Sunday 19th April 2009

18:26N 64:43W   Little Harbour, Jose Van Dyke, the British Virgin Islands.

 Hi once again to you all.

Libertad has been on the move again, Corrie and Emily departed for Antigua and Gatwick on Thursday evening; Libertad seemed very quiet after they left with just Me Sara and Ewan remaining.

On ,Friday morning we let go our mooring before nine heading east out of the bay around Beef Island to Road Town, the capital. I had to deliver the Hood main and the Elvestrom Genoa sails to Doyle’s in Road Reef marina for some repairs.

We sailed on later in the afternoon having completed some shopping and attempting to get the propane bottle refilled. A short sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel and we picked up mooring in the Bight at Norman Island. It is reported that in the late seventeen hundreds this was a pirate island complete with buried treasure. Today the only habitation is the Pirate Bar and Restaurant and a pirate ship anchored in the bay also serving food and drink. We felt it our duty to sample them both. The rum punches are better on the ship! The diving is very good in the bay and around the southern entrance on an underwater cliff. The variety of fish ( Dorado, Parrot and Zebra fish and Barracuda as well turtle) The water is very warm 26 degrees Celsius which I am told is about two degrees warmer than normal, the forecasters suggest could be an early hurricane season. Time we were heading north!

Running very low on fresh water we let go the mooring in The Bight and sailed on a beam reach to Soapers Hole, West End, rounding Frenchman’s cay to go alongside the fuel berth, bunkering 140US galls of water which in this part of the world you have to pay for, even rubbish disposal is charged at $3 U.S. a bag.

Our short time alongside enabled us to hook up the computer to a free internet router and pick up news from home. Corrie and Emily arrived home safely to be met at Gatwick by Kirsty, thanks kirsty; they were tired but happy to be home. I had a very welcome e-mail from Chris( Cook) saying that his post operative recovery was going well and he was feeling a little stronger each day.

We were chased from the fuel berth making way for other boats  and motored out to the south clearing Steele Point and heading north to  Little Harbour, Jose Van Dyke, just five miles away. This anchorage has two restaurants and a small shop to supply the local community and the visiting yachtsman.

We will head up to Sandy Cay tomorrow for some diving and maybe return to Great Harbour, on Jose Van Dyke in the evening. We shall see, but for now, best wishes to you all, keep the faith (it’s Sunday) watch this space.

Paul on Libertad Little Harbour, Jose Van Dyke, the British Virgin Islands

P.S. would love to know who is following the blogs now, so do send me a reply and I can download when in port, I would love to hear from you all. The last count on the hit list is over 1200 so someone must be reading these missives. 

P.