Tropical Storm Zeta which just failed to become a
hurricane has broken all
records as she developed in December and carried on
into January confounding the best forecasts of the Miami Hurricane Prediction
Centre. She was heading for the Northern Leewards, just where we are this
week, and kept
failing to make predicted turns to the north. We were
just beginning to
make plans to hop south to get out of her path, when she
finally did the
decent thing and dissipated fairly suddenly over 24
hours. George Bush has
a lot to answer for. Who else can
one blame for floods in California,
freezing weather in Florida and winter
bush fires in Texas and tropical
storms in December and January?
Meanwhile
we have prised Andrew away from Antigua and had a glorious sail
(15 knots
broad reach) for the 70 miles to St Barts.
Picture of Gustavia Harbour taken from Guide Book
The picturesque harbour in Gustavia was well filled
with superyachts, but the outside anchorage was packed with some really
wonderful toys of the super-rich. Andrew needless to say met up with
some old friends from one of them.. Placed end to end this small sample
would have stretched for over a mile. Andrew managed to get a sail on
Scheherazade 150 feet or thereabouts this week while we were sailing close by,
down the south side of Antigua. The power of these large yachts is just awesome,
and Shceherazade is not one of the largest. Two of the largest have been
around this week and it just shows
what you can do with a few car parks and
car rental if you put your mind to
it, because that is what funded Leander
and Mirabella V. No we are not
envious - well maybe just a
little!
We sailed on to St Maarten this morning where Andrew has yet more
friends in
the superyacht fraternity. The 50 meter motor yacht in which he
crossed from
Palma is still here. I suspect we will see him for food and
sleep, and
probably precious little of the latter. Nothing has changed
here since our
last visit two years ago, the enormous motoryachts are still
lined up
lovingly polished by their crews and waiting for their owners to jet
in for
a spin.
Anguilla would appear to be the next stop on the Cook's
tour and then on to
the Virgins. On the basis that 747s go better to
windward than we do,
Andrew will leave us there while we get ourselves back
hopefully with a
reasonable slant. Anyway he needs a job and the skipper
would like to get
his hands on the controls again! But at least our
varnish is now in
pristine condition thanks to his hard work and his
assistant's.
