Deganwy Marina, North Wales to The Helford River, Cornwall

Current Location: 8th August - The Bristol Channel, 75 miles from Lands End. At present we are travelling at 6.9 knots, course 180° in 11 knots of breeze on a beam reach. Full main, staysail and yankee. The sun is out as we cross the Bristol Channel with a few fluffy clouds. No other boats in sight. It almost feels Caribbean.

Dick and Mary duly arrived in their hire car from Plymouth on Sunday and Gill proceeded to pack 20 cubic metres of stuff into 1 cubic metre of Quasqai and four hours later we were unloading it all again. Mehalah dropped a further inch but she still looks great. Monday saw us busy with last minute jobs and negotiating with Jackie over the location of the promised spinnaker pole and trisail. The former we won, the latter we lost.

An early morning start on Tuesday saw us set off in rain(!) and quite thick mist. Tricky navigating out through the shallows but Gilly's passage plan was spot on and in a few hours we were on Mehalah's own mooring ball looking down at the Menai Bridge.

Mehalah's mooring ball near Bangor

Next morning, encouraged by the previous day's passage plan we set off from the idyllic mooring field through the notorious Swellies. More excellent planning and we were through nicely on slack water before transiting the remains 12 miles of the Menai Straits. At the bottom are the Bellen Narrows which even on a windless day were pretty bouncy and finally we burst out (reasonably) close to the fairway buoy that marks open water.

Early morning under the Menai Bridge

We beat along the Llyn Peninsula and round the top of Wales then set a course for St David's and the south of Wales. Not particularly pleasant but perfectly OK into the wind. Night watches of two hours each offset by an hour, so you shared with two people worked well.

Reefing before dark paid dividends as I completely ballsed up by dropping the main too far and getting a batten temporarily stuck. Then we found a wave had almost washed the liferaft overboard. Luckily it was just still in its cradle and a few random pieces of rope resecured it. All sorted before darkness descended.

Cardigan Bay was attracting us further and further westwards but as we approached the coast the tide and currents and wind all transpired to push us safely past St David's. A series of lighthouses gradually passed by and then were in the Bristol Channel as dawn broke.

I spilt a cup of tea all over the Irish Sea pilot, Gill broke a mug and Dick managed to drop a full cup 50cms into the fish bucket. Ah, the fish bucket. A sadly rather empty bucket. The new paravane caught one very small mackerel, one tiny one and one that 'got away'. The small one was filleted and is awaiting friends in the fridge.

Mary at ease in the cockpit

Meanwhile we've been playing 'what could we improve on M. Ideas range from more non slip mats to replacement hatch seals (oink) and where to position the second blue water trolling rod.

All very civilised at present. Gilly is chopping vegetables for tonight, Mary is reading her kindle in the sunshine in the cockpit with me and Dick is catching a few zzzs on the starboard pilot berth. All is good with the world.

The wind is due to pick up tonight but F6 W to SW should be fine as we round Lands End around midnight. ETA at Helford likely to be around 9am, ahead of more heavy weather. So, on we serenely glide on the soporific Bristol Channel.

Oh yes. lots of dolphins playing including a very large whale like, snub nosed one. Gannets, shearwaters, guillemots abounding but mostly just a beautiful sail on a beautiful boat on a beautiful warm day. Bring it on!

...........................................a few hours later............................

Current Location: 12th August - Blogged from a green mooring ball in The Helford River, South Cornwall.

How the British weather can change! Within an hour we began to spot darker clouds ahead and to our right. With the wind coming from the west they were due to pass across in front of us. Soon they looked like squall clouds some with rain coming from the bottom. We skirted one or two as the atmosphere gradually changed. Then we were through into crisper, fresher air with 18-20 knot westerlies. As evening and Lands End approached the sky to the west became more and more ominous. Mine was the casting vote as we decided to reef the Yankee (front sail) and take in a second reef in the main. We don't yet have the knack of furling the Yankee as we fought with it in ever increasing wind. Sheets were flapping and the sail slapping as bit by bit we wound it in. OK, now for the main. Dick and I clipped onto the safety lines that run along the side of the boat and made our way to the mast. Just as we got there a big squall hit. Now we have waves over the bow, pouring rain and very strong winds. Gill and Mary steering the boat into the wind as we took in the sail recorded 37 knots of wind. Eventually though it was done and we crawled back to the safety of the cockpit. Cold and wet we went below to put on our last set of dry clothes.

