Day 146: Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Niue – 31/05/10

My night watch passes without incident and yet again I am able to sleep when I am supposed to.

The winds are still light which means we continue to make painfully slow process unless we put one of the engines on.  However, during the afternoon the wind picks up quite significantly and suddenly we are flying along in 22 knots of wind with a speed of 13.5 knots, not consistently, mainly it’s around 10 knots – it is skimming down the waves that we get that speed.

The downside of this is rougher sea, not enough to make me feel ill. but enough to give the boat frequent unexpected lurches in the wrong direction to throw you off balance.  I’ll count the bruises tomorrow!

Although I haven’t felt ill on this passage, I’m disappointed nevertheless that I am not enjoying the sailing more overall.  Oh yes, there are times when I actively enjoy it, but those are the odd days or hours when all the conditions are perfect.  Most of the time, it is something which has to be endured in order to get from A to B, and sometimes enduring it is incredibly hard.  I know I am lucky to have the opportunity of doing this trip, but my luck is in seeing all the places that I am visiting (which I wouldn’t have been able to see any other way), not in the journey from one place to another.  That’s just a necessary evil.  If I could just fly home from time to time it would help a huge amount but I can’t as it’s just not practical to leave Mike alone on the boat and we don’t want to have extra crew aboard.  I suppose, as usual, I want my cake and eat it!

Still, with our increased speed today, at least we know we’ll be in Niue tomorrow.

 

 

Our position is:  19 deg 23 min S, 168 deg 55 min W

Distance so far:  7881 nautical miles

Day 145: Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Niue – 30/05/10

The winds are light today, pathetically light.  We continue for some time just using the genoa even though it flaps around a bit but Mike puts an engine on too, partly because we need something to supplement the battery charging but also because we are getting no where fast.  During the late morning Dreamcatcher steams past us – they have given up trying to sail as their boat is too heavy for the light wind, and they have a much more powerful engine than us. 

However, this lack of wind does have its upside.  The sea is calm and it is comfortable in the cockpit as it’s also a little cloudy and therefore a lovely temperature.  I therefore get to lie down on one of the huge side cushions and read and also manage to wash down the underside of the bimini and the frame which is covered with tiny dead flies and fly pooh.  It looks so much better when I have finished.

I talk to Marie on the VHF and discovers that she is the owner of the next two Stieg Larsson books and has agreed to lend them to me.  Yippee.  Small things can please in the middle of the ocean!

Mike puts the fishing lure out again but with some modifications.  The three we caught yesterday have beaten it up a little so Mike adds some cut up pieces of yellow balloon to attract them.  It doesn’t work.  Obviously the fish around here have more fashion sense than Mike does, so he tries another type of lure completely and that has no success either.  There is a distinct absence of whales too.

In the late afternoon the wind picks up a little and while I am in bed, Mike puts out the full main sail and turns the engine off.  Peace at last.

Today is hair day and I get my hair colouring kit out – it’s calm enough to do this without getting the stuff everywhere.  I have the special brush to apply the colour but find it much easier to slap it on with my fingers and just rub it in like shampoo.  Thank goodness I have short hair.

 

 

Our position is:  19 deg 56 min S, 166 deg 07 min W

Distance so far:  7723 nautical miles

Day 144: Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Niue – 29/05/10

My watch passes without incident and when I go back down to bed at 4.30 am I actually fall asleep almost immediately and stay asleep until 8.30 am which is really good for me.

The weather and sea are still really calm and we still just have the genoa out in front, ambling along at a nice comfortable speed.  Mike grabs a couple of hours’ sleep and has just come back up and gone into the cockpit when he hears a strange noise, looks over the guard rails then shouts for me to come out quick with the camera.  There, just ten feet away from the boat and keeping pace with us is a huge, HUGE whale.  It is the full length of our boat, about 44 feet in length.  Sod’s law means that the camera’s battery needs changing and by the time I have done this, Moby Dick has moved a little further away from the boat.  While I film, Mike rushes to take the fishing line in as we really don’t want it to get tangled as it would rip the rod out of the holder.

  

 

Photo:  Moby Dick

Moby Dick stays with us for about five minutes, gradually allowing itself to drift further and further away, and Mike has just put the line out again when it reappears behind us, right at the point where the lure is in the water and appears to be taking a look at it before catching up with us again and swimming parallel with us about 30 feet away.  Again it stays for a few minutes then drifts off.

