49:25.0N 02:23.0W   Family & Friends,  The day after we sailed back to Guernsey, we left early in the morning to treat ourselves to a ferry ride to Herm Island.  It is a short ride and many people from Guernsey may go there just for lunch or to enjoy a swim at the many gorgeous beaches.  You can clearly see it from Guernsey, only 3 miles away.  It is 1.5 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.  There are no cars so your mode of transportation is walking or biking.  There is one hotel, some cottages and a campsite and of course shops and a pub.  We had a beautiful day and walked the whole island.  The scenery is stunning and the beaches were enjoyed by many, despite being only May.  Because there is no pollution, the sun shines hot and bright in cool air like the Colorado Mountains, only without the altitude.  We were lucky enough to stumble upon the “2012 Real Ale & Cider Festival” which included a live band and pig roast.  There were 40-60 ales and 8-10 ciders to taste.  Clearly we were among the oldest of the crowd but we joined a table of 20-30 year olds and had a fun time engaging the locals.  We returned to Arbella feeling great from the exercise and glad we experienced the Island we had been sailing past.  The next day we took a longer ferry ride to the Isle of Sark.  It is 80 miles off the south coast of England and is 2 sq. miles.  Again, there are no cars or street lights.  You can take horse drawn carriages around the island if you get tired of walking or biking.  We chose biking and saw the whole island.  There are about 600 residents.  We made lunch reservations at a beautiful old hotel and ate out on a patio where the many birds were chirping so loud, we had competition talking.  The roses and flowers were gorgeous and in fact as much food as possible is grown or “raised” on the island.  Our locally caught lobster, served cold in a salad was perfect.  We also brought back to the boat Green Tea Wine and Rhubarb Wine, jams and honey made on the island.  We took the 5pm ferry back to Guernsey to pack for the trip back to the US the next morning.  Our next trip back to Guernsey at the end of June, will require us to say goodbye to St. Peter’s Port.  We have already started planning our passage to Kinsale, Ireland where our dear sailing friends from Chicago/Maine, Rich and Barb Dickson will join us for the 4 to 5 day passage across the English Channel and Irish Sea.  The Kinsale Yacht Club Marina will be Arbella’s two month home.   Take Good Care, Vicki