Category: Travel

Places, People, Things we have seen.

Colourful Cartagena

The alarm went off early on Monday morning and we were up and off the boat within half an hour, excited for the next part of our journey of discovery!   Together with our trusted friends and companions, Mike and Nicki, we hailed a taxi to take us to the main bus terminal which is on the outskirts of town.   We were heading to Cartagena, an old city about 400 miles west of Santa Marta which is steeped in history.

The bus was very comfortable and the roads leading out of Santa Marta were fast and smooth as we slowly left the city behind and started seeing more rural scenes as we sped through the countryside.   We passed an estuary with a large flock of pale pink flamingos that all took flight as we approached, flying beside us, much to my delight, their long necks outstretched as they beat their large wings. 

A short while later we passed a shanty village built on stilts over the Magdalena River estuary.  The river close to the houses was a rubbish tip and we watched someone throw a plastic bottle off their deck to join the rest of the rubbish collecting close to the houses.   Further downstream a group of men waded knee deep with a fishing nets in hand and I wondered whether they would catch more rubbish than fish……

We saw large flocks of Egrets and Turkey Vultures along the beach as we followed the coast on our journey west, passing through small towns where horse and carts were used to transport crops and goods.  Large Haciendas, marked with imposing gates and the occasional horseback riders gave the impression we were on the set of a movie as we continued our journey through the roads lined with trees ladened with ripening avocados with fallen fruit left to rot around the trunk.   It was an enjoyable five hour bus trip giving us a moving window into life in Colombia.

Cartagena was an import port for the export of gold and silver and for importing slaves from Africa. As it is in a key location, close to Central America as well as the Caribbean, and shipping precious cargo, the city was a target for pirates and privateers (pirates that were thieving under the name of royalty, like Sir Francis Drake), so the city was heavily fortified. As well as having a rich maritime history, the city has beautiful historic buildings which have colourful and interesting stories to tell.

Like in Santa Marta, the bus station in Cartagena is on the outskirts of town so we negotiated a low price for a taxi into the old city so we could get our bearings before finding our accommodation.   Cartagena has two distinct areas – the old and the new city, and we wanted to focus on the old part.   We approached the walled city, walking through Centenario Park where marmoset monkeys climbed in the branches and sloths, introduced to the park a few years ago, lazily sleep in the upper branches of trees.  

We had arrived on Cartegena independence Day, a national holiday which is celebrated with a large festival in the city, the culmination being the crowning of Miss Colombia!  With the festivities finished, it was now time to focus on Christmas and large decorations were being installed in the main square in front of the gate through the city walls.   As we approached the stone arched gateway we started to get a taste of what to expect in the city as men with hats stacked on their heads and arms full of sunglasses approached us trying to sell us their wares.   Once inside the walls we were taken aback by the amount of hustling and continuous requests to have us part with our money!   However this did not detract from the beauty of the buildings and sense of history in the lovely old city.   We were excited to get to know Cartagena over the next few days, but first we took a US$3 taxi ride to our accommodation, on the northern beaches of the city and settled into our modern apartment, wasting no time getting familiar with the washing machine, good showers and swimming pool!

Over the next few days we wandered the city streets, met up with friends for lunch, went on another excellent guided walking tour and enjoyed numerous eating and drinking establishments!   The city is vibrant and colourful with lots of beautiful buildings, lovely plazas and some spectacular murals on buildings in the Getsemani district.   Some of the old buildings had door knockers which gave an indication of the profession of the people that once lived there – a sea merchant would have  a knocker of an anchor, fish or anything to do with the sea; royalty or those from high society would have an iguana; clergy would have a hand and a lion represented members of the army or protectors of the city.   The big wooden doors that these knockers decorated often opened into a large lobby that led into a beautiful, enclosed courtyard.  

While on the walking tour, we were in the Plaza de la Aduana when our guide abruptly broke off from his speech and stopped a man in the street, introducing him to us as the Mayor of Cartagena.  He was very affable and spoke excellent English (we later learned he had lived in the USA for many years) and was very impressed we were from NZ.  His security team quickly surrounded him and hustled him away – we learned he is not a very popular Mayor!   A little while later we were led to an area where our guide announced he was going to introduce us to his future wife….. he then showed us a pavement dedicated to all the past winners of Miss Colombia, just as the stunning, newly crowned Miss Colombia made an appearance, flashed us a beautiful smile and entered the building.   Our guide was speechless as we joked with him that his future wife had just passed him by! 

The city had many fine statues and monuments but were outnumbered by the huge array of cafes and bars offering excellent coffee and appetising food!   One of our favourites was Abaco Libros y Café which was a small coffee house inside an old bookshop.  The walls were lined with thousands of books and gliding ladders gave access to those on the top shelves.  

After a few days exploring the city we made our way to the airport for the next leg of our adventure.   While we were sad to be leaving Cartagena we were also excited for what lay ahead as we were all about to experience something none of us imagined we would have had the opportunity to do.

The Passage of Pain – Aruba to Colombia

The passage to Colombia is noted as one of the most unpredictable and potentially difficult sails on the cruisers circuit.   The high mountains on the headland close to Santa Marta often cause winds to accelerate down the steep slopes and sailing can be treacherous, or at best, uncomfortable with high winds and rolling waves.   The weather forecast is only a considered prediction and things can change very quickly, so several things needed to be taken into account before we left the safe and sheltered anchorage of Spanish Waters.   First and foremost, we needed to make sure the boat, and we, were ready for the three day passage – tick!   We then needed to ensure the different models of wind forecasts we looked at were starting to align and predicted lighter winds than we would normally choose for a short passage.  This is because we’ve found the winds are often more than forecast and we didn’t want to risk strong winds close to Colombia.   Finally, we needed an alternative plan, in case things turned to custard and we needed to escape somewhere for shelter or wait for a better weather window. 

Zen Again had led the way out of Spanish Waters followed a little while later by us and our single-handed octogenarian, Fred who was still unsure if he wanted to go but was being ruled by the company being offered – an unwise thing for a seasoned sailor as its important to make your own decisions when sailing!    Aruba is an 80NM sail from Curacao and we found wind keeping close to the Curacao coastline, opting to take the northern route around Aruba, while Fred had already told us he was going south of the island as it was a shorter route.   He came on the radio and once again voiced his intention to stop in Aruba as he felt the winds were too light.    By this time, we were making good progress and felt confident we could arrive in Santa Marta before a forecast weather system was due to hit in a couple of days.  

From a sailing point of view, the passage was perfect!   We had excellent wind conditions – all exactly as forecast – and only one squall to deal with in the middle of night one.  Sadly though other things didn’t go so well…… Steve had a boom v’s head incident in the middle of the darkest moonless night and ended up with an enormous egg shaped lump above his left eye.   This later developed into two black eyes, but at the time caused a painful bruise and pounding headache.   Then, the next day as we changed our course and started heading straight towards Santa Marta, I started to feel very unwell.  I spent the whole day curled up under a makeshift sunshade on the cockpit floor only moving when I had to vomit or have a drink!   If it was seasickness, I have never experienced it as badly as that with a headache that must have matched Steve’s!    Fortunately Hilda the Hydrovane was on top form and she steered us all day without even an adjustment needed.  

As we approached Santa Marta on the northern coast of Colombia, we heard Fred on the VHF radio trying to raise the Port Authority to ask permission to enter the harbour.   We listened with some amusement as Fred, who is as deaf as a post, with his gruff American voice, tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the port and the port tried unsuccessfully to communicate with him!   We called the port and received an immediate response so Fred decided to just slip in behind and follow us into the harbour, repeating the same procedure as we contacted the marina to request a berth.   After spending about 20 minutes drifting in the port while the marina found us a couple of suitable spaces, we made our way into the small marina with limited information on where we were supposed to go!   Once safely tied up and the check in procedure had started, using the very friendly and hard working marina staff, we set out to explore the town!  

Santa Marta is a popular destination for Colombians to visit for a few days as the city is small, lively and picturesque.   The narrow streets are on an easy to navigate grid system, which are meant to be one-way but we soon learned that traffic rules seem to be optional in Colombia and we frequently had to avoid motorbikes or bicycles careering up streets the wrong way.   We soon found the “High Street” lined with busy shops and market stalls set up on the roadside and pavements.   A four piece mobile band walked down the street playing beautiful music as they joined the busy afternoon bustle, fruit carts ladened with bananas, oranges and mangos were being pulled by tired looking men while taxis and buses wove their way through the chaotic streets, beeping their horns continuously as they looked for business.   It was a senses overload for us as we had not been in a busy city for some time and we were still in awe at the thought of being in South America and tired from the passage, so we soon wound our way back to the marina to have a celebrational drink with Fred and Zen Again who had just arrived. 

Over the next few days we explored the city, taking a guided walking tour to learn more about Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary leader born in Venezuela and died in Santa Marta in 1831.  He fought the Spanish and led the movement for independence, having a huge influence in several countries due to his leadership qualities and ability to pull people together from different backgrounds and tribes.  His dream was to create a “United States” with what is now Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, parts of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia to form a region known as the United Provinces of New Granada or Republic of Gran Colombia.  Gran Colombia did not exist for long as it was dissolved in 1831, but for a time the Republic was among the most powerful and influential regions in the western hemisphere.  Not everyone shared Bolivars vision of a centralised government and it is believed by many in Santa Marta that he was in fact poisoned as he died at only age 47.   Interestingly, his statue in the main square in Santa Marta has him riding a horse with two legs raised, a symbol of a soldier that died in battle while statues we saw of him riding a horse in other Colombian cities do not have the raised legs.  

We enjoyed many cups of delicious coffee and tasty food, running the gauntlet of hustlers and street hawkers as we chose a restaurant in the main dining streets.   Eating out is so cheap it was hardly worth cooking on the boat and was a great excuse to socialise and experience the vibrant early evening atmosphere of the central areas.  

We set a plan with Zen Again to explore inland Colombia and soon realised that we needed to be very selective in our choice of places to visit – there just wasn’t enough time to do everything we wanted to experience in the country we were fast learning, was a jewel in the crown of South America.  

Colourful Curacao

We pulled out of Bonaire mooring field, waving goodbye to friends in the warm morning sunlight.   Zen Again had left already and we could see the fading triangle of their sail as they headed towards a large bank of cloud on the horizon.   After a year of island hopping on both sides of the Atlantic, we were now heading to explore our final island nation in the Caribbean.

We quickly set our sails and turned off the engine as we picked up speed on a nice reach, heading south west as we edged passed Klein Bonaire and gave a mental wave goodbye to the fabulous snorkelling and underwater paradise that is hidden below the shallow blue waters.  To avoid using the steering as much as possible, due to our failing bearing which had caused our wheel to jam a day earlier, we set up Hilda the Hydrovane so we could lock off the wheel.

