Aboard Lady

BVIs to Hampton

British Virgin Islands to Hampton, VA

by Charlie

Jenny usually does the blog and I change the oil. Consequently, every picture of me is in front of an empty bottle of wine! Well, I could do that in Tulsa. I thought it was about time I told the story of a passage, something we couldn’t do in Tulsa (except on a horse).

Jenny and I have always had crew to help us on our annual fall migration from Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean and, with one exception, on our way north in the spring. This year, we decided to test ourselves and do it on our own. At 1115 on May 7^th, we left the British Virgin Islands headed north. I had asked Jenny to work out a watch schedule and told her that I thought it important that we each have 4 straight hours of sleep each night. So, she took the watch from 2100 to 0100, then I would take the watch from 0100 to 0500. We alternated watch during the day about every 2 hours with the other napping.

The one thing that takes the much of the drama our of ocean passages are the services of a professional weather router; a private weather man who is an expert at ocean weather and passage making. We think the best for the east coast of the US and the Caribbean is Chris Parker. For $195 per year, he will hold your hand every time you need him. Initially, he would broadcast his forecast and answer questions on single sideband radio (SSB), but more recently he also uses a PACTOR modem to exchange emails over the SSB. This never fails to get through, while a voice transmission is sometimes difficult. Chris is usually days ahead of the National Weather Service, giving us enough time to change course to avoid storms.

From the time we left the BVI’s, Chris alerted us to the possibility of a deep low (40 knot winds on the nose) might cross our course. We were enjoying a great sail north and with 15 to 20 knot East trade winds, we were making 170-180 nautical miles per day. On May 10^th, we decided to change course and head to Bermuda to seek shelter from the storm. At 0022 on May 12, 40 miles south of Bermuda, we tore the mainsail from front to back. Well, it was 10 years old and had about 25,000 miles on it. Or maybe it heard me exchanging emails with our sail maker in Florida asking for a quote on a new one. Anyway, we motored in light winds to Bermuda arriving St. George’s at 0830, the morning of the 12^th. The passage was just short of 5 days. As forecast, on the 14^th, the front came through while we were safely anchored in St. George’s harbour, Bermuda. Our sail was repaired by Ocean Sails on the 15^th.

We left Bermuda the morning of the 16^th. We had been gone from Tulsa since November 1^st and now have business we need to take care of at home. The weather forecast was not perfect, but it seldom is perfect; it was acceptable. As we motored out of the harbour and cleared out with Bermuda Radio (separate from clearing out at Customs), they asked me where I was headed (Hampton, VA, USA) and how long I estimated that it would take. Well, I’d already done that calculation and answered 4 days even.

We motored, in no wind, around Bermuda to the north of the reefs for hours. We were at sea in 40 to 50 feet of water and could see the bottom. We could see when we were over sand and when we were over rocks and the shape of the rocks; amazing! The forecast was for no wind at Bermuda, so this came as no surprise. We were motoring on a course of 306M, motoring to where the wind was forecast to be. By 1625, we were sailing. Unfortunately, the wind was a little more west than south, so we were close hauled and only able to hold a course of about 320 degrees. There is a saying in the sailing community, “gentlemen don’t go to weather”. The reason is that you are fighting and pushing your way through the waves instead of having them push you along from behind. Also, you are heeled over and movement down below is impossible without using the handholds. There is a lot more boat movement. For the rest of the 16^th and he 17^th, we were crashing through progressively bigger seas. Lady is a lot stronger then her crew, but the crew was doing alright. Occasionally, Lady would leap off a big wave and crash down on the other side, throwing tons of water out of her way and coming to a jarring landing. Anyone asleep was now awake. We had been sailing with reefed (reduced) sails all day the 17^th.  We were making 150 to 165 nm per day, good job Lady.

At about 0600 on the 18^th, we were able to set full sail. The winds had come more south and the seas had moderated. We were not sure where we would find the Gulf Stream, but when our speed over ground plunged to less then 5 knots, we knew we had found it, we altered course to try to stay on a course perpendicular to the course of the stream (less time in the stream). Since leaving Bermuda, we had only seen one ship. Approaching the entrance to Chesapeake Bay we knew that this would change.

