The weather was a bit iffy for the first few days, with quite a lot of wind and a large swell, which was enough to stop us heading out to the local reefs and islands...so the only option was to study the local gastronomy - of which there was an amazing variety - mainly centred around beach bars!

After a couple of days we were also able to track down a beach which looked very promising for a bit of kite surfing. For those of you who have followed the blog, this was supposed to be my big challenge of the trip. I was determined to learn how to kitesurf whilst we were away, and to come back reasonably proficient. For those of you who don't know it, kitesurfing entails being dragged along by a large kite, and a wake board. My early attempts in the UK were marred by a lack of wind, and on the only occasion that I got out without instruction, I managed to loofer myself 100 meters down a beach, just managing to save my kite before it took me into a barbed wire fence. Thoroughly entertaining for everyone around, I am sure!

Unfortunately, my kiting career seems to have continued to transpire against me. For the uninitiated, learning to kite surf needs some almost impossibly perfect conditions - 1. a beach with a breeze that runs down the beach, but with the beach being angled so that when you get luffered down the beach, you do not get swept offshore. 2. a wind that is between 12 and 20 knots and 3. no swell or chop. These are surprisingly difficult to find - in fact, so much so, that I had not got out for one reasonable days kite loofering since we set off....we have specifically gone to many perfect locations, but the wind has been wrong.....indeed, I am sitting here writing this on a perfect kiting beach in the BVI's (where we have been for the last 4 days waiting for the return of our passports), and is there wind? Nope, nothing, nada....how frustrating!

Anyway, I digress, we found the perfect beach, and actually had some wind. So for 3 days I managed to get three sessions in - the first proper ones since leaving the UK. Charlie came along to help for the first one - not through any sense of wanting to help (although that is how it worked out), but purely for entertainment value...he was desperate to see me dragged across the beach! The positive is that I managed to avoid this, but he did manage to see a multitude of reasonably good wipeouts, and, between him and Jen, I had a full on beach rescue team...that disappointingly needed to be put into very regular use! Despite not being able to give Charlie a proper beach loofering spectacle I was able to progress, and by the end of the sessions, I could get up and get on, doing a good 50 meters or more before another sea water swallowing face plant! Anyway, to Charlie, and most particularly Jennifer, thank you very much for being quite so patient, and Jennifer, for stopping me from being grumpy after the 50 millionth beach rescue!

The remaining time in Anguilla was taken up by a continuation of our gastronomic feast, with a multitude of beach bars, a day out on the boat, which Charlotte managed impressively well given that she was smuggling a football down her top, and a couple of very good meals out, in some stunning locations, with some cracking rum punches!  Charlie was beset by a rather large disappointment in the form of Anguilla's answer to Bob Marley. Charlie found a very cool bar when going for a walk one day (as one does!), and it turns out that this was owned by the legendary Banky Banks, aka Anguillas answer to Bob Marley. Charlie decided that he had to get the CD, which if he was now honest with himself, and in the rather cold light of the English day, is absolutely shockingly bad.....even in my books...and you all know what sort of an eclectic taste I have (or is that no taste at all....). Anyway, whilst Charlie was determined to drag us along to a Banky Banks 'Jammin' session, luckily his wife has rather better taste, and a much better excuse what with the football and all! When he dropped by the following day for another drink, he was told that they had a great night, with Banky Banks playing the mandolin till 2am on the beach.....Charlotte, thank you for saving us all! Anyway  It was really cool to hangout with all 2.5 of the Dowsons for the week....and really good luck with Jnr when he/she arrives!

For those of you who are observant, you may spot a bit of a running theme in the photos below!

 We left Anguilla in the evening that Charlie and Charlotte left, and did a night sail for the 90 miles to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The sea was really rocky and rolly and pretty uncomfortable (although, maybe it is just that we had become soft in Anguilla!), and we arrived as it was getting light; more importantly, it was Monday morning and we could get our passports over to fedex for despatch to the U.S. embassy.

The exciting thing about getting to the BVI's is that this is where Jennifer and I met 4 years ago... from Jennifer's perspective, this is when her life took a whole turn for the better....what a lucky girl!!

A good friend of Jennifer's called Aisling also lives in Tortola, and so she was very much looking forward to catching up, which we did on the evening after we arrived. Given that we don't actually have a table on board Trippy, we have to do a quick mental re-adjustment when going out, and civilise ourselves! Anyway, we had a very good dinner at Ais’s and managed not to socially disgrace ourselves by eating on the floor etc etc. We were hoping to spend a bit of time with them, and perhaps even do a bit of a tour of the islands with them, but sadly they are both doing New York Bar exams at the end of the month, and rather unsurprisingly are very hard at work with them - well, that is their excuse anyway, I am sure that it is not that we behaved badly!

We are now in a beautiful bay moored up by a resort called the Bitter End Yacht Club, and hoping that our passports will arrive soon! It's tough.