Archive for the ‘Kapowai’ Tag
Once checked in at the marine office it was time to explore, 10 minutes later that was complete, there wasn’t a lot around, the marine itself was very nice, new and with good facilities, but a long way from anywhere, ok if you had a car.
Talking of cars, I found this beauty in the car park.
Further around the bay were four very nice resorts, each with it’s own lagoon.
These we could swim in, but not the hotel pools, they were for guests only. This is the one I would sneak into.
Later that first night Sean and I went out for a meal, found a bar with a view, watched the canoes go by with a cold beer.
Later that night the rain started, it was a downpour like I had never seen before, the barman gave us a poncho each for the walk back to Kapowai, these didn’t make a bit of difference, I found out why the following morning when I found them in my pocket still in their wrapper. Half way back to the boat I remember taking off my Jandals (flip flops) because they were too slippery, as soon as I got them off I ended up on my ar$e, yeah my bare feet were no match for this rain.
This was the scene the following day, just as well as we didn’t feel much like venturing out.
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After 11 days at sea we finally arrived in Hawaii, it was a pleasant trip, I was a bit sea sick for a couple of days out of San Diego but soon got my sea legs.
There was not a lot to see on the way, very little wild life, one ship and a large steel pipe floating vertically out of the water, unfortunately I was off shift and didn’t get a photo.
Honolulu in the distance, looks a bit stormy, still a nice sight after days at sea.
We sailed past Honolulu, past one airport, past another airport until we found our marina, it was a very nice marina but a long way from anywhere.
Kapowai at berth.
A long walk to dry land, but after only having 60 odd feet to walk around in this was very nice.
The walk was worth it.
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Yes I am still alive, I know it’s been awhile, but life gets in the way occasionally, after my epic Atlantic crossing in February 2016 I thought I would never be able to top a trip like that, I was wrong.
It all started again on the 28th August 2016, nearly didn’t make the flight to L.A. as I only had a one way ticket and my visa didn’t cover that, after some negotiation pleading and then bribery grovelling I made it, I then had the same on arrival in L.A.
Anyway, now in L.A. I made my way to the domestic terminal to get a flight to San Diego, ticket in hand, bag checked in, I joined the queue to be body scanned, now as I took my belt and shoes off all the TSA (Transport Security Administration) staff suddenly ran off, now I know it had been a long day……… Oh wait it wasn’t my feet after all, there was a suspected shooter.
Now most people were pretty cool but a lot were running, screaming and crying, bags had been dropped, pushchairs had kids grabbed out of them and both parent and child were long gone leaving the pushchair behind, me being daft walked with my shoes still in the tray to the balcony to see if I could see the shooter, my thought was rather than just run, at least see the shooter first and run in the opposite direction, I decided to put my shoes on now and did so keeping one eye on the floor below. The airport was now going into lockdown, everyone was directed to one location while heavily armed police checked everywhere.
After about two hours of nervous chit chat with fellow travellers we all seem to receive a text message, now I never have my phone on vibrate, data roaming was off, wifi was off but my phone still vibrated and the tone was something that isn’t even built into my phone, very spooky, this was the message.
I love it when technology like this works.
Finally boarded a flight to San Diego, short taxi ride and I was met at the marine gate by my brother Sean for the short walk to Kapowai, bags dumped, quick chat and bed, it’s been a long day. At this point I didn’t know Kapowai would be my home for the next 90+ days.
The voyage.
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Well all good things must come to an end, We spent the last days cruising up and down the coast between Deep Bay and Jolly Harbour meeting some great people on the way, During one trip to Jolly Harbour we picked up my Son Sean and his Girlfriend Katie, they flew out from the UK to join us for my last ten days, later we ended up back at English Harbour where a couple of days later we said goodbye to Kate, Jordan and Matt, so sad to see them leave, and now i’ll have to make my own cocktails, and at least the bathroom is free of makeup, creams and hair products, (I don’t think you forgot anything Jordan!)
Sean and Katie on their own private beach.
Back in time for cocktails.
Leaving Deep Bay.
I spent 37 days on Kapowai, some feeling seasick, some feeling hungover but most feeling totally relaxed, safe and very well looked after, Thanks again to Sean & Lois.
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After a couple of days at Jolly Harbour we headed up the coast to Deep Bay, the name is a bit misleading as the bay isn’t very deep at all. There is a wreak at the entrance, it’s a ship called the Andes.
The Andes was a three-masted steel sailing barque built in England in 1874. In early June of 1905, it left Trinidad with a cargo hold full of pitch (tar) bound for Chile.