Shortly after midnight on the 19^th Jenny woke me up. Our AIS showed that we were on  a collision course with the ASTI Snug (600 feet going 20 knots), west bound approaching from my right. At 6 miles, I hailed her on the VHF radio. She answered right away. As is typical, they had not known we were there. The seas were so big that she could not see me on her radar and she couldn’t see my running lights at the top of my mast. As always, she was most agreeable to working with me. I was already out in front of her, so she changes course to port and passed 2 miles behind me; we never did get a visual on her. Of more concern was that while I was working out a passing arrangement with Snug, up pops NC Barbara, 900 hundred footer projected to pass close by on an easterly course. She was also going 20 knots. She didn’t know that we were there until I called.

The Barbara wanted to alter her course to starboard and pass behind me. I told her that I had a policy of NOT taking the bow of a big ship at sea!  I suggested that I jibe my sails and come to port as much as I could; passing her starboard to starboard (she comes down my starboard side and I her starboard side). She immediately agreed and in addition she came 20 degrees to port, opening up a much appreciated 2 mile closest point of approach.  Well, that was exciting for the middle of the night.

Things got more exciting during my watch at 0330. For no apparent reason, the automatic steering gear failed monentarily , sending Lady into an uncontrolled jibe. I grabbed the wheel and attempted to reestablish control. Although we have a boom brake, 25 knots of wind with a half reefed main can create quite a force. The jibe threw Jenny out of her bunk and she came to the hatch asking what was going on. I told her to buckle her harness to Lady. This was a dangerous situation and until I could assess it, we could jibe again and one of us could be thrown from the boat. Well, we jibed back (not having any other choice). We got back on course and the fault never reappeared. While working the wheel, I knew something was wrong. When I got things stabilized, I would a 12 inch fly fish flopping around at my feet. I sent him back home. We were now 182 nm from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.  By noon on the 19^th, we had covered 160 nm since the pervious day’s noon position.

Unfortunately, we encountered rain and lighting. We altered course to avoid the lighting. The rain became heavy and lasted into the evening. Although Lady has a bimini top over the entire cockpit and side curtains, we still got  wet. The good news was that since about 0600 that morning, we were out of the Gulf Stream. Our speed over ground had increased from in the 5’s to in the 7’s and our heading and course over ground had converged.

The evening of the 19^th and the morning of the 20^th were beautiful. Stars were brilliant. Winds was from the south at 15 knots allowing a smooth sail toward Chesapeake Bay. Lots of other ships, some close enough to radio, but nothing as exciting as earlier. At first light we were entering the Bay; by 0732 we were abeam of Thimble Shoal light (the entrance to Newport News) and docked at Bluewater Yacht Center at 1030.

So, our elapsed time was 4 days, 1 hour and 10 minutes. You might wonder why I was off by one hour 10 on my ETA. Jenny wanted me to reduce sail and level the boat every evening so she could cook dinner. And, since I was always hungry, I did. Otherwise, we would have arrived in 4 hours even.

We are at dock in Hampton resting, cleaning Lady and ourselves and preparing to move up the Bay. We sailed about 800 miles to Bermuda then 600 miles to Chesapeake Bay. I estimate that we burned 25 gallons of diesel fuel, much of which was to generate electricity.

We are still happily married and look forward to the return trip south next year. People ask why we do this. The funny answer is to see if we can go a week without a drink. The real answer is to tame the wind and make it do our bidding. 

Hanging Around in North Sound - Jenny's birthday week

Prickly Pear Island, North Sound, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

18 30.18N 64 21.70W

After settling in  and getting good Internet and taking care of some business, the winds came up and it blew like crazy for a few days, so we dropped our mooring and moved to a more sheltered spot in the lee of Prickly Pear Island, near the Sandbox Beach Bar and Grill.  We need to do a number of boat chores, the most pressing of which was cleaning Bimbo's bottom.  She had been in the water a lot while we had been in marinas in Antigua and Saint Martin, and was looking pretty cruddy.  We beached her on Prickly Pear island and armed with brushes, scrubbers and an assortment of cleaners we spent some time propping her up on her side using her oars and cleaning her.  She looks much happier with a clean bottom.

Despite being clean, she still was losing air from the front tube, and we hadn't been able to find the leak while we were cleaning her. After the wind had eased we moved to another spot (that would also give us Internet) and took her ashore again. Just a different Prickly Pear Island beach and finally found the leak.  The location indicates that at some point while we were in the lagoon in Simpson Bay, she got snagged under a dock - or against another dinghy that had raised their engine at the dock.  It could have been at any of the docks for St Maarten Yacht Club, Lagoonies, Barnacles Island Water World, Budget Marine or Marina Royale.

