{"id":3544,"date":"2026-04-24T14:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/?p=3544"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:18:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:18:02","slug":"montserrat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/montserrat\/","title":{"rendered":"Montserrat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.acast.com\/6766f4022dc5d9b993aeca62\/6a0eb5ad3bbd73b46e326983\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3545\" src=\"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-300x263.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-300x263.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-scaled-600x525.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-1024x896.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-768x672.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-1536x1344.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F72377AE-DAD2-4842-B9AA-C448962876A4-2048x1792.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It could have happened in the middle of the Atlantic \u2013 imagine that.<\/p>\n<p>But then, I don\u2019t suppose I would have been in a hurry in mid-Atlantic. Not like I was in a hurry after seeing off my son Hugo on the plane from Grenada back to the UK, and promptly dashing up to Antigua to meet grandson Ben.<\/p>\n<p>But that wasn\u2019t the problem. I made it to English Harbour with 24 hours to spare. I\u2019d even had time to buy some super two-part glue and fix the leak in the dinghy before setting off (Hugo and I had spent half the time pumping it up again \u2013 even, on one occasion, pumping it up as we were going along.)<\/p>\n<p>The super two-part glue didn\u2019t work \u2013 even after three days to cure on the passage up the Windward Islands, it was leaking as badly as ever. In the end, I took it to Seagull Inflatables. They said it would need a patch on the inside as well (how do you do that?). They\u2019d have it ready tomorrow at the latest.<\/p>\n<p>Then, no sooner did Ben arrive, and I noticed the stitching on the sacrificial strip of the headsail was coming adrift. North Sails could do it the same day.<\/p>\n<p>But with a two-week itinerary already mapped out \u2013 Barbuda, St Eustatius, St Kitts and Nevis, Monserrat and back to Jolly Harbour \u2013 there wasn\u2019t even time to get any more butter after the yachtie in front of us at the Covent Garden Supermarket pinched ours off the checkout (and we even gave him a lift back in our taxi!)<\/p>\n<p>So, you will understand why we were frustrated to find that not even the trade wind was playing ball. The whole Windy forecast for the Leewards had turned blue for \u201cNo wind at all \u2013 zilch, nada\u201d. We considered our options over the Antigua Yacht Club\u2019s breakfast (the menu runs to two pages: everything from steak and eggs to something called \u201cchop-up\u201d.) Of course, we could try doing the whole trip in reverse \u2013 starting with the shorter passage to Montserrat, even if it meant motoring. The fuelling berth was closed and both the garages were out of diesel\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We had enough, I reckoned. Particularly if we could sail some of the way.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, with three sails up (the headsail goose-winged on a pole and the super-zero set behind the main, we managed three knots for most of the way.<\/p>\n<p>But the wind died around lunchtime as they said it would, and we chugged along, the pair of us laid out under the bimini. The decks too hot to walk on.<\/p>\n<p>And then the engine stopped.<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u2019t lose power or stutter as it might if it had run out of fuel.<\/p>\n<p>It just stopped. And, although it would start again, as soon as I put it in gear, it didn\u2019t want to know.<\/p>\n<p>Looking over the stern, there was something trailing out behind \u2013 some sort of pale, diaphanous material. We hooked it up. Fishing net. Lots and lots of fishing net.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, writing this at anchor in Montserrat with the catch stuffed awkwardly into two black bin-liners on the foredeck, I cannot believe quite how much of it there is.<\/p>\n<p>I went down with a knife and cut it off the prop strand by strand. This sounds heroic, but actually, I can only hold my breath for 45 seconds. Thank heavens for the Nemo electric breathing apparatus. I always knew that one day it would do something more important than just help with cleaning the bottom.<\/p>\n<p>So, after breakfast (boiled eggs, toast \u2013 the last of the rancid butter) we shall be off to see the abandoned city of Plymouth. Apparently it\u2019s the \u201cmodern Pompeii\u201d buried under ash from the 1995 volcanic eruption.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing to it, really\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I just asked Google about Chop-Up: It is\u00a0a traditional Antiguan vegetable mash commonly served at breakfast, especially on weekends, alongside saltfish. It consists of boiled and mashed eggplant, pumpkin, okra, spinach or callaloo, creating a soft, flavourful mixture. It is often saut\u00e9ed with garlic, onions, and sometimes thyme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It could have happened in the middle of the Atlantic \u2013 imagine that. But then, I don\u2019t suppose I would have been in a hurry in mid-Atlantic. Not like I was in a hurry after seeing off my son Hugo on the plane from Grenada back to the UK, and promptly dashing up to Antigua &#8230; <a title=\"Montserrat\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/montserrat\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Montserrat\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3544"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3583,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544\/revisions\/3583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racecoast.net\/omstest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}