They first sailed northeast before sailing south in order to sail the trade winds to Cape Horn, but had a problem approaching Antigua. The barrels of pitch were rubbing against each other and this generated a lot of heat, enough to create smoke that started drifting above decks.
The captain of the ship wanted to anchor in St. Johns Harbor, but the harbormaster directed them to Deep Bay. The busy St. Johns Harbor was no place for a burning ship – it would have been a hazard to any other vessel in the harbor.
So they anchored in Deep Bay, and as soon as the hatches were open enough oxygen was introduced to the cargo holds to ignite the tar. The ship burned and sank bow first, but all of the crew were spared.
The beach was very nice with not a lot of people, there was a small bar where we could grab a beer to cool down, we spoke to all 7 guests of the hotel, not many guest for such a large hotel. This is a shot from Goat Mount looking down at said Hotel and the small bar at the top of the beach.
On the way up to the Fort.
A shot of Kapowai from the fort at the top of Goat Mount.
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After the cultural visit to Nelson’s Dockyard we needed some fun time, by now Sean’s kids were onboard, they came out to surprise Lois for her birthday so with my nephew, niece and her boyfriend we headed up the coast to Jolly Harbour, this was only 90 minutes away so a nice short hop after the crossing.
Arriving at Jolly Harbour.
The berth was a bit tight but Sean made easy work getting Kapowai along side, we couldn’t of been any closer to the pub/restaurant unless we ran aground.
A short walk and we were at the beach, and not a bad one.
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N17º0’37.6992″ W61º46’59.0046″
Whoop whoop land at last, was that a nice sight or what? We had the BBQ on the fly bridge all ready to go and some beers on ice (just a few) I even had a cigar ready, It was such a nice feeling lighting that.
Here was our first sighting of land just before sunset. The Island of Antigua to the right of the sun.
By the time we got to English Harbour it was pitch black and very hard to find an anchorage with enough room for Kapowai, keeping in mind anchor chain length, water depth and staying out of the shipping channel and away from other boats. However we did find one and dropped the anchor, phew G & T time.
This was the view in the morning.
After a leisurely breakfast, and the first one where you didn’t have to hold your plate down, we got Kapowai ‘Caribbean ready’ deck chairs out, snorkelling gear ready, ice maker working, suntan lotion to hand. A quick radio call to the harbour master and we were on our way to a berth.
Kapowai berthed along side, so nice to step onto dry land after so long at sea, I couldn’t have done it with better people on a better boat, big thanks to Sean & Lois and of course Kapowai.
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N17º15’26.0208″ W56º33’5.4648″
After not seeing a thing for 11 days, the last thing you want to see is a boat in trouble, this morning thats what we saw, to be fair it wasn’t really in trouble now but had been at some point, we first saw it off to starboard and made our way over to it, I grabbed my camera and went and stood on the bow, I took as many shots as I could trying to get a name and to see if there was any sign of life. Sean carefully manoeuvred Kapowai to within a few meters of the boat and blasted the horn, yeah scared the hell out of me. We watched and listened but there was no-one onboard. Rang it in on the sat phone to Antigua SAR and they told us the lone skipper had been picked up by a cargo ship on the 19th February – before we left the Canaries. Brings it home as to how dangerous this sailing can be, i’m glad I didn’t see this early on in the crossing. The boat is a Dufour 29 and I think the name is Masupa.
You can see the mast is gone and the sails are in the water, all the fenders are out so we were pretty sure a rescue had taken place. Hope all involved are safe and well.
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N17º41’25.5114″ W46º21’28.3068″
Still very little to see and not a lot to do either, except for the all important scrubbing of the decks and engine room checks.
Later we tried some trolling and despite keeping the speed up had three strikes and landed one Mahi-Mahi. Dinner that night, it was great.
Mahi-Mahi or common Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus)
Before
After
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N19º14’57.7962″ W34º53’5.0748″
It took until day 8 before we saw anything again, and although nice, not very exciting. The first is a Parexocoetus bracxypterus or better know as a Flying Fish, these a great to see as they fly away from the bow or the ship but not as nice when the first job of the morning is to go around and pick up the dead and dying and throw them back overboard. Here is one that didn’t make it.
Flying fish are commercially fished in Japan, Vietnam, and China, I wonder where they put the nets, above or below the water.
The other visitor we got was this guy, Phaethon aethereus mesonauta or Red-Billed Tropicbird, very friendly, he would check us out as we sat on the fly bridge and then spend the next hour just circling the ship.
Friendly but kept his distant, luckily I had my zoom lens.
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