Well, never make a plan - and we didn't really have any definite plans, but our insurance company were only happy with us being lifted in Baileys Yard (aka Catamaran Marina in Falmouth Harbour) on Antigua, where they lift out the Oysters and Discovery's and have Lloyd Certified Cradles that were made in the UK. But it is quite expensive, plus we have to remove all sails and canvas, they have to air the boat each week, because of the humidity and one of our friend had computers and cameras stolen last year.

 

Then the sun here is so hot it just ages the boat very quickly, plus there are issues with ants and other creepies getting on board, so we are struggling with what to do – we want to go back to the UK for a few weeks – but lifting out in the Caribbean is not really appealing to us.

 

Well you won’t believe it but we are thinking of going back to the USA – after all the things we said, we probably won’t be allowed in this time, they’ll pick up our AIS and just send a USCG Cutter out to sink us while we are still in the Bermuda Triangle. But the price of the lift, storage and antifouling is about USD$7,000 less – such a large saving it can’t be ignored, the sun is less damaging and the work we had done last time was very good at Direcktors, St Bart's Yachts and Zahnhiser where we may end up again this time.

 

So it may be 900M to Bermuda, then 650M across to Annapolis in Chesapeake Bay and then back out again in early November to “I65” – out to longitude of 65W (basically Bermuda) and then straight south to the Caribbean. It could mean cold sailing for 5 days in the North Atlantic in winter at 35N, until we turn south – although maybe once we cross the Gulf Stream the SST (Sea Surface Temp) will increase and we should be warmer. That will be total round trip of over 3,000M, maybe 20 nights at sea, and with more wear and tear on the boat as well. It also means we end up again in the north of the Caribbean and we really wanted to get back down to the Grenadines, which are a further 400M south, depending where you leave from.

 

These past few weeks it seems like we have been trying to solve a three dimensional quadratic equation without the benefit of calculus, or logarithmic tables – but maybe we are closing in on a solution that nearly pleases us, or at least is more acceptable than others – don’t hold your breath while we decide.