Position: 17:04:59N 61:53:66W

We were sad when we sailed back to Antigua because we knew that it was our last sail together as a family in the Caribbean – at least in the near future.  However, the weather quickly put a wide grin on our faces, as the wind started to lift until we could lay our destination and had a really great 3-sail close reach directly towards Jolly Harbour.  Nutmeg was in her element, heeled right over in 25kts of apparent wind and bit between the teeth as she sliced the turquoise water.

Approaching Antigua on our final sail together

We arrived and dropped anchor outside the harbour.  It felt good to be back again. Unfortunately we had another rolly night and as it felt like we’d had rolly nights ever since leaving Barbuda, we decided to go inside the lagoon and take a mooring.

It was a very sad time as Sarah packed up the girl’s and her stuff and prepared for her flight.  But because she was mega-organised and packed early, we were able to spend the last few days together having a relaxed time, with a day on the beach, and a day at the pool.  It was a really nice family time and we have felt really close as a family.

I tried to go to the ophthalmologists for a checkup but couldn’t because he was in surgery.  I managed to talk to him & he started to talk about putting me on systemic steroids.  This rattled me a bit.  Whilst I think my eyes are recovering fine, they haven't completed recovery yet and my vision is still blurry in one eye.

I woke up the next morning and realised that sailing double-handed across the Atlantic when my eye has not fully recovered is just not right - whilst my eye recovery MAY continue to progress, the increased risk of one or both flaring up again mid-Atlantic would put us and the boat at risk.  The progress has just been too slow and whilst I've been kidding myself that it would have been fully better by now, it isn't.  So I took the decision to fly home to the UK rather than sailing back.  I arrive on Sunday 19th, in the morning.  I’ll get an appointment with Moorfields Eye hospital to get the peepers checked out properly.

So Nutmeg is going home with a delivery skipper and one other crew, who are going to stick with the original plan of setting off around 20th April, and I will do a handover to him on Friday/Saturday.  I'm reserving the right to re-join the boat for the Azores-UK leg in 3 or 4 weeks, until I've been seen by Moorfields.  I am disappointed in my body for letting me down, and disappointed in my mind for not overruling my body.  It is a marginal decision but I am not regretting it yet. 

One evening, we walked to the beach for a sundowner and met some people – Keith and Anne Shorrock – from West Lancs YC, where we used to sail as kids.  Funny to hear all the gossip about the same old crowd that I used to know back in the 80s and 90s when I lived in Southport.  I really must go and visit sometime.

Aye Aye Captain Daddy!  Shiver me timbers!!

Easter was celebrated early on Nutmeg, on account of the crew scheduled to be back in the UK on Sunday.  So Sarah made hot-cross buns and the Easter Bunny was rumoured to have visited Nutmeg.  The girls found Easter chocolates scattered all around the deck – how can he have got on board?? We’ll never know…

Easter choccies hunt

The girls show off their horde

Our final day together in the Caribbean was spent at the pool, where we had a lovely time playing and Emilia decided it was time she learnt to use a diving mask.  We had great fun and must be at our closest right now having spent so much time together.  We will miss these times.

We went out for a lovely meal at a steakhouse and we had nice big rum punches to celebrate an awesome year away.

Then, on Sunday morning, I packed the girls off at the airport, Jemima in floods of tears as she thought I was going to be on the same plane as them.  I returned to a boat devoid of voices, laughter, toys and clutter.  Eerie.  I don’t feel too bad about being on my own, as I’ll see them all in a week, but it is odd not to have them here on the boat – the four of us living on the boat is the natural state now, so it is unnatural that they are not here.

The plan now is for me to spend a week getting Nutmeg ready for the return trip, then I fly home in time to walk with Emilia to school for her first day (she starts on Monday 20^th April), and I will fly out to the Azores, assuming my eyes have recovered.  Then it’s a 10-day sail back to the UK and back to reality. 

Happy family