Sorry for the long time between updates, we have been very busy. It all started with the Classic Regatta, although we didn't get to crew on one of the boats we did get some great pictures and some video from Ft. Cuyler which over looks the start/finish line for the Classic Regatta. It was truly an awesome site to see the J Class boats Ranger and Velsheda sailing as they might have in a bygone era. Also there was Captain Nat's schooner Elena in all her glory. The winds were light so all the yachts has every bit of sail area up making it special as we realized how well these big boats moved in light winds. Each night, after the racing, there were parties put on buy different sponsors of the event. Mount Gay one of the sponsors had sponsored several parties where they were giving out their coveted "red hats" after you purchased a certain number of drinks with Mount Gay rum in them. We met many cruisers at the Mt. Gay parties in search of their "red hats". A great time was had by all, swapping stories and drinking tropical rum drinks. This time was made even better for us as we were able to share the experience with Friends Donn and Debbie from our days in Rhode Island all those many years ago. We had a great time catching up with them even though we didn't have typical Caribbean weather during their visit. We took them to HotHotHotSpot in Nelson's Dock Yard for their music and singing filled Wednesday night party. It is a very cool thing and shouldn't be missed if you are in the area during the winter season.

After about a week's rest it was on to Antigua Race Week, for quite a different experience. We volunteered to help with the regatta so it was kind of like being back in the work force. Pam worked in what was called the treasury department and I managed to get a position aboard one of the two committee boats. Our day started with the alarm, yes we still have an alarm clock, at 5:30 am. Jeff had to be at the committee boat at 8:00 am and Pam had varying hours. My experience aboard the committee boat was great getting to watch the competition up close was really cool. Pam got to meet a lot of people as she was selling meal tokens and other tickets to events being put during the regatta. Each evening we got to eat at Nelson's Dock Yard using meal tickets given to Pam. Generally each night there was some form of entertainment at the Dock Yard so we watched it while we ate our dinner. On day four of the racing one of the engines on the committee boat that Jeff was on died on the way back to English Harbor. We ended up having to get towed back into Falmouth Harbor but not without incident. As the tow boat pulled up near us to get a line over they hit us, damaging the port bow of our power catamaran. The hole was above the water line, but there was a hole. We had one final day of racing to go so the next morning it there was a question as to whether or not the boat's engine would be repaired. On that final day Pam had been told that she was not needed, so I got her to come with me aboard the committee boat since we were short handed. As we came into shore in Falmouth Harbor that morning of the final day of racing we noticed that the committee boat was in the same place that I had left it the evening before. So, was it fixed or not? Since we didn't see anyone on the boat we decided to go to race headquarters over at Nelson's Dock Yard. There we found out that the boat was supposedly fixed so we all rode in a taxi back to Falmouth. That day out on the water Pam got a taste of life on a race committee boat by helping us raise and lower various flags during the start sequence and recording the finishers during the finishes. While I handled radio traffic and documented protests and withdrawals. On the final day of racing I got a call that a boat was withdrawing so I recorded its name. No reason was given, but we found out a few minutes later what the reason was when another boat came along side the committee boat to say that they were withdrawing and protesting. The boat that they were protesting was the one that I had just received the radio call from. When we looked down at the boat that had come along side we understood why he was withdrawing and protesting, he had a large triangular hole on his port side near the transome. This meant that he had been on starboard, which has the right of way, when he was hit. The hole was so large that we could easily see inside the boat's hull. These mistakes are easily made in the conditions that we had during the final three days of racing that were in typical 20 plus knot Caribbean winds with their accompanying waves. The power cat that we were on was actually a harbor tour boat in its normal life, not exactly designed for the sea conditions that we were in. But we persevered always holding on and remembering our tripod mode that worked so well for us during our thirteen day beat to get down here from North Palm Beach. At one point while we were waiting for boats to come to the finish line a cruising boat from Sweden crossed the line. It was a new experience for the race committee as he passed by we could hear a baby crying. Made me wonder if they had crossed the Atlantic to get here and if the baby had cried the whole way across. After that week we were both tired but happy that we had the opportunity to participate in one of only three week long regattas in the Caribbean and in the States. On the final night we had a great time watching the prize giving. After all that activity we now feel a bit of a let down as that harbor has emptied out and many boats have moved on. We too hope to move on tomorrow morning as we hope to go to St. Lucia.

A couple of days ago our outboard motor stopped outputting water at the small tell-tale stream that comes out the side of the motor. This is merely an indicator that you have cooling water flow through the engine. If it stops, it could be indicating that you have a water pump that has gone bad or is going bad. The other possibility is that the small fitting that sprays the water out the side of the motor has become obstructed stopping the water flow out that hole but not necessarily indicating that the water pump is bad. I have seen this problem in the past with our other outboards and it has always been clogged at that little fitting. So, when it happened this time I stuck a small screw driver from my Swiss Army knife up the hole. The screw driver is very small and short, I normally use it to tighten the tiny screws on our eyeglasses. The water flow was not restored but it did increase a tiny bit. We had other errands to run so we went off and did those, trying not to push the engine too hard. While we were walking to pick up our laundry I noticed a piece of what appeared to be thin stainless steel wire laying in the street. Since it was longer that my screwdriver and looked to be thin enough I snapped it up. After starting the motor I stuck the wire into the tell-tail's fitting and then pulled in out. After doing this in rapid succession several times the water flow was returned to normal and the stainless steel wire has been added to our outboard's tool kit,

While sitting at anchor here in Falmouth Harbor for so long we have accumulated a lot of sea growth on our anchor chain. To facilitate our getting underway early tomorrow morning we decided to pull up the chain a bit of a time to clean it. We pulled it up and then using a brush on the end of a handle I scrubbed the growth off as much as I could. This process was repeated over and over until we got to the end of the growth. The growth stopped when we got to the chain that had been lying on the bottom of the harbor. Any growth that attaches to the chain on the bottom gets rubbed off as the chain is dragged along the bottom. The chain between the bottom and the water's surface doesn't have this abrasion so the growth flourishes. The chain is now cleaner than it was so we are ready to get underway. We are going to St. Lucia to get further south and because we have heard that it is easy to get parts shipped into there. We are planning to have spare parts for our refrigeration shipped in there. Also St. Lucia has a chandlery called Island Waterworld who sells Honda outboards. we hope that they might be able to get us water pump parts that we might need. Even though the water flow seems normal we want to be prepared just incase there is a problem with the water pump. So, if all goes well our next update will be underway tomorrow.