18:23.8N 64:38.1W

The work on the boat was complete. We headed for the British Virgin Islands for a week of fun before we started the more serious return Atlantic crossing. Landfall was at Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda and we changed the flags yet again.

It wasn’t long before we had company.

Pelicans are my favourite bird and I must have spent many many hours watching them catching fish.

Next day we headed for the Baths – an area of interesting rock formations and caves – great for both walking and snorkelling. We picked up a mooring buoy and swam ashore.

Pat and I had done the cave walk before but it was new for Barrie.

After enjoying the Baths we headed North to Anegada.  Most of the BVI’s are volcanic with high peaks and steep sides. Anegada is totally different being coral and flat – only 26 foot high. There are dangerous reefs all around and lots of wrecked boats. It’s my favourite island in the BVI’s and life there is very simple.

Pat had been looking forward to this moment for weeks as she had an appointment with a lobster. We’d been there before when she’d had the biggest lobster ever. We went to the same restaurant and she wasn’t disappointed.

Anegada has spectacular beaches and one of the best is at Loblolly Bay. The snorkelling there is brilliant with the best underwater visibility I’ve seen for ages. There’s even some live coral unlike so many places these days where it’s all dead and broken.

What a trip these guys are having !

Then it was on to Cane Garden Bay – one of our other favourite places in the BVI’s. They say you should never go back and they’re right. The beach had hundreds of sun loungers – before there were none. Buildings had gone up at a furious pace. The famous bent palm tree with its tyre swing had gone – victim of a storm. We ate ashore and wished we hadn’t – the food was poor.

Shortly before sunset we noticed a Moorings 51,5 had run aground on the reef in the Bay. It was pitching, rolling and yawing violently as each wave hit it but it was stuck fast. The crew of 6 women and 2 men looked like they didn’t know what to do.

Skipper promptly leapt into his dinghy and with Pat and Barrie on board whizzed over to help. There was one other couple who attempted to help but several boats did nothing. I just can’t understand the psyche of some people.

It was obvious that the boat was going to suffer severe damage as the swell was building fast. We shouted instructions and got their anchor into our dinghy and with Pat and Barrie manhandling the chain we took their anchor and dropped it in the direction of deeper water. Yelling at them to tighten up on their anchor the bow slowly came round and then we shouted at them to motor forwards hard. Cheers were heard all round the bay as she finally came off the reef and secured herself onto a mooring. They were very grateful.

After that excitement it was time to head for Nanny Cay Marina where the return trip was due to start. Graham joined us and we gave him the honour of raising the ARC Europe flag. The boat and the crew are now ready. We leave at noon local time on 6^th May bound for Bermuda – nearly 900 miles.