From Culebra

Hi, I just thought I would add a few photos to prove we have been out there doing it.
Living the dream
WHAT A DREAM
Rob....😊

James relaxing 😊

Alex swimming with Dolphins on the way to Culebra
if you look carefully you can see one in the bottom left

Alex getting some air time

Roxys in Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke BVI

We went for a walk

They even provide chairs and iced water on the way
how civilized

Salt pan in BVI
Salt island

BVI, Cuebra and Barracuda

Hi,
So we have made it as far as Culebra. It is a fantastic Island.

The BVI is very busy and expensive. Every anchorage crowded with charter Cats, tethered to mooring buoys(cost US$ 30 per night ). Zero space to drop an anchor in most places. And every spot worth diving or snorkeling is overpopulated. The coral has been badly damaged and the fish life is minimal. There are beautiful areas however, and on another stop here I plan to explore them a little more.
The last two nights in the BVI we spent on the Northern Island of Jost van Dyke. One day at Green Cay on the east point, and the last night in Great Harbour where we cleared out to head west. Both were really great. Green Cay has the most exquisite "desert Island". White sand beach, Palm tree, some junk, and you can walk all the way round in 2 minutes. Cool. Alex spent most of the day Kite surfing, while James and I did school. (not quite so exciting )
Great Harbour which is a small bay flanked on the north with a white sandy beach, many places to quench your thirst and party all night, and a police station. Good fun stop. just mind the sand fleas. Donner!

Our sail to Culebra from Jost van Dyke was the longest for a while. WOW 37 miles. But what a lovely surprise. Friendly people, uncluttered anchorages, and the most fantastic dive areas. There are mooring buoys here too, but here they are FREE. The coral is incredible, and the fish life is great. The Barracuda are cool, They just hang around under or behind the boat virtually motionless. Average size 1,5m in length.
Quite good fun for fishing especially on light tackle (you need a steel trace )Catch a small fish as live bait. (good luck getting it to the surface, the barracuda normally nab it) Hook it on (with your steel trace ), then get ready as you drop it back into the water. It takes maybe 5 seconds, then WAM, he takes it and runs off 100m, leaping into the air. It will then take you half an hour to bring him in, with many more dashes off into the distance. Finally exhausted you can unhook him and watch him swim away slowly.
Beautiful fish.!

Tomorrow we sail for Puerto Rico.
It is a great pity we have to hurry along, but the Hurricane season is June to November, so I really don't want to hang around to experience one.

Chat soon
Rob

St Maarten and moving along

Hi, as usual we have spent longer than planned.
We are on our way tomorrow evening to BVI for a bit of diving, fishing, kite boarding.
Tony Brewer and his family have been truly fantastic. Home from home, AND All our laundry is now acceptable again, and we no longer smell quite so yachtie......

We have even managed to get a good section of school behind us.
Tomorrow we stock the bilges and head off on the 100 nm to our next stop.
Just wish I had a bigger freezer

Hopefully no more engine troubles.....😃

Chat soon
Rob

windy lagoon

Anchored in St Martin Lagoon last night our anchor started to drag, no problem, we just motor forward and drop it again.
Well that would be easy. The fan belt started squealing, then shredded it self and got eaten by the timing belt after wrapping itself round the crank end pulley. For goodness sake why when I was already stressing.
we then had to put the anchor out at speed with the dingy.
To replace the timing belt after cutting away all the old fan belt I had to figure out where tdc is, what posi the cam should be in, and what marks are relevant to the injector pump.
All in about 6 hours later working with a tiny torch, my little engine is running again
phew
thought I had lost it there for a mo..

much relief !

St Martin

Hi, so we have got as far as St Martin.
Have had a great time on the way. The plan now is to sail this week to the BVI, Culebra, Bahamas and then on to USA

Antigua was fun, Alex found a position as crew on Vagabundo, a 45 foot classic, which came in 2nd. Very well done
I spent time on the judges boat, and on the last day on a Carricou sloop. We were not quite so lucky. We had a port, starboard collision, last our mast, and had to retire.
Here are some photos of our time.
Rob

Alex giving Gerda some kite lessons

Alex after a week of fun at Green island

Beautiful places to swim

The Start of one of the Classic races

My Mermaid

My two silly sons

Sunset in St Pierre, Martinique

We sent it sailing as a "message in a bottle"

Painting on our registration

VAGABUNDO