WOW just found Vanessa Mae HOT GAS

Elephants Child is getting a musical upgrade to solid state media storage. So I have been working my way through my MP3 files setting up playlists and moving stuff to the MP3 player.

One important playlist is the storm one. I once had to helm for a couple of hours as the autopilot was not coping when we were surfing and had chill out flute music on repeat when I really needed Bat out of Hell et al. One track that I was looking to improve was my very low grade version of Classical Gas by Mason Williams. Instead I came across Vanessa Mae playing Classical Gas on her Red Hot tour.



I am totally blown away. How have I missed her music for all these years?



I was vaguely aware of her name as she had scammed her way into the Grand Slalom at the Sochi Olympics and although she made it down she was way slower than the other runners, about my speed on a good day in fact.

I am off on a Vanessa Mae hunt and have already found some amazing jazz stuff.

Well the above is classical gas and an elevating discovery but on my everyday cooking gas system I have just made a very sobering discovery. For 7 years I have been sailing with my gas alarm sensor bypassed. I did not do it so someone in the past history of Elephants Child did this bad thing.

So the local gas expert is coming to give my system the once over but I think I will replace everything from bottles to cooker.

He was supposed to be here Thursday morning and it is now after 3 pm. So ISLAND TIME rules.

Finally my Dizzy Sox is limping again. I wonder why?

Another yacht finds the reef - rescue gets interesting - the rescuers needed rescuing

I was working on my part 1 registration inscribed plank to comply with the final step of the arcane requirement that my Thames Tonnage measurement is 'permanently ' marked onto the main bulkhead when a panicked voice comes over the VHF radio " HELP HELP WE ARE ON THE REEF".

So I throw my long anchor rode and big Fortress anchor into the dinghy and speed round to see a yacht well up on one of the outside reefs with big swells breaking over it.

A big yellow local speed boat arrived and as it had some serious horsepower it took on the job of being the big puller. But we could not get it off. The usual technique of pulling it over sideways to reduce the draft did not work as the boat had a wing keel. The dinghy squad had to keep a watchful eye out as every so often a big wave would break and if you did not meet it just right even a RIB could get rolled as a couple of people found out. The rescuers then became the rescuees getting pulled onto another dink and suffering the indignity of needing a tow ashore with an upside down RIB. Local Customs were on the scene but they decided they needed more horsepower and went back for a bigger boat.

It was not looking good for the boat on the reef at that point as the noises were quite alarming as it crunched up and down with each wave and the odd one breaking over it. I wondered if it was going to join the list of boats broken up on reefs this year.

At that point the little tugboat that could arrived from Le Phare Bleu which is just round the corner.

Calico was quickly hooked up and although she looks to small to have any real bollard pull soon had the boat off the reef and back in deep water. The yacht inspected the bilges and reported no obvious water ingress and that the engine was OK and the rudder was working.


I went back to Elephants Child for my economy sized can of WD 40 to find a visitor sitting on my solar panels and Dizzy retreated to the furthest point he could get to down below.

Next morning they reported no damage which I find hard to believe but maybe it was tougher than it looked.

The flipped dinks were turned back over in the shallows and the engines washed down with fresh water and with copious applications of WD 40 we soon had them running again.

The Oasis Bar used to be the social hub for cruisers in Clarks Court bay and I have spent many happy hours there at jam sessions pot lucks TV events and other activities. When the owner finally lost his long battle with the bank he somehow retained possession of the bar and lifted it off its foundations and onto some floating docks which he rescued from his old docks.

We wondered what was it's fate going to be but it got towed round into Mt Hartmen Bay and seems to be under new management.

Finally my last Lofrans windlass foot switch rotted away.

An even bigger megayacht, a really big barge and on OTT sunset.

This thing is a mini cruise ship.

Got held up on my way to Sunday lunch.

These guys are pretty tame and will take food from your hand.

We had a bit of excitement when the largest barge I have seen in this area got stuck on a sandbar in the middle of the harbor. He was forced onto it because of the sailboats anchored around the bar.

