17:32.9N 61:44.5W

 

We returned to Antigua from the UK on 8th January and since then it has been a combination of boat maintenance during the day and socializing with the (Seren)Dippities and True Colors in the evenings. 

 

I finally got around to installing the new windlass that I got as a backup before we set off around the world.  The old one was getting more and more clunky and I used the marina time to replace it while we were not depending on it to haul up the anchor.  Replacing an old windlass is a job and a half.  If you have never dismantled one, be warned that it takes a hefty gear puller in combination with a sledgehammer and cold chisel.  In fact the flanges on my windlass had been glued together so I also had to use a Dremel to grind slots in the seam to be able to insert the cold chisel and break it apart.  Still, we now have a brand new windlass and working chain counter, not to mention 30 kilos less dead weight on Anastasia.

 

Last night we had dinner at the Acropolis Greek restaurant in Jolly Harbour and then said goodbye to David (Serendipity). 

 

This morning, at 8:30, we set out to cover the 30 miles to Barbuda.  True Colors left at 7:30 which meant that we caught up with them just one mile from the anchorage.

 

 

We are anchored in Gravenor Bay, at the south end of the island, and the water here is a beautiful colour.