connect with
PinOak, I give up the effort until later in the day. There is just too much
interference in the HF band at the moment to make that connection now. The
interference causes an almost continuous error rate; as a result the PinOak
software is unable to make the necessary corrections.
1230 I make preparations for getting underway.
1330 Lord's Prayer is underway from The Saints bound for Basse-Terre, the
capital city of Guadeloupe. From there I will clear out of French territory for
a daybreak departure tomorrow morning. It is about a 65 NM trip from Basse-Terre
over to English Harbor, Antigua. I hope to arrive there in plenty of time on
Friday to clear in. On Saturday and Sunday I will do some minor maintenance,
restock provisions, and prepare for the arrival of my Brother Bob and his wife
Dawn, who will be coming from Boothbay, Maine.
1556 Anchored off the marina at Basse-Terre in 30 feet of water.
1630 I take the dinghy ashore, find Customs and clear out.
1700 After a brief look at the marina area I decide to take a look at the city
of Basse-Terre. I hoist the anchor and motor up to the vicinity of the ship
pier. It is very steep-to along here. At 100 yards off the shore I am in 300
feet of water.
1720 After a look at the waterfront of Basse-Terre I decide to run over night to
Antigua. I load the route into the GPS navigation system and set a course to
clear the headland.
1812 Sunset. I have my dinner at the folding table in the cockpit watching the
sun go down and admiring the coast of Guadeloupe, which is sliding by less than
a quarter mile to starboard. I have fixed angel hair pasta with red sauce,
a garden salad, French bread, and some white grape juice. This meal is a little
more elaborate than what I ordinarily do underway, but I am in the lee of the
island and the water surface is nice and flat. When the boat is rocking and
rolling, it is a whole different situation. In those times if I cook, I may just
cook one thing and sometimes even eat it out of the pot because the act of
hanging on to a plate and keeping the food on top of it is just more of a
challenge than I care to fool with. Typically under such circumstances I do not
attempt to drink anything with the meal because that would require that I hold
more than one thing at the same time. And that is a bit difficult to do
when one hand is dedicated to holding on. In such circumstances, I generally
finish the meal and then have the drink.
1930 After cleaning up from dinner, I do a few things in preparation for rougher weather.
I would ordinarily have done these things before getting underway but I made a
last minute decision to press on tonight for Antigua. I heave-to and hoist the
dinghy aboard. I tie it bottom up on the foredeck. I install the windlass cover.
This is intended to prevent water from getting into the boat through the hole in
the foredeck for the anchor chain. I transfer 6 gallons of diesel fuel from
a deck jug into the main tank. I should not need that fuel to get to Antigua,
but better to do it now when the sea is smooth than in rough water later on. I
haul down the French Tricolor flag from the starboard spreader and stow it with
the other courtesy flags. I stow the US flag as well.
2100 Position: 16-14N 061-50W.
2245 With the wind increasing to 12 kts out of the east as I clear the northern
end of Guadeloupe, I heave up the mainsail, pull out the jib, set the wind vane
to do the steering and secure the engine.
END OF LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 24
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