It did surprise me that I heard no VHF traffic before during or after grounding. He got the nose of the barge pretty close to one of the anchored boats during his attempts to wriggle the barge of the sand bar. He turned the water sandy in his efforts as he stirred up the bottom.

I was impressed by the seamanship of the tug skipper as he get the barge off the sand bar. Worked his way astern into some clear space. Cleared the lines to the barge that were holding him in the hip tow position and rerigged lines to allow a stern tow.

He was directly up wind of me as he did this so I was ready to drop my anchor chain with a buoy on it and get out of his way if it all went wrong.

Once all the excitement of the day was over I was able to enjoy the sunset which for a change from the subdued pastels came in outrageous over the top color. The Lords and Ladies of the sunset had been dipping into the acrylics again.

I like lime in my G&T and this looks like an orange does it not.

Well it was in a section marked limes.

The veg guy confirmed that "Yes they are limes".

The checkout assistant selected the lime option when checking them through the weigh machine.

But I was unsure so I tasted one before adding it to my G&T. They sure are sour whatever they are.

Finally I was happier than ol' Blue layin' on the porch chewin' on a big ol' caitfish head to hear Miss Kitty say " Good morning y'all. " to start the morning cruisers net. She comes from somewhere deep in the South where sushi is still called bait.

DROOLING CELEB - PILES - LUNCH AUDIENCE and a CAT ATTACK

Clarks Court bay gets the odd megayacht in as it is deep enough and has plenty anchoring space. This one disgorged some jet skis which were soon buzzzing around despite them being banned in Grenada.

Turns out it was Justin Bieber, did he know he was breaking the law? Did he care?







The word at the scuttlebut is that Clarks Court Bpatyard is due to lift thier first boat in May this year.

Well the piles are in for the travel lift piers but still lots to do.









Nimrods for lunch with the usual suspects trying to mooch some of my roti.

Finally there I was standing on the deck watching somebody in front lift their anchor

when I was subjected to a totally unwarranted sneaky foot attack.

LAST DAYS SKIING AT CANYONS and getting back to HOME

I am smiling because the skies are blue, the pistes at Canyons are empty, the lift queues are non existent and the skiing is great.

I dropped my skis off at Eric's and sat down to my last poker game of this trip.

It was to be a 3.50 am start next day as my flight left at 5.58am. The plan was to get home to Grenada in 3 hops but it was not to be. I knew that winter storm Thor had disrupted things and indeed seats out of the heartland to Miami were in high demand. The rebooking agent in SLC beavered away and eventually routed me through LA and Baton Rouge to Miami then next day to St Lucia with a final hop to Grenada.

I was glad to see Grenada, Whisper Cove, finding my dinghy still there and the outboard undisturbed, Elephants Child bobbing in the chop and Dizzy prowling the aft rail to greet me home.

He has been mostly welded to my side since I got home and is helping me write this just now.

SKIING CANYONS AND WINTER STORM THOR

I had a fabulous day skiing at Canyons resort. Blue skies and fresh snow on the pistes. The champagne powder that everybody raves about.

Tomorrow is my last day and I am going back to Canyons it was just so good. No queues and uncrowded runs.





It is possible I may have an extra day. Dallas airport which is a stage on my flights is going to get hammered by freezing rain then snow tomorrow. The last time this happened they had to shut Dallas Fort Worth airport for a while and as it is AA's hub then planes are not where they are supposed to be.

SNOW IN A SKI RESORT? WELL I NEVER

It is snowing hard and staying on the roads so it is chaos in Salt Lake City. 157 accidents this morning.

I suppose they can be somewhat excused as it has been the warmest winter on record and this is the first serious snowfall in SLC of the winter.

The trees are laden with snow and Alta is reporting more than a foot of new snow. It seems more than that to me and my poor old creaky knees.

Every pass holder in the valley is going to be in Alta tomorrow if they can wangle it so I guess I will mosey on up to Canyons and look for some peaceful groomers.