January 2005

Near the end of January Jon and some of his sailing pals (Ian Campbell, Peter Benton & Loz) spent a weekend cruising around Arenal.  Strange weather. One minute they had brilliant sunshine and the next they had snow and a force 8 gale!!!  I was in Trinidad at the time getting ready to do a boat delivery to Cuba.  Very difficult to imagine how they felt while I was sipping a Rum Punch in 30+ degrees in the Caribbean!  They still had fun by all accounts!!

June 2005

In the middle of June Jon decided it was time for another weekend of cruising with the guys (Ian, Colin & Loz this time) but I was invited too.  I had just come back from a months cruising on Night Owl in Sardinia with Dave (Jon’s brother) and before that had completed the boat delivery to Cuba and spent some time visiting my cousins in the States. We had a few dramas getting on and off the pontoon with the strong afternoon winds but found that as long as we left in the morning and got back by late afternoon the wind had dropped enough to make it a little easier. 

We got hold of a permit to go to Cabrera for a night, a national park not too far from Arenal.  A very beautiful anchorage with very few boats.  All in all a fun weekend with great sailing and great weather.

I think I’m getting the hang of this driving!                   Jon & Ian having a lurve moment

    ‘Imagine’ sitting pretty in Cabrera.                     Jon, Sam, Colin, Loz & Ian having taken the

                                                                          dinghy ashore to get a nice cold beer.