The wind was now a consistent 20 knots and Mehalah flew along at 7, 8, 9 knots with tide beneath her. The propeller which we would normally have put in reverse to stop it rotating wasn't playing for some reason so the rotating prop shaft as we passed through the water began to whine and vibrate quite alarmingly. Something's not right there. We'll have to investigate later

Next up, Lands End. None of us had been round before and by now it's pitch black, we're wet and tired with a second night ahead. Up comes Gill's third passage plan. Ahead of us a mass of lights, some flashing fast, some slow and some steady. Somewhere there's a way through. It's cold and tense as we start to line up the lights and work our way through. This time I'm in total control as I marry the lights to the plan. A couple of hours later we are round and we bear away downwind, still in 20 knots.

Passage Planning at its best. Well done Gilly.

The fun's not over though as we roll downwind there is now loads of other traffic to navigate in this busy area. Tankers, freighters, cruise liners and a few other yachts pass by from all directions but gradually we approach The Lizard. The watch system has gone to pot but everyone is working really well together as we storm along.

A bleak, cold dawn breaks as Gill and Mary are on watch. We head towards the entrance to the Helford River where our booked mooring ball awaits. It's gusting 20 knots and picking up the ball is a bit tricky. Finally we're sorted and we go to sleep. For a long, long time.

A great shakedown cruise. Lots of things to think about. But Mehalah is a lovely boat. We simply flew along hard on the wind with two reefs and a staysail as we approached The Helford.

More later.

The Deed is Done

Current Location: Ebley, Gloucestershire: tomorrow Deganwy, North Wales

On Monday 30th July two momentous events occured. Firstly we paid for Mehalah and secondly my PSA reading was found to be 0.1, or basically undetectable. For a prostate cancer sufferer such as myself this is GOOD NEWS. It means the cancer no longer has much of a foothold and just might be on its way out. A great day all round!

Anyway, the following day we arrived in Deganwy in the early afternoon to find Jackie waiting for us in the Club House of the marina. Bills of Sale were signed, the waiting life raft was loaded into a trolley and we made our way down the steep slipway (tides here remember!) and onto Mehalah. She is indeed a lovely boat. But....we couldn't get aboard. The key was nowhere to be seen. A quick call to Jackie revealed it was stored in the yellow rubber glove in the cockpit. Of course. Why didn't we look there?

Now we had to lug all the stuff from the car, down the slope and aboard. This took a while and in the end it was near impossible to step around inside the boat. "Where will it all go?" I asked. Never fear, Gilly's here; and the impossible task commenced. By the following morning everything was stowed and there was even spare space for more. That's a good job because more there, is due to arrive with us tomorrow and then with Harry & Sandra later in the month.

Jackie had taken a few things we had expected to be left but this was mostly not a problem. We did though ask her for the anchoring ball and motoring cone back...which duly arrived.

It's a pretty area up around Conwy and we found time for my daily three mile walks each evening. We heard very little Welsh but plenty of Scouse. The next day was spent identifying and double clipping the sea cock hoses as required by the insurance company and other interesting boatie tasks.

The next morning it was back to Ebley to drop off the car and to see my consultant. Unfortunately he is moving to the UAE so he wasn't there. A stand in lady told me what we already knew. It's good news and "all the treatment they have given me has paid off". That's all well and good but maybe the lifestyle changes have made a difference too. But talking about that usually gets us nowhere, so I didn't.

And now it's the evening before we return to Deganwy this time with Dick and Mary our friends from the Caribbean, now returned for summer in the UK in Plymouth. The hire car is booked [will it be big enough??] and we'll be off.

Departure from the marina is planned for early on the morning of 7th with a passage down to Cornwall over the next few days. The forecast has been great - north westeries and westerlies but tonight it is looking considerably less good with stronger south westerlies and even southerlies creeping in later in the week. We shall see. Maybe it'll end up with a big tack over to Ireland and then back to the south west.

