A CRUISER'S VIEW OF BEQUIA - Caribbean Compass

NOVEMBER 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 50
Amel Super Maramu 2000
2001 - Perfect Condition
Martinique 320 000 €
MONOHULL
Halberg Rassy 53 2004 Guadeloupe 700 000 €
Amel 54 2007 Like New St Maarten 849 000 €
Amel Mango 1979 Martinique 120 000 €
Alubat Ovni 435 2002 Guadeloupe 215 000 €
GibSea 43 2003 Martinique 105 000 €
CATAMARANS
Lagoon 440 2006 Martinique 435 000 €
Lagoon 380 2001 St Martin 179 000 €
Nautitech 395 1999 St Martin 169 000 €
Tobago 35 1996 Martinique 127 000 €
ST. THOMAS YACHT SALES
Compass Point Marina, 6300 Est. Frydenhoj, Suite 28,
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802
44’ 1982 Ta Chiao CT
$89,900
Tel: (340) 779-1660
Fax: (340) 779-2779
yachts@islands.vi
LAGOON 500 - 2006
Owner Version - Full Options
Martinique 599 000 € (Vat Paid)
33’ 1973 Pearson 10M Sloop,
$33,500
Sail
37’ 2001 Bavaria Sloop, 3 strms, Yanmar diesel $ 79,500
40’ 1986 Hunter Legend roomy, aft cockpit $ 69,000
40’ 1987 O’Day Sloop, Westerbeke, 2 strms $ 60,000
43’ 1995 Hunter 430, stepped transom, 2 strms $119,000
Power
14’ 2006 Aquascan Jetboat, 160HP Yamaha $ 34,900
31’ 1999 Sea Ray Sundancer, new engines, 2005 $ 79,900
32’ 1996 Carver 325, twin crusaders great condition $ 99,000
38’ 1999 Sea Ray Sundancer, mercruisers, 18 kts, $167,000
Call, fax or visit our website for a complete list of boats for sale
www.stthomasyachts.com
WHAT’S ON MY MIND
Do You Know
Where You Are?
A Salutary Lesson for the New Season
by Richard Roxburgh
When the skipper of the brand new 54-foot, Jeanneau-built sloop Dan Marco IV set
sail from Union Island on Wednesday March 26th 2008, he didn’t think he was
about to have a bad day. In fact, he thought it was going to be wonderful. The sun
was shining; the winds were normal northeasterly around 18 knots. The boat that
he had rented a few days before from a Martinique-based cruising company was a
happy one.
Alain Laou, a 46-year-old skipper and fisherman from Martinique with well over 20
years sailing experience, much of it in Caribbean waters, had spent the evening in
Union Island together with four clients and had decided to sail on a round trip to the
Tobago Cays via the scenic sand spit of Mopion, then Petit St. Vincent, and from
there past the windward (eastern) side of Palm Island.
On that same morning we, in our 45-foot Prout catamaran Mirounga, set sail from
Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau, for a morning at the Tobago Cays. We caught ham radio
enthusiast and weather forecaster Eric on the SSB at 0630 hours. I cannot remember
exactly what he said. He may have mentioned the possibility of occasional and scattered
squalls but nothing to warn one off a normal day’s sailing in the Grenadines.
How wrong one can be.
Once at the Cays we dropped anchor, the newly installed Park Rangers came
round and collected their fee and we got ready to enjoy the fish and corals nearby.
There was some cloud around but also still lots of sunny breaks to light up the corals.
Around midday we decided to up anchor and pick our way through the reef,
heading south for the short hop to Palm Island, but while we were preparing to leave
we saw the skies darken. It was the sort of squall one has from time to time when
anchored in the Tobago Cays, and rather exhilarating to weather at anchor. But
definitely not one to be out in when sailing close to reefs. So we decided to wait until
it passed.
Forty-five minutes later we were back in sunshine emerging from the Cays when
my wife Suzanna said, “There’s a boat stuck on the reef. It’s still got its sails up but
definitely looks strange.”
This was the unfortunate Dan Marco. The squall had hit Alain Laou when he was
running parallel to the windward-side reef with what he considered a safe gap of 200
metres between himself and the reef. A bit close for some, perhaps, but probably fine
in good visibility, although it does represent a classic lee shore. But when all visibility
suddenly disappears, the game changes. Taking up the story, Alain Laou said, “I
have never seen a sudden storm like this. No visibility at all. I reduced sail and kept
on the same compass heading I had planned on, but the wind and current and pilingup
seas pushed me onto the reef. I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly we stopped and there
was this awful grinding sound and I knew we had a problem.”
When talking to him on the phone the question that struck me forcibly was, why
didn’t he have a waypoint set at a safe distance from the northern edge of the reef
which he could sail towards with confidence when the visibility dropped? But he said
that as an experienced skipper he sailed on a compass heading, and “Anyway, the
Dan Marco had no repeater for the outside so one couldn’t keep diving back inside
to check on preset waypoints”.
A few hours later we were high up on Palm Island, looking down on the stricken
vessel. At this stage there were high hopes of being able to pull her through the reef
into the slightly deeper lagoon on the other side. The crew had been safely evacuated
and were enjoying the hospitality of well-known doctor, artist and Palm Island
resident, Patrick Chevalier and his wife Virgine.
—Continued on page 55
CREW VACANCIES!
email: crew@tradewindscruiseclub.com
TradeWinds Cruise Club operate a fleet of catamarans across
six destinations in the Caribbean.
We are the fastest growing charter company,
operating TERM CHARTERS, all inclusive, 7 days.
We are looking for crew, mainly teams in the form of a Captain and a Chef/Hostess.
We prefer couples that are married OR have been living together for at least a year.
The nature of the job is such that the better the understanding and teamwork
between Captain and Chef the more successful your charters will be.
Requirements: Captain with a Skipper’s licence.
Chef/Hostess with a basic understanding of cooking.
Dive master/ instructor for either the Captain and/or Chef is a plus.
We offer full training onsite in the Caribbean.
This is a FUN job with great earning potential. If you are willing to work hard and
have a positive disposition to life this could be your DREAM job.
Anyone with an interest is welcome to apply.
If you would like more information about this job or send your CV to us, please
use this email address:
crew@tradewindscruiseclub.com
or by mail to: Bequia Marina, P.O.Box 194BQ, Port Elizabeth,
Bequia, St Vincent & the Grenadines
Tel. St Vincent +784 457 3407 Tel. St Maarten +599 5510550