Mike is convinced that to a whale, our twin hulls look like two whales swimming together, which is why they come to investigate.  I just hope that visitors of this size are not in an amorous mood – any attempts to jump us could be catastrophic!

All of a sudden we get a bite on the line (luckily not a whale) and Mike pulls in a nice mahi mahi.  He gets it all the way into the cockpit before it gives a huge thrash, gets off the hook and throws itself back down the steps and into the sea, swimming off to fight another day.  It was a nice size too.  Bugger.

Photo:  Pulling him in

Photo:  Almost dinner – the one that got away

The sea is so calm that I decide to get some washing done.  Mike puts the water maker on and we set the washing machine up in the cockpit.  We use the dirty water for cleaning the cockpit of the boat but this does drag the process out as we empty bucket after bucket load and scrub our little hearts out.  No sooner have we scrubbed the fish slime off the back steps than the line goes out again.  Another mahi mahi, but this time Mike decides it is a bit too small and releases it and we have to wash everything down again.  I’d have eaten it, if only to make scrubbing the decks worthwhile!

I should have had an afternoon sleep as I am scheduled for two watches tonight but the washing takes me all afternoon.  I hang everything inside the boat - it never dries properly if it gets salty air on it - and in between make a nice big pot of dhal.

Just as I am about to do my watch the wind picks up and changes direction.  Mike decides that he needs to do the watch until things calm down again and I go off to bed.  When he wakes me, everything is nice and settled again.

 

 

Our position is:  20 deg 23 min S, 163 deg 55 min W

Distance so far:  7611 nautical miles

Day 143: Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Niue – 28/05/100

The alarm goes off at 6 am and we start to get ourselves ready for leaving.  I get the blog published and check my e-mails from the comfort of my bed one last time, then after my two cups of tea, I heave myself out reluctantly knowing that I won’t see this bed for at least four days until we reach Niue.

At 7.15 am both Jim and Bob from Ocean Jasper parked next door are on the quay and ready to release our lines.  They untie us and as they feed the lines out I take up the slack in the anchor chain.  All goes well until about half the chain is up then the windlass starts to whine and slip, turning round without pulling the chain up.

I turn worriedly to Mike and raise my hands in exasperation.  Now what?  We have been told that the sea bed here is awash with old anchors, chains and lines.  Could we possibly have our anchor caught on one or more of these?  But to me it doesn’t feel like that.  I am able to pull a bit of the chain up by hand, but it just won’t feed through the windlass.  Mike allows Jeannius to swing around (we are now well forward of Ocean Jasper and in no danger of hitting her) so that we can pull the anchor out from behind if it is caught, and it quickly becomes obvious that the anchor is free from the bottom as we don’t tip forward like we did in Manihi when it was caught on the coral head.  It is therefore a problem with the windlass.  I take over the helm and Mike goes forward with a winch handle and tightens it each time it slips, gradually pulling all the chain up, until with a satisfying clunk, the anchor slips into place on the bow.

We wave goodbye to the boats left on the quay and motor out through the harbour entrance with Dreamcatcher close on our heels and Ronja following behind her.  With A Lady having left yesterday afternoon, that leaves just the three American boats - Brown Eyed Girl, Crazy Horse and Ocean Jasper - in Rarotonga.

I am sorry to be leaving.  Our time in Rarotonga has been magical.  What an unexpected little treasure this island was with its beautiful mountains, beaches and reef and the friendliest people I have met so far.  I am so glad that Mike made the decision to break away from the pack and head here and I wish we could have stayed longer.

As we head out of the shelter of the harbour, I am even more sorry to be leaving – the wind is 20 to 25 knots, more than was forecast, and we are going against the waves which hit us hard on the starboard side.  I instantly start to panic that I will get sick again, which of course is a sure fire recipe for actually making me sick and I know I will make myself worse if I don’t do something to take my mind off it.  Luckily, glancing behind at Dreamcatcher and seeing Marie removing their fenders from the side of the boat, I realise that we have left ours out too and go forward to retrieve them.  In the pitching and rocking of the boat, I have to stay low and cling on tight but soon they are all stowed away and I feel a bit better.

As we leave the shelter of the island and get into deeper water, the wind dies a bit to the predicted 15 to 20 knots and we get the two genoas out, goose winging them on either side.  The waves and wind are now both coming from almost directly behind us and with everything suddenly becoming comfortable, all thoughts of sea sickness quickly evaporate. 

