Chasing Elegua
- Thread starter Ajax
- Start date
Russell Brown
Super Anarchist
Most of them look like absolute hell. Does that count?
I get the whole "form follows function" logic but some modern cats don't have much row away charm.
We were parked next to this cat the other day, interesting looking boat. Even saw it sailing, looked good.
@UK Class 6 – O Yachts
www.o-yachts.com
Kris Cringle
Super Anarchist
- 3,923
- 3,844
I get the whole "form follows function" logic but some modern cats don't have much row away charm.
We were parked next to this cat the other day, interesting looking boat. Even saw it sailing, looked good.
@UK Class 6 – O Yachts
Nice, but it only sleeps 6.
Seriously, it's a huge floating living space. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like under sail. I keep thinking earthquake. 
LewSipfher
I’m tha devil
- 560
- 168
The answer is to not buy a new catamaran:
youngbarnacles.com
but honestly, unless you are into the multihull concept, don’t get one.
Welcome - youngbarnacles
Shayne and Anna are marine industry professionals sharing their knowledge and showcasing their ambitious resto/mod of an old Catana42s into a one-of-a-kind performance cruiser.
youngbarnacles.com
but honestly, unless you are into the multihull concept, don’t get one.
Elegua
Generalissimo
We just missed you in Bequia according to some mutual friends.
Thanks. Already talking to Narace about a different project.
Elegua
Generalissimo
It was mostly a joke.The answer is to not buy a new catamaran:
Welcome - youngbarnacles
Shayne and Anna are marine industry professionals sharing their knowledge and showcasing their ambitious resto/mod of an old Catana42s into a one-of-a-kind performance cruiser.
but honestly, unless you are into the multihull concept, don’t get one.
I do appreciate the performance and comfort of some of the better cats - really effortless speed - but Balis, FPs , Leopards, Lagoons…etc…condomarans are completely uninteresting. Ugly, slow, poorly built, often sailed by idiots that are usually doing something stupid or annoying. I’m no paragon of good seamanship, but my finely tuned ear can hear the distinct sound when the drop anchor, and it never fails to get my attention; something bad or annoying is about to happen.
Instead, I’m sinking moar money in my mono-shitter.
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Elegua
Generalissimo
A lot of people I know have them as second freezers. At least one replaced their primary fridge with one. All seem pretty happy.
LewSipfher
I’m tha devil
- 560
- 168
I’d be shocked if you weren’t happy with an Engel. I have three, they just work.
Elegua
Generalissimo
Our time in the Grenadines has been wonderful. Noonsite makes Bequia sound like the den of iniquity. Our personal experience has been quite the opposite.
On the way, St Lucia has a very negative reputation. Yes, there were boat boys when we yellow flagged a stop in St Lucia, but after a sale of some mangoes (which turned out quite nice - Coming from Taiwan and Florida, I'm picky about my mangoes and I don't like over-ripe or over-soft mangoes.) we were left alone both times.
No boat boys in sight, but some cattle boats that left by about 4pm.
The biggest jerk was this trawler from Annapolis that decided they wanted to anchor up our ass. We could hear them have dinner.
Bequia is a special place. At least the older generation, my age and older, still have a pretty strong connection to the sea. The chippy I asked to fix my hatch was able to get the owner of a very fanzy NE yard on the phone on the second ring. So far, it's the only place where I've been able to have friendships with the locals that were not completely economically based. It's also a very small island - so you run into the same people time and again and many people are related. How you carry yourself counts. One day we were coming ashore to eat and there was a bunch of youth having a good time partying with music at the public picnic tables they place and the end of the most piers. The told us we had to, "pay a price", to get off the dock... which was a shot of the local "strong" rum and chaser. They let my wife off the hook because she doesn't drink. In the group I recognized the guy from immigration, a dive guide from the resort and someone else's son. Another time I heard from one of my friends that the lady that runs one of the yacht service companies was off in her house in Miami. On a guess one day I saw someone who might be her in a john boat and I surprised her by asking how Miami was....
