May in Antigua

This month’s blog is short and sweet as we really didn’t do a great deal in May, at the end of Antigua sailing week we set of for Jolly Harbour on the west coast of the island, using just the headsail we had a lovely sail to our destination.

There were probably as many boats there on our second visit here as had been on our first, in fact some boats hadn’t moved at all. During our stay we indulged in a lot of chill out time, strolling on the beach and making new acquaintances at “Happy Hour” at the Crow’s Nest, where you got two drinks for the price of one, and at the Marina bar where all drinks were 8 EC Dollars.

It was at Happy hour that we met Adrian and Sam who encouraged us to join the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC), we were now eligible as we had completed 1000 nautical miles in one continuous passage, and apparently was good value for money.

On the 17^th May I set of back to the UK as a surprise birthday present for my sons 40^th birthday courtesy of my daughter Claire. The flight left Antigua at 1600 and arrived in Gatwick at 0530 the following day a flight of just over 8 hours. I had never flown with Virgin Atlantic before and I have to say I was impressed by the service they provided.

As we approached the runway for landing we could see several fire engines with their blue lights flashing, very intriguing never come across this before, as we touched down we could see the fire engines following us down the runway. We then came to a stop just off the runway where the pilot informed us that there had been a problem with one of the tyres pressures and that once it had been checked as ok we would make our way to the terminal.

My daughter met me at the airport and we then drove back home, she had moved house since the last time I was back in the UK and so I was treated to the grand tour. Across the passage from the bedroom I was to use there was a model of a Storm Trouper about the same size as a child which startled me on several occasions as I left the bedroom, by the end of the week I had got used to it.

On the 19^th May we travelled up to Derby for the joint birthday party of my son who was 40 and his wife Kirsty who was celebrating her 30^th.  Steven had no idea I would be attending and so it was quite a surprise when he saw me come into the room. It was great to see family and friends and a great time was had by all.

The following day we met up for Sunday Lunch, and once again a great time was had by all, someone had made Steven a birthday cake which he very much appreciated.

My time in the UK was for only a week and the time passed by so quickly, no sooner had I arrived and it was time to head back to Antigua.

My luggage on the way back was far heavier than on my outward journey as it was now packed with parts to mend the water maker and other essential items for the boat, so I was glad to hand the bag over to Kevin when he met me back in Jolly Harbour.

On our last night in Jolly Harbour we met up with friends we had made there for a farewell drink and to enjoy Petals Fish and Chips, she also makes a mean Fish Burger at a very reasonable price.

On the 26^th May we commenced our journey south on our way to Grenada for the hurricane season, along with friends Peter and Sue in S/Y Swan, we stopped off in Deshaies in Guadalupe, the bay has a reputation for being windy but there was no wind the waters wee tranquil and the bay very picturesque. The following morning we were up early next stop Price Rupert Bay in Dominica, unfortunately Peter and Sue where not up in time to sail alongside us, we had to motor down the Leeward side of Guadeloupe but once we cleared the southern headland the wind picked up and we had quite a bouncy ride across to Dominica. However once we got into the lee of the island the wind dropped and we were back to motoring.

It was an early start the following morning for our Passage to St Pierre in Martinique, this time we were able to sail most of the way, we stayed one night in St Pierre  as we wanted to get to Marin and a calm anchorage where Kevin planned to repair the water maker. On our journey down our Auto Pilot packed up and so it was hand steerage all the way, it wasn’t too bad as we had to motor all the way as we were head to wind.

In Marin we tried to get the part required to mend the Auto Pilot without success and so we are now in the process of getting it shipped out to Grenada. Kevin did however manage to get the water maker working again.

After three days in Martinique we headed south again to Rodney Bay in St Lucia, the plan had been to spend one night here and then head of St Vincent so that we were there for the first of June, but fate had other plans for us. As we lowered the anchor we managed to get approximately fifteen meters out before the windless jammed, the chain would neither go down or up. There was only one plan of action we had to lift it manually which was no mean feat. Once the anchor was up we headed into the harbour where we picked up a buoy overnight and then transferred to the marina the following day.

