We made the 41.5 nm sail down to Hogsty reef in 20 gusting 25 knot winds. Hogsty is an almost perfect atoll surrounded by sand bars, reefs, wrecks and a small (150 x 700 feet) island where we anchored.
This atoll is located 30 miles from the nearest island and surrounded by 3000+ feet of water. Imagine cruising along, convinced there is nothing in your path, only to come to a sudden and violent stop on this reef in the middle of nowhere.
This atoll is located 30 miles from the nearest island and surrounded by 3000+ feet of water. Imagine cruising along, convinced there is nothing in your path, only to come to a sudden and violent stop on this reef in the middle of nowhere.
| This is the only markers on the reef a stone cairn with a water well and a light that does not work. The light used to be gas but was converted to solar. |
A fishing boat pulled in and anchored about half a mile away overnight and we watched as seven small boats took off, in rough seas, from the main ship at first light in the morning. A couple of fishermen in one of the small boats approached us and asked if we wanted some fish. We said yes and off they went to spear some at the drop off (where the ocean floor has a sudden and steep change in depth). A little while later they returned and we purchased 2 good sized groupers. The fishermen were from the Dominican Republic and I was amazed at the gear they were using. Their boat was a 14ft skiff with a 20hp yamaha motor. In the center was a 5hp gas motor driving a oil-bath air compressor like you would have in a repair shop. It was setup as a hooka with at least 200 feet of air hose. One person drove the boat and the other person dove with a speargun. I wonder how many people die catching fish that way. The oil from the compressor is really bad on your lungs.
Al watched the boat driver frantically circling as he could not figure out where his diver was. He went out of the 200 ft range and ripped the air supply from the diver. The diver swam to shore and was waving, trying to catch the attention of the driver. The seas were so rough the driver was bailing full time to keep the boat from sinking and would not know where the diver was anyway.
Al watched the boat driver frantically circling as he could not figure out where his diver was. He went out of the 200 ft range and ripped the air supply from the diver. The diver swam to shore and was waving, trying to catch the attention of the driver. The seas were so rough the driver was bailing full time to keep the boat from sinking and would not know where the diver was anyway.
The wind stayed strong and the water rough all day so we stayed aboard and tried to catch up on our sleep. Al tied a stern anchor to point the bow into the surge, it was better the second day but the wind was higher the next night 30-35 knots. Unfortunately the weather turned even worse and after snapping one temporary anchor and breaking the 3/4 nylon rode to the stern anchor we decided to head out. Al found the anchor in the morning in 20 feet of water and retrieved it. It is a good thing we had 4 anchors on board! I am disappointed that we didn't get to do much exploring in this area, I thought this would be a highlight of the trip.
We headed out under windy conditions and high seas and made it to an anchorage on Long Cay, where we spent a more comfortable night. This morning we moved on back to Clarence Town. Although the winds were light we managed to blow out the spinnaker sail. We will have to add that to the growing list of repairs and replacements.
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| This is a mail boat that ran aground on the reef in 2009. |
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| The sea shells are encased in the rock here. |