Port Elizabeth is a bit of a working harbor with a bit of everything from charters to cruisers to the ferries - some of which have big wakes. One side is Princess Margaret Beach which is a nice sandy beach with resorts and some nice restaurants. The other side is Hamilton, which is a pretty vibrant community - at times a bit loud.
It's very "cruiser" friendly in that most goods can be delivered to your from from fuel, to laundry to water and fuel. You can also order goods from the Mainland St Vincent and they will put it on the ferry with the porter so you can pick it up. There is a bakery that is open all days except Sat for fresh bread and a rotating line of cakes. Sunday is bread pudding, but only after 3pm.
The beverage distributor will load your dinghy with your purchases.
The kids sail the local dinghies - shamu was capsized near our boat more than once.
Whaling is still a thing - they get a quota of 4 a year. This is a retired boat. Many of the surnames you see in the Heritage Museum you run into on the street.
The food is good and inexpensive for the Caribbean: Stewed chicken, callaloo, polenta and gravy for 15EC. Didn't get any pictures of the bakes - eaten too fast. There's a good amount of high end food as well.
On Fridays the BBQ stands appear and everything stops in the early afternoon as people head down to the local bars for a drink.
The missus wanted to go to church on Sunday. It was a small service and hard to understand due to the distinct local accent. I think the sermon was about sheep. Maybe. The church sells bottles of the most amazing fried peanuts.
Summer is coming, so it get's hot. Afternoon "floats" behind the boat with a beer and a saddle float / beer diaper become a must.
On the way, St Lucia has a very negative reputation. Yes, there were boat boys when we yellow flagged a stop in St Lucia, but after a sale of some mangoes (which turned out quite nice - Coming from Taiwan and Florida, I'm picky about my mangoes and I don't like over-ripe or over-soft mangoes.) we were left alone both times.
No boat boys in sight, but some cattle boats that left by about 4pm.
The biggest jerk was this trawler from Annapolis that decided they wanted to anchor up our ass. We could hear them have dinner.
Bequia is a special place. At least the older generation, my age and older, still have a pretty strong connection to the sea. The chippy I asked to fix my hatch was able to get the owner of a very fanzy NE yard on the phone on the second ring. So far, it's the only place where I've been able to have friendships with the locals that were not completely economically based. It's also a very small island - so you run into the same people time and again and many people are related. How you carry yourself counts. One day we were coming ashore to eat and there was a bunch of youth having a good time partying with music at the public picnic tables they place and the end of the most piers. The told us we had to, "pay a price", to get off the dock... which was a shot of the local "strong" rum and chaser. They let my wife off the hook because she doesn't drink. In the group I recognized the guy from immigration, a dive guide from the resort and someone else's son. Another time I heard from one of my friends that the lady that runs one of the yacht service companies was off in her house in Miami. On a guess one day I saw someone who might be her in a john boat and I surprised her by asking how Miami was....
Port Elizabeth is a bit of a working harbor with a bit of everything from charters to cruisers to the ferries - some of which have big wakes. One side is Princess Margaret Beach which is a nice sandy beach with resorts and some nice restaurants. The other side is Hamilton, which is a pretty vibrant community - at times a bit loud.
It's very "cruiser" friendly in that most goods can be delivered to your from from fuel, to laundry to water and fuel. You can also order goods from the Mainland St Vincent and they will put it on the ferry with the porter so you can pick it up. There is a bakery that is open all days except Sat for fresh bread and a rotating line of cakes. Sunday is bread pudding, but only after 3pm.
The beverage distributor will load your dinghy with your purchases.
The kids sail the local dinghies - shamu was capsized near our boat more than once.
Whaling is still a thing - they get a quota of 4 a year. This is a retired boat. Many of the surnames you see in the Heritage Museum you run into on the street.
The food is good and inexpensive for the Caribbean: Stewed chicken, callaloo, polenta and gravy for 15EC. Didn't get any pictures of the bakes - eaten too fast. There's a good amount of high end food as well.
