Well hello UK….

We’ve made it through another dreadful week in the Caribbean, which makes it 5 months- hard to know how we cope…!!

We took some back up for lion fish culling this week, it came in the form of our s/v “party of 5” friends. We hit a reef a km south of St.anne and came back with a few. Travis prepped the spiny buggers & we were treated to a mini feast on them. The guys were right they do weirdly taste a bit like popcorn!

We headed back out to St.lucia for a Sunday morning sail as there was swell on the horizon. Lily woke up half way across and literally didn’t know if she was coming or going. This time it was Daddy’s go at the water park and a family affair on the hobie. The kids called for pitch poles the whole way & Chris didn’t disappoint with a capsize for the thrill seekers.

Waves were then had and the kids hung out at the pool at Rodney bay marina. A very civilised affair & we even snuck in a Thai.

The kids picked up some new found friends to hang out with. We met a Norwegian family who were waiting for their boat to come in from the arc+ which heads to St.Lucia via Cape Verde. No wind has significantly slowed play!

A seasoned Caribbean cruiser named Lynne took me on some exploration runs. We went to the other side of the island And picked up a trail and some dogs to run with at Cas en Bas beach. On the way up-to the coastal path I spied a laid back beach bar in a c-shaped bay that had kiting written all over it. Up the hill some way were massive cactus barley, rolling hills, wild horses and a stunning view over the coast- totally unspoilt & totally different to the other side of the Island.

After some negotiation I brought the family back across for the day, which turned into 2. Harry got his first kitesurfing lesson with a legend called Simon of aquaholics and Lily was thrilled with a horse ride along the beach from the local stables. We then stumbled across a YouTube chef who specialises in outdoor or bush cooking. Really interesting and obviously super talented guy. Look him up if you’re in the area (chefSherlock). All this thanks to Lynne and her running routes! Cheers Lynne!

The plan was then to head back to Martinique, finally fit solar panels and batteries and hot foot it to Antigua…….bbuuuttt plans change! Even the word “plan” seems to be a dirty word among the cruising fraternity. It evokes the odd twitch in people when you mention it. You can plan your route all you want but for the most part you can add a massive pinch of salt. Now I did think our mini-plan for the short term was fairly cast iron but no!

We had comms from outside our cruising bubble. Apparently way over there in the real world there is family and everything. So right now the kids and I are on our way to the UK. We’re off to see Grandad who will kill me for writing this. I’m sure as always he’ll tell us “I’m lovely” when we arrive and ask how he is.

We are Essex bound to the town I grew up in. For all the travelling Harry’s done I’ve only just realised he has never visited Essex, mostly because my parents have been off cruising for 10 years! We won’t take him on the pub tour of Burnham-on-Crouch(BOC) just yet and he’s lucky I won’t be making him short tack up the river Crouch in the raging tide and probably bitter December wind.

We’ll wait for Otter week or RB week one summer to induct the kids into Burnham sailing scene, only then will either of them truly know that BOC really stands for “Better than Orange County”…..

So we’ll be back to our boat home and gorgeous Daddy sooooonnn, I’m sure he’ll enjoy some peace and quiet! Who knows where we’ll end up for Christmas. We’re cherishing everyday on this journey.