Our Grand Plan

We planned 3-4 seasons in the Med (our first season was a short one, as we started in August 2018) with trips back to Australia in the Northern winter. We managed 1.5 before Covid messed things up and ITIKI waited on the hardstand in Leros for 20 months whilst we waited in Australia. We left Greece in August 2021, transited the Med fairly quickly and crossed the Atlantic in December 2021. We cruised the Lesser Antilles through to June 2022 and ITIKI is strapped down in Carriacou, Grenada for hurricane season, whilst we catch up with family and friends back in Australia, returning in October '22. The Panama beckons in early 2032 and the wide expanse of the Pacific is laid out before us. As we all know however, some of the best laid plans can come undone and sometimes the things you don’t plan can be the most rewarding. We hope you enjoy sharing our journey with us.

Where are we now?

You can follow our journey live on NOFOREIGNLAND using the icon at right. The map below is embedded from that website and should be updated automatically as we move.

​Follow us on Instagram and Facebook (ITIKI_on_tour) for daily posts of our location and anchorage. Season  2019 and 2018 have been archived at these links.

season 2021/22

Season 2021 officially commencing on 12th July when we returned to ITIKI and started prepping for a 2 August launch date. We managed to get into the water a few days earlier than that. This season we are heading west out of the Med and plan to cross the Atlantic in November, so we wont be home for Christmas. Stay tuned for irregular updates. When we are doing long crossings we will have our Iridium sat phone on so can be followed live on PredictWind.
Check out this short video of our voyage from Greece to Grenada​
6 July Wednesday, St George Grenada to Miami, USA
Spent the morning at the apartment and then BOB took us to the airport. Met up with Ralph and Barbara. Our flight from Miami to LAX was cancelled so I had to get on the phone to AA and rebook us via Phoenix to arrive in time for our United flight. We spent the night in an airport hotel in Miami.
5 July Tuesday, St George, Grenada
Had a slow start and then did a walking tour of St George. Dropped by the cathedral and watched a funny rasta guy directing traffic, including the police. Walked down past the markets, which were not very lively, past Sendall Tunnel and then on to Fort George. From there we walked around the water front and got a local bus to the marina. Had coffee and a bakery treat at the Merry Baker and then went on to the marina to have a proper coffee and tea. Picked up a Roti on the way back and walked all the way up the hill. Dinner was at BB Crab Back. Lovely meal and a nice way to farewell Grenada.
4 July Monday, Tyrell Bay, Carriacou to St George, Grenada
Not much left to do today so we tidied up and left the apartment and I dropped off my suitcase. Just some final bits and pieces to secure the boat. Had lunch back at the apartment and then went back to the boat to turn off the electrics, pay some bills and then it was on to the ferry. It was pretty full and we shared a table with a family of 5, the youngest of which was a squirmer. I dozed a bit. It took just over 2 hours. Got a taxi to the apartment which is up on the hill overlooking the docks.
​1 – 3 July Friday - Sunday, Tyrell Bay
Boat work during the days, it is so hot and we are pretty tired. We come back to the apartment after lunch for a shower and nap. I did Lambi curry for dinner on Friday night and we had that on the balcony with Ralph and Barbara, social distancing.
 
On Sunday evening Ralph opened up his gennaker which was ripped right through the middle. This happened the first time it was used and only in 12kts apparent. It seems very lightweight cloth for a boat of the size of a Helia. Ralph went out on his scooter to get take away from Lambi Queen but it took ages. Another balcony dinner as Keith is still positive.
28-30th Tyrell Bay Marine
Spending our days working on the boat, cleaning and packing things away. On Thursday we moved into Coconut Inn, just down the road from the boatyard. It’s really lovely. Great to have aircon and a really nice clean shower and toilet.

​27 June Monday, Tyrell Bay Marine
Lifted out of the water after Ollie at around 9:30. Pressure was the hulls which were not too bad. Parked over by the fence between 2 other cats although they are not staying for the season. Hurricane straps are in place.
26 June Sunday, Tyrell Bay, Carriacou
Went for a dinghy ride to take a look at the mangroves. It is quite a long lagoon with several spots where boats are tied up. The favoured one is facing east just inside the entrance. Quite a lot of boats are already in there and we saw some others coming in. They are  towed in with a dinghy beside them. Not sure who authorises or organises the entry.

​25 June Saturday, Tyrell Bay, Carriacou
Given the weather expected Tuesday night Keith went in to the marina office to see if we could lift out earlier than Friday. They confirmed that we can lift out 9:30am on Monday. We will be just after Ollie who lifts out at 8am. Phew. It may come to nothing but there is so much information and scaremongering that it is doing our heads in. The hurricane hole has been opened up and boats have been heading in there all day. It looks like the are escorted in with a small dinghy rather than under their own steam. Not sure why.
​24 June Friday, Tyrell Bay, Carriacou
Felt pretty ordinary today despite taking cold tablets. Tested myself and I got a really strong positive. Raised and washed the main and removed it and the lazy bag. Finished my Dominica blog which took most of the day, given the slow internet speed. It’s a public holiday today as there was an election yesterday so the marina office is closed.

​​23 June Thursday, Tyrell Bay, Carriacou
I stayed on board and did some cleaning and worked on my blog. Feeling pretty ordinary and my symptoms are getting worse. Mainly respiratory. Keith went to the chandlery. The other issue is a tropical wave that is heading our way and everyone is panicking about it and what to do. Southerly wind will hit the bottom of Grenada and some are considering going to Trinidad. Its election day here today.
​22 June Wednesday, Prickly Bay, Grenada to Tyrell Bay, Carriacou 40nm
We get away at 8 and head out of the bay, putting the main up (and gybing) before we turn the corner and put out the headsail. We keep the motor on as there is no breeze to speak of until we got closer to the north end of the island and it kicked in on the nose before settling into just south of east. We were able to sail for a few hours but the current was pushing us west so we furled the heady and put the engines on for the final 8nm. The bay is reasonably busy but we found Lille Venn and anchored (quite close to them). I got a message from Andy that Andrew from Walkabout, that we had dinner with on Monday had tested positive for Covid. I had a sore throat all day so decided to test myself and was negative. Decided to isolate anyway.
​21 June Tuesday, Prickly Bay, Grenada
Keith dropped me off at the Prickly Bay marina (after going back to get my phone) to catch the shopping bus. This is an institution around these parts. There are several buses that depart from different locations. Andy is on the bus and we are taken to the ATM at the Republic bank. There we can change buses depending on whether we want to go to Ace Hardware and Budget Marine, or just to IGA. We go to IGA. There is a stop at the pharmacy and Andy jumps off, leaving his trolley. The bus goes on to IGA so I take his trolley and check out the shopping centre which is like a country town one. There is a really good “Variety” store – a cross between an upmarket Reject Shop and Bunnings as well. IGA is a bit pricey on F&V, most of which is imported.
​20th June Monday, Prickly Bay, Grenada
After morning activities we walked over to Secret Harbour to buy some produce. Its organic and cheap but a bit on the dodgy side. Met up with Andy and the plan was to help him move around to Clarke’s Court but he changed his mind. Had morning tea on Cushla with the crew of Walkabout, an English couple (Tracey and Andrew). They invited us to have drinks with them at The Brewery later in the evening, which we did. Ended up staying for dinner as well. There is another couple there and the woman is telling a really boring story. Andy sees someone else he knows and escapes.
​19 June Sunday, Prickly Bay Grenada
Took a taxi over to Whisper Cove Marina and met up with Cheryl and Richie for lunch. Sunday roast. It was a giant Yorkie shaped like a bowl with the roast chicken and veggies inside. It did have a bacon wrapped pork sausage with it, which was quickly ejected from my plate onto Keith’s. Delicious but way too filling! Great to catch up with C & R as they are heading south to Trinidad on Wednesday night. Took a taxi back via the cash machine at IGA, no dinner and an early night.
​18 June Saturday, Prickly Bay, Grenada
Went ashore to look for some provisions and ended up going to CK and the MNIB and got a few supplies, including some grog. Spent the day doing some cleaning and gerneying. I made a start on the cushions. Flo and Max have been over and taken the chaps to repair. Later on we went over to OneCat for drinks which was lovely. Their boat is very different, very open plan and highly technical. Max is a hydraulics specialist.
17 June Friday, Grand Mal Grenada to Prickly Bay, Grenada
Went for a snorkel early in the morning to see if the visibility was any better. It was marginally. We decided to try and gerney the gennaker but of course the wind got up as soon as we unfurled it. Got a bit done and refurled it. Unfurled it on the way south to dry it out. After we arrived we had a clean rain squall which finished it off. It’s a bit rolly in the anchorage here but we are well dug in so will stay put.
16 June Thursday, Paradise Beach, Carriacou to Grand Mal, Grenada
Left around 9:30 after Flo and Max dropped by to look at some of the canvas work we want to get done. Great sail with 1 reef in the main and full genoa. A little bit choppy between the islands but not for too long. We were “racing” a big blue Lagoon as well as OneCat. Picked up a mooring buoy near the marine park and went for a snorkel to see the sculptures. We found quite a few of them but the water visibility was not great. Didn’t want to stay on the buoy so we went and anchored in the south of the bay past the fishing boats. It was one of the calmest nights we have had in a long time.
15 June Wednesday, Sandy Island to Hillsborough to Paradise Beach (anchored)
Got away just after breakfast and went across to Hillsborough, anchoring just north of the ferry wharf. Keith ran me ashore and I did the rounds of the supermarkets. Found FeverTree tonic water at an eye watering price (XCD50 for 4 small bottles) eventually found most of what we needed, except tomatoes. Motored around to Paradise Beach and tried to anchor in the north but the NP guy came around and told us we need to keep the flight path free so we went over to the south of the sandbar, anchoring by OneCat. Max came over to say hi and let us know it’s good depth closer to shore if we wanted to go in. Went to the Paradise Beach Club around 3pm for painting the boat logo. Max and Flo were there as well 6 young Danes on a 40’ mono. Had a couple of rums and went back to the boat for dinner. It’s a very rolly anchorage with an annoying side on swell and we don’t have a great sleep.
14 June, Tuesday, Sandy Island Mooring Buoy (XCD30/night, NP fee)
We had intended to head over to Hillsborough before the NP guys came around but ended up getting stuck into the holding tank saga, pulling everything apart and putting it back together. After they came we moved to a mooring buoy as its the same price as anchoring and we were a bit shallow at our stern. Keith was intending to replace to joker valve but turned out the pipes were so clogged that they all needed to come off. The tank also got a massive clean inside. It was ugly in there for a while, but now it smells much better! So we ended up paying the NP fee to clean out the holding tank on a mooring buoy! We had some heavy rain-squalls on and off for most of the day but the sun came out un the afternoon so we went for a snorkel and walked along the Sandy Island. Some interesting fish and a ray as well. Keith saw a barracuda.
13 June, Monday, Tyrell Bay to Sandy Island, Anchored
We are waiting to hear back about the polisher. Meanwhile Andy goes ashore to check in but the immigration lady is having the morning off work so he only completes the customs check in. He comes over for a cuppa whilst waiting for her. By 11 she is still not there so he decides to leave and finish the check in at Grenada. Keith goes over in the RIB and helps him up anchor and continues on to pick up the polisher from Marco ashore. We up anchor and after the first rain squall of the day and head out past Sisters' Rocks, which look like they are covered in snow (its guano). The water maker is working well. We anchor at Sandy Island, just as a heavy down pour hits us. Keith stays at the helm checking transits whilst I head indoors. At least this one is clean rain, which washes off the Saharan dust. The skies eventually clear and Keith swims the anchor to confirm we are well set. He sees a couple of big rays and one is trying to dig up our anchor! Probably thinks its edible. We also have dive bombing pelicans with seagulls hot on the heels, and landing on their heads before the even left their catch out of the water. It’s a lovely spot now the sun is out and we might stay here for a couple of days. I finish off some sewing projects that have been going on for too long.
12 June, Sunday, Tyrell Bay
Keith gets a message from Marco about the polisher. He can fix it but it will only work on high speed. No big deal. Miraculously Andy has a collection of strainer housings for watermakers and Keith goes over to take a look, finding one that looks like it will fit. He tests it out with the backflush and it seems to be holding pressure so that is very promising. Andy kindly donates it in thanks for the dinghy rescue, and even increases the warranty period to 20 mins.
11 June, Saturday, Tyrell Bay
Go ashore in search of a local electrician to look at Keith’s polisher which has packed it in again. Andy’s 15 min warranty has long since expired. Coincidentally there are 2 Marcos on the island who are French electricians. One of them meets Keith and takes the polisher to have a look at it. We walk along to the supermarket and then to Rufus’ veggie stall which is a bit better stocked today. The watermaker part is returned and we can order one to pick up in Prickly Bay in Grenada. Meanwhile Andy is making his way from Bequia, he is on his own and we are messaging as he makes his way south. He swings by ITIKI when he arrives and Keith puts the RIB in the water and jumps aboard to help him anchor. He comes over for dinner later on and after dark suddenly notices his dinghy is no longer attached to ITIKI! Holy crap. We grab torches and launch our dinghy and head off in the direction of the current. It’s not raining but the air is quite misty, reflecting the torch beams and only the big blue torch is any use. We go out about a mile, past the rusting hulks anchored out in the bay. We try turning off torches, letting our eyes adjust and checking the horizon, then stopping the dinghy and drifting whilst scanning with the torches. It’s not feeling very good and Keith is about to suggest a search pattern when suddenly Andy spots it. Phew, the thought of trying to replace a dinghy in these parts is eye-watering. We zip over to “Franken-Dinghy” and Andy leaps on it like a long, lost lover. We head back to ITIKI getting a little damp along the way, can’t believe how far out we have come! We are all a bit shaken up and need a tot of Rhum to calm our nerves. Keith cuts some of our red rope for Andy to use as a painter as his float line is clearly too slippery.
10 June 2022, Friday, Tyrell Bay
Go ashore to the boatyard and ask a few more questions, then head to the chandlery. Keith finds the part for the watermaker, or at least though he did but it turns out to be too big. Plus he forgot his wallet so needs to go back for it. I go to the supermarket and then on to the fruit and veg stall, which is a bit limited. We have a lazy afternoon on the boat but make a few plans for the weekend.
9 June 2022 Thursday, Chatham Bay, Union Island SVG to Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, Grenada
Left around 8:30 to motor down to Clifton. Still a lot of weed in the water. Anchored and went ashore to do the check-out which was pretty easy, even though we lost our arrivals cards. Heading for Carriacou we just pulled out a headsail. Keith could not get the watermaker going, not sure what the problem is. Arrived just after noon in Tyrell Bay. Quite a lot of boats but we find a spot in the south of the bay. It’s well protected but still quite windy. After lunch we go ashore for the check in. It seems a little chaotic and takes over an hour. There are several other boats waiting and there seems to be a lot of “back and forth”. Later we head over to the boatyard to pay the deposit and have a look around. The heat and humidity is energy sapping.
8 June Wednesday, Chatham Bay
So we got up and got away in the RIB about 8am. Gets a bit bouncy as we get around the point and into Frigate Bay. Its difficult to find the way through the mangroves so we consult google maps. Then once we are through the suspension bridge we are inside a reef and can’t see a way out. We motor along and it gets a bit shallow in places and the prop hits the bottom. We see a gap through the reef where waves are not breaking so head for it. The waves get bigger as we get closer but we get through ok. There is a lot of Sargassum in the bay now and it keeps getting wrapped on the dinghy prop. The “Venetian” Dinghy dock is inaccessible as there is 2-3m of weed in front of the entrance so we tie to the dock outside. When we get closer we can see the other dinghy dock is completely full of weed. All along the shore it is 5 m deep and starting to smell. The customs isn’t open yet so we go to the supermarket. When we get back to customs Keith looks in the backpack and tells me the boat papers are not in there. I am mortified, I was sure I so carefully gathered everything but maybe I am getting too forgetful. We go and get some fruit and veg anyway. I feel horrible. We head back through Frigate Bay and the ruins of the never finished marina. The anchorage here is not too bad. It didn’t really appeal to use when we went past it but its nice than Clifton. It was pretty bouncy and the engine started spluttering just as we reached the southern entrance to the bay. Keith kept close to the shore and nursed it in. Fuel must be getting low. We made it back to the boat and I looked through the window and was surprised not to see the boat papers on the coffee table. They were in the back pack all along. Somehow they got buried under my jacket and neither of us could believe we went there and back and didn’t pull the bag apart to double check. Both of us feeling pretty stupid now. Spent the afternoon doing not much. I made a plantain cake.
7 June, Tuesday, Chatham Bay
Did some boat cleaning after exercise. Keith has put some more Velcro on the bimini. I wiped off the Saharan dust from around the edges of the boat. Went fishing in the RIB in the afternoon and took some pictures of the birds around the rocks off the northern point. Did all the paperwork for leaving Grenadines and arriving in Grenada
​6 June, Whit Monday, Chatham Bay
Went ashore after breakfast and exercise and walked up the hill to the “fort” which is actually just a canon on a pile of rocks. There is nobody around at the bar and we did not get the usual passing parade of visitors asking about garbage etc. A few goats around up the top as well and a nice view of the bay. Got soaked on the way back down and our Tevas were covered in mud. Did some sewing in the afternoon and managed to dry out the cushions that got soaked last night. The downfalls seem to be getting heavier and we struggle to fill the batteries with just solar. Did some sewing and finished the fly screens for the bathroom and heads hatches.

