NAVIGATING CHALLENGES
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‘Life is a either a daring adventure or nothing at all’ Helen Keller.

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Top Ten Spots in the Leeward Islands

12/14/2016

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Tomorrow we’ll be flying back to the UK to catch up with friends and family before we head off to Sydney in early January. If you’ve followed our journey over the last few weeks, I hope you’ve enjoyed both the highs and lows. Thanks for your comments via various media. I know a few people found parts rather upsetting, sorry about that, but sailing is an adventure and any adventure has some risk.

We’ve visited some incredible spots over here and fallen for these islands, especially as a December location. We’ll certainly be back. Below is a list of our favourites places. All are special in their own ways. 


1. Low Bay Barbuda
Remote & peaceful. 11 miles of white sand. Crystal clear sea. Incredible night sky. Lobsters & turtles. If you drag your tender over the spit you can motor to Coddrington where the people, as all the locals we've met, are super friendly and generous spirits. A great place to celebrate Bill's 50th birthday.
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2. Green Island, Antigua
Beautiful tropical island that could have been where Robinson Crusoe was castaway. Great moorings.

​Note to travellers: Avoid cannibals and mutineers.
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3. Four Seasons, Anguilla. 
Priceless views over breaking waves and blue horizons. Great cocktail bar. Striking bold architecture. The guest house manager is the funniest guy ever and tells tales of writing lyrics with the Beatles who used to stay here.
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4. Carlisle Bay, Antigua. 
Spacious beach lounge and bar. Beautiful pool area. White sand raked at dawn - which we saw as we slept on loungers for the night to escape the southerly swells on board Baird.
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5. Admirals Inn, Antigua
Boutique Georgian hotel on English Harbour oozing with charm and unique views over the Antigua Yacht Show. Great service from Didier and Reggie et al. Massages by Mary. Infinity pool next to Boom Restaurant serving great Pina Coladas using dark rum rather than the classic white rum. Good to meet Christoph here to discuss the world of sharks and yacht broking. 
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6. Hermitage Bay, Antigua
​Luxury inclusive resort way beyond our budget. Charming, dark woods and crisp white linen everywhere. Challets tucked into moutainside and hidden between trees. 
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7. Curtain Bluff, Antigua.
​Lots of family activities with great tennis courts, Slightly ruined by the view of the crumbling old hotel alongside it.
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8. Coco Point, Barbuda. 
Princess Diana's favourite beach. Robert Deniro is investing $250 million to resurect the K-Club. Turtles. Crystal blue sea. Reefs, palm trees and white sand.
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9. Roy’s Place, Anguilla
Colourful, lively beach bar with a simple studio room above it. White sand & crystal clear water. Great breakfast. Good tunes. Thanks Lyn for organising the great reception for us and showing us around the island.
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10. Paparazzi, Antigua.
Authentic Italian restaurant that FedExs in fresh oysters from Maine. Unbelievably friendly, generous, hospitable owners, Diego & Cristina (thanks guys for your warm wecolme). And Bill - I did explore the Flower of Life and it's mathematically fascinating. 
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This is my last post of the trip. Our final thoughts - thankyou Festus, Thiery and the team from Dream Yacht Charter. You guys are great.
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 Around the Leewards in TWENTY Days

12/13/2016

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We set out to circumnavigate the Leeward Islands by yacht. After an air sea rescue we changed our plan. However by adding to the mix a couple of twin otter sea planes and ferries, we managed to visit the following islands over 20 days: Antigua, Montserrat, St Kits, St Martin, Anguilla & Barbuda. This clip show a view of the Leewards from the air giving another perspective on this beautiful group of Caribbean islands.
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MAKING ISLAND NEWS

12/13/2016

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Earlier on this trip Miranda and I visited Anguilla to explore an idea with a number of key influencers on the island including the Governor of the Island, Her Excellency Christina Scott. The initial presentation and reception has now been covered by the local Anguillan press. Click here if you have any interest in Artificial Intelligence or how our planet will be managed in the future .. 
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Seamanship & Life

12/11/2016

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Sailing, like life, is a journey of discovery. The journey offers many opportunities for lessons and reflection. In this blog I wanted to explore some of the key ones I have considered along the way. But I write it fully aware I have so much more to learn.

