O Y S TER NEWS


I wait and the hours tick by, the pain in my stomach sharpens and the hour fi nally comes. T e wind begins to get up: 30, 35, 40 knots. It stays at 40 knots for 5, 15, 30 minutes. We begin to relax a little. Maybe we won’t see that hurricane this time aſt er all. Happily the highest the wind goes is 55 knots, that’s bad but not as bad as 70! And then at long last, we’re back. We sail into Stanley on a gorgeous sunny day in 30-35 knots of wind and decide to sail right into our berth. A fi tting end to a great trip and Billy Budd’s two years in the southern hemisphere.


As we are two days early, we meet up with friends and acquaintances. We are invited for dinner with the island’s very English Governor and his wife, their house is gorgeous with portraits of the Queen and Prince Philip, lovely silver, fl owers and glasshouses. T e Governor is coming to the end of his term here. He introduces us to the anaesthetist at the hospital who has been here for 16 years now but is also preparing to leave.


T e last two days fl y by and then it’s time to go. Billy Budd is going back up North, our hearts bleed. It’s the end of an era for her and for us. A new chapter awaits us all, but these last few years have been incredibly intense and emotional for us, for our friends and for Billy Budd. It’ll be hard for us to ever forget them or, in fact, to equal them.


But we’ll see...


Photos: Mariacristina Rapisardi & Giovanni Cristofori


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