Dear All,

 

Today is New Years day, HAPPY NEW YEAR! We hope that 2016 will be your year. So where are we? I guess you can tell from the map on the top of our blog page... back in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia having the remainder of our Trinidad  electrical mess ups put right. Just because it says electrician on his van, the sign on his door says electrician, the bill that you pay describes it as electrical work. Don't believe it!

 

Enough, I hear Lynn say just get on and enjoy it!

 

So I have gone back to the original format of two blogs, one narrative and one with photos (hopefully the right way up.)

New Years Eve... so where were we? By ten, in bed fast asleep I am almost sorry to admit. We did start with good intentions, however a goodly portion of Lynn’s chilli, a few beers and two torrential down pours, well the outcome was a given. However today we are spending with David and Libby who we met last season in Dominica. David and Libby are from South Carolina where they talk like James Stewart with a long and lazy drawl.

So today the meal is a joint effort South Carolina / Cornish dish.

 

So on with the trip. On our way up from Grenada to St Lucia with Gary and Kate it was just magic, we visited all the old places and renewed old acquaintances. Whilst we were anchored in Bequia who should sail in but the Jubilee Trust sailing Ship Tenacious. She is a square rigged sailing ship adapted for special needs people. Kate and I sailed on her from Dublin to Falmouth back I think in 2011. What a surprise it was to see her.

After Bequia it was time to set off on our last leg to St. Lucia to enable Gary and Kate to get their flight home.

The weather forecast was East 18 – 20 knots, hmmm, actual conditions were 25 – 30 knots with 10’ seas, the good thing was a fast passage averaging 12 knots which is good for us.

 

I have to say that Marigot Bay on St. Lucia is probably one of the most friendly marinas we have ever been in and it was great to be welcomed back by so many familiar faces and what a fantastic place to spend Christmas.

It was with a sad heart that we said goodbye to Gary and Kate and I was thankful for  Gary's help that he gave me in Trinidad to get Out-Rageous ready to sail, we hope that Gary and Kate enjoyed their time with us.

 

For the benefit of our future guests we now for their enjoyment in the guest accommodation have an electrical flushing toilet, complete with macerator, although caution must be exercised and I would fully recommend closing the lid and sitting on it before operating the flush, as its awesome!

In addition you no longer need to hold the shower head in one hand and keep the button pressed with the other whilst also trying to apply soap, I fixed the button!

 

Finally I must confess to the first “Oops I’m glad nobody knows me” of this trip.

 

It is usual in the Caribbean to prevent somebody borrowing your dinghy to either hoist it on board or secure with a padlock and wire to the boat. Problem the padlocks, they very soon rust. So one of my tasks whilst in the UK was to buy a non rusting all stainless steel padlock. I took good care of my padlock and was careful to ensure I did not lose it overboard.

So the morning of our departure from Marigot Bay, there I stood on the back of the boat carefully unlocking the dinghy and placing the padlock in a safe location, meanwhile the dinghy sensing its release made good its escape across the anchorage at a rate of knots. Other boaters were trying not to look and laugh.

Now what was I to do? What good now was my all stainless steel padlock and key without a dinghy?

There was only one thing for it, I stripped down to my boxers and off I dived from the back of the boat.  It might be worth mentioning at this point that my boxers I would say are in their twilight years and as a consequence the elastic tension was not as good as could be, normally not a problem. My first indication that all was not as it should be, was when I felt a restriction around my ankles.

I had great difficulty in treading water with one hand! I managed to grasp them just as they were slipping off my big toe.

So there I was with a number of interested parties looking on trying to act normally, put my boxers back on, all whilst the dinghy was escaping across the anchorage.

I finally caught up with it, my only problem was trying to get in whilst holding on to my boxers, well after showing more than a good half moony I was in, I started the dinghy and returned to Out-Rageous.

 

And all this just after my first cup of tea of the day.

 

 

Happy New Year.

 

Derek & Lynn