We were only about five miles out when lightning and thunder started crashing in front of us and, on looking at the radar, it was clear we were not going to avoid it if we continued on the same course.   Zen Again had already gybed to avoid the heavy black cloud that loomed ahead and we followed suit, heading north west to try and get infront of the storm clouds and avoid the bolts of lightning that lit up the mid-morning darkness.    When we were about halfway between Bonaire and Curacao on our 40NM journey, we gybed again as the clouds disappeared and we made good speed to our destination on the south west coast of the island.   Zen Again were not far behind us as we turned into the narrow entrance leading to Spanish Waters, a protected area of bays offering excellent shelter in several different bays in a relatively quiet setting. 

We anchored in the western most area and shared a celebratory sundowner with Zen Again who anchored next to us.   We had arrived on Independence Day – 10/ 10 (10 October) the day that Curacao became a nation inside the Dutch Kingdom in 2010 when the Dutch Antilles were dissolved after a referendum.   Everything was shut so we didn’t attempt to navigate the 7kms into the capital, Willemstad, to check in, but decided to wait until the next day.  

Early the next morning we set out to start the process of checking in by first finding the immigration office which was well tucked away in a small non-descript building with a temporary looking sign on the door giving the only clue what was inside.   We were processed quite quickly and then walked into the town of Willemstad to complete the customs clearance, crossing the long floating swingbridge that opens on request for all traffic going up the river towards the port and marina.   As we walked across the bridge, the colourful, historic waterfront buildings on the eastern side of the river reminded us of a child’s drawing of houses as the picturesque tall, coloured rectangular buildings dominated the waterfront.    Once cleared in with customs the check-in procedure was complete and we enjoyed a coffee and cake at a waterside café before wandering through the narrow streets and exploring the town.  There are two things that immediately stand out in Willemstad, the colourful houses on the waterfront and the beautiful street art that adorns alot of the walls and shops in the town.

Curacao has a population of approx. 150,000 and Willemstad is the capital with the majority of the population living within the confines of the city.   It is the largest of the ABC islands and has a very different feel to Bonaire, not only because of the colour of the water in the anchorage, but the size of the town and general Hussle and Bussell of being in a larger community.    The history of Curacao is interesting with the original inhabitants coming from South America hundreds of years before the first Europeans arrived.   The Spanish arrived in Curacao in 1499 and enslaved most of the natives, transporting them to other Spanish colonies for forced labour.   The Spanish used Curacao as a bridge for exploring northern South America and eventually built a settlement in 1527 which was then governed by Venezuela as the Spanish continued to colonise South America, eventually abandoning the island in favour of building communities on the mainland.    The Dutch took over the island in 1634 following the Eighty Years’ War of independence between The Netherlands and Spain.   They used the island as the main centre for slaves, transporting them to Curacao before selling them elsewhere in the Caribbean and South America.  Many Dutch colonists prospered from the slave trade and built the colourful houses on the waterfront in Willemstad.

We decided to rent a car for a couple of days and explore the northern parts of the island that are hard to get to by bus.   After attempting, and failing, to find a place to purchase our required bearing, we headed north, first to Santa Cruz and then on to Playa Lagun.   The small beach was quite busy with restaurants accessed by steep steps on the northern side of the bay.    It was a hot day, so we all went for a snorkel before lunch.   There were lots of turtles feeding, surprisingly on fish, which I’d never seen before, and as I swam into the rocky shallows, more turtles were lazily scavenging in the rocks, not bothered by my presence as they occasionally pushed themselves up to the surface and took two breaths before continuing their leisurely swim.  

We walked along the coastal path in the National Park and watched the waves break on the rugged coastline, sending water high above our heads from the viewing platform.   Lizards scurried for shelter as we continued our walk to a small beach which, in season is a turtle laying reserve.   It saddened me hugely to see the beach covered in rubbish.   I’m not sure whether it had been washed up there or whether visitors had dropped it but it certainly looked as if it had come from the sea.  What frustrated me further was that we had paid an entrance fee into the park and rangers were parked at most of the areas identified as “of interest” yet they did nothing except sit in their cars playing music and giving visitors a cursory nod.   Why could they not start picking up the rubbish???

Back at the boat we ordered our new bearing and casing from the UK and, after a false start where the bearing ended up in Exeter and then didn’t move for a week, we waited expectantly for our parcel to arrive.   While we waited we visited a slave museum in Willemstad and the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Americas which was in an inconspicuous looking building but hidden behind the walls was the lovely Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue which was built in 1732.  The most noticeable feature was sand on the floor which depicts the Sinai Desert.  It also remembers those who put sand on the floor of secret rooms so early Jews in Curacao could continue to worship and the sand helped muffle the sound of their service.  

With our parcel still days away we explored a few dive spots close to our anchorage and snorkelled over a wreck of a tug boat which was now home to new coral and lots of colourful fish and conga eels.   One evening we tried our hand at dance lessons, attempting to learn one of the many beautiful (when done properly!) South American dance styles.  

Eventually our courier parcel arrived and Steve immediately set to work installing the new bearing – it was a huge relief when it slid into place relatively easily – well, nothing a bit of banging wouldn’t fix – and we took the boat on a test drive around the crowded anchorage to make sure the steering felt good and everything worked as it should!   Fortunately all went well, which was just as well, as we planned to leave the next day.   There had been very few weather windows for our passage to Colombia while we had been waiting for our parcel, so we wanted to take the first opportunity as we knew bad weather was coming and there would not be another window for at least a week. 

On a very wet morning we set off to complete the check out procedures with our planned sailing passage posse of ZenAgain and Seraphina.  By the time we reached immigration we were all soaked through and crammed into the small busy office to await our turn.  The people infront of us were asking if they could check out on behalf of a captain who had broken both his ankles attempting to perform a backflip on land – it hadn’t ended well!   Friends had met him a few days earlier when he was literally crawling back to his dinghy to return to his boat.   Immigration would not concede and instructed the two attempting to check out, that they needed to bring him in a car to the office and then the officers would kindly allow him to stay in the car while they completed the paperwork!   We had been told of a number of boats that had been turned away by immigration when they had attempted to check in.  Two boats had visited Venezuela prior to arriving in Curacao and one South African boat who did not have the appropriate visa.   Fortunately Bonaire are much more accommodating!   Our check out went smoothly for the three boats, and we were soon back in the rain heading to customs to complete the procedure.   Now we were checked out and soaking wet, we all contemplated whether it was a good idea to leave that afternoon, as planned, or wait until the morning.    Fred, an 81 year old solo sailor who was on his 3rd circumnavigation, announced he was going to wait until the morning while ZenAgain and we continued to discuss the merits of the best time to leave.   Steve and I were still trying to decide when ZenAgain pulled up their anchor and motored over to say goodbye.   We decided to wait an hour and follow them out, letting Fred know so he could follow behind us.    We were expecting rain and wind for the whole passage and when we heard Fred on the radio about 3hrs later stating he was considering stopping in Aruba as there wasn’t enough wind, we started to question whether the forecast was going to be accurate after-all.  

The long goodbye

There are times when you know you are in the right place doing the right thing. When you feel a sense of calm come over you; when you feel the gentle embrace of friendship; the slow rhythm of life creating new routines and the sudden realisation that having a day off without feeling guilt is ok!

Our lives soon became a comfortable routine of happy moments and experiences. Our friends on Take Five had finally caught up after last seeing them in The Canaries when they left ahead of us to cross The Atlantic with my sister Bea and brother-in-law, Andy, on board. They anchored next to us in the busy bay which was now a happy community of old and new friends. Together we organised for a group of 20 to go to Carnival together, the first Carnival, or Spicemas, which has been held since 2019 due to Covid, so the island was ready to party.

Carnival is a two day public holiday which starts on the Monday at dawn with J’Ouvert where people dress as devils called Jabs-Jabs, wearing black horned helmets, chains and covered in black oil. Spectators are also covered in oil with back handprints and pale background seemingly being the ultimate prize for the horned Jabs-Jabs’. Monday night Mass is a parade of bands with colourful costumes and feature the Short Knee bands who carry talcum powder as a symbol of appreciation and sprinkle it on those who make a cash donation. Sadly the Festival was lacking a good Event Manager and nothing ran to time, with the Monday Mass starting 4hrs late – too late for most cruisers, so we missed the main part of the show. Carnival Tuesday is known as The Last Lap and dancers gyrate through the streets in bright, skimpy costumes following trucks, each with their own DJ or band playing music with the bass so loud it reverberated through our bodies as they passed us by. The atmosphere was friendly, happy and inclusive even though a lot of the symbolic costumes and actions referenced the days of slavery and the hatred of the white landowners.

With the date of our departure for Bonaire constantly being pushed back while we waited for news on whether our friends on Ilanda had received their new, larger outboard motor so we could buy their current one from them, we decided to take an introductory SCUBA dive. I am not confident under the water and didn’t want to commit to doing my PADI openwater certificate if I didn’t enjoy it. Steve and I were the only students on the day and we were well looked after as we practiced breathing under water and learning how to manage the heavy equipment. I loved it and felt very relaxed in the shallow warm waters at Lance Aux Epines Beach in Prickly Bay. Steve was, surprisingly, not quite as comfortable under the water but we both agreed it was something we wanted to take further once we arrive in Bonaire.

We were keen to see more of the island so, together with four other friends – Zen Again and Take Five – we hired a local guide who had come highly recommended, and spent a day touring the island. We had already been to some of the sights, but were keen to see others so suggested an itinerary which, Cutty, our guide, tweaked slightly before we left for a full day of adventure.

One of the many things we wanted to do before leaving Grenada was to see monkeys in the wild. Only a few of Caribbean islands have monkeys as they are not native to the area, having been brought here from Western Africa on slave ships in the 1700’s. The mona monkey is found in the interior of the island where the rain forest is thick and food plentiful, however sometimes they do come out of the interior and steal fruit crops, upsetting farmers and locals. For this reason, there is a hunting season and locals are allowed to eat their meat for a few months of the year. Cutty was a monkey whisperer and charmed a few cheeky monkeys out of the trees for us, encouraging them to land on our shoulders and heads as he used bananas as a reward! Their soft padded feet gently moved up my arms and they happily jumped from one person to the next, coaxed by the fruit that, when given to them, they ran back into the trees to savour the prized banana, storing it in their cheeks like hamsters, for them to enjoy later!