On Fridays the BBQ stands appear and everything stops in the early afternoon as people head down to the local bars for a drink.
The missus wanted to go to church on Sunday. It was a small service and hard to understand due to the distinct local accent. I think the sermon was about sheep. Maybe. The church sells bottles of the most amazing fried peanuts.
Summer is coming, so it get's hot. Afternoon "floats" behind the boat with a beer and a saddle float / beer diaper become a must.
CapDave
Anarchist
We had a come-to-Jesus moment in Bermuda and decided to cancel our summer cruise to the Faroes and Lofotens. Looking at all our pictures, logs and notes from circumnavigating Newfoundland in 2019 helped remind us that we weren't really game for three months of "northern" weather.
We're about 300 miles north of Guadeloupe, thinking we'll make landfall in the Saints and then cruise to Grenada from there. We've heard stories of 400 boats in St. Anne, how's the crowd in Martinique these days? We're thinking of visiting the East Coast.
And we love Bequia; I distinctly remember my first visit there in 1986. We rode the local sailing ferry over to the big island and back to do some shopping! Lots of chicken coops on deck....
Thinking of skipping St. Lucia - CSSN has a tale of crimes there over the last 6 months which isn't encouraging....
Of course the Tobago Cays is one of my favorite places in the Caribbean - looking forward!! So glad we changed plans!!
We're about 300 miles north of Guadeloupe, thinking we'll make landfall in the Saints and then cruise to Grenada from there. We've heard stories of 400 boats in St. Anne, how's the crowd in Martinique these days? We're thinking of visiting the East Coast.
And we love Bequia; I distinctly remember my first visit there in 1986. We rode the local sailing ferry over to the big island and back to do some shopping! Lots of chicken coops on deck....
Thinking of skipping St. Lucia - CSSN has a tale of crimes there over the last 6 months which isn't encouraging....
Of course the Tobago Cays is one of my favorite places in the Caribbean - looking forward!! So glad we changed plans!!
Kiwi Clipper
Member
- 111
- 86
How deep is the water in ICW? (The most shallow passages)
How low are the bridges? (The lowest fixed)
How wide are the passages? (At the narrowest)
How low are the bridges? (The lowest fixed)
How wide are the passages? (At the narrowest)
Elegua
Generalissimo
East coast is amazing, we spent a week plus there, but might be inundated with sargasso at this time of year. The charts are accurate and once you get behind the reef, very calm. St. Anne and Marin are super packed and the mayor doesn’t like cruisers.
What cheeses me off about Martinique is having to compete with the charter cats. Fram and Dream Yachts are the biggest a-holes out there.
Fuel dock at 7am, 2 hrs before opening
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You should probably check out one of the ICW forums for the most current data. Generally, ICW fixed bridges between Norfolk and FL are 65'. In south Florida, some are lower.
A few boats with taller masts have used masthead water bags to heel the boat over to get under bridges, but that's a pain in the butt.
Depth is a moving target due to constant silting in and dredging. If you draw much more than 6', there are likely to be areas that make life a bit uncomfortable, although I know people who have done it with more draft. I did Norfolk to FL with 7' of draft a number of years ago, and was aground a fair amount, mostly in parts of N FL.
The ICW N of Cape May, NJ isn't really practical for a sailboat.
Width? Don't know. I've never considered that a limitation, but it might be with a big multihull.
A lot of people work around some limits by doing a combination of offshore and inside. All it takes is careful planning.
The best way to do the ICW is on a powerboat with a flying bridge. The view is a lot more interesting than from the deck of a sailboat. (Says a guy who has done it with both sailboats and powerboats.)
Steam Flyer
Sophisticated Yet Humble
Yes and yes.
There are fewer opening bridges these days, the biggest PITA one is the railroad bridge in Norfolk VA which obviously is not going to be replaced by a 65-ft clearance one. Some of the ones to the NC islands are over channels with troublesome tidal currents, and they are narrow for maneuvering but not for passage of vessels.
