Thursday we drove up to Connecticut, there was a light dusting of snow, just enough to make the drive pretty but not hinder our plans. Once again we received a warm welcome from Fran and Peter and to show our gratitude we cooked dinner- good ole Shepard’s pie (Major Doms recipe of course). Friday, we had enough time to enjoy a walk in the snow and then drive up to Hotchkiss School for a camp fair.

Saturday morning we woke up to an idyllic white view, 6 inches of snow had fallen throughout the night and it was still snowing heavy. After numerous weather reports, we decided not to drive to Boston and stay put in Connecticut. All wrapped up, Fran, Emma, Max and I took to the snow covered streets of Colchester. We barely saw another soul as we walked (hiked) through the snow. It wasn’t till lunch time that we saw snow ploughs clear the roads. I had completely underestimated how much work is involved in clearing the snow and making it accessible for everyone. In these parts, that’s how it is and people get on with it- including Fran’s 90 year old neighbour, who insisted on clearing her own driveway.

Back in time for a cozy afternoon on the couch, a chick flick and Max stretched out in front of the crackling fire, all while sipping some red wine. I am not too sure how we got so lucky and ended up in this picture perfect scenario, but hey enjoy it while it lasts.

Sunday morning, a quick breakfast, goodbyes to Fran and Peter and we took to the roads again. We were headed to Phillips Academy, Acton and this was the furthest north we would venture. It was the busiest fair we attended; with over 100 organizations- fingers crossed we get some bookings.

Another long drive for Emma back to our apartment in Northport, just in time to hear the roars from Mike and his guests in the house above as the Giants win the football game.

Monday and Tuesday were spent in the office catching up. Tuesday evening we headed to Commac to meet Emma’s uncle Seamus and his friend Patty. Miranda – our GPS had a little moment but eventually found her way to La Scala. The food was amazing. Still getting used to the massive portions, I don’t know how anyone finishes their dinner, but hey it means you can get it wrapped and have lunch sorted for the next day. It was lovely to finally meet Patty after hearing so much about her.

A flying visit to New York for me on Wednesday, taking the train to the Bronx for a camp fair. Emma and Miranda went on a road trip to Philadelphia.

More skype interviews and office duties filled the rest of the week. Thursday we enjoyed the bright lights of Northport, we grabbed some drinks with the Sail Caribbean office guys and then enjoyed dinner with Liz. We kicked off the weekend with dinner and a trip to the movies. We saw the Iron Lady- for those of you that haven’t seen it, I thoroughly recommend it. Meryl Streep is fantastic and for me I guess it helped put all the pieces together.

Mike asked someone else to cover the fairs in Boston, it was two folded as we were disappointed not to see friends and spend time with Emma’s family but it also meant we were not under pressure and Emma didn’t have to face a long drive back after the fairs. We continued to work in the office over the weekend and enjoyed some retail therapy/ supporting the USA economy, well everyone has to do their bit right?

Sunday night we treated ourselves to dinner at the Ritz- not quiet as fancy as you would think, but still one of the best meals we’ve had. Chatting with the locals we realized there is lots to Long Island we still haven’t seen. Fingers crossed we get to come back again soon.

Charlie, Emma and myself had a lovely dinner with Mike and Janice. Stories and wine, followed by a few more drinks at the Ritz, the perfect way to spend our last evening.

We both felt sad to leave the States, the people who had been so welcoming and generous. On the other hand we were both feeling excited to head to Toronto and the next leg of our adventure.

It feels ages since I wrote the blog, so I thought I would take the opportunity while Emma is still out on the road at a Camp Fair.

Not sure we ever explained what these are? Basically they are aimed at people with money who want to send their kids to a camp for the summer holidays. They are organized by companies or parent associations at the schools, normally 30+ companies turn up.

Each fair is at a different location yet the event is always the same.

On arrival each recruiter scans the room for the best table, then a quick sprint (laden with boxes, banners, bags and coats) over to the chosen table, without hesitation he/she rolls out their table cloth to claim victory over the prize table. Any eye contact with other recruiters is acknowledged with a sympathetic head tilt, secretly saying “haha better luck next time dude” Next the pop up banner is erected-it towers high on the table –domination is key, brochures are fanned, candy bowls filled, pens are clicked, a quick clear of the throat in preparation of the winning sales pitch, a quick adjusting of ties or t- shirts and then it’s action stations!  The doors open ….. I’d like to continue with …that’s when all the parents and kids rush in, but the reality is quite different. Once everyone realizes that there is hardly anyone there, (most people search on the internet rather than attend traditional camp fairs) all the recruiters lose their “game face” and start chatting to their neighboring recruiter. It’s always a great bunch of people. By now we have met most of the recruiters as we all travel about the same camp fairs. Some fairs are busier than others, but most are fairly quiet.

