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Antigua 05.06.11

Welcome to Taff's blog, the intention of this blog is to be informative and to give regular updates on what I am doing.
I hope that it will be helpful to people who are interested in distance sailing or working through the RYA and ASA syllabus. Many of you will be aware I have completed many Atlantic crossings and at least five ARC's that is the Atlantic Rally for cruisers.
These years of experience I would hope will benefit the reader. During the winter season in Antigua I am involved with various companies including On Deck and Horizon (Antigua) in their teaching programmes. I also enjoy the opportunity to often do short and long deliveries which people may be interested in joining from time to time. It is my intention to record some of these experiences from the past and in the future, in a relaxed and sometimes funny way seldom to criticise and often to encourage.

I will close with this:

Happy is the man and happy he alone. He who secure within can say, tomorrow do your worst for I have lived today.

Fair winds safe sailing Taff.

Hi Folks,

Well a long time since I sent out a newsy type letter to let you know what has happened and what is planned.

As some of you know I have been in Antigua for the whole season starting in November 2010 I was here for the Antigua Charter Show where every available berth was taken up with every imaginable charter vessel from the 77 Metre Maltese Falcon to smaller charter yachter boats down to fifty feet. It was superbly organised with lots of promotions and parties.

Next came the RORC Caribbean a six hundred mile race around the northern Islands, with fantastic winds the fleet breaking records with the winner, Rambler clear winner over Leopard by six hours. This race is now a must do for ocean racers, well up there with the Fastnet and the Sydney to Hobart. Each year see’s a bigger and bigger entry. The remainder of the season has been the usual round of Classics racing, Heineken, the St Barts Bucket and of course Antigua Sailing week, the latter being less of a spectacle than in the past mainly because the organisation is not very good.

Well that’s the background now a bit about me.

I started the season with no regular boat having finished last year with Swallows and Amazons I went back to teaching with Southern Sailing in the UK and really enjoyed it.

I came out again to this lovely island and decided that I would look for work doing deliveries and some teaching, in fact when ever I asked, people offered me jobs so in fact I have been embarrassed by so much work.

My main stream of employment has been for On Deck a UK based company teaching the non tidal RYA syllabus out here, I have also qualified to teach the A.S.A system this is the American Sailing Academy used by Horizon a great charter company I have been working for based in Jolly Harbourwhich has been different and fun.

I have also delivered boats to Fort Lauderdale, three from St Kitts, one from St Thomas in the USVi’s and several from St Martin. The season has all but finished here and I am finishing my last three weeks work then I am taking an Oyster 54 Gwylan (welsh for seagull) up to Bermuda then Maine in the USA then its home to the UK and a bit of this and that.

From time to time I answer direct emails from those of you who write and I am on skype the name is taffpearce .

I have just been reminded that today is the official start of the hurricane season, I shall be leaving here on the 12^th of June with weather routing by Commanders weather with a passage time of 14/16 days, I will route near Bermuda in case I need fuel. Failing that I will go into Newport Rhode Island to clear customs then it is only a day or so up to Maine via the Cape Cod Canal. I will aim to be back in UK the first week of July.

I have come to realise that there are no answers to life issues and problems, only understanding. Over the past years life has dealt me some funny moments, some crass ones of my own making but others; well how the hell have I survived? That I do know now and understand is that every day is a bonus, I wake and that’s a great start, I am working in an industry I love, at my age how many can say that?

It’s surprising how many people go through life without recognising their feelings toward others are largely determined by their feelings towards themselves. I suppose if I am not comfortable with myself. I will find it difficult to be comfortable with others.

The definition of a gentleman"Someone who knows how to play the bagpipes but dosent"