The staff in the marina were very friendly and soon put us in touch with Roger who was able to make repairs to the windless gearbox. It was a Friday and so we didn’t hold out much hope of getting the repairs done quickly, however by Monday Roger returned with our repaired windless which we fitted ready for departure on Tuesday.

Distance travelled this year: 3940Nm

April in Guadeloupe and Antigua

After leaving Martinique we headed north, bypassing Dominica to the island of Marie Galante just south east of Guadeloupe. As we sailed into the bay there were numerous lobster pot buoys and so it was a little bit of an obstacle course to get into the anchorage, not something you would want to do in the dark.

The bay itself was lovely with good holding over sand, the town a short dingy ride away was quaint, very clean with brightly coloured houses, and there were several restaurants and a small supermarket plus a Boulangeri.

We stayed here a couple of nights before tackling the obstacle course again and headed over to Pointe A Pitre on Gaudeloupe. Although the wind was blowing directly into the bay we were protected from the swell by the reef at the entrance to the bay. We were surprised at how quiet the bay was considering it was the main shipping port for the island plus cruise terminal. Ashore we explored the small town and shopping mall, if you can call it that, most of the shops had closed down and the new Carefore is yet to be completed, there is however a small supermarket where you can get limited provisions.

Around the marina there are numerous bars and restaurants, and although they have “Happy Hour” the drinks are still quite expensive compared to what we are used to. During the day the area is fairly quiet but at night people flock here and there is a real buzz about the place. We had a meal at one of the restaurants in the marina called Red Sails, the food was really well presented and was delicious and not as expensive as we thought it would be.

We had intended to stay several days in the bay but having looked at the weather forecast for the next week strong winds were predicted accompanied by some big swell, so we made the decision to head north the following day and start to make our way to Antigua. The following day we made an early start and set of for Pigion Bay where we planned to stay overnight before the passage over to Antigua, on route as we sailed around the south west of the island we saw a Sperm Whale leaping out of the water, Kevin tried to get a few photos but we were too far away to get any really good shots.

After our overnight stop we had another early start for our passage to Antigua, at first there was no wind, most unusual,  and so we had to motor for the first hour, however as we approached Deshaies on the north west of Guadeloupe the winds picked up considerably and so we were able to sail.

After a an eight hour trip we arrived at English harbour where we had hoped to anchor, unfortunately Freeman bay was full and so we ventured further in but it is now all moorings and so we decided to head to Falmouth Harbour instead which was the next bay along, here there was plenty of room for anchoring even though it was still busy.

We anchored in the west of the bay, and again the holding was good unfortunately when the swell enters the bay as it can do on occasions it can get very rolly, it is much better if you can get further into the bay where you will get more protection.

Falmouth Harbour provides more or less everything you could want and is a great place to stay, with English harbour just a short walk away where you can immerse yourself in the history of the place. There were several big classic yachts there preparing for the Classic yacht race due to commence the following week.

The whole place is kept immaculately clean, and there is a really good WiFi hotspot at the little Coffee Shop by the marina and the coffee and cake are good too, we spent many a morning there and sometimes an evening.

It was whilst we were in Falmouth that we got to meet the crew of Hemisphere, the biggest catamaran in the world at 145ft, a great group of people.

After a week in Falmouth harbour we had planned to sail round to Carlisle Bay, unfortunately with the strong winds the swell was going straight into the bay so we continued round to Jolly Harbour. Here the anchorage is shallow with beautiful blue water but it is not that clear possibly due to the sand being churned up. Again the holding is good and plenty of space to anchor, or there are moorings further into the bay if preferred, around the bay there are several houses with their own moorings and we pondered on this being a possible place to live, but then looked at the prices of the houses and decided no we couldn’t.

There are several Brits living here and they all seem to gather for “Happy Hour” around the bar in the marina, there are also several restaurants, we had a really good meal at Melini’s which overlooks the marina. Jolly Harbour is also a good place to provision up at the supermarket which sells the best selection of fresh meat we have come across so far in the Caribbean, also the fruit and veg is good and lasts longer than other produce we have bought, the wine is also cheap here and provides a great selection (very important).