​5 June, Sunday, Chatham Bay
Moved ITIKI a little closer to our previous anchoring spot when one boat left. Anchor is dug in really well as its slightly better sand here. Interesting to watch the comings and goings. Philip arrived with the Conch in the afternoon. It is pretty weird looking stuff and doesn’t smell too great but I cut it up and managed to make a reasonable curry out of it. There is about 1.2Kg of it all up so we put half in the freezer. It is quite tender and tasty, kind of a cross between abalone and octopus.
4 June, Saturday, Chatham Bay to Clifton and back to Chatham
After breakfast we took ITIKI down to Clifton. Needed to empty tanks and make water and also pick up a few supplies. Bamboozle are still here doing kite surfing lessons and Jace have joined them. Ran into James and Tina from Living the Dream. They came down yesterday and were going to check out but ended up extending their cruising permit and will come back to Chatham as well. Keith dropped me ashore and I used the internet, managed to get a blog done. Dropped the computer back and went for a walk along the beach. Stopped back at the bar afterwards and had some snacks and drinks. Had a chat to Philip and Keith decided to order some Conch meat from him for me to cook. He explained how to get the meat from the conch, beat it with a mallet and then boil it to make it tender. He will do the hard work for us, for a small service fee…
3 June, Friday, Chatham Bay
Had a snorkel in the afternoon, Keith came as well. Later in the day, Rob and Abby came by to show us a nice fish they caught from the dinghy off the point.

2 June, Thursday, Chatham Bay
Very slow start to the morning. Did a load of washing. Abby and Rob came over, we were hoping they had forgotten that we had invited them and we were less than enthusiastic. Rob gave us a few tips on fishing, seems we need heavier line etc. Quite a few rain squalls through the day and we don’t achieve much. I went for a snorkel along the edge of the bay. It’s quite colourful and I followed some huge schools of fish.

​1 June, Wednesday, Chatham Bay
I made Focaccia after exercise. Keith dropped over to see Anders from Aspe and show him what happened to our instruments. He came back to ITIKI to see a few more modifications that Keith had told him about. Went ashore and walked along the beach which is quite steep and difficult to walk along. There is a lot of rock and weed growing at the water’s edge. Had a swim near the dinghy and then back to the boat, via the northern shoreline where there is said to be good snorkelling. There are herons, pelicans and masked boobies along the rocks here. Spent the afternoon doing blog stuff. Keith tried to get the polisher going again but no luck. It’s quite cloudy and we have tiny rain squalls on and off all day. Went for drinks at the beach bar and met up with two other couples. It was a very strange evening, the drinks were extremely strong and very sweet. We made it back to the boat very slowly and carefully and were both feeling pretty ordinary.
31 May, Tuesday, Clifton to Chatham, Union Island
Head ashore in the morning and Keith goes in search of a hairdresser. We find one but need to come back a little later. Walked along the shoreline to the kite surfing beach which is inside the reef on the western end of the bay we are anchored in. Lovely location. Keith gets a very good haircut and I also manage to post a postcard. A couple more fruit and veg items, and a stop at the supermarket and we are off back to the boat. Had a quick chat to Ollie as well as Bamboozle before motoring down to Chatham Bay. It’s a lovely anchorage with a long beach and a couple of bars and we decide to stay a few days. We are greeted by Philip on his wooden boat to tell us about the beach bar/restaurant. Keith swims the anchor and sees a weird hand fish (Triglidae, Gurnards) aka Sea Robins under the boat.
30 May, Monday, Mayreau to Clifton, Union Island
Ollie came over for morning tea and to have a look at the tweakers. Not easy for him getting on and off the boat with one leg. His prosthetic seems very inflexible. NHS standard issue. We head off for Union island and decide to go the long way around so we can make water. Inspired by Ollie we put the fishing line out and after reeling it in half a dozen times to remove the seaweed it suddenly zings! I grab it but it goes slack. Dang! The one that got away. Reeled the line in and the lure is completely gone. There are some serious teeth marks in the trace line, must have been a Wahoo. We passed the Chatham Bay and Frigate Bay anchorages before arriving in Clifton Bay and anchored between Bamboozle and Mai Tai, the latter obviously went the more direct route. Bamboozle have been doing kite surfing lessons here. We head ashore and get some cash, drop into the supermarket and get some F&V from the little market stalls. Its expensive here as everything has to be imported. There are plenty of stray dogs and a few weird people, one guy is yelling at passers-by in front of the markets. The dinghy dock is interesting, it’s like a mini Venice. You have to go under a bridge into a little pond and there is only room for a handful of boats. 
29 May, Sunday, Mayreau
After breakfast we head ashore to walk across to the windward side. There is some interesting signage along the way, installed by the beach bar on the other side. We feed the goats and untangle them from their tethers which are wrapped around trees and their own limbs. Not the brightest of creatures. We walk past the power station, which is a solar farm. On the southern end of the island is a large salt lagoon (without flamingos). Great views across to Tobago Cays. When we get to the windward beach it is, well, windy. There is a fringing reef providing some protection but not really much of a swimming spot and plenty of sargasso. The Beach Bar is not open yet. We walk along the beach and back and then head back across to town. I decided to swim back to the boat. Later that evening we go over to Mai Tai to have sundowners with Ollie. Interesting character who has worked on boats in all parts of the world and is a very keen fisher.
28 May, Saturday, Mayreau
A very late sleep in and after exercise I make a banana cake and clean the hull, almost burning the cake in the process. We take the RIB to the next bay north and pop into the resort to see if they might have the football on (UEFA cup final). No good but it looks lovely. Continue on the Salt Whistle Bay and find Wild Thing and have a chat to Julia. They are keen to watch the Football if we find somewhere. Back in town Keith finds The D View has a TV and apparently the football will be on. When we get there though they don’t seem to have the correct channel. We have a very ordinary lunch. Julia and Chris (Wild Thing2) and their kids come and we manage to get the football on German TV on my computer. At half time I go back to the boat to get Keith’s computer and charger so I can continue working on mine. Liverpool lost so not a happy result. Keith got chatting to Ollie who is on his own with a one crew on a Lagoon. There is a massive dump of rain whilst we are there, and when we get back to the boat we realise we have left the hatch above the table open so everything is wet! At least it is clean rain.
27 May Friday, Tobago Cays to Saline Bay Mayreau
We head across mid-morning after more drone flying and a bit of hull scrubbing. It’s such a short distance so we are motoring, avoiding a few reefs as we come into the bay. We anchor in Saline Bay and go ashore for a walk. There is not much here at all. Great views from the top of the hill though and we can see down to Salt Whistle Bay anchorage which looks pretty crowded. We try to find bananas but no luck. Buy some eggs and try to buy some mangoes but the guy in the shop is on for a chat and wants to give them to us. Quite a few goats around, but haven’t seen goat on the menu so not sure what they do with them. Some kids have been around from the sailing school looking for donations of equipment, lines, fibreglass, resin etc. We promise to take a look at what we have and would suit them. A couple of dudes come around in wooden boats touting for business for restaurants. It’s so quiet here now it must be tough.  Whispering Winds and Jace are already here, I go to WW to get some soil to plant my basil.
26 May Thursday, Tobago Cays to Petite Tabac to Tobago Cays
So after breakfast we realised it was quite calm and the wind was lower than usual so we took the dinghy over to the cut and went snorkelling to the northern side. It is quite a big reef but nothing special coral wise. Plenty of fish and we saw a fairly long barracuda, fortunately he didn’t seem to recognise us… We are on the outside of the reef so the swell is rolling in and a couple of times it caught me and I got a little too close to the reef. Went back to the boat and decided to head over to Petit Tabac. Needed to empty tanks etc. Once we got there we decided to make water as we are basically sitting in the Atlantic with nothing to windward of us. We swam the anchor and found it was on coral. It’s not going anywhere and won’t get stuck but not really great. Should have anchored on the other side in sand. Jeff and Lynne and Brenda and Andrew have come over on the RIBs so we swim ashore. Bad move as it is coral and rock right up to the beach on the Western side. I try to swim around the end of the reef, which is nice enough but starting to get tired looking for a gap. Keith is ashore and directs me in. Andrew has a metal detector and they have found some coins which they think are props from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie which was filmed here. We decide to gerney the boat as it is pretty filthy with Saharan dust. Also do a couple of loads of washing. Keith puts the drone up. After lunch we head back as it is getting pretty rolly. We anchor in the shallow sand a little further south than where we were before. The sun comes out briefly and the drone goes up again. We are in very shallow water and it’s a rolly night.
25 May Wednesday, Tobago Cays
After exercise we decide to head over to Petite Tabac. Switched on the engines however the instruments did not come on! Went through a bit of trouble shooting but no luck at all. Seems they are not getting power, which may have been related to them cutting out. I called Garmin but they just sent the trouble shooting guide that didn’t really help. Keith took off around the anchorage to ask for assistance. Jeff comes over to take a look and spends 3 hours running the multi-meter over the boat with a fine tooth comb. Finally they find a voltage drop which is due to a chafed wire that has been pulled through a roughly hacked hole. It has probably been there since installation. Jeff cut and re-crimped the wire and we had power back to the instruments. Wow! Thank goodness for helpful cruisers! We invited them over for dinner and had a lovely evening chatting.
24 May Tuesday, Tobago Cays
Dropped over to say hi to Andrew and Brenda on Whispering Wind. Their boat is lovely and Brenda has the most amazing garden. She offers me a basil cutting. Tried to go snorkelling at the cut after lunch but it as too rough so we just went over to Jamesby Island. Got chatting to some guys from a charter boat. Went around to the BBQ area about 5:30pm, quite a few people there. There are 10 of us at the table for Romeo’s group. Met Jeff and Lynne who have Jace, which used to be owned by Darryl and Joan that we met in Ragusa. Heaps of food and it was a lovely night. Didn’t get too wet coming back in the dinghy.
23 May Monday, Tobago Cays
After breakfast and exercise we spent some time cleaning the windows and getting some of the dust of the boat. Its filthy! Went over to Petite Bateau in the dinghy. Motor cut out just as we reached the shallows. The fuel line had come off the engine. Walked up over the top and down to the beach on the other side. This is where the BBQ is and a popular anchorage called The Cut. Walked back around the much shorter and flatter end of the island. Bamboozle II has arrived so we dropped by to say hello to them. Andy and Brenda from Whispering Winds drop by, they are friends with Mark and Myra who came aboard on St Martin, having bought a Helia sight unseen. Seems we are all going to Romeos BBQ tomorrow night.

22 May Sunday, Tobago Cays
Slept late and in the afternoon dinghied across to Baradal Island. Walked up to the top, which was not that far. Saw a couple of large iguanas and some nesting birds. Keith got swooped by one being over protective. Went for a snorkel off the island, not much in the way of coral but lots of sea grass and turtles feeding that let you get pretty close. Also chased a medium sized ray whilst thinking of Steve Irwin. No sting in his tail though. Still quite choppy and bouncy in the anchorage and a little overcast. We have had some attempts at rain but also quite a lot of Saharan dust is now coating the boat. I thought we had left that behind.
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21 May Saturday, Canouan to Glossy Bay to Tobago Cays (EC$10 pp/night NP fee)
Keith drops me ashore as the dinghy dock is untenable due to surge. I go in search of cash but the only machine in town is empty! Apparently the workers raid it on Friday night before heading back to St Vincent for the weekend. Keith drops back with EC$100 and I managed to get some fresh produce. It’s quite expensive here relative to the French islands, which are obviously subsidised. We up anchor and head around Glossy Bay on the southern end of the island. It’s a lovely long white beach outside the new and very empty super yacht marina. It’s pretty rolly here too so again Keith drops me ashore and I drop into the supermarket and manage to get a little more produce. I was also hoping to get some cash from the checkout but there is an English lady doing a big shop, provisioning a charter yachts. I ask her about an ATM and seems there is only one on the island. She getting ready to pay in cash so I offer to pay for her stuff on my credit card and take her cash. She is 50c short so that ends up being her commission! Back to the boat and we are on our way. Pull out a headsail but it’s quite a short distance. We motor through “the cut” at Tobago Cays. One “boat boy” comes to say hi but there is no hassle as we are clearly not interested in a mooring. We anchor in the south end with everyone else. It is well protected from the swell but we still get the full force of the wind. Keith swims the anchor and it is well dug in. So many turtles its amazing! I go for a snorkel after lunch and chase a few of them. There is also a funny puffer type fish blowing at the sand around our anchor. Then NP guys come around for the daily fee. Romeo has also offered us fish and a BBQ on the beach.
20 May Friday, Mustique to Savan Island to Rameau Bay to Charlestown Bay, Canouan
Left around 9am and headed south to Savan Island. It’s a tiny anchorage and seems not so well protected in these conditions, which thankfully have settled significantly since a we arrived. There is no one else there but the beach is not that pretty, just a couple of fishermen’s shacks. We decide to give it a miss. Instead we anchor at Rameau Bay which is really well protected and lovely water. We stop for lunch and some snorkelling. We swirl around on the anchor and the chain wraps and unwraps around rocks. The anchor is not that well dug in either so we decide not to stay overnight. Head down to the Charlestown Bay and anchor just north of the Ferry dock. Its very gusty and bouncy here but excellent holding. We are offered services from Marcus Marine but the guy is not pushy at all.

