(Petra, Finn, Vicki and Iain - the crew of "Dolphin of Leith")

"Dolphin of Leith" is about 27 feet long and is a 107 year old gaff rigged cutter that has been crewed throughout the years by three generations of Iain's family.

We first met the family of "Dolphin of Leith" when we were tied up to the mangroves in the lagoon at Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, in July for Tropical Storm Ernesto. Iain and Vicki are sailing from the UK with their children Finn (3 1/2 years) and Petra (1 1/2 years) to New Zealand where they plan on settling down. We encountered "Dolphin of Leith" again in Mount Hartman Bay, Grenada, where they told us of their plans to sail to Bonaire, Curacao, Colombia, and Panama - then through the Panama Canal and on to New Zealand. We made the Bonaire to Panama trip in 2009 and got together to share our charts, books and stories on anchorages.

They invited us on board their last night in town for a going away party. The marina had loaned them the work raft to tie along side for their voyage preparations. This made a great dinghy dock for the party. There was quite a gang with Ron and I, the "Dolphin" family, Nick, Rebecca and Emily from "Aquae Solis" and Danny and Kai from "Blue Kai" - too much fun on a 27 foot boat! We wished them well and said our goodbyes. You can imagine our concern as a storm formed over their sailing route to Bonaire. This storm became the monster Hurricane Sandy. I sent a Facebook message and was finally answered that they were safe and sound in Bonaire. We are keeping in touch with this remarkable family and wish them well on their journey to New Zealand.