Whilst in Jolly Harbour we took a local bus to St John’s the capital of the island, what an experience, there is no time table, the bus leaves once it is full, and then goes like a bat out of hell along the bumpy and windy roads, everybody on board is happy and smiling and if somebody on the back seat wants to get off then the people in front have to get up to let them off.

St John’s is typical of the capital ports we have so far come across so far, however the people here seemed a lot friendlier. We stopped off for a drink at the Harbour View café and looked out over the bay and harbour and decided we would give this place a miss regarding anchoring there. It was then back to Jolly Harbour on the local bus, great fun.

As our water maker has decided to pack up we filled our water tanks here before setting of for Dickenson Bay, once again however the swell was going straight into the bay so we decided to keep going and head into Nonsuch Bay on the east coast. We took a mooring (which was free) just off Green island facing out to sea which seemed strange however the reef protects the bay from any swell. The snorkelling off the reef is also good.

We hadn’t planned to stay as long as we did here but it was so nice that we stayed a week before heading back to Falmouth Harbour for Antigua sailing week. It was the first day of racing and as we headed south there were several yachts racing north on their way around the island and so we had to gybe a couple of times to keep out of their way.

Surprisingly Falmouth Harbour wasn’t as  busy as we thought it would be, we dropped anchor a little further into the bay than last time and chilled out for the afternoon, unfortunately during the night we could hear the anchor chain grinding over rock and so the next morning we moved.

To watch the start of the racing we would climb up to Middle Ground where we and several others had a good vantage point to see both the big and the smaller yachts racing. We soon cottoned on that the announcements over the radio for  “Papa Display” meant get your sails up,  and “Papa Down” was get behind the start line where they jostled to get a good start position without going over the start line. Once the horn went for the start they all turned on a port tack and headed off. At times it looked like several boats would collide with each other or even hit the committee boat, some in fact did.

Sailing week ended on the Friday night with the presentation of the silver ware, and a video of the weeks racing which was amazing, this was then followed by a live group and the party commenced.

We plan to spend until the last week of May in Antigua when we will the start to head south making our way to Grenada for the hurricane season.

March in Martinique with friends

We have now purchased a sim card in order to access the internet whilst on board instead of using WiFi cafes, and so can now update the blog.

After arriving back in Marin we met up with friends Debbie and Campbell and arranged to go trekking in the rain forest and climb a couple of Pitons, the Caribbean name for very steep mountains.

Other sailing friends Kate and Murray and Claudia and Phil agreed to join us, so on the day in question we caught a bus to Forte de France and then a taxi to Le Mourne Rouge where we would start the walk. Campbell had informed us that the trek covered a couple of Pitons and would take approximately five hours to complete and get us back down to the Botanical Gardens where we would catch a taxi back to Forte de France.

On arrival at the start of the walk the information board told us that the walk would take approximately seven hours, was difficulty level five, and a guide was advisable. After a short discussion we decided to carry on.

After a few yards we commenced the climb, the paths were quite muddy and narrow and at times very steep that we had to use the ropes provided to haul ourselves up, no one knew how stable the ropes were, but we carried on any way. Eventually we reached the top but unfortunately as we were in the clouds the view was not spectacular, but we were all smiling, well, all except Debbie.

Photo by Campbell Witt

As we searched for the path down we realised we had taken a wrong turn and so Kevin descended the way we had come up in search of the path we had missed, he was not gone long when he called back to tell us a landslide had washed the path away. So Kevin went in search of another way, eventually he called to say that he had found it and so we all followed.

As we descended and climbed again, crossing saddles which joined Pitons and clambered across narrow ridges with sheer drops either side  on paths that were so overgrown you couldn’t see where you were putting your feet, the movie Gorillas in the Mist came to mind.

Photo by Campbell Witt

After three Pitons we seemed to be climbing again, I looked up and then asked Campbell “please tell me we don’t have to climb this one”, his answer was “unfortunately yes”. It was the steepest and highest of the Pitons at about 1196 metres.

By now I was aching all over and was running out of steam but there was nowhere else to go but up. At the top we looked at the map and decided we were not even half way round and at 1500hrs we would not make it to the end before nightfall. So the consensus was to find a path that took us down to the village we had seen down in the valley, we were not sure what it was called but we thought we could make it before nightfall and get a taxi from there.

