Goodbye Sarah!

We weren't 100% confident in our anchorage in Bequia, just as the sun went down. We'd dropped the hook in a somewhat rocky area and it moved a little when we pulled on it. But it was secure enough for the night, and we just let a lot of chain out to be safe. After that it didn't budge at all, but maybe we should have moved anchorage in the morning, to find something we trusted...

The next morning, Bequia put on its full charm for us. Dinghying in to the dock, you pass the gorgeous Friendship Rose, a Bequia wooden schooner. We took a hot hike over the hill to get Sarah a COVID-19 test at Bequia Healing Centre, in Friendship Bay.

That done we had an easy, relaxing day at anchor. We hit the shore again in the evening, to walk around the bay. We'd hoped to get some home-made ice-cream from a shop in the bay, but it closed in the early afternoon. Oops. Had to make do with focaccia and trofie al pesto, back on the boat, instead.

The next morning, we finally did the boat's renaming ceremony. This is a little bitter-sweet — we had to make a decision on whether to rename the boat or not as soon as we'd purchased it. The name is the first step of registration, and we needed to be registered to cross borders. But of course, over time the old name grew on us over time, and it was hard to let it go.

We've been travelling under it for months. Even with a new provisional registration, in a new name, people of course referred to the yacht by the name on its sides. Grenada preferred to use the old name in official documents until we had a final registration with an official number, in the new name.

But now registration is final, the new name is on the sides, and it's time to leave the old name behind, and call the yacht Aweh. Sarah, the crew poet, wrote up a renaming ceremony for us, and we did it this morning before setting sail.

The sail north to St. Vincent, to drop her off, was short but pretty intense. The sea was big. The sailor's guidebook describes it as sailing into a range of liquid mountains, which was somewhat accurate. There was a strong wind blowing South East down the Bequia channel, working with a strong current and big waves.

We started sailing on a double-reefed main and genoa, and quickly swapped the genoa for the staysail, when we got out into the wind. We heeled the boat the most I ever have, and spent the rest of the crossing very close-hauled, on the edge of the eye of the wind. Hand-steering all the way, I just couldn't trust the autopilot to handle it. But it was good fun. Nice to have some sailing that requires your full attention the whole way.

The wind shifted a little during the passage, but it basically took us directly to our destination, on one tack. We just had to motor into the anchorage.

We picked up a mooring buoy off Young Island, near Blue Lagoon in the South end of St. Vincent. We've spent a night in this anchorage before that was absolutely terrible. Hoping that the mooring ball, right up against Young Island, is more comfortable than that night at anchor was, further out.

Went into town to get Sarah signed off the vessel, and safely to the airport. I think we'll spend a few days here in St. Vincent, and see some of the island.

Navionics Track