Wednesday 24 February  2010 

 17:03.94N 61:53.05W

Jolly Harbour, Antigua

Fine and sunny. Wind: SE  Est. 10kts

Arrived here from English Harbour on Tuesday morning after an overnight stop over in  Dark Wood Bay.

A beautiful spot, brilliant white beach with clear turquoise waters lapping onto it. Yours truly did a pasta dinner

which seemed to go down well, helped by a couple bottles of red.

Now at the end of  our  journey from Trinidad that took us to the islands of Grenada, Carracou, Mayreau,

Union Island, Mustique, Bequia, St Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Le Saintes, Guadeloupe and finally to here,

the island of Antigua, a distance of some 450 nm.

Its been a successful trip. Living cooped up on a boat 24/7 with others for several weeks is a serious test of  any

relationship / friendship which can be strained to the limit.  We all agree we’ve  come through it well, having very

much enjoyed each other’s company throughout the trip.

We are now busy de-commissioning Bootlegger in preparation for her lay up here  in Jolly Harbour where she will

stay until April 23rd.

Lots of work to be done and to arrange  to be done by others etc over next couple of days.  Bootlegger is being lifted

out at 07.15 hrs Friday morning.

After having put the boat to bed the plan is to hire a car and  do island, returning to English Harbour to watch the

England v Ireland International on Saturday.

Sunday we take the  big BA flight back home, strike permitting.

Yes, a good trip.

The plan is to return to Antigua in April to sail her home - probably in a straight line from here across to Azores

in the mid Atlantic which will take som ten days off the crossing rather than going via Bermuda.

Frank Newton