Our day included a swim in a refreshing pond under one of the Seven Sisters Waterfalls, a visit to a disused airfield where the PM’s old private plane lays decaying beside an old Cuban Airways passenger plane, both unused since the 70’s and now slowly rotting away in a field now used as a children’s playing ground! Cutty delighted in telling us about the wonderful medicinal qualities of the many native plants on the island as well as showing us how Cinnamon is harvested, explained about how nutmeg was the islands major export crop until the devastating hurricane 15 years ago destroyed 80% of the trees, and picked us a cacoa pod so we could suck on the sweet flesh that surrounds the cocoa bean. He took us to the islands oldest rum distillery which still uses a waterwheel to crush the sugarcane, although not open to the public, Cutty had a key and took us on a private tour explaining each step of the process.

It was a lovely day spent with good friends and a fabulous, informative guide. We travelled the length and width of the island, learning about the spices, politics and economy of this beautiful place we have been lucky enough to call home for about three months.

Our time in Grenada was coming to an end. The height of the hurricane season was now upon us and each morning we would study the weather forecast and what tropical waves may be starting to form in the Atlantic. Our insurance would not cover us for any named storms so we had to be ready to sail out of the path of any hurricane as soon as one looked like it was heading towards Grenada. It was time to start heading west, away from the hurricane belt and start exploring new waters.

Steve went up the mast to check the rigging, a task we do each time we are preparing for a long passage. He noticed a crack in one of the tangs that attach the stays to the mast – these are very important as a failure in heavy weather could result in losing the mast. We needed to get it fixed and quickly if we were to keep to our planned departure day in a weeks time. Luckily the local riggers had four of the exact fittings in stock and our friends on Escapade had an industrial rivet gun they lent us, so armed with a little bit of knowledge, some confidence and lots of hope, Steve was hoisted up the mast to replace four of the six tangs. It took two days to complete the task under the hot sun and rolling anchorage of Benji Bay with Steve spending hours up the mast pushing and straining as he rivetted the tangs in place and while I sent bags up the mast of needed tools and supplies. It was huge achievement getting them all replaced and the rigging re-secured.

It was time to farewell our friends and leave the country that had won our hearts and given us such wonderful memories.   As we prepared to leave the green hilly shores of Grenada I reflected on why this small, fertile island had won our hearts so much and what lasting impressions we would take away with us.  It is the small colourful houses perched on hillsides sitting on long poles that don’t look strong enough to support the house; the lush rain forest that dominates every view; the public buses blaring loud rap music as they career along narrow bumpy roads where it is best not to look as the driver weaves through obstacles and overtakes on blind corners; it is the hairstyles of the women which are really more like works of art; it is the huge smiles on the faces of the children and men (women don’t tend to be as cheerful!); it is the warm, calm waters that we would swim in every day; it is the amazing varieties of fruit that roadside sellers try to tempt you into buying from them; it is the roadside rumshacks that come alive in the evenings as neighbours come together and catch up on the days events; and it is the fabulous group of people we were fortunate enough to call friends and spend special times with as we all sheltered from the threat of hurricanes in these idyllic waters.    How lucky are we to have spent three months on this beautiful island?    But, as the sun rose on Sunday 4 September, we finished off the final preparations to leave and slipped out of Benji Bay with horns blasting from Take Five and several friends coming to wave us goodbye.  The excitement of what lay ahead was tinged with sadness as we slowly headed out into the blue Caribbean sea that lay beyond the protective reef.   Our course was set for the west, to Bonaire and the new adventures and friendships that lay ahead.

Martinique – France in the Caribbean

We left Dominica at 3pm in the company of Zen Again, headed for Fort De France in Martinique, approximately 80NM away.   We were hoping for a good overnight passage to the next in a long chain of beautiful countries – all having their own individual identity – that form the Windward Islands.   We were attempting to sail the next 80 miles without the use of our engine again, which had been diagnosed as needing urgent attention – attention we intended giving it when we managed to hobble back to Grenada. 

We were well aware that the high hills of Dominica would cause a wind shadow but we hoped we would be able to pass through it relatively quickly.     With Zen Again hot on our heels we made good speed leaving Portsmouth harbour and felt encouraged as we rounded the headland and started heading south on a nice reach.   Sadly it did not take the wind long to completely disappear, and with it Zen Again turned on their engines and vanished from sight as we once again found ourselves frustratingly going nowhere except occasionally backwards as the strong current threatened to sweep us back to Portsmouth!    We must have drifted for over an hour, searching for any sign of wind on the flat water.    Eventually, the wind arrived and we were able to make steady progress again, relieved we were now at least moving in the right direction!

We made good speed over night and travelled down the west coast of Martinique as the sun came up but as the sky grew lighter, so did the wind and, once again we were becalmed and swept back north as we lolled around with flapping sails and no steerage for, what seemed like, hours with only 9NM to reach our destination.     When the wind did arrive we quietly and sulkily tacked up the wide harbour to the capital, Fort de France.  It had taken 20hrs for us to sail 80NM and neither of us enjoyed the journey and were in low spirits as we headed towards our final destination!     As we arrived at the entrance to the crowded anchorage a large group of kayakers appeared in front of us, obviously confident we would avoid them as no one made any attempt to change direction.   If we’d had an engine, it would not have been a problem, but we were now in a buoyed channel with limited options but to go where the wind blew us.   Fortunately two of the front kayakers were much stronger paddlers than the rest of the group and we were able to divide the pack by cutting through the gap the leaders had created!  The rest of the kayakers looked at us with bemused frustration as we slowly continued towards the harbour.

The anchorage was busy so we pushed as close as we could to the shore to try and get as much protection as possible from wind and swell before dropping the anchor, relieved we had completed another leg of our engine-less passage south.

Fort de France is by far the largest and most cosmopolitan city we have been to since leaving Europe.   It has high rises, a modern transport system, busy roads and lots of people!  The French influence is very apparent with a large population of white Europeans making Martinique home due to France’s “open border” immigration system for anyone with a French passport.   It also has a strong history connected to France as Martinique was the home of Josephine Bonaparte who was raised on a sugar plantation here.

We met Zen Again and checked in using a computer in a nearby chandlery – very quick, easy and cheap – celebrating at a nearby café which served good coffee and a great selection of pastries.   Over the next week, the café became a regular haunt and we availed ourselves of their sweet treats, hot water and clean toilets! 

It was now time to explore Martinique so we hired a car for a couple of days with Mike and Nicki from Zen Again, and headed north on the first day.   With me driving and Mike expertly navigating, reminding me to drive on the right when I mistakenly approached a roundabout the wrong way (it only happened once…!), we navigated the busy roads by frequently taking detours down narrow, and often steep, back streets.  We were headed to St Pierre in the north east of the island.   Mt Pelee provides a dramatic backdrop to the small town of St Pierre and is a constant reminder to the tragic events that happened in 1902 when the volcano erupted, killing almost the entire population of the town.   The only survivor was a prisoner who was in solitary confinement in a small, thick walled stone cell behind the theatre.    The town has been built around relics of that fateful day, with ruins of once grand buildings standing next to homes and shops.   We visited the excellent new Memorial de la catastrophe de 1902 which cleverly guided you through the vibrant city prior to the eruption using letters and diaries from some of those who did not survive.  

We continued our journey of the north by visiting the beautiful Depaz rum distillery which is set in the most beautiful location at the foot of Mt Pelee with spectacular views across sugar cane fields out to sea.   Established by Victor Depaz in 1917 after all his family were killed in the volcano 15 years earlier.   Victor had been a student in France when the volcano erupted and was devastated to learn of the death of his family.   He left France after deciding to start afresh in Canada, but the ship he was travelling on made an unscheduled stop in Martinique.   He decided to visit the site of his family home and business, where he still owned land that had once grown sugar cane.   Once he saw the place again, at the foot of the mountain that had taken his family, he decided to stay and established the distillery.   He built a large family home which was the replica of the house he had grown up in and where he brought up his 11 children.

We enjoyed an afternoon wandering around the distillery and finishing with a tasting of a few of the rums made on site.    It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon and appreciate the wonderful surroundings and countryside of Martinique.

On day two we headed south, visiting the Anse Cafford Slave Memorial which is a powerful sculpture of 15 hunched slaves looking out to the place where a ship full of slaves perished when the boat they were imprisoned in was shipwrecked after crossing the Atlantic.   I found the whole sculpture and environment very moving as the sculptures all stand shoulder to shoulder with eyes cast down and mouths open as if in a silent scream.   

We continued our journey south to Grande Anse beach and spent a lovely few hours snorkelling in clear water and over the best coral we had seen so far.   We swam with a very friendly, casual loggerhead turtle as it grazed on the seagrass and casually floated to the surface to take a breath before returning to graze on the seabed below me.   That, and the abundant colourful and different varieties of fish, was a fabulous experience and we all returned to the lovely beach exhilarated happy!

We continued our journey, making our last stop in the south at the Habitation Clement Park and Distillery.    The park contained a variety of sculptures set in beautiful gardens and we followed a pathway through the art installations to the distillery.   I’m so pleased we visited the Depaz Distillery the day before because the Clement Distillery tour and buildings offered something quite different but explained and showed the Rum making process so much better.    It was an excellent visit, topped off again by Rum tasting which was not limited to the two tasting glasses of the day before, and delivered by a handsome and charming guy who seemed to enjoy the friendly banter we had.  When I said I had to drive he was surprised and reminded me that I was now in Martinique so it didn’t matter……. That was enough to stop me trying any more and be extra cautious as we made our way back to Fort de France, stopping at the supermarket for a big provisioning shop on the way.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed our time in Martinique.   It was a social time, catching up with some lovely friends and enjoying the environment of a large town where it was easy to get around and stock up on much needed supplies.   Mike and Nicki on Zen Again left a few days before us, headed for St Lucia and let us know they had experienced strong current and less wind than forecast.   Not wanting to experience any more slow passages, spent going round in circles, we contemplated cutting through between Martinique and St Lucia and heading down the east coast of the islands.   This would mean that we would avoid the wind shadows caused by the high hills of St Lucia and St Vincent as we headed south to Grenada.    We chose to leave on a day that promised some north in the wind so we could start to head east, so as the sun came up, we hoisted the mainsail and sailed off the anchor making good speed as we headed out of the harbour.    Cerulean sailed beautifully with the perfect wind angle for her, on a broad reach, carrying two happy passengers as we made our way south towards Grenada where we would hopefully be connected with our new thrust bearing, purchased in the UK and get it fitted in the next week.     We had a fast and near perfect sail to Grenada, cutting through to the east side of the islands a little further south than planned, as the wind and current forced us to change our minds.   The benefit of that was a bonus dolphin experience where the largest pod of dolphins we have ever seen, worked together to round up fish.   We could not count the number of dolphins as the sea was just boiling with them – to the extend where, if we had wanted to, we could have walked across them as they swam in the warm waters!