The idea of the fair is simple, parents and kids tour around the companies; you give them your pitch, a brochure and then answer any questions. Most of us are on commission; to motivate us to get contact details etc. It will be interesting to find out how many book onto our programs.

There is heaps of competition, you can do almost anything at camps; from creating your own Xbox game to attending circus school, others involve traveling; trekking in Nepal or saving endangered animals in Costa Rica. Camp culture is huge in USA, some camps have up to 2000 kids, they start going at 5 years old- most are sleep away camps, normally between 3-12 weeks long.

To be honest we both feel lucky as our company is well known, has great promotional materials and if I do say so myself it’s pretty awesome- www.sailcaribbean.com (if you don’t believe me, play the video and you might see some familiar faces.

It hasn’t been all work,  will catch up with the rest of our news soon. 🙂

Flying into JFK I felt both excitement and a little nervous. Neither of us were quiet sure how we would react to the cold and more so the craziness of a busy city in the height of the holiday season.I am happy to say that all these fears  dissolved within minutes of passing through the arrivals hall.

Emma’s family are like many of our Irish families, there are lots of them!!!  four of her dad’s sibling living in and around NYC. Emma’s uncle Nick – (the spitting image of her dad, for a couple of minutes I actually thought it was her dad on a surprise visit) picked us up from JFK and whisked us out of the towering lights and honking traffic to  Seamus’s house, Long  Island. My heart raced as I got used to driving on the “wrong side of the road”, distracted only by the flashing white, red and green Christmas lights, nativity scenes and giant Santas that decorated all the houses -just like in the films.

Two minutes in the door and the kettle was on- loving this Irish hospitality. Seamus’ house is  complete contrast to our tropical paradise, it’s decorated with beautiful traditional decorations, hosting a blazing fire and the sweet smell of cinnamon and pine needles wafts through the air- bliss.

The house is set in a sleepy community- Wading River,  with a lake and a forest trail just 3 minutes from the front door, deer often roaming in the garden. No snow yet but we are not bothered, I am sure it will arrive before we leave. It’s been a relaxed couple of days , catching up on sleep in a comfy bed,  hot showers, a shopping trip to stock up on fleeces etc,  drinking wine in front of the fire, walks in the forest and lots of nattering over a pot of tea.

Yesterday we ventured into the City, Deegans on mass ! We met up with Fran, Peter, Nick, Maureen and Kenneth. The  Deegan walk about was great craic as we chatted from block to block,  tilted our heads back and took in the sights. It was a little overwhelming at times as people pushed and shoved past.  It was bizarre to stop and watch people snap the camera and then rush from one attraction to the next, no one taking time to stop and appreciate the view there and then. I guess that’s life in NYC.

A few  drinks in The Perfect Pint and then onto a beautiful Italian for dinner. It was a great day and many thanks to all the Deegans for making me feel so welcome and at home, so many miles from Ireland.

On proof reading this Emma had reminded me of the three hours that I missed out. I was so taken aback by all that we saw that I left out some of the details. Before we got as far as our first meeting point we stopped for some liquid refreshment at Maggie’s bar and then headed to St Patrick’s cathedral. There we met Fran and Peter and we began our walk about. We headed to the Rockefeller Centre, saw the tree and the ice rink, saw the Christmas windows, including one made for Lady Gaga (one window display was made of hair), walked to Times square and saw where all the festivities will take place tomorrow night. We were slight;y disappointed to not see the naked cowboy but didn’t have time to dwell on it as we were very soon perched on a bar stool in The Perfect Pint being served by a bar man from Laois. Here we had a couple of pre-dinner drinks and then walked to Naples 45 for dinner!!!!!

Hard to believe we have been calling Rodney Bay home for just over two weeks now. Since our last update things have been a wee bit slower as we adapt to the chilled out Caribbean life style.

