Picked up by taxi from TMM at 0530 am, down to the airport, fly to Antigua for a 9 hour wait for the Gatwick flight! Ah well, what to do?
I know, a trip to the Sticky Wicket:
Pity no cricket on today though!
Moving off the boat tomorrow and returning to the UK for New Year, a big thanks to Mark at TMM for letting us stay on the boat for the last week but now it's time for the last clean-up:
Before:
After:
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Before:
After:
Definitely worth the effort!
Merry Christmas one and all!
After opening all the presents this morning 
, we strolled up to Fort Burt for our Christmas lunch and had a couple of drinks and a few beers there.
Then onto the Pussers Rum Outpost...
..and then to Village Cay and onwards...
Merry Christmas again!
The birthday went well! Drinks at the TMM (Tortola Marine Management) Chrismas party, then a couple in the yacht club, a few rums in the Pussers Rum Outpost and then onto the club next door.
Got exceedingly messy after Dan bought me a drink called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and I wish somebody else had the headache that I have today! Other than that things are okay 
A very merry Christmas to one and all.
p.s. If there is anyone out there who wants to get hold of me then it'll have to be email as my mobile (Vodafone) doesn't work out here and the phone is not sim free...
We have arrived! Got into Virgin Gorda yesterday and after a few very welcome beers (22 days since the last one :-), some food and then a few more!
Over to Tortola today. Just in time for my birthday (tomorrow :-).
After losing half-a-dozen or so fish on previous days, we change the lure over (no comment Pete!!) and lo and behold, we get a bite...
Dan begins the contest:
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We arrived in Puerto Calera, Lanzarote this morning. Our original destination was hoped to be Gran Canaria but with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) setting off for St Lucia on Sunday, there was no chance of getting a berth in a marina there.
A few beers and a pizza in Puerto del Carmen and then an early night ready for the Wales v All Blacks game today...
Post Game
"Well! That was a lesson in rugby if ever I saw one. Only saving grace from the day I suppose is that England got beat as well (shouldn't gloat I know but hey, that's life ) and I won the bet with Pete! He said he'd give me the shirt off his back if England got beaten..."
Get our propeller wrapped again today! Lines in the water are a pain in the backside, fishing lines especially, and unless you're extremely fortunate you're unlikely to see one.
In you go Pete...
Since leaving Les Sables we´ve had problems charging our batteries. As such, we have to call into Cascais to get a new charger fixed.
Arrived at 0130 this morning and after a few too many glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon it's head down time!
Good news though, Wales beat the Pacific Islands today and Argentina also won against England Guess it´s Brazilian corned beef from now Dai Morris?
After the mechanic arrives, we leave Cascais, get two hours out and have to turn back as another fault develops...then, the weather develops:
On trips like this it sometimes pays to try and get an updated weather forecast from passing ships (they have lots more communication equipment on board).
It´s a glorious morning in Biscay, we´re about 50 miles NE of La Coruna and there´s a ship about 5 miles away so I call him up on the VHF radio and ask if he could pass on an update to the weather.
He comes back (and you have to do this in an Indian/Pakistani accent), "Wedder is fine." Couldn´t elaborate as too busy laughing!! (I know, you had to be there!)
Ah well, the things that keep us happy
Left Les Sables today and next destination the Canaries! A nice easterly wind will hopefully get us a nice sail across Biscay.
Headed down to Pete´s, took a trip on the Eurotunnel and then drove from Calais down to Les Sables to join the yacht.
A long old day but we arrived in Les Sables around 8 pm local time and met up with some of the other Reliance guys there (Damian, Morgane, Bill and Tim).
Also there was Dan who is the other crew member accompanying us on the trip to Tortola.
Lots to do: getting stuff: equipment, provisions, carpet, cardboard, etc:
Believe you me, there's a lot to cover...