We walked along the beach as far as we could.  The island is a BVI National Park, and the area we were in was by a dried up salt pond and a couple of local goats came by looking for water.  Saw hummingbirds too.  We hear the goats most mornings.

Charlie found a patch and pasted it over the leaks once we were back at Lady.

One evening we went to happy hour at Saba Rock ($3 rum drinks and Carib beer).  A lady down the bar saw my foot jewelry and had to have it, so I sold it to her!  I usually just make these foot thongs as gifts for friends.

We went snorkeling another day, but this isn't a particularly good area for snorkeling.  Despite the gorgeous-looking water, much of the coral has died.  There are the usual interesting fish.  

There are a lot of charter boats in the area.  The private yachts kind of stand out - especially the big ones.  How would you like to have the job of cleaning windows on My Trust Fund? 

  Here is a the stern of a yacht we saw at Bitter End - Charlie thinks we need a logo like the one Tabasco has for Lady.

Friday April 26th was my 65th birthday, my I don't feel that old!  What a lovely day that was.  Charlie let me know that he still loves me, and gave me an over-the top card. 

What a lovely place to spend a birthday this is.  We have water front property with 360 degree views.

Breakfast  consisted of our favorites - yoghurt and Alpen cereal for me, toasted baguette with butter for Charlie After looking at all the good wishes from family and friends that were in my email (THANKS, EVERYBODY!), Charlie and I discussed our change in plan, which I'll discuss in a later post.  Then it was time to get dressed to go out to lunch.  I wore the new dress Charlie had given me for Christmas.  Should I use this picture on my facebook page?  The one I use now is a similar pose taken in North Carolina, USA  (back when I was 63.)

On our way to lunch we passed Party Girl.  Looks like her guests were Having fun.

 

We had made lunch reservations at Yacht Club Costa Smerelda.  YCCS is the newest marina here, and has been especially built for super-yachts.

The restaurant at YCCS is open to the public.  The facility is impressive.  

As you walk up through the property there are beautiful gardens - even a lawn large enough for croquet.

 

Down below, the view of the docks, Biras Creek and Bitter End Yacht Club.

 

Chef Mario greeted us.  We became friends, and he was excited that we were there for my birthday, suggesting the "Tasting" menu with an extra dessert.

We were glad we made reservations as we were the only people there, and perhaps Mario an all the other staff wouldn't have shown up for work that day if we hadn't. 

We were seated and admired the view from our table.  We overlooked a beautiful swimming poll with comfortable chaises and pillows around it.

Joan brought us a basket of asssorted little rolls, slices, bread-sticks to go with the cruet, and took our oders of prosecco and wine.

An amuse bouche of a pate of salmon, ricotta and artichoke was our first treat.  This was followed by stuffed calamari, lobster rissoto, breaded tuna, pistachio ice cream topped with a drop of olive oil and chocolate chocolate (yes, double) cake.  

        

Two other guests arrive just before the cake came, so they joined in the singing and ate chocolate cake as their first course ("life is short; eat dessert first").  We became acquainted as we enjoyed the cake.  Thanks for the good time, Tammy and Tina!

We realized that the leak is still not fixed in Bimbo on our way back to Lady.  

I was a gorgeous afternoon.  We changed into swimsuits and headed out to reef in Eustatia Sound, tied up next to another dinghy put on snorkeling gear and slid into the aqua water.  Some interesting fish and corals, but nothing too exciting to report.

Dried and back on Lady, we napped.  Woke in time for sunset watching, and treated ourselves to watching Rounders, a DVD passed on by other cruisers, snacking on cheesed and crackers.

What a wonderful day for a birthday!

Back to reality yesterday.  Between rain showers the wind backed to the west.  We were in water shallower than our comfort levels, so we hauled anchor, and since we were already on the move, headed out of North Sound about two miles to dump holding tanks in deep water far from swimmers.  Picked up a mooring at Leverick Bay Resort and Marina, and went ashore to dump trash, book a rental car for Monday and purchase a fresh baguette and tonic at the grocery store.  We dropped the mooring an re-anchored by Prickly Pear where we could still get Saba Rock's wifi Internet, and had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Antigua to BVIs

Antigua

After Marilyn and Neil left, we stayed at the dock for a few days to do boat projects delayed by having guests.  Especially those projects that needed shore power and water.

Tom and Lesley arrived on Farhaven, and we made new friends,  Julie and Steven on Scavaig.  We had a fun day at Jolly Beach, we had more great pizza at Al Porto, and a magnificent meal on Farhaven, with Lesley using her new stove and oven.