We sailed down the east coast of Grenada, seeing a large leatherback turtle floating in the water off the north coast of the island.  We arrived in Prickly Bay at 1730, just in time for sundowners as we congratulated each other on a successful and enjoyable 23hr sail south, hopefully the last one without an engine.   The next day we caught a bus into St Georges and checked in at Port Louis Marina – a quick and easy procedure.   We then returned to the boat and prepared for the arrival of our friend and mentor, Richard, who was arriving from the UK the next day with the thrust bearing and knowledge of how to fit it!    We had recently increased Richards status to “Sir” but vowed that if he managed to fix the engine without us having to be hauled out, we would crown him King Richard!    Several very knowledgeable sailing friends had expressed surprise that Sir Richard thought he could replace the broken part while we were in the water so we nervously anticipated his arrival, already preparing a long list of other jobs we had identified needed addressing while he was with us for the next three weeks!

Dominica – boiling over with nature

The small, forest covered, nature island of Dominica had been on our “must-see” list for some time, so we were excited about being there and eager to start exploring some of the many walking tracks that criss-cross the island.   The anticipation was doubled with the knowledge that Ruffian had arrived a few days earlier and Iain had already promised one of his epic adventures to give us a taste of what the island offered.

Dominica was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and over 85% of buildings were destroyed or damaged, displacing over 50,000 people of a population of less than 70,000.  Two thirds of the island is rainforest which cover the nine volcanoes, many hills and deep valleys that make up this beautiful island.   As there is no international airport, most of the visitors arrive by boat or small plane, so tourism is exclusive but important to Dominica.   The locals are proud, welcoming and friendly people who love their country and are keen to share their love of it with visitors, having worked hard to rebuild and recover from the devastation caused by Maria less than five years ago. 

As we arrived in the bay a couple of boats welcomed us with the men introducing themselves as working for PAYS (Portsmouth Assoc of Yacht Services).   PAYS own a number of mooring buoys which they encourage new arrivals to use until checked in.   This is not a requirement but is a forceful request, which we ignored and anchored close to the fishing wharf, explaining that we had engine issues.

We checked in to the country, using an agent as our research prior to arrival had led us to believe we were required to do this, at considerable expense.  The benefit of using an agent was the process was made incredibly easy with passports and papers collected from the boat, so all the paperwork was done in our absence while we were able to make Cerulean “Shipshape” again after the sail.   The downside of using an agent is it was expensive and, as it turned out, unnecessary.  

Together with Zen Again and Ruffian, we set out on our first adventure, feeling excited and guided by our enthusiastic leader, Iain.   The six of us went on the first of many adventures together, catching a minibus to a small settlement called Bense, on the north western side of the island, and then walked about 3km along a well marked track to Chaudiere Pools.   The last part to get to the pools was a scramble along big rocks where Iain and Steve lost no time stripping off and jumping into the clear, deep pools from high rocks above the inviting river.   The water was cool and refreshing as we all soaked off the heat of the day and enjoyed the seclusion under a canopy of trees while new sounds of unknown birdsong filled our ears.  Heading back was interesting as we discovered very few buses used the route, so we walked down to a “busy” main road to try our luck there.   As we walked down everyone we met greeted us with a cheerful “hello” and often engaged us in conversation.   The houses all have gardens and most grow their own vegetables and fruit with Papaya, mango and banana trees in most gardens.   Everything grows well in the fertile volcanic soil and we watched a couple planting their field with yams which will take seven months to grow before they are ready for harvesting.    The six of us sat on the roadside waiting for a bus to go past, but as the sun began sinking, so did our hope of being able to get back to our boats, which were 15km away on the other side of the island.   Just as we were giving up, a man pulled up in a minivan and, unsure whether he was a bus or a taxi, we jumped in with relief!  

On another day we went on a tour of the northern part of the island with Martin, a local guide who is a botanist and has a real love for his home and people.   He is also an OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) Port Officer, and as the six of us were all members of OCC it made Martin a perfect choice.   Martin expertly entertained, educated and guided us around the northern sights and villages.   We visited the cold Soufriere which is a strange phenomenon of a cold volcano – you can see the mud bubbling but it is cold.   We also visited a chocolate factory and had a tour of the process from plant to bar, purchasing a number of the delicious produce after tasting the many different flavours.   We ended the day at Red Rock, a lookout point with views over the Atlantic while standing on the natural sandstone ledge.  It was a lovely day spent in great company and we even swam in a river that Martin insisted would make us appear 10 years younger after our dip, but I’m still waiting for this to happen!

Our next day trip started with catching a bus to Roseau, the capital of Dominica, located in the south west of the island.   The bus took us along good tarmacked, twisty roads following the coastline as we headed south.   We passed through several villages, built along the roadside, or in valleys and surrounded by high hillsides and lush rainforest.   Roseau was a bustling but small capital with few buildings of architectural splendour, as most shops were small and scruffy and houses were often built by those who lived in them so were simple, small and generally basic with few frills.   We were again told there were not many buses to take us to where we wanted to be dropped off, so this time took the number of the driver who gave us a ride, just in case we had problems.   We were headed to Middleham Falls which was well worth the hike to reach them.   The sight and sound of the water falling 67m into the pools below was wonderful and the fact we were able to enjoy swimming in the cool waters on our own was a huge bonus.    Swimming in clear water in the middle of a rainforest is a fabulous experience and one we will never forget.

Our trip back to Roseau was interesting.  Just as we emerged onto the road a flatbed truck came by.   We noticed an elderly man climb in the back, having been told by the driver that the backseat was full of eggs.  We asked if we could also jump in, so the six of us joined the rather amused elderly man, and his sack of potatoes, in the open truck.   After five minutes another man hailed to the driver and also squeezed in beside us.  The trip was made all the more memorable as my daughter rang me just as I was climbing in the truck, with some distressing news and I attempted to hear and comfort her as the eight of us, and a sack of potatoes, clung to the side of the truck as we sped towards Roseau!

Fi and I took an early morning boat trip up the Indian River where Martin introduced us to numerous birds including a close encounter with a couple of hummingbirds which fluttered above us.  There are three breeds of hummingbird on Dominica – the Purple Throated Carib, the Antillean Crested and the Green Throated Carib.   All are beautifully coloured and showed off their fluorescent colours in the morning sun.   We were paddled slowly up the river into thick mangroves as Martin pointed out different trees and wildlife to us including a male Dominican anole lizard as it puffed out its yellow throat to attract a nearby female on a tree in the mangroves.    

We hired a car to explore other parts of the island that were not easily accessible by bus and spent a wonderful day walking to more waterfalls and watering holes, including Syndicate Falls, Jacko Falls and Secret Pool.  We were lucky enough to have all the beautiful locations completely to ourselves and swam at each place.  The walks to find the attractions was often steep but well worth the climb/scramble as we picked our way over rocks and down muddy banks.   The reward at the end was a cooling swim in clear pools with the sound of water cascading down from the high rocks above us.   We drove back along a very rough road through the Kalingaro Carib Village where most of the aboriginal people live.   It was interesting driving through their neighbourhood, which had quite a different feel to the other Dominican settlements, with the villagers out on the street, playing cricket in the middle of the road, only stopping to let us pass as we appeared to be the only vehicle passing through.  

A group of eight of us took on the biggest challenge on the island, a six hour demanding, guided hike to the Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole.    I have to confess that the hike was really at the limit of my fitness abilities but I’m so happy I pushed myself to get there.   The view above the, literally, boiling lake in the middle of a National Park was incredible.   To get there we walked over sulphur crusted rocks where a hot stream cascaded down the hillside.  An attempt was made to cook eggs in the stream but once the shells turned black, they didn’t cook right through!   We walked through rain forest, scrambled over rocks, slid down steep hills, waded through mud and rock hopped over rivers.   The company and support from our group of friends was wonderful and, even though I managed to get blisters under two toe nails (how does that happen…?) I’m so glad I pushed myself to complete the challenge!    Steve rounded off the experience by swimming through Titou Gorge at the end of the walk – he loved it as he swam upstream in refreshing water, through a gorge to an underground waterfall.

Our final adventure was to the south, visiting Champagne Beach where we snorkelled in the clear water, swimming with a turtle for the first time.   The coral was better than we had seen anywhere else and the fish life was good.   Small bubbles of gas rise from the volcanic sea floor which was unusual and beautiful to swim through.  

Dominica turned out to be a gathering point for many friends we had met at different times during our travels.   We had a very social time catching up, sharing drinks and making new friends. Nicki, from Zen Again celebrated a special birthday and we enjoyed celebrating it with her at a local restaurant which served a huge amount of traditional food to us as we sat outside undercover to shelter from the occasional rain showers.   It all added to the lasting memories of this very special island which became our favourite destination in the Caribbean.    We felt we had experienced so much in our short stay, but the wind was telling us it was time to go and, when you have no usable engine, we needed to take advantage of the good conditions.   Ruffian had already left on their journey to Antigua and St Martins, and we left with Zen Again to continue our journey in the opposite direction, island hopping to Martinique, just 80NM to the south.    We left in the late afternoon for an overnight sail which we anticipated to be frustrating in parts but hoped we could avoid too many wind shadows caused by the tall mountains on both islands but we hadn’t anticipated the strong current we would encounter along the way!

Photo credit: Some photos provided by Ruffian

Seduced by Virgins

Suz had been with us for two wonderful weeks.  During this time we had stopped working on the boat and felt like we were on holiday, enjoying the small things and relaxing without thinking about the growing list of boat jobs we needed to attend to.   We had collected Suz in Antigua and were dropping her off in the BVI’s f weeks later.   She had settled into the small forward cabin and was getting used to moving around the boat without knocking body parts.  Even the very wet dinghy rides we subjected her to did not faze her or remove the smile from her face.   It was now time to really test her resolve with her first overnight sail to St Maartin, 80NM to the west.   

Everything started calmly with a gentle easterly wind and full moon which lit up the skies and seas like a street lamp.   We knew the forecast was for more wind and had prepared with two reefs in the main to ensure we did not have to make too many sail changes during the night.   At around 10pm the wind started getting up and we were soon speeding along at 7knots in building seas.   We changed from the big jib to our small staysail as we were going too fast as, if we continued at this pace, would arrive in the dark, plus we wanted this night sail to be an enjoyable experience for Suz.   We continued making good progress with Suz soon retreating to the saloon to get some much needed sleep.   A couple of brown noddy birds joined us on the passage, sitting on the safety rail as they perched precariously, swaying as the waves built and hit the side of the boat.    Once the island of St Barthelemy (St Barts) came into view, both birds flew off, leaving us with just some small reminders of their stay on board for a few hours!  

Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten is split between France and The Netherlands.  We headed for the Dutch side as our friends, Nicki and Mike on ZenAgain, had recommended the anchorage as it was less rolly than on the French side and less obstacles under the water.   We anchored outside the bay and waited for the bridge to raise at 0930, calling the bridge controller to request permission to enter the lagoon.    We joined a line of catamarans, superyachts and similar size boats to us, as we all jostled for space in the channel so we could charge into the shallow lagoon and claim the best anchorage, as soon as the bridge opened!    We were the second in line and were asked to quicken the pace as we slowly progressed, keeping within the 5knots limit but apparently this was too slow!    We saw Nicki and Mike waving at us from their boat, as we followed their instructions towards the anchorage.   It took us several attempts before the anchor held and we felt confident we had a good grip in the sand in only 3m of water.    Once we were happy we were secure, the three of us jumped in the dinghy and went ashore to check in.   Fortunately no covid test was required and the process was quick as we had already completed all our details on-line through eSeaClear.    When we returned to the dinghy, a very large iguana was guarding it and lazily strolled off when we attempted to pass it! 

Nicki and Mike very kindly offered to spend the next day showing us around the island, guiding us on buses, exploring the French side with its fabulous bakeries and supermarkets, watching planes land and take-off from the runway that borders a beautiful beach, enjoying the wonderful food available in small cafes and explaining the best place to get the items we were keen to purchase to make the most of the duty-free shopping available on the island.   The only thing you notice when moving between the French and Dutch sides is the cellphone coverage improves on the French side and the pace of recovery from the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was much slower on the French side.   This is due to the French bureaucracy around proving ownership before providing money to rebuild or repair.   As most of the residents of the island are descendants of slaves and made homes out of the land that was deserted by rich overseas owners, when the slave trade was abolished in the 1800’s, very few had official papers proving they owned the land that had been in their families for generations.   This has held up progress and roads, houses, commercial buildings remain broken as a constant reminder of the destructive storm.   Meanwhile on the Dutch side, they took the attitude that it needed to be tidied up and those affected needed to be helped, so they just got on with repairing the infrastructure and clearing up the mess that was left behind.

Before leaving we took advantage of the well-stocked supermarkets and replenished our dwindling supplies of non-perishables as well as filling our tank with duty free fuel.   After five days we left St Martins in the early evening and set sail for the British Virgin Islands (BVI’s), about 95NM of beam reach sailing in a good 17-20knot breeze.   Once again a squall hit us in the middle of the night so we reefed the Yankee and I hand steered for the last part of the passage, enjoying the speed under clear skies and a bright moon.    We passed between Necker and Gorda Islands while it was still dark and then gybed to head down the western side of Gorda and into Sir Francis Drake Channel, just as the sun came up.   It was a beautiful introduction to the BVI’s as the sun slowly revealed the many islands surrounding us.

We picked up a mooring buoy in Sopers Hole on Tortola and, after paying US$50 each for a covid test in addition to visiting various officials to complete checking in procedures.  This involved making a payment at each step of the formalities but it was confusing what we were actually paying for, however at the end of it we were officially checked in and free to explore the BVI’s.  

There are about 40 islands that make up the Virgin Islands with most of them clustered together with just a couple (at most) miles separating each of them.   Several of the smaller islands are privately owned and landing on them without permission is not allowed.   The US Virgin Isles are made up of just four main islands and are much more populated than the remaining islands of the BVI’s.   This makes the BVI’s a much more appealing cruising ground and is hugely popular with American tourists who charter yachts for a week’s holiday.   In turn, this has made the BVI’s a less attractive place to visit for longterm cruisers due to the many beautiful bays now festooned with mooring buoys to cater for the charter boats and making anchoring challenging.   Fortunately, if you look hard enough, there are still quiet bays that charter boats seem to avoid and our mission was to seek these out!

Over the next few days we sailed to Jost Van Dyke where we were first introduced to the cocktail called “Painkiller” made from local rum and where we enjoyed the beautiful calm, blue waters of a quiet bay while relaxing in the beautiful isolated environment.   We found a lovely anchorage on Peter Island which we enjoyed with just two other boats, listening to the birds in the nearby trees as we anchored close to the shore.    Next we sailed to Virgin Gorda and, after a brief stop at “The Baths” – a natural swimming hole surrounded by large granite boulders, we anchored off Moskito Island behind a long reef and in front of a private white sandy beach.   The Island is one of two islands owned by Sir Richard Branson and accommodates three luxury, and very exclusive, resorts.   We people-watched as guests were delivered to the island by private water taxi and ushered to their accommodation.   Necker Island was within sight of our anchorage with three new wind turbines dominating the islands skyline.   We swam off the boat and felt smug that we were enjoying the same privileges as those paying over US$5000 a night just a few feet away!  

After five weeks with us, Suz’s departure date was fast approaching and she wanted to treat us to a special night out.   We had chosen Saba Rock as the perfect place to celebrate as we could pick up a mooring buoy just outside the restaurant, making our dinghy ride back to the boat much easier than the last time we returned from a night out in Barbuda when I got dumped in the sea by the crashing surf!   We definitely made the right choice of restaurant as the location, atmosphere, service and food was first class.   We had a memorable night filled with laughter, excellent food, a few painkillers and conversation that comes so easily with good friends.   We will all remember that night for the rest of our days!

We sailed to Trellis Bay on Beef Island and picked up a mooring buoy in the small bay that was littered with neglected boats, once again evidence of the destructive hurricane.   The main airport for the BVI’s was within sight, so when it came time to deliver Suz to the small international airport, we took the dinghy ashore and walked down a small dusty path to the departure lounge.   We still had sand in our shoes as we said our farewells.   It had been a wonderful few weeks, exploring new islands together, enjoying each other’s company and we loved sharing our adventures with a dear friend whom I have known and cherished for over 40 years.

We waved to Suz’s small plane as it flew over Cerulean, heading for Antigua to connect with a transatlantic flight back to London.   We left Trellis Bay and had an exciting sail to Anegada, a low lying island in the north of the BVI’s, catching a yellow fin tuna along the way while dodging rain squalls bringing 25-30knots of wind in short bursts.   About 3NM from the island, the sea shallows to below 10m and then gradually gets shallower until we were in about 4m of water off a beautiful deserted white sandy beach on the south west end of the island.   We joined three French boats that were already anchored in the bay and sat out a few more rain showers which brought strong winds and tested the hold of our anchor.     Steve dived on the anchor and found it firmly embedded in the sand so we slept peacefully after feasting on the fresh tuna.

We woke to clear skies – a perfect day to go ashore and explore.   The Western part of Anegada is a huge fully enclosed salt lake with just a narrow strip of land separating the lake from the Caribbean Sea.   It is a haven for birdlife and often flocks of pink Flamingos can be found in the ponds.  Sadly there were none to be seen when we visited, although we were told we should return at sunset.  We did, however, see lots of other interesting birdlife as we walked along the long, straight, empty concrete slab road in the blistering heat – The Mockingbird, Grey kingfisher, smooth-billed Ani, Elaenia and others we could not identify, darted between the trees chirping and squawking at us as we unintentionally disturbed their nest building. 

We were anchored a short dinghy ride from a reef which broke the surface of the water in places, so went over to snorkel in the warm water.   Visibility was not great and it was heartbreaking to see so much dead and bleached coral but a real highlight for me was swimming in a large school of large blue and yellow fish that appeared all around me.  My initial fear of being surrounded by large fish, soon turned to total wonder as they darted around me, turning in synchronised harmony as they moved with the current.   Every so often I poked my head above the water and squealed at Steve as he waited for me in the dinghy, confusing him as he couldn’t make out if I was in trouble or enjoying myself!!!  

After a short stay anchored in the blue waters of Anegada we decided to return to Virgin Gorda before the anchorage was invaded by a large flotilla of charter boats we could see approaching the quiet bay.   The weekend appears to be the best time to visit Anegada as it is generally the weekend that most charters start and finish.   This means that mid-week is the busiest time in the bays around Virgin Gorda and Anegada so we tried to avoid being in the popular bays over that period. 

We had a fast and glorious sail back to Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda where we visited customs and immigration to check out of the country, before continuing our sail up the coast to be as far north as possible for our sail back to the eastern islands.   We anchored in a beautiful, shallow and quiet bay between Eustatia and Prickly Pear islands, just south of Necker.   I wished we could have spent longer there but we had one final swim in the warm waters of the BVI’s before preparing for the 210NM sail SE to Guadeloupe.   We knew it would be a difficult passage as the wind and current was against us, but if we had known about the many problems we would encounter along the way, I wonder if our smiles would have been as wide and our hearts as full, as we bade the BVI’s a fond farewell.

Friends, Fish and Frigate Birds

Sailing with friends on board was always part of the bigger picture for us. We really wanted to share our adventure with the people we love, but covi, to a greater extent, had prevented this from happening. All this was about to change with the arrival of Suzanne from the UK. We had planned and looked forward to her visit for almost 12 months and now my old friend and flatmate from 40 years ago was joining us for a month cruising and exploring the Leeward Islands. First we needed to sail the 360NM north to meet her in Antigua.

Grenada was hidden under a cloud of misty rain when we started our sail north.   The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms for the next couple of days so it was a good time to be heading offshore in the hope we could avoid some of the wet weather!  

We had a lovely sail, making good speed as we passed one small island country after another – St Vincents and Grenadines, St Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadaloupe, Montserat passing closer to the northern most islands which shed large wind shadows across our path.   We looked hungrily at the islands we were passing, longing to stop and explore but knowing we will be able to give them justice on the return trip south.   For now we were on a schedule (the worst thing to have on a boat!) and we continued on our 350 NM sail north to Antigua where we were meeting our friend Suzanne in a few days.  

Before we left Grenada our good friends on Ruffian had given us a fishing line and lures as a thoughtful and kind parting gift.   Each morning we put out the line hoping this would be the day we would catch and land a prized fish.   On day two, that wish became a reality when we managed to land a beautiful Mahi Mahi.    As Steve slowly reeled in the line, we could see a large fish jumping off the waves behind us, flashing blue and green.   With hook, cloth, bucket and rum ready Steve hauled the large fish onto the boat, pouring rum into its gills to sedate it as the stunning (and stunned) fish made a final attempt to free itself.   We looked in awe at this amazing gift from the sea – yellow, blue and green with a massive head and big mouth.   Mahi Mahi (or Dorado/dolphin fish as we later found out) is, in our humble opinion, one of the best fish to catch – not only are they a beautiful fish to look at, they have very few bones and the ones they have our large and they are easy to fillet…. and they are delicious to eat.   We feasted on fresh fish for three days, the final day sharing a meal with four other friends.

