18:21.3N 64:36.0W

 

Over the past few weeks there has been more interest in the house and so we have changed our cruising plans.  We will stay in the Virgin Islands for a few more weeks and then work our way back down to Grenada for the hurricane season.

 

Meanwhile we have fallen into a routine of snorkelling/swimming interspersed with boat maintenance.  Andrea has been using her paddleboard quite often to go off beachcombing.

 

I have also been helping out with the computer systems on a 76 foot catamaran called Captiva, which has been an interesting change from the more mundane maintenance work on Anastasia.

 

Speaking of mundane maintenance work, the rudder bearings have tightened up once again.  We dropped the port rudder, re-polished the bearing and re-inserted it, but the steering is still tight.  We will probably have to drop the starboard rudder as well.

 

Our wind instruments failed last week (the cups fell off completely) and we picked up a replacement set of cups and bearing from Cay Electronics in Nanny Cay.  “You just screw in the new bearing”, I was confidently informed by the guy in the shop.  Nothing is that simple.  When  I went up the mast to do the replacement I found that the old bearing had completely sheared off, together with all the threads that the new bearing should screw on to.  I was resigned to buying a complete new masthead unit, but Andrea said we would not lose anything by trying to glue the new bearing in place, which we did and it seems to be working fine!

 

The Virgin Islands are quite a crossroads at this time of year.  People are gathering here to head north to the US or to Europe, or to head south to Grenada/Trinidad. 

 

Steve (Southern Cross) sailed into Christmas Cove while we were anchored there.  He and Daphne came over for pizza and drinks with us and Marty and Lisa (True Colors).

 

David (Serendipity) is here on his way back to Europe and we met up for dinner with him and his crew, plus Peter and Jane (Trompeta/Off Duty). 

 

Tomorrow we are heading up to Virgin Gorda to meet up with Lisa.  Marty is back in the US visiting family and Lisa is looking after True Colors in Leverick Bay marina.  Lily, their chocolate lab, has been quite ill with an ear infection resulting from a burst eardrum following a clumsy ear cleaning by a vet in St Thomas.  She has had problems walking, and was off her food for 6 days, but is recovering now.   

 

The sun setting behind the schooner Mystic in Charlotte Amalie harbour

 

Terry, Lenie, Jane, David, Andrea, Phil and Peter dining at the Brandywine restaurant

 

Nothing that a spot of superglue, fabric (offcut from Andrea’s frock) and epoxy couldn’t fix

 

Slap on a bit of amalgamating tape and it looks quite serviceable (and the background is the frock that supplied the offcut)

 

Most importantly, it actually works