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American Spirit II - Day 462; We Leave St. Lucia for the British Virgin Islands and See Green Flash No. 45, a Triple; Monday, April 13, 2015



One year ago today:



"Day 100; The Water Taxi, The Aquarium and Swimming with Sharks; Sunday, April 13, 2014. I departed at 8:00 AM with Tracy from Follie a Deux to find an ATM, to locate the Catholic Church and determine what time the Palm Sunday services are going to be held. In order to do this, we had to take a water taxi across the pass to the town on the other side. 650 francs round trip. A little over $7.00. We found the ATM, the church and that the services were at 6:00 PM. While on the 'other side' of the pass we saw Caduceus motorsail thru the pass. It looked like they were barely moving as they fought their way against an outgoing 4 knot current. With what looked like rapids behind them; and breaking waves off to one side."



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Up at 7:00 AM. The all important phone alarm woke me up.



Breakfast at 7:45 AM: bacon, 3 eggs, potato and chilled fruit cocktail. Then I'm off to the boat chandlery located in the marina to buy some toilet cleaner.



At 9:06 AM we start the engine. Russ and Laurie from Nexus; and Peter and Amelia from Adela, are there to throw us our lines. I back out of the slip at 9:19 AM without embarrassing myself. Five minutes later I hear Vlado from Civetta II call me on VHF channel 72, on a portable handset, telling me to look at my 4 o'clock. He and his wife, Viola, are doing jumping jacks on the shore a quarter mile away. Their way of 'waving' good-bye. For those of you who don't know, Vlado is a world class mountain climber, who even received a medal from his country during the Cold War for climbing Civetta, an Italian mountain, in the winter time.



For Joel and me, the Rally is now really over. Its a sad moment.



At 9:40 AM with a reefed mainsail and jib, we turn the engine off and head to the BVI (British Virgin Islands), 350 miles away. We hope to be there before sunset on Wednesday, 2 1/2 days away.



At 10:00 AM the wind is 19 knots and we're sailing at 6.5 knots thru the water and 7.2 knots over the land. Its mostly cloudy, but no rain yet; and the seas are on the beam and rock and rolly. I hate beam seas.



At 10:14 AM a helicopter circles our boat and flies by not more than a 100 feet above the water. I feel like we're in a James Bond movie and the helicopter, piloted by a beautiful villainess, is going to strafe us with machine guns as it passes by. I have my camera handy and video the 'close encounter.'



Joel goes down for a nap at 10:30 AM; for 3 hours.



At 11:00 AM the wind is 20 knots and we're sailing at 6.8 knots thru the water and 7.4 knots over the land. As I'm getting the instrument readings to put in my log, a 'slapper wave' hits the boat and gets me 50% wet. A 'slapper wave' is a wave that hits the boat at a perpendicular angle, makes a loud slapping sound, ant then inundates you with water. We coined that name in the Indian Ocean.



At 11:10 AM a container ship passes us to starboard heading where we've come from. I'm surprised because it doesn't have a functioning AIS on it.



At noon we start passing by the island of Martinique, a very large island to the immediate north of St. Lucia. We are 10 miles to its leeward or downwind of it. The wind is 19 knots and we're sailing at 5.8 knots thru the water and 7.0 knots over the land.



At 12:13 PM I can't see St. Lucia anymore.



By 12:19 PM the waves have diminished 75% due to us being in the lee of Martinique. That's pretty impressive in that we're 10 miles away from it. A strong current is also pushing us to the left or west of our course line, so I have to steer 15-20 degrees to the right to stay on course.



The Saragasso seaweed keeps fouling our hydro generator, so we're having to lift it up a lot to clear it of the pesky seaweed.



At 1:00 PM the the wind is 19 knots and we're sailing at 6.6 knots thru the water and 8.5 knots over the land; a helping current of 1.9 knots! Cool.



At 1:45 PM the wind is down to 8 knots due to the high mountains of Martinique now 13 miles away, so we turn the engine on and are motoring at 1,600 RPM's with a speed of 7.0 knots over the land.



At 1:58 PM the wind is 12 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.3 knots thru the water and 7.2 knots over the land. We have 1 1/2 reefs in the mainsail and 1 reef in the jib.



I nap from 2:40 PM to 3:25 PM. A short nap; I can't sleep.



At 3:31 PM we turn the engine off and are sailing with a full jib and reefed main. A few minutes later we roll the full mainsail out. The wind is 13 knots and we're sailing at 5.6 knots thru the water and 6.1 knots over the land.



At 4:22 PM we turn the engine back on; and at 4:50 PM we turn it off again. Isn't this fun?! The wind is 13 knots and we're sailing at 6.2 knots thru the water and 6.2 knots over the land.



Dinner at 6:00 PM is freeze fried Sweet & Sour Pork, a boat favorite; plus instant garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.



During dinner at 6:08 PM I sight a two engine plane passing perpendicular and heading east behind us. Its low over the water, maybe 200-300 feet. It banks and heads to us, maybe 50 feet off the water, and flies by our stern, rocking its wings as it passes. I wish I had my camera handy because its really close. The plane fills the entire back of the open area behind our bimini.



As the sun gets near the horizon, Joel is convinced there is no chance of a green flash because there is a haze on the horizon. He goes below to put his harness on. I stand up in the cockpit and watch the sun set, and see Green Flash No. 45; and a triple green flash at that! Small and not memorable green flashes; but green flashes nevertheless. Joel is incredulous at first that I saw the flash.



From 7:00 PM to 8:40 PM I nap while Joel is on watch. Darlene goes to bed while I am napping. She comes on watch at 3:00 AM. Joel had one ship go by on his watch, with AIS.



I start my watch at 8:45 PM. The wind is 15 knots and we're sailing at 5.5 knots thru the water and 6.1 knots over the land. There are a lot of stars out; and the lume of Dominique is visible on the starboard bow. I'm wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt. Its pleasant.



At 10:01 PM the wind is 10 knots and we're sailing at 3.5 knots thru the water and 4.3 knots over the land. I put the mainsail and jib full out and our speed increases to 5.5 knots over the land.



At 10:26 PM the wind is 8 knots and I turn the engine on to 1,600 RPM's; and roll the mainsail in to the 1st reef; and the jib, also. Our speed increases to 6.6 knots from 4.5.



At 11:00 PM the wind is 6 knots and we're motor sailing at 5.7 knots thru the water and 6.3 knots over the land.



At 11:41 PM the wind is 11 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.3 knots thru the water and 7.1 knots over the land.



Joel relieves me at midnight.



Brian Fox


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