It was a bit rough throughout the night. We had our normal squalls, and the occasional ferry passed by producing us some fine wakes. We weren't very protected in the St. Johns harbor, and we started to suspect the mooring ball we had overnight may have been a private one. No one came out on a boat to request money. It was quite possible we had a private mooring ball, and thus we were squatting. Nevertheless. We pulled out with our ears tucked down and doing a proper getaway at 3 knots.
Today we thought "No Reefing". We're going to use our entire mainsail and see what speeds we can attain. We put up, then the Genoa (jib) and let-er rip. Although yesterday was good, we hit 6.2 knots on the tack up to the Bitter End. When some hefty gusts came up, Alexa would voice "Should we be concerned"? Sandra and I, without Cheshire Cats grin would reply "Shush, we're trying for 6.5 knots"! For the most part, we just held a course and made a lot of ground. We practiced our tacks, as we headed out into open water toward Africa. We would point back into land now and then until we had a direct course through the channel markers taking us into a large bay that housed the Bitter End Yacht Club. Sandra called in on the VHF to see if there were any mooring balls available, and they said there were plenty. Left at 9:15am and made the Bitter End around 1:30pm.
We hooked up to a red mooring ball and cooled off a bit. Sandra wanted to do a snorkel and finish with a hike; Alexa and Dillion wanted to hang on the beach and drink Rum Killers. I just wanted to hang on the boat and chill (so to speak). Once we checked in at the Yacht Club, went to the mercantile store to pick up a couple caps. My uncle Mike lost his, so I had to pick him up for a replacement. I walked in and announced, "I'm here for your awesome caps"! The reply was less than satisfactory. "We do not have them right now". Well, what do you know about that? I sailed all this way for some stupid hats and the only thing they could offer up was $100 swim trunks. Seeing as me and my current swim shorts have gotten really close over the course of this overheated bathtub, I think I will stay with what I have. (Mike. If you're reading this, there is an online presence which I am going to order the hats).
As everyone took their own way, we had to rely on our WhatsApp to communicate. I tested this out with Sandra, and it worked until she hiked out of the safe zone. Alexa and Dillion are running dark with no communication methods back to me. So, I waited and relaxed on the boat while they had their excursion. When it became around 5pm, I got concerned and had to go ashore to find them. Low and behold there was Alexa and Dillion with Rum Killers in their hand (or maybe it was Sailor’s Rum). It was two for one, so I was in "Don't mind if I do"! Sandra showed up, and all of a sudden, the squall came in. It was a pounding rain. We huddled under the beach umbrella, while I looked out in the bad where we were moored. Of course, I left the hatches open, so we just sat there knowing the saloon and beds were getting a wash down. Oh well, I have my Rum Killer in hand.
Before we headed out to dinner at the restaurant, we grabbed a quick shower. Ohhh, that was a good feeling to be all cleaned up before becoming a sweat factory in the up-and-coming sleep.