So all stocked up, adult and nourishment and time to make a plan. As all good plans have a beginning, we timed it perfectly. St. Davids has customs and immigration on site on Tuesday and Thursday, so now we can check out at 8am. Freezer is holding, Freon comes by to check – all the provisions are still frozen – so lets get this show on the road.

As we are on the dock, its just a short walk up there .. only they aren’t supposed to arrive till 8am. So lots of other things to do as well like put the jib up. No biggie as the wind has cooperated and the sun isn’t up yet – easy task today except the pre-feeder got stuck and had to futz with it to get it out.

Last rinse of the boat with fresh water, and its now 9am, time to clear out.. or is it. Super friendly customs officer and one couple ahead of me, small talk – thank him for his service and happy holiday banter. Now the immigration officer had car trouble, and would be in shortly – so leave passports and head back to the boat to tinker by way of the boat parts store, needed some MEK for priming the glue I to fix the gas strut in the freezer. My christmas present, there was a 2 oz bottle that was left over that someone else didn’t need so a Christmas freebee. Thanked the lady for getting us the battery the day before, even if we haven’t used it, its on board .. just in case.

Thew down on some omelettes and noticed Immigration drive up, so headed up that direction, beating the couple ahead of me to the punch and go stamped out. All clear to go with a destination of Guadeloupe.

Another boat on the finger pier, “Privateer” was just pulling out too, they were on the downwind side and just released the lines and headed on out. We were being blown on to the dock, so time to pull the ole 2 engine routine. Released all the lines except for the starboard bow line and put the starboard engine in reverse and port in slow forward… should pull against the line and swing the boat off the dock. Well I guess the wind was a bit stronger as we just sat there. Felt perplexed, but then little more gas (er Diesel) and the movement started nice and slowly.. Christine added a second bow fender just to protect the bow. We started to spin then the dock handler flipped us off the cleat horns, okay, more throttle and and both in reverse we backed out at a 45 degrees missing the cat behind us. Off to adventure.

Engines in slow forward into the surge down the channel and we both stowed the fenders and lines that were keeping us reminded that we were tied to something, Privateer 1/2 mile ahead of us. We get all battened down, no sails raised yet as we were not sure which direction around the island we were gonna go.. Privateer went right.. hmm.. what do they know that we don’t .. if we go left, its shorter but lots bigger winds and waves directly from the Atlantic ocean, or go right and be sheltered by the island of Grenada. The being sheltered you also have to go more east into the wind.

Left was our choice, first day out big waves .. we went raised sail to double reef point, then 1/2 jib – and ran up the Atlantic side, heading to Saline Island and going to use the ‘yellow flag’ and just stay on board. Rocky boat ride, but moved along quite well, made good time for leaving at 10:30am, decided to push on an call the first day done at Chatham Bay and yellow flag here.

On the AIS system as we got close we could see ‘Privateer’ way to the west of us, the big monohull had gone the other way around the island and was heading to the same spot as we were, we ended up beating them there by about an hour as they tacked in, and of course we were charging batteries (read – engines running) .. but all is good.

Our friend Secki came out to meet us and welcomed us to the bay as usual, offered us dinner and Christine said I caved, but I do like dinner with them. Turns out Privateer was also at dinner so we sat at the same table, 60+ footer with 20+ pumps on board to run all the sails. Captain, Peter and 2 guest crew members, Makin and Johan who were v-bloggers RanSailing YouTubers – super nice folks .. great dinner and conversation about state of union island, Vanessa and how we all love their beach bar.

The dock is usable, so you don’t have to drag the dingy up on shore or across the coral that lines the beach there.  As usual the Chatham winds kept us cool providing a very restful night.

Great first day.

So whirlwind Adventure putting the shack back together after storage for 6 months.

Arrived late Saturday, Monday was launch day.  So let the work begin.

