As I have written before, the Caribbean is not always bright sunshine, sandy beaches and gentle trade winds. The Round Barbados race proved that! 14 boats had entered but half decided the forecast was too dire and so at the last minute the race committee organised a west coast long distance race for them.

 

It looked an attractive option even for us, especially as we rounded the north end of the island and started our beat into 35 knot trade winds and a swell that had come from Africa.

Almost immediately one boat retired with a damaged head sail. When I did the same race two years ago we had a close reach to the East Point lighthouse. This time it was a beat. Enlivened by some heavy rain squalls, when we were glad to have two reefs in the main and genoa part furled.

 

 

As we approached East Point the wind moderated to 25 knots and we unfurled the genoa and shook out a reef. Unfortunately we then had the last, heading, squall and were forced to tack away from the breakers, as did the J120 monohull just behind us.

 

 

Then it was a downwind reach and then run to the finish. We had started at 8.40am and finished at 5.20pm, the last monohull finishing just before the 6pm time limit. So a slow race for everyone.

And so to the prize giving. Robbie was delighted to win three very nice ceramic plates and three bottles of top quality Mount Gay rum!

 

Sadly our two Plymouth based crew, Ade and Naomi, then left the boat, but were now catamaran converts. We have been joined by Clare, a long time Grenada resident. But, in another of those coincidences, she is English and studied in Plymouth - we even have mutual friends. It's a bit bizarre, a 20 boat regatta in the Caribbean yet five people have been to my own sailing club in Cornwall!

 

I also discovered that I have mutual friends with crew on the Canadian monohull. As they always say, the sailing world is like a small floating village. Everyone knows everyone.