First part in France, UK and Australia

Kate and family get back from France in time for Henry’s first day at school – where did those years go? Mike gets back from Aus having celebrated grandson Miles’ 1^st birthday with him. We head off to “up north” to complete our “visiting our kids” tour by spending a lovely weekend with Charlotte and Chris. Then a whistle stop overnight with Brett and Sherralyn on board their lovely wide beam riverboat, what a cosy place. We love your new home on the Thames!

Somewhere, I know, I have the same photos, taken in the same places, a generation earlier!

  and, the journey back……….                                                  …and 1^st school day!

Early Heathrow flight to Curacao, via Miami, has us hot and tired in a lovely hotel on Curacao. 24 hours later we still have all our luggage and only one wheel missing! Hotel is very pretty, the BijBlauw Hotel, Willemstad

Taxi down to the yard after an excellent nights sleep to find Right Turn in great condition. Mike has cleaned off the bottom ready for antifouling and the yard has cleaned off the topsides. Everything stowed or fitted so we should be good to go back in the water soon. It’s too darn hot tho! Until, that is, the storm broke and our dinner on the terrace moved indoors out of the wind and rain. We wondered why all the furniture is on casters!

Next day, down to the yard again  - antifouling for Mike, spray hood repairs for Kate. Out to dinner at Fishilicious, lovely tapas and scallops and massive prawns. Expensive but fishilicious!

Early next morning, checked out of the hotel and off to the boatyard for shopping and lift in. We are lifted back in around midday and all goes according to plan apart from the fact that the engine won’t start. Just about to give up and she finally springs into life. Met Georgie and John on Shamal who are wending their way to Bahamas so maybe our paths will cross again.

1, 2, 3 and back in the water. Simples!

Mainsail on and final canvas repairs achieved and we are almost ready to go so dive into town after one false start, where we forgot to pick up exit form from marina office. Walk back to marina only to be told they do the form at the Customs in town. Too hot to walk again so another $15 taxi ride later and Customs clearance achieved for us to leave on Sunday. Not so, however, at Immigration, where we are told to leave on Sunday we need to come back to the office on Saturday evening. Just short of losing our tempers we tell him we are leaving this evening, so he stamps our passports! Leisurely lunch in town, including forgetting to pay for some drinks at a bar – when Mike goes back to explain and pay, she tells him he can sit anywhere! So, they didn’t get paid!  We find a bus driver who is prepared to take us back to the yard for about $1.50, bit of a difference from taxi prices! A bit the worse off for beer and Pina Colada consumption we come back to sleep it off. Oops, we are meant to leave at 6pm, which we never had any intention of doing. Because of the siesta, Mike completely forgot to collect our boarding ladder, which is in workshop for minor adaptation so, sadly, we are unable to leave till they reopen on Monday!

Stupid marina receptionist had told me they are open all weekend, which is evidently a lie! So another reason we can’t leave till Monday! Lots of catching up Internet and blog writing, a few more jobs ticked off the list, and we are all ready to go – apart, that is, from the small matter of settling up the yard bill and recovering the boarding ladder!

Curacao Marine to Santa Cruz Bay

We are at the marina office before it opens ready to leave. Takes a long time and 3 attempts before she comes up with a bill about 50% of the amount expected. Don’t argue…..RUN! Mike nips round to collect our bathing ladder, they haven’t even started it. He tells them he’s not going to wait to pay what he had considered an over the top quote in the first place, so collects and we are out of the marina and through the Willemstad bridge in open water by 9am.

Didn’t bother with the headsail, so a leisurely sail with the wind aft, down the coast to a little anchorage, Santa Cruz Bay. Anchored next to the only other boat, Mike says they are Polish. Quick lunch and Mike says he’s going to check out the Poles. I look puzzled, how? Swim? Inflate the dinghy? And more importantly, why?? Has he suddenly become homos sociabilis? Apparently not, he meant poles without a capital p, which we use to “pole out” the headsail! Ha ha, first Mikeism of the trip!

Next morning, Mike has us underway early, its just light and we set off for Colombia. Daytime sailing goes well, including a dolphin show, all down wind with the headsail poled out. We loose a lure and the hook to some big fish, which doesn’t want to get caught! As the light starts to go the wind gets up and the sea gets lumpy. By dusk, the headsail is away and the storm staysail is up – doesn’t bode well! So I cook up a veg curry that makes the cabin temp unbearable, especially as we now have all the boards in. I settle down for the night, sweatily, as we take a wave into the cockpit, Mike manages to get the hatch closed just in time but I’m now “boil in a bag” hot! During the night, we record a max speed of 11.1kts as we rush down a wave. The wind stays 25-30 kts all night.

Miles from Ramsgate this trip 5863nms