Cleone - The Last Little Bit

The last of 26095 miles. Soufriere, a very pretty bay and an excellent Hurricane Hole, was one long party.  It was really the last time that the fleet gathered together under its own terms, for the Parade of Sail and the prize-giving and parties in Rodney Bay itself were carefully orchestrated for us by the World Cruising team.  Soon after we settled in, spontaneously the fleet dressed overall, partly in response to the generous welcome that the excellent Soufriere Marina gave us and partly to mark the beginning of the end for our many months together as the World ARC family. So we went to the restaurant for lunch with friends, had an evening meal with friends, had lunch with friends, had a World Cruising sponsored barbecue with friends and finally set. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Ties the Knot

Cleone arrived in St Lucia at 1700 UTC on 28 March  2009   Thank you all of you for your help and support. James, Paul and Volker Yacht CleoneSt Lucia. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE - Not yet Finished!

Cleone has arrived in St Lucia.Tantalisingly close, we have not yet finished ourcircumnavigation.  Paul had to go home on 24th March; we bade him a sadfarewell in Vieux Fort.  A commercial port, its only merit was that it is aPort of Entry, and very close to the Airport.  Otherwise, you can forgetit; it has nothing to recommend it. Passing by St Vincent along the windward shore, itwas clear that we were not going to be able to lay the Rhumb-Line to Vieux Fort,so it took us more time than we had anticipated.  Despite our six am start,we did not get into Vieux Fort until four thirty in the afternoon.  Thelittle fishing harbour was unwelcoming, so we made our way to the commercialport, parking the dinghy by a convenient ladder at the root of the longjetty.  There were customs officers. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE in the Grenadines

To give this country its full name, it is St Vincent and theGrenadines.  But as I write, we are passing St Vincent by.We had mixed reports of Clifton, so our intentionwas to complete the formalities and leave.  But it is an attractive littleplace.  The busy harbour promised plenty of interest, and theanchorage was sheltered if a little deep.  When you've taken the trouble toequip yourself with a hundred metres of chain you need to use it every so often,so we were happy to drop the hook next to Kealoha and settle back away from thereef and towards the fairway.  The formalities were soon over, and theYacht Club beckoned.  Soon our friends in Quasar V arrived, and what hadbeen an intention to move on faded away, particularly as Volker discovered heneeded to spend some time on the Internet. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE in Grenada Part II

Confusingly, Cariacou and Petite Martinique are a part of the Grenadinesbut are also a part of Grenada and not St Vincent.  And Petit St Vincent,only a spin-pass and a drop-kick from Petite Martinique, is part of St Vincent,not Grenada!   We motor-sailed up from Grenada, reaching the well-sheltered Tyrrel Bay onthe south-west corner of Carricou at six in the evening.  Surrounded as wewere by a plethora of World ARC and other yachts, it was just as well that theprotection was good.  It blew a steady twenty five knots or so through thenight.  Before many of them had stirred, we up-anchored and moved round toHillsborough, the only town on the island.  It was a sleepy place, but theImmigration and Customs were very friendly and, despite warnings on Grenada, amodel of efficiency.  They. read more...