April 15th, 2019
Alex and Jarina
As you can see Alex and Jarina made it to the good ship Pearl of Penzance and they have had a lovely time on board. This picture was taken on the east side of Shroud Cay which is accessed through the stunning Mangroves. They have had a fantastic week of weather apart from one day when it rained as a front came through but the good news is that it turned out to be a pleasurable day thanks to tea, scrabble, books and Traceys excellent cuisine.
April 7th, 2019
Interesting Rig
We had a romping sail north from Georgetown where we had topped up with stores in preparation for Alex and his girlfriend Jarinas visit. As you can see from this picture we were going in the right direction.
April 7th, 2019
Traceys Reef
I call this Traceys reef for the waves breaking across it vexed her to the point of me nearly falling out of the dinghy with laughter. (note to reader this picture was taken in a quiet period as we started our run back out)
Tracey - those look big, I dont like this
Pete - It will be fine, we just need to time it
Tracey - no No NO NNOO NNNOOO
Pete - Hold tight
Tracey - NNNNNOOOOOOOOO.......YYYYEEESSSSS
Pete - there you go
Tracey - That was fun........we have to go back out though dont we
Pete - nearly falls out of the dinghy laughing
April 7th, 2019
Columbus Monument
April 7th, 2019
Cape Santa Maria
We had a lovely excursion up to the Columbus monument on Cape Santa Maria for this amazing view.
April 3rd, 2019
RnR
We have just spent a fantastic four days off Cape Santa Maria resort at the top of Long Island. You may recall that we were here a year ago when it became our first proper stop after tearing our way across the Atlantic and through the Caribbean to meet the Miami Boat Show deadline only to have it cancelled at the last minute.
It wasnt until we stopped that we realized how tired we were and so decided that this was the place to recharge our batteries and, when we felt like it, have a go at some of those jobs we had had to set aside due to the relentless pace. It was the right decision in the right location and I think thats why it drew us back.
We are not so tired this time but we did feel the need to hole up on our own and just be. Cruising is a funny thing for the perception of many friends is that we are floating around all day, purposeless .......... Dont you get bored? what do you do with yourselves? etc etc. Well the reality is that we are always busy and I think that's one of cruisings attractions for us as we have a lot of energy and hate doing nothing. Being two handed any passage keeps us occupied but we are also busy when we stop and chill.
What have we been doing? well we have certainly been relaxed by the change of not moving but there has been a lot on. I have had to spend a concentrated day and half writing a column and getting on top of a lot of business. Thanks to a compressor I spent about three hours under the boat scrubbing the bottom which was thick with growth. I changed the prop anode and polished the prop. I cleaned all the other anodes and did a general check of all working parts below the waterline and am pleased to report all is well. It was most amusing to find a lovely family of plucky little fish that have taken residence in the centerboard housing who were most upset by my intrusion.
I have gone through the engine bay with a fine toothcomb, knocked off a load of rope work that was on the list, serviced a winch, moved our fore cabin fan to a more efficient spot and started an inventory of stores to make sure that we don't miss anything off the UK shopping list. The boat has been given a spring clean which included dismantling the sink drains and a lot more besides.
Outside that we have relaxed in the cockpit, read, watched a couple of films and I have made the most of being in a lovely spot with a couple of hours surfing across the reef at the entrance to the bay, a few spearfishing trips and an hour a day of training on the paddleboard. We go to bed tired, sleep well and wake up refreshed which is just what the doctor ordered.
The picture shows the props new a shiny anode and my progress forward cleaning the bottom. One of the reasons for waiting until here is that there are no sharks.
March 30th, 2019
ROPE WORK
Rope work or nautical knitting as I call it is one of my favourite pastimes as its so relaxing and unlike most sailing activities you produce something. This is the new dinghy strop with a grey chafe guard.
March 30th, 2019
COCHISE
I always think aluminium hulls look lovely but they positively preen in low light as does Steve and Lindas remarkable Cochise. This was taken at dawn with the super moon retreating above. That night we were invited for sundowners and had a fascinating tour of their boat which was enrichened by their lifetime of knowledge and experience. In fact, it is thanks to chatting to Steve that we have decided to head straight for the French Polynesian Islands as opposed to popping up to Alaska first.
