Still in Barbados

Bardados turned out to be a very relaxing place. It is just like the picture postcard images: blue sky, azure sea, fine, white sand beaches fringed with palm trees and other trees and lots of hot sunshine. It rains heavily sometimes, which is very refreshing, but it stays warm and soon the sun is shining again. What’s more, everyone speaks English! It’s so good that we’re still here!

We have been thoroughly spoilt by Janice and John, friends of Gavin (Jeremy’s brother) and Eileen. They live here from December to May in a fabulous house next to the sea, just north of Bridgetown, called Ocean Blue. Parts of the house or all of it can be rented for holidays if you don’t happen to arrive here on your own boat! Straight away, on our arrival, we were invited to stay there, have showers or whatever we wanted. Once we’d recovered from our marathon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean we met up and had their maid do our laundry for us while we had long, hot showers. Then we were driven around the north and east of the island and treated to our first rum punches and lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Atlantic with a stretch of rain forest on the other side. Soon after New Year we met up again. John and Janice risked a ride in our inflatable dinghy and came on board Sal Darago for drinks and a tour of our “home”, before we all went ashore in the rain, had showers at Ocean Blue and set off for Chris’s Place. The next door neighbour, Katie, drove us all to a wooden shack where we met Perry, and six of us sat round a table outside on the “patio” eating ribs and chips, drinking rum, whiskey or wine and occasionally dancing outside on the wet, concrete yard. Thanks everyone, we had a great time.

Paradise on Earth does have its down side. We are not allowed to anchor anywhere else in Barbados without permission. It is difficult to fill up with water. The yacht club lets you fill containers but it’s a long way by dinghy and you have to land on the beach through the surf, which always means a soaking. There are showers (cold ones) on the beach but you get soaked with seawater returning by dinghy through the surf.

We have met up with yachts from the Canary Islands and spent New Year’s Day with Guido, a single handed sailor from “Hinano”, who brought a bottle of rum with him to celebrate the New Year. Most days are filled with swimming, shopping for food or parts that we need for the boat and eating. Barbados is quite expensive for some items and we wished we had stocked up with more wine (which is very expensive), before leaving the Canaries. Apparently gold and jewels are very cheap here, so send your orders quickly before we leave!

On Tuesday 6th January we hope to sail about 114 miles to Martinique, which is the furthest north we’ll be going in the Caribbean. We’ll have to brush up our French!

Happy New Year to you all.