Back on board a week ago. September has rested for five weeks in the gentle hands of Nanny Cay Marina and its excellent manager Brendan; he of the straw hat, bicycle and an encyclopaedic mobile phone whose contact list can solve any problem. Returning with third degree English colds, a nineteen hour journey and a thirty degree temperature change was perhaps not the best way to start the next episode in September’s Travels. However, three days of semi fasting, doing nothing energetic, watching the world go by had us back on our feet, well adjusted to “Island Time”. Island Time has many manifestations, by turns entertaining, infuriating, inexplicable, restful but the apogee has to be “Happy Hour” – starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 7.30 p.m.!

No stay in Nanny Cay can be complete without mentioning The Pelicans. They soar, swoop and plummet from great heights, diving between the moored craft; an explosive splash is followed by much shaking of feathers and waving of that long beak. Not sure they catch much but the performance is a mutual entertainment.

Repairs completed, generator serviced, refuelled, victualed and bills paid (ouch!) we finally made it out of the marina on Thursday and sailed to an anchorage off Cooper Island on the other side of the Francis Drake Channel. We meant to move on to Virgin Gorda yesterday but somehow it didn’t happen; maybe today? Trouble is someone has set the ship’s clock to Island Time......