3 January 2014 – Rodney Bay

Gradually life is settling down again.  The routines of housekeeping and maintenance cycle round: at the start of the month Roger checks all the boat systems: the engine and generator; the batteries etc.  This month he discovered that the engine mounts were becoming loose – a nasty job to ensure the alignment is correct in two planes.  I have a routine for cleaning and disinfecting – not just the surfaces, but cupboards, cubby holes, lockers etc. 

Yesterday we’d planned to spend time with Henrik and Signe – Henrik’s outboard wasn’t working.  Lots of dismantling (ensuring Henrik didn’t access a hammer!) and cleaning of parts before reassembly and repair.  It worked!  Signe has submitted an article to Yachting Monthly on the Atlantic Rally.  Fingers crossed that she’s published.

In the evening we took a taxi to Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort to have supper with Karen and Alex, who saw us both through our diving qualifications last spring.  It was great to see them!  They told us about the bad weather they’d encountered here over Christmas; and since then we’ve heard horror stories about floods, houses being swept away and deaths.  We had rain in Martinique: but nothing like they had here just 30 miles south.

More jobs today.  We went by bus to Computerworld (we asked the driver to tell us where to alight – the fare was 3 East Caribbean dollars each way for the two of us – about 75p I think) and were dropped outside.  Roger, assisted by Lisette, selected a Lenovo for 1550ECD – a shocking price until you divide by 4 to get a £ rule of thumb.  We’ve also got data SIM cards for both the local networks.  The Digicell network will be accessible across most of the islands; and the Lime one gives 2Gb for 30 days.  As ever, astonishingly cheap- once you divide the bill by four!  There’s now the opportunity to gorge on data access….

Friday evening here in St Lucia has definite shades of Fort de France – competing steel bands; rasta singers and boom boxes from all round the bay!