Yacht Larus

It is an awfully long time since our last blog and we really haven't been doing much other than working.

We're on a 'week' off, which actually means a couple days off before we start preparing for the next charter, and I was determined to take the time to let you know that all is well. We're the only boat here in Antigua so look after everything ourselves. It's more work but very satisfying.

Since our arrival in Guadeloupe in November, we worked one week in the BVI, one week off, two weeks on in Guadeloupe followed by two weeks off in Antigua, which changed to one week off as we were needed to work three weeks in BVI over Christmas and New Year, rather then two. *pauses to draw breath* During that one week off we had to decide where to take Larus. We didn't want to leave her unattended in Antigua, and had to choose between going back to Guadeloupe or sailing on to St Martin and putting her in a marina in the Lagoon. Flying from St Martin to the BVI is much quicker and easier than flying from Gwada so we cancelled our dinner reservation at Katherine's on the Beach and sailed west for St Martin instead. Come the weekend, we were back in BVI for 3 weeks of charter followed by two weeks off followed by a further two weeks charter in the BVI.

During our two weeks off charter, we delivered the 70 foot Flagship catamaran from the BVI to Guadeloupe and flew back to St Martin where we intended to hang out until we had to fly back to BVI. The 'further two weeks in the BVI' hadn't been planned when we first left Larus in Lagoonies Marina. The marina has a policy of no boat staying more than a month but would bend the rules for us. When we approached them we were told that they would have happily accommodated us for a second month, except the berth was now promised to someone else, so off you go. At this point we still had a week off before we needed to be in the BVI and nowhere reasonably priced to leave Larus in St Martin, so we decided to take her to the BVI.

Before leaving we had to spend a half a day out at anchor for Tim to scrub and scrape all the growth on her bottom. The Lagoon in St Martin is filthy and in a month we had so many barnacles, and so much coral and weed on the bottom that Tim could barely steer her through the lifting bridge to get out.

By the end, Tim was covered in tiny shrimp that had been happily living in the growth on Larus's hull. Once dislodged, they latch on to whatever they can.

We worked our two weeks in the BVI and then headed east and back to Antigua. This sail was memorable only for its duration. The wind was directly from the east with short sea and we zigzagged our way from North Sound BVI to Saba, then tacked up to St Martin, and then down to St Kitts; then tacked north and then back south toward Monserrat. Finally, off the coast of Monserrat and anticipating tacking all through the night to cover the final 50 miles to Antigua, gave up, turned on the engine and arrived at Jolly Harbour 0200 in the morning after a 39 hour sail. The journey should have taken about 24 hours.

We have now been working charters in Antigua since April. We're still with the same company but are temporarily permanent until the end of September. We have 3 more charters in Antigua which will take us to the end of June. We will then take Dreamer, the Lagoon 500 catamaran which is the only boat in Antigua, down to Guadeloupe for the summer. We will leave Dreamer there and take Further, one of the 59 foot Luxury cats down to St Vincent and the Grenadines for the summer. The journeys between Guadeloupe to the Grenadines will be worked as charters with guests flying into one island and flying out of another, as will our final trip on Further from Guadeloupe to St Martin.

We really are enjoying our time in Antigua. It is one of our favourite islands, surrounded as it is by reefs and shallow turquoise water. We're enjoying showing her off every charter as we circumnavigate the island.

On our off weeks, when we're not taking Dreamer to Guadeloupe for maintenance, we come back to Falmouth Harbour and treat Larus to a bit of TLC.



Larus and Dreamer, Falmouth Harbour.

It's kinda cool being a 'two boat' family, but we're looking forward to going back to cruising on Larus in the autumn when I hope to start blogging in earnest. ;)