Not all bliss in paradise.
Oriole
Sun 24 Jan 2010 17:52
Falmouth Harbour, Antigua 17:00.87N
061:46.21W
On Monday morning we collected the varnishing team
of one while still tied to Sea Shuttle and took him off into the
anchorage. Soon the boat was covered in blue masking tape and the sanding
down had started. By Friday with one day of squally rain in
the meantime we had three excellent coats of varnish completed which should last
until this time next year and Oriole is looking very smart. We have failed
miserably to apply varnish in this climate but the Antiguan varnishers have a
worldwide reputation and out of the winter season here, travel to the US and
Europe to ply their profession. To call it a trade would demean their expertise.
But as you might imagine professionals do not come cheap and anyone who looked
at Oriole's accounts (actually there aren't any!) would think we were
mad.
John has been borrowing Andrew's bicycle every
morning and taking an hour's vigorous exercise before the sun gets too high and
is feeling very virtuous. The Sea Shuttles have been working hard to
prepare for their charter next week and that is Andrew's swan song. We are
watching for the next move with great interest. The dock is lined with mega
expensive floating toys as usual and most of the crews and skippers are sun
bleached blondes. Andrew and a friend have been winding up the community
that they are brothers and when we joined some of them for a drink the other
evening three young men got up from their table and threw their arms round John
greeting him as Dad. Even John confused one surrogate son for Andrew
at 100 yards.
We wait to see if the marina will regard us as Sea Shuttles tender or whether we
will be charged
inspite of Andrew plying the dockmaster with food
and drink at their farewell dock party
This most enjoyable week has been marred by another
murder in the area. A thirty year old American girl was landed with a
group from a cruise ship on a popular beach within sight of our anchorage.
They walked a few hundred yards to a nearby deserted beach where the
one girl remained on her own. She was later found stabbed in the
neck. Our internet connection has been so poor that we have not seen
whether this has got into the international news. It is exactly a year
since Andrew's friend Drew Gollan was shot here. It is hard to equate this
hidden violence with the open and friendly nature of the Antiguans we know, and
this may not have been the work of a local, but the other high profile murders
have been. There has been talk that a boy friend may have
been involved this time.
Last night there was a multi-band concert
in Nelson's Dockyard in aid of the Red Cross Haiti Disaster
Fund. There must have been well over a thousand people there and the
music and drinking continued well into the early hours in a very relaxed
and well organised atmosphere.
Us oldies did not stay till the end, but we
were in bed well after cruisers bedtime of 9pm!
The winds have been extraordinary light and this
weekend's Round the Island Race has been postponed. At night the anchorage
has been glassy calm and we are still waiting for the Christmas Winds. We
understand that the broad back of El Nino is to blame.