January 2009

January 5, 2009 - English Harbor, Antigua

We started out the New Year with a visit from Grandpa Dave (Jane’s Dad) and Jenna (Jane’s niece). We picked them up at the airport in Antigua on the second. Antigua is a very pretty island with incredibly nice and helpful locals. It was a great island to meet someone because the local airport has direct flights from the US. Dad and Jenna flew direct from Atlanta.

We sailed into Jolly Harbor on the first of the New Year. It’s a nice anchorage outside of the harbor with great provisioning. We stocked up there for our guests and at first we were in sticker shock with the EC (Eastern Caribbean Dollar) since everything costs about 3X more than the dollar. Once we figured out the conversion, it was like shopping in Chicago.

One of the highlights of Antigua was horseback riding on the beach. It was the one thing that Jenna wanted to do when she was with us and I’m so glad that she did. We had a great time. We rode along 2 different beaches and up to a fort that was built in 1739. Our guides were young local kids who did a fantastic job explaining the sites and leading Noah. I had read online that the best place to find a place for horseback riding was at Dickenson Bay. I now know why, this was a tourist paradise, even with a Sandals resort. At first it was a little unnerving when a guy came up to Dad and I on the beach with a binder full of brochures and said that “He could hook us up with anything”. But before I knew it he was introducing us to Nick the horseman from Caribbean Riders which is exactly who was recommended online. I grew up riding horses and spent many years riding with my Dad so it was great for me to ride side by side with him again. The kids did great and really enjoyed it, too. I think after this adventure, a horse farm may be in the future.

We also really enjoyed English Harbor. The whole harbor area is in the restored 1700’s village from the Horatio Nelson days. It is amazing how they have preserved and restored these historic buildings. They are now being used for shops, customs, restaurants, and inns. We had a nice hike up to a fort that was built in the mid-1700’s to protect the harbor. It also had some good shopping which Caroline and Jenna enjoyed. We were also so happy to see our friends on Honeymoon and Arielle there. Seth and Elizabeth, who own Honeymoon, sailed in the Caribbean 1500 with us and will be following our same path to Australia. They are great people and a lot of fun so we are glad to be back with them. We met Arielle in St. Martin: Michael, Mike, and Jack are also on our same path and on their way to New Zealand. We all went out for our favorite meal PIZZA (which we hadn’t had for awhile). It wasn’t quite D’Augustino’s but it was pretty darn good.

From Antigua we will be sailing 35 miles to Guadeloupe. We are excited for a nice sail that will actually be in the right direction for a change. We have hit our furthest point East and look forward to enjoying the trades as we make our way to Panama. We are also looking forward to introducing Jenna and Dad to their first ocean crossing.

January 14, 2009 – Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe

We have had a great stay in Guadeloupe. It is very different here than any of other islands that we have visited. First of all, it’s a French island and it is really French. Very few people speak English here so we have had a lot of fun “conversations”. It‘s a good thing that Margot (Marc’s French Canadian Mom) was a good influence on Marc so we can communicate “un petit peaux(sp)”. It is also the first island that we have visited where very few places accept the US Dollar. Since the dollar isn’t stacking up too well against the Euro these days, things are a little pricey but as with all of the French islands the food is great and we have filled up again on baguettes and cheese.

Another interesting thing about Guadeloupe is its stunning mountainous terrain. We took a fantastic hike to a 150 ft waterfall with Dad and Jenna. Although we LOVE beaches, it was nice to do something different. After the hike the kids swam in a thermal spring’s pool. They of course loved it and didn’t want to leave. We had a great sail from Antigua to Guadeloupe. It was actually perfect about 20 knots on the beam with small waves. It was a good intro into ocean sailing for Dad and Jenna. We even caught 2 Mahi Mahi at the same time. Wow! We had a great visit with Dad and Jenna and hated to see them leave. Thanks to both of them for coming and we’re glad that they made it home safely (even if their bags were still in the Caribbean).

