By now we were hoping to have been round the anchorages here in Antigua and be off to St Kitts or Nevis via Montserrat. But unfortunately Quintessence had other ideas....
Our steering had suddenly got very very stiff and after inspection the likely cause is seized bearings in the rudder. The only solution is to have her hauled out with a boat lift and the rudder taken off and worked on. So we were harbour bound until we coud arrange for the boat to be lifted which happened today. We had a long hard day sorting out the boat and getting her hauled. Trying to get the boat into the concrete slipway for the lift was not much fun. We had to reverse into the slip and had a very strong cross wind, combined with the fact that the boat "walks" to port in reverse. Much shouting and red faces later we managed to get in intact. We have checked into a hotel and work starts on her tomorrow.
Despite the frustration (and cost) we are reminding ourselves that there are far worse places to be stuck in :-)
The hotel has a pool, lovely beach and small dinghies for us to go racing in. Right now we are recovering from the hard day in the sun!
Hopefully we will be sailing off into the sunset in less than a week....
Sarah and Richard
xxx
2 comments:
Hello Richard and Sarah!
I will now follow your adventures, jealously, from my computer at home. It was good to hear from you yesterday (response to Thom Fisher's 60th Birthday). I hope your up and sailing again soon! I will touch base with you again soon. All the best .. Tony
Hi Richard and Sarah,
Your trip sounds amazing enjoy yourselves and have the time of your life. Things here are good I am chilling in my garden in sunny Southend! OK so its not quite Antigua but it suits me! Our two daughters are 3 and a half and 2 now, a couple of little madams, a bit like their Mummy!!! I am coming up to my first year in remission from Leukaemia so everything is looking good on the health front too. So glad you are doing something better than sitting in that gold fish bowl in Bishopsgate. Will keep checking to see how you are doing.
Take care out there
Love Sarah xxx
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