Sunday – Wrestled the mainsail into submission before lunch, might be a new record to be completely hung in under 4 hrs.  Christine tackled the inside, we flushed the water tanks, put the mountain of luggage we traveled with this time away.  Going to have to through a purge cycle again.   Too many things.  Noticed one of the big zinc’s weren’t looking too good on Monday asked if the volvo guy was available to change em out, he was having car trouble so they sent over a yard mechanic who assumed we had the zincs on board.  I dove into the spares and luckily we did have 1 set, got them replaced while I was installing the outboard, and flushing the engines at lunch on Monday – launch day.  Port engine battery was dead, so dead that when jumped with the house bank just a faint click of the starter solenoid trying to engage.  Uh-Oh – stop by Island water world to see about a battery, its lunch they are not back till 1pm – we see the lady at lunch, interrupt her lunch and ask if they have any batteries in the store.  The answer is “no, you will have to order one, at 1pm when I’m back from lunch”  Okay.. so we have lunch too and wait.. pick one or two batteries from the catalog and see if they have them at the other store, but they delivery guy has already left for the 3pm trip, maybe the 5pm trip?   Oh my.. I leave Christine to handle that, and go back to work on the boat, get 1/2 up the half mile trek, and notice the lift is about to lift the shack off the ground.  I see our project manager on a different boat, and say hey – one of our engines won’t start and needs a new battery – he says they’ll launch us and tow us to the dock to get the battery installed.   Oh what fun, and need to settle up with the yard before they’ll launch.

Turn around to chat with Christine about also visiting the yard office to settle up.

Back to the boat to un hook the water hose as it was already suspended in the slings and ready to be taken to the water – with neither of the engines having been tested, but at least the new bottom job looked good and the underwater stuff like zincs and through hulls had been tested.

Dropped in the water, no leaks – it floats – always a step in the right direction.  They asked me to start the engines, explained no battery – and with the noise of the travel lift a little shouting and I couldn’t hear the engines – when the travel lift shut down, I started starboard – no issues, but note to self, need to flush the engines longer next time we put it in storage. Lots of brown water out the exhaust.   Port deader than dead and still no battery.   So I futz, futz with it .  Disconnect the battery and try just the house bank, not enough, re-tighten everything, check the starter, the solenoid – decided to leave it ‘jumped’ to the house and up the idle on starboard engine with the 100amp alternator.  Could see the voltage coming in ‘slightly louder solenoid clicks’ 30+ mins of practicing patience.. and the port engine would finally turn over .. first time it didn’t fire up.  got worried.   Determined.. practiced some more patience… and 20mins later still tied in the slipway – luckily no other boats were launching.. Had 2 running engines.. Yeah!

Had turned on the fridge/freezer in the midst of the above battery saga, and they started to cool, sounded promising.  Now that the engines were running..off to next task.  Fridge cold plate was cold. Freezer – yup needed some love, or Freon at least.  Back into the office to find the Herve, and he was unable to find his guy – but just at 5pm the freon guy showed up and asked if he could do it in the AM.  I almost let him, but then wanted to have it set for abit, so asked nicely.  And he came back shortly.  At this point we were tied to the new dock with some serious surge up in the bay, good thing for large fenders.   Oh and I had forgotten that our taxi to do provisioning was coming in at 6pm, good thing we got the freon tonight.

Freon in, freezer getting cold, off to get some food – beer had already been delivered.  In and out of the store in just over an hour – credit card rejected – but managed with another.  Loaded up and loaded the boat and surprizingly slept like a rock tied to a dock with creaking lines and nasty surge.

Chain new 2 years ago, looks like they missed some galvanization in spots.  Need to follow up on that.  Painted some yellow every 10M to make it colors easier to spot.

Cleared out of Statia, headed to Nevis, again into the wind – made water, filled the tanks, cleared into Nevis so we could go ashore and walk the 4 seasons beach.

Dinghy’d over to the 4 Seasons dock, they said we didn’t belong there and had to beach the dinghy – oh well.  Time to figure out how to lift the new dinghy engine?!?

Seems we had bent a part, when we put the new outboard on that prevented it from being lifted.  Sorted that out, we were able to beach the dinghy but that bent part would need to be fixed.  Crappy design that requires a compression fit to make a pivot, sorted it out later with a big hammer.  Tho it did require removing the engine and learning how to creatively use the main sheet to get the engine off and on without dropping it in the ocean.

Weather is not in our favor, big waves, close together, so instead of a bonzai run Guadeloupe we opted for a yellow flag visit to Monserrat and had Renedevous bay all to ourselves.

Great snorkel to the north, lots of fish, some decently healthy coral, lots to check out and see.

Up early and out into the Atlantic, its rough, crash / bash – good morning world.  Around the Atlantic side for a shot to Guadeloupe, took about 3 hrs to finally get over the underwater shelf where the waves would not beat us up too badly, and we set sail to a new anchorage at the top corner of Guadeloupe.   Nice place for a needed rest stop.