Antigua
Moonshiner
Tue 11 Apr 2023 01:32
17 04.6N 61 40.3W
Anchored in Nonsuch Bay, Antigua
Arriving in Falmouth harbour was a huge relief for Ben and I. Not only did the engine start after the 3 week passage but the windless also worked, what a result!
As we approached land, we sailed straight through the middle of a yacht race, suddenly we felt like a caravan with our poled out head sails and tanks of diesel strapped to every corner, we weren’t budging….just sailed straight through the middle in pursuit of dry land. We brought out the ensign and joined the many British yachts at anchor.
We were too late for immigration, so after a shot of Navy rum (dad will be proud), we headed ashore for a rather illegal dinner.
The following few days have been mostly sorting the boat, gasping at the prices of food ashore and getting back out on the foils. The sea is 27degrees with turtles frequently popping up (Ben nearly hit one foiling). Air temperature is 29degrees with a steady eatery breeze of 15kts….heaven on earth!
We’ve already met so many lovely people including 2 Dutch couples who we’ve spend a couple of boozey night with, all sharing stories of ‘we just find nice anchorages to fix our boat in’….glad it’s not just us!
Today we moved round to Nonsuch Bay to ‘get away from it all’ and stop spending money on exorbitant pinocoladas.
Tomorrow my parents arrive for a week and on Thursday Ryan (Bens friend) arrives. We plan to head north to Barbuda for the weekend.
I’ll be handing over skippership to Ben for the next leg, so a quick summary from my watch so far:
Miles travelled: 4152nm
Miles hand steered: 1734nm
Days at sea: 33
Force 10: 1
Force 8: 3
Knockdowns: 1
Vomit: 15L (estimated)
Fish caught: 3
Bottles of wine consumed: 45
Insurance claim: a lot
Was it worth it: yes
A massive thanks to our crew so far; dad, Mike (bens dad), Tom, Ona, Matt and Chris…we couldn’t have done it without you, you’ve all been amazing!
We’ve decided to push on to New Zealand which means we’ll be crossing the Caribbean Sea towards the Panama Canal next Tuesday with Bens parents and Ryan. I’ve just submitted applications for jobs in NZ and Tasmania….let’s hope our new Starlink Wi-Fi (courtesy of Elon Musk and Ryan) allows me to interview at sea!
Sent from my iPad