What we didn’t realise though was that in order to get down to the valley we would have to climb another smaller Piton, by now it was dark we had a couple of head torches between us and so most of the remaining trek was slow going, I did most of the decent on my backside. On the plus side we saw numerous Fire Flies that glowed in the dark they looked like fairies, a magical sight.

Eventually we made it down and came across a small holding where the family were preparing the fruit and veg for the supermarket the following day, they were really friendly and after asking where we could get a taxi from the arranged it for us. Then they asked us into the yard provided us with seats and water until the taxi arrived. They were amazed at what we had just done and their son thought we were mad.

Back in Marin we found we couldn’t access our dinghies as the gate to the dingy dock was locked, so Phil climbed over the fence brought his dingy round to the boat yard so that Campbell, Murry and Kevin could go and get the remaining  dinghies.

We were all so glad to be back and although we had all said we were in need of several beers, as it was Kevin and I had one and fell into bed.

The next day I could hardly move, we had planned to have a chill out day but that was not to be, the accumulator for the water tank broke and so we lost all our water into the bilges requiring a big mopping out session, then to top it off the water maker refused to work properly.

That evening team Piton as Campbell now called us met to compare stories and war wounds, and all agreed no more Pitons. However a few days later Debbie, Campbell, Kevin and I set of from Marin to St Anne to climb the Piton there, however after having walked all the way there Debbi and I decided it was too hot and so we stayed at the bottom whilst Kevin and Campbell did the climb.

From Marin we headed back to Forte de France, from the anchorage we could see the Pitons we had climbed from a different perspective.

In Forte de France we  picked up our friends Rachel and Matt who were staying with us for two weeks. On the day they arrived it was St Patricks day and so we celebrated in style with green beer at one of the local bars.

Their time with us was spent sailing and visiting the bays we thought they would like, they both even had a go at snorkelling something they had not done before. All in all we had a great time with them and were sorry to see them go, and hope they will join us again next year wherever we are.

Having spent a month in Martinique we decided it was time to move on and head for Guadeloupe.

Distance travelled this year 3,430.86 nautical miles

St Lucia to Martinique

St Lucia

Rodney Bay has three options for mooring, anchor out in the bay and take a berth in the marina, or a buoy in the lagoon. We opted to anchor out in the southern end of the bay so we had less distance to travel by dingy into the lagoon especially as it was a little choppy. On our first day there after checking in we checked out the shops within the marina area, it all looked very clean and everywhere was welcoming. There were several restaurants and bars with free wifi, a fairly well stocked chandlers, a small mini market which was more expensive than the bigger supermarkets, and a laundry where you can also exchange gas bottles.

There is also a small town which has two malls both with supermarkets, we preferred the one on the right of the main road as it offered a wider range of goods, plus a range of other shops and banks. We could have walked round from the marina but its quite a way, it was far quicker to take the dingy to the second dingy dock via mooring buoys in the lagoon.

Whilst at anchor in the bay we were visited by one of the boat boys selling fruit and veg, his boat was something to behold, however after purchasing some fruit we found that he was three times more expensive than the supermarket, so each time he called by after that we declined.

From Rodney Bay we sailed down to Castries the capitol of the island, the anchorage is well protected but small and I have to say not that inviting, you certainly would not want to swim in the water, or even make water. After a short trip ashore we were even less impressed with the town, we looked for somewhere to eat in the evening but couldn’t find one restaurant that would be open. We could only find one place to eat and that closed in the evening as it catered mainly for the people off the cruise ships, so after only one night’s stay we headed off to Marigot.

In Marigot you can anchor in the outer bay or take a buoy in the inner bay for 30 EC Dollars a night, initially we anchored in the outer bay but the following day we took a buoy as we wanted to do and excursion from there but also the holding was suspect. I loved the inner bay, it was well protected from the strong winds we were experiencing and picturesque.

Kevin and Campbell took the path up the hill and were rewarded by a magnificent view.

