WE SURVIVED HURRICANE TOMAS!!! We left Grenada with a bang and the hits just keep on coming. Before we left, we did a weather check and saw that there was a tropical wave heading our way, so we wanted to high tail it north and get some miles under the keel. When we left Grenada on Monday, we expected a 5 hour sail and fairly smooth seas but instead, we had a 10 hour sail, 8 ft seas and 25-33 knots of wind on the nose and fighting a strong current that was pushing us away from the island. We were very glad to see Tyrell Bay in Carriacou, which is the northern most outpost of Grenada. We really wanted to make some tracks on our way north, so the next morning we got up bright and early. We ate and then stowed everything tightly for the trip up to Union Island and the Tobago Cays. The usual drill is that Ron stays at the bow and gets the anchor up while I drive the boat. As per usual, he signals me to go forward and all seems good except that the boat isn't moving. He then tells me to go in reverse and again, the boat doesn't move. Ron runs down to the engine room to discover that the drive shaft has once again separated from the transmission coupling. This is the same problem that we had when we were in St. Georges in Grenada. It would appear that the fellow that fixed it at that time did a very temporary job. Fortunately for us, we happened upon a gentlemen folks know as York and he is apparently the best welder/fabricator in the Windwards. We spend the next two days tripping around Carriacou while York corrected our problem properly and was sure to show Ron what was done incorrectly and how he corrected it - worth every penny. We did another weather check at this time and it looked as if the tropical wave had dissipated so that eased our minds somewhat. After clearing out of Grenada for a second time, we were off to Union Island to check in to customs for St. Vincent and the Grenadines; stock up on some fruit and bread and head to the Tobago Keys for the night. This is the best place to have a close encounter with the beautiful greenback sea turtles so I couldn't wait to get there and get into the water. Once we got settled on a mooring for the night we went for a swim and snorkel. It was a little windy and rough in the Tobago keys, and I saw only one turtle in somewhat murky waters, but never the less, we had a nice evening in the wonderful warm Caribbean breeze and talked about how nice the sail northward would be...
The Tobago Cays are just far enough away from any main island to not be able to get internet signal, but for some odd reason, when I got up and made coffee the next morning, I flipped on the computer and was surprised to see that we had a weak internet signal. I went to the weather report as I do every morning and was very surprised to see a tropical storm warning for the exact spot we were in. I woke the Captain, showed him the update and we quickly agreed that it was time to boot it to safety. What should have been a 4 hour sail once again turned into 8, but the seas weren't so bad and we were extremely happy to arrive in Bequia. One of the locals greeted us in his boat as per usual and offered us a mooring and, under normal conditions we would have declined and opted to anchor. In this instance however, we did take a mooring, but I didn't feel good about the one he suggested so we asked for the one that was about 100 yards further into the bay. Once we got a weather update, we could see that the storm system had intensified and was now predicted to come right on top of Bequia as a category 1 hurricane! We had no trouble agreeing that we didn't want to be on the boat so Ron got busy securing Exodo with extra lines and chaffing gear on the mooring as well as setting both of our anchors while I made some skype calls to find us a place to stay and pack a bag. We were lucky to get a room at the Gingerbread Hotel right on the harbour and could see the boat from there. Flashlights, noodles, matches and coffee in hand, we hunkered down for the night. As it turned out, we could have saved a small fortune and stayed on the boat that night because the storm really didn't start until noon the next day, but when it came, it came with a vengeance! Even though we were safely tucked inside a concrete hotel room, it's still surprisingly unnerving to sit through so much of mother nature's power. Olivia took it like a trooper and was happy to have her markers, coloring book and some toys, but Ron paced and worried most of the time. By 3 pm the power went off and the wind and rain hammered on until around midnight. We can't even imagine what it must have been like for the folks who opted to stay on their boats for the night. When it was light enough to go outside we went out to survey the damage and look for Exodo. We could immediately see one boat high and dry up on the rocks and another without a mast. Exodo was still in the same place, masts and sails intact but had chaffed right though two heavy lines and chaffing gear and was no longer on the mooring. The only thing that saved her was the anchors that Ron had set. We met a French couple in the hotel during the storm and as they had nothing to eat or drink, we were happy to share our noodles and coffee with them for which they were very grateful. As it turned out, they weren't so lucky with their boat. Ironically, they were on the mooring that we had declined and at some time during the hurricane, they got hit by the huge 80 ft. steal work boat in the bay that delivers water and fuel to cruisers. They ended up breaking free of their mooring, lost their forward stay and their whole mast came down on top of their main cabin. Another captain who had stayed on his boat threw out a line and somehow snagged the catamaran as it was drifting helplessly past and rafted it up to his steel schooner. If not for his efforts, the catamaran would surely have hit many other boats on it's way to shore and become completely destroyed in the process. It's also very scary to know that it could very well have been us had we taken the first mooring that was suggested to us. To the angels looking out for us....thank you, thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.
We are now back on Exodo and preparing for a what some say will be a large storm surge in the bay over the next several hours or days. Interesting memories of excitement and adventure from our first and hopefully last hurricane.
Pics to follow...
