Ian Clayton

Lovely sunny day but sadly not quite enough wind to make good headway under sail alone. Hit a 15 minute fog bank after the Christchurch Ledges - down to maybe 50m visibility. Motored up The Solent to Mercury YH on the River Hamble, ahead of a pair of weekend sailing courses. Great crew! First time out on “Breeze” for Matt.

Plenty of fancy boats in. North Sound. Popped round to Nova at Oil But Bay Resort for lunch then motored to Trellis Bay ready for a crew change early the next day.

Steady motor up the south side of Tortola. Popped into The Moorings Base for a few repair jobs and continued up to Bitter End in North Sound. Rented a car for a grand VG tour and a visa renewal, hitting Hog Heaven, Little Trunk Bay, Spring Bay and then The Baths after closing - far and away the best way to do it !! Spent the evening at Sugarcane Restaurant - lovely!!

Gentle motor down to Sopers Hole and then up to the top of the hill above the bay for a photoshoot over champagne and canapés. Stunning property with stunning views!!

Motor sail with Jib down the E side of Peter Island to meet up with “Aqua Panda” - Peter & Kata. Delicious fresh lobster pasta served and then sundowners on the beach!

After a brief and frustrating wingfoil attempt, motored across to Sandy Spit and swam in for a quick look around. Motored down to Sopers Hope for a provisioning stop and then headed to search out Peter & Kata on “Aqua Panda”, south side of Peter Island - first time there, need to visit sometime! Finally motored round the SE corner of Peter Island and up to Cooper Island for dinner!

Another quick motor round the corner. Had to fight off a small powerboat to get a decent first come first served mooring ball. Took a walk to The Bubbly Pool, which was as splashy as we’ve seen in all our visits.

Breakfast at Omar’s and a water top-off followed by a quick motor across to Jost van Dyke in pretty rolly conditions. Excellent pizza from Corsairs followed by a bumpy night.

Crew change at Trellis Bay, picked up the party girls and sailed down to “Oceans 7” on Peter Island. Fresh snapper went down a treat! Dropped off the girls at Sopers Hole ahead of a quiet night on board, recovering!

Fabulous Anegada lobster at the Reef Hotel then a double mini moke tour of the island - what a blast! Next day sail down to Marina Cay with a quick snorkel stop at Great Dog to try and find the sunken plane ……. unsuccessfully as it turned out. Closed out with a snorkel at Diamond Reef by Great Camanoe - improving coral life year-on-year!