Time to move, but not far!
Oriole
Sat 29 Dec 2007 23:57
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Falmouth Harbour, Antigua 17:01.00N
61:46.40W
After two weeks of socialising in English and
Falmouth Harbour we feel we need to get away from the fleshpots. Antigua
has some lovely unfrequented bays which we will escape to over New Year for the
protection of our livers which have been working hard.
 Christmas Dinner - one
side.
Christmas Day started slowly and after
communications home we succumbed to the temptation of the Nelson's Dockyard
champagne party which goes on all day. A couple of hours is enough for us
after which we repaired in a party of ten to the Admiral's Inn for a
gastronomically sad representation of Christmas dinner which was more
than compensated for by our very merry companions.
 and the other.
Andrew returned from his Christmas charter, we had
managed to plot Drumbeat's approach from over 20 miles away thanks to the
amazing little AIS box which tells us not only where all the superyachts are but
commercial shipping as well. It is a far cry from the basic equipment we had on
Troubadour in 1971 when the navigation was done with a sextant, compass and
string rotating log, we did have an electronic echo sounder, but computers
were still gestating.
 The mate waits to pipe his visitors
aboard.
At anchor in Falmouth Harbour 400 yards from the
shore we have an excellent wifi internet connection and can make telephone calls
from the boat all over the world for a few pence per hour and were able to
contact all the family.
 Chris and Andrew on Drumbeat's
foredeck.
On Christmas Day 1971 I failed to make contact
with home from the single public telephone in the Dockyard!
However our long awaited package from Plymouth
finally arrived after sitting c/o DHL for nearly two weeks in the UK, Brussels
and Amsterdam and broke all records by being cleared through Antigua Customs in
one day.
Andrew gave us a conducted tour of Drumbeat
today - its a different world in which the furnishing in the saloon alone
would adequately do part excahange for Oriole. |