After Dad and Jenna left we headed for Pigeon Island which is Jacques Cousteau Marine Park. The snorkeling was incredible, the best we’ve had yet in the Caribbean. Noah summed it up in an email to a friend – “We saw a million parrot fish today”. The water was so clear that you could see to the bottom in 40 ft of water. We saw so many fish, beautiful coral, and even a sunken bust of Jacques.

Well the downside for the week is that the generator stopped working or to be exact it will work for awhile and then shut down. This is a real bummer since we get our power to charge our batteries from either the engine or the generator. Since we have been at anchor a lot here we haven’t had the engine running so we really need the generator to take care of all of life’s basics like using the refrigeration, microwave, laundry, making water (which means hot showers), etc. Marc tried all of his fixes, impeller changes, filters, oil changes, removing the thermostat, and all that other stuff. We have a saying in our family (from home and the boat), “Daddy fixes everything”, but unfortunately this time he couldn’t quite get it figured out so we are now in Point a Pitre waiting parts and seeking 'professional' help??? We are anchored outside of the marina and I have to say it is definitely not the nicest place that we’ve been. In fact, a boat anchored near us was broken into while we are here so we are going to head south for a few days to the Saints while the parts come in and then back to Point a Pitre for the repairs. From there we plan to spend about a week in Dominica and then off to the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).

January 19, 2009 - Portsmouth, Dominica

We gave up on waiting for the 'professional' mechanics who were supposed to get the parts for the generator for us, and we sailed south to Les Saintes, and continued further south to Dominica. The generator is limping along for the meantime, and as long as we think happy thoughts, it works for us...for now, but we are now planning to receive parts somewhere in Martinique and think we have a mechanic there who can help replace a leaking water pump and exhaust gasket. For those that were worried that Marc wouldn't have enough to do, rest assured that it has been a full time job keeping up with the boat, if it's not the generator, it's a head macerator pump that needs replaced, or the freezer or something else. It's funny, and now finally we are accepting the fact that 'if it hasn't broke down yet, it will eventually' and finding parts along the way is pretty near impossible, so, relax and appreciate the things that are working well, enjoy the moment, go for a snorkel with the kids and if it's after 5 or close enough, enjoy a local beer! - Maybe we are just now getting into our cruising groove.....

Back to Les Saintes for a moment. This was one of Jane's favorite spots, and we stayed for several days at the same anchorage before leaving for Dominica. Les Saintes are a small group of small islands off the coast of Guadeloupe. They are technically part of Guadeloupe but other than being French they are quite different. Jane found them the perfect mix of quiet and laid back but with enough shops, bakeries, and people to keep busy. Although there are other small villages and a spattering of homes, there is basically one very quaint town and the rest of the islands are full of forts, hikes, iguanas, with some small beaches, and good snorkeling. The town is delightful. There are very few cars and most people ride scooters so the congestion that exists on other islands is not there. It is a little touristy since the ferry from Guadeloupe comes every day but the shops are cute, the locals are so friendly. After having a cafe au lait and relaxing at a local cafe checking email, I was delighted to find the bakery with fresh baguettes at 5:00 pm. The owner spoke virtually no English but when I told him that I spoke almost no French he attempted to impress me with what little English he knew which included cigerette and ascot. The people were very friendly and helpful and it is definitely a place to relax for awhile.

But unfortunately or fortuanately, there are more places to see. After enjoying our time in Les Saintes we headed down to Portsmouth, Dominica where we plan to stay for few days. It is said that if Columbus returned to the Caribbean, Dominica would be the only island that he would recognize. We are looking forward to enjoying this beautiful island with its rivers, mountains, and rainforests.

January 26, 2009 – Roseau, Dominica

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay on Dominica or as it is known on Imagine as the Incredible, Edible Island. Agriculture makes up about 70% of the island’s economy and it is obvious when you have spent any time there. We enjoyed fresh oranges, grapefruit, papaya, mangoes, and of course the kid’s favorite sugar cane. It is truly unspoiled. The people were extremely friendly and helpful and very proud of the beauty of their island. We started out our stay in the anchorage in Portsmouth. In the guide book they make a big deal of the boat vendors and tour guides so we were a little nervous coming into the anchorage as to who might come up to the boat but we felt that the boat vendors really added to the Dominican experience.

