1st half 2007 - BVI again, and on to cricket in Antigua.

2006 ends with a fine family Christmas in Calgary, as sister Helen and husband Paul come for their first winter visit. And 2007 starts, but sailing and the boat have to wait as Hilary and I do a Jan/Feb trip to Europe to watch daughter Helen compete in the Bob World Championships in St Moritz. What a place! Sun and sparkling snow, champagne and horse racing on the frozen lake.



But I do get to leave winter, and return to BVI and the boat in early Feb.
I have a couple of days to get the boat ready, and my first crew arrives - soccer playing buddy, Steve Ludgate, from Calgary. "Manx Mist" is in fine shape. She had sat on a mooring ball in the small, but excellent, marina, Penns Landing, in East End Bay Tortola, with Walter keeping an eye on her.
Worth also mentioning that, even though it's months after my purchase of "Manx Mist", Moorings continue to help me with minor problems that crop up, and the  2 brokers, John Welch and Richard Vass, are superb folks to deal with.

With Steve aboard, we set off for the "round the islands" tour. Snorkeling at the Indians, drinking at Willie T's in the bight, Norman Island, fine snorkelling at Cistern pt on Cooper Island, sunset drinks and Michael Bean's Happy 'Arrr on Marina Cay. We spend a couple of days around Virgin Gorda, and then head out to Anegada. Anegada- beaches, reef snorkeling and lobster - always a fine place to visit, and Cow Wreck Beach Bar has to be the best spot for a cold Carib!
We leave Anegada in perfect timing to catch a big squall going our way to Marina Cay. Big wind, big waves, rain and minimal visibility. We're doing nearly 10 kts with minimal sail, and it takes a while to leave us.

We move on to Jost Van Dyke, and stop at Foxy's Taboo. Big surf in the water pool. We also have an interesting time trying to land a dinghy through the surf on Green Cay.
Somewhere in this sequence I manage to time a stop at cane Garden Bay to meet up with good friends from Calgary, Phil and Debbie Grubbe, who are chartering on another sailboat. We end up anchored a few boats away.
Steve and I make last stops in White Bay, JVD and Sopers Hole, and then it's time to leave the boat at Penns again and head back to Calgary for a few weeks.

Mid-March and I return to the boat. First challenge is to find a new dinghy. "Little Richard" is letting air out and water in - not so good! I do a deal with Sunset and trade LR in and motor off in Richard II. Then I set off down to Sopers Hole to meet cousins Bill and Will as they ferry in from St Thomas.

We have a great week. Round the islands again. Virgin Gorda is great fun, Anegada is superb. By the time we sail to JVD, Bill and Will are in pirate mode. But Bill only has a week, and he heads back off on the ferry to St Thomas to catch his flight back to Calgary.

Will and I sail around to Trellis Bay to meet my old Calgary and Dome friend, Andy Carroll - now travelling in all the way from his home in Sydney, Oz.
Andy gets about 24 hrs to get his sea legs and then we head off down island, with the intention of ending up in Antigua to watch some Cricket World Cup.
Overnight from Virgin Gorda to St Maarten, and it's split between rain, rolly seas, then finally clear skies and stars. We arrive off Phillipsburg in the early hours and have to manoeuvre around an inbound cruiseship ("Ocean Village, Ocean Village - What are your intentions?").
We decide to skip St Maarten and head on to St Kitts, pulling in to the Port Zante marina in Basseterre.We enjoy a good tour around the island with local raconteur, Christian - including a visit to the excellent and very-well restored Fort Brimstone.
Back to the boat and time to move on to Antigua. Nearly. Engine problems have us delayed another 2 days in St Kitts. Will has to leave to catch his homebound connection.
Andy and I fix the engine and head off, but catch some ugly weather and seas and it's a very rough passage across to Antigua.
We make it in to Jolly Harbour. Andy checks in with home in Oz and finds out he has to head back early. I feel bad - he has had nothing but rough sails and engine problems - and he didn't get to see one cricket match.
Now I'm solo. I get to watch an excellent up-and-down game between England and Sri Lanka. England lose unfortunately. And Sri Lanka go on to be beaten by Australia in the final.

Time to leave Antigua, but I enjoyed Jolly harbour and I'll be back.
Short hop across to Barbuda and my first view of its superb beaches. Anchor off the gorgeous 11 mile beach centred around Low Bay. Some fun clearing out from there on an Easter Sunday holiday, but the Barbudans are superb and very friendly.
Long day sail to St Barths, ending with my first real challenge as a solo skipper. I pull in to the pretty but busy Gustavia harbour and try to pick up a mooring. It's congested; there are double, bow and stern, balls, and theres a side breeze. Some how I do it, without denting mine or anyone else's boat. This sailing life is an adventure, and I'm definitely beginning to prefer the open sea to anything solid.
I make a stop at the lovely anchorage of Anse de Colombier, before leaving Barths and moving on to St maarten/St martin.

St Maarten is a busy and very commercial place. I make the passage through the dutch side road bridge at Simpson Bay, and anchor in the lagoon. Do some boat parts shopping, tour the island, check out a few restaurants and bars - including finding a very welcoming  and popular Shrimpys Bar- the cruisers hang-out - with excellent SA hosts Mike and Sally. 

Solo time is over and I'm getting ready to be joined by first mate Hil.  Next blog.....