A New Boat. A New Life.

Current Location: Ebley, Gloucestershire

Here we go again! After a pretty rotten year it looks as though we finally have a new boat!

She's called Mehalah [meh-hay-lah]. She's a Stevens 47 built in 1983 and currently berthed in Conwy, North Wales. The 47 refers to her length in feet - quite a big boat compared with Petronella at a mere 40 feet. She's an American boat, built in Taiwan and at 20 tons with the reputation of being an extremely seaworthy, seakindly yacht. This particular Stevens 47 already has two global circumnavigations under her belt.

If you want to see her full sales details with plenty of pictures click here.

Preparing for survey

We have paid the deposit and had the survey done. On Monday we pay the remainder of the purchase price and on Tuesday or Wednesday we and Jackie, the current owner, sign the Bill of Sale and she becomes ours.

That all sounds so straightforward. As with any deal like this there have been negotiations over the price we should pay, when we can take her over and what the insurance company requires before they will insure us.

Mehalah is currently run as a sail training boat out of Conwy so for insurance purposes she has had to be well maintained. That doesn't mean that the surveyor couldn't find anything to pick up on though. Oh no! Seacocks that wouldn't close, unsecured batteries, 240 volt system unprotected by an RCD etc etc. Y-Yachts, the first, and cheapest, insurance company we approached insisted on most of these being fixed before we left port! Problem, as we had already arranged a departure date with the marina and for friends to crew for us down to Cornwall. So it was back to Pantaenius who has insured Petronella for us. £300 more expensive but once we had explained that the seacocks do actually close, I would fit an RCD before we left and we would do the rest over the next few months they agreed to insure us. We may return to Y-Yachts next year for the passage south to the Canaries and onwards across the Atlantic.

The other thing to sort was a liferaft. Mehalah has a rented 10 person raft which will be returned to the suppliers when we purchase her. We tried to buy a new 6 person one but the one we want is out of stock. In the end we have hired one for the three months of sailing this year and will buy a new one next spring. This gives the advantage that our new one, which will require a service after three years, will have its service delayed by six months providing welcome relief for the sailing kitty.

Our small flat here in Ebley is becoming like an Amazon and Screwfix showroom. We have so much bedding that the bath is full and the spare bed is hidden beneath gas pipe, provisions, paperwork and machine screws. We realise now just how much key gear we left on Petronella when we sold her. On the other hand Jackie is taking most of her stuff with her as she will be looking to replace Mehalah with another boat. It does mean though that we start out with new gear.

The Bath at Ebley

The spare bedroom. Packing in progress!

Mehalah, despite being built in 1983, is seriously well equipped, at least for temperate climate sail training. She has new sails, standing rigging, mast and boom, generator and engine as Jackie was planning to sail her down to New Zealand with her father. As her father has got older though they have decided to abandon their plans so put her up for sale. The only things we will need to do are additions rather than replacements, like solar panels and probably wind steering.

We've not sailed much in the UK. Most of our experience is non tidal or current driven so negotiating the notorious Menai Straights on the first day of new ownership is going to be 'interesting'.

In other news daughter Jenny flies from Uruguay to Spain today to start a new life in Spain (go Jen, go) and daughter Emma returned yesterday from Uzbekistan where she has been working for Doctors without Borders (MSF). We have now finished our voluntary work for the Cotswold Canals Trust for the time being with dredger Patricia launched earlier in the week.

Patricia finally loaded ready for launch

See that beautiful new paintwork? Much of it down to us, especially Gilly.

OK. That's it for now. The next blog should be from on board Mehalah.

Petronella - The End

Current Location: Ebley, Stroud

So that's about it. At least for Petronella.

Our decision to push on to George Town was spot on and we enjoyed another day of 20 knot SE winds. Easy sailing under yankee and mizzen and we reached the Exumas in the early afternoon. The problem was that everything we did was for the last time. I used my night and early morning watch to say a final goodbye to P.

How much bluer can you get? The S entrance to the Exumas.

