Life in the marina during the ARC is pretty manic. Finding a free shower and toilet can be quite challenging. You often find yourself sharing with some of the locals who hang around the place and Liz and I tend to go together or we go in pairs. We have discovered a small block at the back of a local bar which has a locking door and is pretty clean. The next part of the redevelopment is new shower and toilet facilities – desperately needed is the general concensus.

Otherwise the bars and cafes buzz with hungry and thirsty folk. You go to the small supermarket or bread shop to get something and are gone for a few hours as you bump into folk and chat. It is all very sociable and agreeable.

The prize giving and grand finale was a lengthy affair. We had gone for a sail out into the bay as we were getting marina fever. We had taken Penny (wife of the guy who was last boat home due to technical problems) with us as she anxiously awaited his arrival. It was great to just drop the anchor and get in to lovely clean warm water and cool down. Time passed and we ended up running really late. We got Penny safely ashore and then had to argue about getting back on to our berth as some local boat had just docked there. (It happens regularly!)

Anyway party frocks donned and of in a taxi to the venue. It was a large hotel/conference venue just beyond Gros Islet where we had visited for the jump up earlier in the week. Anyway it was a very lengthy prize giving but most enjoyable and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a wide variety of achievements by the manyt entrants to the event. Lani starred as the youngest participants and had the whole audience doing the ‘what an an adorable wee girl’ bit. Michael and his brother Andi were given a prize for best photo. They had put a camera up on a kite and taken aerial shots of their boat with the parasailor up. They were amazing photos and such a clever thing to do. Line honours and lovely trophies to all the classes etc.
Recognising that these things can sometimes turn into a bit of a yawn the organisers arranged intervals with entertainment – steel bands fire eaters etc and refreshments (can’t get away from the rum punch) at beginning , midway and end. After that it was dancing to a live band for a while before everyone headed back to the Marina.

Then it was all over. The ARC office closed, a lot of boats left to head to the Pitons, Marigot Bay or further to Bequia for Christmas. Some had to go to Martinique to have repairs done and others like ourselves just enjoyed the tranquillity that descended on Rodney Bay.