Although yesterday’s blog posting said we were in St Barths it is not quite true. Because of technical hitches the posting took a couple of days to wend its way onto the blog site.  Apologies for that!  Actually we were already in the British Virgin Islands, tucked into a protected anchorage known as Soper’s Hole.  Much of Saturday was spent sailing 100nMs north to the BVIs and most of Sunday was spent resting after the 18 hour crossing from St Barths found us 5 nM’s offshore the BVIs at one o’clock in the morning unable to make landfall because of a moonless pitch dark night and the presence of too many treacherous reefs ahead of us.  So nothing to do but go round in circles for 5 hours till daybreak, taking it in turns to keep watch and unbelievably drinking Aynsley Harriet cup-a-soups left over from the Atlantic crossing, to keep warm!  Thank you Iona!  Time can stand still under these circumstances.  Ummm ... bad planning if you ask me!  However, dawn rose sleepily in the east and shone a light on the narrow channel between Peter Island and Norman island that leads to Little Thatch from whence a turn to starboard opened up the buoyed channel into Soper’s Hole.  Soon on a mooring buoy, bacon and eggs, pancakes and maple syrup courtesy of the skipper filled the belly ahead of a well earned snooze!

The rest of Sunday was spent variously on the boat lounging (or in the case of Marcus and me – cleaning!) and ashore wandering the little shops, bars and the famous Harbour Deli.  A modicum of expensive ingredients was procured to top up our stores and before long night fell and we retired to Pussers Restaurant for a typical American fast food dinner comprising fried calamari and baby back ribs or Caesar salad and blackened red snapper!  All had a great night’s sleep.

Since then the days seem to have merged into one long beach holiday.  The sails have not been hoisted, instead we have motored slowly (shame I hear the purists shout!) from bay to bay, island to island in deteriorating weather and lots of rain.  From Tortola to Jost Van Dyke to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar, so named because you get wet landing by dinghy on the beach and the money in your pocket gets soggy.  Along to Great Bay for the night and dinner in the famous Foxy’s restaurant, serving American fast food again of course!  Round the south coast of the tiny island past Sandy Cay, no more than a sand hill with a palm tree atop, and into Cane Garden Bay for the day, where we encounter the BVI Blues festival in full swing – oh yes some cry, oh no cry others!  The place calms down when the cruise ship tourists waddle and teeter to their buses, full of American fast food and sweet, sickly rum punches.  Nigel finds free wifi on the beach after an afternoon of engine maintenance and electrical systems issues, ably assisted by Marcus, who is becoming a dab hand at all things nautical – rapidly learning all aspects of yacht management.  Pretty impressive stuff!

It is 2000 hours, Trevor, James and Mike are eating ashore enjoying the relaxed ambiance of yet another beach restaurant.  Nigel and Marcus have collapsed after the delights of Marcus’s vegetarian cooking.  Perhaps I’ll become a veggie – but not just yet!

Nigel