Our first day getting away from work and the marina provided everything you would expect. The last few weeks of getting the boat ready for departure at the same time we were finishing work as the Operation Managers of Ranguana Caye had left us exhausted both physically and mentally. So our plans to leave one day, got put off to the next. And then to the next. Finally, we were ready to leave the marina but weather reports had high winds for offshore so we would not be going all the way to Lighthouse Atoll until those died down. We decided a sail to South Water Caye was just what we needed. Get away from the marina and drop the anchor for a few days in a nice anchorage just inside the Barrier Reef. We could have a rest while we waited for the weather to calm down.
SAILING UP THE CHANNEL ON STARBOARD TACK
We departed Thunderbird Marina at 6:10 a.m. We were still inside the lagoon in protected waters when we raised the mainsail. As expected, after being stowed for 4 months, it got stuck a few times. We motored out of the lagoon, past the end of Placencia Peninsula and Placencia Caye before pulling out the head sail. The wind was from the direction of East to South East. As we headed north, we had expected to have to tack around Sittee Point but with these winds we were able to point East of North. Straight up the channel with no tacking – it was beautiful. The winds were strong but with the protection of the cayes the seas were flat. Whitey and I fell in love with our boat, Gypsy Blue, again as she sailed along at 6.5 to 7 knots all of the way up the channel. Feeling the wind and sun and a slight heal to the boat. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. We had planned for a 6-hour sail but it looked like we would arrive at South Water Caye within 4 hours.
