Tortola

April 1st

Up warily, wearily and far from wearing it well - there are certain side effects to drinking all the free Newcastle Brown Ale you can muster during an evening - our heads were just a little fuzzy. To cure this we ventured ashore meeting Mike and Mandy and they both looked a little jaded too. So without further delay we set off to the nearest breakfast joint - a short dinghy ride away called the Jolly Rodger or something - full breakfast all around and muchos muchos coffee. Said our goodbye's to M&M and headed off sailing round the corner off Tortola and up to Cane Garden Reef. Anchored under the mountains and dived, snorkelled on a disappointing reef. Then ashore to the busy beach full of Americans in the beach bars - found Stanley's bar most agreeable as his happy hour lasted for four hours. Nice - even Malcolm couldn't resist a quick shufftey. Returned to the yacht before the beach bars got the upper hand on us and relaxed for the evening devising our new Focus projects ...details at a later date. Dinner of Pork Chops and Spinach plus Mash...mmmm..  even Hughy Green would have found it tricky to stomach!

April 2nd

Awoke refreshed by good sleep. Start of new additional project drawn from bag. Today's was First Aid by MDM. Dom duly educated and first aid bag checked. Then to island Just Van Dyke and Foxy's . Met Foxy's and then to dinner there . Disastrous - as we were eating, mozzies were eating us. Meal OK though expensive. Fled to boat where more mozzies were encamped. To bed by 9pm as seemed the only safe place. Tomorrow's project is maintenance - led by Dom!!.

April 3rd

 And so to immigration - took a mind bogglingly long three hours .Sat in cafe awaiting and ended up depressed by number of things still to do. Visited divers' who will hire equipment but first have to get to Road Town to go dive and return - probably can't keep boat in Road Town as there is a regatta. 

Cheesy Dave of Carrib weather would route us home but doesn't use Email and thinks range is poor. Visited electrics who wouldn't accept card. Stansfield hasn't windows and Compuserve's still off. All gloom - baa!. Back to boat for tea which thoughtful Dom had meticulously prepared. Having total crisis but resolutely refused to be beaten at horsehoes. Went to bed (not revealing result). Read about batteries - ours don't work . Went to sleep. 

April 5th

Still the month of April (for those of you not paying attention to the headerS).

Up sprightly and ready for action - sent Malcolm ashore to go and purchase new wind instruments - I did some emailing in the  surf shack and then bought Brit newspaper at huge expense only to read about all the foot and mouth chat. To cheer myself up had a well done Beef burger.  

Fitted new wind instrument only to find it looks like the wiring in the mast has been the problem all along.....disaster I was up the mast five times today trying to sort out the problem from the top but looks like we will have to fit a whole new cable up the mast. 

Pam and  Dave from the Swan 47 Pulsar 2 came past for drinks then invited us for supper. Aboard Pulsar 2 we found a beautiful example of the classic s&s san 47 fantastic finish (to the layman - I haven't got a clue either - ed).

Back to Cherry for a jolly old singsong with  Malcolm.

April 6th

Tried to replace wire in mast for wind instrument. Couldn't - as wire is stuck in conduit. Discussed with Cay Electronics who say mast will need to come down . Agreed will try mouse first even if it's not right. Inmarsat lost sync. My friends, the problems are on the increase. Planning session with Dom on beach good but beers and horseshoes deteriorated us both. Back to Cherry for steaks and discussion with Dom the horrid stuck up little person (swear words cost beer) who would have done it all much better. He also beat me 4 times at horseshoes. And so to bed. No bleeps during night as no inmarsat. 

April 7th

Dom's Ops were forgotten due to fuzzy head. Morning spent in front of the computer listening to the mighty Celtic win the Scottish Premier League - surf dude looked perplexed along with Malcolm but I swigged bud in celebration. Rest of the PM spent loafing around on the horseshoe sand and eating hamburgers night spent drinking a bottle of rum and talking jibberish. 

April 8th

Still in Trellis Bay. Got a picture made up for saloon after joint funding by Dom and me and hung it up. Did further stocktaking and gave weavil's hard time . They were multiplying. Went for lunch and got beaten by Dom at horseshoes . Lost will to live and so hibernated for the afternoon. More defeats in evening when ashore at the Bar-b-Q. Bed after minimal rum.