North Sound to Trellis Bay

Cruised over to Trellis Bay on Beef Island after a later start than I had planned due to a unoccupied dinghy rescue.


While I was breakfasting in the cockpit and watching the boobies fishing for their breakfast I ealised that the dot on the other side of the bay was about to drift out into the channel and seemed empty. A quick look through the bins confirmed it to be an empty dinghy so as no one else seemed to be taking an interest I popped over and towed it back and tied it up to the stern. Elephants Child was now a two dinghy boat, I was expecting a charter jobbie as they are renowned for losing dinghies but it was not the typical Caribe/Tohatsu combo but an Avon with a Honda 4st.

A call on the VHF bought no response and I was working on my second cup of coffee when a large RIB went past at high speed and suddenly swerved around to my stern.

It was the rather shame faced crew from a megasailboat on dinghy rescue patrol.

A dinghy line was passed over and a bottle of red promised as a reward.

As I was pulling the anchor up the bottle arrived and I was off making full sail for Trellis Bay.

Once clear of the windshadow we made 6 to 8 knots all the way but despite me fiddling with sail trim the autopilot seemed unable to cope; reacting slowly to changes in windspeed. I will have to get the manual out and see if there are sensitivity and speed settings to tweak.

It may have been that I was overcanvassed because once I rolled away the headsail it coped with just the main at 4 - 5 knots OK.

Trellis bay is chock a bloc with moorings and I just squeezed in on the edge of the mooring field but am sitting right by the airport exclusion zone.

Yes if you come in to Beef Island the pilot has to watch out for yacht masts. While they won't let you anchor there the charter boats charge through the zone regardless of aircraft passing overhead. 3 going through as I am writing this.

I wonder what the pilots guide to airports says about this.