17:07.58N 61:53.30W

Monday 7^th March

Slow start again saw us just about to leave the quayside at English Harbour when up walked Frances and Chris Martin, friends of ours from our home in England! They had decided on a break from the grind in the UK and having tossed up whether to go skiing or seek some sun, had booked at very short notice a few days in Antigua. This was their third day and they were on an island tour and taking in Nelson’s Dockyard when they spotted Serafina tried to the quay. Extraordinary luck really as this was almost the only time we have been on such a public position. Normally being anchored off would have made it impossible for them to have seen us.

They came on board for a coffee and we planned how we might pick them up from their hotel and take them sailing tomorrow. (As luck has it our planned anchorage for Monday night is only a few miles from their hotel.)

After they headed back off on their tour, we called the dockmaster to come and release our lines so we could leave. Sadly the very amiable and helpful O’Neil from yesterday was not around and so we had the services of two rather less competent and rather brusque chaps who made quite a meal and a hash of things. They finally turned up and eventually released our rope from the big mooring buoy, but then seemed incapable of organising the people on the Russian boat next to us to release their line which was obstructing us still. None of this is at all unusual at this harbour and is solely the result of how they do things here. At some stage our American neighbour on the other side of us popped up to inform us cheerily that he had been there several weeks and 3 out of every 4 boats that made to leave found that their anchors were fouled on chains or other underwater obstructions which probably was a nice earner for the dockyard diver!

The line was finally undone but very little effort was made to retrieve it as we left the quay and used the anchor to pull ourselves out from the moored boats. With a cross wind blowing, Sarah needed to use the engine but knowing that the loose line was under our hull, did not dare to engage the prop but concentrated on ‘advising’ the Russian crew in as few words and syllables as possible about what they needed to do – and how soon! All was well and we recovered the anchor without any problem (we had deliberately laid it a long way out in the hope this would be safer) and gently motored out of the harbour, passing Nimue who were anchored in the bay.

Gorgeous day but barely any wind which was very uncharacteristic and so we motored, picking our way through the inner reefs along the coast to save time and then as we turned northwards we picked up some good wind. We then enjoyed a cracking sail up the west coast of the island and made our way into Deep Bay which is just short of St John’s which is the capital. Deep Bay is well protected, but has the distinctive feature of a wreck from around 1900 in the middle whose tallest mast still sticks out of the blue water.  The Andes sank when, having been refused entry by the capital’s harbour as she was smoking through a hollow mast, she anchored around the corner to check on her cargo of pitch.   Unfortunately the act of opening the hold allowed the fire to really catch and she sank once her wooden decks had burnt off the metal structure.  The Andes apparently still occasionally burps pitch.

Mick and Dione swam ashore to find out if this was a suitable spot for Frances and Chris to come and join us the next day, whilst Sarah swam over the wreck and then to another beach to look for stones. (Don’t ask)

I managed to cock things up and sent the end of the spinnaker halyard up to the lower crosstrees which meant that Sarah had to don the climbing harness and I winched her part of the way up the mast to retrieve the halyard for me.

Nice quiet evening spent at anchor although the bay did gradually become a bit rolly with a rising wind which at least ensured no mozzies and kept things cool.