There IS always something!
Oriole
Sun 2 Feb 2014 21:30
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Falmouth Harbour,
Antigua. Sunday
2nd
February 2014.
17:01.11N 61:46.26W
We finally got our hands on the
new sheet winch motor straight from the manufacturers in Denmark organised
by our sailmaker in Trinidad. It would have been nearly twice the price if
the same item had come from via the UK agents!! Someone is
attempting a big mark-up. Some minor rewiring is required and we need
to get a slightly bigger box for the circuit breakers which will have to be
specially made. However Andrew knows a guy who has promised to make it
over the weekend. A freelance engineer, who worked on Sea
Shuttle when he was skipper, is going to help me fit it.
It weighs 20 kg and has to be held very accurately at arms length in a
typically awkward place below deck while I put on the nut on the top from
outside! I'm getting too old for weight lifting exercises.
On Friday Andrew and Caroline were
married in Totnes Registry Office, and sadly although we were all arranged to go
to the wedding in Majorca in May could not be there. Forthcoming
events have overtaken them and our first grandchild is due in May
instead! We attended courtesy of Robert's iPhone and Skype. The
happy couple looked delighted with the arrangement! They celebrated in the
Ship in Noss Mayo while we celebrated in Cloggy's in Falmouth Harbour with
friends Peta and David having consumed a bottle of bubbly while toasting the
trio in Nelson's Dockyard.
 Toasting the newly weds from 3500
miles.
We had spent the day watching the
Superyacht Cup from the start line at the entrance to English Harbour.
Eight yachts from little Freya 90 feet to Adela 182 feet competed in
stunningly good conditions. Unfurled shredded her spinnaker and
left part of it in the water - an indictable offence. Yesterday was more
exciting with a retirement from Inoui with gear failure and
one man overboard from Adela when she was doing 18 knots. They
deployed the MOB danbuoy but it was 200 meters from the man who had no chance of
getting to it. He was finally picked up by a photographer's
boat.
 Look behind you! Marama
has her start spoilt.
 Adela, so photogenic, dips
her bow.
 Inoui heads for line honours
while Adela, Freya and Unfurled beat for the final mark.
 Neck and neck at the last mark!
Todays race was uneventful except for
a yacht which obstructed the startline and appeared to be absolutely
oblivious to anything going on around him. The same thing had
happened on Friday and Marama's start was fouled up by a
different idiot. The overall winner is still to be announced but
it is likely to be Marama 112 feet on which Andrew was crewing last
year.
Meahwhile John has lost his voice so
Chris has been doing the morning net and has developed a painful red eye.
Definitive diagnosis has been delayed because of the weekend and the primary
relatively inocuous diagnosis is probably incorrect. The winner will
also be announced next week!
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