We have a lovely sail, ambling relatively slowly at 5.5 to 6 knots.  Both Mike and I are able to lie down and read, prepare lunch and sleep when required.  We get two bites on the line but both times they manage to get free, although our new lure takes a hammering and is now bitten in half.  The third bite results in a fish, a yellow fin tuna, but it is small and would only feed us both for one meal, so Mike releases it to grow into a bigger meal for someone else.

I get well into my new book which Maggie has lent me.  Laura has been going on about the author Stieg Larsson for ages, and I am finally reading his first book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  It is brilliant.  I read half of it today, happy in the knowledge that there are another two books to follow this one – if I can find the rest in the fleet as book swaps!

The day passes easily and comfortably.  When it’s finally time for me to go to bed to sleep before my watch, I actually fall asleep and feel refreshed when Mike wakes me at midnight for my turn.  Let’s hope the rest of the passage is as good as today.

 

 

Our position is:  20 deg 51 min S, 161 deg 27 min W

Distance so far:  7487 nautical miles

Day 142: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 27/05/10

We only have the bike for a couple more hours so we do our errands early as this is our last day on Rarotonga.  We do some last minute provisioning (mainly meaning buying frozen shrimp, beer and white wine).  There are even more people coming down to the port to take a look at us today as lots of them have seen us on yesterday’s news.  We do the checking out bit by paying our bill at the port and visiting customs.  We manage to find Mike some new t-shirts with the Tahiti beer Hinano designs on that are half price, and I buy some presents, then we rush back to the boat ready for my plane ride.

Lars, from the Norwegian boat, Ronja, has organised a sightseeing trip of the island in a Cesna 174 (a three-seater plus the pilot).  He pops his family in the first plane then waits for me at the airport to accompany me as he doesn’t know whether I have flown in such a small craft before.

The flight only takes 30 minutes but is great fun. 

Photo:  Lars and myself with our hired Cessna

Photos:  The reef around Rarotonga

Photo:  The mountainous interior of Rarotonga

Mike comes to pick me up from the airport on the scooter.  When we arrive back at the port, it’s great to see Donal sitting on the deck of A Lady.  He has been released from hospital but cannot sail off with John and Stephen as he needs to be checked over by the doctor again on Monday.  He will stay with friends on the island and fly to meet the boat again in Tonga.  We do a few last minute errands then while he takes the scooter back, I rush around and tidy the boat and shower ready for our evening guests.  It’s been ages since we have seen Rosemary, Bill and Matt from Crazy Horse and Jim, Maggie and Bob from Ocean Jasper.  I know that organising a social just before you head out to sea is not generally a good idea, but it seems too good an opportunity to miss.

They all come over just as the sun starts to set, using a line between us and Ocean Jasper.  Transfers between boats are precarious at the moment but they manage it easily and inventively.

Photo:  Don’t fall in again, Jim!

We have some wine and nibbles.  Very soon it all gets very …….. happy!

Photo:  Getting sillier by the minute

By the time we have drunk a few bottles of wine, our visitors have missed their dinner reservations and decide to partake of the local fish and chips with us.  While we are there, a local guy decides to entertain us with his version of how to make fire without matches.  It is all very scientific, and he has countless goes, but tonight his mojo is not with him, and although lots of smoke is produced, the flames that he has promised elude him.  Ray Mears would be mortified!

We say our goodbyes.  The other two boats are not leaving until the weekend.  On board Jeannius, for my sins (which are probably many) I sit and write three days’ worth of blog before I am allowed to go to bed.  Tomorrow at 7 am we will start the sail to Niue.

Day 141: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 26/05/10

OK.  Yesterday we did nothing so we decide to do a lot more today, which of course isn’t difficult.

Mike goes off to rent a motor scooter.  We must be mad.  After what happened to Donal on Monday the rest of us should have learned our lesson, but obviously not.  Mike comes back with our Yamaha 125cc which I eye with more than a small amount of trepidation.  I have only been on the back of anything once, my brother-in-law’s motor bike (obviously a lot bigger and more powerful than this) but I remember that I clutched him very tightly around the middle and had my eyes shut most of the time, and he only took me about two miles.

The news of the World ARC boats’ arrival has got around and the local TV station turn up to film us all.  Jim from Ocean Jasper is the only one on the quay when they arrive so he gets interviewed.  Mike turns up with the scooter and Jim tries to get him involved but Mike scuttles away before they can get him.

