Happy Christmas

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Sat 24 Dec 2011 13:49
Happy Christmas to all our blog readers, family and friends.
It does not seem very like Christmas here--- a few decorations and Christmas music but not nearly so much hype and no shops to buy presents unless you want tee shirts. However we have had strong winds and short torrential rainstorms to remind us of what it can be like.
Having crossed ''the pond'' we went to Jolly Harbour which is a resort that is still being built but like all developments around the world has run out of money and what has been built is becoming run down. It is essentially a man made development of houses with water/moorings on one side and cars/garage on the other all dredged out of a salt pan.
 
 
 
We got marina fever so left after a few days to go and anchor----this was in Carlisle Bay where we had an attack of the diesel bug. We sorted that with Wolfgang's help and then went ashore to what turned out to be a very exclusive (..and expensive!) beach/hotel of the same name.
After two nights at anchor we sailed round to Nelson's Dockyard 
It is full of super yachts plus a number of minnows like us. Leander, which we think is Sir Philip Green's boat, was alongside the dock looking immaculate. It is a very sheltered harbour but that unfortunately brings mosquitoes which have been, literally, a real pain.
 
 
 
 
Marita is moored stern to the dock with the anchor about four boat lengths out in the channel---an interesting manoevure! We have met up with the Norwegians on their boat Camelot (Gunnar and Vibecke, daughter Julia (13) and son Oscar (12)). Their auto pilot broke after leaving the Canaries and the two of them had to hand steer 2,000 miles across the Atlantic with the kids providing coffee and sandwiches!!
The five boats are now moored in a row----Camelot, Oyster Moon, Marita III, Moin and Karacool.
 
 
Nelson was stationed at the dockyard in 1784, an ideal hurricane hole, and eventually took over as naval commander. The dockyard was used by Nelson to careen his ships and for the trading ships to take sugar back to England. It fell into disrepair but restoration started in about 1947 and it is now in the care of the National Parks Authority.
 
Tom, Nadine and Yannick, who were in Florida with Nadine's parents for a few days, arrived last night and are staying in a B&B overlooking the harbour and then going back to Paris.
Provisioning here is very difficult with no real food shops so we are going to sail from here sometime after Christmas and head south towards Guadeloupe and then Martinique for the New Year. George is coming with us and then flying home from there, via Antigua, on the 4 January.
 
(delayed 2 days posting on internet due to poor wifi).