Holiday brochures are known to overplay the destination that they are trying to sell. Lines like ‘snatched sea views’ and ‘lively resort’ could also read ‘view of a wall’ and ‘noisy vomit filled streets’. The brochure for St John in the USVI’s would have a difficult job overselling the hiking, snorkelling and idyllic bays that surround the island. One thing the brochure couldn’t describe however is the great company and the painful goodbyes that come with this lifestyle.

After a day of activities in Anguilla we had a night sail in front of us to St John in the USVI’s in company with Serafina. What followed was a really easy 100 mile downwind romp where the biggest challenge was keeping our eyes open and our main focus seemed to be on the countdown to getting sleep rather than all the cruiseships that threatened to mow us down. Thankfully Serafina were really on the ball and before we could even see the ships on AIS they’d called them up, warned them away and saved us all that hard intellectual work.

As ever when entering another country we had the formalities of customs and immigration to complete. This is always a real joy in US territories as the border protection staff and so well educated and all got top marks at charm school, or not as the case maybe. We checked in at the same time as Serafina and both asked the same questions, to different officers about the status of Puerto Rico, the issue of cruising permits and their requirements of us being on foreign flagged boats. As we left and compared our answers we were overjoyed to see that we both had completely different answers to the same questions. Chaos is going to reign in the coming days.

Christmas cove gave the greatest of gifts in the form of uninterrupted sleep and we were then off to the highly recommended Lameshur Bay. We’d been told that at Lameshur the hiking trails were easy to access and there were loads of interesting things to see, the snorkelling was also amazing and the waters crystal clear. Lameshur Bay had a lot to live up to but would it disappoint.

Ashore at Lameshur we were instantly onto shady trails surrounded by fascinating flora and fauna. Well according to Fiona we were, Iain just thought that it was all green. As we walked we happened some ancient graffiti called Petro glyphs, an abandoned sugar factory complete with a rusting steam engine and a ruined colonial house that would have had breathtaking views in its day. The house was so run down that even Iain felt it was unsafe to explore as the floors creaked with every step and his head was filled with images from the 70’s classic ‘The Swarm’ as every nook and cranny housed a bee’s nest.

After a night of great food and Mexican Train on Ruffian where Fiona managed to win the most number of hands but still not win overall and Rob once again firmly secured last place we were in for a day of snorkelling. We swum around hundreds of colourful little fish all dancing around the coral and had the privilege of accompanying turtles on their lazy search for coral and grass to feed on.

At one point Sarah became particularly animated as she was watching a puffa fish and a big octopus in a standoff and beckoned everyone over. As Iain arrived he said ‘Aye that’s quite cool, but not as cool at that flipping enormous shark that’s only 4 feet away’.

With yet another amazing day drawing to a close in Lameshur Bay our final night with Serafina was upon us. This really was the ‘Last Supper’ and although we were not going to be crucified the next day we would be parting company knowing that we’ll not be sailing in company again. It’s amazing to think we have sailed 1000’s of miles in the company of Serafina from the cold climes on Maine, across oceans to the Caribbean sun. A love affair has blossomed between Hans & Larry, we have shared trails and tribulations together, hiked up hills and down dales, dodged lobster pots and storms and have had the best of times. They’ve been amazing company and things will not be the same without them. We are sad to say goodbye Serafina but our push west to the SVI’s and your new push east must continue.

And they’re off. Serafina playing catchup.


Ruffian is indeed a little boat on a big ocean.


Ahhhh! A nice cup of tea after a night of no sleep.


The power of Ampie. That’s not something we’ve seen in a while.


Engines are very overrated by Rob & Sarah on Serafina.


You’ve got to love a nice sunset.


We enter yet another anchorage at the same time as a squall.


The view from above.


A slightly less scenic view from above.


For every up there is a down.


Iain is just so photogenic.


Ancient graffiti. Apparently it’s 1000’s of years old.


Now that tree is not designed for climbing. The ‘monkey no climb’ or ‘sandbox’ tree.


Now that is what we call a gear.


It must have been hot hot hot in here when the molasses was boiling.


Estate agents description: “Lovely family home. Great aspect. Requires some work.”


Hmmm. Puddings on Ruffian – thank you chef “Sarah”


Hey there Mr Turtle you are pretty cool.


Hey there Mr Shark you are really rather scary.


Oh the joys of the rich and fruitful Caribbean sea. Iain’s got some work to do.


Dive, dive, dive. Iain performs a “Steve Zissou”.