Hello my dears...

thank you so much for leaving comments.

I am so sorry that I am not returning the visit

but although we are very chilled -( in the heat ! )

& life is slow & relaxed

we only come ashore to get wifi once a day & are sharing the boat's laptop

so I can't hog it !

 though Jess has her Apple Mac.

Hubby needs to check emails etc.

Thank you for all Jess's birthday wishes.

( She was 19 )

Yesterday was a washout !

torrential rain but cool & fresh.

We had brunch ashore

instead of the proposed beach BBQ

then Jess & I hopped on a bus to town.

St Johns is the capital of Antigua.

The buses are minibuses with fold down seats

& people hop on & off along the road.

Loud Reggae music on & lots of banter.

The driver had his lunch passed through the window at a roadside food stall !

In the past,

 I've even seen children passed through the windows to go to school

 in their sweet sailor type uniforms !

Our mission was to replace Jess's lost overboard sunglasses.

There was a gigantic cruise ship in harbour

towering over the colourful wooden buildings

but we headed for the shops

& soon found the sunnies,

so mooched around the markets & stalls.

Everything so colourful with music blaring everywhere.

Stalls selling pineapples, coconuts, all sorts of food

and masses clothes & beads.

While we were in town,

Hubby & Joe went for a walk & then took the dinghy

around the shoreline exploring.

We met up & went out for a lovely meal later

& finished up at one of our favourite places,

The Admiral's Inn

for a Pina colada.

   It's so quaint & elegant there

& was where we had lunch Christmas day twenty two years ago-

having just said yes to a marriage proposal !

Nelson's Dockyard is made up of elegant stone buildings

built in the 18 th Century & I love it there.  

Life on the boat is very relaxed.

The first few mornings I was up early

and swam to the shore

but now we tend to get up later

& have a swim around the boat before breakfast.

We are on a 55foot Oyster Ketch

which I swim round several times.

We come ashore for a coffee & wifi connection

which I what I'm doing now !

Afternoons are spent vegging out, reading swimming or snorkeling !

Joe swam right past an octopus which squirted blue ink at him,

hubby swam  over a Ray

& saw a lobster

but didn't catch it !

We usually shower & come ashore for a sundowner drink

& back for supper on board -

tonight griddling fish caught on the crossing

which was cut into portions & frozen.

We are going to sizzle the sausages today

as couldn't yesterday .

Tomorrow we are heading for Green Island -

about two & a half hours away sailing.

we all love it there

& spend the days beach combing, snorkeling,

collecting shells & driftwood for a beach bonfire.

It has to be one of the most magical places on earth.

We shall stay there for a few days

so I won't be popping by to say hello.

Back soon

xxxx