It's quite tricky getting in behind the islands at George Town but John A did some superb pilotage and we were soon anchored off the town. It was still windy though, not the tranquil sea we had expected.

Soon things had calmed down though and we went ashore by way of a bouncy dinghy ride to check in (for the last time). No problems and then on to the Peace and Plenty restaurant for a well earned beer.

The impossible blue of the Bahamas, Peace and Plenty Hotel

Shortly afterwards John and Helena raised the anchor on their own and re-anchored off Stocking Island for a day or two of chilling out.

We dinghy-ed ashore to the aptly named "Chat and Chill" beach. There's a conch man there that takes the flesh out of their shells and makes the meat into a salad. He throws the spent shells into the sea. Here's his shack....

'Chat and Chill' conch salad bar

...and this is what comes to feed on the leftovers. Real stingrays.

Stingray Alert

As tame as you like. And pretty big.

Don't even think about it

Time then for the last sail, or rather motor, up to Emerald Bay Marina. Again nice work from John and we tied up without incident (though we maybe started to get ready for our arrival just a little too late!).

The marina is new with very few boats and clear, clear Bahamas sea. We missed the opportunity to photo the nurse sharks that were swimming around but we got the young turtle that swam under Petronella.

Turtle under the boat in Emerald Bay Marina

John and Helena had already taken us out for a meal to thank us for putting up with them for a month and soon it was time to start the final handover.

Gill before the "handover meal"

But not before Gill and I went for an early morning walk on the 'deep side' of the island. Absolutely beautiful!

On the beach

We've lived  a substantial part of the last ten years on P. We made the decision to include just about everything boatie with the sale but we still had our personal effects to pack into bags. With Portuguese Airlines playing silly buggers over our extra bags we packed assuming they would not let us take them on the plane. So we had a 'must go' bag each and a 'could be sacrificed if we have to' bag each. Here's the pile for the two sacrificial bags.

OMG - do we really have to get that lot into two bags?

So, we got it all in eventually and then it was time for the handover. We had various insurance, Bill of Sale and evidence of competency documents to sign first.

John A had downloaded God Save The Queen and the US National Anthem to his iPad so we had an emotional lowering of the Red Ensign followed by hoisting the Stars and Stripes.

Last moment under the Red Ensign.....

...and the first moments flying the Stars and Stripes 

A final drink at the marina's sister resort.....

Past and Future - Gill and John, and John and Helena

....and then it was time to leave.

Bye, bye P   xx

We thought that was it but our short flight to Miami was just stunning. By some chance Business Class tickets on this flight were cheaper than Economy so we were royally treated by the plane's staff. And then we looked out of the window. Fabulous. What a way to say goodbye to the Bahamas, and of course, to Petronella.

Just amazing. The Bahamas. 2.5m deep in the foreground, 2,500m deep in the dark blue background!

Miami was bustling and rather good fun with an excellent Cuban restaurant. The following morning we met up with John A again for the the formal Bill of Sale to be notarised at a bank. Then back to the airport, an easy check in (yes, of course we could take the extra bags but at an inflated cost of 240 USD).

And here we are back in Ebley ready for Dave and Vera's daughter's wedding. We'll be spending a good few months now in the UK before we look for another boat so remember if you are here, DO come and see us. We are nicely situated in the southwest close to the main motorways.

I don't know what will become of this blog now but if you want to continue to watch Petronella's progress then go to http://www.unlikelyboatbuilder.com/ where John A will be continuing the story.

Thanks for reading.

John and Gill

Delivery Cruise - Part 3

Handover Cruise - Part 3

Current Location: 3/4 of the way across the Caicos Bank.

Wow. This is different! We have spent the day crossing the Caicos Bank. Just like the Bahamas Banks further north this is a vast area of shallow water. Around 40 miles by 30 miles. We started off at a nice 6m depth with clear water around us. Soon we approached the light blue water and it shallowed to 5m then 4m and we were dodging brown coral heads every few hundred metres. It got hot. We caught a nice eating size tuna, then a much too big toothy kingfish. Finally the 30kg line snapped as another 'big one' lived to tell the tale. As we approached the middle of the bank we had not seen another boat for hours. You could look through 360° and all you saw was this.

