Then there were three
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Sun 14 Nov 2010 18:05
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Summer Song's crew list has grown by 50% today with
the arrival of Graham from the US. Graham is my brother in law's uncle and a
seasoned hand with a boat. He arrived shortly after midday, brimming with tales
of narrow scrapes afloat in his home cruising ground of Chesapeake Bay.
He has already settled in to the Las Palmas pace
of life (see below).
 Meanwhile, 'Don Pedro' who runs the Texaco fuel
dock in the marina, is hosting a (perhaps ill advised) barbecue tonight on the
forecourt, is stark contradiction of the first law of thermodynamics - namely
that flaming charcoal and petrol fumes should never mix. We'll wander over later
to grab something from the grill, before retiring to a safe distance to eat it.
There may also be dancing.
Earlier today there was the official opening of the
ARC 2010, which was accomplished with the same carnival dancers as we saw at the
Town Hall bash on Thursday. There was no sign of the tall transvestite in a
silver leotard this time, however. There were hundreds of participants waving
flags and a brass band leading the action. It was quite a
spectacle.
  The harder work starts again tomorrow with an
intensive series of seminars on everything from downwind sailing to provisioning
the boat. Obviously, the weight of responsibility rests heavy on the skipper's
shoulders, so I'll be despatching my crew to these sessions with sharp pencils
and blank pads, while I check that the fridge is working...
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