Then Charlie was servicing the windlass, a winch used to haul the anchor and chain up and down and broke the major rule of yacht maintenance - don't make things worse.  Disassembling the windlass he tugged on the cap, and not only did the cap come off, but also the major shaft.   Investigation of the problem required getting to the underneath of the windlass, which is in the very front of the boat.  The way Lady is laid out from the bow is the anchor locker, then a water-tight bulkhead to another compartment where there is access to the bottom of the windlass.  This compartment also contains the back of a cabinet with shelves, which is accessed from the forward shower.  We use the forward shower for storage.  We had to empty the forward shower - cartons of oil, filler cushion for the dining table, coolers, ladder, vacuum cleaner, bag chairs, extra ropes, etc. (we call the forward shower the garage). Then Charlie had to remove the cabinet with shelves.  Finally we could see the bottom of the windlass.  A circular piece lay in the bilge, and oil was splashed around the area.  After cleaning and working on it for a while, we realized that we were not going to be able to fix it there.  And we couldn't go and anchor anywhere. 

Next day we moved to a mooring, and emailed FKG Rigging in St. Martin.  We departed Antigua on April 3rd at dusk and sailed the ninety miles to Sint Maarten overnight.  

Sint Maarten

Great winds brought us in to SImpson Bay by 0600 on the 4th.  We hove to and fixed breakfast while waiting for the 0900 inbound bridge.  We had heard that FKG was not going to be able to have a technician available for us immediately, and their dock was not available for us, so we took a slip at SImpson Bay Marina.  It was Monday before the technicians were able to work on the windlass, and Tuesday before is was re-installed.  We had fun with Kurt and Kate from Mayananda, who were also there in the marina, taking a break from Indianapolis while there.

Once the windlass was repaired were moved out to anchor in the lagoon - on the Dutch side for a couple of days.  When you clear in to Dutch Sint Maarten you have to pay $40US harbor dues for a week, even if you are only staying one day.  On the French side of the lagoon in Saint Martin, the 5.20 euro fee allows you to stay as long as you like.  We purchased provisions for a few weeks (they are cheaper in St. Martin), refilled prescriptions and did what we could to keep the Sint Maarten economy going.  I was able to find a new camera!  We had fun with our local friends, Maya and David who came over for dinner one night, (bringing a gift of a beautiful Bird of Paradise flower) and then Windara with Elsa and Glen arrived, so we stayed another day so we could go out with them for a day in Marigot.  At the Marigot street market, Elsa found some wonderful French table linens, and I found a (San Blas Island) Mola that I plan to turn into a cushion for Anna Louise.  Many of the local merchants had moved their store inventory out into the street, and there were lots of bargains available as merchants were trying to reduce this season's inventory.  I found a great pair of flip-flops.  That evening  the crews of Windara and Lady watched the Masters Golf tournament at Lal's Indian Curry restaurant.  Lal plays a lot of golf and had his TV tuned to the event.

While at the dock we had made friends with the crew on and Irish yacht, Indulgence.  We saw them in the lagoon, and they reported that the water was too low for them to get through the channel to the Sandy Ground French Bridge in Marigot.  We had noticed that the water was particularly low when we had been ashore for provisions.  So we decided not to risk running aground on a Sunday morning as the French bridge only opens twice on a Sunday, and to go the long way round to Marigot
Bay by going back through the causeway to the Dutch side, and exiting the Dutch bridge at the 1100 opening along with Windara, Oasis,  and a half-dozen other yachts.

We headed west, past the airport in SImpson Bay, and then what a surprise - the daily KLM flight arrived from Holland  just as we passed the end of the runway. We understand that laying on the beach when she lands is quite a thrill!

   

We anchored in Marigot Bay for the afternoon and night, and departed Monday morning for Virgin Gorda.  

British Virgin Islands

What a great sail.  Wind from behind, we did long reaches, gybing every two or three hours.  We caught a barracuda and returned him to the water.  At 1920, just after dark, we dropped the anchor off Prickly Pear Island.

Next morning, Charlie took the dinghy to Gun Creek, where he arrived before the Customs office was open.  

We moved to a mooring off the  Saba Rock Resort and have stayed here because they have such Great Internet, and we have needed to do some business while here.

Here I am in my office-of-the-day. 

