Happy New Year!

We had a busy run up to Christmas and New Year. Fi had another friend arrive whilst Rachel was here, Andy, a Navy pilot based at Linton. So we continued to sail, climb pitons, work out at the gym and partake in the local fare at Chateau Mygo. It was a great time and I did begin to wonder if our bodies could take such punishment.

We also had a daytime visit from an old friend of ours, Sir Mike Knight, who was on a cruise ship, just calling in at St Lucia for the day. We managed a quick sail, snorkel and lunch and got him back on board before 5pm. Really good to see him looking so well and we enjoyed his wit and humour as usual.

People are coming and going all the time out here, so it is great to catch up with their news and follow their building projects or land purchasing stories. The time-share people are also back; these owners tend to come for the winter months and stay for three months or more, just like migrating birds.

All the ARC boats have dispersed, on their way to exotic places or just north to do the return journey in May. We had great fun with a crew of Old Dauntsiens, friends of John and Fi’s. So much so that it was off up the pitons again – Jeff has climbed it 4 times now -, down to the waterfall and another few beers at Chateau Mygo! After they jumped ship they spent a few nights with us, experiencing the great joy of a real bed after a month at sea in a small bunk.

John was here for Christmas and we managed to do all of the above with him as well as celebrating Christmas at home with another friend of ours, who would have been home alone. Our day started with the usual bucks fizz, bacon rolls and present opening followed by a trip down the coast on a friends boat for a swim and glass of champagne or rum punch. It was glorious and set us up well for our late dinner. On Boxing Day we had a bunch of people for drinks in the afternoon, the last left at about 10, in fact the last didn’t leave and needed a bed!

John left us before New Year so we were down to five of us to bring it in with dinner in the bay followed by spectacular fireworks at midnight. It was such a fun night with great friends, lots of dancing and perhaps too many cocktails (the young ‘uns were working their way through the list but came a cropper on the “hurricanes”).








Father and son getting into the spirit of the day..rum punch and beer!

Fi will be with us until the end of January, when she will return on the flight that my Mum comes out on..passing ships! Mum will be here for a fortnight ready to celebrate her 80th birthday with my other two sisters and their husbands on the 10th of February. It will be a houseful but we think it is fitting that we should all be together on such an occasion, and there are still berths on the boat (which is probably where Jeff will head if the Patterson clan gets too much)!





The crew of Gulliver.

Jan and Mr Brown.

Lets hope we all have a healthy and happy New Year; it could be too much to hope for a prosperous one in this economic climate!