​13:57.97N  61:01.44W

I have no idea where the days go, it has been another week since we posted which is really scary.

All crew have now departed and Frances and I are alone​ in the Caribbean 'living the dream'. I have to say it has been a great start. We rocked up in Marigot Bay last Thursday and only summoned the energy to leave today.

We sat on a mooring buoy in an idyllic setting. .The moorings and small quay are run by the 5* resort Capella Bay/Hotel. We had free use of their 5* amenities all for the grand sum of $15 US per night (about £9 last time I checked). We normally anchor for free but this was exceptional value for money. We have arranged to returned for New Year and will spend 3 nights (at least) there from 30 Dec to 2 Jan with a couple of other yachts that we have met up with on the ARC.

On Saturday we took the local 'bus' into the Capital Castries which was an experience in itself. All the people are really lovely and welcoming.

Good friends Bill and Bev are on a Caribbean cruise from Boxing day and are calling in to St Lucia on the 30th Dec so we hope to meet up with them if it all goes to plan.

Today we will sail back up to Rodney Bay and we will check out of St Lucia here on Wednesday. We will then head North to Martinique which is officially part of France. The significance of this is not that we can spend the Euros that we have left over from summer, which we can, but that Frances has free calls from the EU, including Martinique, on her phone plan.

We will stay there until her battery gives up a few times and then head south again, but completely bypassing St Lucia this time as we head for St Vincent and the Grenadines. Tom lands in St Vincent on 22 Dec for a week and after that we have no more bookings.

We are already looking ahead to how we get out of the Caribbean before the hurricane season. Insurance dictates that we are out by 1 June so we are looking to mosey on up to the British Virgin islands by May and perhaps leave there for Bermuda before heading west to the USA across the Gulf Stream from there. Those are 800 and 600 mile passages which the two of us can manage, no problem, but we wouldn't say no to one or two extra experienced hands if any are reading.