On October 7, after nine days at sea, Maldague arrived in the Cayman Islands. On his journey he had been joined by two unexpected visitors. More than 160km from shore a tired bird took refuge on his boat. The swallow had likely been blown off-course and sadly died after 24 hours. His second visitor was in better condition. Another bird, this one an egret, decided to take up residence on board. Maldague named his new friend Roger and they shared look-out duties and even some time at the helm!

Maldague moored just off-shore next to the huge cruise ships that have been arriving periodically. He’s been making some small repairs to the boat, including to the front rigging. To repair the rigging he needed to go up the mast for the first time. It took him some time to figure out how to do this solo but he was able to master the task and fully repair and replace the rigging by October 23.

At present, he is still in the Cayman Islands. He remarks that the last seven months have gone by very quickly, with little progress thanks to the many repairs he has had to make to his sail-boat. However, this stop has been the first time for quite a while that he has stayed still out of choice. He has enjoyed spending time with the international community living on the islands but assures those following his journey that his “motivation towards the expedition remains unchanged.”