Great Harbor is a little out of our way from Marina Cay, but we think it will be worth it, and will well position us for a short sail in the morning back to Road Town. And we’ve anticipated a good sail over there. The sailing — not so good. We’ve been on beams and broads most of the time. This approach to Peter Island from the western end of Tortola calls for a close haul and a close reach. I’ve now discovered that the main halyard is preventing us from getting a tight luff. Apparently, the bowline on the sail head is huge and is not allowing for enough tension, making for a sloppy main sail and difficulty pointing close to the wind. We managed a couple of tacks and tried to position ourselves closer to Tortola, so our angle to Peter Island would allow for more of a beam. It worked a bit, but we were frustrated and finally motor sailed to Great Harbor. Typically, we’ve arrived at our destination around 2pm, in time for our pick of a mooring ball. We were pushing 4:30, and although the area is still not as busy as it will be in the next couple weeks, we were not sure that there would be space.
We arrived in a beautiful bay with a number of good moorings left. It was one of the deeper bays we’ve been in, which made the water a dark navy color, but still crystal clear. Some hard rain passed through, with huge drops that made millions of little fountains. We stood on the deck and watched. Then it stopped and presented a perfect full rainbow. An awesome ending to an amazing trip.
Set A Course 
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