​When I use 'he' and 'his' I mean 'he/she' and 'his/her'. 

Horizon Scanning

I have sailed since I was a child. One of my early memories is racing in the UK national GP14 championship in Poole Harbour, crewing for my father. As the starting gun shot, about 50 boats headed in one direction and my father and I sailed in another. "Dad, everyone is going that way why are we going this way?" "Son, look over on the horizon and see the white tips of the waves. We’re going to pick that wind up ahead of the pack”. We did and we were first past the buoy, leading the nationals. It was a moment that had a strong influence on my life. You don’t need to follow the pack. Look a little further ahead and scan the horizon for opportunities.

Sometimes the wind is just too far ahead to catch. Judging the environment around you and the resources you have to harness it is key. Move too soon or too fast and you’ll run out of steam. Wait too long and you miss the boat. In our fast moving world, timing is everything and understanding the speed of change is key. 

Continual Learning

Seamanship tests you constantly both mentally and physically. There are so many things to consider. The wind, the tide, the leeway, your provisions (food & drink) your resources (fuel, power, water), the experience and capabilities of your crew, the trim of the sail, the charts (maps), the variance and deviation of your compasses, sheets (ropes) and knots, sun and shade, the engine and prop, the keel and rudder, reefs and rocks, fenders and buoys, fishing nets, anchorage points and moorings, VHF, GPS, rights of way, winches and anchors, harnesses and life jackets, tacking and jibbing.

There is something to learn from every move. Every mile you sail and every time you moor there is something unique in the mix of the things above. Sometimes you can just go with the flow, but even then you need to stay alert.

Leadership 

The captain is first and foremost responsible for the safety (lives) of his crew. Someone could fall overboard in an instant. In just 20 knots and a small swell, a rescue is a very challenging feat, in cold water every second counts. It’s a big responsibility. The captain also has responsibility for the  enjoyment of the trip and making sure that the crew doesn’t push themselves beyond their limits, at least not too often. He needs his crew to be horizon scanning and constantly thinking about every move, reflecting on what has happened before. He needs to make sure everyone is in the right part of the boat at the right moment and that communication is clear even when the noise of the wind and waves drowns a shout across 40 ft of boat. He needs to make sure the crew don’t burn or dehydrate. At times, he needs to make bold decisions fast. Tack too soon and you’ll hit the rocks, too late and it’s the reef, don’t kill the engine the instant a rope disappears under the boat and the boat may be disabled. Don’t compensate enough for the leeway in poor visibility and you’ll miss the island you were heading for. 

The captain must account for and be respectful for the egos of others and their reading of the situation, they may have a better view. But he’s responsible for the lives of the crew and by stepping aboard the boat, the crew are placing themselves under his leadership and must accept his decisions after they have given their view. That’s a big deal for the crew too. Working together under what is ultimately a dictatorship once the boat sails in our world of collaboration, empowerment and democracy is a mental challenge. Trust is essential. Lose trust on board and the only thing to do is to head for the harbour.

Captaincy (leadership) requires a blend of acute sensitivity of everything going on, the experience and judgement to make the right call at the right moment, and the appropriate communication and authority to make sure all onboard follow the command. It’s also a humbling experience.

Into Context

During our sail to Barbuda and back around Antigua, Bill, Miranda and I lived in a space smaller than most Surrey kitchens, for over 150 hours with just 7 hours on land. Most nights we hardly slept for fear of slipping our anchor in the wind. We suffered sea sickness, at times it was a little scary, we had to boil our water, our vulnerabilities were exposed, we were isolated from the outside world, we tested each other physically and mentally, we exhausted ourselves. 