Gilly - Coral head spotting

Can't see any there

Ah, there's one at the top of the picture. Steer around it!

A bit like the Sahara or the middle of the Atlantic in that flat day Jen. But here instead of 3km beneath us there was just 3m for mile after mile at 6 knots. The sea started to turn greenish blue as we reached the shallowest part. The depth alarm set for 0.5m under the keel sang it's little song as we dropped to 0.3m below the keel. We negotiated the last of the coral bommies which entailed a diversion of maybe 1/4 mile. Then slowly, so slowly the depths finally began to increase. It was hot. It was still. It was almost mirage like.

If you think this looks nerve-racking...

...try these depths!!

Provo Safety Radio asked all internationally travelling yachts to radio in. We did. Switch to Channel 74 please ma'am. Then they wanted every detail of P and her crew. They were so thorough we thought they were going to ask Gill what her bust size was!

Anyway we finally made it to the western side of the bank. Tired but satisfied it was time to gut and the tuna and cook the goujons. Very good though we still worry about ciguatera.

Less than 300 miles to go to George Town now. A quick check of the weather though shows even more wind over the next week. Staying put is not really an option as our days are running out so after a 12 hour day today we'll be up early tomorrow to check out of the Turks and Caicos. Next destination? The Bahamas. We've been with John and Helena now for three weeks. We know their foibles and they know some of ours. It's been good but I think we're all ready now to get to George Town and to complete the sale. Preparation is complete. The start is complete. The middle is complete. And now we've just got the end to complete. Still 300 miles but the end is in sight now after almost 1,000 miles. Even if we are in a shit anchorage on a lee shore with 20 knots blowing. Come on P, you're an absolute star!

Handover Cruise - Part 4

Current Location: East of Acklins Island, the Bahamas!

Your mind plays tricks in you during night watch. Tonight I had the red light shining in my head torch. I looked up along what should be a clear port deck and saw a massive lobster lying there. I called the others. We all thought tomorrow's dinner had thrown itself into the deck. Until we realised it was just the coiled main preventer line that had dropped off its hook. Ah well, you can't win 'em all.

This morning Gill and I took the dinghy, now repaired after the water man jumped in with gravel on his shoes, on a 2 mile return sleigh ride trip to check out. A bleak, dust strewn parking lot with a grubby little shack and nowhere to tie up. One other sailor there who had spent a pleasant night in the next bay. Wrong decision last night on our part.

Back on passage again, we were hit by a big squall tonight, just before it got dark. Instead of creeping up on us from downwind this one lay in wait for us. 30+ knots took us flying back towards the treacherous Caicos Banks where we had just left from. Captain Gilly ordered the genoa furled and we motored away from land again for an hour in the cold, with the wind roaring and the waves laid flat by the strong winds. Our trusty yin-yang-adorned wind steering paddle snapped off sometime in the excitement leaving just an orange stub. True gale conditions for an hour or so. At the height of the squall a large black bird came swooping up behind us. All very atmospheric and strangely wild and beautiful.

After the big squall

Watches. We are doing 3 hours each during the day and 2 hours at night. These are shorter watches than most people do but it works well for us. Not on watch? You will be sleeping, doing jobs or helping with a sail change. If you're lucky there will be time to read, write your blog or cook dinner! Yesterday we had a scrummy tuna caught by myself on the Caicos Banks and tonight during the storm John A made us all bean stew with rice each of which was topped off with two fried eggs. Scrumptious.

Well, we are now past the first of the Bahamas. Mayaguana slid by earlier in this 0400-0600 watch of mine. We might reach our final destination tomorrow or we may decide to break the final 200 miles into two. It's a grey old dawn here now. Plenty of small squalls around and it's spitting with rain. Only 15 minutes of my watch left so I might stay dry yet. Please.

