Trade Winds(Junior/Ocean View) St. John's

... of the Zurich hash. The last time she saw him was on a hash in Nairobi in 2004! He now lives on Grenada as his wife teaches at the medical school (the island has something like 8,000 medical students and they are everywhere!).  It's always good to get away from the boat and speak to people whose conversation is not about boat woes.   We did try out a few of the restaurants on the beach (Grenada has one long sandy beach called Grand Anse that has a beach bar/shack called ...

... back at the harbour. Off we went making a beeline to the B-Hive where we hoped to hook up with Charlotte, sure enough she was there and for the next 2-3 hours we had a great time talking about the island and her life here, the things she gets up to on the island and her experiences since returning here. All too soon the time had come for us to say our farewells, as it's time to embark ready for the long haul northward to cooler climes.

... to the ship.

Being still early, we had lunch on board the ship and afterwards went back on shore for an enjoyable afternoon walk along the pier. The water was a beautiful majestic turquoise colour under the clear blue sky.

We made our way along several streets while enjoying the boutiques and shops. The place was crowded with tourists buying souvenirs just like us under the nice sunny weather. It was relaxing being able to adventure ...

... hours, then back on by the 4:30 on-deck time. The ship departs Anguilla at 5 pm with MUCH better weather than we came into that morning. Tonight is formal night again, meaning we definitely don't eat in the main dining room. We meet at 5:30 for drinks and secure a good seat to watch the formal ware parade into the dining room. Then we head to the grill for our dinner about 7pm. Tomorrow we'll be in St. Martin.

... Amerikanen laten hun dure speeltjes door ploegen bemanning van haven naar haven varen. "Mine is bigger" staat op de kaft van een boek dat we op een terras zien liggen (of was dat ook een jacht?). We worden door Richard en Diana, eerder ontmoette Britse cruisers, gevraagd om naar de "yachtclub" te komen voor een drankje. Na een half uur hebben we al drie uitnodigingen te pakken en er blijkt weinig nodig te zijn om als bemanningslid aan te monsteren op 1 van deze ...

... hoping to make a few dollars off of us tourists. Later in the day, we took a tour of the island and saw two gorgeous beaches: Dickinson and Runaway. Antigua is the larger island of the two island nation of Antigua and ...

... to forget my good manners! 20 minutes drive back to the hotel, the beach sellers start to be less abrasive, warming up to the guest. Since my arrival, some have nicknamed me Miss Canada, others, the little mermaid. I can now see the people under their crusty attitude, and I get to talk decently with some of them, about their life here, their culture, their dreams. Beyond their pressure selling, they are nice people. Winston is going round and round, trying to find ...

... about 3 feet with every swell and the Port Captain closed the port to any incoming yachts. Fun! The anchorage was rough enough (thank goodness for a cat!) that a small local yacht broke free and began drifting through the anchorage toward the rocks of Gros Islet. Al and I saw another local dive off his boat and start swimming toward the drifting vessel which clearly had no one aboard. Al took our dinghy to aid in the rescue. I couldn't raise the Port Captain on the VHF so I ...

... but it's not worth it, too industrial. We asked a Lady for directions in the middle of the island, and 2 hours and half an island later, in St Johns, the same lady approached to say she was glad we found our way. And we were not longer wearing helmets, sunglasses or even the same clothes!!!!!! I still don't know how she recognized us.

... br> Here we find local small colorful buses, waiting for us. We have a ride round this beautiful exotic island.....here looks like paradise!







We are supposed to have lunch here and then leave back for the ship, to be carried to the Island of Saint Tomas.







The food is ridiculous. We ...