The View From Here

Last weekend (Friday, Jan 31 – Sunday, Feb 2) a bunch of great big sailboats took up residence at Nelson’s Dockyard. Superyachts. They were there for a “friendly” regatta. This involves sailing up and down the island for a few days, breaking things on board, tearing sails, exploding spinnakers and generally having a jolly old time at enormous expense. These are glorious boats, some tarted up and fitted out for racing, others more of cruising boats just having a bit of fun. The point is the pleasure, results are (more or less) irrelevant.

Timoneer is one such superyacht, in the cruiser-not-racer line, and she had a little trouble on days one and two with her main halyard…the mainsail wasn’t being hauled up fully. On day two, they pulled into the mouth of English Harbour, at Freeman’s Bay, to tend to the problem. They became our immediate neighbour but one.

Here is a photo of Timoneer with our immediate neighbour Foxfire. We reckon the latter to be somewhere about 40 to 45 feet long. You can see the former’s bow extending almost to the bow of the latter. You do the math. The result will be that Timoneer is very very big. Despite this, she held station absolutely beautifully and got all fixed up and rejoined the fleet in time for the race and she didn't come last.

Timoneer luffing and holding station during main halyard repair.

Oh, and please look at the very top of the mainmast. That is the guy working on the halyard. Vertigo anyone?