Tuesday-A morning of stainless steel work on the boat, less satisfying than the fibreglass work but good to get the job done. Tuesday was a local holiday, so shops etc closed early as everyone enjoyed celebrations, local style– well everyone except us. Although there was a great party shaping up in the Marina with a band, free food & drink and folks wearing Masquerade masks, we decided we needed a night off and enjoyed an early night.- yes I agree folks, that big 30 must be fast approaching….

Wednesday- Some more maintenance on the boat. We decided after eating out so much we would cook on the boat.  Mmmm fajitas – one of the best meals we’ve had since arriving J Nate (from Ula) and Russell joined us in on the indulging feast, we enjoyed a bottle(s) of wine. Steve from Cattitude came by for a few drinks, then invited us to his boat for drinks. She is a beautiful luxurious fully staffed Catamaran.

Thursday- Feeling slightly worse for wear after our “quiet night in” . Got some small jobs ticked off then to the beach to top up the tan. Thor jumped ship to sail to Antigua with Challenger 4, we wish our Ozzy mate all the best. A quick bite to eat in town and then back in time to catch the bus to Pigeon Island for the ARC fancy dress party. This year’s theme was- Thriller!. It was by far the best party of the entire event, we met loads of people dancing and talking the night away.

All the ARC staff dressed up in bed sheets, smeared with blood and blackened eyes. Emma and I  decided to spend more time on the beach and less time prepping for the party, so went with our hair in disarray (a look we have been perfecting for years). Emma wore an arrow through her head, while I had a bone. Dresses on and big black eyes and we were all set.

As we piled into the minibus in the darkness of the car park, we were greeted by a zombie. Surrounded by mother tongues from all over the world it was a hilarious moment as he begged the driver to wait for “me mate – he is in the jax having a lash”- not sure it quiet translated but he waited. He was one of the guys from Rush (Dublin) we had met a couple of days before. We were delighted to meet the guys from Nix again; a truly great night was had by all.

Photos are a pain to load up to the blog, so check out our facebook profiles for some evidence instead 🙂

 

Friday- Slow start to the day, to be expected after such a great night. Sammy finished his course and is now officially a diver. We said goodbye to Ula as Paul, Tanya and Nate take her to St Maartan.

Saturday- Morning on the boat ,then an afternoon on beach (despite our best efforts, we still have tan lines and look like an international flag at times. Russell kindly treated us to lunch at spinnakers,- a nice restaurant on the beach . Time for a quick shower before we headed to the prize giving. Sneaking into Russell’s hotel for a posh shower, I felt like a naughty school girl. But hey I am so glad we did, I have been lucky enough to enjoy showers the size of dinner plates before, but this was the size of a car tyre. The prize giving brought mixed feelings, excited to be there and awaiting our moment on the stage but also a wee bit saddened knowing that it was all over. We missed all our crew that have already returned home or moved on with their travels, especially the kids. There was a huge moment of pride as Ned’s DVD was shown as all the ARC children received their prizes. Well done Ned you captured the attention of 500 people! Receiving a huge applause, not sure I forgive you for the photo though..Rum punch, great food and of course victory, mmm tasty J More goodbyes, this time to the guys from Nix- James, George and Vicky. Hope to see you all again soon.

Sunday- A day off !!! enjoyed a lie in,  beach  time and then an amazing pizza. Very chilled day off.

Monday- day off…. See Emma’s blog as I have decided that I have been doing all the work and she needs to step up.

Tuesday – Hard to get back into work mode again but there is still lots to do. Cattitude left for Antigua. Resealing the woodwork in the galley got the better of me and Emma managed to service another two winches. Some beers with Tim as he flew out the next day. The marina now resembles a ghost town as all the ARC boats leave.

Wednesday- Found out today that that Filizim (a friends  boat) was stolen. She was on her way to St Thomas to join a ship to take her back to Turkey, not sure what happened, will hopefully find out more tomorrow.

We found out today that Mike from Sail Caribbean has plenty of work to keep us busy in January in the states, so that cheered us up. Just need to make some big decisions what to do after that as predicted the bank balance is dropping fast. Should we take our chances with work (visas) and head to NZ? Or should we go else where before we return to the Caribbean in May and potentially miss Gemma and Tiny’s big day? Not sure what to do and unfortunately we need to decide by the weekend as the States won’t let us in unless we have outward flights booked.

What do you guys think? Decision time what will be our fate in Feb?

