A STIFF BEAT
Not every owner celebrates a boat’s birthday with a party, but some do – and one of special note was the event thrown by the late Les Windley for his pilot cutter Marguerite T in the winter of 1984/5. For technical reasons involving memory loss, I’m not able to recall the age of the vessel, although 90 rings a distant bell, but I’ll never forget the passage I made to join the festivities.
was lying off the strand in Road Bay Anguilla, a 50-yard row from Jonno’s beach bar. Shelter from the swell was perfect, the white sand bottom reflected the sunshine, the occasional palm tree swayed along the shoreline and the reggae drifting to leeward from Jonno’s completed a perfect scene. The only other Bristol Channel cutter in the Eastern Caribbean was mine. and simply had to raft up for the big bash and all hands were hot to trot. The trouble was we were 85 miles away in Tortola.
