A relaxed start to the day waiting for the tide, all 12 inches of it, to give us maximum depth in the channel leading to Herrington Harbour North Marina on Herring Bay where Alexia will be laid up for the hurricane season.

We have her 'decommissioning' list to work through which we estimate will take us about three weeks to complete and with luck everything will run smoothly. We bought Alexia here in 2007 so it's a little bit like a homecoming.

It's a beautiful marina with almost 600 slips and although that may sound rather like the local Tesco carpark the landscaping is like nothing we have experienced before at any marina.

Apart from a delightful harbor walkway, almost every facility you could want is available, from a swimming pool to comfortable air conditioned lounges.

A lot of attention has been given to maintaining the wildlife habitat which forms part of the marina. Wooden walkways over vulnerable wetlands and reminders everywhere about the animals, birds and insects which might bump into you at any time.