Good Evening!

Well, I was gonna post a blog tonight but I am, instead, cooking a huge feast in honor of us being out of Purgatory and anchored in Paradise.

I happened to see a letter Jon wrote to his parents today, and seeing as none of you ever hear much from him, (he's too busy hanging out of an engine room or muttering over some broken hose) I thought you might enjoy some insight into the mind of the man who actually runs this Ship of Fools.

Here is, reprinted with his (reluctant) permission, a letter he wrote to his mum and dad, today...
I couldn't have summed it all up any better.

Well, we have done it!

We are back in Anse Amyot. 230 miles upwind that was more like 300 with all of our course changes. We had to use about 20 gallons of diesel to make it. We had jumped at a weather window that was very tight and meant we had to bust our asses to get everything ready to go 2 days earlier than our earliest anticipated departure. The reason was that a nasty front was coming through and would last a week or more and we just couldn't take the idea of being stuck in Phaeton any longer. The only problem was that the longer it took us to get here, the worse the weather was going to get. It meant we really had to put the engine fix to the test as we had to motor for 12 hours at the end because the wind was so strong in our face and tacking back and forth into it would have taken another day at least. So, with fingers crossed and with me checking everything like a paranoid maniac every 5 minutes we plowed on through trying to make the pass by dusk of the third day. No such luck. Had to brave the entrance in the pitch black and drop anchor in the deep water in the middle with the wind blowing 30 miles an hour. Luckily, once inside, the reef breaks up the fetch so... minimal waves.

I can't describe the sense of relief. After being so broken for so long with no-one to sort it out but ourselves and never being SURE that I would be able to fix it... We don't have enough money to fly home or store the boat and even if we did she would be stuck way over here and slowly deteriorating and losing value and we would have to get back here to deal with her and, and, and.....Phew.

Amazing feeling to be sitting here now. We are the only boat here. It is stunningly beautiful. We have a month or so to soak up everything this place has to offer. No store, no roads, no cars, no google and just us and the local family here, who lives completely off of the land...

I love you,

Jon