Caribbean Pod Notes
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B3 The Grenadines Imray-Iolair e CHARTS FOR THE ABOUT THIS CHART EASTERN CARIBBEAN This chart has been compiled by D M Street Jnr using official sources and additional information acquired over more than 50 years of cruising, racing, exploring, Compiled by DM Street Jnr chartering and charting the Eastern Caribbean on his 46’ engineless yawl Iolaire built in 1905. He is the author of many yachting books and articles, first of which was ‘Going South’, Yachting Sept 1964. His first guide Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles is regarded as ‘the book that opened the Caribbean to the cruising yachtsman and IMPORTANT made bareboat chartering possible’. It is worth reading for its nostalgic view of the For the latest chart Caribbean in the 50s and 60s. Through the years the guide has been expanded to cover all of the eastern Caribbean, from the western end of Puerto Rico east and corrections visit south through the islands to Trinidad, then westwards along the Venezuelan coast www.imray.com and the off shore islands to Aruba. Use Street’s Guides for interisland sailing directions, harbour piloting directions and interesting anecdotes of people, places and history. Street’s Guides are the only guides The information shown on charts is that cover all the anchorages in the Eastern Caribbean. Patience Wales, editor of Sail , liable to constant change; Imray once said, ‘Circle in red all the anchorages that Street describes that are not in the ensures that every chart is correct to other guides and you will have a quiet anchorage’. the printing date shown below. Shoresides information dates but pilotage information in Street’s Guide is timeless. Where harbours have changed or been dredged, the latest information is shown on Imray-Iolaire charts, which are constantly referred to in Street’s pilots. Corrections received after this date may be downloaded from Street has also been in the marine insurance business placing insurance for yachts of all sizes and ages sailing in all areas of the world with Lloyds since 1966. Visit www.imray.com as Correction www.street-iolaire.com. Email [email protected]. Notices. These are regularly updated The author and publishers believe that this chart is the most accurate and up to date and the website should be checked. available for the area it covers. It can, however, only remain so if mariners notify the publishers of any inaccuracy or need for correction of which they may be aware. Smartphone users The pilotage information on this chart is taken from Street’s Martinique to Trinidad can link directly to Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd www.imray.com the Corrections Internet sales for current and out of print editions iuniverse.com, alibris.co.uk and Notice for this chart Amazon.com using the QR code. Five popular sailing videos made in the late 80s early 90s featuring DM Street Jr are now available at www.thesailingchannel.tv. One of these concerns cruising the Grenadines. The most popular one is Transatlantic with Street , the story of Iolaire’s 1985 Transatlantic via Vigo, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verdes . It was highly praised by Tom Cunliffe in his review in Sail, and Herb Mc Cormack in Crusing World . TheSailingChannel.TV offers all five videos in one digital package, The Complete Street, online at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thecompletestreet Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd St Vincent Wych House The Broadway St Ives Kingstown Cambridgeshire PE27 5BT England Bequia ✆ +44(0)1480 462114 Fax +44(0)1480 496109 Baliceaux www.imray.com Mustique Canouan Edition date: 2015 Union I. The Grenadines Hillsborough Carriacou Electronic versions of this chart Imray charts are also available as apps for iPad and iPhone in raster format in the Imray Chart Grenada Navigator series. The series also includes chart sets Grenville from official hydrographic offices. St George’s Search ‘Marine Imray Charts’ on the App Store. 