19 May Thursday, Mustique
Walk up to the bakery for bread and bought a postcard but by the time we get to the PO it is closed! Found The View restaurant and bar and booked a table for tonight. Dropped by a few boats in the anchorage to invite them for drinks later on. Went for drinks at 5:30pm and Lucie and Jamie from Bamboozle II decided to stay for dinner. Also Keith had a free consultation from an Austrian traumatologist who told him he probably didn’t need surgery. I guess we will see. Dinner was ok but quite expensive and not huge servings. I had garlic shrimp and Keith had Lambi. Great talking to Jamie and Lucy who have been cruising for 18 years on 3 different boats.
18 May Wednesday, Mustique
We have a taxi tour of the island which is the only way to get around. Apparently if you are on a boat you are not allowed to roam around freely. We visit the Cotton House which is the main resort and also drive by some houses of the rich and famous including Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and we see Mick Jagger and Bryan Adams house as well as the house where Kate and William had their honeymoon. The island is reminiscent of Hammo with well-maintained roads and gardens. Staff accomm is provided to key personnel and all Mustiquans are provided with work by the Mustique Company Limited. In the afternoon I go for a snorkel around near the boat and then later we go ashore and wall all of the way down to the southern point. Here there is a small lagoon as well as a tiny, semi enclosed beach with a huge pile of empty lambi shells. I guess they have to go somewhere!
17 May Tuesday, Bequia to Friendship Bay (anchor) to Mustique (mooring buoy EC$220/3 nights)
We need to empty tanks and make water. We decide to head around the southern end of Bequia island to the anchorage at Friendship Bay. It sounded nice enough, even though there is a short stretch into the wind. We take our time and pull out a headsail. Around the first point there are some caves with some houses built to blend into the rock. They are quite hard too see and we cant get any closer. We go through the gap between the mainland and a couple of small islands. Its quite narrow and hairy as the swell is pumping through the middle. We cop a fair bit of wash coming over the boat and as we round another small islet coming into the anchorage even the helm station cops a wave. The crockery drawer comes open as well. It's about a 2m swell. The anchorage is nothing special, water is not clear and there are a lot of local boats on moorings. We find a spot and have lunch. It’s very rolly and given that it’s not particularly nice we decide not to put up with it.

We head down to Mustique which is only 7.5nm away. It’s a nasty swell at first, quite big and beam on. The autopilot is struggling so Keith hand steers for a while. It settles as we get away from the coast. We pick up a buoy in the north of the bay with the help of the mooring manager. It is still quite gusty and rolly and we seem to be swinging in all directions. Walk ashore and up the hill to the village, where there is a post office, police station a couple of bars as well as local housing. On the way back we drop in to Basils and have a cocktail. It’s a lovely spot overlooking the water and we have WiFi but at US$18 per drink, we just have the one!
16 May Monday, Bequia
Very gusty overnight but we have not moved. Keith swims the anchor and decides to put out more chain. We go ashore mid-morning to get a bit of fruit and veg. There are a few vendors but we have to be choosey. After lunch I go for a walk to Lower Bay. It a lovely spot and we should really up anchor and move over here, but its a bit noisier than where we are.
 
15 May Sunday, Bequia
Mid-morning we went ashore and walked up to Fort Hamilton. There is not that much left of it. It’s named after Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the USA, who recently had a musical made about him. It’s a Sunday so there is some country style religious music coming from one of the houses as well as the sounds of kids playing. We have a drink at Daffodils’ and head back to the boat.
 
14 May Saturday, Bequia
We go ashore mid-morning to watch the FA cup final at Papa’s bar. Its Chelsea vs Liverpool. I connect to the internet and get some blog stuff done. There is a lively funeral passing by and I go out to take a look. Liverpool win on penalty shoot out. We have burgers for lunch. We go for a walk through the town and around the boardwalk after the game.
​13 May, Friday, Bequia
We have a lazy, recovery day on the boat today. Cleaning off the salt and just relaxing. We are still exhausted from the journey and the humidity saps what little energy you have left.

12 May Thursday, Marigot Bay, St Lucia to Port Elizabeth, Bequia, SVG 60nm
We leave the anchorage at first light. Once again starting with full sails. The forecast is light whilst we are in the lee of St Lucia but we feel the full force of the Atlantic winds as we get out into the channel. It was a relief to finally get anchored. We made contact with Daffodil, our agent and her guy came over to collect some paperwork and money. As we headed into the dock we got a line wrapped around the dinghy prop and had to call for assistance. Got towed back to the boat and unwound the line and then it was "take 2". Went ashore and had our Covid test (negative), health clearance and then more paperwork for customs and immigration. 
11 May Wednesday, St Anne, Martinique to Marigot Bay, St Lucia 30nm
Left the anchorage around 7:30am and went across to the fuel dock to refuel. Had to wait a bit to get in as a few other boats there. Put the up the main with 1 reef and same in the genoa. The conditions are pretty much the same as we have had for other crossings. Wave height is not so bad but it is right on the beam and we get the occasional belting. Wind is up in the low 20s but we have several rain squalls go through and they bring some pressure with them. We head past the familiar Rodney Bay and the fuel tanks past Castries, before dropping the sails to turn into the narrow gap of Marigot Bay. There are a few boats here already so we don’t have a great choice of where to anchor. We try a couple of times close to the channel but it must be a steep drop off as we can’t get a grip. We come closer in and dig in well. The boat is pretty dirty but there is not much point cleaning it. We don’t check in here and we have an early night
10 May, Tuesday, St Anne
We get a lift to the Decathalon at Lamentin with Steve and Zhara who are heading up to the Jardin de Balata in the north. We both buy some much needed clothing and footware before taking the tram and bus back to Le Marin. We go back to the boat for a late lunch before a shore run to do a final shop before we head off tomorrow. Dinner on Cushla with Steve and Zhara and then its farewell, as we head south tomorrow.
9 May, Monday, St Anne
We decide to do a farewell lunch on ITIKI for Andy and Julie. We have Tuna that Cushla caught on the way down from St Pierre, it's delicious. Stephen takes them to the airport in the afternoon and they get to their flights safely.

​8 May, Sunday, St Anne
Our guests go over to Cushla for their briefing and spend most of the day onboard. They have kindly offered to take us out for dinner ashore. We check out a restaurant and walk up the hill behind the church, where there is a “Stations of the Cross”. Dinner was at Coco Paille, the food was lovely but the service was pretty rude/arrogant. Anyway it was a lovely evening.

​7 May, Saturday, Petite Salines to St Anne
Team Cushla are still in isolation so we offered to host their guests, who will be boat-sitting while they head back to the UK. Up anchored just after lunch and went out to dump tanks, make a little water and sort out the reefing lines and gennaker. Got back about 3 and picked them up. It's lovely to have some guests aboard for a couple of days. We had dinner aboard.
6 May, Friday, Le Marin to Petite Salines
Phillipe came around at 9 and picked up the inverter. Didn’t even quibble about the price. I think Andy was sorry to see it go. Keith dropped me ashore to have a haircut and did Cushla’s check in, whilst he went to the chandlery and tea shop. Upped anchor and went across to Petite Salines to anchor. Dropped off Andy’s propellor and paperwork as well as Keith’s sander, which Andy had fixed by the time we had anchored. Went out to dump tanks. It was a bit rolly in the anchorage but at least we had it to ourselves.
5 May, Thursday, Le Marin
Bought an induction cooktop from the Martinique cruisers FB page. Took the RIB around to pick it up from a boat anchored in St Anne and dropped by Cushla to say hi. They are still in isolation. Picked up their outboard prop to try and find a replacement. Put the Inverter on the Martinique FB page and had an enquiry from a French couple. They came to see it around 5 and wanted it but didn’t have cash. They will come back in the morning.
4 May 2022, Wednesday, Anse l’Ane to Le Marin - Anchored
Left after breakfast, went through the gap between mainland and Ilet a Ramiers which got quite shallow. Motored to Anse Noir for a look. 5 boats here including one commercial cat tied back to the pier. A small bay and looks quite exposed anyway so we don’t stay. Continue south, put the main up and unfurl the headsail. Pressure builds as we pass Anse Arlet and we reef the main and later the genoa. Its on the nose and we put in a few tacks to get pathetic VMGs so we give up and motor the last 7nm into Le Marin. It feels like a homecoming as we are anchored in our same spot. Went ashore to the supermarket and had a fish curry for dinner. Cushla came south as well and are anchored in St Anne
3 May 2022, Tuesday, St Pierre to Anse l’Ane - Anchored
It was got quite rolly in the anchorage in the morning. We went ashore and checked the fish markets but nothing there. Decided to go to the Depaz Distillerie. It was over an hour until the next bus so we walked. Very hot and just a bit too far. The distillery was worth a visit though. Lovely grounds that you can just walk around, a chateau and museum as well as a coffee shop (no milk…) We ended up tasting some Rhum and buying some but we are too tired to walk back so scrounge a lift from a couple with a rental car. It's really too rolly when we get back to the boat so we decide to go south. Put the main up but its on the nose so not much use. We end up motoring into Anse l’Ane and anchoring in the western part of the bay. This ended up being quite bouncy and lots of hull slapping, which was annoying.
2 May 2022, Monday, Portsmouth Dominica to St Pierre, Martinique - Anchored
Set off early and motor sail initially. Cushla left the same time but is trying to sail and has a pretty ordinary angle. We get to the end of Dominica and can sail a better angle but the sea state is awful and its pretty uncomfortable. We end up with 2 reefs as we are getting pretty strong wind. As we get to the top of Martinique the wind is dying and wrapping around the top of the island. We slow right down, shake out the reefs but the wind is not cooperating so we motor into the anchorage. We anchor to the north of the dock, a bit too close to the fishermen. We go ashore to check in and grab a couple of things from the supermarket. Cushla are not too far behind and anchor in the south of the bay. 
1 May 2022, Sunday, Portsmouth Dominica – Anchored
The church bells sound around 7am. We have omelette for breakfast and I make some bread.  It’s hot and humid and we should go ashore and do something but it’s just overbearing and energy sapping. Seems to be building up to the rainy season. Keith puts the gennaker up and sorts some lines as we are off to Martinique tomorrow. Get a message from Kish to see if we want some Johnny cakes so I go ashore to get some. They are the best Johnny cakes I ever had... It's become quite rolly in the anchorage so pleased to be heading off.
30 April 2022, Saturday, Portsmouth, Dominica - Anchored
We have an early start to do the Indian river tour with Martin. It’s a magical time of day and we have it to ourselves until right to the end. Martin is a trained botanist and very knowledgeable about the plants and wildlife. The river is so quiet, only the sound of birds. Later in the day I take the RIB over to the fisherman dock and get a lettuce and a couple of other things. Its getting a bit bouncy by the time I get back. We drop over to see Cindy and Adam from Bravo intending to go for a walk to the fort, but there is quite a swell in the bay and all of the dinghy docks are too surgy to leave the RIB so we just have coffee and cake on ITIKI. They are leaving tomorrow for St Martin.
29 April 2022, Friday, Portsmouth, Dominica – Anchored
Woke with a bit of a headache this morning thanks to the rum punch. Steve from Samadhi (56’ Lagoon) dropped by on the RIB. They were on the mooring buoy near us, thought the buoys were a bit close and we noticed in the morning they had moved. He told us that around midnight they woke as our bow was touching their RIB! They tried to wake us, banging on our bow but thanks to the Rum punch we slept through the whole thing. They went and anchored out and went back to bed, as they were still tired from a long passage. Ooops! Anyway we decided to go and anchor rather than paying for another night on a buoy so we head out and dump the holding tanks before coming in a little closer to the fishermans' wharf. One of the tour guides mentioned there was a sunken freighter near the spot we had chosen. Keith had a snorkel around and yes indeed there was. We decided we were a little too close to it, so went in and anchored closer to shore. It’s a weedy bottom but good holding. Make contact with Martin the tour guide and he brings some beautiful Heliconias.
 