We arrived in Jolly Harbour, Antigua in the early afternoon, marvelling at the turquoise waters as we negotiated a shallow entrance into the harbour, spotting a number of large turtles as we wound our way towards the anchorage.   We dropped the hook close to the main channel that led to Jolly Harbour, deciding to wait until the morning to check in.    It was now Monday and Suzanne was arriving on Wednesday evening, giving us time to sort ourselves and the boat out before she arrived.

The next morning we took the dinghy about a mile up the channel and completed the check-in process which was quick and painless as we had already completed and submitted an on-line ESea immigration form prior to leaving Granada and were able to show negative Covid RAT results.  Armed with a SIM card, fresh fruit and vegetables and a cruising permit, we returned to Cerulean in time for sundowners and a shared dinner with friends we had last seen in The Canaries.   We all enjoyed the last of the beautiful Mahi Mahi as we watched the sun go down over the different shades of blue in the bay – a perfect welcome to Antigua!  

Suzanne arrived the next evening and, even though she was tired from the long flight, we celebrated until late sitting up on deck drinking cocktails, catching up and opening all the wonderful packages she had kindly agreed to bring with her!!!    Together we explored the island over the next few days, gently acclimatising Suz to the heat and slow pace of the Caribbean.   We booked a day tour with the same taxi driver (Justin) who had collected Suz from the airport and he treated us to a fun day which seemed to involve quite a bit of rum at various locations.   He even stopped at his house and collected some rum punch he had prepared earlier and proceeded to share it around in the cab while driving us to the next destination!   We visited Betty’s Hope Historic Sugar Plantation which now stands as a relic to the former sugar industry that once defined Antigua.   These plantations housed hundreds of slaves, brought over from Africa and whose ancestors now call this island paradise home.    It was an odd feeling, knowing we had travel the same route as a lot of the slaves who were captured in West Africa, bundled into large ships and brought to the West Indies.  There are lots of reminders of Antigua’s past scattered around the island from Windmills which crushed the sugarcane, to the ruins of the old sugar processing factory and large “Coppers” used to boil down the cane and extract the sugar.   We visited a number of the 365 white sand beaches that attract holidaymakers from all over the world as the warm, turquoise waters invite you in to cool off from the hot sun.    Justin took us to a place where locals get their lunch – a small cabin on a grass verge, serving excellent local food with fresh produce. 

The English cricket team were touring The West Indies so we bought tickets for the first day of a Test Match at Sir Vivien Richards Stadium.   We joined Traci and Andrew, our friends on Yacht Walkabout, and had a lovely day catching up with cricket going on in the background!   Towards the end the Barmy Army found their voice and added real atmosphere to the occasion.

While in Falmouth Harbour we met up with my niece’s husband, Errol, who is captain of a visiting Superyacht.   The marina was filled with enormous Superyachts from all over the World and we watched in awe as these impressive displays of wealth manoeuvred into spaces I would not be comfortable taking Cerulean!!!    Errol invited us on board “Sorceress” a 31m carbon fibre, racing Superyacht.   Some of the rigging alone cost in excess of GBP300k!    She was beautiful and it was hard to jump in our small dinghy and return to our superyacht after that!!

Our next anchorage was Rickett Bay on Green Island, a lovely quiet area which is only accessible by boat and protected from the swell by a large reef.   As we negotiated a sand bar on the approach into the anchorage, a group of dolphins played in our bow wave which was a perfect welcome to the beautiful surrounds and a great first sighting in The Caribbean waters for Suz.   We spent the next few days relaxing in the pretty small bay, watching the colour of the water change as the weather turned from sunshine to showers, wind to calm.  Turtles popped up in the blue waters, stretched their necks out so they could look around and slowly sunk down again into the clear sea.   Other boats jostled their way into the anchorage until the bay was filled with a multinational selection of yachts all sheltering from the strong easterly Trade Winds that blow constantly at this time of the year.  As the other boats left, we stayed for another night, enjoying a perfect day where we shared the bay with only one other boat which meant the turtles surfaced more often and we were treated to constant visits as they grew in confidence.

The wind had been blowing constantly with gusts of over 30knots and we sheltered in the small bay, waiting for a lull.   The forecast showed constant wind from the East but not quite as strong as it had been, so we made a dash across the shallow entrance and headed for Barbuda, a small island 30NM northwest of Antigua.   The island is very low lying and surrounded by golden beaches which, until a few years ago, provided luxury get-aways for the wealthy tourists, however Hurricane Irma devastated the small island community in 2017 and has not yet recovered from the destruction left in its wake.    Hotels are being rebuilt but for the moment these are few and far between, so the small island paradise is visited mostly only by sailors and, because of its location, not too many venture further north than Antigua.    

As we sailed, the wind increased in strength and Suz, instead of being treated to a beautiful leisurely sail in tropical blue waters, endured a bouncy, fast and exciting dash until we anchored off the lagoon which the main town sits on.  Along the way we put out the fishing line, hoping to catch another Mahi Mahi but instead caught three Barracuda with very big and sharp teeth, so were thrown back before they could do any damage!   Later we were told the local fishermen consider Barracuda a delicacy, so regretted throwing them back when we could have donated them to locals.

The lagoon at Codrington had been completely cut off from the sea by a thin sand bar, but Hurricane Irma opened up a narrow entrance so dinghies can now access the town from the sea.   However, the wind was howling across the shallow lagoon, whipping up the water and making it impossible for us to take our small dinghy with three adults safely to town.   We were anchored off a long, empty beautiful beach but the breaking surf on the white sands was a deterrent to launching the dinghy and ourselves into the waves as disaster was bound to unfold as we neared the beach!   Instead, we called Pat, who owns a water taxi, which arrived 2hrs late, and sped us to Codrington across the windy lagoon so we could explore the town and get some much needed fresh supplies.   As we wandered the streets, we met some of the friendly locals who left us with smiles on our faces as we learned a little about life living on a small island, totally dependent on tourists but with few visitors over the last 24 months.   Several of the houses and buildings had not been rebuilt and there were gaps where houses once stood leaving an impression of a smile with teeth missing!    As we walked along the streets a man on a new looking tricycle approached us, asking if we were lost.   His name was Toomba and he entertained us with stories and answered our questions as he walked with us through town, acknowledging everyone who passed along the way.   He introduced us to his sister who presented us with a hand of delicious Ladyfinger bananas after we had admired some growing nearby.   Donkeys, goats and horses roamed, unfenced around the rutted streets, wandering into unfenced gardens or down driveways.   We loved it!

We moved anchorages to Cocoa Point off the pristine Princess Diana Beach in the south of the island.   The beach was renamed in 2011 as Princess Di holidayed here many times and had a special connection with the island.   Large turtles welcomed us as we dropped the anchor and a sting ray darted under the boat.  We jumped into the warm, blue waters and cooled off.   Later we dinghied to the beach and feasted on fresh barbecued Lobster which we had ordered earlier.   We brought our own cutlery, plates and salads but the Rum Punch, sunset and atmosphere was provided!   It was a perfect night, apart from our exit which resulted in me being dumped in the surf as I tried launching the dinghy after having too many strong Rum Punches!!    

On our last morning Steve and I jumped in the clear water for one last swim before leaving Barbuda.   As I snorkelled around the boat I spotted a shark cruising around which resulted in Steve staying in the water on his own! 

We had a lovely sail back to Codrington, arriving just as a squall hit followed by drenching rain as we dropped the anchor in front of a destroyed resort on the end of the entrance into the lagoon.   Next morning Pat came to collect us in his powerful dinghy to take us to see the Frigate Bird sanctuary.    Barbuda has the largest Frigate bird colony in the western hemisphere with birds flying between the Caribbean and Galapagos islands during the varying mating seasons.   Even though these magnificent birds are seabirds, there feathers are not waterproof and they cannot land in the water, so all of our sightings to date had been watching them sore high above us with their impressive 2.4m wingspan.  We skimmed across the choppy lagoon waters heading north with no Frigate birds in sight.   Beach soon gave way to low mangroves and we continued bouncing at full speed across the shallow water.   All of a sudden, we turned a corner, and the sky was full of birds.   It was crazy – Frigate birds were all around, and above us noisily circling their crowded nesting area.   Young grey chicks sat alone in their nest, peering out, looking like Rod Hulls Emu as the inquisitive birds squawked at us with Pat edging his dinghy closer and closer to them.    We were mesmorised by the scene that was unfolding in front of us.   Huge birds flew overhead while others perched in the top of the low mangrove trees.   Some of the male birds had bright red throats which they puffed out like a balloon to attract females.  The gular sac takes 20 minutes to inflate so the males need to be pretty sure they’ll attract a mate before going to all that effort!   It was quite late in the breeding season so, sadly, the few males we saw with puffed out throats were the ones the females did not find attractive, and they made for a desperate sight as they stood out amongst the hundreds of nests containing a singular grey fluffy chick!  

It was time to leave and explore another Caribbean island.   Suz was only with us for another 2 weeks, so we needed to keep moving.  We had dinner and left as the sun was setting, picking our way through the maze of reefs that surround Barbuda.    It had been a special visit to Antigua and Barbuda, creating wonderful memories with Suz and continuing to wonder at the resilience of people who suffered huge trauma and loss with the devastating hurricane a few years ago, but are coming out the other side smiling and feeling positive.    I was not expecting Antigua to be as raw and relatively uncommercialised as it is.   It is a haven for Super Yachts, so I had expected it to be full of shopping malls and expensive restaurants to cater for the wealthy, but was pleasantly surprised by the lack of high-rises and unique character that remains on the islands.  In our opinion, Barbuda is the jewel in the crown – a gift that kept giving as its beautiful secrets were slowly shown to us.   The wind direction will make it hard for us to return but our experiences and people we met while in Antigua and Barbuda will stay with us for a lifetime.

The Spice Islands

Steve woke me at 5am to start my final watch of our Atlantic Crossing.   The lights of Grenada sparkled in front of me as we made fast speed towards them.   It was still dark and, not wanting to arrive before light, I slowed the boat down, reefing the main and then the jib, until we only had the main up as I tried to spill some speed, but it seemed Cerulean was as keen to arrive as we were! 

At 8:30am we picked up a mooring buoy in Martin’s Bay, the designated waiting area for arriving yachts who were yet to clear customs and health checks.   We celebrated as we turned off the engine and let the enormity of what we had achieved sink in!  

