So, the holidays are over, friends and family have departed for colder climes and we are once again left to our own devices. What will we do? Well, today it is raining pretty good and we’re doing laundry and cleaning the boat for the next big todo.

New Years Eve we spent a quiet evening at Cloggy’s for dinner and were in bed by 9pm. Nancy got up at midnight to watch all the fireworks, but I just buried my head and hid. On New Years day our new friend Jennifer came out to the boat for conversation and a swim. She came here from China two years ago and is settling in nicely. We had a great time and Nancy taught her how to dive off the boat. She is an enthusiastic student! Our favorite part of this adventure is exploring new cultures; even if they themselves are in a new place.

Andrew, from North Sails, came out and measured us for a new gennaker sail. It will be perfect for light air off-the-wind sailing. Great service, great pricing and an all-around good guy. Plus he’s a sports car fan! After all that we had an enjoyable sail around to Great Bird Island where we spent a few quiet days watching the cloud formations move through the sky. Believe me, it is one of those things that everyone should do once in a while. The power of the atmosphere is fascinating to watch.

Our friends Deb and Warren with their son, Jack came to visit from Iowa City. They stayed at the Royalton in Deep Bay; it’s an all-inclusive resort with plenty of amenities as well as security guards. You may recall a posting from last year and our adventure getting a cab from there. Anyway, we sneaked a day at the pool and some drinks before we were asked to leave. The next day we bought day passes and all was well, sort-of. Let’s just put it this way: They weren’t prepared to admit guests that don’t come in the front way. There were a lot of escorts and scowling faces between us and a cocktail. All’s well that ends well and we ate breakfast until lunchtime and ate lunch until dinnertime, with naps by the pool in between. It was like working at the fire department (except for the pool).

Poor Warren came down with the crud so he stayed in eating sorbet while we took Deb and Jack out for a sweet sail. We went from one end of the island to the other, reaching all the way. Jack took the helm for much of the trip. He has a light hand on the wheel, he’s a natural. We all got excited when the speedo topped 10 knots on occasion. A perfect day for a perfect sail.

Upon our return to the bay we set Jack up with some snorkel equipment and he went off in search of adventure. Finally we said our goodbyes and sailed around to Jolly Harbor where we did some major provisioning and filled the fuel tanks. We both spent an enjoyable afternoon at the dentist getting our teeth cleaned. The crew at 268 Dental are top-notch and as good as anywhere I’ve been. The cab ride with A.A. was an E ticket ride in itself (if you don’t understand ask your elders) and the running narrative was priceless: “If you’re not going to drive it, park it!” That brings us to today, sitting in the rain. Tomorrow we head back to English Harbor to pick up a piece I had fabricated for our new passerelle (that just means gangway) then clear out at customs and we’re off to Guadeloupe for a week or so, then on to new territory in Dominica and beyond.

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