But we avoided mutiny, we laughed lots (really important), we BBQ’d lobster under the stars, we saw some of the most beautiful wildlife, we swam with turtles, we moored off five star resorts and we sang along to old favourites. We had a truly unique adventure that no tailored holiday package can offer or could accept responsibility for.

Take The First Step

Bare boat sailing is incredible in so many ways and in so many dimensions. If you like the idea and haven’t done it before, I can only hope to inspire you to take the first step. Book a flotilla holiday in the Mediterranean, do a short course before setting out and then be prepared to scan the horizon, learn from every move and step up to the challenge of being part of a crew or taking the captaincy.
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The Maltese Falcon

12/10/2016

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The Maltese Falcon is considered to be one of the finest super yachts ever built, built by Perini Navi in Tuzla, İstanbul, and commissioned by her first owner Tom Perkins, the VC behind Google and others. She is one of the world's most complex and largest sailing yachts. We saw her sail past us outside Curtain Bluff, disappearing from view at about 15 knots. Then we motored around her at the Antigua Boat Show in awe of her design and engineering. There were some other great boats too, but she stole the show. If you like boats, you'll love her.

​Take a minute to see her at the Anguillan Boat Show below.
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Finding Lobster

12/8/2016

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We flew back from Anguilla via St Martin and arrived back at our boat we had left in English Harbour to find Bill Bailey, our new bosun, had already arrived. Apart from some excellent provisions including several fruit cakes, spice mixes, tomato puree and boxes of wine, he was full of good spirit and ready for an exciting sail.

After exploring the boat show in English Harbour, which brings together some of the largest sailing boats in the world, we made a plan that would take us to Barbuda, with a mutual 'get out' option along the way if it was too much for us.

We did it. Over the last five days, we travelled to Barbuda and back to Antigua, covering over one hundred and twenty miles under sail. We discovered some of the finest beaches in the world, completely off grid. The stars and moon were extraordinarily bright. And we lived like royalty in the kitchen. This short video tells the story of our quest for lobster.  
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Anguila - The Heart of Artificial Intelligence

12/3/2016

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On Thursday we flew to St Martin and took a ferry to  Anguilla. ​The island is a British Overseas Territory, 16 miles long by 3 miles wide. I have been a Director of a company here for the last 12 years. My Co-Director, Lynwood Bell had been busy setting up various receptions and meetings for us to attend and share some ideas. Below is the eclectic beach bar, Roys Bayside Grill, that we stayed above. Click on the picture to see it live.

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.AI

Just before our trip I set up an All Party Parliamentary Group on artificial intelligence (AI). Working with Lord Clement Jones and Stephen Metcalfe MP, we brought together many of the UK’s leading AI experts, and parliamentarians from both houses, to debate the opportunities and risks presented to society by AI, including the impact on employment, ethics, governance and accountability.

Why do I share this? Well, it turns out that emails and websites in Anguilla end with the domain extension ‘.AI'. I have been seeing organisations using this domain to represent themselves as artificial intelligence comapnies who don’t even know where the island is. 
It struck me the island was sitting on an asset that has real value. Below is the presentation I gave on arrival to test it out, captured by the islands local TV Channel 4 .. 
Following the presentation we met with the Island’s Governor, Her Excellency Cristina Scott, as well as her Chief Minister, Attorney General, Minister for Public Affairs and several other notable dignitaries. In principle we got agreement that new legislation could be passed that could restrict the use of the domain to foreign companies who could be certified to be using artificial intelligence, and from this platform create new value in the domain and a platform to position the island at the heart of AI. We discussed a major summit bringing together experts from Silicon Valley and Europe - both about 8 hours away, to debate the key issues. By repositioning the island away from a high end tourism and a tax haven, we could stimulate new opportunities and investment.
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    DIGITAL DISRUPTER
    & GLOBAL STRATEGIST
    ​​
    Justin Anderson

    DOMESTIC GODDESS, 
    PSYCHOTHERAPIST & CORPORATE WIFE.

    Miranda Anderson



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