We departed Barbuda at sunrise on Tuesday, with a c 65 mile run to St Barts ahead of us. The breezy day on Monday was followed by one with very little wind at all. We motored for a bit, then launched the ParasaIlor for a few hours, but it was difficult to keep it aloft and even more difficult to maintain a course for the island. Resorting back to engine, we had our worst day’s passage making for a long time.

Reaching St Barts, we realised that the pilot book authors were not exaggerating when suggesting that there was not much to look forward to on the island. The main harbour, Gustavia, is full to overflowing. The big yachts move in and out of the dock, and ferries squirt down the fairway. We decided to go to a more secluded bay to the North West, which was much more pleasant, with clear waters, turtles and starfish. We picked up one of the moorings laid by the authorities to stop anchors destroying the sea bed, and settled down for the night, having concluded that we should head for St Martin/Sint Maarten rather than stay longer.

Watergaw