Antigua to St Barts is about 70 miles. So, up at 6 into a torrential rain squall and a great sail averaging nearly 8 knots all the way.

We arrived about 4 pm to find Julian and Lyn and Dave and Linda already into sundowners in Columbier Bay. We quickly dropped the anchor and joined them for a long sundowner before collapsing into bed about 9. Up early again and off to St Maarten foth Heineken regatta.

Somewhere along the route we talked ourselves into doing the 35th Annual Heineken Regatta. Julian volunteered his boat and to date (2 races down and 1 to go) we've had a ball.

Julian's Jeaneau 439, complete with Elvstrom performance blade Spectra reinforced Mylar genoa has, along with stunning crew work helped us get to near the top of the class. Gusting 30 knots yesterday and 3 metre seas we romped through the course in blazing sunshine and blue seas. Really blue around the rocks where we had to tack in a touch too close to lay the windward mark.

Around us were 200 other boats and amongst them everything from Melges 24's to Gunboat 60 foot cats doing 15+ knots upwind in clouds of spray.

Some Muppet denied us water at the last minute forcing us out but he then screwed his own mark rounding and we dived inside and nailed him. Grest fun this racing! I remember why we did it.

Anyway, his big overlapping genoa v's our 100% blade helped him sneak ahead but in the last mile we outfoxed and out sailed him passing just before the finish to take third place.

Saturdays race was in slightly less wind in we stormed along to a great 2nd place.

Similar conditions on Sunday had us fighting off a 100 foot Herreshoff schooner. Could he point!

We beat him to the windward mark rounding close behind the lead boat. It was then a downwind surf to the finish line.......BUT WAIT! Theres two finish lines. Two committee boats. Two orange marks.

Fleet A was using their line so we headed for the B committee boat with all its official flags and what looked like our fleet's finish line.

No gun.

35 years experience running the Heineken Regatta and still they couldn't get it right.

Smugly the committee shrugged and said "we're just spectators"

After a brief exchange of views we gybed and tacked our way back to the other finish line and crossed losing about 8-10 minutes.

Its a long time since I've raised a Protest flag but having worked hard to get our position we were incensed.

We told the committee we wanted redress, photographed their incriminating flags and headed in.

Long story short, Julian played a blinder and we won our protest, got our 8 minutes back, moved up from 6th to 2nd and...... FIRST OVERALL!!!!!

Heineken take over parts of this island and the whole place is jumping 'till long after we're in bed.

From our last real stop in Guadeloupe, St Maarten is like landing on another planet. From quiet islands with their almost shanty towns to massed cars, rush hours and aeroplanes (we're anchored under the flight path), restaurants and malls its a change we're taking some time adjusting to.

The 900HP Coastguard RIB is motoring around with gun toting "special forces" look alike personnel engaged in the serious task of pulling up guys doing more 5 knots in their dinghies.

Anyway, the excitement is over and we're chilling in the bar playing iPhone Internet like a pair of teenagers before heading back to the boat to start preparing to head back upwind to Antigua for flights home.

Antigua Week Regatta anyone????