I get off the boat (no mean feat at the moment I can tell you as the northerly wind is creating quite a swell) and up the ladder of death, the cycle of torture is waiting for me – daring me to climb on!

Photo:  Proof that I am genuinely stupid!

I tell Mike that if he does wheelies or skids he is dead meat, and off we go to see Donal in the hospital.  He has umpteen stitches in his head and face but to be honest, looks a lot better than we expected.  We spend some time with him but when he gets tired we leave him to have a sleep.

We start to go round the island.  We haven’t realised until we get to the Waterline Bar quite how late it is but when we arrive they have just stopped serving lunch as it is 2 pm.  However, drinks are still being served so we have a couple of rounds and chat to the owner.  It really is a beautiful spot and we are so glad that Janine and Mark introduced us to it.

Photos:  Back at the Waterline Bar

We ride off again (and by this time, after a couple of glasses of SB on an empty stomach I’m starting to feel pretty mellow and relaxed about being on the back of the scooter) and as we go along the coast road we spot Marie waving frantically.  We stop.  She and Charles have joined the crew of Ronja on an island tour and have stopped for a refreshment break but the bar is just closing as we arrive.  We chat for a few minutes then head off down the road again. 

We spot a lovely beach and stop for a while.  There is a hanging rope and after a short walk down the beach, I realise I can’t ignore the photo opportunity!

Photos:  Posing on the beach

But we are still hungry and it’s now 4 pm.  We get back on the bike and eventually find a swanky resort called The Little Polynesian that serves tapas from 4 to 6 pm ……. and wine.  It is a very pretty, bijoux resort.  The food is wonderful and the waiters, who seem to be of dubious sex are very friendly.

Photos:  Beautiful backdrop at The Little Polynesian

Three glasses of wine later I am feeling more than a little mellow and I’m surprised that Mike is able to keep me on the bike without nailing me to the seat.   He manages to get me back to the port and manhandle me into the dinghy and onto Jeannius without mishap.

I have more than a few happy moments today.  I have been taught that you need to register these as they happen as they are all too easy to forget.  Thank you, my teacher.  You know who you are!

Day 140: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 25/05/10

We decide that today is a lazy day so we do nothing really.  I actually sort of intend getting round to a few jobs but in the end none of them get done.  There is washing to do and the boat is filthy outside, one of the side effects of being close to the road – the dirt blows onto us and sticks to the morning condensation then never seems to come off.

We are still getting loads of “lookie loos” as I call them.  People who come and stand right at the back of the boats and stare in.  I wonder if they would do this to your house?  However, they are all really friendly and just want to chat so it’s not actually annoying or anything.  I just have to remember to put clothes on!

Day 139: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 24/05/10

It’s Mike’s birthday today and he has booked himself a treat – a dune buggy ride into the interior of the island.  Of course, I have to go with him.  Not sure about this.

A safari bus comes and picks us up at 9.30 am and as I climb in I totally forget about the bars across the top and clunk my head on one – hopefully not the shape of things to come.  We arrive at the office of Coconut Tours and pay our money.  The office is at the soon-to-be-opened Cultural Centre which looks lovely.

Photo:  Rarotonga Cultural Centre

Mike signs his life away (and probably mine).  Does anybody ever read the small print on these things?  We are then given our basic instructions on using the buggies.  Our guide, Tony, needs a ‘volunteer’ and I get picked on – the shape of things to come for the duration of the trip.  I become his stooge!

After getting me to demonstrate the workings of the buggy (most of the instruments I couldn’t find without my glasses – good job I’m not doing the driving), we are led to our own vehicles and find that we are to be at the front of the pack.

Photo:  Buggy line-up

Then off we go, first along the main road then we turn off at a noni factory.  Noni is a fruit grown all over Polynesia, the juice of which is meant to be one of those cure-all tonics.  Tony pulverises one of the fruits and slaps it into our hands before we get a chance to realise what is happening.  The smell is repulsive – a cross between rotting fruit, blue cheese and sweaty feet – and there’s nowhere to wash your hands to get the stench off.

He explains the fermentation and processing and then I am called on again to distribute the disgusting brown liquid to the party.  I try a sip first – it’s almost as foul tasting as it smells.  It’s so bad it probably is good for you.

Photo:  At the noni juice processing factory

We go back to the main road for a while and he drives across the grass verge by the sea, zig-zagging between the palm trees, over thick protruding roots and fallen coconuts, just to give us a taste of what’s to come. 