Since we arrived here in Rodney Bay, it’s been a busy week- don’t get me wrong it’s not the hustle and buzzle of the pre-Christmas rush in Glasgow or Dublin, or even a typical day in  the kitchen of the Deegan household. I mean busy – Island style, meaning you spend a long time enduring the heat deciding on what to do next then sauntering about, achieving half of what you set out to do.  There is a reason the locals are so chilled out- it’s the only way they can cool down.

Our first day was pretty sweet after  morning celebrations & phone calls home and  a manic deep clean on the boat; we enjoyed our first  lunch ashore in the marina with a couple of well-deserved Pitons (local beer). Since we were one of the first boats in – yes people that’s right I will continue to brag for as long as possible J the Marina was pretty quiet, but there was a definite  buzz about the place, mainly created by the horns and cheers surrounding the new arrivals.

Firstly the local tourist office presented a welcomed chilled glass of local rum punch- this stuff is lethal  and I am sure would shine up any engine/ bilge, along with  a basket of colourful ripe fruit and other goodies. The ARC staff dressed in bright yellow shirts buzzed about with great big smiles making each of the vessels and her crew feel like they were first over the line- I really admired their bubbly spirit, especially as up to 30 boats arrived in  the space of 24 hours.

For us it was a  nice power shower, clean t-shirt and we were back out siting under umbrellas on the waterfront recounting our sea tales and watching the world go by, a nice way to ease back into shore life….

Fruity cocktails arrived courtesy of Cloughy – skipper of Filizim, as most of the staff on One Hull Know him from sail training in the uk he was one of our main competitors during the race- the fact the we beat him, made the  daiquiri- taste all the sweeter.

Some of the crew swapped our cramped tin can for air conditioned hotels but came back for a crew dinner. A beautiful meal  followed by emotional speeches as we thanked each other for various moments throughout the voyage.

The next few days seem to roll into each other as Emma, Sam, Tim, Russell, Danny and I caught up on some maintenance on One Hull. The boat acted as a magnet for those that stayed in hotels, they returned daily to catch up- after such a crossing I think they found it difficult to stay away and would often make excuses to come down. Of course all were very welcome and we enjoyed many lunches, dinners and of course the odd rum punch.

On day two Emma, Russell, Sammy, Quinny, Nigel and I took a taxi into the local town, discovering an amazing local restaurant, recommended by our taxi driver- The Lime, you know it’s good when you see all the locals tucking in during their lunch hour. Fresh salads, jerk chicken, plantain (like a banana but cooked), bread fruit, – delicious and a long cry from tinned Irish stew.

Local cuisine followed by international giants, we entered a huge Hagen Das store! The assistant was kind enough- or gullible enough to let us try before we bought- I’d  safely  say I tried half a tub before I gave into ordering  a bowl of macadamia. I’d go as far as saying it was better than Nardini’s in Largs, however hands up, I’d say the air con made it all the tastier. J

On Wednesday we attended the official ARC welcome party in a very posh hotel. As the free drink flowed, the kettle drums were skilfully tapped and the local cuisine  passed around, I  closed my eyes to hear  the crashing waves on the beach only a couple of feet away- it was  a real pinch me is this actually real moment? Toes dipped in the ocean, could it be real? ??

Seconds later and a few hysteric screams, yip it was real alright and to prove it I was soaked up to my thighs -caught out by a wave. Sandy and wet Tarun, Sammy and I returned to the others.  “Right , that’s it” I shouted over the kettle drums we need to spread out from our cosy circle and meet some other people. Seetha agreed and we spread out to talk to strangers- Seetha. Sammy and Emma returned with knowledge of two new friends,  I failed miserably as I bumped into people I already knew, turns out I knew more people than I thought. All the same we all agreed we should make more of an effort to talk to others during our days in Rodney Bay, especially as we are here for a few weeks.

Not too sure what day it was Tarun convinced Emma and I to have a go on his scooter, it was a great laugh as we hung on for dear life bouncing about on the bumpy roads. Unfortunately he lost his wallet, which put a definite downer on the experience. The good news is it turned up yesterday a nice local lady handed it in J

 The next day Emma and I enjoyed an afternoon on the beach with our books as the boys blitzed about on their rented jet skis. The sun soon set and it was time for yet another daiquiri- tough times.

Friday was filled with goodbyes as Ned, Vince and Danny flew back to the UK. Tarun, Seetha and Lianne headed to another part of the Island for a couple of nights before heading on to see friends  in Barbados.