Paul and Janet did a walk on one of the Waitikabuli segments with a group of people and came around for sundowners later in the day. Ended up chatting until about 9pm! They are heading south tomorrow and will haul out at Spice Island boatyard in Grenada.
​28 April 2022, Thursday, Portsmouth, Dominica – Mooring Ball
We have a pretty lazy day after the big one yesterday. Catch up with Janet and Paul George from WindWitcher, who arrived yesterday when we were on the tour. Andy and Julie arrive, sneaking past us and anchoring close to shore. In the evening there is a BBQ at PAYS and there are lots of cruisers there. We met Adam and Cindy from Bravo, Americans who have cruised extensively in the south Pacific so it was great to talk to them.
27 April 2022, Wednesday, Portsmouth, Dominica – Mooring Ball
7am start to meet Kish. There are just 4 of us and a bus sized for 10 so it’s very comfortable. We head south and visit Trafalgar falls, which is a double waterfall in a lush valley. Then it’s on the Middleham falls where we can scramble over some large boulders to get to the pool at the bottom of it. We head to Titou Gorge which is quite a surprise, but you will have to wait for the blog to find out more! We stop by the Botanic Gardens to see a few different trees and the Jaco parrot, the native parrot that they are trying to breed. Next we head further south and all the way down through Roseau to Scotts Head where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic. Our final stop is for snorkelling at Champagne beach, the closest I will come to swimming in champagne! We have dinner at Mandiba before heading back to the boat for an early night.
26 April 2022, Tuesday, Ilet Cabrits, (Les Saintes) to Portsmouth, Dominica (21nm) – Mooring Ball (EC$30)
Left around 9am, 1 reef in the main and full genoa. Great reaching sail down to Portsmouth arriving around midday. Picked up a mooring buoy with the help of Andrew from PAYS. Handed over our papers and passports with the promise of an efficient clearance (US$40). Had lunch and waited on board and Andrew came back to tell us that we were cleared to go ashore and walk around. Our papers were not ready yet so we walked along the road up to Fort Shirley on Cabrits headland (which used to be an island). The fort is beautifully restored and now used as a function centre. Got back to the PAYS office and our papers were still not ready so we had a drink at SeaBird. Debby and Fraser arrived and joined us and not long after that our papers were delivered to us in the bar. Great service. We are cleared in and out and can stay for 2 weeks. Debby has booked us on a tour tomorrow.
25 April 2022, Monday, Ilet Cabrits (Les Saintes) – Mooring Ball
We go ashore mid-morning to spend some time at the internet café but it is frustratingly slow! Went to lunch for our anniversary at Au Bon Vivre and it was the best meal we have had in a long time. French with a Creole twist and a lovely bottle of Rose. Just perfect! Came back to the boat and found all my phone/internet credit had disappeared! Grrr. Made contact with a Canadian couple on a cat nearby who are going to Domenica in a couple of days and we will aim to share a car/driver to do a day tour.
24 April 2022, Sunday, Ilet Cabrits (Les Saintes) – Mooring Ball
Have a big boat washing session tackling the cockpit area with soapy rain water. Went ashore and walked up to Fort Josephine. It was abandoned in 1903 and now is just a bunch of ruins. From the top we can see across to Terre de Haut and Fort Napoleon. After lunch I go into town (on my own in the dinghy!) and try to connect to the internet, however they have changed the password it seems! I have booked a restaurant for tomorrow.
23 April 2022, Saturday, Malendure to Riviere Sense and Ilet Cabrits (Les Saintes) 22nm – Mooring Ball (€14)
Away after breakfast, water has a lot of sediment floating and quite a bit of weed so we head out away from the coast for making water, with engines on. It’s a cloudy day so we change to genset to get some more ergs into the batteries. Pul sails out, main and Genoa. Westerly breeze. How does that work? Pull in to Riviere Sens, getting some rainfall now. This area apparently gets 15m per year! It’s incredibly green with thick forest. The landscape is dominated by a volcano which has some sulphur springs. Anchored outside the marina near a quarry and took a shore run to supermarket & butcher. We were a bit concerned when the guy anchored next to us is asking for dive gear to release his fouled anchor. There is no reason to stay longer so we decide to continue on to Les Saintes, having lunch along the way. Dark dramatic skies. Pick up a mooring ball at Ilet a Cabrits. Heavy rain is giving the boat a good wash. We have a BBQ and lots of buckets out to catch the rainwater
22 April 2022, Friday, Deshaies to Malendure, 8nm – Anchored
It’s a fairly short trip today but we are motoring so we can do some water making. After so long in Deshaies the tanks are getting low. I made some hummus and lemon cake on the way. We had a few rain showers so a bit more of a boat wash. We have stopped here briefly on the way north and it’s a nice enough anchorage. This time its just to do a supermarket run as there is a lot more choice than Deshaies. We take the opportunity to walk along the shore to the beach, which is not quite black sand, more like dirt. Not the nicest place and such a contrast to Grande Anse to the north.
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'21 April 2022, Thursday, Deshaies
4 x 4 tour of the north today. Visited a waterfall, had a walk in the rainforest then spotting iguanas back on the coast. Had a very long lunch at Grande Anse where we walked to yesterday, then over the northern end of the island to see the Cul de Sac with its reefs and mangroves, through a sugar can plantation and then down to the NW tip of the island. From there it is back to Deshaies, its getting late and we just make it back to the boat before sunset.
20 April 2022, Wednesday, Deshaies
After breakfast we go ashore and do the walk over to Gros Morne and Grand Anse to the north of us. It is supposed to be an easy walk but it’s quite steep and stoney and we are only in Tevas. At least it is in shade but that means there is not much of a view along the way. The beach is steep and lovely sand. There is a cat anchored at the northern end. Looks a little less gusty than our location. We stop for a drink at the rather derelict looking Chez Samy as we are too knackered to walk further. Then we head back into Deshaies along the road, which is much shorter and flatter. We pop back to the boat to freshen up and then go in search of lunch ashore, which is a bit of an adventure. Places are full or out of food. We find a place by the dinghy dock and narrowly avoid ordering black pudding. Lovely grilled snapper and too many frites! An afternoon nap was in order and no dinner! The wind has backed off significantly, which is a relief. It’s a much different place.
19 April 2022, Tuesday, Deshaies
Looking for Cometa in the morning but couldn’t see them. Got an email from them sent in the middle of the night. They had issues with anchor (probably dragged) so went down to Bouillante. Still blowing dogs in the anchorage and it starting to do our heads in. Less rain today and the wind is due to back off tomorrow. More recovery time, cleaning and boat jobs today.
18 April 2022, Monday, Deshaies, Guadaloupe
I went ashore briefly to get a few things from the supermarket. There is not much in stock due to easter weekend, so have to be selective. Went for drinks to the couple on the Lagoon with 35m of chain (SV Cometa) Olivier (Fr) and Mercedes (Es). They have had the boat for 4 months, bought it ex charter from Martinique. It’s in great condition, but they have a lot of work to do. Their saloon roof was leaking when we were there. We have had quite a few rain squalls today, which is good for us to wash the salt off. Did some more cleaning today, our water tanks are low so we can’t do too much and the rain is ok but getting quite some dust from theland. Gusts continue and we have seen high 30s in the anchorage. It is not always reading the same on the water as at the top of the mast. Anchor is holding well though.
17 April 2022, Sunday Deshaies, Guadeloupe
Arrived early morning and anchored in close to shore. The remote control on the windlass has stopped working again so we had to work from the helm station. Keith had a sleep but while he did we turned around and got a little too close to another boat. I could see the anchor and it looked like the chain was wrapped around a rock. I started the motors and we re-anchored, manoeuvring the boat around to get the chain free from the rock. We anchored further out and went ashore to check in. It’s really gusty at the moment and with the windlass remote not working anchoring is a challenge, but we are dug in well. Spend the rest of the day chilling out and cleaning the boat. A couple in a Lagoon come in but they have some trouble anchoring. They only have 35m of chain! Looks like an ex-charter boat.
15-17 April 2022, Prickly Pear, Virgin Gorda, BVIs to Deshaies, Guadeloupe – 220+nm
Left 7:30am, around Saba Rock, through gap in reef. Started with 1 reef in Main & Genoa, close hauled at 45S, slow progress, lumpy seas, same as Atlantic crossing except going to windward! We are gradually falling off course as we get pushed sideways and the wind clocks a little further south than forecast. We tack just W of Saba to avoid one squall and then end up heading to another so we tack back again. In the morning we tack into K&N to have a look. There is a bit of a wind shadow so we end up motoring along the coast. Tack back and start sailing again and through the night we are gradually being pushed off course. In the wee hours we decide to put the motors rather than prolong the agony and we motor the final 5-6 hours so that we don’t have to bang into it. It was the right decision, despite the guilt of burning fossil fuels.
14 April 2022, Thursday, Spanish Harbour, Virgin Gorda to Prickly Pear, VG 6nm – Anchored
Head ashore in the morning to check out, swing past the supermarket for a few last minute items for our crossing. As we don’t need a Covid test we don’t need to go to Road Town and we can leave the next morning. We head over to Prickly Pear so we get a little further to windward before heading south. We motor all the way and decide to go through the narrow/shallow gap between VG and Mosquito island. We had 15cm under the keel! Anchored in the same spot as before, rested up and prepared for tomorrow’s big passage.
13 April 2022, Deadman’s Bay, Peter Island to Cooper Island to Spanish Harbour, Virgin Gorda (11nm) – Anchored
It was quite gusty overnight and a bit of swell coming into the bay. Too bouncy go ashore so we head away mid-morning. We take a look at Salt Island which has some mooring buoys to access a wreck dive, but it’s quite exposed and bouncy through the passage so we continue on. We head to Cooper Island with its bay full of mooring buoys. We pick one up intending to stay for lunch. After lunch some Canadians from a charter boat come around in a RIB trying to get rid of their beer and some spirits before they leave to go back home. We get a free case of Corona Light a bottle of Cointreau and one of Triple Sec, very generous. We head away after lunch towards Virgin Gorda and our favourite anchorage near the baths. Sadly the conditions are much different to before and there is a big swell coming in here. We give it a miss and head to the anchorage at Spanish Town. It’s still quite windy but we are able to anchor in the exact same spot we did before
12 April 2022, Privateer Bay, Norman Island to White Bay, Peter Island (4nm) then to Deadman’s Bay, Peter Island (10nm) – Anchored
We left mid-morning and motored around to White Bay, tucked into the SE corner of Peter Island. It’s a lovely looking white sand beach and there are 3 monos here when we arrive, but they soon leave. Swam ashore and walked along the beach. There is a big sign saying that the island is closed to visitors and we must stay on the beach. After lunch we decide this is not a good spot for overnight. We are twisting and turning on the anchor and that means there is a risk of unsetting so we move on. There are 2 cats anchored close to shore in the next bay but we find the bottom looks too rocky for our liking. There are a couple of mooring buoys but they are a long way out and too exposed. We head around the top of the island past Little Bay, Grand Harbour and finally into Deadman’s Bay. There is one other cat here (Flu Flu that we have seen in various places before). We anchor outside them and we are very happy with the holding. Its windy but a consistent direction. We are here in time for sundowners.
​11 April 2022, Privateer Bay, Norman Island - Anchored
I swim and Keith takes the paddle board over to the western point and we go for a snorkel. There are a few large bombies off the point but again, not much spectacular. A few larger fish. Keith does some more cleaning under the hull and spies a large barracuda and a sting ray. In the afternoon we take the dinghy across to Bight Bay, the next one around, and check it out. There are a lot of mooring buoys and charter boats as well as a resort in the corner. Nothing really special here. We head over to The Indians, 4 conical shaped rocks near Pelican Island with a large reef surrounding them. There are quite a few day moorings over here and a line for the dinghy which we tie to. The snorkelling here is the best we have seen so far, quite extensive, good variety of coral and lots of fish. I swim with a school of small, flat blue fish for a while before being distracted by a larger, fish with flouro markings.
10 April 2022, White Bay, JVD to Privateer Bay, Norman Island, 11nm - Anchored
Well it was a nice enough bay, particularly in the south but we decided to move on. Quite the Catch left earlier than us and put some sails up. We motored, intending to put a headsail out but it was on the nose and the batteries were a bit low so we ended up motoring all the way. We headed around past Soper’s Hole on the end of Tortola. It’s pretty well protected but quite tight, full of mooring balls and plenty of boats. We keep going south probably passing through US waters as we skirt along the top of St John (USVI). We cross paths with QuiteTheCatch again and they are still sailing. Hope they don’t think we are stalking them. Arrived at Privateer Bay just before lunch and we were delighted to find that it wasn’t full of mooring buoys or charter boats. There are some day use buoys on the eastern side near some caves, about 8 buoys along the shore in the south of the bay and a fantastic sandy patch to the west which had our name on it. 3 other boats here already but we find a nice gap and the anchor is well set. After lunch I go for a snorkel along the western shore. There are some interesting fish and the water is incredibly clear. Later we take the RIB across to the caves and have a snorkel around there. The coral is not fantastic but there are some colourful fish, including some quite large parrot fish. We explored the caves but there is not much life inside and they are a bit dark.
9 April 2022, Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, to White Bay, JVD (via water making, Sandy Cay, Garner Bay & Grand Harbour), 10nm – Mooring Ball US $30/night
We head out to the east of Jost Van Dyke  making water and then turn around to come back. Amazingly there is no one anchored at Sandy Spit, they are all at Sandy Cay. We head in to Garner Bay for a look but there is really nothing there, a restaurant that looks closed and a barge on the western side. A few mooring buoys – nah! We head on to take a look at Grand Harbour. It is again full of mooring buoys and lots of boats, there is maybe room to anchor right at the mouth of the bay but it is quite unappealing. Next we head around to White Bay. This has 2 sides, the western side looks very busy with buoys and charter boats and plenty of restaurants line the shore. We pick the eastern side and pick up a buoy. We have to reverse onto it as it has no pendant. Then we realise we are right next to QuiteTheCatch again. We take the paddle boards ashore on the western side and go for a walk up the hill a little to get a view. Lots of private villas here. We checked out the beach bar but despite the great name (Ivan’s stress free bar) it seemed unappealing. Later we paddled over to the western shore and went for a walk along the beach. Ran into Cathy and Steve from QTC who were drinking cocktails and smoking a cigar in the water.
8 April 2022, Sandy Spit (Little JVD) to Cane Garden Bay, Tortola (Via Sandy Cay) 6nm - Anchored
Keith was determined to be first on the beach before we left today. He paddled ashore and wrote ITIKI on the beach but it looked like iciki… Anyway you get the idea. We left just before 9am and swung around the end of Sandy Cay. We had intended to stop here but it is so similar to Sandy Spit we don’t bother. Plus there are already heaps of boats here! We head across to Cane Garden Bay intending to just spend an hour there going to the supermarket, but we find a nice spot to anchor avoiding the mooring buoys and decide we like it. Had a chat to an American couple on a Saona (QuiteTheCatch). They live on their boat 6 months of the year. In the afternoon we take the paddle-boards ashore and try to take photos of the dive bombing pelicans. We decide to stop at a beach bar for a cocktail and sit under an umbrella for a while. In the evening the music is fairly loud and goes on until about 11pm and then the parties continue on the charter boats. Americans are so loud!
7 April 2022, Sandy Spit (Little JVD) – Anchored
Had some rain overnight and woke to some stormy looking clouds and a big rainbow behind us. Neither of us went ashore today, just did stuff on the boat, relaxed and swam.

