The Cosmos Adventure - News

George Hotz Report -- Caribbean 1

Cosmos

3/3/03:

The anchorage in Rockly Bay is a little snug and there were several boats there when we arrived at 2200 hrs. That is why we were protruding beyond the boundaries of the anchorage. I am sure that the captain of that huge ferry boat, that came in Saturday morning, would have been more comfortable if Cosmos had moved farther into the anchorage. He drifted into the middle of the harbor, did a 360 degree turn, and backed into a berth beside a concrete quay. This was a small ship of about 200 feet in length; it missed Cosmos by about 30 yards. Shortly after this, we moved Cosmos into the anchorage, in spite of its' being crowded. Of coarse, moving Cosmos had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the nice Coast Guardsman, that asked us to move, was carrying a machine pistol.

Later the same morning, after the ferry left, a cruise liner came in to the same quay. This thing was three times the size of the ferry, and went straight in to the same quay. There wasn't enough room in the harbor for it to turn around.

Captain Grandpa Joe got all checked in with the Tobago authorities and we went ashore. We all got some local currency, lunch, checked our Email, had a few beers, and got a taste of the Carnival atmosphere, here in Scarborough.

Yesterday, we filled Cosmos' water tanks and left the noisy Rockly Harbor. We tacked Cosmos up to Kings Bay. This reminds me of some of the little bays that we visited in French Polynesia. Joost and Daniel will be leaving Cosmos in a couple of days, so Captain Joe has taken them to Little Tobago for some promised good snorkeling and diving. The island of Tobago is about 23 miles long; it extends from Southwest to Northeast; and Little Tobago is just East of the Northeast tip. We may move Cosmos somewhere to do some diving before Joost and Daniel leave, but will probably be in Kings Bay when Emily Dorr and Bill Whiteford join us; on the 6th of March.

I chose to get some boat chores done , today. The list of repairs, and routine maintenance, is growing fast. I want to get caught up so I can enjoy the Caribbean. We don't want to have any breakdowns in the Caribbean. I converted the water generator to a wind generator, today, and hoisted it into the rigging above the main boom. This type of generator will be more to our advantage here in the islands. I also hosed up the foot pump in the galley so we can start using it again. This will allow us to pump salt water for washing dishes, etc; so we can conserve our drinking water. We discontinued the use of this pump sometime during the second leg of the circumnavigation, and disconnected the hoses, because it was leaking, even though it was a new pump. While hooking it back up I discovered a loose, damaged, hose clamp, at the through fitting.

3/4/03:

We left Kings Bay, today, and sailed up to Little Tobago, and then over to Goat Island at Speyside at the Northeast end of Tobago. There we showed Daniel and Joost how to dive using the Super Snorkel and they had an opportunity to dive the West coast of Goat Island. Then we sailed around to Man O' War Bay at Charlotteville, Tobago; on the Caribbean Sea side of the island. This is a picturesque, quiet, anchorage; nice little town. We did some snorkeling and diving here too.

3/7/03:

Captain Grandpa Joe rented a car, yesterday, and we did some sightseeing from one end of the island to the other. We swam under a waterfall, hiked rocky trails, grocery shopped, checked our Email, waited all evening at the airport for Bill and Emily, and survived the 'white knuckle' drive back to Charlotteville. We came back with Emily, but, Bill never showed up. It seems that he got stranded in Barbados and will get here this evening. Joost Van San and Daniel Walters have left Cosmos to resume their careers in Holland and Poland, respectively. They did a good job in helping to bring Cosmos around the Cape of Storms and across the Atlantic Ocean. We wish them the best in their future pursuits..

Since arriving here I have added 100 feet of chain to the anchor rode, repaired and reattached the tow line to the water generator, repaired and end for ended the spinnaker halyard, and get laundry done.  A large four-masted, square rigged schooner anchored in the harbor today. This was Sea Cloud, built in Germany in 1932, currently registered in Malta; with a riveted steel haul, about 150 feet long.

3/9/03:

We left Tobago late yesterday afternoon, about 1630, and sailed overnight to Secret Harbor, Grenada. We got anchored here at 0720 this morning. I've been to this part of Grenada before and it brings back some great memories. This is Sunday and everything is shutdown; we'll just have to relax.

