Monday, July 22, 2013

Escape to Rabi Island

We have been out of range of the internet for a week now. The next few posts will catch up with our time on Rabi Island.

When we dropped the anchor at Kennedy Cove off northwest Kioa, we knew it would be a temporary shelter as there were no houses (for social interaction) or beach to keep us happy for a week.

Gato Go motors past us heading south for Viani Bay as we approach Rabi

So, on Sunday morning We set sail for Albert Cove on Rabi (pronounced Rambi) Island. We had the jib out in 10-12 Knots from the SSW and were soon enjoying a very pleasant passage, guided by Google aerial maps and eyeball navigation, up the Georgia Channel. Craig off s/v Gato Go hailed us on the VHS and reported 25-30 Knots gusting off Rabi; they were on a reciprocal course. Chris had just raised the main but took it down again to be cautious. The wind changed as predicted to the SE and we were into gusts of up to 30 Knots coming off the island. This was fine for running up the channel but we were not sure if we could enter the pass as the wind would be on the nose and Ladybug has a small  engine. We decided to overshoot the entrance for a better angle. Thankfully the seas were calmer here and we were able to navigate the two reef passes into the inner harbour without undue stress.

Chris repairs the sail cover for our dinghy sail on our first day at Albert Cove

Cocoa seeds when ripe have a  tasty white covering and can be sucked like a candy. We will dry the seeds themselves for roasting and grinding to make cocoa.

Overripe cocoa seeds have begun to sprout


There were two catamarans to the north and a monohull to the south and we found a nice spot in the middle to drop the hook in 50 feet. Little did we know that this would be the beginning of an incredible week!

No comments: