Sunday 29th December  12:00.171 N 61:43.46 W  Distance travelled 16 miles.

We had great help on our arrival at Prickley Bay from Davide who gave s space on a partly finished pontoon in front of new condominiums so that we were able to cast ourselves off at mid day for the short passage to Phare Bleu Bay. As we rounded Prickley Point the wind went on the nose so we motor sailed past Mount Hartman Bay, Clarkes Court Bay into Phare Bleu Bay. Care has to be taken to navigate past breaking rocks to port starboard and ahead. Access to Le Phare Bleu Marina is narrow between two breaking reefs but worth the effort. We were greeted by a young man in a rib and shown to a berth. The entrance is marked by small buoys and we are beginning to get used to leaving red to starboard and green to port on the way in. The facilities at Le Phare Bleu Marina include a floating old Swedish light ship with first class showers on the ground floor and a very good restaurant at the upper level and also a small Boutique Hotel with a swimming pool available to the marina berth holders. We always swam in the sea.

Kevin Dwyer sent us the phone number of Diana Yohanan nee Thompson of the McCurtain Street baking family and sister of Keith,Heather and Penny. She has lived in St. Georges for 28 years and when we contacted her she immediately invited us up to her beautiful colonial house overlooking the harbour. We spent a couple of hours chatting about Cork and Cork people. We also discussed the dramatic thunderstorm in St. Georges over Christmas and both Diana and the taxi driver she sent to bring us to her house said it was the worst they had experienced. We had never seen lightning so white.

Next day Monday the 30th we went by taxi to Grand Anse, this time for provisions, and Diana joined us at the marina Hotel for dinner.

It was Donal McClement who suggested we go south from St. Lucia after the ARC and we are very pleased we did even though we have seen a fair amount of rain and with the wind in the North East fear a little windward work on the way back north after 4000 miles off it.