​6 April 2022, Little Bay (Tortola) to Sandy Spit (Little JVD) 8nm - Anchored
Left mid-morning and just pulled out a headsail. Made our way slowly across to Sandy Spit with 10-20kts up the duck. The anchorage is a tiny sand island inside a reef and we anchor quite close to it. Keith swims the anchor and we are all set for the night. A lot of boats come for a few hours and move on. After lunch I take a paddle board ashore and take some photos. It’s a cloudy day
​5 April 2022, Tuesday, Little Bay (Tortola) - Anchored
We take the paddle boards ashore. There is a bit of a headwind and I am behind Keith (as usual). I watch him fiddling with his hat and see a reasonable sized wave coming towards him. Nothing I could do but watch him do a little dance on the back of his paddle board and fall off! He was only in waist deep water and unscathed. There is not much ashore but the beach is lovely and we have it all to ourselves so we go for a swim.
4 April 2022, Monday, Trellis Bay to Little Bay (Tortola), via Guana Island, 4nm - Anchored
In the morning I took the RIB ashore solo(!) and went to the supermarket. No bananas! Must be the first time in history we have run out!! When I got back to the boat I realised she had not put the cheese in my bag so I had to go back again. Very stressful but I managed! We motored the few miles across to Guana Island. There are 2 anchorages here both with a few mooring buoys. We anchor on the southern end of the northern set of buoys and have lunch.  After lunch Keith swims the anchor and we decide its not good enough holding for overnight. We head across to Little Bay that we can see less than a mile away, on Tortola. Here is sand, glorious sand! We anchor and dig in nicely.
3 April 2022, Sunday, Anegada to Trellis Bay, via Marina Cay (Scrub Island) 20nm – Mooring Bally US$30/Night
Left about 9ish and had a great reaching sail across to Marina Cay where we anchored off Scrub island. We were averaging 8kts VMG despite a little bit of a side on swell. We furled the headsail and strapped the main to go through the gap between the islands.It’s a deepish anchorage here and we are to the SE of the mooring field. It’s not too bad but a bit of a thoroughfare for ferries and power boats going through. We decide not to stay the night and head across to Trellis Bay. Its right beside the end of the runway and with all the mooring buoys there is limited space to anchor so we take a buoy. The bottom is weedy, rocky and corally and doesn’t look fantastic holding. We go ashore and have a walk along the beach. We went across to a small wreck in the middle of the bay and had a snorkel. Not much to see, a few fish. In the afternoon there are people camped on the beach and having races with remote controlled power boats. They sound like leaf blowers on steroids! Who knew there was something more annoying than jet skis. Every time you thought they were finished they started up again! Must be just changing batteries. Later in the day they cranked up the music but thankfully that was short lived!
2 April 2022, Saturday, Prickly Pear Island to Anegada, 17nm – Mooring Ball US$30/night
Left at 7am and had a great reach across to  Anegada. Had 18-20kts, gusting 22s. Doing 8s VMG. We arrived and picked up a mooring. The bay is quite shallow and there is limited anchoring area so we decided to play it safe. It’s reasonably protected but still a bit of swell coming in. We went ashore and rented a scooter and toured the small, low island. In the evening we head to the Wonky Dog restaurant for Anegada Lobster - Keith has ordered Lobster Thermidor and I got Jamaican Jerk. They were huge beasts and we are totally stuffed afterwards. Very indulgent!
1 April 2022, Friday, Prickly Pear Island
Exercise and boat jobs in the morning, and then a run ashore in the afternoon. The wind has really gotten up and it's quite bouncy going across the bay in the RIB. We head to Leverick Bay to get some fuel for the dinghy, then to the next bay around to find a skip for the garbage. Next stop was Bitter End to get a couple of expensive items from the markets. We head over to Prickly Pear island to have a wander ashore. The beach bar here doesn’t seem to have been open for a while. We walk along the beach and I wander back to a small lagoon. 
31 March 2022, Thursday, Prickly Pear Island - Anchored
A day on the boat doing boat jobs, cleaning, relaxing, swimming etc.
30 March 2022, Wednesday, Savannah Bay to Prickly Pear Island, 7nm - Anchored
It was a rolly and noisy night so we leave early. We head out again take a tour around Seal Dog before heading into Prickly Pear anchorage. We can see Necker Island as we pass through the entrance to Gorda Sound. This is Richard Branson’s private island home which can be rented out in its entirety (48 guests max) or at certain times of the year, by individual cabins. Lord only knows what the price tag is! Anyway there are quite a few boats in close at PP so we anchor a bit further out/north. The water is lovely and there are quite a few turtles here. We head over to Leverick Bay in the RIB to take a look around. Here is a small marina and bar/restaurant. There is a small market as well. There are plenty of turtles around the anchorage and we even see a ray jumping out of the water. Also after dropping some food scraps off the back of the boat a few small fish turn up as well as a sinister looking Remora. In the afternoon we took the RIB around to the Bitter end Yacht Club and have a drink. It’s a very laid back place with a small marina and busy little bar, as well as a few villas and restaurant. There is a small mini-market here as well.
29 March 2022, Tuesday, The Baths, to Savanah Bay, Virgin Gorda via Dog Islands
Several quite large catamarans have turned up at our anchorage, obviously attracted by ITIKI. We up anchor and head over to take a look at Dog Islands. We could see one beach from our anchorage that looked ok, and there has been one powerboat anchored there the whole time. As we get closer we see it’s not much of a beach and no anchorage, and in fact the powerboat is on the shore! We head around the western side of Great Dog and see there are some mooring buoys here, it’s quite wild but not what we are looking for so we go between George Dog and Great Dog and head for Savannah Bay. Here we need to enter on the southern end and tuck in behind a reef. There is a beautiful white beach ashore and we watch as the 7 crew from the large motor yacht bring umbrellas, beach chairs, dining table, BBQ etc ashore for the 3 “guests” to enjoy. 
28 March 2022, Monday, The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Well by 8:45 there are no buoys left over by the Baths! Completely full of charter cats! We decide to put the SUPs in the water and go for a look anyway. We follow the water’s edge and stop for a swim at the beach south of ours. There is no-one around at all and the water is beautiful and clear. We can take the SUPs into The Baths as well and despite the number of boats anchored, few have made it to the beach yet so it is not too bad. We get our picture taken and head back to the boat.
27 March 2022, Sunday, The Baths, Virgin Gorda
We take the RIB over to The Baths after breakfast, and we are the first on the beach. A couple of cats have already picked up buoys but they seem more intent on fishing off the back of the boat than enjoying the location. It’s a small area but the boulders are huge, quite amazing how they are stacked here as if they were tossed down from above. Waves crash in between them and the sand is beautiful and white. In the afternoon I take a SUP to the beach at our anchorage and walk along it. There are also boulders here that are quite spectacular and again the sand is beautiful and clean. Sadly we can’t put the drone up as it’s a no-fly zone, due to the proximity of the airport.
26 March 2022, Saturday, Virgin Gorda to Road Town and back to Virgin Gorda 22nm
Another early start to motor into Road Town. We anchor off the ferry wharf and take the RIB in to check in. We pass the health check and then go into immigration and customs. USD40 all up. We go back to Virgin Gorda and anchor at Valley Trunk Bay. Some fellow cruisers mention a cable on the bottom and when we swim the anchor can see that it's just beside our anchor. Another cat is leaving who was closer in to the beach so we motor up to take their spot. We are dug into sand, the anchor clearly visible in clear water. We are quite tired and decide to stay for a few days. 
​25 March 2022, Friday, Marigot St Martin to St Thomas Bay, Virgin Gorda, BVIs, 84nm
We are away just after 4am and take the main up with 1 reef. We are expecting the usual 20+kts although it will be downwind. It's lovely to have the wind behind us and the sea is not too rough although there are cross swells. We pull out the full genoa and change to a goose-wing. As the breeze starts to lighten we shake out the reef and switch to the gennaker, goose-winged. Surprisingly we don’t see much in the way of other yachts. We come through the passage at the bottom of Virgin Gorda, avoiding “The Blinders”, past the iconic “Baths” and drop the sails before motoring into St Thomas Bay. We anchor inside the buoys and are informed by another yacht that we can’t check in here. We have to go to Road Town. It’s a couple of hours away so we decide to go early tomorrow morning. We have welcome cocktails and an early night.
24 March 2022, Thursday, Grand Case to Marigot, 2nm
We have rain squalls and strong gusts overnight and around 5:45am the anchor bridle breaks. The port line has completely snapped off close to the central knot. Wow! We jury rig a line through the knot to our foredeck cleats. We head back to Marigot Bay and anchor close to the canal entry with our temporary bridle solution. We go ashore and do our Covid test for entering BVIs, do some final shopping and then head over to the chandlery to check-out and gather bridle materials. We manage to put everything together while at anchor, and finally we are on the new bridle. It’s quite a different experience with the snubbers. The laid line has more give in it and the snubbers dampen the snatch that normally occurs in the gusts. The lines don’t creak and strain like the plaited line. Setting the anchor feels different too. We don’t seem to swing from side to side as much as the snubbers dampen the ride. Very happy with the result and we sleep well.
​23 March 2022, Wednesday, Grand Case
A mono that was near us has moved this morning to the other side of the anchorage and we decide to do the same. We are sick of spinning around and we have actually moved, even though the anchor has reset. It’s still gusty but at least we were not doing donuts anymore. We take the RIB ashore and have a long walk along the beach. It’s always lovely to sink your toes into sand.

