The conditions at Grand Case got progressively worse as the night grew older and by 02:00 I knew that I wasn’t going to get much good sleep at anchor so I got underway. Once sails were set the boat stopped rolling like crazy and I was glad I’d chosen to escape the anchorage and make best use of the conditions. There were several RORC600a boats sailing along that night but luckily they all had lights and AIS running so were easy to keep track of. I had a good fast spell as a big squall with incredibly heavy rain pushed me along, but that squall must have marked the frontal boundary because the wind shift and lightened and from St. Barths I only rarely got to turn off the engine and sail; had I not used the engine I’d still be out there at sea somewhere, wallowing around in becalmed waters.
I used the time on passage to program the Arduino library for the refrigeration controller a bit, then I noticed a chafed spot on the genoa sheet which I cut out and I did a number of smaller chores, including de-pickling the watermaker and filling my water tank to the brim.
I arrived at Deep Bay in good time to anchor and watch the sunset, but the prominent north swell was washing through the anchorage and all the good spots (tucked in away from the swell) were taken so I knew I was going to have a rolly night – again. Luckily, it wasn’t quite as bad as Grand Case the night before but I am already looking forward to full night’s sleep in Falmouth Harbour.
