After awaking early and getting underway while sipping on coffee I expected a good and fast passage downwind to the BVI from St. Martin. My expectations were, needless to point out, not met this day. The winds as well as the waves were coming from slightly south of east, and my course was slightly north of west which meant that if I went straight for my destination the boat would rolling from beam to beam and my genoa, which doesn’t have a pole, would be flopping and flogging all around the place. I tried several variations on course and sail setting and the best solution was to go about 30° off course and put 3 reefs in the genoa while using a full mainsail with a preventer line rigged to ensure that the big sail can’t flop about and jibe inadvertently.
My speed wasn’t great and my planned daylight arrival in the North Sound didn’t work out, but I did make it at dusk and anchored in the lee of Prickly Pear and within minutes of putting the boat to sleep I got the BBQ fired up in order to receive the huge T-Bone steak that had been marinating. More through luck than planning or skill the steak ended up turning out just perfect (since I hadn’t eaten more than a couple of apples all day my hunger might have been a factor as well) and the deprivations during the uncomfortable journey were soon forgotten.
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