We had a 35 mile run to Allen’s Cay that needed to be completed before 4pm. Prior to that we had to leave the dock and refuel. The winds were higher than we would have liked with 2 large pilings on either side but with 4 adults and some useful kids, getting out was a relative breeze. We did have one of those “duh” moments: we were warping the boat to be as central as possible to the 4 pilings and realised that Phil might have some difficulty making it back on the boat...The refuelling dock was the other side of the bridges under which we theoretically had mast clearance but we still breathed in hard as we went under. Refuelling took a lot longer than we expected: we couldn’t get petrol for the dinghy at the first dock and had to send Phil and Jamie off in the dinghy to another with the fuel cans. This involved heroic and simian climbing skills on Phil’s behalf but meant extra delay.
The sailing was pleasant and uneventful: on the way we practised “eyeball piloting” with Phil and Debbie so we would have 5 pairs of eyes to help avoid collisions. Even though we crossed the infamous Yellow Bank on the recommended and therefore surveyed route, you still need to look out for coral heads. But it’s not a chore! On the way in, I’d been able to see starfish on the bottom through the crystal clear water.
Unfortunately the early delays meant that we couldn’t easily navigate visually once we arrived at Allen’s Cay and someone had to go up the mast to see far enough ahead. Our volunteer was Jamie. She sat in a bosun’s chair near the top of our 65’ mast and spotted for us. Allen's Cay is in fact a group of three very small islands with an anchorage in the middle. We didn’t hit anything and managed to enter the anchorage and find a nice spot to anchor in front of the iguana beach. The water was so incredibly clear it was hard to believe that we were in just 2-3 metres of water.
Pics: Simian refuelling, The Battricks, Jamie up the mast
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