Xmas 2007
MALARKEY
Jo & Trevor Bush
Thu 24 Jan 2008 22:39
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Antigua, Falmouth Harbour. 17:00.9N
61:46.4W
Its been a while since our last blog and it hasn't
gone unnoticed. This is largely because things have been somewhat of
an anticlimax when compared to stuff we have done upto this point and quite
frankly, I couldnt be arsed to write about it..... Well I succumed to pressure
from a certain member of the crew and put pen to paper or in my case,
single digit from each hand to a computer key.
After the Orinoco Delta trip, we arrived back in
Trindad just in time for our American Visa application interview at the US
Embassy. Well much to our amazement the US Embassy regarded us as suitable
candidates to visit their country and indeed issued us each a 10 year visa. They
did of course thoroughly interrogate Joanne because of her dodgy sounding
last name and my strip search and cavity check was a sheer delight. I
will never look at a pair of Marigold rubber gloves the same way again. Of
course I am only joking about the last part but the Yanks are a bit 'anal'
about security nowadays and are capable of doing anything.
We needed the visa because we plan to visit the
American Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. And unlike most countries, you cant get
a visa when you arrive by boat, you need one in advance or face a hostile
reception from US Immigration, a large fine and be sent back from whence you
came.....charming. Anyhow, we got it sorted and left
shortly after for Tobago, where even the people from Trindad go on holiday
and regard it as a small piece of paradise.
Well Tobago was nice enough and the people very
friendly. The atmosphere was more like Grenada than its mother country Trindad,
thankfully. We are not great lovers of Trindad. It is a useful place to get
things done and the Carnival is a hoot, but as for the rest....well, quite
frankly, you can stick it. Joanne even got mugged when shopping with a
friend during the day in a so called 'safe part' of the city centre. Much to her
credit, she confronted the thief after screeming down the high street in hot
persuit of her attacker, wailing like a 'Banchee', and got her purse back. I
shan't write any more on the subject because it is best told by Joanne
and it is a story growing and getting better by the day.
Whilst Tobago was a very pleasant island, it too
wasnt very cruiser friendly. The anchorages were either deep or rolly in the
northly swell and the 'jobsworth' customs officials chased you around the island
checking you in & out. The reason behind this escaped us....
it could only be seen as a justification for their existance. What a
pain. One had to sign out of each & every anchorage but at least it was fun
trying to avoid them. We nearly got caught trying to sign out of Tobago,
'Internationally', from the wrong port. The custom official we should have
signed out with in Charlotteville, turned up unexpectedly in Scarborough, the
very office we were signing out from. Brian (S/Y Darramy) was a dead
give-away....he looked like a naughty schoolboy with his hand caught
in the cookie jar and made a fuss trying to get out a locked door. It only
served to draw attention to us and It certainly didnt help matters when I
started laughing uncontrollably. The officials must have wondered what the hell
was going on but luckly for us, were none-the-wiser.
Cripes, I almost forgot.......while in Tobago, Jo
& I completed a Padi 'Open Water' Scuba Dive Course. We passed the
course, got the badge and bought the teeshirt but we both agree that we still
have a lot too learn and we aren't really sure, at this point, whether we
even like it or not. It will need a nice unpressured leisure dive to establish
that. We were so wrapped up in learning all the dive skills, we actually forgot
to enjoy the dives for diving sake, if you know what I mean. So watch this
space on that one.
So we took off to Grenada for Xmas. And when I say
took off, I mean that almost literally. We virtually flew across to our old
favourite Prickly Bay, averaging 9.16 Knots over some
85NM in blustery Easterly tradewind conditions. It was my best
sail ever, ever. I hand helmed almost the whole way and enjoyed every minute of
it. It was a much needed change 'cos the season to that point had been
mostly motoring or windward work. It was great to be reaching again in typical
Caribbean conditions.
And to top it off, Xmas was great too. We were
still sailing in company with Brian & Sue (Darramy) and we met up with Roger
& Vicky (El Vagabond) in Prickly.... so a good party was almost
guaranteed. And thats what we had, here on Malarkey, and it is fair to say fun
was had by all and not a soul left sober.
  ........ And if we didnt wish it to you at the
time, we hope you too had a great Xmas and we wish you a happy & prosperous
New Year.
We are now in Antigua, getting our generator fixed
again.....yes again. If you ever buy a boat and have the choice of
generator, dont choose Fischer Panda......they are crap. Its the third time a
serious problem has occurred with this genny and if it wasnt because this
problem appears to be covered under warranty, it would be consigned to the
deep to join the rest of the Fischer Panda generators that have no
doubt been sent to the same watery end.
I dont like to finish this blog on a down
note but it is nice for you all to know that it is not all fun and sunshine out
here. In fact there hasnt been much sunshine either. The weather has been
unseasonably crap so far. A 90 foot mega yacht in the same bay as us has just
been struck by lightning, caught fire and sunk. So I guess me banging on about
our shit generator should be put in perspective and it may help you feel alittle
more smug back in wet & cold 'Old Blighty'. At least our friends Pete &
Lotty who came out and stayed with us here for a week, got a couple of nice
days....not that the weather had much to do with it for them, they seemed to
enjoy themselves where ever they are, provided there is a bit of grog and
'herbal' cigarettes around.... Lotty not included, a very sensible &
responsible mum to be. Good luck to both of you with the pending arrival
of the new family member.
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