Thursday  1  December   ……   Antigua 17.01.245N 61 46.582W

Today’s blog by David

…….and NO RETURNS!

Simone and Linda now safely aboard, we spent the first three days this week with various trades aboard. 

The Raymarine system having been  replumbed, the battery management system adjusted and with the fridge now working,  we felt real progress has been made. Various cosmetic repairs have been applied to alleviate the effects of chafe.  So far so good.

Unfortunately, Oyster’s local rigging representative (Antigua Rigging) have identified some issues with the rig  - particularly that there is bad corrosion on the rig – it looks like  boat that has been in commission for 15 years rather than 8 months. There is presently a dialogue in progress re how best to investigate and fix it – expensively, or cheaply. Well - It’s not so much a dialogue as two people shouting past each other and each refusing to listen.  Plus ca change ……..

Yesterday we moved from Nelson’s Dockyard to the Catamaran Marina. Nelson’s Dockyard has a Boat Show on this weekend and so we had to go. Fortunately, George Clarke  at Antigua Rigging was able to find us a berth here,  where yesterday we had a ‘stray current test’ to determine whether the damage was caused by electrolysis.  So far inconclusive.  We ate last night at Antigua Yacht Club – a good, if a little expensive, buffet supper.

Today, we determined that there was little prospect of more happening to the boat this week so we agreed that we would decamp to Barbuda for a couple of days to return on Sunday night.  So this morning was spent provisioning and then this afternoon we did a touristy thing and went up to Shirley Heights to watch the sun go down with a rum cocktail in our hands.

There were good views of English Harbour (foreground) and Falmouth Harbour:

And not a bad view of the sunset, in fact the best we have yet seen – looking over Monserrat - followed:

……and the Rum Punch wasn’t bad either.

So - Barbuda tomorrow.  Real reef sailing – approaching it down sun, so we can see where we are going.  Bob will need to be lookout -  ensconced up at the spreaders - because there are lots of coral heads, rocks and things to hit. If we don’t, then there’s good snorkelling when we get there!