Saturday we met with our skipper Tim after we finally came to the decision to stay on board One Hull for Christmas. The deal is we carry out some routine checks and maintenance and we will stay until the 27^th  December , giving us the weekends to discover the Island.  Looks like it will be Emma, Sammy maybe Thor onboard for xmas. On the 27^th Emma and I will head to New York to spend time with her family and fingers crossed some work with Sail Caribbean.

As Pablo (my favourite Spanish man)  and his family flew out on Sunday we all enjoyed a meal out- fire eaters, limbo dancing  and men with snakes grabbing our attention in the back ground- the locals sure know how to party J

Sunday- A DAY OFF- Wohoooooo J after a nice lie in we headed to Pigeon Island only a couple of miles away, it’s a nature reserve steeped in history, it presented a stunning beach, blazing sun and warm waters. After a lounge on the beach, a nice relaxing dip,  we climbed the peaks and took in the views reaching as far a St Matinique- followed by a yummy lunch in the most idyllic café .

After lunch we strolled about the xmas market. The most bizarre thing to see/ hear was the local kids playing with bamboo. They set up two long logs at an angle in the air like a canon, each one had a wee hole cut in about a foot from the bottom, then from a lit  beer bottle of petrol they took a twig poked the fire in the hole, blew in the hole, repeated the process until BANG-and I mean it was a loud bang, the kids didn’t even flinch with noise . A t first I was surprised as the youngest was about five and the oldest was about twelve- in hind insight I reckon they have done it so often they are now probably deaf- they continued for hours and hours entertaining the crowds.

 The xmas market itself is far cry from the German/ Austrian markets but it was great to have a look around. Jingle bells and little drummer boy played on the kettle drums and with a Caribbean twist it was a little different to those of you enjoying fairy tale of new york at your Christmas parties back home. In the middle of the grassy lawn stood stalls and a big colourful stage decorated with Christmas trees that looked like they were in their prime last Christmas, various artist played throughout the evening with everyone dancing along.  As darkness fell we enjoyed a slice of pizza and a Piton . Sitting on the grass amongst the locals, colourful lights lit up we enjoyed the Caribbean Christmassy ambience.

Back to base and an early dinner of Turkish meatballs onboard  Filizim- If Carlsberg did days off……

A productive days work yesterday as we cleaned and polished all the fibreglass. A slow yet rewarding job on a 72 foot boat! I have to admit she did look great as she  glistened in the sun today. Too bad it now shows up the rest of the boat, stainless steel to get some TLC tomorrow.

 Today we woke up feeling slightly delicate, pancakes, bacon and eggs was the only cure.  The night started off tame as we returned the favour to  Filizims crew and Nathan – crew from Ula, Emma cooked a mean Spag Bol and Sam played bar man making up some of his tasty rum punch. Some more drinks at the bar and then it was onto our first Full Moon Party.

 A small beach on the east coast of the island didn’t look promising as our shuttle bus dropped us at the end of a muddy path, however after dodging a few puddles and avoiding a few branches in the dark, we were pleasantly surprised as fire torches lead us to a small shack bar and a DJ.  A couple of hours dancing  followed by a midnight swim.- Pretty nice way to spend a Monday evening J

Right guys I will leave you with all that to digest- sorry this one was so long, will try and keep them  short and sweet and more regular from now on.

 I am away to ease some mossi bites- see people there are some downfalls of living in paradise.

 Love to all Lorraine (& Emma) x

Altough we have been planning this adventure since Feb, it still seemed to creep up on us. Trawling through emails and forums looking for a boat to join for the ARC 2011, researching insurance, flights, travel vacinations etc- Even when you don’t have a plan, you still spend hours looking at all the possibilities.

Our one certainity was that we were keen to sail the Atlantic and the Arc was the way we wanted to do it.

After te the ARC are plans are vague.Those of you reading this that haven’t a clue what we have undertaken, perhaps the best thing is to check out the website www.worldcruising.com. In simple terms the ARC is the Atlantic Rally Cruise, departing from the Canaries in November and arriving in Saint Lucia. This year there were about 240 boats entered.

Just three days before we crossed the starting line, Emma also got confirmation that we would be sailing onboard Cat Zero’s vessel- One Hull, a Challenge 72.  During the week in Las Palmas, we partied hard at night and worked on the boat during the day- most memorably making strops for the spinnaker, to prevent chaff I was sooo nervous when first hoisted the spinny, thankfully they held.

