5/2/2007 Basseterre, St. Kitts to Pinney Beach, Nevis

Mileage:  12.3 miles

Time:  2 hours 15 minutes

Average SOG:  5 mph

 

7:31:42 AM                1.5 mi 0:31:30           3 mph 150° true        N17 17.554 W62 43.491

8:03:12 AM                4.1 mi 0:30:21           8 mph 146° true        N17 16.454 W62 42.821

8:33:33 AM                3.6 mi 0:30:22           7 mph 148° true        N17 13.507 W62 40.750

9:03:55 AM                2.3 mi 0:30:18           5 mph 150° true        N17 10.852 W62 39.031

9:34:13 AM                0.2 mi 0:12:42           0.8 mph 53° true        N17 09.101 W62 37.976

9:46:55 AM                                                                                        N17 09.189 W62 37.853

 

Another lovely sail, we are anchored off Pinney Beach, south of the Four Seasons Hotel.

 

Pinney Beach hosts several beach bars, all of which beckoned us to come ashore for refreshments.  I do not believe I have ever seen such a steep beach.  Taking the laundry ashore, we managed to soak us, our boat papers/passports, etc. trying to get the dinghy high enough on the beach – the surge kept back filling the boat.  Later in the afternoon, thinking we had learned our lesson, we returned for a stroll, beaching the dinghy as high up as we thought prudent…above what we thought was the high tide line.  In addition, as we thought it was above the high tide line, only deployed an anchor as an after thought. 

 

We walked the entire beach, past the entrance to the Four Seasons and back again.  Ending up at “Sunshine’s” we decided to partake of his famous lobster accompanied by a bee sting drink.  Drinks led to conversation with Mark, BLUE WILDERNESS and conversation continued with additional drinks and a couple staying at the Four Seasons.  The sun set…the full moon rose…and it was finally time to return to the boat.  Our “quick” beach stroll had lasted for hours.  It was finally time to go back to the boat.

 

We gasped coming upon the dinghy.  Thanks to the full moon, exceptionally high tide and subsequent beach erosion, we found the dinghy swamped, sand totally filling the dinghy from the middle seat to the outboard motor.  It was not a pretty picture. 

 

In our rather inebriated state, bailing the water and scooping the sand by hand was pointless.  The waves kept crashing over the back of the dinghy undoing all our work.  With each surge of sea, the dinghy filled more and more with sand.  We could not budge it.  We tried to manhandle the dinghy higher onto the beach, but with the extra weight from water and sand, we could not budge it.  Luckily, four local men and a five-gallon bucket helped us clear enough sand to launch.  Soaked to the skin and caked with sand, we limped back to the boat a tad embarrassed.

 

I guess, alls well that ends well.  After wrestling the dinghy, bailing water and scooping sand I would think we would have a sound nights sleep.  Now back on the boat, showered and the dinghy cleaned I know I will…my legs and arms feel like rubber J