As we pulled into the harbor area, we were immediately welcomed to Dominica by a boat vendor and tour guide named Albert. Caroline looked through the cruising guide book to determine if Albert was referenced in the book and he was. We asked Albert to meet us back at the boat when anchored and he met us there to answer any questions that we had about Portsmouth. He was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about the area. He took us on a tour of the Indian River which is where they filmed part of the Pirates of the Caribbean II. It was a beautiful tour and Albert pointed out all of the incredible foliage and wildlife. He even waited patiently while Noah desperately tried to see the boa constrictor that was very high in a tree above us. Many guys would paddle out to the boat offering a variety of services - boat cleaning, garbage removal, fruits, or anything we'd want from shore. One of the locals we met was Anderson, who paddled up to our boat on a surf board and took our order for papaya, passion fruit, and plantains. He was back at the boat in 30 minutes with perfect produce. I wish that it was that easy in Chicago. Once the other vendors knew that we were working with Albert and Anderson, we were never asked by anyone else. The vendors really make the experience in Portsmouth easier and more enjoyable. While in Portsmouth, we also had a chance to meet up with the boat Althea who is from Marc's hometown of New Canaan, CT. It was fun to have Bill & Sue over for dinner and we were able to see them again later in our next anchorages.

After Portsmouth, we sailed down to the capital of Dominica which is Roseau. Albert had recommended Pancho as a good person to work with there. Similar to our experience arriving in Portsmouth, Dominica, we were met by a dinghy when we reached Roseau. This time we informed the person that met us that we’d like to work with Pancho. He must have called Pancho on the radio because very quickly Pancho met us and showed us to one of his moorings, where we tied up. Pancho was a great resource throughout our stay there. He also took us on a tour of the island and fabulous hike to Victoria Falls. Since he knew we had children he brought his wife and two young kids and it was great time. I think that our kids were energized watching Pancho’s 5 year old son tackle the hike and they ran to keep up with him. It wasn’t an easy hike as there were a number of rivers to cross and many boulders to climb but we all made it and had a blast. The reward was a cold swim in the pool at the foot of the falls. The scenery was breathtaking. After the hike Pancho took us to a hot water springs bath. It was exactly what we needed. The hot water comes from springs from the boiling lake high in the mountains. From the natural springs, the water is piped through bamboo to keep it warm and then it empties into bathtubs and a big pool in the middle of the rainforest. We were the only people there and it was perfect. The kids enjoyed their first bath since we left Chicago (don’t worry we do have showers on the boat). All along the tour Pancho would stop the van and pick wild produce. We got to taste Chocolate straight from the tree (it needs to dry out before it tastes like Hershey’s) and coffee beans and smell fresh spearmint and lemongrass. Again, we came home with a bag full of produce. We are all enjoying grapefruit, oranges, and papaya like you’ve never tasted. Again, our stay in Roseau would not have been near as enjoyable without the assistance from Pancho.

While we were in Dominica we also had a fun snorkeling trip with our friends from Arielle. Mike, Mike, and Jack had rented a car and took us on a trip to Scott’s Head and to see the bubbles of Champagne. The highlights were seeing the bubbles that come from volcanic gasses and seeing a snake eel. Of course, Mom thought that the snake eel was a sea snake which is usually poisonous. My knowledgeable children quickly informed me that it was not a sea snake but a Goldspotted Snake Eel which are harmless. We also had the luck of seeing a pod of sperm whales and dolphins swimming near Scott’s Head as we were driving home. We could actually see them coming up to breath while we were driving. It was cool – no other word for it. Thanks to Arielle for a great day!

January 26, 2009 – Roseau, Dominica