We  plan to be here in the BVIs for the next four weeks, and will be departing with the Salty Dawgs Rally from Nanny Cay on May 15th, and sail double-handed back to the USA, making landfall in Hampton, Virginia about ten days after we leave.  Once rested, we'll move Lady to Annapolis, where she'll spend the summer while we go to Tulsa.

 

 

 

 

 

McNamaras and Mathewsons make it to Martinique

March 6th to March 27th, 2013

Camera is still missing, however Marilyn and Neil arrived from Wales on Wednesday March 6th with their camera, so pictures on this post are theirs and Charlie's.  N & M  joined us at Jolly Harbour Marina.  

We decided to relax and go to the beach after their long journey for the first day.

Swimming in the clear warm water was a grand treat for them.

A big voyage the next day took us all the way around the island to Falmouth.

After anchoring,  where we were treated with watching the departure of sailing yacht Maltese Falcon.

The next morning another treat - we watched yacht A enter the harbor in reverse and dock at Antigua Yacht Club.

Later we walked over to English Harbour, where we enjoyed touring Nelson's Dockyard.

Our Sunday departure from Falmouth was delayed when the anchor pulled up a large rock, and would not let it go.  Charlie ended up going swimming on order to release it from the anchor's claw.

We moved around to Nonsuch Bay and took one of the lovely FREE moorings that have been installed by NEMMA behind the reef.

Neil had brought a fishing rod with him, and was rewarded by catching a remora.  No good for dinner, so it was released to look for a shark host..

Neil and Marilyn had their first experience of snorkeling while we were there, but we found it disappointing that there weren't too many reef fish.

On Tuesday we departed Nonsuch.  Charlie and Neil rigged the fishing lines, and we were rewarded with a skip-jack tuna.  About and hour later "Fish on!" was heard again - this time a nine-pound yellow fin tuna was on the hook.  With enough fish in the freezer for a couple of meals, the fishing gear was stowed.  After sailing all day, we arrived at Deshaies, "Day-ay" Guadeloupe mid-afternoon.  Ashore we cleared in to France at a computer in one of the gift shops and walked around the village, buying post-cards and drinks at a shore-side restaurant.

Wednesday March 13th we departed Deshaies and sailed south along the western coast of Guadeloupe.  We had hoped to stop at the Jaques Cousteau National Park at Pigeon Island to snorkel, but all the moorings were takes, so we sailed on.

We departed the main island of Guadeloupe and headed for "The Saints".  The Isles Des Saintes are a group of small islands and rocks off to the south of Guadeloupe.  Only two islands are inhabited, and we anchored off the village of Bourg Des Saintes on the island of Terre-de-Haut.  SInce out last visit, a couple of years ago, the town has now installed moorings, and visiting yachts are expected to pick up a mooring, rather than anchoring, provided one is available.  The "Multi-Services" tender came by to collect our 11 Euros per night fee, and also took orders for breakfast baguettes and croissants.  After watching a pair of dolphis swimming in the bay, we went ashore to check out the town.  It was warm, so we didn't walk too far.  We ran in to Chris Doyle, author of our Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands.  He was planning on dining at one of the local restaurants, and we took his recommendation for dinner at La Fringale.  Some of the restaurants are closed on Wednesdays.  It was a delicious dinner set in a courtyard with tropical plants and a waterfall.

Next day we did more exploring of the town.  Tourists arrive by ferry from Guadeloupe for the day and seem to race around on motor-bikes.  Much of the shopping area is closed to vehicles, which makes it rather nice.  We
passed this gentleman selling his catch of ballyhoo.

One of our missions was to find water.    We investigated the main dock where the ferries come in, but as the dock was rather high, and only available at certain hours we decided to find an alternative.  On our way to the "Yacht Club", we  went by the sign pointing the way to the Pain du Sucre. Of course the (nee) Pain girls needed to have their picture taken here.

At the yact club Charlie talked to Ben, and made arrangements with him and his uncle Jerome to take on water at their bouy in the bay the next day.  Neil had to have a picture of Captain Jack Sparrow with Marilyn and the Seagull motor over the bar.

After walking around town, we climbed the hill and took pictures of Lady and the other boats in the bay.  On the other side was another lovely place to eat - La Saladerie and we had a delicious lunch before returning to Lady and resting all afternoon.  Marilyn won Mexican Train Dominoes (again) that night.

So, Friday morning we dropped our mooring and headed over to the yacht club's water mooring and filled the tanks.  Charlie and Neil dinghied ashore to pay, then we moved on to the smaller island, Terre de Bas and dropped anchor in Anse Fideling.  On previous visits to this cove, we had had good snorkeling, and we were not disappointed this time.  The sea star was returned top it's spot in the grass under Lady when we had taken its picture.