1 At one part of the year, the highest tide is Pilotage notes by during the day, at other times of the year the 1 highest tide is during the night. Schomberg, DM Street, Jnr Hr ZENITH the Danish naturalist, explained that during T EAST IDE the equinox, September and October, March and April, the evening tide is the highest, the 1 rest of the year the daytime tide is the B3 The Grenadines Hr highest. W In periods of spring tides especially if the E E D I S T GENERAL CAUTIONS T trades have not been blowing hard, the T T S I flood tide will overcome the Equatorial D E Yachtsmen navigating this area are E W current and give an easterly set. In normal reminded that whilst most of the region has circumstances in the passages the tide runs been resurveyed in the last 50 years much of 1 Hr eight hours west, four east. However within the data is of 19th-century origin. Since then, the Virgin Islands in Pillsbury Sound and topography above and below the water may Drakes Passage which are largely sheltered well have been altered by natural causes EAST TIDE from the Equatorial current, the tide ebb such as volcanic eruptions, movement of NADIR 1 and flood is six hours each direction. sandbanks, the growth of coral etc. This Hr chart must therefore be used with caution. Warning Inshore navigation should only be undertaken in good light when the sun is The Caribbean is 0.4m to 0.6m lower in May, high. Navigational aids (buoys, beacons and flood tide. Taking advantage of a weather- June, July and early August than it is in lights) are notable for their absence and/or going current can change a passage from winter this was noted in the 1867 Norie and unreliability. being a real hard slog, to a glorious reach. Wilson Sailing Directions in these months It is important to read the sailing and pilot With tide and current setting you to shoal channels into various harbours should directions for the area concerned the night leeward, you will have to sail 010° to 015° be used with caution. Nanny Cay - Tortola, before, in order to plan the next day's run, above the rhumb line, but if it is setting you Manuel Reef marina, Wickhams Cay, Fat and to calculate your departure in time to to windward you will be able to sail a course Hog/East End Bay, Jolly Harbour Antigua guarantee arrival at the next anchorage 010° to 015° to leeward of the rhumb line. Rodney Bay Marina, Blue Lagoon - St while the sun is still high. This makes a difference of 020° to 030° often Vincent, do not have tide gauges and require It is also important on interisland passages changing a dead beat to an easy close reach. particular care. Yachts are increasing in size to allow for the set of the current. Stay to This often makes the difference between whilst shoal channels can be used safely in windward of the rhumb line. Take back slamming into it, or an eased sheet reach, winter, in summer, at low water springs; bearings until you can see the island ahead. really flying. This is particularly true from St there have been incidents when large yachts Take GPS readings every half hour and plot Vincent to St Lucia, Martinique to Dominica, have grounded completely blocking the them on the chart, make sure you stay to Deshaies (Guadeloupe) to English Harbour channel for others. The author has windward of the rhumb line between your (Antigua). campaigned for many years for gauges to be starting point and your anchorage. All If you plan your passages so that you have introduced to prevent these incidents. courses given in the text are rhumb lines. the flood tide helping you it can make a HIGH WATER FULL AND CHANGE Do not enter strange harbours at night. large difference to your sailing time. The Many lights are unreliable. difference from setting off on a lee-going The time of High Water at each location tide to a weather-going tide is generally during full and new moons (full & change) Buoyage in the Grenadines and particularly 020°, often as much as 030°. There is a brief occurs at a set time after the meridian on the south coast of Grenada must be rule of thumb method. The tide starts passage of the moon for each location. regarded as unreliable. running to the east soon after moonrise, The time of the meridian passage for each Norie and Wilson Sailing Directions to the continues to run east until about an hour day can be found in Nautical Almanac , and Caribbean (1817) state, ‘When passing to after the moon reaches its zenith (overhead) in Compass magazine. leeward of the high islands stay within two then it runs westward, reinforcing the pistol shots distance of shore or seven eg Location X – HW F & C 2h30m (from the westerly current. Then as the moon sets, the table on the chart) leagues (21 miles) off.’ Still as true today as tide starts running again to the east, turning Meridian passage at X for Y date is, say, it was in 1817. westwards again about an hour after the 0200hrs (from Nautical Almanac or Compass moon passes its nadir (directly underneath), TIDES AND CURRENTS magazine) see sketch. Thus HW on Y date will be at 0430hrs. HW (see als o Street’s Transatlantic Crossing In the Eastern Caribbean during the will be approximately 50mins later each Guide ) winter months, the wind will vary from east- southeast to east-northeast, occasionally following day. Heading north or south, the current is on the going all the way around to north.