The spirit of the “Christmas Winds” were upon us during parts of our BVI visit in December. The Christmas Winds are expected in the Caribbean and usually means wind speeds of 20-30 knots. Thus, the sailing can be spritely, to use a Christmassy term, during the holidays.
One particularly gusty day, we were anchored off of Sandy Spit when a fairly ominous looking storm approached:
The sun highlights Sandy Spit like a favored haven.
The usually blue waters took on a more menacing green cast and the waves built out in the channel. Luckily we were a bit protected by the reef that runs between Sandy Spit and Green Cay. Though the storm didn’t last long, the winds and waves remained throughout the night.
We were very happy that we had invested in a heavier Spade anchor at the Annapolis Boat Show and that TMM had already installed it for us:
As a precaution we let out a little more anchor chain, set an anchor alarm, and had a very restful night. We are really glad there weren’t many boats anchored nearby because the boat that was anchored parallel to us on our starboard side? Well, the next morning it was at least three boat lengths behind us!
I’m really thankful for a good anchor, a solid hold and an anchor alarm to let us know if something goes awry.
Ticket to Ride 