For our excursion we chose to visit the botanical gardens, volcano, mud baths and try out the snorkelling. We were picked up promptly at eight in the morning and taken to Castries where we boarded a large Catamaran. As it was early breakfast was provided, which consisted of fresh fruit, rolls, muffins and fruit juice, at ten o’clock the Rum Punch was out, I have to say Kevin and I abstained until lunch time.

The botanical gardens were beautiful, with so many different types of plants and flowers and our guide Babaloo was very informative, from the gardens we went to the volcano, Trina and I tried out the mud baths and Kevin and Ian did the historical tour of the crater.

After the volcano we were taken to a cocoa plantation for lunch where we sampled several different Caribbean dishes, all of which were very good. It was then back to the catamaran where we were taken to a beautiful bay for snorkelling, although we only had about forty minutes, the array of different coloured fish to be seen was a magnificent sight. From there we were taken back to Castries and taxied back to Marigot. On the way back from the dingy dock we spied Walanthea our friend’s Debbie and Campbell’s boat, so after a brief catch up we arranged to meet them later that night for dinner. 

From Marigot it was back to Rodney Bay, as we only planned to be there a couple of days we anchored in the north of the bay in front of Sandles beach resort. In the end we ended up staying a little longer than planned due to the weather and the swell, eventually both improved and so we set of for Martinique.

Martinique

After just over four hours we arrived in Marin, a huge bay with more sail boats than I had ever seen in one place before, once again you can anchor, take a buoy or go in the marina, however this is usually very busy and so chances of getting in are slim. Care needs to be taken when entering the bay as there are several sand banks, however the channel is buoyed and so easy to follow. Marin seems to cater for all boat requirements and you can more or less get anything you need, apart from a lamp shade, the one on our deck table has broken and we are finding it hard to get a replacement.

As Martinique is a French Island we get to use our European mobile data so we don’t have to keep using wifi cafes.

From Marin we sailed up to Anse D’Arlet, another bay where we tried out the snorkelling, after swimming over to the rocks easily it was a little harder getting back as there was a current against us and so little more tiring than anticipated.

We also visited Trois Ilets, the pilot book describes it as photogenic with a handsome square, however we were not impressed. The bay itself is quite shallow so care needs to be taken on approach and only a fool would not follow the marker buoys in, there is also a ferry which comes and goes about every thirty minutes causing quite a surge. They do stop later in the night so you are able to sleep without the boat bouncing about, but they start again at six in the morning and so any thoughts of a lay in go out of the window, hence we only stayed one night.

It was the over to Forte De France, the capital of the island, our crew left from here to head back to the UK. Again the town caters for the cruise liners and so everything shuts down after seven o’clock at night, so any thoughts of a night were well and truly scuppered.

The day after saying goodbye to Ian and Trina we headed up to St Pierre, the winds seemed to have calmed down a little as well as the sea state and so the sail north was what I had envisioned sailing in the Caribbean would be. St Pierre used to be the capital of Martinique until the town was decimated by a volcanic eruption in 1902, killing all bar two of the 29,000 inhabitants. The bay itself is one of the most picturesque and on land there are several walks available for the energetic one of which is to the top of the now extinct volcano.

St Pierre is also a port of entry and all the necessary amenities like a supermarket and a laundry, no chandlery though, not that we could find anyway. From St Pierre it was back south to Marin in order to get some parts for Kailani before our friends Rachel and Matt come out for a visit.

So far this year since leaving the Canaries we have sailed 3,299.66 nautical miles, and used 54 engine hours, the fuel gauge has just moved of the full marker, so you certainly get more sailing hours out here than in the Med.

Welcome to the Caribbean

After leaving La Gomera in the Canaries at 09:45 we finally arrived in Port St Charles Barbados at 19:55 a total journey time of 17 days, 10 hours and 10 minutes, the whole crew were relieved and happy to have arrived safely having experienced only a few problems.

When we set of from La Gomera the forecast indicated insufficient wind to sail for the first five hours, on leaving the marina we had enough wind to set the sails, however no sooner had we done this the wind died to nothing and so we had to lower them. After two hours though the wind picked up and we managed to sail using both the head sail and the main, we sailed with this configuration for the first two days, both sails were reefed.

