Today has been boat preparation day, getting ready for potentially a few weeks at anchor from tomorrow morning. We have been refilling the calor gas bottles, getting a service wash for the laundry, going to the supermarket, refilling the water tanks and various 5l drinking water bottles and jerry cans, picking up some last minute items for the chandlery and buying some new sandals for me for my late birthday present.
The weather is absolutely baking and we can’t quite seem to acclimatize despite all this time in sunny countries. We are looking forward to being able to jump off the boat to cool down.
The marina continues to be really busy in preparation for the ARC boats arriving, every service seems to have been painted including kerb stones since we arrived, the showers have been refitted, a whole area of ground has been hardcored and there are stages and stalls going up there, where there were muddy walks there are now concrete paths with landscaped gardens. It really is amazing to see the speed of progress as there are so many workmen on the job. The ARC office also opened today and they are ready for the first boats coming through soon.
We have new neighbours a Privilege 435 catamaran from Liverpool, with Mike and Jean aboard, who after being Skipper and hostess aboard for a year in the British Virgin Isles will be setting off on the World Cruising Rally (branch of the ARC organising a circumnavigation). Mike actually did all the software for the ARC website and is here to provide finishing line duties. He and Kevin had previously been in email contact through on of the cruising forums, another member of which is apparently joining Mike tomorrow when Jean flies back for Christmas and another member David with a Foutaine Pajot Tobago catamaran we met on the boatyard last week (and supermarket this morning) which just shows what a small world this is.
We continue to watch the ARC results each day to see the progress of friend we have made along the way. Papillon with Laurence and Lexie aboard we met in La Rochelle on their Fountaine Pajot 60ft Eleutheria catamaran are doing very well lying about 60th. Barry, Marie-Jeanne and Jen plus crew in Pikorua are also around 65th place in the 57ft Beneteau which is really good going considering they found out on the second day that their propeller had fallen off sometime between there and the start line! They also got a large irreparable tear in their Gennaker (large lightwind sail) quite early on, so they are doing incredibly well in these lightwinds.
Jonny and Kate, who are not in the ARC but also on their way over have also now passed halfway. They are heading to Antigua to drop of Kate’s brother Roo for his flight before starting the tour south. Hopefully we will get to meet them before too long, hopefully even Christmas in Bequia.
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