Tuesday December 20^th.  Rodney Bay, St Lucia 14 04.6N  60 56.9W

I can’t say it was pretty.

A family of seven -  aged between four years and sixty something years old - sailed 215 miles together. It was their first sail of their holiday  - for some of them first ever (and hopefully not the last – see later!) and so it was something of a baptism by fire. We first had a long day sail to Guadeloupe (Anse La Barque). The following morning we were away at first light to arrive in Terre de Haute, Iles Les Saintes by 09.00. Our principal need on arrival was to find a doctor to tend to Chloe who is ailing with an ear infection. We took the opportunity to do a little sightseeing before hoisting the Blue Peter around 16.00 for a 16.30 departure.

We set off into the sunset for the last 115 miles to Saint Lucie (as the French insist on calling it).  We could see that the wind had got up from the anchorage – I had hoped that it was a local acceleration zone. We were soon to find out ……

It was a reasonable sail down to Dominica – with the wind on the port quarter at about 20 knots -  and then predictably the wind dropped in the lee of Dominica.   Simone and Zoe were on watch at about 23.00 as we got clear of the lee and out into open water – the wind was gradually building and the Atlantic swell was being funnelled between the island producing a pretty uncomfortable cross wave train that rolled the boat at any opportunity. By the time of the midnight watch change (when Kate and Nathan surfaced from the relative calm below) the wind had built to a full force seven – averaging 30 knots and gusting rather more. The moon had not yet risen and so there was little light for the inexperienced watch to see the enemy as the boat rolled sideways  in the beam sea.  We were making good progress though under a deeply reefed main and genoa.

Morale was not good. The after cabin watch was first to succumb; the Deck Watch were Very Quiet and reluctant to come below even when four year old Captain Jack Sparrow himself succumbed. Grandad to the fore with the bucket ( no spade – just a fish slice to clear up) with much encouragement from all on deck. It was three long hours before we slipped into the lee of Martinique by when Grandad  was alone at the wheel and although it did pipe up a bit when we cleared Martinique the wind was much abated – and it was Daylight – which always makes a BIG difference.

It was a chastened an battle weary crew that eventually dropped the hook in Rodney Bay for a long awaited fried breakfast – complete with toasted Brown Bread from a loaf that Granddad managed to conjure up in the mayhem of the night before.

But – the upshot was, despite probably the most uncomfortable conditions of the journey so far – we did make it to St Lucia with about 24 hours to spare.

As I write we are preparing the typical end-of-voyage-everything-must-go  supper and the family get ready for the flight home tomorrow.

Mission accomplished – but still a long list of things to be fixed before we set off to Panama!