On Novemeber 20th we set off early to get the sails up and complete a Man Overboard excercise and a quick bit of lunch.Then all of a sudden the whole ARC fleet and hundreds of locals joined in a frantic dash across the line. It was a magical feeling as the boat picked up speed and seeing everyones reaction as reality hit- This is it guys we are about to sail across the Atlantic.

We had a real mixture of folk onboard- including three young people, Ned 11, Jan 14, Lianne 12-they were the stars of the show.

We were in two groups (watches) each group had 5 crew plus a watchleader and assistant watchleader (I was assistant) We worked 3 hour shifts at night and four during the day, it worked well as each second day you would have two 4 hour watches / shifts off.

Some magic moments for me included;

– spotting Scarlet Oyster on the horizon and then steering a nice steady course to catch her up , just as the sun was going down in first of us.- truely magic

-Catching the Dorado and enjoying the feast

– Fancy dress party mid Atlantic,

-the smell of fresh bread,

-Lying in the snake pit  (middle part of the boat) watching shooting stars, there were lots.

-being on the bow for a gybe

– being in the bow for a gybe when the sheet worked itself loose and wipped around like a viper on the foredeck, scary and got the aderline pumping for sure.

-teaching the kids how to fix the ropes on the bow, with the water rushing below us

-my first sleep after Pablo fitted our fans- my hero

-being on deck at night in the balmy breeze in t-shirt and shorts, a long cry from sailing in Scotland

– surfing down massive waves and scoring a speed of 13.7 knots

– enjoying a shower at sea, after all my years on boats this was the first time, in total 5 showers in two weeks a true luxury. Many thanks to Quinny for fixing the generator

– Crossing the finish line ahead of Filizim (especially after Cloughy had wound me up in Las Palmas saying there was no chance we would beat them on such a heavy upwind boat)

 

The hard bits

– Staying focused on the helm while on the 3-6 shift

– getting used to the hot sun on deck during the 9-1 or 1-5 day shifts.

-Eating Irish stew from a can in 30 degrees

I guess you would expect more hard bits but that was really it.

I am sure I will think of lots more as the days go by and I go through my diary but I thought this would at least get us started.

ARC Blog submitted to Cat Zero’s website mid voyage-

Lorraine and Emma   13:01    01/12/2011

 
Day 10, same boat, same watch system and the same vast seascape, many of you reading this probably think this must be very monotonous- however this couldn’t be further from the truth. Although our crew list says the same people are still on-board, I find this difficult to believe. Each day we have overcome both personal and group challenges, putting our existing and new learnt skills to the test. Big Brother could not have casted a more diverse group of people- yet it is difficult to imagine the voyage with anyone else.

 Something fishy happened last night- the boat stunk of fish yet we couldn’t trace the slimy culprit. During the last few nights we have played Russian roulette as Flying Fish frequently land on deck, slapping anyone who gets in their way- remember it’s pitch black! A couple of crew members; Tarun, Jay, Jan and Nigel have been caught out and the rest of us laugh nervously, knowing we might be next.

 Today was kind of a crazy day, just as Tiger watch were licking their lips with the promise of scrambled eggs for brekkie, tactics required us to change course and put in a gybe. Luckily we are becoming pros at this, but unluckily a spanner was thrown in the works. During the prep we discovered our two spinny halyards (the ropes which hold the spinnaker sail up) were damaged and twisted. Rather than send an unwilling volunteer up the mast we decided to drop the Spinnaker and host the Yankee ( another sail at the front of the boat) while we repaired the halyard blocks. It was like a well rehearsed film as we all took to our action stations and lowered the great white beast. Emma and Nigel kept the vipers tame in the snakepit (central control for the many ropes involved in such procedures) and all went smoothly and safely. Tim fixed the head and Lorraine whipped out her surgeons box ( sail repair kit) for some prompt sewing on the guy.

 Just as we had the spinny back up and were back to the original task of gybing, there was a yell from the Stern – FISH, We’ve caught a fish!!!!!  Everyone abandoned their positions and rushed to the stern to see more.  This fish was willing to put up a fight but after two get aways in recent days, he didn’t stand a chance. Russell, Thor and Tarun wrestled him through the surf.  With squeals of excitement and steady helming from Vincent we got all 10kg of him onboard.   Yummy dinner for tonight sorted 😉 After an afternoon basking in the sun with Bob Marley blasting on deck, spirits are high as we look forward to tonight’s delicious feast.