Never say never

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Fri 9 May 2014 17:38

Wed & Thursday – 7th & 8th May

 

With the weather due to deteriorate over the next few days we decided that we would be better off back in the USVI where we could get proper wifi and be able to prepare Serafina for her trip across the Atlantic.  The main issue is that Culebra and the other Spanish islands are due west of the USVI and with the trade winds blasting from the east, it could be a wet and unpleasant return trip that we would have to make regardless in order to meet the cargo ship taking Serafina home.

 

So on Wednesday morning we took advantage of the highly unusual almost southerly breeze and romped back across to Brewers Bay in St Thomas.  We anchored and were settling in and preparing for the bad weather due, but noticed that the normal strong free wifi signal had disappeared!  This scuppered all of our plans and we sat wondering what was our best alternative option……

 

Then an email arrived from Amanda & Mark on Balvenie.  The water maker parts they had been promised had not arrived (this is the Caribbean!!) and they were still kicking their heels in the same spot as when we had all said our tearful goodbyes on Sunday, so why didn’t we come round and see them?  So we lifted the anchor and pottered round to Charlotte Amalie and anchored just behind them and were just in time to dive below before the heavens opened.  We have not had rain like that for ages and all plans for meeting up were put on hold until A & M relented in the early evening and put on their waterproofs and scuttled round for drinks.

 

We had thunder and lightning and some quite strong blasts of wind through the night and Thursday was not much of a day either, but the rain did ease in the late afternoon and so Amanda & Mark came round and picked us up in their dinghy and we all went ashore for a celebratory meal. This could of course been to celebrate VE day, or even Mark’s mum’s birthday both of which fall on the 8th May, but more importantly it was the 10th anniversary to the day of when they had dropped their lines and left Auckland, NZ and set out on their circumnavigation.  I was feeling that we were extremely honoured to have been invited to share this moment with them, but Mark put me straight by kindly pointing out that we were the only ‘show in town’ and they didn’t want to sit alone! 

 

We did enjoy a great evening though and with the fastest wifi signal we have had for simply ages available here, we will probably stay in this anchorage now for a while.  Balvenie should be getting their spares on Friday, but nobody is holding their breath – so we might have some friends to chat to as we get Serafina sorted out.

 

Latest set of photos including the St Thomas carnival have now been uploaded to the website.  http://www.rhbell.com/photographs-2014.html  

 

There are also some new panoramas posted at http://www.rhbell.com/photographs-2013-panorama.html