We departed about noon, and headed south to Dominica, where we were greeted in Portsmouth by Titus of Edison's Yacht Services, who found us a mooring, took the $10US per night fee, and also took all our dirty laundry.  It was too late to go and check in to customs, so  we radioed our old friend Martin Carriere, Providence, another of the bay's yacht helpers, and made arrangements to meet him on Saturday morning for a tour of the Indian River.  Jenny won Mexican Train that night.

On Saturday morning, Charlie and Neil dropped Marilyn and I off at the fishermen's market pier while they went to find Customs.  We shopped the farmers' market and purchased bread, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, garlic and christophene.  By 9:30 we were back and Martin arrived bearing a gift of Anthirium flowers.  We boarded Providence, and headed across the bay for the river.  Indian River is part of Dominica's National Park system.  No motors are permitted in the river, so Martin rowed and pointed out the different trees, birds, fish, crabs, lizards we were seeing. It was a fascinating ride.  We learned a lot.  There's a small dock at the end of the navigable part of the river, and we stopped there and continued on foot.  Martin found a coconut and cut it up for us to drink the milk and munch on raw coconut.  He also made each of the girls a little bird from palm leaves.  It was wonderful.  Thanks, Martin for such an enjoyable ride!  And thanks for the flowers, too!

  

      

Charlie and Neil had not been able to find the customs agent that morning, so they went back in the afternoon.  They reported that they did eventually find someone.  The door they had been knocking at on the customs building was clearly marked.  What they did not discover until then, was that there was another door, equally clearyy marked at the other side of the building.  The person who assisted them said that the alternate doors were only used on alternate weekends.  The door they had been trying that morning was the office for last Saturday and next Saturday.  

 

Sunday morning Martin stopped by and told us how to get started on a hike to the Cabrits National Park and Fort Shirley.  It was a warm hike, but we took plenty of water, and exploring the old fort was interesting.  

          This tree was full of hummingbirds!

From the fort, we walked back down the hill, and on into the town of Portsmouth.  Being Sunday, things were pretty quiet, apart from the joyous singing coming from the church.  The pink house is decorated with all sorts of sea shells.

Sunday afternoon, Martin stopped by to chat, and we met his lovely wife Florian, and his daughter Nichole.  Later on Edison came, selling tickets to the Portsmouth Area Yacht Services "P.A.Y.S" weekly barbecue.  It's fund-raiser for the men who patrol the harbour and night, and we recommend any cruiser participate.  The $20US, or  $50EC bought unlimited rum punch, all-you-can eat barbecues chicken and fish, salads, slaws and entertainment of watching the tables and benches get stowed to transform the area for dancing.  We met lots of other cruisers, mostly European. Lots of fun!  

While swimming that afternoon, I saw three lionfish, an invasive predatory species that eat the Caribbean native fish, swimming around our mooring's anchor.  We reported this to Martin so that a local diver can see if he can remove them.  

Monday was a travel day.  We dropped our mooring early and sailed off shore the length of Dominica, and crossed the passage, where we had to reef and sailed past the northern part of Martinique, past Fort de France, and dropped anchor at Anse Mitan at 5:30.  75 miles in 9 hours 42 minutes.

Tuesday we went ashore, leared in and walked around the marina area, having a delicious Croque Monsieur lunch.

 

Wednesday, we motored over to Fort de France, and found the fuel dock hidden way back in the commercial docks area.  It was not an easy dock to get in to, and rain starting didn't make our re- fuelling easier.  Thank goodness the crew was English! We moved on to Trois Islets, where we dodged rain drops and had a very enjoyable lunch at Green.  The amazingly cheerful chef had no help, and was having to work not only as chef, but as bar-tender, bus-person and waiter.  Despite the pouring rain, we were in no hurry, and had a good time.

Thursday, March 21st started Marilyn and Neil's last week.  We left Trois Islets early, and sailed all day, past Martinique, and were making such good time that we did not stop in Dominica, but headed on back to the Saints, picking up a mooring just before 6:00 pm, in time to see a cruise ship depart.  Made 92 miles in 11 hours and 50 minutes, an average of 7.7 knots. Plus we caught a nice yellow fin tuna which we had for dinner. 