22 March 2022, Tuesday, Marigot to Grand Case, 2nm
After a morning shore run to the supermarket and café to use the internet we head up to Grand Case. It looked like a nice spot when we were here by car. We only just remembered to empty the tanks We anchor in the NE corner but it turns out to be a poor choice. Holding is good but we spin around 360. The anchor keeps resetting but its pretty annoying.
21 March, 2022, Monday, Marigot
We pick up a car at 9am and head off on a tour of the island. We go south first and cross the open border into Sint Maarten. It’s a bit ironic that there is not even any checks here, considering the rigmarole you need to go through to check in if you arrive by boat. Anyway our first stop was at the famous airport where planes come in quite low over the beach. Also when big jets take off, people stand by the fence and get blown over. It’s quite a tourist attraction. Of course not much action when we get there although one small plane did arrive and fly low overhead. From there we headed north to take a look at Friars Bay. It’s a small bay with a couple of beach bars and some watersports. Lovely water. We went up the winding and narrow road to Pic Paradis, at 424m the highest point on the island. Great views down to east coast. From there we went on the Grand Case, stopping for a coffee and pastry along the way. Its a nice wide bay with a long sandy beach. Quite a few holiday resorts and beach bars but with a really laid back feel. We walk along the beach for a bit and then along the “shopping strip”. Think we will come and anchor here for a couple of days. We also checked out Anse Marcel, a much smaller bay further north, but there is nothing here and it smells of rotting seaweed. Across to Cul de Sac, the lagoon was a bit smelly here too so we moved on. Stopped at a view point overlooking Oyster Pond at the same time as several busloads of cruise ship passengers. From there we went down into Phillipsburg where 3 cruise ships are currently anchored. We go looking for lunch but its hot, noisy and difficult to find just a sandwich. We wander around for way to long before stopping for a burger in a Peruvian restaurant. Managed to resist the Pisco Sours. The beach here is quite nice, long, white sand but lots of beach bars. Back from the beach there are lots of shops selling duty free and luxury goods. From there it is to the big Carrefour supermarket. Its huge and at first seems really expensive, then later we realise prices are in NAFs and not USD! Grog was relatively cheap and we end up with lots. Even found tahini, Branston pickle and vegemite!
​19 March, 2022, Saturday, Marigot
This morning’s mission is to take the gas bottle to get filled. Its been such a drama the past couple of times I am nervous when someone says “Yep, no problem!” We left it with the guy intending to pick it up on Monday and went for a walk up to Fort Louis. There is not much of it left, just a few walls and rusty cannons. Great views though and we can see Ella of Stockholm in the marina. Decided to go back to the gas man and exchange our bottle instead of waiting for a refill. Tested it out when we got back and it seemed to work fine. Will have to test it out with the oven tomorrow. Mark and Myra come to visit around 5ish and we showed them around. Lovely couple. They already have a Lagoon and decided it was time to upgrade. Their Helia has a lot of extras, including a full freezer by all accounts and is all set up for cruising.
18 March, 2022, Friday, Marigot, St Martin
Had a bit of drama in the night when the anchor alarm went off around 2:30am. We had dragged and ended up quite close to the mono behind us. We reset the anchor in the same place but it’s quite gusty and we are on edge, so not a great sleep. Not quite sure what went wrong there but possibly we didn’t have as much chain out as we thought. Keith had serviced the windlass in Ile Fourchue and when I had the anchor at the waterline it was still showing 8m out!
Went into Marigot and left the dinghy near the ferry dock. Had a wander around the town and did a reconnaissance on the Super U. Also found the gas man. We will bring the gas bottle in tomorrow to get it filled. Not really exactly sure what kind of gas we are going to get, but apparently there will be some butane in it. We ended up having lunch ashore at ArhAwak. Lovely mussels and Keith had goat curry. Oh and we had dessert too! Very naughty. When we got back there was a note on the swim ladder. I thought it was going to be from the guy behind us complaining that we were too close. Turned out it was from a Canadian couple who have bought a Helia in Columbia, sight unseen, and wanted to have a look around ours. We invited them over tomorrow afternoon.
17 March, 2022, Thursday, Ile Fourchue to Marigot, St Martin, 22nm
We would have been happy to stay here but we have checked out of St Barths and there is not much else to do so we set off after 11. We have the full main and Genoa and the wind and waves are coming from behind us. We arrive around 2:30pm and anchor just north of the canal entrance in Marigot Bay. It is a good sandy bottom. We head over to the Chandlery to check in. Lo and behold, Keith finds the Whale Gulper pump we need at a very reasonable price. Took the RIB into the lagoon and found a small supermarket and picked up a few things.
16 March, 2022, Wednesday, Colombier to Ile Fourchue, 4nm
It’s gusty and bouncy overnight and we spin in all directions. Not a great night’s sleep so we are keen to move on. We head over to Ile Fourchue around 10 arriving just as another cat is leaving, so we take his spot. By 11am most boats are gone but new ones start arriving. There are 10 mooring buoys and this time we just pick it up from the front of the boat. It is really lovely here. It’s an uninhabited island, privately owned and part of the marine sanctuary. Again lots of turtles hanging around. We take the paddle boards ashore and have a bit of a walk. We can see back to St Bart's and across to St Martin as well. It’s very dry and barren with plenty of cacti and some birds nesting. It’s still a bit windy here however it’s not quite so gusty and jerky. The wind is holding us in a consistent direction and we finally have a decent night’s sleep.
15 March 2022, Tuesday, Gustavia to Colombier, St Barts, 2nm
Head into town just after 9 and end up checking out before picking up the car. We drive first to Colombier, or the hill overlooking it, to check out tonight’s anchorage. There are quite a few boats here but still a few free moorings. We go down to Baie des Flamands which is quite wild and empty. We pass the famous roundabout at the top of the airport runway, where the planes shave the top of your head. Wow! It looks like a difficult approach. The planes have to take a nose dive once they get over the crest to get down to the runway to land. We hop from bay to bay, but it’s a bit frustrating as there is little parking and private property lines the shore. St Jean is at the other end of the runway, literally. We tried to park at Lorient but kept missing the turn for the parking so drove over to the eastern side of the island and around the north east corner. The windward side of the island is of course pretty windy and the surf is rough, but there are a couple of sheltered bays, protected by reefs and a couple of saltwater lagoons as well, one of which smells pretty sulphurous. We make it around the headland before coming back and finding a park at Lorient. The graveyard here is quite colourful, full of freshly painted white headstones and crosses, with plenty of plastic flowers. The highlight though is Johnny Holliday’s grave. Not sure of the significance of him being here but clearly this stop is in the French guide book. We find a little bakery for a quick bite and decide to take the car back early. We get back to the boat and get away, it’s a whole 2nm to Colombier, which apparently used to be owned by the Rockefellers. There is quite a big house at the top of the southern headland. We pick up a mooring ball with our new technique of trying to run 2 lines though at once, but the knots get stuck and it gets very confusing with 2 sets of lines going everywhere. In the end it wasn’t really necessary because the loop of the mooring line running through the ball could be lifted easily and we could have picked it up from the front of the boat with a hook. Oh well, we did actually do it, but it could have been ugly! There is no 3G connection though and I was supposed to have a Zoom call so Keith runs me ashore to see if I can get a signal to send him a message to cancel, which I did. We have already seen heaps of turtles which is nice.
14 March 2022, Monday, Gustavia, St Barts
We go into town around 9am and check in is quick and easy. That said, we are charged Euro34 to anchor in this crowded and bouncy place! At the marina it looks like there is some set up going on for a regatta – Of course! Bucket St Barts in fact. Quite a few big boats in town. We wander around and see the sights of St Barts, which are limited to a couple of forts, or monuments where forts used to be, a Swedish clocktower and old Swedish prison. The island used to belong to the Swedes and there is a Swedish embassy here. We organise a car for tomorrow and spend the afternoon on the boat. The wind and movement is doing our heads in and we have an awful night’s sleep.
13 March 2022, Sunday, Dickensen Bay, Antigua to Gustavia, St Barts, 73nm
Got away before 7am and started with 1 reef in the main and full genoa. Breeze was up and down for the first half of the trip in terms of speed and angle. We had high teens initially but down as low as 10s, with angles shifting from 100 to 130! We had put the gennaker away thinking it was always going to be too strong for it but now we pull it out again. Just as I am tightening the halyard, bang, down it comes narrowly avoiding Keith’s head. Fortunately it was not unfurled. The shackle had opened up and was at the top of the mast. Put it back up on the kite halyard, which is a bit more stretchy but it worked. Once we passed under a line of cumulo-nimbus the breeze settled into a steady 18kts and came back into the 80s. We were on the edge of the range for the gennaker and as we got closer to the island and the compression zone we swapped to the genoa and could climb a little bit too. The anchorage here is incredibly crowded with a lot of boats on mooring buoys and other boats anchored in between them. We head to the leeward end and find a spot almost at the back. There are some rocky islands behind us. It’s a very windy and rolly anchorage, we are moving around like being underway and it's quite noisy. We see Ella of Stockholm on the AIS, we knew they were crossing from Barbuda and were watching them. We radio them and direct them to a spot behind us. They settled in and invited us for a quick drink before sunset. We will check in tomorrow. Quite a few squalls go through overnight and we are rocking and rolling. Also seems to smell of diesel fumes.
​12 March 2022, Friday, Hermitage Bay to Dickensen Bay, 10nm
Went ashore in the RIB to one of the smaller beaches to the south of us and walked up to the road and around Pearn’s Bay. Looks like a bit of development going on here. Lots for sale going up over the hills, reminiscent of Mount Whitsunday. We swing by Cheryl and Richie to say farewell and after lunch we head up to Dickensen Bay which will be our departure point for the next island. It’s a long beach with numerous resorts including Sandals but we tuck in to the north west away from it all. It turns out to be the calmest night we have had in a long time, although with an early start tomorrow and an alarm set we don’t sleep as well as we should have.
11 March 2022, Friday, Hermitage Bay
Decided to walk into Jolly Harbour to check out. Got Richie to run us ashore in our RIB so we didn’t have to leave it on the beach. After doing the formalities, the usual to-ing and fro-ing between officials with the paper-fest, we walked into the town. The supermarket was closed due to an electrical error so we decided to have lunch. 1hr and 1 rain squall later we finally got served! Bought a little bit of fruit and veg from one of the vendors opposite the supermarket before heading back to the boat.
10 March 2022, Thursday, Deep Bay to Hermitage Bay, 4nm
This morning we have some strong squalls with heavy rain and gusts getting up into the high 20s. Not much fun. We don't feel like doing much, but manage some boat cleaning. After lunch we decide to head over to Hermitage to annoy Cheryl and Richie (Serenity Now) and use the internet. It’s a bit more protected here but still getting the strong gusts coming through.
9 March 2022, Wednesday, Maiden Island to Deep Bay 12nm
Took the RIB ashore to Maiden Island after breakfast to go for a walk. Not much here on this tiny island but there used to be some buildings, maybe holiday shacks. Lots of Lambi shells scattered about in piles next to BBQ fires. It's still blowing some so we decide not to try and tackle the east coast anchorages. We will head west for a couple more days before crossing to St Barts on the weekend. Deep Bay is lovely, beautiful white beach and there is a luxury resort with over-water bungalows that have their own plunge pool. We take the SUPs ashore just as the wind picks up so it’s really hard work. There is just no let up! Walked up to see the fort at the northern end of the bay. Behind the beach there is a lagoon with a narrow opening to the sea.  From the top we could see the Coastguard RIB (the one from Maiden Island) come in and do a cruise around the bay.
8 March 2022, Tuesday, Codrington Anchorage to Maiden Island 34nm
Took off after breakfast with a forecast of 15-17kts. Got a nasty surprise when raising the anchor, the shackle on the bridle had opened right up and the bridle fell back in the water when I clipped it onto the boat.  That was so close to failing it was not funny, only the pressure on the chain was keeping it in place. Put one reef in the main and full genoa but we had mid 20s and gusting up to 30s so we reefed the genoa and put a second reef in the main. Swell was 2-2.5m, short and on the beam. Copped quite a few waves over the deck. We are both feeling worn out by it. Checked out an anchorage on Long Island but it was just in front of private beach resort and you can’t go ashore. Water-skiers and hobbie cats abound so no thanks. Went over to Maiden Island and dropped anchor for lunch but then decided to take a look at the second anchorage on Long Island – same thing so we came back to Maiden Island. There is one power boat on a mooring and another cat in the next bay. Nothing much ashore on the island and we are under the flight path, but its protected. Keith sorted out the bridle clip situation and hopefully this solution will hold well. After dark a large, unlit RIB came and took a look at us, sitting behind the boat for a few minutes. Possibly Coastguard checking we had paid our cruising tax. It didn’t even have nav lights.
7 March 2022, Monday, 11 Mile Beach Anchorage
Decided to take the RIB over to Codrington town today, which is on the far side of the lagoon from us. Checked out the ruined hotel on the northern side of the spit in the RIB. The breeze has lessened but still very gusty and we got pretty wet going across the entrance.  Then found the gap to go through the channel marked with a couple of barrels on the lagoon side. You don’t really see them until you get close. Bumpy ride across the lagoon and it is quite a distance. Not much to see in the town and the small supermarket didn’t have much. We came back to the boat for lunch. Quite a few boats have left. The surge in anchorage is doing our heads in. The swell hits the shore and then bounces back almost throwing you off your feet. We are getting a bit over this wind, it is supposed to back off tomorrow so we will head south again.
6 March 2022, Sunday, Cocoa Point to 11 Mile Beach / Codrington Anchorage 11nm
Left in the morning after breakfast and exercise. The anchor was dug in really well! We had a rain squall follow us west along the coast, saw up to 33kts TWS. Just had the genoa out and we were making 8.5kts at one stage. Anchored just south of the gap in the narrow sandbar. Its very gusty and we are jerking around on the anchor bridle. Just like being back in Greece in the Meltemi! From the top of the boat we can see over the sand-spit to the lagoon and across to the town. There is surf breaking across the gap which looks quite spectacular! After lunch we took the paddle boards ashore which was no mean feat in a 20kts headwind. Walked north along the sand-spit to the gap, it looks pretty rough so we won’t be going in there today. The couple on the Lagoon 40 near us took their RIB over to the gap but came back again, assuming they didn’t like the look of it. There is an abandoned beach bar here with piles of conch shells, wooden furniture and what looks like some brick structure that is almost sinking into the water. I guess a bird sanctuary tour is off the agenda. The beach along here is supposed to be pink but you have to try really hard to see it.
5 March 2022, Saturday, Cocoa Point
Its been quite gusty and squally today so we haven’t done much. After lunch we paddled ashore and walked along the other end of the beach. Checked in on the lobster place to confirm our booking tonight. Lucky we did as he advised us to bring our own plates and cutlery as well as sides. We went back in the RIB just before 6pm and Inoch helped us bring it up the beach, quite a long way. We watched the sunset from the bar sipping rum cocktails. Keith reckons he saw the green flash, but it must have been very tiny! A couple of donkeys were frolicking around. Fantastic BBQ lobster and a nice white wine. Inoch is an interesting character. We talked about cricket and life in general. Left about 8 and got back to the boat in the dark without incident.
4 March 2022, Friday, Cocoa Point
Took the paddle boards ashore and walked down past the end of Cocoa point where the exclusive resort is. This is a popular spot for kite surfing, flat water and plenty of wind. There is another anchorage around this side of the island but looks much more exposed to the wind and swell, plus there are a lot of shoals. Walked back along the beach and chatted to French couple (Arthur and Ann-Sophie) from Pearly (a little orange trimaran that we saw in Jolly Harbour). He was kite surfing. They came over for drinks later. A very adventurous couple who have travelled up from Martinique and on the way further north.
3 March 2022, Thursday, Hermitage Bay, Antigua to Cocoa Point, Barbuda 31nm
Left after breakfast, 1 reef in the main and full genoa. Sea was flat at first but it got bumpier as we got past the end of the island. Copped a fair few waves including one that drenched us both at the helm. Reefed the genoa when we started seeing over 22kts apparent. Arrived around 1. The sand on the beach is blindingly white and water turquoise. Quite a few rocks around and we have seen plenty of turtles already. Went for a look around in the RIB, there is a private resort occupying the eastern end of the beach. Apparently Robert de Niro has a place nearby and also this was Princess Diana’s favourite beach. The island is quite low so not much protection from the wind, but good protection from the swell.
​2 March 2022, Wednesday, Jolly Harbour to Hermitage Bay 3nm
After breakfast and exercise, Helena came over to do a load of washing. I made a lemon cake so they both came back for morning tea a little later. Went ashore and checked out the chandlery to see if they have a Whale Gulper pump (no) and get a couple more things in the supermarket. Decided to up anchor and head around to Hermitage Bay. Cheryl and Richie are anchored here and there are 4 other boats. They drop over as we are eating lunch and beers are opened. Got some great tips for fishing and seeing Antigua. While they were aboard, Double Shot II our dock mates from La Rochelle dropped anchor behind us. Haven’t seen them since Lipari. They are also heading to Barbuda tomorrow. The kids had harvested a heap of Lambi (or conch shells) and Mel will cook them for dinner.
​1 March, 2022, Tuesday English Harbour to Jolly Harbour via Carlisle Bay 12nm
After breakfast we took the RIB ashore and walked up to Shirley Heights. There is a restaurant at the top, some ruins and spectacular views over English and Falmouth Harbours. They have a BBQ on Thursday and Sunday nights, but we missed last one due to rain squalls. Maybe next time we pass through. Headed north to Carlisle Bay with just the headsail out. The breeze was behind us and up to 17kts. Put the fishing line out but again, nothing happened. Anchored at Carlisle Bay, it’s nice enough but nothing really special. We stopped for morning tea and decided to move on. Anchored in the NE corner of the Jolly Harbour anchorage, it’s very shallow. Went ashore after lunch and did some provisioning. After dark we can hear fish jumping and put the spotlight on them. They are quite large and their eyes glow in the torch light. Probably not edible.
28 February, 2022, Monday – English Harbour
Took an early morning walk ashore, up to the battery on the SW side of the harbour. Walked around the ruins and up over the headland and down into Falmouth. The anchorage is much larger and there are some places near pigeon beach that look good for when we return. Ran into Brad and Tori Kellet on the way back to English Harbour. They have been spending a fair bit of time here running Triple Lindy and doing some racing over here. Had lunch aboard. Later went for a SUP Keith’s paddleboard was low on air so he went back. Paddled back to the beach and went for a walk, ran in to Matts and Helena who invited us over for a drink aboard Emma.
27 February, 2022, Sunday – English Harbour
Went for a mid-morning wander over to Falmouth harbour to check out the marinas and stores. Found Comanche but Triple Lindy was too far around the bay to walk it. Checked out the stores/supermarkets as well. Slim pickings and quite expensive compared to French Antilles. In the afternoon we dragged our anchor a couple of times and had to reset. Wind was not that strong but we seemed to be swinging side to side a fair bit and although we had reset we were creeping backwards towards other boats so we moved forward a fair bit. Got it sorted and held through a rain squall, but decided to skip the Shirley Heights BBQ. Keith spent the afternoon cursing over the shower sump which died in Deshaies, and finally managed to swap it for the one in the port side.
26 February, 2022, Saturday – Deshaies, Guadelope to English Harbour, Antigua 43nm
We set out around 8:30am, looks like Emma has already gone and we spot them on AIS a bit later. We have full sails initially but then the wind builds as we pass the end of the island and get into open water. The swell is also significant but at least it is coming from one direction. The wind is easterly as forecast (70o TWD) but a little higher speed than expected with high teens & low 20s. We put in a single reef and we are also able to foot off a bit. We seem to manage to work our way between two squalls, one passes behind us, the other in front. We arrive in English harbour at 13h45, not long after Emma, having watched them on AIS going all the way in. We find a spot at Freeman’s beach as a catamaran left just as we were stalking. We called the Harbourmaster on VHF 12 and waited for a call back, which came about an hour later. We went ashore, Keith ran into Mitch Booth (who runs Comanche) and then it was time to fill in some forms. There was only cursory interest in our Covid tests and none in our vaccine status - just self-reported the latter. The skippers have to do the formalities, and it took them while with visits back and forth to several counters before money was exchanged and we were allowed to stay. Went in search of a SIM for Matts and Helena and then a drink at the Pillars bar before heading back to the boat to lower the Q flag and put the anchor light on!
25 February, 2022, Friday – Deshaies
Woke to see the deck covered in tiny dead insects and took some time to clean them off, as well as wash the windows. Went for our Covid test as required for our visit to Antigua, then for a walk up hill to the Jardin Botanique. It was nice enough but not as good as the one in Martinique, although it was redeemed by the presence of flamingos!!! Walked back down to town and had a farewell lunch at Chez Lellette down on the beach, good food. Ran in to Matts and Helena from Ella when we were checking out of Guadaloupe and invited them for drinks. I was in the shower as they arrive and the shower sump malfunctioned! Great timing!
24 February, 2022, Thursday - Bouillante to Deshaies via Ilet Pigeon, 12nm
Away fairly early motored up to Anse Malendure, opposite Pigeon Island. We hear snorkelling was great here so we took the RIB across and had a look underwater. Could not find the Jacques Cousteau statue. Water was lovely and clear and saw quite a few fish, but nothing spectacular. Quite a strong current running as well. Continued on the Deshaies, motoring as there was not enough breeze and then it was on the nose with quite a chop wrapping around the top of the island. The bay is pretty crowded and we manage to find a spot. Boats are swinging all directions though and a number of them get too close to each other and have to move. It all seems very amicable. We end up with a big steel boat near us but put out plenty of fenders. I have never watched the BBC series "Death in Paradise" but apparently it was filmed here, interesting as it seems an unremarkable town.
23 February, 2022, Wednesday – Ilet Gosier to Bouillante, 33nm
Expected to be sailing today but motored to the corner as there was very little breeze when we left. Breeze increased as we reached the south west corner of the island and we could sail but it was patchy and there was a bit of a wind shadow. Anchored in the north of the bay of Bouillante which gets its name from the springs of boiling water that flood out of a river into the sea. After lunch we took he RIB across to the dinghy dock and walked along the small, black sand beach to the Hot River. Here the steaming hot water enters the sea. Went for a swim and can verify it was very hot. Surges of hot water come out on and mix with the sea water, and the current is quite strong. It was lovely, but did leave a bit of a sulphury smell on the skin. 
​22 February, 2022, Tuesday – Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe to Ilet Gosier, 3nm
Went ashore in the morning and walked all the way to Le Clerc supermarket, took about 20 mins. I managed to get a haircut organised while Keith did the shopping. We overloaded ourselves for the walk back, but I guess that will be our exercise for the day. We had planned to head west and up the coast of the island but decided instead to check out a small anchorage 3nm east of our current spot. It’s a tiny island with a reef either side and not much ashore. Just a lighthouse. We took the dinghy in, walked the island and had a swim at the beach before heading back to the boat. A good call to come here and a lovely relaxing spot.
​21 February 2022, Monday – Les Saintes to Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe 21nm
We set out about 9ish thinking we would head to Marie-Gallante, the island to the east of us, but the wind was stronger than expected and we were banging into short chop so we changed our minds and headed to Pointe-a-Pitre, the main town of Guadeloupe. It’s in the centre of the two parts of this butterfly shaped island. We are still going to windward but on Starboard tack initially the swell is not so bad. On port tack we had negative 3kts VMG at one stage, but we kept pace with a couple of monos, one of which gave up and put the motors on. We end up doing several tacks to make course into tour destination but it’s a good exercise in sailing to windward and it took us about 5 hours, in total. The anchorage is outside the marina in a very sheltered and enclosed bay. Quite industrial around though with views of the cargo port and dockyards. We go ashore and walk into town but it is very seedy, dirty and nothing much open. There is quite a bit of street art though, which I always enjoy.
20 February 2022, Sunday – Les Saintes
Hired a 50cc scooter and toured around the island of Terre de Haut today. It was a bit like riding around on a lawn mower. First stop Fort Napoleon just after opening time. Great views from the top. Visited the various beaches around the island. Marigot Bay looked like it could have been good to anchor in but having seen it from above, it looks a bit nothing. Lots of weed. We stop at Plage de Pompier but again huge piles of weed on the shore and along most of the beach. We watch a pair of pelicans doing synchronised diving for a while, before moving on. Grand Anse is a long beach on the western side, looks too rough for swimming and again lots of weed. We take a quick look at Anse Roderique, which looks a bit like Little Bay at SWR. Each time we try to go to another bay we seem to have to drive back into town and get stuck in the one way street system trying to find the next turn off. We swing by Anse Figuier and then back into town again to drive down to the western end of the island, near to where we are anchored. We stop along the way for some scenic photos back to our anchorage. Anse Crawen on the southwest tip is the last beach we visit and probably the nicest, although the cloud has come over and we don’t feel like a swim. We take a quick visit to the cemetery, where a number of graves are decorated with huge conch shells. It looks like rain so we decide to grab a baguette and head back to the boat for a late lunch. We have pretty much done the island so we return the bike early.
19 February 2022, Saturday – Les Saintes
We head ashore to check in, it’s a really pretty town but very touristy. Lots of shops and bars. Keith organises a scooter hire for tomorrow. I use the internet for a while at the LSM office, as the internet in town and in the anchorage is crap. We have a wander around and do a little shopping and head back to the boat. After lunch we go looking for “No Worries” some fellow Aussies who we heard were here. Michele and Annabelle and their tribe, from St Ives. They know Jill and Shelley from Eucalyptus and Cheng and Amy from (Elba 45). Found them over near Islet Cabrit.
18 February 2022, Friday – Anse Couleurve, Martinique to Anse Cointe, Les Saintes – 65nm
6am departure for a long day sail. The moon is almost full and providing good light as the sun starts to come up. Put up the main with one reef and one in the genoa as well. Wind is on the beam and so is the swell. We have 18-22 with some stronger gusts and a few rain squalls. Once we get into the lee of Dominica we get some relief from the swell but eventually we get to a wind shadow as well. We motor for a while and then sail a little more with the reefs shaken out on the back of some pressure coming through one of the bays. That was short lived so the motors went back on again. Out of the lee of Dominica and the breeze is back into the high teens again as we approach Les Saints, so we are sailing again. We check out Anse Fideling for our first night but it is not particularly nice, doesn’t look really clean, its crowded with shitters that probably don’t have holding tanks and think they own the place - we are getting the death stare so we move on. We pick up a mooring ball at Anse Cointe, €14 per night. It’s a really pretty spot with a couple of small beach resorts ashore
17 February 2022, Thursday – St Pierre to Anse Couleurve 9nm
I went ashore in the morning to do the check out of Martinique. Got some tuna from the fish markets and some bread. We left around 11am and headed north. Motored all the way as it was short distance and wind was wrapping around onto the nose. The bay is stunning, a small beach ashore but quite steep hills around and thick jungle. One other cat arrives just as we did, Keith had met them in St Pierre. Went for a snorkel to the north of the bay and it was pretty good. Lots of fish and coral. As advertised it is very rolly here and we swing around on our anchor but we are really well dug into the sand. No phone signal here though! Lots of hull slapping during the night but we sleep through anything these days and it gives us extra a headstart for our long day tomorrow.
16 February 2022, Wednesday – Anse Mitan to St Pierre via Fort de France 18nm
Motored across to FdF and anchored. Went ashore for a few more errands. Bought a new frypan, more supermarket stuff, tried to sort the phone again (come back in 30 mins...). Came back to ITIKI and boat had dragged! Re-anchored. Keith took me ashore, tried the phone company one more time, still no good so we headed for St Pierre on the north west coast. Main with 2 reefs and Genoa with 1.5 reefs. Saw gusts of up to 30kts and then wind shadow approaching St Pierre and its down to 2.5! Put the motors on after we involuntarily tacked a couple of times. Anchorage is packed and difficult to find a space between other boats, local moorings, narrow shelf etc. Dug in well on black sand on the 4th attempt. Some strong gusts and continuous squalls, including when we were re-anchoring. I went ashore for a wander and checked on the memorial to the catastrophe of 1902 (volcanic eruption that wiped out the town). Hundreds of boats were lost and only one survivor that was in the prison! The cathedral is undergoing renovations, otherwise its a colourful but slightly scruffy town. Not much here. We watched boats coming and going and trying to find space and then we are twisting and turning on our anchor. Put lots of fenders out just in case things go bump on the night, but its very calm.
15 February 2022, Tuesday – Anse Mitan & Fort de France
Took the ferry across to Fort de France, which is the main town on Martinique. It is quite lively and clean with a bit of street art. We visited the beautiful and unusual cathedral, checked out the covered markets and a number of the old colonial style buildings. Found another more “local” produce market and of course checked in on a couple of supermarkets! The Bibloteque Schoeler is another quite spectacular building, although not open to the public. I also tried to change my phone plan but no luck with that. Had lunch ashore before taking the ferry back.
14 February 2022, Monday – Fond Boucher to Anse Mitan 10nm
Left after breakfast and motored all the way, as it was not worth putting sails up. Watermaker much quicker with the new filter. Anchored near some Aussies in a monohull. Dragged initially, possibly anchored on a slope, so we re-anchored a little further in. Took the dinghy ashore to have a look around. We came here when we hired the car from Le Marin, but didnt walk down to the beach. Checked out the marina and had an ice cream in the Creole village. Took the dinghy over to Anse l'Ane for a look, but decided where we are is better. Had a chat to the Aussies on the way back, Nigel and Karen from Perfect Timing, from SA. Went for a snorkel into the shore in front of the boat. Not far from our anchor (!) is a wrecked fibreglass dinghy that I thought was a rock when we were anchoring. Lucky we kept clear of it. The snorkelling was quite good, there is a small wreck with some coral and fish, and saw several large parrot fish.
13 February 2022, Sunday – Petite Anse d’Arlet to Fond Boucher 12nm
Got away after breakfast intending to head into the bay and anchor opposite Fort de France. Put the main up to first reef and full genoa initially but ended up reefing it. Quite strong winds and swell coming out of the bay at FdF so we go to second reef, we crossed the bay as we had the water maker on and wanted to top up the tanks, but it is quite slow. Conditions are a bit rough, and maybe we have gotten soft since our Atlantic crossing. We spotted a few boats anchored on the northern side of the bay and decided to take a look, maybe stop for lunch. Well anyway we decided to stay. We changed the sediment filter on the watermaker, it was pretty well clogged up so hopefully that will make a difference to the flow rate!
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​12 February 2022, Saturday – Petite Anse d’Arlet
Made bread in the morning and the went for a RIB ride around to Grand Anse d’Arlet. It doesn’t look as nice a town and in the bay it is mainly mooring buoys, so for anchoring you have to go a long way out. We have had gusty rain squalls all morning and ITIKI has turned every which way at anchor. After lunch we take the RIB over to the dock and go for a snorkel on the reef. We are not gone long and when we get back to ITIKI notice that all the boats around us have gotten closer – ooops – ITIKI has clearly dragged and the anchor alarm is going off. Lucky we weren’t away for too long. I guess the anchor had turned and not had enough pressure to dig in and reset. We reset a little further out.
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​11 February 2022, Friday – Petite Anse d’Arlet
Went ashore after breakfast in search of bread and found a nice little bakery. Of course we had to have a Pain au Raisin as well as a baguette for lunch. Also had a wander around town and walked back along the beach past the pink mangroves. There are some lovely, brightly coloured buildings here. Looks like there is some sort of swimming carnival happening as there is a DJ setting up and some extra buoys ready to be placed in the water. There is a popular beach here with lots of cafes and well as a reef for snorkelling off the beach. We will come back later for that.
10 February 2022, Thursday – St Anne to Petite Anse d’Arlet 13nm
Finally cut the umbilical cord and left the anchorage after morning coffee. The breeze is coming from behind us as it is wrapping around the bottom of the island. Goosewinged the Genoa and headed away from the coast as the breeze shifted. Had a bit of water-making and washing to do. Gybed back in and reefed as the wind strengthened closer to the shore. We chose an anchorage in the southern end of the bay (Anse Chaudiere). It looked like a great spot but it’s a busy anchorage and its one of those where everyone ends up facing opposite directions and you find yourself a little too close for comfort. A couple of boats left so we moved to give ourselves more space. Watched on boat try several spots before finally anchoring further out. I went for a snorkel; the bottom is sea grass and there are a lot of sea urchins and starfish as well as some soft corals and small tropical fish closer to shore. There are also a couple of large, diving pelicans here. They are brown unlike their Australian cousins. On dusk we watch a fisherman in a small wooden boat throw sticks into the water, then cast a large net in a wide circle. Pelicans came out of nowhere seeking a free feed. The fisherman was beating the water with an oar as he pulled the net in. He seemed to be getting quite a few small silvery fish. A couple of times he jumped into the water, fully clothed and with goggles on. Not sure what he was doing.


