Arr

Arrival! We made it!

Well, we’ve arrived – after 24 days at sea. We sailed into Freeman Bay, at the entrance to English Harbour, just after 0900 this morning. Anchored, waiting for the local official who I have to see before being allowed to proceed to customs etc. Unfortunately I can’t get through to his phone, so am just sitting here!

Phew! That was a long journey! It took a lot longer than expected, thanks to being becalmed for a few days. In general, the wind was not as strong as my research had suggested. I suppose it’s all a matter of luck (and experience too).

We are in one piece! I feel fine, although there were certainly ups and downs – the second week was the most difficult, when I struggled with the prospect of how far there was still to go. But from later that week, I seemed to get into a positive rhythm and stopped wishing myself at journey’s end. Although it was a relief to finally sail into Antigua. Made it!

Manuka has held up well, albeit with some minor damage. At 2am on the 13th day I was woken by a bang, bang, bang. What the hell’s that? I got up on deck and discovered that the boom had become detached from the mast and was bouncing up and down on the deck. Fortunately the mainsail was not really affected: it joins directly to the mast and to the far end of the boom, which is well held up by the topping lift. I stopped and considered. This wasn’t the best time to try and fix anything. Instead I take both the sails down and float until daylight. I then discover the pin that had connected the boom to the mast, still lying on deck. The boom is heavy, can’t lift it. I attached a line to it and winched it up level to where it should be. Then tried to guide it back into place. I failed. It just wouldn’t go in – not helped by the fact that the boat was moving side to side constantly. Two people might do it, but alone and after two near misses I was worried that one of my fingers would get trapped. So after drinking a coffee I rigged up a solution, using three caribiners (what mountaineers use). Seemed to work alright. The long rope for adjusting the boom’s position was broken; I used the two parts of this to rig a rough replacement, each going to the rear winches. Not very elegant, but serviceable I hoped – and it proved so.

Yachts are notorious for things breaking. The forces placed on ropes and even on metal connections are huge, and the marine environment is harsh. So is some damage expected? Yes. And thinking about it: when I bought Manuka in March 2020 she had done about 7,000 nautical miles since being commissioned in May 2008. So just under 600 miles a year. (Most yachts potter around within a few miles of homebase, maybe make one trip over to France in a season, and are out of the water for 4 or 5 months over winter). Since we left the River Hamble at the end of February, we have covered 4,500 nautical miles – in just six and a half weeks, taking us from the depths of an English winter to the blazing tropics.

There’s a lot that can go wrong: the electronics, the engine, the fresh water pump, the sails, the rigging, the autopilot, leaks. Anything that breaks that can be patched up is a lucky escape, so rather than being downhearted I feel rather happy!