From day three we sailed with only the head sail out using the “pole out” on the port side to keep the wind in the sail, with this set up we averaged 7.5 knots each day, on the 10^th as the wind started to die we hoisted the stay sail on the starboard side, keeping the head sail to port side still using the pole out, this configuration enabled us to sail directly down wind.

On day twenty five we took the stay sail down, by day twenty six the wind had died down and so we lowered the pole out and took in the head sail, as we did so the mast fixing bracket for the pole out broke and so we had to store the pole onto the guard rails as opposed to the mast. We then hoisted the Asymmetric Sail which always seems to take an age to put up, however once up we picked up speed which took us back up to our average speed of 7.5 knots. Unfortunately around 1500hrs the halyard for the Asymmetric sail snapped and the sail ended up in the water down the port side, while I took the helm Ian, Trina and Kevin managed to get the sail back on board and in its sock, it was then hung over the boom to dry out, and so we were back to using the head sail only.

The following morning Kevin and I went out onto the foredeck to put the stay sail away, I have to say it’s not a place I like to be in quite a big swell, once that was done we then folded the stay sail and put that away too as we were unlikely to use it again. Back in the cockpit we hoisted the main sail and what’s called “goose necked “ until the evening when we reverted back to conventional sailing, we continued using this configuration until we arrived in Port St Charles, Barbados.

The sea state for the passage varied little, the first few days we experienced waves between 4 to 6 meters, when the wind died the second week the sea state dropped to around 2 to 4 meters, however on the last two days as the wind picked up we were once again back to big swell. When we were sailing downwind we often caught a wave that we were able to serf down which on one occasion gave us a speed of 15.6 knots the highest recorded for the passage.

One of the problems with the swell however was that the boat would role from side to side making it uncomfortable at times, both when trying to get some sleep or preparing a meal, holding items like cups and bowls to stop them from tipping over even with non-slip mats, became a work of art. On one occasion on Ian’s watch the boat rolled over to starboard and was then hit broadside on by a wave making it role even further, I was in bed just having finished my watch, I really thought the boat was going to roll completely over. On the last day a wave hit the starboard side and into the cockpit as the boat then rolled back to starboard all the water cascaded through the windows into the starboard cabin soaking me and the bed with sea water.

A couple of other problems we encountered along the way included the wind instrument no longer providing us with a reading for true wind and so had to use apparent wind, and the bracket securing the auto-pilot to the rudder breaking which meant we had to hand steer on the last day, with both Kevin and Ian taking it in hourly turns to man the helm.

The watch system we used was three hourly, 15:00hrs to 18:00hrs, 1800hrs to 2100hrs, 2100hrs to 2400hrs, 2400hrs to 0300hrs, 0300hrs to 0600hrs, 0600hrs to 0900hrs and 0900hrs to 1200hrs, between 1200hrs and 1500hrs there was no official person on watch as we were all usually on deck around this time, this also meant that the watches rotated round each day. There was only one person on official watch at any one time, Kevin had considered other watch systems but this seemed to work well for us. It was also during the unofficial watch time that we would change the clocks back, this also meant nobody ever had to do more than three hours.

For our weather forecasts and communications we used our Iridium GO, each day we uploaded the forecast along with route planner and from this Kevin would determine which course we steered to get the best from the wind, which ranged from 26 knots to 10 knots, with gusts in the squalls reaching over 30 knots. For the majority of the journey we had quite a lot of cloud accompanied by some rain, we had been told that after five days at sea we would only need to wear tee shirts and shorts, this was not the case and the wet weather gear was out each night until the last few nights, along with the life jackets and life lines.

On alternate days Kevin would send out an email to friends and family with an update on our position and what was going on on-board, which wasn’t much. Our entertainment consisted of a pod of around twenty dolphins providing aerial displays for about an hour and a half on day two , the sighting of our one and only Whale, another sail boat on day sixteen, which was manned by a lone American sailor heading for the Caribbean before going on to Maine in America from the Canaries, he had no AIS or the ability to access up to date weather forecasts. After a brief conversation we wished him well as we overtook him, he stayed in eyesight for about another four hours. We sighted another sail boat on the AIS on day twenty one however it was too far away to make contact, we did manage to see its navigation lights at night for a short time. With very little to do and see these three sightings brought great excitement to the crew.