​7 February 2022, Monday - Petite Anse de Salines, to Le Marin and back to St Anne
Took the RIB around to Anse de Salines, there are only 3 boats anchored there. Quite a few people on the beach though, as there are a couple of beach clubs, tat vendors and restaurants here. We walked out to the end of the point and then around the boardwalk at the lagoon. As usual there were no flamingos or any kind of fauna whatsoever. After lunch we went back to our favourite spot in Le Marin, intending to go and do a supermarket shop. Contacted the physio and pulled Keith’s appointment back to 4pm so ended up being a bit rushed. He was back by 5 so we headed over to St Anne and anchored towards the back of the fleet. Its reasonable well protected over here.
6 February 2022, Sunday
Bit of a lazy day today although Keith is always doing boat jobs. The main went 3/4 of the way up so Keith could finish putting in the 2nd reef which is now a single line. Paddled across to a tiny bay on the on the end of the point between us and Salines. There was a small group of nudists there standing around under an umbrella. We had a swim off the beach and paddled back to the boat.
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​5 February 2022, Saturday – Petite Anse de Salines
Put the drone up early before too many people arrived at the beach. Took the SUPs ashore and had a walk on the beach and swim off the sand, which is novel. We got the inflatable hammocks out and found a shady spot.
 
3 February 2022, Thursday – Le Marin to Anse Meurnier 3nm
Autopilot calibration today. Did the dockside Wizard first then went out reasonably early before the wind and swell got up to do the sea. Got our gain/counter gain from the auto tune and we are happy with them. Did some water making and a load of washing as well.
 
Dropped anchor at Anse Meurnier and there was one other boat. A third catamaran came in and touched the bottom in front of us, stirring up a fair bit of sand. Of course they had to anchor right between us and the other boat despite the amount of space available in the anchorage. Anyway they look like they won’t be staying. The first boat leaves and we contemplate taking their spot but another cat comes in at the same time and grabs it. Next thing the cat skipper is in the RIB coordinating the anchoring of several other boats and suddenly we are surrounded. They all seem to know each other and a few have kids with them. Hmmm. It’s all good and we have a calm night.
30 January, 2022 Sunday - Tour de Martinique en voiture
A later start today and a bit of a hiccup as the tyre on the rental car was flat when we arrive. Keith managed to change it quickly enough though and they spent 5 minutes wandering around the car park trying to find somewhere to wash his hands. We spent the day touring around the peninsula at Trois Islets. Stopped at the Memorial Cap 110 a memorial to the slaves that have lost their lives in this area. Stopped at the view point overlooking Diamond Rock, also at Petite Anse and Anse de Arlet, that we might come back to in ITIKI. Drove out to Pointe de Bout and checked out the very artificial “Creole Village” but can’t find a simple sandwich so we move on. One of our other tyres needs a bit of ear so we stop at a petrol station but the “gonfleur” is en panne but there was a boulangerie next door so we stop there for a lovely, simple lunch. From there we stop at the pottery village but most of the shops are closed so no pottery today. We backtrack to the cane museum to learn a bit about the history of sugar cane production and the relationship to the slave trade. From there its back to ITIKI, via a gas station to inflate the tyres. Rum cocktails are the order of the day.

​29 January, 2022 Saturday - Tour de Martinique en voiture
Caught the bus up to the airport and picked up a hire car. We headed north up through the mountain area. First stop was Jardin de Batala, lovely botanic gardens. The area is so green and lush with all of the rain. Beautiful tropical flowers and some amazing encounters with the local hummingbirds. Next we stopped at a riverside park with a couple of short nature walks through the rainforest, which was living up to its name as it was raining. We missed the turn off to the gorge and went in search of a water fall but gave up when we had to walk along a riverbed. Headed down to Basse Pointe for a lovely and very filling 3 course lunch before driving back along the east coast for a look. There are some anchorages around here that are well protected, however we decided not to head up there in ITIKI.
26 January, 2022 Wednesday - Le Marin, Martinique
Keith spends the morning refitting the AP drive but crimping the different sized wires proves difficult and they fall out again. I make a few phone calls to find a MRI scan but nothing seems to be available before the end of March! Ludovic from Volvo comes to fit the new MDIs so our engine hours on both engines are zero! He adjusts the idle speed to 850RPM and recommends fitting temperature gauges to the engines. He also recommends replacing the fan belts and adjusting the tension. Great to have an expert on board to look at everything. At least on job is finished! He recommends disconnecting the batteries if we are not going anywhere for more than 2 days, or in a marina etc. and moving the MDI so that it is not on the engine - this means less vibration and heat.
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I have also masked up the kitchen floor ready for sika-ing around the edges. Its all happening!
25 January 2022, Tuesday - Le Marin, Martinique
An early start to catch the 7:30am bus to the interchange and then on another bus and another bus to get to the hospital CHU at Le Meynard, on the outskirts of Fort d France. Keith gets a free Covid test and an opportunity to wait in A&E. In the end he does not see a Dr but gets a referral to see an orthopaedic surgeon and a request for for a MRI. We take a taxi to the MRI place but it only takes appointments over the phone up until 1pm. We grab a quick bite to eat and head back to Le Marin. It’s an epic journey and we are exhausted, getting back just before 4pm. Keith goes to see Jacques at Diginav who was going to come tomorrow, but will now come next Tuesday. He has rebuilt our autopilot drive unit and Keith will refit it before he comes back to do final checks.
24 January 2022, Monday - Le Marin, Martinique
Keith stays on the boat waiting for Volvo guy but he can’t come because paperwork is not in place. I go ashore and get another SIM card for Keith’s phone so we have one each. I was going to go to the covered markets but they are closed on Monday so go to the supermarket instead.
23 January 2022, Sunday - – Le Marin, Martinique
We did some boat jobs in the morning. I made a cover for the helm seat cushion which has been wearing thin on the edges. It needs new foam. We go for a picnic to one of the tiny beaches around near Sainte Anne in the RIB and have a swim. On the way back we drop by an FP Elba with an Aussie flag and say hi to Cheng and Ying, from St Ives. They know Gordon and Louise and the MHS team and are in the process of bringing their boat back from La Rochelle to Australia. They have visitors on board when we drop by so they come around to ITIKI later for a drink as they are off to St Lucia tomorrow.

