At the end I didn’t go. Why?
I didn’t sleep well Sunday/Monday night thinking about what to do. Antares’ rudder tube — where the steering quadrant connects to the rudderstock — needs attention. A potential leak is developing, in part because the clamps around the flexible stuffing box are rusted and can fail. The likelihood of that happening during a period of three days sailing non-stop in rough seas, with the rudder under constant strain, was non-negligible. On top of this, why going to Jamaica now ? We had decided, after all, to explore some of the leeward islands and Granada. So I decided to stay.
But I m not happy with my decision. I feel frustrated; at the end there was no passage, no movement. My neighbors left two nights ago. They are going to Panama with a stop in Jamaica. They were close to the windward passage when I was writing this yesterday. They are not at Eron Flint Marina in Jamaica ! I m still here. Tomorrow I ll be moving Antares to the shipyard and leave it there during the hurricain season…
Sailing to the Pacific in a Bristol 40 