Friday at Bourg des Saintes, while Charlie and Neil checked Internet, Marilyn and I made dinner reservations at Au Bon Vivre.  Later, we walked across the island to Baie de Pompierre, enjoying the picturesque houses and gardens.  Goats were all over the road, as were tourists on motor-cycles.  We were thrilled to spy iguanas in some of the fields on our way back.

Saturday we dropped the mooring at Isle Des Saintes shortly after 0800 and headed north under reefed main.  Neil's sharp eyes spotted a pair of whales, mother and calf, possibly humpback.  How thrilling was that!  

We got to Pigeon Island about noon, and this time there were plenty of moorings available.  There's nothing like snorkeling in a marine sanctuary.  Marilyn and Neil felt that this stop was one of the high points of the cruise.  We saw loads of fish, and the reefs looked very healthy.  

After swimming and lunch, we headed on, pulling in to Deshaies before dusk.  The men caught us another yellowfin tuna for dinner.

We named the turtle that swam around the anchorage Teresa.

Marilyn and Neil taught us Declaration Whist that night.  Marilyn won.

 

Another very special day on Sunday.  I struggled to make a phone call to the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies.  First I asked "Parlez vous Anglais?"  "Non." was the reply.  I then attempted to make a reservation for lunch for the four of us at their restaurant and to arrange for a ride to the gardens.  Evidently my French was understood.  A van picked us up near the bridge in Deshaies, and took us to the park, dropping us at the main entrance.  The 15.5 euros admission was well worth it.  The gardens are very well maintained, and the trails are easy for people of all abilities.  The birds, flowers and trees are magnificent.  

The lunch was also very delicious.

                 

Monday we headed back to Antigua.  A long day of GREAT sailing, especially since Neil spotted ANOTHER whale! No picture this time, but another special treat.  We picked up a mooring and had a great evening.  Friends Tim and Lucy of Chilli Chilli were here and we had drinks with them.

Tuesday was spent cleaning.  Dinner was the Tuesday night 241 at Al Portos.

After Neil and Marilyn were packed, we had time between rain showers for a dinghy tour of Jolly Harbour.

Dolphins were spotted in the anchorage.

It was sad to say good-bye after such a lovely cruise together.  We had no whiners, and everyone got along well.  Neil was always ready with a good joke, Jenny fixed some nice meals, Marilyn always did the washing-up, and Charlie kept us all safe and entertained with his stories.  Quite and adventure together.  Thanks for coming!  Come again next year!

 

 

 

 

Heineken Regatta Volunteers

Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten

February 27th to March 3rd, 2013

We must have been too long in the same place.

When I was a newspaper ad for volunteers for the big regatta in St. Martin, and realized that we would be there with no guests during the event, I suggested to Charlie that we volunteer.  He said the only job that he'd be remotely interested in was Race Committee.  I told him we'd go to the volunteer sign up and see if he could do that.  So we did.  We signed up for "Start Boat Volunteers", along with lots of other people, including our friend Phil Worral from Rum Runner, and later we got an emailed invitation to join the team of Start Boat A.

The briefing for all the Start Boat volunteers was in the conference room at Budget
Marine.  There were about 20 people there, some for the other start boat, some for a
finish boat and some for the mark and pin boats.  We met the Principal Race Officer, David Campbell-Jones from West Sussex, England, and his assistant Viktor Wijnand from Curacao.

The first days racing was Thursday Feb 28th - the Gill Commodore's Cup.  The races were held in SImpson Bay, and were just for spinnaker yachts.  My job was to check in the startes, and Charlie handled the count-downs for
the starts.  There were four fleets, and we started three races for them.  It was quite a busy day!  Our start boat was a Sunsail Lagoon 410 catamaran.  We were each provided with a clean T-shirt for each day.

 

Friday March 1st was the first day of the Heineken Regatta - a race from Simpson Bay counter-clockwise around the island of Saint Martin, finishing in Phillipsburg.

There were over 200 boats registered for the regatta.  The yachts were divided into two different starts - Start Boat A handled the Multihills and the eight CSA fleets.  Start Boat B handled a different start line for the charter-boats and cruising boats withour spinnakers.

We arrived at the yacht club early.  The water-taxi volunteers were already busy at work.  After a brief meeting ashore, we headed out for the start line and got to work.  Once all the fleets were started, we were off duty.  Another boat was doing the finishing.  David, Viktor, Kathy and Toni left early as David feared that the wind was getting much lighter, and he might have to shorten course before the boats got to Phillipsburg.

