On to Tobago
Author: Shirlz
Sunday, 16 December 2012
I left Baganara with the falling tide. In the three months that I had spent there I had sweated, met some very interesting and unusual people, re-made my sail, taken my chances swimming to cool off in murky water where piranhas and worse lurked and generally speaking had rather a wonderful time. But the visa was due to expire and friends were gathering in Tobago so it seemed to be time to move on.
A last G&T at the resort bar with Bernhard and Sharmilla who had motored down in their newly completed dinghy which they had painted in the bright colours of the Guyanese flag. A chance to say goodbye to Kurt and Trevor.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Sunday night was spent anchored off Bartika so that I could make an early start with the clearing out procedure and do some last minute shopping. Rowing ashore in the morning presented a bit of a challenge as the current was flowing very strongly and a big supply ship was maneuvering to tie up at the market dock right in my path. I cautiously waited under the fuel dock until it was safely settled in before rowing hard alongside it against the current to get to the floating pontoon.
Once ashore, my first stop was customs and immigration to satisfy the bureaucrats and then on to a Brazilian miner’s supply store where I had been told I should find some popcorn. ‘Pipoca? Sim, nos temos.’ Happy Day!
A 10l jerry can of diesel, kibble for the cat and a quick trip to the rum shop to spend any money I had left. We were ready to go.
There were still 4 hours left of the ebbing tide so I just dumped the shopping down below, got the dinghy up on deck and set off quickly to make the most of it. The tide was ebbing swiftly as the moon was just past new and soon I was negotiating the shallows at Skeleton Passage. Intermittent torrential rain showers added to the fun. But no problems and the rest of the afternoon saw us racing down the river at a steady 5 knots.
As these things tend to happen, we were in a narrow part of the channel running close to the shore and hemmed in by extensive shallows, when the big car ferry came lumbering up behind us. It wasn’t going much faster than Speedwell and it was going to be a fairly tight squeeze. I waited till it made a noticeable move away from the river bank which it had been hugging, before slowing right down and getting as close to the bank as I dared. The ferry rumbled slowly past. I waved and the captain gave me the thumbs up.
No more excitement and at about 16:30, when we were close to the Lau Lau Islands, the tide started to turn and it seemed like a good place to anchor for the night.
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Before stopping last night I had inadvertantly wandered into a rather shallow patch and as it was nearly low water, this was another good reason to call it a day. When I checked the chart I saw that deeper water lay closer to the islands but felt safe in my 2.5 m and decided to stay. Later, while enjoying my sundowner in the cockpit, I watched as an enormous barge passed slowly between me and the island on its way to the West Channel which is where we were also heading.
I had been given some waypoints for this channel and as it exits the river further north, it seemed like the logical route.
The morning started calm and sunnily but just as the tide began to turn and I was thinking of getting the anchor up, we were totally swamped by a drenching deluge. It soon passed and we were able to make a soggy start. That set the pattern for the day and as I had the sail up I had to rely on my raincoat and umbrella for keeping dry. I switched on the LED anchor light which comes on automatically when it gets dark as sometimes the rain was so heavy I was forced to throttle right down and wait for it to pass. Fortunately it was a troublefree route with water rarely less than 4m deep, threading easily through the maze of islands. I was motoring and only had 4 panels of the sail up hoping to take advantage of the intermittent squalls. The sail looked good in its new trim shape and if I’d been able to take my hands off the tiller and find a way of keeping the camera dry, I could have taken some good pictures of it to show the sceptics.
Inbetween rainshowers, I revelled in the passing scene. The channel runs close to Hog Island then crosses to Akuraikuru and sneaks between Liberty and Little Truli before crossing to a deep and fast flowing section close to Truli Island. All the Islands are covered in dense rain forest down to the waterline. An amazing variety of different trees. Occasionally I spotted a parrot and there were hawks circling overhead. But the wildlife is hard to spot, especially if your attention is focussed on the echosounder. So it was more the general impression that made an impact.
We reached Wakenaam, the last sheltered spot to anchor just before low tide. I was grateful to be able to have another proper nights sleep before heading out and found a comfy place to stop and get the anchor down. My first chance to take a break all day. I had just got the kettle on when the heavens opened again and reduced visibility to the length of the cockpit. Perfect timing.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
I had to wait until 10 am for slack water before heading out across the shoals. The incoming tide was rushing past carrying leaves, branches, plastic and sea foam, the water here, much muddier than further upstream. At last we were able to make a slow start. It was reassuring to notice that here my GPS positions showed correctly on the Navionics chart. The water gradually got shallower and the waves bigger as we approached the bar. By now the ebb was in full flow and for about 10 nm we raced and bounced along at 6 knots in fairly constant 3m of water. I was glad that I had remembered to pop a seasick pill before starting out. But soon enough the depth started to increase and at last we were really on our way. My last view of Guyana showed the low coastline shrouded with black rainclouds. The Christmas Rains had definitely arrived.
Sunday, 22 December 2012
It’s roughly 300 miles from the mouth of the Essequibo river to Tobago. I had one day of sailing hard on the wind to get to deeper water offshore but with the current to help me the flattened sail managed it very respectably. Next day was frustrating with one impossibly heavy rainsquall after another and the wind boxing the compass. Thanks to the current we still managed 50nm. After that things improved with a steady wind abaft the beam and cloudy skies to keep us cool.
We arrived in Man of War Bay, Tobago at 23:30 last night with enough light from a 3/4 moon to find a safe place to anchor. Quite a few of the boats that I had met in Guyana were also anchored in the bay.
December 30th, 2012 at 16:20
Hello Shirley!
By chance we found your blog and were happy to read, that you are in Tobago now. We met almost exactly two years ago in Paraty and were sailing with a junk rigged Wharram-Catamaran. At the moment we are in Grenada with a new boat (Monohull!) and think about changing to junk rig again. We would love to meet you again in the next weeks! Have a nice time in Tobago.
All the best from
Susi & Tom
December 31st, 2012 at 14:07
HAPPY NEW YEAR SHIRLEY! LOTS OF LOVE FROM IAN, DAVE, MAX (now senior dog) and WELLINGTON (the puppy)
September 12th, 2013 at 11:13
Hello,
I am building a 14 sailboat called Lucky Town 7, designed by William Longyard. He has a high aspect ratio junk rig (10′ boom and a 18′ mast. I would like to make it a low aspect junk rig. You mentioned your sail if pvc. Could you tell me is it the same material that is called oilcloth? Also, where did you purchase your material? Happy and safe sailing, Bert Chamberlain.
September 17th, 2013 at 12:06
Hi Bert
I don’t think is was quite the same as oilcloth. I bought it in South Africa 12 years ago – it was very cheap. Sorry I don’t have more details. Have you checked the Junk Rig Association – they have lots of discussions re sail materials.
Good luck with your project,
Shirley