Photo:  Buggies by the sea

We stop to ‘admire’ the Sheraton/Hilton resort, a resort which was 80% finished (bathrooms were fitted, bedroom furniture was in) some years ago when the plug was pulled for the financing.  It sits there now, decaying, but hardly vandalised.  Incredible.  As he is talking to us, a motorcycle cop pulls up and I think we are in trouble for being on the grass verge.  But no, with a slap on the arm and a ‘hey cuz’ they gossip for a few minutes before we move on.

Photo:  Tony and mate in front of the decaying Hilton complex

Off the main road again, we pass a house that an American guy had started to build out of beer bottles.  He only stopped when he was refused permission to go further because the structure could not support a roof.  It all probably seemed like a good idea when he was in the middle of drinking the contents of his building materials!

Photo:  Glasshouse reclaimed by the jungle

Then we go inland.  The road very quickly turns into track, strewn with rocks and coconuts (which are nearly as bad as the rocks).  Every now and then there are deep ruts and tree roots and patches of mud (all of which seem to be on my side) and soon the mud is flying in my direction.  Mike throws the buggy around with obvious glee, reliving his short lived go-karting days of the early 80s.  I sit there shrieking and laughing and get filthy!

Photo:  Follow that buggy!

We stop every now and again so that Tony can give us some local information about what we are seeing.  I get called upon time and time again to be his fall guy.  As Mike says when I ask “why me” – they always pick on the gobby one as they know they are game for a laugh and won’t be upset.  So I play my role and roll plants between my hands until green slime forms which I then have rubbed onto my arms to ward off mosquitoes (doesn’t work but then neither does the stuff I have already put on and there are swarms of the hungry little bastards already making a meal of my exposed parts).

Photo:  Taking a rest from having our bones shaken

We pass lots of plantations and agricultural land, much more than I thought there was.  Passing one field, we see pineapples growing - I always thought they grew on trees – apparently not!  They grow upright (I thought they’d hang) on small bushes.

Photo:  Polynesian pineapples growing in a row

Photos:  Through the plantations

We make a stop at a river where some people go in for a swim and to wash off the accumulated dust and mud but the water doesn’t look very inviting to me and I can’t wait to get away from the mosquitoes so we don’t bother.

Back at the base, I nip to the loo and look in the mirror.  I am absolutely filthy.  When I take my glasses off I have white circles around my eyes.  I have had so much sun tan lotion and mosquito repellent on that the dust must have stuck even more than normal.  That and the fact that we were in the first buggy following Tony who was kicking up as much dust as possible.

Photo:  Angel with very dirty face!

I try to wash it off but only succeed in making my face streaky which probably looks even worse.  I can’t do anything about the dirt all down my arms and legs and over my chest.  I look like an urchin from a Charles Dickens novel!

We stop at the Cultural Centre for refreshments (juice, doughnuts and fruit) then are taken back to the boat.  As we have invited everyone from the boats over for a drink tonight to celebrate Mike’s birthday, we grab some bags and go to the supermarket to buy some more wine and nibbles.  When we get back, there’s just enough time to have a quick tidy up, make some dips and have a really hot shower and hair wash to get rid of the dirt.  I can’t believe the colour of the water and to think I had been to the supermarket looking like that.  No wonder they had been giving me funny looks.

Everyone except Donal from A Lady turns up.  Donal had been out on a motor scooter today and on a rough bit of road had flown over the handle bars and ended up in hospital with some nasty cuts and bruises and quite a bad case of concussion so they are keeping him in for observation.

However, the birthday boy has a good time and some nice presents from the other crews.  Everyone sings happy birthday, first the English version then the Norwegian one.

Photo:  The birthday boy

Photos:  Mike’s birthday party aboard Jeannius

Marie brings Mike a vanilla sponge which she then covers in Betty Crocker’s chocolate frosting.  It ends up looking like a giant turd but tastes great.  Thanks everyone.  You made Mike’s day.

Day 138: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 23/05/10

People continue to turn up at the dockside to look at the boats and chat.  It really is incredible how friendly both the locals and the visitors from New Zealand are.

Yesterday, Claire and Keith from the only other yacht here turned up to talk to us.  They had lost their chart plotter and wondered if any of our boats had a copy they could use.  They were directed to Mike who helped them out.  Today, Claire arrives again to invite the crews of all the WARC boats over to their boat tonight for a drink.  They are cruising alone and are looking forward to some different company.