As Steve inflated the dinghy, I made us a hearty breakfast using the rest of our fresh eggs, and we sat in the cockpit in the hot morning sun, looking out over the clear water to the tree covered hills that surrounded the small harbour of St George’s.   There were no big highrise hotels or apartments to spoil the view, just lots of multicoloured houses that clung to the gentle slopes, surrounded by thick trees.     Looking south there was a long sandy beach with a few hotels close to the shore, but not too commercial.   A large cruise ship was in the port and we could see the passengers being disgorged and transported off in different directions to make the most of their one day in Grenada.  

We jumped into the dinghy and headed to the Port Louis Marina, spotting a small turtle in the water as we bumped over the short waves towards the sheltered harbour.   Our first stop was to get health clearance and we visited a lovely man sitting under the shade of a gazebo on the waterfront.   After examining our documentation, asking for a recent PCR test (which we couldn’t supply) he stamped an official document and handed it to us.   We were in a little bit of disbelief that it had been so easy to clear through and had to be told a few times that we were now able to proceed to customs and immigration, which we quickly did.    They were in an office a few steps from the gazebo and, after completing a long form and handing over all the other necessary documentation including our customs clearing out papers from Mindelo, our passports were stamped, cruising permit issued for a small fee and we were free to explore Grenada!  

We took the dinghy into town and walked the streets so we could get a feel for the place.   It was the start of a long weekend as Monday was Grenada Independence Day so people, cars, buildings and boats were preparing for the celebrations as the locals proudly displayed their national colours of yellow, green and red.   As we walked the narrow pavements, minibuses drove past beeping their horns as a way to ask whether we needed a ride – fares are a flat fee of EC$2.50pp which equates to less than US$1, to get anywhere from 1mile to 30miles along their route.   The hot muggy morning soon became a wet muggy morning as we dodged rain showers which didn’t make us any cooler as the heat seemed to intensify during the day.  

Over the course of the next few days a number of boats we knew arrived and our time seemed to be one long celebration of our joint achievements.   We met old friends and new ones as we all shared the same realised dream with stories from our passages, advice, learnings and laughter.   After a few days of sitting on a rolly mooring outside St Georges, we decided to leave the clear waters and turtles we saw each morning, and head to Prickly Bay about 8NM on the islands rugged south coast.   This coastline has numerous long, protected bays and is dotted with small islands, lovely beaches and calm, clear water.   In short, a boaters paradise!  

We explored a few of the small protected bays along the south coast, with boats from all over the World that looked like they had been left on mooring buoys for some time.  The water was turquoise, clear and warm and the white sands of the many beaches that nestled between the mangroves were empty except for an occasional shack that housed a small bar.   Cruisers met there playing cards and backgammon as they sipped beers in the late afternoon heat.  

Bus rides were interesting.   We really felt we put our life in the hands of the driver as he sped through the narrow, bumpy roads with a van full of other trusting people.   To alert him to stop, passengers either clicked their fingers or banged on the roof, at which point the driver would veer abruptly to the left and slam his foot on the brake while very loud rap music blared through the van!  

I was excited to see large Frigate birds flying around the boat.  They are huge birds with fork tails and 2.3m wing span.   It was amazing to see them swoop around us as they hunted for food or chased other seabirds to snatch their fish from them.   It may have been these magnificent birds or the less impressive, but equally fun Boobies, that unloaded on the boat and we were cleaning up their mess for days afterwards!!

Granada is known as the Spice Islands and while on a tour with new friends, we saw why.  Our informative driver pointed out the many plants and trees growing wild in the forest – nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa as well as banana, mango, French cashew (a fruit) and papaya.   The law is that if fruit is hanging over public property and you can reach it, it’s yours and with over 160 different varieties of mango growing wild in Grenada you’d be unlucky to go hungry when foraging for food!

We visited a waterfall with fresh water cascading down rocks into a deep natural pool which screamed out for Steve to jump into – which he did with glee and grace, several times!   On to a cocoa plantation and chocolate manufacturer where we had a tasting and short talk about the chocolate manufacturing process from nut to seed.   We sucked on a cocoa seed and tasted the butter, buying lots of the delicious dark chocolate made from cocoa grown on the island by small holding farmers which made it taste even sweeter!    Then on to the heart of the island – Grand Etang Lake, a crater lake in an extinct volcano and 530m above sea level.   It is surrounded by thick jungle and I wish we had had more time to walk up to the crater rim but this will have to wait for another visit!

We bade farewell to our friends on Ilanda and Juliana and headed up the west side of the island, picking up a mooring buoy in a marine protected area in a bay just north of St Georges Harbour.   There is an underwater sculpture park in the bay so in the morning we jumped in the warm, clear water and snorkelled over to the park.   My overwhelming feeling was great sadness at seeing so much dead coral.  In fact there was no coral left, just the skeletons of a once majestic living organism lay below us with a few colourful fish darting through the water.    As a large tourist boat arrived to disgorge their swimmers, we swam back to the boat, had breakfast and sailed north to the small island of Carriacou or more precisely to the small, beautiful, tropical paradise of Sandy Island.  This little island consists of a beautiful fine white sand beach, palm trees and the clearest blue water you can imagine.   It is the scene used to sell tropical destinations that commuters stare at while riding the tube to work on a dreary day and here we were sitting on our boat, looking at the reality of the tropical paradise.   It felt good, although it was incredibly windy so the only movement between boats were the pelicans who were blown off course and landed on our bow, the Boobies who made some clumsy attempts to dive in to catch fish which resulted in a bird equivalent of a belly flop and the odd turtle that poked its head above the turquoise waters for a short while before diving again.   It was a magical place and we stayed for two nights until the wind dropped and we headed into the main harbour on Carriacou, Tyrell Bay to explore a little of the island.

Since arriving in The Caribbean we have been making plans for where we could spend the hurricane season which starts on 1 June and covers an area from Grenada in the South to South Carolina, USA in the North.   If there is a named storm in this region between 1 June to 30 November, our insurance will not cover any loss or damage we may incur, so if we stay within this belt we must be able to move out of harms way quickly.   The last time Grenada was hit by a hurricane was in 2004 so it’s a place lots of cruisers head to as it is easy to sail further south should a storm be forecast.   We have some big projects to undertake on the boat so have been gathering names of prospective people who may be able to do the work.   It became clear that we needed to meet these people and let them see the boat so we could get a proper quote, so the decision was made to head back to mainland Grenada while we had the opportunity.    After spending four glorious days in Carriacou, we retraced our route and returned to the main island to meet with tradesmen, wash the boat and gather our thoughts!

Our last few days in Grenada were spent socialising, doing boat jobs, meeting tradesmen, swimming and getting the boat ready for when we collect our first visitor in a few days time.   For now, we are checked out to leave this beautiful island and have negative covid tests which will allow us entry into other islands.    When we checked into Grenada a few weeks earlier, the health officer said to us, “A word of warning, Grenada is a big magnet.  Once you have been here, you will be drawn back!”   He was not wrong.   This is still a virtually unspoilt paradise with lovely people, protected anchorages and good sailing.   We are already making plans to return here and spend more time exploring.  For now, we will sail the 300 miles to Antigua where we will collect a friend and explore a different part of the Caribbean together.

*Dream, Believe, Achieve

*Title accredited to Bruce McLaren and Brent Esler

On the day of our departure to start the long passage across The Atlantic, we ate breakfast outside and talked about what lay ahead of us.   Neither of us were nervous, just excited about starting the biggest challenge of our journey so far and we, and the boat, felt ready.  We had prepared several meals which would be easy to heat up or eat cold during the first few days on passage so we could get used to being at sea again.   At 9.30am we pulled up the anchor and headed out of Mindelo Bay, leading a flotilla of other yachts who were also leaving to start their crossing, which gave us even more confidence in our decision to go on that day.  We pulled up the main sail while in the shelter of the protected harbour, thinking that, apart from shortening the sails, we may not be taking them down again until we reach our destination in 14-20 days time.

It seemed appropriate to be starting our passage on our second wedding anniversary so we celebrated with cake as we slowly left Cape Verde behind us, enjoying a gentle sail with the wind on our beam (side).   The sea was calm, the sky blue and that night we had a full moon to light up the flat sea as we headed south west.

The forecast was for light winds for the rest of the week with a dead spot forming over the weekend, so we continued on our course south to try and pick up more wind.   For the first few days we were in the company of a few boats, but seldom physically saw them, just their location on AIS (our GPS instruments) and always radioed them to have a quick talk.   We noticed an Aussie boat we had seen, but not met, in Mindelo coming up behind us, so called them on the radio and had a good talk to them.   As soon as our call finished we heard the dulcet tones of Iain on Ruffian calling us.   They were not showing on AIS as they were still too far away, but had heard us chatting on the radio.   We then, amazingly, continued to sail in their company for the next four days as they headed to Suriname and us to Grenada.  

We have a Single Side Band (SSB) radio which, different to the standard VHF radio which all yachts are required to have on board, the SSB allows us to talk to other users who are much further away from us.   While in Cape Verde we were able to talk to a friend over 1500NM from us, so the SSB is very useful when on a long passage and we had set up a daily schedule to talk with others also crossing the Atlantic.   Once we were out of VHF contact with any other boats, the regular schedules were our only opportunity to talk to anyone else, so became something we looked forward to each night, while we all tracked each others progress and heard their boat news.

Steve and I soon developed a routine around sleeping and cooking.  Steve took the first watch from 2000hrs to 2300hrs while I slept and then we would play tag team all night, sleeping every 3hrs.   This worked out well and suited us, with both of us taking a nap during the day to make up for any lost sleep. I had, what I considered to be, the best watch from 5-8am when I watched the sky slowly change from black to grey and then blue as the millions of bright stars slowly faded as the sky lightened.   Watching the sun slowly creep above the horizon and the blue of the ocean and sky intensify as the western horizon turn to orange and red as the blazing sun slowly became visible and rose into the clearing skies was a wonderful way to welcome each day.   The wind tended to increase a little at night and the seas flatten out, so often our best speeds were achieved after dark, so as the sun came up the wind dropped away a little and the waves picked up.

