Saint-Barthélemy

Richard left this morning. Will be sad to see him go, he's a good guy and a good sailor, and he had some good knot tricks that came in handy re-rigging the boom. He's trading in 89F and sunshine for 41F and sleet in New York City; he didn't look too happy as he turned to go.

The boom is fixed, as are numerous small items that we've worn out, busted or neglected, so we're set to move on. I hope to sail next to Saint-Barthélemy, or St Barths if you can't find the key combination to come up with that thing over the e. I haven't been before, but it's supposed to be pretty fancy. We're told that at New Year's it's where all the super-yacht set go; Paul Allen's Octopus will be there (it has a submarine in which 8 people can stay underwater for two weeks) and so will Maltese Falcon. We'll fit right in of course ("excuse me, but where can we anchor out for free?")

Speaking of super-yachts, St Martin is full of them. It's one of those places that has good services, there's wine, food, fuel and provisions, and a big international airport where crew and guests can arrive. From here they do circuits of the local islands. We've met a bunch of the crews, they're almost always interesting and full of stories. There's also been a super-yacht boat show going on. It's really intended for European yacht (read: holiday) brokers to see the boats so they can go and sell weeks aboard to potential 'yachtsmen', but there have also been lots of people in the industry more widely attending; insurers, people who can get you a berth in Monaco during the Grand Prix, or a slip near the bar in Antibes. So we've had some interesting chats and hilarious stories of course. Some in fact on the back of these giant ships at parties we've managed to bluff ourselves into - champagne darling! - and at one a chef offered Greg her resume! (I think he said we were on a 43 and she thought meters).

I have asked a few of these people whether any of these boats actually turn a profit, and in every case there's violent head shaking. Hardly a surprise really - these are expensive assets, and they're mostly sitting around being buffed and polished rather than out getting some revenue over the bows.

The best parts are the names: Just Another Toy, Ubiquitous, Cocktails...you get the drift. Oh dear! Most look like giant white floating sneakers, although there's the odd more classically styled vessel, often with a Dutch flag. And every now and then you see a beautiful sailing yacht, all sails up and flying with spray everywhere. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's a sight to behold!