Location: Saint Vincent
I woke up at 1.30 am. Somewhere Katelyn was definitely asleep. I could hear the wind had picked up, and every so often, I could feel a wave break across the bows. We were approaching the lee of Saint Vincent, and it was blowing 30 knots, sometimes gusting up towards 35. We had two reefs in the main and just the staysail, but we were still making 8 to 10 knots. I put on my PFD, checked the log and chart, and came up the companionway into the cockpit. The watch was huddled together; waves were breaking midships and sending spray flying over our heads. I was very impressed with how the crew had performed on the first passage.
We called into a bay to drop the sails before heading to our quarantine mooring at Young Island. Once on the mooring, it was time to thank Vela for keeping us safe by giving her a thorough wash. The whole crew turned the boat out, cleaning bilges, cleaning out bunks, and washing the salt off the sails and decks. That left the afternoon to have a swim and enjoy the picturesque scenery around us. We can’t wait to clear into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines so we can start exploring these beautiful islands!