At last a change of scenery! We are in Guadeloupe.

 Last friday, the 20th, our friend Nick Cordel arrived from the UK. In anticipation of this event we had up anchored 5 days previously, scrubbing barnacles and weed from the anchor chain, and sailed round to Jolly Harbour for shopping, fuel and water. 

Foolishly we decided to enter the Antigua Round the Island race on Saturday. We supplemented our motley crew with 3 experts and set off for the start at 06.30hrs.  We had fine sailing initially, first over the starting line. Though whizzing round the island we were soon trying to catch up with the other boats and being overtaken by the groups who started after us. Three quarters of the way  round the wind dropped, Pelekan came to a standstill and the heavens opened. The engine was started, the beer flowed MORE freely and we completed the circuit at 16.30, retired from the race, but at least having seen Antigua's coast in its entirety.

Yesterday we cleared out of Antigua and sailed south to Guadeloupe. Had a great sail, broad reach, a bit lumpy but covered 50 miles in 7 hours and we are now anchored in Deshaies.

The boat continues to function in the fashion of the majority. No air conditioning, broken water maker, rubbish house batteries that require boosts from the generator at 4 hourly intervals, and a bow thruster with the power of a hair dryer.

We are off to Les Saintes after a visit to the Botanical Gardens in the rain, currently shrouding the island.

love Tom, Jos and Nick