"Journey's End" has three sails - the main, the jib (both pretty typical on a sailboat) and a staysail. The staysail is like a mini-jib - and is rigged between the jib and the main. In good sailing conditions, all three sails can be used together. During less-than-ideal seas and winds, the staysail can be used as an alternate to the jib or by itself. We began our day using all three for maximum performance, and ended it using the main and staysail because we had to motor sail.
Motor sailing isn't as bad as credit card sailing (renting a sailboat but only using it as a motorboat), but it isn't a source of pride to do it. Unfortunately, sometimes it's necessary when the wind is coming from the exact same direction as your destination. Which was the situation we found ourselves in today.
Our sailing this morning was perfect, except for a short thundershower. We left St. John and headed to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands to clear customs for the next portion of our trip. The BVIs can be seen in the distance in this photo...
Next, we headed towards the Bight at Norman Island. The Bight is a natural harbor on an island that is rumored to be the setting for the novel, "Treasure Island." There are some great snorkel spots, including caves that may have been used to hide pirate loot. Jon thinks this has been a very educational post so far, so I must admit that we're at the Bight because it's a very fun place to be. The "Willy T" is a floating bar that's a replica of an old pirate ship anchored in the harbor. And charter boats and locals alike come here because there's always a party going on.
Sadly, when we set sail for Norman Island this afternoon, we realized that we were headed directly into the wind. We tried tacking back and forth for over an hour but didn't get very far. So we finally took down the jib, sheeted in the main and the staysail, and turned the motor on. We were here in a flash.
And the party is definitely going on. It's low season (aka hurricane season) in the Caribbean, but everyone is at the Bight. Not sure how we'll we're going to sleep tonight!
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