Ian decided we should play Eye Spy but it had to be off the boat, this game was soon exhausted and so we reverted to the books for the remainder of the journey. On day nine we passed the half way mark and celebrated with a bottle of bubbly.

Finally on 28^th January 2018, after sailing 2,804 nautical miles we arrived in Port St Charles Barbados, as it was night time immigration and Customs were closed, so we dropped anchor, chilled out with a well-earned glass of wine before going to bed. There was some swell coming into the bay and so we still rolled from side to side, ah well at least we were at anchor.

The following day Kevin went ashore to register us all in, the rest of the crew couldn’t go ashore until this was done. Once completed we all piled in the dingy and headed for the Yacht Club where we treated ourselves to our first Rum Cocktail, and sighted some very different looking birds.

Two other sailors arrived whilst we were there, they had rowed across the Atlantic in forty eight days in a canoe, breaking two records:

11.     The youngest to ever have done this,

22.    Breaking the record for the fasted time

I must say I take my hat off to them, I thought I had done well but these guys made my achievement pale into significance.

Whilst in Port St Charles we would often walk into Speightstown for some provisions, we didn’t need much as we still had quite a bit left, on the 2^nd of February it was my birthday so we celebrated at the Yacht Club with a lovely meal and some dancing, it was a great day.

The following day we sailed down to Bridgetown, not so much swell in the bay but we were kept awake most of the night by the all-night party boat playing load music as it passed by several times during the night.

As we were not impressed by Bridgetown itself we decided to head to St Lucia the following day. In the morning Kevin headed to Immigration and Customs to sign out and pay our 100 Barbadean Dollars exit tax.

The passage to St Lucia took nearly sixteen hours, once again we were in big seas, with cloud, rain and several squalls. For this passage we doubled up on the watches in case we had to make changes to our sail configuration, as it was we sailed mainly on the main sail.

It was with great relief when we entered Rodney Bay, put the anchor down and dropped into bed for some well-earned sleep.

Count Down To The Caribbean

Christmas 2017 was spent in Rubicon Marina, it seemed strange to be celebrating in the warm sunshine, and as the Spanish don tend to celebrate Christmas day, (they celebrate Christmas eve and the 6^th night, the arrival of the three kings) it all seemed very conservative. Christmas day we treated ourselves to a lovely meal at Restaurant in Papagayo, best restaurant so far, problem I ate too much.

The following week we continued to get the boat ready for the passage to the Caribbean. On New years Eve we again treated ourselves to a meal at Lani’s in Rubicon, the meal was not as good as on Christmas day but was probably as expensive. They did however provide a party bag per person and a very good firework display.

We had intended to have a leisurely day on January the first but as we were running out of time and still had several jobs to complete we decided to have a bike ride to the lighthouse then get back to work after lunch. On the 2^nd January  our crew Trina and Ian arrived, after showing them the working mechanisms of Kailani, (their boat is smaller and a different make to Kailani) we set off for Las Palmas Gran Canaria to get the remaining  provisions for the trip. We arrived late in the evening and anchored in the bay, where several boats were also at anchor, we are still amazed as to how many sailors anchor without mooring lights. Over the next two days we obtained the remaining provisions and equipment from the Chandlery, we checked that the nets we had made to contain our fruit and veg were adequate and so we were now ready for the off (the nets have been admired and photographed by several sailors).

We had intended leaving for our Red Rock on Tenerife on the 6^th January but as strong winds were predicated we decided to leave on the 7^th. As we left the harbour the swell was quite significant 3 to for meters coming from the north and so we decided to head south to Anfi del Mar at first it was a little uncomfortable however after we changed tack it was much better, the waves were from behind and at times we reached 10knots as we surfed down the waves.

From Anfi del Mar we had intended to sail to Red Rock, but as we neared the anchorage the swell was from the south west and was going straight into the anchorage. As we had left Anfi del Mar at 0200 we still had time to make it to La Gomera and San Sabastian marina before night fall and so we changed course and headed there instead.