3/10/03:

This morning Captain Grandpa Joe rented a car and we took the cruising spinnaker in to the sailmaker for repair. Then we drove up into the mountains, took a hike on a mountain trail to an overlook for a Kodak Moment. We then went down the Southeast coast and over to St, George where we had a late lunch at the harbor. Then we went back to the sailmaker to pick up the repaired sail, found a chandlery still open and bought some boat stuff, then back to Cosmos. After a dip in the bay, Captain Joe and I added another 100 feet of chain to the anchor rode with the new connector fitting that we got at the chandlery. We have already used this additional chain in Man of War Bay at Tobago but had to attach it in an unorthodox manner. We set Cosmos' ground tackle up with 200 feet of chain back in Ft. Lauderdale at the beginning of the circumnavigation. I now recommend that any boat planning a trip like this should have 300-400 feet of chain for the bow anchor. A lot of anchorages are deep right up to the shore.

We plan to go to Carriacou (Carry-coo) tomorrow. I have really enjoyed seeing Grenada again; it has improved since my last visit, about six years ago.

3/11/03:

Our sail to Carriacou started out as a pleasant, lively, sail, and then turned in to a rough motor sail. With six miles left, the mainsail outhaul car bail disintegrated and we just motored the rest of the way. I struggled with the cooking of the chicken because the wind kept blowing out the BBQ; but the chicken finally got done. For desert, Emily fried plantains from Grenada in rum from Barbados; a real treat.

3/13/03:

Yesterday we anchored at Union Island to check in, again, with Immigration and Customs, so we could visit Tobago Cays (keys) today. I ducked into an Internet cafe to send some Email to my special friends.  Immediately after checking in, we headed for the island of Mayreau. This island is on our way to Tobago Cays. Here, we anchored in a beautiful little bay with some difficulty in getting the anchor set. This may be why we had the whole place to ourselves. The crew went snorkeling and later I BBQ'd burgers. The real fun occurred the next morning when Captain Grandpa Joe suggested that we take a walk on the beach. Usually when we do this, we come back with pockets full of shells and rocks and sand, but this time we came across some real salvageable hardware. A complete roller furling assembly, including sail, and a main boom assembly, had washed up on the beach. Everything was pretty broken up and the sail was badly torn, but, there was a lot of good hardware worth salvaging. So, in an absolute frenzy, Captain Joe dinghied back to Cosmos for some tools and we then picked away at the spoils like a pair of salivating vultures. It was great fun, and rewarding. We forgot all about breakfast and returned to the boat famished.

Right after a late breakfast we headed the short hop to Tobago Cays. This is a special place with three uninhabited islands nearly surrounded by reefs and the snorkeling is fantastic. The anchorages are always highly populated and it has been declared a national park. We got here in time for one snorkeling expedition and Captain Joe has suggested another for this evening.

With Bill's help, I got the outhaul repaired, Captain Joe fixed a hatch hinge and ordered some spare parts for the winches and the GPS.

3/14/03:

We enjoyed Tobago Cays and got the Tee Shirt. We left this morning, after another snorkeling session, and sailed the 25 miles to Bequia. (Bek-way) We anchored Cosmos in Admiralty Bay, Port Elizabeth, Bequia, at about 1500 this afternoon. It has changed here since my last visit, about eight years ago. It is much more commercial, and more populated; not the quiet little place I remember. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the afternoon in town. It is very colorful, and the people are very friendly.

This is a different style of sailing that we're doing, now. When crossing Oceans, we would stay on the same tack, or course, for days, or weeks. Now, among these Caribbean Islands, we may tack, or change course, within minutes, or hours. We can't read, or daydream, while on watch, here; there are to many hazards like reefs, rocks, shoals, other boat traffic, and ships. Captain Grandpa Joe is losing weight running to and from the helm and navigation station to check the charts, GPS, computer, and cruising guides. We need to know exactly where we are, and where we are going, all the time, here. I think I like this 'day sailing' better; we get a full night's sleep this way.

I haven't been in the engine rooms in weeks, except to run the watermaker. The engines have been running great. Maybe they are paying me back for all of the previous attention I gave them??? I will be changing the oil and filters very soon, though.

3/16/03:

Did I say something about "day sailing" and getting " a full night's sleep". Well, we left Admiralty Bay just after dark last night and beat our way to Soufriere And The Pitons, on the island of St. Lucia. Enroute, we passed St. Vincent and encountered high headwinds and seas that stalled Cosmos, repeatedly. At 2300 hrs. I had to lay on high engine RPM's to get clear of the area. Only after having , totally, passed the island, was I able to start sailing as the wind slowly came around abeam, to starboard. Then I enjoyed a lively sail for the reminder of my watch, and Bill had a good sail after relieving me. We anchored here at about 0730. By the way, the Pitons are two, towering, rock peaks , surrounded by a beautiful marine park.

George