Baie Chevalier
After a spot of breakfast, we set about bringing up the anchors that had kept us off the rocks through the night. The bow anchor came up easily enough, but the Danforth set from the stern proved more stubborn. We ended up walking the bitter end from the stern up to a cleat on the bow, then driving the boat over the anchor to dislodge it. There was no good way to run the rode to a winch, which meant hand-over-hand and a t-shirt soaked in sweat to bring it up.
Heading East Northeast, it was only a few minutes before we were cutting across a South Southeast wind driving a 4-6’ swell a few degrees forward of the beam. It wasn’t an optimum point of sail for a heavy catamaran like Takamaka, and it certainly wasn’t comfortable, so the skipper said we’d motor to Praslin Island to get there as quickly as possible. The gear below decks wasn’t stowed adequately for the conditions, and a few small appliances ended up being tossed around the main salon before we managed to recover from our lubberlike lack of orderliness.
It was a beautiful, clear day. The boat powered through the dark blue of wind-blown deep water, with whitecaps popping up here and there. For almost four hours the crew dozed or stared out at the horizon as Praslin Island became less hazy and some of its details more distinct. The water smoothed to nearly glass when we made it under the protection of Millers Point, and we found an anchorage spot amongst a few other catamarans in Baie Chevalier, about 30 yards from a rocky shore to the north and 50 or 60 yards from a white sand beach to the east.
Other than a few private cabanas and a tiny bar, there wasn’t much of interest on shore in this area of the island, so we swam from the boat and had some lunch. Late in the afternoon, Alisa and Mark swam to shore with their dry bags to have a look around. Since we now had cell phone coverage again, they would report back if they found anything that the rest of the crew might be interested in.
At around 4 p.m. a message appeared from Alisa saying that they’d found a bar that served food until 6 p.m., but that we had to be seated by 5 o’clock if we wanted to eat there. Colleen was not feeling well from getting more sun than she’d realized during the crossing from Silhouette, so she said she would stay aboard Takamaka. The rest of us still on the boat got ready to re-enter civilization, then got into the dinghy and headed to shore.
While there was no perceptible swell to speak of out at the boat, the surf on shore was heavier than we expected. We all successfully got out of the dinghy, but as we were pulling it clear of the water, a wave came and filled the dinghy with water, making it too heavy to drag it any further up the beach. It took a few minutes of bailing and draining to get the water out before we were able to move it again to a less exposed spot.
When we found Mark and Alisa, we learned that there had been a breakdown in communication. The bar offered nothing more than a kids menu in terms of food, and even that wasn’t available after 5 p.m. No one seemed in the mood to stay at the place after the let down, so we all walked back in the direction from which we’d come. Near where the dinghy was parked sat a tiny shack with a tiny drink menu. Cocktails didn’t seem to hold much appeal, but fresh coconut water still in the shell was on the menu, so some of us opted to order that rather than return to the boat with nothing to show for our efforts.
We returned to the dinghy once the coconut water was gone and got a good soaking getting it through the surf into calmer water where the outboard could be safely started. Feeling tired, hungry and damp when we got back to Takamaka, an emergency meal of pasta with pre-made pasta sauce and sausage, onions and bell peppers was quickly thrown together and served. Spirits were restored by the end of the impromptu meal, but by then it was nearly dark, and the day had taken more out of us than we might have realized. With a much more secure anchorage and no need for watches through the night, the prospect of a good night’s sleep made everyone turn in early.