Antigua at last

From the Virgin Islands we headed southwards.  We tried twice to head off and ended up turning back, the waves were just too uncomfortable and we did not want to get beaten up.  Friends of ours carried on and had their inflatable washed off the foredeck, taking a few stanchions with it.  So a good call not to go.
The third time was fine and we had a good sail, stopping at St Barths briefly for coffee, before heading off to Antigua whilst the weather was still favorable.
Arriving on the first day of race week, great to see all the yachts sailing as we approached Falmouth Harbour, trying to keep out of the way too!

Some of the race boats on the quay at the yacht club.  Even though we were not racing there was a great atmosphere and fun parties!

The Admiral's Inn never changes and is still a great place for a rum punch or a snack for lunch.                                 

After Antigua, we passed by Montserrat and were fascinated to see the ruins of Plymouth buried by the eruption of Soufriere, which is an active volcano with a cloud of ash above it, that hovers permanently over the island.

In St Kitts we hired a car for the day and explored the island.  From the top of the hill at Brimstone Fort, there was a wonderful view to the next island of St Eustatius.

Even found a travel lift that could lift us, but you would have to be a brave soul to leave your boat in this field we thought.

The Virgin Islands

 Dane left the boat in the Bahamas and Lisa in Puerto Rico, so it's just Daryl and I again.  The passage from there south was always going to be a hard one, with the prevailing winds against us.  So we waited for the appropriate weather window to leave.  The plan was to head as far east as possible, while the wind was light and then when the easterlies kicked it big time, we would head towards St Thomas.  It was not an easy passage, but, as usual, the boat looked after us and we chalked up another safe trip.

I really must clean the screen on the camera!  Like the sign though.

Terrible photo, but great tattoo.  This guy has a watch that reads 5 o'clock.  The saying is that 'It's 5 o'clock somewhere and time for a drink'

A beautiful anchorage in St Johns in the US Virgin Islands.  It is a park and a protected area, so there are buoys to pick up, so we don't destroy the seabed with our anchors.

Next to us this little red boat arrives, out comes the bride and groom and they get married on the back of the boat!  Great to see, we gave them applause as they left.  What a great idea!

Great to catch up with our friends on 'Gone with the Wind' and enjoy some good evenings out with them ashore.

There are a lot of kite boarders in Saba Rock, Virgin Gorda.  They get rather close to the moored yachts and this guy judged it wrong, getting the lines of his sail caught around the windex at the top of the mast of this boat!  Luckily it did come free later!

Slowly heading south.

A birthday lunch for me in the Turks and Caicos marina of Providenciales.  Great Italian food and some excellent NZ Sav Blanc too!  

David Copperfield, the famous illusionist had this rather beautiful mermaid and piano made and it rests on the seabed, on Rudder Cay.  It attracts lots of fish and snorkelers, like ourselves, once we found the right bay!

Lisa and I hired a car for the day when we got to Puerto Rico, this is a shot of the view from the castle at the top of the hill in Ponce.  An interesting place, it was carnival week and there was music everywhere.

Who likes their coffee?

Lisa leaving the boat in Ponce, a sad day for me to see her leave.  It has been great to have her on board and we have had some great times and chats over coffee.  She is off to see her Dad for a couple of weeks before heading back to New Zealand.

Cruising in the Bahamas

Lisa loved her diving and snorkeling, in the clear waters of the Bahamas, there were lots of treasures to look at, and then put back.

Climbing up the hill on Boo Boo Hill in Warderwick Wells, it is the tradition to leave a piece of driftwood with your names on.  Here are Lisa and Dane adding their piece of wood to the pile.

 We climbed up the hill at Monastry Bay in Georgetown and the view from the top was spectacular.

Lovely couple!

We cruised from Florida, across to the Bahamas and made our way slowly south, enjoying the chain of islands.  Great snorkeling in the clear water, lots of fish to see and the occasional crayfish to catch.

Leaving the States and heading south.

Getting ready to leave Port Canaveral. 

 Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd November and we still had workers on board.  So we were pretty keen to be off and start cruising, but it was over a month later that we were finally ready to go.  We had been in the port for exactly six months, a little too long in one place.

So, it was with a sigh of relief that we cast off the lines on Dec 13th.

The kids looking rather pasty here on their arrival, but we can change all that.
Great to see my lovely girl again and have time to leisurely chat and get to know her better and find out all about her jobs and what she has been up to in the last year.

A trip to Universal Studios was great fun, but a lot of the rides were a bit scary for Lisa and I and we  felt a little nauseous   after a couple of them.  We decided to refresh ourselves with a coffee, whilst Dane queued for the more extreme rides.

Lisa and I are hanging on to our new dingy and waiting for the boys to mount the outboard.  It is an AB rib and is 13ft long.  The tubes are 18" wide and so we hope that it will be a lot drier than the Avon.  And with a 25hp Yamaha on the back, it should go pretty well too!

Hurricane Sandy left damage in many of the places we visit, this is taken in Hopetown in the Bahamas.

Lisa and Dane are looking a little healthier now after a few weeks in the sun.

Lisa and I climbed up Monument Hill in Georgetown and were rewarded by this fabulous panoramic view of the anchorage .

Leaving the States and heading south.

Getting ready to leave Port Canaveral. 

 Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd November and we still had workers on board.  So we were pretty keen to be off and start cruising, but it was over a month later that we were finally ready to go.  We had been in the port for exactly six months, a little too long in one place.

So, it was with a sigh of relief that we cast off the lines on Dec 13th.

The kids looking rather pasty here on their arrival, but we can change all that.
Great to see my lovely girl again and have time to leisurely chat and get to know her better and find out all about her jobs and what she has been up to in the last year.

A trip to Universal Studios was great fun, but a lot of the rides were a bit scary for Lisa and I and we  felt a little nauseous   after a couple of them.  We decided to refresh ourselves with a coffee, whilst Dane queued for the more extreme rides.

Lisa and I are hanging on to our new dingy and waiting for the boys to mount the outboard.  It is an AB rib and is 13ft long.  The tubes are 18" wide and so we hope that it will be a lot drier than the Avon.  And with a 25hp Yamaha on the back, it should go pretty well too!

Hurricane Sandy left damage in many of the places we visit, this is taken in Hopetown in the Bahamas.

Lisa and Dane are looking a little healthier now after a few weeks in the sun.

Lisa and I climbed up Monument Hill in Georgetown and were rewarded by this fabulous panoramic view of the anchorage .

Only in America

(Better late than never!  Struggling to get internet in the islands is my excuse, but laziness is the real problem!)

Finally ready to leave the States. On returning to the boat in October we found that we had had some sort of lighting strike. As usual it took longer to repair than thought, but good old Pantaenius paid out and we left Cape Canaveral with a couple of new radios and the fried relay boards back in working order.

It was the 13th of December, about a month later than we thought and exactly 6 months after we arrived.  Definitely too long in one port, but one the plus side, have met some great new friends too. 

Lisa and Dane arrived on the 2nd of November and unfortunately had to hang around for us to be ship shape again.  Very stressful for all, and good to be moving again.

Below are just of the things that amused me whilst here.

Seen outside Vinnie's Cafe. Don't know what Vinnie was thinking?

Only in the States do you see abandoned boats anchored out in the bays. It is said that the owners can't afford to run them anymore and just leave them.  

Mr Travis's store is probably the most well stocked hardware store we've ever seen. 

Too many boats for the marina, so they are stacked in huge sheds which take up less space.

Halloween is a big deal here and pumpkin sellers do very well at this time of year.

Fuel economy, whats that?

Seen in Orlando.

This company specializes in removing dog poo.