Cooking was normally done in bulk.   On calm days it was much easier to prepare food than if you are being thrown around the galley, so we made the most of the flat seas and prepared three or four dinners which we stowed in our big chiller until they were needed.    This worked really well, particularly when we were taken by surprise one early evening when a thunder and lightning storm developed in front of us with winds increasing from 8knts to 30knots in a matter of seconds.   We had seen the ominous looking dark clouds forming in front of us so altered our course to try and avoid the lightning that started flashing in the distance.   I had seen something similar a few years ago when sailing with my sister, Bea, and Andy in Croatia, so knew the worse of what could happen.   We reefed the main, even though there was still no wind, shut all the hatches and stowed all electronics in the microwave.  As we watched the storm develop on our radar screen, we noticed lots of other pockets of weather developing all around us and on going up on deck and seeing the lightning all around us, realised we had no escape.    The sea changed dramatically and turned grey in colour with flattened out waves, resembling a beautiful liquid satin under the heavy dark skies.  Fortunately I had just taken control of the wheel from Hilda, the hydrovane, when we were struck by the first squall.   I hand steered as Steve scanned the radar looking for an exit path for us to get away from the fast moving pockets of storm.   In the middle of all this, he fed me pieces of pizza, prepared earlier and the perfect “fast” food to eat while handsteering through strong wind and heavy rain!   

Before leaving Mindelo we had stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables, knowing from past experience what lasts best.   Our chiller, bilge and hammock was full of pumpkin, cabbage, courgettes, apples, bananas, oranges, unripe avocado, carrots, courgettes, papaya, tomato, potatoes, onions, chillis and watermelon.   We ate the fruit that would not last first, so ran out of Papaya quickly, but as the bananas were a mixture of green and almost ripe, we were still eating them 16 days after starting our passage.   Everything else lasted really well and remained fresh, finishing the last of the courgettes on arriving in Grenada.

We stayed busy each day with regular boat checks – ensuring there was no new wear and tear or breakages.   This included inspecting the deck for screws, broken pieces or evidence of wearing/change.   The biggest issue on a long passage is chafing – ropes or items constantly rubbing together until they eventually break.   We could check at deck level, but not further up the mast, so every day we loosened or tightened the sails a little, just to ensure the halyards (ropes holding the sails up) were not rubbing through.  We also cleared the decks of any flying fish each morning which, attracted by the cabin lights, may have unwittingly jumped on board during the night.    We regularly checked the engine, generator, sails and other equipment for any changes or wear and tear.   We had serviced the engine ourselves prior to departing Mindelo, so knew we had covered the basics but, as we were not intending to use the engine much during the passage, we wanted to make sure it would start when we needed it on arrival at our destination.   The stores needed to be checked every day too.   As we were about to leave Cape Verde, I discovered some nuts I had bought at a market were infested with little bugs.   We had been so careful to try and avoid bugs getting on the boat by removing all paper labels on tins, not having any cardboard boxes on board, transferring eggs into boxes we knew were free of cockroach eggs and separating out flour and rice so if one store gets infected, they don’t all have to be disposed of.   Fortunately our infestation seemed contained but we put down lots of traps and regularly checked all the food containers for evidence of bugs.   Steve also let me have another go at cutting his hair as he figured if I did a terrible job again, it would be grown out by the time we met anyone else.  Fortunately I redeemed myself and gave him a cut he was happy with!     

It constantly amazed me how strong boats and sails need to be.   The huge amount of pressure the hull, rigging and sails have to endure is incredible.   When a gust of wind hits the sails, everything goes taut and, in the case of the sails, can bang as the force of the pressure hits them and the sheets (lines) tighten.   The rigging keeps the mast from bending and moving while the hull holds the pressure of the mast and rigging.   As the boat bangs down a wave, you can feel the boat shake and strain but we never had any doubt in her strength and what she is capable of.

We didn’t have much luck fishing.  We did manage to hook a big fish and we both got excited when we heard the fishing rod spool unravelling at speed.   I jumped up and, unable to lock the spool, decided to grab the fishing line which resulted in my finger being sliced quite deeply.  The sight of a big angry fish leaping in our wake spurred us on, but sadly our line broke and the fish won that battle, sort of.  It does now have a rubber fish in it’s mouth and is trailing a long line of nylon line but, as Steve said, it could ‘ve had a worse day and ended up on our dinner plate.   We had one other successful hook, but again the fish got away before we could land it.  The rest of our fishing attempts ended with us just catching weed and, as the amount of floating weed increased dramatically, we gave up putting the line out.    

Yellow floating sargasso forms large islands of weed in the Atlantic.   It surprised us how much of it there was and we had to keep clearing our hydrovane rudder of the long strands.  We were informed the amount of weed had increased dramatically due to the sea getting warmer due to Global Warming.   If someone can come up with a good use for this weed, they would make a fortune!  We also started noticing pink and purple things in the water and, at first, were unsure if they were animal, vegetable or mineral.   It later transpired they were Portuguese Men of War jellyfish and what we were seeing was their “Sail” that sits above the surface of the water and allows them to easily get blown across the ocean.   Ingenious! 

On day 10 we found the trade winds.   The trade winds blow from the NE and usually bring 15-20 knots of wind.   We had hoped to have these winds all the way from Cape Verde but our crossing was particularly light and others, who had crossed before, commented on the unusually flat seas and lack of wind.  Our spirits lifted along with our speed and we enjoyed the last week of our passage cruising at a comfortable 6-7 knots in a constant breeze which meant we set the sails, set up the  hydrovane and let the boat take care of itself while we did other things.   This meant we could go for days without changing our course or adjusting the sails.   As we entered our second week at sea we started a sweepstake on date and time of arrival and when we would see our first boat on AIS.   Steve was more optimistic than me but as the days ticked by and the distance reduced dramatically, I started to believe that Steves prediction of a Friday daytime arrival was achievable and we became focused on getting the boat to perform at her best, covering over 150NM each day.

On day 15 we were contacted on the radio by another boat which we were passing over 5 miles away and hadn’t noticed.  They were a kiwi boat called Sunflower who were also heading for Grenada.   Fortunately Steve answered the radio call, as Sunflower were really pleased to hear a “real” kiwi accent!  They were making slower progress than us under reduced sails as they had torn a sail in bad weather while on passage so we were soon well ahead of them, although we hope to catch up with Phil and Helen (from Christchurch) in Grenada.

When we were about 300NM from land we started being more vigilant on our watches  As we had seen very little activity over the previous two weeks we had become a little casual about keeping a looking out for other shipping, relying on the alarms we had on our instruments to tell us if other boats were nearby, but now the amount of commercial ships crossing our path was starting to increase and many small and fishing boats, don’t use AIS.    There was one scary moment when, still over 200NM from land, a small motorboat came into view.   They were within a mile of us, which is very close, and then suddenly altered course towards us.   The closest land to us was Trinidad and we had just been reading a 15yr old cruising guide which warned of pirates operating off the coast of the island, so I once again jumped into my “this is not a drill” mode while Steve shook his head in despair of me.   The boat came close to us – within 300m – and continued on its path east but made no attempt to contact us or come out on deck to acknowledge we were even there.  We both agreed it was strange behaviour and I had to do something about my lack of faith in human nature!

We had one final gybe to do so we could alter course for Grenada.   As we gybed the vang (holds the boom down), which had been making funny noises for most of the passage, broke.   Our options were to drop the main, but this would mean we would slow down considerably, or find a solution to prevent the main sail from lifting up.   We decided to do the latter and jury rigged a vang system which could get us through the night.  We had already decided to remove the vang and service it as we were concerned about the stress noises, so we were not too fazed when it broke.   We put two reefs in the main and one in the jib as a precaution and headed for Grenada.  

We enjoyed our penultimate night on passage in perfect conditions as we made fast progress with Hilda performing magnificently again, keeping perfect track as we drew closer to land.  As it got light Steve and I were continually scanning  the horizon for the first sight of land in 17 days as our path took us within 30NM of the small island of Tobago.  At 2pm on Thursday when we were 40NM from the small island, we got our first sighting of land.   I can’t describe the huge sense of achievement and joy that flooded through me.   I stood for a long while on deck, mesmerized by the faint outline of land in the distance and thought about our amazing two weeks at sea to get here. We had done it.  We had sailed to The Caribbean and achieved a lifetime dream which I stubbornly always believed I would do one day.

Sailing across the Atlantic has been everything and more that we had imagined it would be.  We both agree that, apart from our incredible children, this experience has been both of our greatest life achievement to date and we are already starting to think about our next major passage in 13 months time when we cross the Pacific, but there are lots of adventures, learnings, discoveries and new friendships to be made before that as we start the next year exploring The Caribbean.    For now our next challenge is to check in to Grenada as we try and talk our way around the prickly issue of why we did not have a PCR test done before leaving Cape Verde – a requirement for all those arriving in Grenada…….

Footnote:

In sport, players are often given Most Valued Player (MVP) Awards,  Here are our nominations for the MVP’s that shone on this passage:

  1. Hilda The hydrovane – what an amazing piece of kit!   Easy to set up and a power-free way to steer the boat while following the wind.   We often set it and then didn’t touch it for days while Hilda sailed the boat for us.   It meant we didn’t use precious battery power, particularly at night, and we knew that if the wind changed direction, Hilda would adapt and steer us on the right course.
  2. Comfort Seats – we purchased these chairs while in Portugal at significant expense, but they have been worth every penny.   We use them every night on watch and every day when we’re outside.  If they get wet they dry out quickly, dirty they clean easily and the sun has not faded the fabric.   We can adjust the back and move them around the boat if we want to have sundowners on the bow.   Best investment we made since leaving UK!
  3. Louie, the lighter – ok, confession time!   We had three lighters we used to light the gas cooker.  Before leaving Cape Verde we discussed how good the lighters had been and we needed to get some spare ones.  Steve went out in search of some and came back with two boxes of matches (we’re both a little confused why he only bought two boxes….).   We stowed the matches away in a dry place as an emergency.   Two days into our passage, two of our lighters failed and the other lighter was an unknown quantity as we hadn’t used it and didn’t know its history as it came with the boat.   We calculated we could use four matches a day if Louie failed us and then made sure we limited the number of times we used Louie to try and extend her life.   This meant some planning around food preparation so we could co-ordinate the use of the lit ring and oven!   She never failed us, lighting first time, every time and became a treasured member of our crew!   Love you Louie!
  4. The crew!   We worked together really well with seldom a cross word but lots of encouragement, discussion, joint decisions and confidence in each other and the decisions we made.   There aren’t many couples who could stand spending 24hrs in each others company let alone 17 days in isolation in a small boat!   We did it and loved it, enjoying every step of the incredible journey we shared together.  Steve won the player of the match award when he climbed the mast 1000NM from land, to retrieve a lost line.
  5. The boat – there’s hardly a day goes by where we don’t comment on how lucky we were to find Cerulean.  She really is the perfect boat for us and for crossing oceans.  She has kept us safe and comfortable, and sailed beautifully both downwind and on a reach.   When the boat was built there was no expense spared in the quality of the products used and we are reaping the benefits of those decisions made by Peter, who commissioned Cerulean over 25 years ago.