Personally I would not run any distance on the ICW in a vessel with draft over 4 ft but I'm spoiled. Most of it you can do with 6 or 7 is you're careful and patient. Probably the stretch from Morehead City NC to Wilmington NC is the shallowest and most troublesome, south of there the tidal range increases to where you will be fine as long as you don't run aground on the highest water of the day. I haven't run the Florida ICW in a few years and don't know as much about what it's like now.
The NJ ICW is a snare and a delusion. At low water there is just a trickle in the channel north of Atlantic City. And it's not pleasant cruising ground.
South Carolina and Georgia have some great cruising.
Jud - s/v Sputnik
Super Anarchist
Holy…that is eye opening.
You gotta understand, this is a French island with lots of boats and a gas dock that closes for two hours for lunch. Folks returning their boats to the charter company in the morning with an afternoon flight are highly motivated to arrive early at the gas dock.
I live here and don't really care if I get fuel at 8:30 am or 3:45 pm. It's all good, I'll go swimming in the morning instead.
I live here and don't really care if I get fuel at 8:30 am or 3:45 pm. It's all good, I'll go swimming in the morning instead.
Elegua
Generalissimo
It's full all day, every day. I've come at a variety of times. It only closes for 1hr at lunch. Typically I found the really, really busy days are Fri and Sat. and the line of boats waiting really stacks up. In Gwada it felt like you could avoid the charter boats more easily. I backtracked to Martinique to spend time with some friends, otherwise....
It is what it is and it's not for me. On the other hand we did meet one of the top traditional yole sailor who was running a training session on he beach. Despite our crap French, he was very gracious in explaining the boats to us.
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Elegua
Generalissimo
Tobego Cays is a bit overrun with charter boats, but the snorkeling off the reef and the number of sting rays and turtles is impressive.
Chatham is a lovely spot not far away. Also has a lot of turtles and good snorkeling. We've started getting lazy and sometimes don't bother to take down the awnings.
.
The boat boys in Clifton have a bad reputation, so we just stopped there to check out. Some people walk across the hills or hire an agent from Chatham. No boat-boy issues for us, but sadly Clifton has been sargassoed for the moment. It looks like a place worth exploring more.
Checked in to Cariacou. Tyrell Bay is crowded and full of cruisers who put out 160' of chain in 12' of water and then complain about you getting near their anchor . Sandy Island is ostensibly a park, but the mooring are all of the bottom and the fisherman are trawling daily. They deserve to earn a crust, so I feel conflicted. We tried to anchor on the sand.
Friends rented a house with a car, so we are bumming a stay with them in return for a little "help" from hauling and prepping their boat. AC, a full size kitchen, a view and Hollywood showers. What else could we ask for? Weather for heading South looks good soon, so we'll move shortly. Then for us, our first year of cruising is done. Weird.
Chatham is a lovely spot not far away. Also has a lot of turtles and good snorkeling. We've started getting lazy and sometimes don't bother to take down the awnings.
.
The boat boys in Clifton have a bad reputation, so we just stopped there to check out. Some people walk across the hills or hire an agent from Chatham. No boat-boy issues for us, but sadly Clifton has been sargassoed for the moment. It looks like a place worth exploring more.
Checked in to Cariacou. Tyrell Bay is crowded and full of cruisers who put out 160' of chain in 12' of water and then complain about you getting near their anchor
. Sandy Island is ostensibly a park, but the mooring are all of the bottom and the fisherman are trawling daily. They deserve to earn a crust, so I feel conflicted. We tried to anchor on the sand.
Friends rented a house with a car, so we are bumming a stay with them in return for a little "help" from hauling and prepping their boat. AC, a full size kitchen, a view and Hollywood showers. What else could we ask for? Weather for heading South looks good soon, so we'll move shortly. Then for us, our first year of cruising is done. Weird.
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