Jus' Sail starts taking friends out aboard Good Expectation

Ok so the past month has been completely full on with getting the boat ready for chartering and we have managed to sneek a few trips out with friends and friends of friends for some great days sailing.

A great Valentines day out was had with our good friends Charles and Christina, we sailed down to Anse Cochon South of Anse La Raye and enjoyed lunch at the wonderful Ti Kaye resort. Charles enjoyed being on the helm, whilst Christina enjoyed relaxing...

Good Expectation looked fantastic lying at anchor in Anse Cochon Bay, it was a real moment of pride for us to see her there from the restaurant at Ti Kaye after the months of hard work getting her renovated.

Last week we also had our friends the Tully's come aboard for a fantastic afternoon putting Good Expectation through her paces, they really took to her and loved every minute of being aboard as their faces show in these shots....




It hasn't all been plain sailing though, with a number of maintenance issues raising their heads including replacing a water pump on the engine and replacing the turnbuckle on the dolphin striker (the chain below the bowsprit) which chose to snap whilst sailing last week. On inspection it was corroded through the middle and it was fortunate to have gone when it did in Rodney Bay and not half way across the channel to Martinique, it was a lesson in how important it is to inspect the standing rigging on a regular basis with a magnifying glass because stainless steel has a habit of looking sturdy on the outside but corroding on the inside through even the tiniest hairline fractures.

We also completed our Maritime Safety inspection by the St Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA) which is great news. One aspect of which involved the fitting of a permanent VHF which required my climbing to the top of the mast to install the aerial and then running the cable down the shroud with cable wrap all the way to the deck, a long and laborious task, which ends in drilling a hole in a perfectly sound deck to run the cable through to the VHF in the companionway below. But it was successfully concluded and well sealed with a deck fitting and silicone to avoid any water getting in.

We also now have the vessel officially registered in St Lucia with the number SL 077784. Unfortunately with so many 7's in the registration process at present none of the chandleries have any 7's left in the official sized stencils! So the hunt is on for a signage company to make some up specially so we can get our registration on the front of the boat....

Coming up in April is the 25th Anniversary of the Antigua Classics Regatta the premiere event for classic sail boats in the Caribbean. Good Expectation is expected to attend and is available to charter for Classics Week so if you are interested in chartering her please email james@jussail.com for more info... We hope to see you there!