Everything is closed today, being Sunday.  The Cook Islands are quite religious, which we discovered travelling around the other day -   there are churches of all denominations and lots of them too.  Some of the crews go off to explore on foot and some hire motor scooters to go a bit further afield.  John and Stephen from A Lady turn up and pose on theirs.

Photo:  Stephen and John, easy riders, the boys are back in town

We have a lazy day, doing the odd jobs but basically taking it easy.  At 5 pm we take the dinghy over to Claire and Keith’s boat, picking up some of the crew from Ronja on the way.  John, Marie and Charles turn up a little later.

Photos:  Sundowners with Claire and Keith

When we leave we head over to the fast food shack opposite the port and find Marie and Charles already ordering.  I have calamari and a burger and Mike has fish and chips.  It’s good.

Day 137: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 22/05/10

How lovely to sleep soundly in a bed that doesn’t move.  Absolute bliss.

We hear from the yacht, A Lady, that they are just a couple of hours away and so that we can be back at the dock to help them tie up we leave early without having breakfast and head off to the Saturday market.

We quickly find a stall selling suitable breakfast stuff – my beloved Portuguese custard tarts and almond croissants – yummy, and so totally not fattening – I wish!  The market is awash with the a mixture of the usual tourist tat, fast food, fresh produce and local crafts and it is heaving.  After a quick wander around we go to the bank to see if we can get my card back and are successful, although whether it will work is another matter.  We’ll probably have to contact the bank in the UK to find out what the problem is.

Walking back we pass loads more pearl shops.  They seem a bit cheaper here but the quality doesn’t look quite as good, although a pair of pearl studs do manage to find their way into my possession.  I just don’t know how this sort of thing happens.  But that’s it.  No more pearls (apart from the really cheap Chinese imported champagne coloured freshwater pearl necklace that I saw in the market, so cheap in fact that it would be churlish not to buy them, but that doesn’t count!).

We walk around town to get the feel of the place a bit then go back to the port to wait for A Lady to arrive, which they do shortly after and Mike helps them to tie up.

We start on our way to the liquor store to see the prices of the NZ wine and decide to call in on the fishermen on the way past.  As we walk down the ramp we are called over by Papa Joe and his mates, who are obviously well into their crate of the amber nectar!  As soon as I am on the boat they pretend to pull the boat away so that Mike can’t get on and they have me to themselves, but then let him on after all.

Photo:  Chief Papa Joe and me

As soon as Mike accepts a beer we are told that I am now the property of Papa Joe, one of the island’s chiefs.  Apparently I am payment for Mike accepting his hospitality.  Mike seems very unconcerned about this as he downs his beer.  That’s what happens when you are into your 30th year of marriage, is it?  Papa Joe tells me I am his new wife and thinks I am wonderful – very beautiful and with lovely white teeth.  In fact, he is very taken with my teeth and I have to keep showing them to him.  Lovely man, I just hope he is not measuring me up for the pot.  He tells Mike that his arthritis will be cured if he covers me in oil and caresses my whole body every day.  I could cope with that.

After a couple of beers, we say goodbye and resume our journey to the supermarket.  On the way we notice that there is a police blockade – the Commonwealth Games start soon and the flame is being carried around the island – and is just about to arrive where we are.  There are groups of people dressed up ready to take their turn carrying it and there’s lots of excitement.

Photos:  Excitement over the Commonwealth Games baton

We do eventually get to the liquor store and find all my favourite wines at the same price as we get them in the UK, so I stock up a little bit ready for when Johanne arrives.  None of it is for me – yeah, right!!

By the time we get back to the market to buy the cheap necklace, it has already closed so no more pearls for me today.  Back at the port, we see Dreamcatcher coming in so Mike helps them tie up then Ronja comes in behind and he helps them too.  We have decided that Mike and I are now officially ‘Jeannius Rally Control’ for our little breakaway party, and organise for everyone (except A Lady who have a prior arrangement) to go for a curry later on.  Poor Brown Eyed Girl are still slowly on their way – they are having problems with their engine cooling system.  Poor Judith must be going spare.  If their crossing is anywhere near as bad as ours, she’ll be as sick as a dog.

The meal at the Indian restaurant is good, and everyone except Mike goes for the buffet.  Mike orders from the menu and as usual, over orders and ends up sharing it out.

Photos:  The crews of Jeannius, Dreamcatcher and Ronja enjoy a curry

It’s a good evening but one that ends quite early as all the other crews are tired after their crossing.