Hi folks, sorry for not updating the blog sooner but after arriving in Tortola I had to do a quick dismantling of my com's equipment and get stuck into cleaning the boat and getting it handed over a couple of days before it was scheduled for handover. TUI needed the boat for charter as they had overbooked and were short of a boat. So, whoever was the charterer, they had a new boat in good condition.

We also had to get back to Cape Town and had to juggle our flights a bit due to one flight being cancelled due to one of the aircraft having technical issues in San Juan and then had to overnight in Atlanta (with no luggage), due to delays caused by the severe snow storms crossing the northern sector of the USA. Oh, cannot leave out the fact that Joy and I were detained in San Juan by the Homeland Security folk as Joy had been issued a business visa for the US instead of a tourist visa. Both Louis and Greg had the same visa but had no problems. Obviously the Homeland Security fellows we had to deal with were board and had to create some work for themselves. It took some time for them to sort out their internal problems and release us to continue our journey.

I am not going to expand on the trip but thank all concerned for their help and assistance when the occasional thing went wrong.

So, what is ahead, you ask. Well, A1128 is a Leopard 46' charter boat to be launched around March 23. Handover is around March 29 and I expect to depart Cape Town for the TUI base in Placentia, Belize, around 10 April. It is a trip of just over 7000 nautical miles and I will be doing the trip four-up. Renier Grobbelaar, who did a delivery with me to the Seychelles last year, is 1st Mate - and a very capable one too! As crew there will be two young lads, Cuan Nicolay, who has some sailing experience in South African coastal sailing, and Stavros Yiannakis, who we will teach how to sail within the first 24 hours out of Cape Town - he has no sailing experience but has some experience with power boats. Our route will be to St Helena and then to St Vincent before the final leg to Belize.

Join me and the crew in April as we wend our way north west and through the Caribbean Sea to the worlds best barrier reef (sorry to those "down under" - yours may be bigger but it's not better!) and the land of Maya ruins. I will update the blog a few days before departing so, until then, keep well and thanks for following my adventures. If anybody wishes to drop me an email, they are most welcome to do so - the email link is near the top of the right-hand links column. Regards, John.