22 January 2022, Saturday – Le Marin, Martinique
Went exploring in the RIB in the afternoon and checked out the anchorage at Sainte Anne. Its calmer around here, a bit more protected and water is probably a bit cleaner, however so many boats and beach resorts. We tied up at the dinghy dock at Sainte Anne and walked around the quaint town for a bit. It’s a Saturday so not much is open but there a few tourist shops and bars as well as a fish market and a few fruit vendors.
​21 January 2022, Friday – Le Marin, Martinique
A few boat jobs after breakfast, put away the gennaker, soaked a few lines and end for ended the mainsheet. Went ashore and spent the morning in a café doing internet stuff and ended up staying for a very ordinary lunch. Keith kept checking with the Jacques (DigiNav) and finally caught up with him. He asked him to come back in 1hr so Keith dropped me back at the boat and went back in. Good news though, he has identified a problem which is probably the cause of our woes. Looks like something that has been brewing for some time. He will rebuild our drive motor and come over on Wednesday of next week and put everything back together. Also got confirmation from Volvo that they will cover the cost of the MDIs but not the labour. Quite happy with that so hopefully this can be replaced on Monday.
20 January 2022, Thursday – Le Marin, Martinique
Well the Volvo guy was supposed to come today but he doesn’t have all the info he needs for the warranty work. We have to revisit this with Volvo EU who pass us to Volvo US. Jacques at DigiNav was not around today so no news on the AP drive. We are both feeling a bit flat and not making any progress. We can’t even move the boat as no steering.

​19 January 2022, Wednesday - Le Marin, Martinique
Went ashore after breakfast and checked out the supermarkets, workshops and chandleries. Everyone is very busy and the sailmaker has a 5 week backlog so that repair won’t happen for a while. Managed to arrive at DigiNav (the autopilot guru) just after lunch break started so we wandered down to the supermarket near the marina to kill some time before heading back at 1. Jacques from DigiNav wants to check out our AP drive motor unit so we have to go back and remove that to take it in to him. That proved to be a really difficult task in a confined space and lots of swearing and hydraulic oil leaking out. Also one of the wires connecting it did not need cutting as it just slid out of the crimping sleeve!! Keith got the unit in to the workshop just on 4pm as he closing, so we are not sure when he will get to it. Decided to move further out and ended up anchoring just east of Point Le Marin.
18 January 2022, Tuesday - Pigeon Island, St Lucia to Le Marin, Martinique; 22nm
PCR test results did not come back overnight so we went ashore and called the clinic. Keith’s was missing but the eventually came in. Checked out of St Lucia without problem. Left the anchorage about 9am. Full main and Genoa for the reach across, 15kts windspeed except for a short squall that drove the apparents up into the 26s. Had a large flock of seabirds flying and swooping close to us which was lovely except when the crapped all over the bimini. We had a wind/rain squall come through briefly, bringing some strong gusts. After it settled I put some soap on the bottom of the genoa where it had rubbed on the seagull striker and tried to clean it up a bit, there is a fair bit of wear in this area. Wind built as we got closer to the island so we reefed the main and genoa. Huge number of yachts in the harbour here, both outside the port area at St Anne anchorage and inside the port where the marina and services are. We looked for a spot in close to the marina but came aground on mud. Lots of shallow patches here. A guy in a dinghy led us out. Ended up anchoring too close to a local boat who was worried about their anchor. Went ashore after lunch to check in, nobody looked at our Covid tests. What a waste of money that turned out to be! Got a SIM for the whole of Caribbean. Found the Volvo guy and he will come over on Thursday.

17 January 2022, Monday, Pigeon Island
Ashore for PCR test (US$150 each!), dropped into the supermarket and visited the marina. Had coffee and used the internet. Then back to the boat for lunch. Some lads came around in a dinghy selling overpriced tat, and I got sucked into buying a couple of bracelets. Probably made in China.

16 January 2022, Sunday, Pigeon Island
Mid morning we took the RIB ashore, saying hi to a couple of other boats along the way. One Australian couple have been living at anchor in this bay for 2 years straight! We did the walk up to Fort Rodney and around to the signal peak and ruins before heading back to the boat for lunch. Lovely walk with great views of the area.

15 January 2022, Saturday - Pigeon Island.
We just had a lazy day here today, didn’t even go ashore.

​14 January 2022, Friday - Marigot Bay to Pigeon Island Via Castries
We had morning tea aboard with Debs and Martin before heading back to their pad to spend another couple of hours on the phone to Garmin again. Looks like we will have to go to Martinique to make more progress with our autopilot. Debs and Martin checked out and are heading to another resort at Anse Cochon, just south of Anse La Raye, which we passed along the way from Soufriere. We headed north, dropped into Castries markets again, topped up my phone and checked out the colourful church (there was a funeral going on). We anchored at Pigeon Island where we will stay for the weekend.
13 January 2022, Thursday - Marigot Bay
Started making bread in the morning and spent some more time on the phone to Garmin before heading out with some different settings to try and re-calibrate the auto-pilot. Debs booked us on a Rum tour at 1pm which was not far from the Marina but in a dodgy part village whose streets were lined with seedy looking bars, that somehow must get some of the “leakage” from the factory. The tour was interesting although there was no fermentation going on at the time. The island used to grow a lot of sugar cane, and that is how the rum industry started, but when the British switched to using sugar beets the cane was no longer wanted and so now they grow bananas and import molasses to make rum. The rum tasting was extensive and some of the rums were excellent so we bought a couple of bottles.
An afternoon nap was in order, before having dinner ashore.
12 January 2022, Wednesday - Round trip to Pigeon Island via Castries and back to Marigot Bay
Early start to pick up Debs and Martin and head up to Castries markets. On the way we tried to do some calibration of the autopilot but we are still failing the zig zag test. More work to be done there. Anchored in Castries and Keith dropped us ashore to go to the markets to get some fresh produce and fish. Also a pit stop at the supermarket and ATM. Motored up to Pigeon Island and anchored off the beach. Lovely beach and resorts nearby. Had a few drinks on the cocktail deck before a late lunch and short walk ashore. Did a hot lap of Rodney Bay marina before heading back to Marigot Bay under gennaker. Anchored in the outer part of the bay.
11 January 2022, Tuesday - Marigot Bay
Went for a morning walk in search of a supermarket with some fresh produce but no luck. Could not even find a ATM. Found a bakery on the way back but limited selection of food. Spent the rest of the morning chilling by the pool in the Marina with Martin and Debs, and trying to track down our MDI which was is not waiting for us in St Lucia as anticipated. Will have to try and pick it up in Martinique. Had lunch on the boat and spent the afternoon back by the pool. Logged into Andy and Julie’s (team Cushla)  Zoom wedding which happened in Barbados. Lovely ceremony with lots of friends and family joined in remotely as well. Went to Doolittles for dinner and had some local fish and plantains which was a first.
10 January 2022, Monday: Anse La Raye to Marigot bay: 2 nm
Went ashore in the RIB and felt rather conspicuous. A couple of locals approached us trying to offer services, music etc . Wandered around the town, not much here. Some colourful houses and a tiny bakery with a limited selection. Took some photos and walked along the beach. Went back to the boat and did some gurneying around the cockpit and screens. The bridle came off the anchor chain in small gust, the shackle is really bent now. We upped anchor but it was very difficult to lift and after a bit of back and forth a large piece of old tree truck was lifted by the chain up right next to the port bow. Bit of a surprise, although I thought I had seen something when we first anchored. I didn’t spot it when I swam the anchor. We must have wrapped around it when we turned. We came out and made water for 1hr and turned on the washing machine. Then headed into Marigot bay. Expected to have to run the gauntlet of boat boys but no one around. Debs and Martin were waiting on the dock and we went ashore for drinks followed by a late and mostly liquid lunch on board. It is a beautiful, calm bay and we slept really well, with zero movement. The bay is a hurricane hole, and surrounded by mangroves which does mean a little smelly and the odd mosquito.
9 January 2022, Sunday: Soufriere Bay to Anse de la Raye: 6.6nm
Went a shore and walked south along the coastal track to Piton falls, which is between the Pitons. $EC7.50 each for entry. Small waterfall with some concrete pools and warm springs. I had a shower under the waterfall. Really lush rainforest and we past the entrance to the Petit Piton hiking track which must be undertaken with a guide. Walked back into town and then on to the Botanical Gardens. EC$17.50 each for entry. Beautiful, lush gardens with some incredible tropical flowers and small birds. The waterfall was an interesting colour, clearly rich with minerals. I took a swim in the mineral pools (extra EC$15) beautiful and warm, I could have stayed in for hours. Walked back to town and back to the boat for lunch and then left. Got chased by one of the boat boys wanting to collect the money I owed Bradley for helping us moor. He wanted EC$40 and was behaving a little aggressively. Gave him EC$10 which is the going rate and told him Bradley scratched the boat. We motored up the coast with some head on gusts of up to 20kts, checked out Anse de Cochon before heading into Anse de la Raye. Only 3m deep! Looks like a traditional fishing village. Will go ashore tomorrow.
8 January, 2022, Saturday: Vieux Fort, St Lucia to Soufriere Bay, St Lucia; 10nm
Upped anchor around 8am and pulled out the genoa to reach up the coast. The Gros Piton dominates the horizon here and we thing that is the symbol on the flag of St Lucia. The anchor was dug in well in the mud and took a bit of tugging and turning to get it out. Pulled out the genoa and sailed up to Soufriere Bay. Apparently it gets its name from the sulphur springs that occur nearby. On the way in we were offered a substantial looking lobster but didn’t have any local currency. Boat boys come out of the bays to entice you on to their buoys and charge you for “helping” you pick up a mooring buoy. Our boy managed to bang into the port hull in his wooden boat. Told him we didn’t have any local currency so he should come back later. Took the dinghy ashore and went to customs (EC$100/A$50 to check in on the weekend! Overtime fees) Another EC$50 for port tax and later its EC$54 for the mooring buoy. At least groceries seem slightly cheaper here. An older guy comes around later in the day selling fruit and veg, we buy some bananas, mangos, limes and the most amazingly tasty and creamy avocado ever. The pip was the size of a small apple and we stretched it to 3 meals (it was $EC10, but the rest of the stuff was $EC20) so good value overall.
7 January 2022, Friday: Port St Charles, Barbados to Vieux Fort, St Lucia; 84nm
Today’s challenge: Get up at 4am, hand steer 84nm to St Lucia. Keep speeds above 7kts VMG so we arrive in daylight, do 2 loads of washing and fill the water tanks. Well apart from the 7kts VMG we managed all of the objectives, arriving just on sunset at the anchorage. Started just after 4am, motoring for a short while until the breeze was settled. Keith took a punt on a 2 headsail goosewing but it proved difficult to steer in the dark and not quite the right angles. Furled the genoa and then continued with the gennaker until daylight, and the put the main up (1 reef) and reached with that before goose-winging. Seas were very confused again with 3 different swells, breeze shifting through 75-110 degrees and at times a northbound set of 3kts which felt like we were going sideways to St Lucia. At one stage on the chartplotter the boat was pointing at St Vincent. We thought it was because of the issues with the heading sensor, but actually it was probably correct as we were fighting the current. We saw a cruise ship on the horizon and on the charplotter, Celebrity Reflection, and were monitoring them as we were under sail and they were just on the edge of our 1nm separation. They called us on the radio and said they were altering course by 5 degrees to avoid us and asked us to hold our course. We thanked them as this gave us a 1.5nm separation when we finally did cross them. The breeze was up and down, dropping to as little as 10kts at stages, although fortunately not for long as we completely forgot we had 1 reef in. We could finally see land about 25nm out, as it was very hazy. As we got closer to St Lucia the breeze started to fill in again and we could gybe the headsail and reach in to our destination, arriving about 5 minutes before sunset. What a relief. Friday night cocktails were in order!


​6 January 2022, Thursday: Port St Charles & Speightstown, Barbados
Went ashore around 10:30 and checked out of Barbados as we will be leaving at 4am tomorrow. Had coffee at the resort and used their internet. Upped anchor and moved a couple of miles down the coast to anchor off a beach bar in Speightstown. Took the dinghy ashore and had lunch at the beach bar, lobster linguine, and a couple of rum punches. Bought some rum from the supermarket and had a lazy afternoon on the boat.
5 January 2022, Wednesday: Bridgetown to Port St Charles; 10nm
Went ashore to get a few final supplies and use internet etc. Got email from Garmin confirming the shipment has been sent and should arrive tomorrow. Over to Freedom Square for internet and then back to the boat via Cushla (Andy and Julie) to say our farewells. Upped anchor and headed up to Port St Charles under gennaker and main, making water along the way. We were hand steering and made good speeds so not much water was made. Anchored outside the port. Went ashore to check with the Port Police about the check-out procedure and then walked down to Speightstown which is about 2kms south. It’s much less developed than Bridgetown. Not much there but needed an ATM for the cruising tax of $B100. Stopped at a beach bar for a rum and decided to come back tomorrow for a farewell Barbados lunch. Had a drink at the marina and called mum on their wifi before heading back to the boat.

​4 January 2022, Tuesday; Bridgetown Barbados
A few short rain squalls overnight and some dramatic clouds here. At least it is clean rain. Back onto Garmin this morning to confirm the status of the order. Were informed it would probably ship today. Got a taxi to the Covid testing place which we thought opened at 9:30, but there was already a huge crowd. Waited 2.5 hrs to pay for the test, then register and get a tube. 3 hrs in total and B$100 each for PCR tests. Exhausted after that so abandoned our plans to head to the east coast for a look. Andy was organising drinks on the beach but we decided to pass.
3 January 2022, Monday, Bridgetown Barbados
Went ashore in the morning to get some supplies. Tuna from the fish markets and some veg from Cheapside. The birthday celebrations continue. Invited Andy and Julie (Cushla) over for dinner for Keith’s birthday. They are a lovely couple and looking at getting married in Barbados. Julie made a chocolate cake for Keith.
​2 January 2022, Sunday, Bridgetown Barbados
Its Keith’s birthday today and a Sunday so we weren’t expecting much to be open. Had a lazy morning and then took the RIB ashore and walked along the beach as far as we could. Cut through the Yacht club and around past the fort and racecourse and then back down towards to beach. There are reefs and a fair bit of surf on this point. We came across a resort with a beach bar and stopped for a rum punch and mai tais and ended up staying for the buffet lunch, which was good value and very nice. We had a swim there before walking back up to the road and taking the “white knuckle” bus back to town. Too much to eat and drink so an afternoon nap was in order.