Today was moving day for Zanshin and Katzenellenbogen. They departed Anse Colombier much earlier than did I, since they had to dock and take on water. I had to anchor far outside in Gustavia and the roll was very noticeable and worried me a bit, since I still had to remove and store the outboard for the passage south. I met Stephen while clearing out of St. Barths in the Capitainerie and we were soon underway, at least they were. I did have some trouble getting the outboard into the garage but managed with only minor cuts and scrapes and the engine did not go underwater at any time during the process.
I set sail outside the anchorage and Katzenellenbogen was almost 6 miles ahead of me sailing close on the wind. I put 2 reefs in both main and genoa and proceeded at 6-7 knots in a strong breeze and light but choppy seas. The sail was very comfortable and while I could have put out more canvas for another knot or two of speed it would have meant more heel and a less comfortable trip. As it was, our timing was good since the two boat reached the tip of St. Kitts at the same time and we both discovered that the last 15 miles to our intended anchorage at White Bay were going to be dead into the wind. I tried sailing offshore and motorsailing but soon gave up and dropped sail, motoring at 2000RPM and doing about 6 knots into the winds and waves. Katzenellenbogen hugged the shoreline but was slower, being a catamaran and having less weight to help displace the waves. We arrived at White Bay as the sun was setting and the anchorage proved to be comfortable and still had some internet available ashore. After the long passage we were all pretty tired and by 9PM the lights were off on their boat and I didn’t make it past 10:30PM.
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