Day 5 - Wednesday November 7 - Anegada to Trellis Bay
This turns out to be a very bad night for sleeping. Sleeping in the v-berth had been killing my back, so we tried the convertible salon berth. It didn't help much, as the anchorage was wide open to the surge and we slept very little. Very early in the morning, before the sunrise, we notice that the air smells different and that we are being bitten by mosquitos. Sure enough, the wind has shifted to the north and the offshore breeze is now pushing the skeeters into the anchorage and into our open hatches. As much as we would like to see more of Anegada, the weather forecast convinces us to leave, so we sail off early, heading for Tortola downwind, sailing most of the way but adding an engine assist as we approach The Dogs in order to re-charge the battery. By now, the seas are huge - 8 to 12 feet - but for at least part of the way they are the glowing blue of Anegadian waters so they don't seem as ominous. Also, they are not breaking, so they are not too scary. Rick is tempted to put up more sail, so he can surf these babies, but I'm not convinced.
We decide to go to Trellis Bay for a number of reasons. While it is not the prettiest anchorage, it is fairly snug. We are hoping for a night in a protected spot to actually get some sleep, and we are also plan to make a service call to the Moorings to see about our electrical problems. Finally, it's the ideal jumping-off point to visit one of our favorite BVI beaches, Beef Island's Long Bay. We arrive by 12:30, and have lunch at De Loose Mongoose: bushwhackers and beer, the best conch fritters we've eaten in the BVI, fish and chips and a surfburger. After lunch, we get some ice cream from the grocery store in Trellis Bay; we've done this every time we've ever stopped here, and are not about to break the tradition. Back on board, we phone the Moorings, and they promise to send a service guy later on.
After gathering up our beach supplies, we take the dinghy over to Long Bay. It's a long dinghy ride, but worth the effort, because it's a long creamy crescent of undeveloped beach, bordered by sea grapes and blessed with clear blue-green water. When we arrive, there are only a half dozen people to share it with, and its un-sullied by commercial development of any sort. There is a good bit of surge running today, but - bummer - not enough to body surf on. We spend a lovely afternoon here, but the weather starts to turn nasty. In fact, by the time we get back and Rick turns around to take the dingy over to the dock at Trellis Bay to pick up the Moorings guy, its POURING rain; at least an inch falls.
Lawrence from the Moorings arrives with a new battery (or, as they say in the Bahamas, a new "bottry"), which he installs in a matter of minutes. This seems to solve the problem, at least for now. While Rick returns Lawrence to the dock, I make a dinner of jerk pork and red beans and rice. It stops raining after dinner, so we are able to open the hatches, and we go to bed early, about 9 p.m., with the hopes of catching up on sleep. All night, it blows about 30 knots, with gusts that felt like 45. For the first time all week, we have the 2 a.m. Hatch Drill, and needless to say, another sleep deprived night.
We also find that the new battery doesn't fix the problem, but this late in our week, we decide to deal with it. There's not much food left in the fridge.