14.28 Friday 28th April.

Thankfully the squalls stayed away during the night. We sailed on and on under jib and mizzen, our now standard downwind rig. 12 knots of ESE plus our boat speed of 5 knots makes for a gentle sail. We swoop along with the seas hissing past us. Long lazy swells, soporific and ceaseless. The end feels close now. (Remember Jen and Marcus?). Jobs are finished, floors are swept, bread is baked and all is good with the world. Around 0200 tomorrow morning we'll arrive in Long Island in The Far Bahamas. From there it's a couple of short hops to George Town.

Handover Cruise - Part 5

Current Location: East of Long Island, the Bahamas

So it's the next night and we're still at sea. What's that all about I hear you ask. It was a classic sailing dilemma. Our course and speed to Long Island 50 miles away would have us arriving at 0200. The entrance is strewn with coral heads and may have breaking waves. Once inside, the anchorage is very confined. Not a good place to drop anchor in the middle of the night. We could wait outside for daybreak but stronger winds are forecast. Our alternative is to crack on round the northern tip of Long Island and down the more sheltered western side to George Town. 60 miles longer and with winds increasing to over 20 knots this means another night at sea which no one (apart from me) relishes. We opted for this second option so it's now 0036 and my watch again. So far the winds have only increased slightly and the skies are pretty clear. We have 35 miles to make before reaching the northern tip. Current predictions show us rounding Cape Santa Maria just after 0600. Watch this space!

Delivery Cruise - Part 2

Current Location: 22 miles east of the first Turks and Caicos shallow bank. 63 miles north of the Dominican Republic, next door neighbour to Haiti.

Pretty cool eh? When you first get to a new cruising ground it all sounds very exotic. Once you've been there a while the exoticness wears off a bit. At present we are on Day 3 of the long ocean passage (430 miles) from the BVIs to somewhere else. We haven't quite decided where yet. It depends on weather forecasts if we can get one, on the SSB radio, on daylight arrival times and crew desire to keep going. Wherever we decide to stop I think Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands sound pretty much as exotic as it gets. After the T and Cs it it is a series of short hops to George Town in the Exumas, part of the Bahamas, where we will leave the boat.

Day 3 usually means that a routine is developing. Seas legs are established and watch keeping settling down. And that is the case today.

This morning at around 9am life was just about perfect. We shook out the second reef, the sun was out, we had long, slow 6' Atlantic swells swooping under our keel, the sea was azure blue and the crew was content. In the distance we watched two massive whales leaping out of the water and spouting. I sat on the bowsprit with my legs dangling. Occasionally the bow dipped, splashing my legs with warm tropical water. I looked back along the boat. Clear deck (now the night's flying fish collection has been thrown overboard), jib set nicely, reefed main and mizzen way out to port and held securely by their preventers. Absolutely perfect 15-20 knot, stressfree, blue water Trade Wind sailing at 6-7 knots. Beautiful, just beautiful.

Delivery Cruise - Part 1

Current Location: Soper's Hole, British Virgin Islands.

So here we are. Me and Gill, together with John and Helena, our new owners. They flew out last Saturday, just a week ago to the rolly anchorage at Fort de France, Martinique. Keen to get started we left there next morning stocked up with water, diesel and, it being effectively France, wine and cheese. Eventual destination - George Town, the Bahamas, 1200 miles distant. Initial destination - British Virgin Islands , around 320 miles away. This is quite a passage for sailors new to Petronella. John has sailed quite a lot on his own but Helena is very inexperienced. We could feel the apprehension but at the same time a high level of excitement. We sailed slowly up the western side of Martinique then across the bouncy Dominica Channel to our favourite (or is that favorite) island of Dominica. J and H were feeling a bit under the weather so we stopped in Portsmouth. At night. This was a first for us but we dropped anchor beautifully. If we were impressed then J and H were very impressed! They were dead tired though. They were learning, the motion was new, it was hot and sultry and they could finally relax after a very stressful few months.

Next morning we were off early towards the BVIs. Guadeloupe slipped by, followed by Nevis, St Kitts, Statia and after some serious gybing eventually Saba. We stood night watches for two days and the wind dropped. We motored for 24 hours and J and H gradually joined us. Food was finally eaten, beds were vacated and slow conversations gradually developed.

