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Can not believe we have been here a month, time has just flown by.  We will depart tomorrow for St Martins (about 90 miles to the North west.  We have met so many lovely folk here – but now that Race Week is finished everyone is bugging out.

Classic week was all about partying and watching some great looking boats (some old and some replicas of old, some big and some not so big).  We went out on a RIB to see the finish on a couple of days with Steve from “Christina Pearl” then on the last day we went out on the start line – he said get me close and I had him right in the middle of the start dodging the boats as they charged across the line – then we chased them and actually got airbourne at one stage – but got some great close ups.  3 other boats went out with us for my birthday meal, which was free for me as the resturant (The Mad Mongoose) doesnt charge on your birthday.

Race Week we were helping on Committee boat A.  Mandy was the recorder and I did the start flags and blew the horn as they finished the race.  We saw lots of exciting action (again close up)

We went to see Bob Marleys son (Ky-Mani Marley) and also we had VIP tickets to the final award ceremony.  During the week we managed to get 5 free t-shirts and 3 free hats each.

After the races the weather was pretty grim.  No wind and it drizzled the first day.  Spent the day scrubbing the boat and minor jobs ready for the off.  The next day the heavens opened up – we filled our trug buckets up twice and filtered them in to the water tank (I recon about 100 litres worth) the dinghy got pretty full as well so I had to bail it then lift it and pull the bung to stop it sinking.

The rain fall coming off the hills made a brown slick in the anchorage and as it approached us we saw 2 great big fish (about the size of me – OK maybe half the size of me, but they were whompers) No more swimming to clean the boat for a while!!!

We decided to book out from Jolly Harbour as you do not pay the National park fees from there and we are heading North West anyway towards St Martin.  We are all booked out and provisioned and ready for the off but will leave between 11 and 12:00hrs to ensure getting there in daylight after an overnight sail.