NO matter how much you thrill to the sea, sighting land after 23 days negotiating ocean waves in unfavourable weather comes as a welcome tonic.
So naturally enough it is party time for John as the yacht sails into Jolly Harbour, Antigua.
John, 59, described Jolly Harbour as 'pretty'.
'It was a lovely setting surrounded by a variety of coloured single-story wooden cottages with white painted fences surrounding small well-kept lawns,' he says.
'Antigua has two cultures and classes. The haves which mean a job and possibly a car, neat wooden house and clean clothing. Whereas the have-nots appear to have nothing but the clothes they stand up in and possibly a shack in which to shelter.'
He says one of the first drinks most people try when visiting the Caribbean is rum punch. 'Ask the local landlord what he puts in it he will not tell you. But he will relate the rules of it's make-up — one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak.'
John found that crime in Antigua is minimal — but was disturbed to learn that Antigua now has places with names like 'crack alley' where drugs are available.
For a while the craft was moored in the historic Nelson Dockyard in English Harbour for repairs.
John says Nelson arrived in 1787 — heralding the start of the dockyard heyday. But he also discovered that the great man did not endear himself with local traders when he placed the 'Navigation Act' which was a ban on any other trade with surrounding islands.
'Caribbean food is hot and spicy and, this being Antigua, expensive. One can pay the earth in restaurants — and we have. But my favourite meal, and costing about £2, is the chicken roti. It is a chicken and vegetable spiced curry folded in to a thin pittabread type of envelope about four to five inches by six to seven inches wide!'
With repairs completed the 'Alf-a-Bet' was off on the high seas again — this time heading the 300 miles to Granada and then on to Colon, the entry port for Panama and the canal.
En route the skipper promised, if progress was good, they would visit the San Blas Islands — an archipelago of 356 islands inhabited by the Cuna Indians.
'We sailed into the anchorage at Iskardup, San Blas into what many describe as Paradise,' says John who thoroughly enjoyed the local hospitality.
'The island would easily fit into Wembly Stadium. It had a restaurant, wooden chalets with twin beds, a shower and toilet. Not up to standards enjoyed by Europeans,' says John.
'But if you wanted a week of absolute peace and quiet, lobster and crayfish second to none, no television, newspapers or telephones, vandals or crime this is the place,' he said.
'We left the San Blas Islands refreshed by the experience. Knowing the pressures of the western world and seeing these lovely people living a simple life in what we call paradise, who has got it right?'
Next was a detour to Portobelo — a port that many years ago our own local hero Sir Francis Drake used to base his attacks on the Spanish heading home with much gold from the Incas.
John says to this day locals in Portobelo consider Drake a 'pirate'.
'Having died here his body was entombed in a lead lined coffin and buried at sea close by. Many attempts to locate it have failed. The Spanish do not want it exhumed and glorified — and of course our government, as usual, does not want to support the marine exhumation.'
And so on to the harbour of Colon and the arrival of 'the measurers' who measure and assess length, beam and weight to calculate the cost of a vessel's Panama Canal transit.
'We passed under the "Bridge of the Americas" — which marked our official entry into the Pacific Ocean — with much jubilation playing the James Bond theme over the loud hailer to announce this tremendous milestone gained.'
John says: 'To transit the engineering masterpiece of the Panama Canal in a small boat in company with giants is an unforgettable experience.'
Leaving Panama and entering the world's largest ocean was like taking a giant step for the 'Alf-a-Bet'.
'I regularly pinch myself, not believing I am seeing so many places that I had only previously seen described in books and magazines.'
John says approaching the Equator was something his skipper was keen to mark — so John penned an appropriate poem for the occasion.
Next stop was the Puerto Lucia Yacht Club in Salinas, Equador and this meant a visit to Quito, the capital city of Equador.
John said his journey along the West Coast road was a revelation.
'The poverty is alarming — third world! I think there are places that are not even that good. In one coast fishing village the only thing in plenty was fish — fresh, dried, smoked and rotting. That's all they had. They wore rags no shoes, and had hovels for accommodation,' says John.
During his shore stay in Equador John enjoyed spectacular scenery and a diverse range of experiences.
His is now heading towards the Marquesas Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Cairns, Australia.
Bon voyage, John.