Finally, early on Day 4 we arrived in Leverick Bay (home of the one man pirate show Em)! We checked in and grabbed a mooring ball (well done J and H). The next couple of days were practising motoring, docking, mooring balls, dinghy work etc, etc. J is great at handling P. H needed confidence which she is fast gaining. They will be fine even though J admitted they were both wondering on Day 3 if they had done the right thing. They have learned so much in a week.

Next up is the long passage to Turks and Caicos. We were going to go straight there but there are three metre swells north of Puerto Rico so we will hop along the US Virgin Islands first. Three metre waves are fine for us, P and John, but we don't want to frighten H early in her time on P.

In order to sail to the USVIs we first have to enter 'US' soil by ferry. So tomorrow we will leave P here and ferry over to St Johns to initiate Gill's  ESTA which is like a mini visa.

So, everything is going well. P is beautiful and I get a pang of sorrow now when people dinghy past and tell us so. Soon she won't be mine any longer.

Star Date: 17th April 2017

Current Location: Soper's Hole, BVIs

Great news. Helena thinks I look like Sean Connery! At first she called me Scottie (as in First Engineer) but now she has decided I'm really a film star. Gilly on the other hand is simply Captain Cook because she is both captain and cook.

Yesterday Gill and I went to America! We caught the ferry to St John, just three miles away from our current island Tortola. $40 US return, plus $10 US departure tax each. The US has made it very difficult for Brits to get to US soil but this little wrinkle of popping across first by ferry appears to do the trick. Arriving in St John we were met by big open taxis. They reminded me of the African safari trucks. But these were full of large, loud American tourists driven by Spanish speaking locals. Small, somewhat down at heel, colourful bars and stores selling tourist tat. We hunkered down outside one with a coffee for a morning of serious interneting.

Gill's first official office on US soil

Add captionThe VERY fast ferry from BVIs to USVIs

Two frustrating hours later we had booked business class air tickets to Miami (includes two free hold bags and somehow cheaper than the Economy fare tickets??) from George Town in the Bahamas Exumas. And two tickets from Miami the next day to London via Lisbon. These were cheap tickets at £252 each but then we struggled to add an extra hold baggage each. In the end we added them but could not pay for them. This we must do when we get a connection as it will be more costly if we wait til the airport to pay for them.

By then an email had arrived saying the owners of a boat we might be interested in buying had arrived in Coral Bay just three miles away. We thought we just had time to see it before our ferry returned. So we arranged a (big) taxi to take us there - slowly, through the nature reserve that is most of the island. We arrive at the dock but there is no internet and no one has a VHF radio so we can't call them. A trip to the local bar (Skinnylegs) allowed us to email them and 10 minutes later Eric, the owner, arrived. He and his wife together with their three children had bought Laridae, a Westerly Ocean 49, two years previously, and sailed it back to the Caribbean. A great guy, and a great boat. But maybe just a bit big and a bit expensive. So I think we'll forget it for now.

So now we have 75 minutes to get back for our ferry. It's 9 miles, hot and Gilly. We start to walk. Very little traffic passes. Finally another taxi stops for us. Full of an American family who have chattered aotor cat. Thank you. Thank you. We get back to Cruz Bay only to find no one knows anything about our ferry. We rush from terminal to terminal asking immigration officials, customs people and ferrymen what is going on. The other 4.30 ferry back to Soper's Hole leaves and we are stuck. Just as panic sets in another ferry arrives. It seems we first have to go deeper in the USVIs to St Thomas. There we get off, go to the ferry operator to get checked out of the US and then return for a bumpy passage back to Tortola. A long day. But dinner and a beer await when we arrive and John is waiting in the dinghy to ferry us back to P.

Almost a disaster!

After a trip to the internet cafe Gill realised several hours later she had left her handbag there with credit cards and 200 USD inside. Panic. Dinghy back ashore to find that luckily the bag was behind the bar. Lucky indeed as Gilly had forgotten that both our passports and her driving licence were also in the bag! If they had gone missing the Bahamas would have been impossible to achieve.

So here we sit, frustrated and waiting for the weather offshore to improve. Hopefully we can leave in the next couple of days.