12.23N 64.37W  In my last blog you will remember that Zippy and Anahi were off to the ‘Shark Attack’ beach party in Chatham Bay recommended in our Pilot Book - but we weren’t counting on the fierce ‘war’ for clients and got ‘nobbled’ en route by the ‘Boll Head Bar’ boys!!  A taxi was arranged for us at 1700 on the jetty - but never materialised - so we organised another and were unceremoniously dropped off at the top of a steep rugged track – half an hour from the nourishment and ale! With strict instructions to be back by 2200, or we would be left stranded, we trudged off!  None of the naïve sweetness of the Bequia boys here!  In fact every boat boy here on Union tried to change the agreement mid stream or hustle us for more than was promised. 

Thank goodness I remembered the ‘Deet’ and ‘Off’ as we were in bug ridden countryside…… Once there on the beach we all had a really enjoyable ‘experience’ round the camp fire with all the other yachties from the bay and were plied with platters of lobster and chicken and lashings of rum punch…..(as Enid Blyton would say!)  Then we had the long trek back up the hill to meet our taxi man.  The next ‘experience’ was the aptly named ‘STRESS’ nightclub where young men outnumbered their lady folk by about 20 to 1! The air was thick with sweet smelling aromas in the dimly lit concrete shell and a lot of dubious gyrating ensued to blasting reggae music – whereby the ‘ladies’ tucked their skirts into their voluminous tight white underpants to accentuate their dance steps……….and no doubt a good time was had by all!  Bennett couldn’t resist a midnight pattie from the fast food store on the way out which was delicious……. Paul couldn’t resist an unexpected plunge into the sea when trying to board the dinghy from the jetty!!

Union Island is different again – very rural with all the shops side by side in a string down the coastal high street but surprisingly well stocked – we found a mobile phone shop and purchased a new sim card - a general store for a watch battery and a machete so we can open our own coconuts - lots of fresh fruit (at a price) all set out in pretty stalls - reasonable restaurants and an excellent French run delicatessen. Every other shop is a bar! The fresh bread is some of the best we have tasted anywhere. Goats and chickens roam the streets and although there doesn’t seem a lot for the locals to do there is little crime.  Next day we cleared immigration at the Customs office in the little airport and sailed back around to Chatham Bay where it had been nice and sheltered to rig the Twistle, deflate the dinghy and generally prepare for our next journey to Bonaire, a small island (the ‘B of the ABC islands) off Venezuela.  Reading the Pilot book today there is a paragraph I would like to share with you: – quote:

            ‘Sooner or later you will hear tales about vampire bats.  The quiet

            flutter of wings as you sleep; the tiny furry body that cuddles up

            ever so gently to your toes so as not to wake you; a small incision

            carefully made with razor sharp teeth and then the bat gently licks

            away the blood while you sweetly dream’

- lovely, can’t wait!  Apparently unheard of in Bonaire, these little treasures are found on neighbouring islands and anchorages and carry rabies!  But don’t worry my friends – we have all had the rabies vaccinations in lieu of such a bite!! Apparently the bats mistake the toes for cherries??  The other source of worry was a large bottle of spray I found in the chandlers before we left – the label read ‘Spider Dropping Remover’.  For heavens sake – how big do spiders get in this part of the world – and how many numbers of them get on boats for there to have been a commercial decision to make a dedicated remover? 

Well, after a night of torrential rain (so glad it wasn’t this night we were trekking back to the taxi) we finally left for Bonaire 9^th January – not a breath of wind or a ‘square wave’ (or for that matter any wave) in sight, so we had the engine on and gently motored, with tide and current on our side, at around 7 knots over the ground.   We have changed the watch system now due to our depleted numbers to 3 on and 6 off – I follow Bennett at 2100 to midnight when Paul takes over until 3.00am etc.  The crossing has been a dour one – not much wind, lots of squalls bringing rain but cheered up by stunning multiple rainbows.  In these conditions neither the twistle nor the hydro vane works so a couple of long days and nights of hand steering again.

For breakfast today we had Vic and Clara’s recipe:  two large coarsely grated ripe tomatoes and one garlic clove - lightly fried in lots (I mean lots) of olive oil – a squeeze of tomato puree with a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper on freshly baked bread with a poached egg on the side – yummy!  Chilly con carne last night and chicken curry with coconut milk and fresh limes with all the condiments the night before…………..it’s a wonderful life………