Go to any ski resort or Charter base over the weekend and you'll be greeted by the same scene. People will be running around like headless chickens getting ready for guests, cleaning up, doing laundry and filling their homes with food for the coming week. If you looked at Ruffian you'd see the same scene. We've had a turnaround weekend.

Waving a fond farewell to Kent and Liz during our 5th visit to Doyle Sails we finally put together our new sails and hoped they give us the speed we needed to complete all our chores before we had the pleasure of Emma onboard.

All alone again we settled into our usual low stress sailing routine and although we missed our friends we revelled in the space. Suddenly Ruffian felt much bigger than her meagre 34ft proportions. We could once again play hide and seek and lose each other in the boundless volume of Ruffian.

The new sails pulled us along effortlessly with new found speed and we realised just how much we had missed out with the old ones. When the wind blew, instead of learning over, Ruffian would now accelerate and instead of sailing on tenterhooks, stressed about ripping them on every gust, the worry had simply disappeared. It was money well spent.

We were now at least in the right country to get Emma, we just had the small task of getting Ruffian ready. Customs was cleared, laundry was done, tanks were filled and then we just had to seeking out a cheap grocery store.

Right by the dinghy dock, in easy reach was a huge grade A American supermarket, but convenience comes at a cost and we're as tight as a newly installed seacock, that store wasn't for us. We were bound, out of town, on the bus to where all the poor people shop.

Cramming ourselves onto the open sided bus, where we could enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of St Thomas we were finally deposited outside a mall. Into the mall we went and we could buy mobile phones, BBQ sets, beds and even sofas but groceries were not well represented.

Finally after seeking advice we found the well disguised supermarket. It had disguised itself as a huge supermarket complete with neon signs, special offer posters and arrows pointing saying "Huge Supermarket this way". Who would have thought that under the sign saying "Supermarket" would be a supermarket?

Inside, as we saw all the 'deals' we went a bit bonkers and didn't put a thought to how we were getting home until we reached the checkout. Box after box was piled onto the conveyor and item after item was scanned. All our bags were full, our granny trolley was loaded, the rucksacks crammed, and we still had half the store to carry. This was a big bargain shop.

Laden down with all our goods catching the bus would be about easy as a polar bear catching a penguin. There was nothing for it but to splash out and get a cab. The bargain shop was now not such a bargain and we still didn't have the convenience. That'll teach us for being cheapskates.

Back at the anchorage, with Ruffian now full of the not so convenient food, we were elated to see a fine New Zealand ship anchored nearby with 2 very excited middle aged teenagers onboard. Once again we could have goodbyes with Balvenie in exactly the same spot that they'd said goodbye to Serafina the year before.

Goodbyes are always painful but the hangovers created by those goodbyes can prove to be just as painful. Ruffian at the start of the evening was full of cheap American beer and at the end of the night the stores were somewhat depleted.

For every goodbye there is a hello and filled with excitement we scooped up Emma at the airport. The things we take for granted she was elated about. It was warm, errr normal, the sea shone, errr normal, and the scenery is spectacular, errr normal and Thug is our car, errr normal. It's going to be a joy having Emma onboard making us realise just how lucky we are to be here. The turnaround weekend will be worth the hard work.

Booked on Lastminute.com. An evening entry into St Thomas.


The chores of 'turning a boat around'.


Wow. A gaggle of cruise ships.


The mighty Thug is cornered.


Is Ruffian finally full of food?