After Cayos Holendes, we had time to waste before returning to Mainland for Jenny to make her flight on 26 July. We had enjoyed the anchorage at East Lemon, so we returned there. No sooner than we’d anchored, Attie of the small island came to say Hello and ask if he could get Fresh Drinking Water again. - - No Problem for us.
Way back in 2018, when in Sarasota, USA, soon after we’d anchored and not yet furled sails away, we were hit with a Buster of 60 knots of wind, which pulled our Genneker out and pretty much shredded it. We had to buy a new one, at huge cost, however were able to selvage a many meters of Laminated sail cloth with the intention of making Sail Bags or something…..
We’d noticed that many of the Guanas have sails on their Ulus, but Attie did not, and he seemed quite improvised, living in a hut with;
Attie and Family’s Hut
His wife
His 4 daughters, ages 12, 8, 4 and 3
His wife’s mother
His wife’s sister and her daughter
His wife’s grandmother
His wife’s bother
That’s 11 people in one hut!!!!
Attie, seated, and some of his family
They have another Lean-too where they store water both for body washing, laundry etc and containers of drinking water
A Pig and some Chickens (two)
So we asked Attie if he had a sail, as he had to paddle everywhere, and he said No and that he did not have the funds to purchase one. Further establishing that his Ulu did have a Mast, and that he had the Boom and Gaff Rig Pole, Nicholas and I decided we’d make him a Main Sail and Jib.
A little googling to get a Sail Pattern, and measuring Attie’s Mast and re-sizing everything, we were set. Nicholas and I took sail cloth ashore, and with Sharpie/Koki, measuring tape and Straight edge we measured out a Main and Jib and cut them out.
Back aboard Meshugga, I hauled out my trusty sewing machine and got to work.
Whilst Nicholas worked, I visited with Janna, her sister, mother, grandmother and the kids.