La Gomera was the last island in the Canaries we intended visiting, and planned to hire a car and head inland to see the sights that so many people had told us about, and we were not disappointed.

We headed to Valle Gran Rey, a very pretty seaside town where we enjoyed lunch then it was off back up the mountain road, the views were spectacular and Gomero is certainly very green. We stopped at Mirador de Abrante where we looked over to Tenerife from a glass walkway, whilst there we were treated to a demonstration of the islands unique communication system called Silbo.

This is a whistled language still used by some Gomeros today and can be heard up to 5 kilometres away, and it has been taught in schools since 2000. From there it was time to head back towards San Sebastian.

Finally the day has arrived for us to set off across the Atlantic, after checking the weather we plan to head south to catch the best of the wind before heading eastward to Barbados. Team Kailani are raring to go.

Chilling out in Lanzarote

It’s now nearly five weeks since we came back to Lanzarote from our trip to the UK it seems longer than that though, we spent ten days visiting friends and family and thanks to my daughter sorting some transport out for us it meant getting around was so much easier. It all seemed quite hectic as not only did we try to get to see as many people as possible but we were also sorting Christmas presents and cards, new bank cards and other personal things, as this would be our last trip to the UK for some time. We had also arranged for several pieces of equipment to be posted to Kevin’s son,  as we were not sure whether we would get the items in time  if sent directly to Lanzarote, and so on the return journey we had three hold bags and two carry-on bags packed to the gunnels.

We had left Kailani in the shipyard at Arrecife in Lanzarote for some maintenance work, we were both very pleased with the professionalism of the yard staff, everything happened when they said it would, nothing was too much trouble for them and we were always greeted with a friendly smile, we both agreed it is the best run shipyard we have come across since leaving the UK and would certainly recommend it to other sailors.

After many requests from sailing friends we also put Kailani’s name on both the port and starboard sides of the boat, we had originally decided not to do this and just have the name on the stern, but now we have I think it looks really good.

With Kailani back in the water we spent a few days in the marina, the transatlantic race was due to start on November the 25^th and so we decided to stay and see the start before leaving the marina. I have to say though it was one of the disappointing race starts we have ever witnessed. We did not hear a horn for the start of the race and as there was no wind the boats didn’t look as if they were moving at all and so there was some confusion as to whether the race had actually started.  There were also daily races taking place for the 44’s, these had been shipped over to the island in containers and rebuilt in the shipyard which had been fascinating to watch.

The following day we headed north to the island of Graciosa our favourite anchorage to take shelter from some strong winds predicted for later in the week, on arrival we were surprised to see we were the only ones there,  which was unusual as the anchorage is usually busy. However that night was spent on deck on anchor watch as the winds picked up reaching 30knots at times, which the forecast we had looked at had not predicted, maybe other sailors knew differently and that’s why no one else was there.

We stayed in the anchorage for two weeks, we had not originally intended to do so, but with winds predicted to be mainly south easterlies we delayed our passage south to Papagayo on the south of Lanzarote as the swell coming into the anchorage would have been untenable.  Eventually we decided to head back to Arrecife and go into the marina again to take shelter from more very strong winds, up to 40 knots at times, it was so nice to just step of the boat without having to dingy ashore.

Whilst in Arrecife we installed the new chart plotter and radar, and cable for the fog horn, Kevin had intended to use the old radar cable to pull the new cable through the mast, however we found that when the original cabling had been installed all the cables running down the inside of the mast had been cable tied together and so what we thought would be a simple task took most of the day to complete coupled with a lot of cursing and swearing.

From Arrecife we headed to Papagayo and then on to Rubicon where we will spend Christmas and New Year and complete the remaining jobs we have to do before our crew Ian and Trina join us in less than three weeks. Making the Limoncillo was one of the first jobs of my list.

I have to say though, whilst we are both a little excited about the passage across the Atlantic  I am also a little apprehensive, I have to keep telling myself thousands make the trip each year, some with very young children on board, so I just need to relax and enjoy the experience.

By the way, you don't get to see many photo's of Bev on this blog because if I try and take one this is what she does.

Merry Christmas to you all.