So now that the party is over is time to check out of my apartment, head to the docks and EH01 for the sail to Antigua. The plan is to get the 4.30pm bridge and sail to Jolly Harbour, check in to customs and head round to Falmouth. The ETA apparently is 8am. It's about a 12 hour sail and we are motoring across so should be straight forward.
Anyway, there's lots of hanging about as seems to be the norm when moving boats from one place to another in the Caribbean. As a result I get the morning in Jimbo's to chill out, have a bite to eat with Tony and Vadim before the 3 of us are taken to customs by Andy on a tender! Andy is enjoying being at the back driving whilst getting the rest of the people in the tender wet. As usual when weglass another boat he shouts "wave"... You have to be there really.
A unique experience clearing customs by boat it has to be said... If you think it's a long wait at an airport try sailing. We hop from one office to another crew moving between boats, and getting out exit to St Maarten. Then it's the tender ride back again where Andy seems to be testing maximum speed without sinking the back of the boat!!
Once back at EH01 I head off to order dinner, domino's pizza.. Once it has arrived and we have refuelled its time to make a run for the bridge. Suddenly just as the bridge opens the global yacht racing flag breaks away at the bottom from the deck and is flying around like a kite from the top of the mast, with the wind direction it's likely to catch on the bridge and it's just too high to reach. Andy thinks on his feet and starts to spin the boat round and round, wrapping the flag around everything the forestay, mast, backstay, repeatedly until there is nothing left flying luckily the end is picked up and we start the long process of unwinding the mess!!! Talk about advertising.... Anyway, that certainly kills about an hour.
Just then it starts to rain!!! Andy in his skippering duties advises he is off to check the navigation.... Occasionally popping his head up to check we are suitably soaked and keeping course, with a generous offering of a cup of tea and a digestive to keep us warm as the squall passes.
It's a good sail once the rain subsides, I'm on with Harriet from girls for sail, and Gareth is with Vadim, Andy with Tony. This means we do a 2hr shift and get 4hrs off... So who goes first? The only fair way to decide is rock paper scissors... Of course! So we devise a 3 way rock paper scissor game of which after some chaos around who won what, finally I won... Still not sure hoe that happened, so girls first.
It's nice to be back helming EH01, and this is an easy straight line course... Pick your start and follow it basically! We eventually arrive in Jolly harbour around 8 and go to check in, things take a while and there's quite a bit of rafting around so Tony, Vadim and myself decide to not go the extra way to Falmouth by boat. I head there by taxi and say goodbye to everyone, of course for Gareth and Andy I will most likely see them in 5 weeks for Antigua Race week, my 40th and apparently someone else is turning 50 so should be fun.
I head to Ocean Inn and they kindly give me a free room for the day to relax unwind, shower, repack and get ready for my flight to Peru via Miami at 4.30pm. Have to say I am exhausted so it's likely to be mainly me sleeping on the flight.... I say goodbye to the guys at ocean inn who have been wonderful and accommodating throughout my stay and I am looking forward to my return visit. Farewell to Antigua hello to Lima.
It's about 3.5 hrs to Miami and then another 5hrs just under to Lima, and I basically sleep all the way. Again no excess baggage as I get 2 with American, I'm really liking this luggage policy just a shame the food could kill you! In no time at all I am in Lima, picked up by my G-Adventures representative and driven to the Antigua Miraflores hotel (destiny seeing as I just came from Antigua). I get settles into my room, sort my laundry as I'm down to my last pair of knickers and have no clean clothes at all... Then sleep!!!!!!!!! Just for a couple of hours.... The city looks too good to not explore.... Although at the moment it's pretty misty off the Pacific Ocean. I am very excited about this part of my trip so can't wait to get started.
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