English Harbour April 1982

Five days after Oliver’s accident we set sail for Antigua. The distance was about 100 miles so an overnight sail. We left Gustavia in perfect conditions just before sunset. Both boys were tucked up in their bunks with renewed strengthening securing the netting to keep them safe. We sailed on a broad reach under full sail.
We were never out of sight of land. Lights were visible on Gustavia as we left, then on St Kitts and again on Nevis off to starboard. Using guiding stars we took turns at the wheel throughout the night.

When the boys were awake at 7 am they sat in the cockpit in their life jackets having bowls of cereal. Oliver was in climbing mode, we started calling him “Sherman” as he crawled and climbed like a tank. There was no dressing on his stitches by then. I had been applying the pure vitamin E from Aloe plants but other than that, fresh air and sunshine was helping the healing process.

Reaching down the coast of Antigua we were in company of many other sailing vessels heading for the most well known Race Week in the Caribbean. There were familiar yachts from Tortola. We cleared in and found room to anchor just past the Pillars of Hercules. Jon made contact on the VHF with the Freedom 33 on which he was to crew. I took the boys ashore for an ice cream and to look at some Arawak artefacts in the museum, which Jethro insisted on calling , “the Pirate’s House”. There were two sculls on display complete with teeth which fascinated him.

Over a hundred yachts took part in the regatta in five different classes. Jon’s boat won the first leg of their race to Dickinson’s Bay. We would not see him again for a few days as they stayed overnight in different ports throughout the racing, with functions laid on at each destination, working there way right around the island.

Oliver’s stitches removed

There was a doctor from Tortola on one of visiting yachts. He removed the stitches from Oliver’s forehead on board Camelot ten days after the accident. The wound still looked red but was healing nicely. As there were plenty of Aloe plants in the grounds surrounding the historic buildings in Nelson’s Dockyard, I carried on applying that each day.

We were invited to a 6th birthday party in a rented villa ashore. Charlotte was the daughter of a Dutch couple who lived on Great Mountain near Cane Garden Bay in Tortola. Her parents, Ted and Gerla, had rented this villa overlooking English Harbour as he was racing with Bill Bullimore crewing. So the water widows and children had a lovely time in this villa with a swimming pool from mid afternoon well into the evening. They had asked if we could house sit for them for a month later in that year. Not knowing our own plans for those dates we declined but suggested Molly and Fads would be happy to oblige.

Peculiarity of the wishbone rig

Meanwhile in the CORT series (Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle) we heard that Jon’s crew had won their class overall. There was a strange situation in which the forward mast could be called the main – although the same size as the aft on this wishbone rig. This meant Jon could call push it right forward and call “starboard!” on other yachts whilst the hull was actually still on a port tack! Perhaps this weasel trick helped them to win.

The sight of all those yachts under sail was awesome. We watched from Shirley Heights as they came round the island to the finish line. Under full sail, with lots of bikini clad females sitting out on the topsides, this provided a titillating sight for the men watching through binoculars.

At anchor nearest to us was a yacht called Farewell registered in Lowestoft. The owner was Bill Cooper who was a friend of Jon’s father from cruising on the Norfolk Broads. He came aboard Camelot with his wife one evening. He was an Ex naval hydrographer and was there to help Donald Street to disentangle himself from a lawsuit brought against him by the British Admiralty. They claimed Street was cribbing their charts for his Imray Iolare publications.

We had come across Don Street cruising in Iolare a few times. He sailed without an engine as well. So along with Tern VI and Marguerite T that was three classics we knew of who braved these waters without the back up of an anuxilary engine. Iolare was the first boat I saw sailing with preventers on his boom to avoid those nasty involuntary gibes.