This winter has been our first extended sailing trip. Our free time used to be measured in days, weekends and occasional holidays, but always with a fixed return date to get back to work. Nine months on board seems to be long enough to get over all that! Time changes in the islands. It’s too hot to rush. People live slowly and everything runs on Caribbean Flexitime. (Similar to the Mañana arrangement, but with more rum.) Time becomes liquid and flows past the boat. The sun sets, the moon rises, the days pass and we swing at anchor, watching the world turn.

Our plans go with the flow. We sailed from Martinique to the Grenadines, arrived in Bequia for a day, but stayed for a week.

Next stop was Mustique for a night, but we stayed for three. Down through Canouan for their regatta, Mayreau for a couple of days, over to the Tobago Cays to swim with the Turtles and windsurf the beautiful Horseshoe reef. Days slip by. South to Union Island and Carriacou, then a fast sail down to Grenada.

We explored some of the bays in the South of the island, then found a nice anchorage with everything we like: a constant cool breeze, great views, flat water, wifi from a nearby marina and good surf on the reef just upwind. We dropped the anchor here for a night. I think that was a week ago, still here. We have been exploring inland, hiking in the jungle, swimming in waterfalls, eating our way through our tuna catch, falling off the back of the boat to cool off, eating our way through the endless ripe mango season, windsurfing fun waves on the reef, and touring the surrounding bays and islands by dinghy. But now time is finally catching up with us on this trip and we can hear the clock ticking again.

For the first time in months we have a deadline. Hurricane season is here and we have arranged for Escapade to be hauled out in Trinidad 11th July. She will be stored there for the summer while we return to Guernsey. Our last passage for this season will be about 90 miles down to Chaguaramas in Trinidad next week. We will pack up the toys, leave the boat and try to be rehabilitated back in to the real world.

For a while..