 

We worked the Start Boat A for the eintire regatta and had a wonderful time.  Unfortunately, my camera went missing by the end of the regatta, so pictures are lost.

We departed Saint Martin on Monday March 4th, and motored in light wind to Antigua.

 

Don and Maggie's Caribbean Cruise

Saint Martin, French West Indies

February 10th to February 21st, 2013

After Olivia, IV and Anna Louise departed, we quickly got Lady ready for more guests.  Laundry to Sharon at Lagoonie's, groceries from Grand Marche, water in tanks, wipe down and vacuum interior, wash decks and after a single night alone, Don and Maggie McCarthy Williamson found the marina after spending the night ashore at a local hotel.  

We checked out of "Dutch" Sint Maarten and the marina, slipped our lines, and departed across the lagoon, through the lone opening remaining in the new causeway.  After we anchored in French Saint Martin, we headed ashore to Marigot for the scheduled Mardi Gras Parade that Sunday afternoon. A very SLOW parade.  After the beauty queens, there was lots of VERY LOUD music coming from rock and roll bands performing on flat-bed trucks followed by various groups of dancers.

        

The swells were quite bad outside the lagoon, so we spent a couple more days in the lagoon,  went to the beach, had a beer at Karakters and then went to watch the boats coming in to the lagoon at the 5:30 pm bridge opening at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

We left the lagoon and spent a lovely day at anchor at Ilet Pinel.  We hiked the trail around the island for a bit of exercise.

We raced some charter catamarans from there to Saint Barthelemy.  

One day we walked around town, had lunch at Cafe Le Select and visited Shell beach.

Another day we rented a car and toured the island. While the girls walked a beach, the guys checked out the local scenery of topless girls.  The big thrill that day was when we parked at the lay-by on the road above the airport and had to duck our heads as a plane came in.  

We caught up with Lynne and Paul  on Beaudacious and had a fun evening together on Lady. 

Our last night on the island we took a mooring at Anse Colombier, along with a number of super-yachts escaping from the swells in the Gustavia harbor.

Back in Saint Martin, we anchored on the French side of the lagoon, and on another day rented a car and re-visited the butterfly farm and Orient Beach, where we had been earlier in the month with Anna louise, Olivia and IV.

It was great to have such wonderful friends come and enjoy life aboard Lady with us.  See you back in Tulsa, Don and Maggie!

 

Anna Louise hits the beach!

Sint Maarten, Netherland Antilles

Anna Louise came to see us earlier this month.

We eagerly anticipated her arrival with her keepers (IV and Olivia - they came with her) at the airport.

After waiting forever, because one of their bags did not make it on the plane from Miami (after a six-hour lay-over), she finally made it our of the restricted area!

We went swimming almost every day.

First, we went to  Kim Sha Beach.  Hung out at the Buccaneer Bar, where the umbrellas and chairs were free, and the drinks and burgers were good.

We had a good  day at Marigot in French Saint Martin, where they take Euros and we loved the lunch and pastries from the boulangerie Sarafinas.

 

At the Isle De Sol IGY marina pool we swam, and also saw one of our favorite entertainer's yachts.  It rained that day.

 

At Orient Beach, we had to pay for the chairs and umbrellas, but the scenery was pretty good.

 

 

 

Baie Rouge was another day where we didn't take pictures.

The Butterfly Farm was another wonderful stop on this lovely island.  The butterflies were amazing!

 

Our sirius satellite radio had stopped working a few weeks ago, and IV had brought a new antenna for the system with him, so one morning he and Charlie worked on installing it.  It now is back working great!

 

On Anna Louise's last day with us, we went back to Kim Sha Beach, and had another fun day.  We went to the Sint Maarten Yacht Club at 5:30 to watch the yachts coming in to the Lagoon .  After that, Buccaneer Bar had a great family night with movies and lots of other kids.

 

The five of us had a wonderful week together.  Next time Anna Louise comes, perhaps there'll be six of us, as she is to become a big sister next August.  Here she is sitting on the luggage golf-cart waiting for the taxi to the airport.  Have fun in pre-school Anna Louise!

 

 

 

 

 

Bogie and Eva sail with Lady

Sint Maarten, Dutch West Indies

January 28th, 2013

 

Kent and Eva Bogart, Oklahoma friends who live outside Claremore decided that they wanted to make a passage with us.  They have a beautiful vacation home in (Dutch) Sint Maarten, and after they had settled the house early this month, they hopped on a Liat flight and joined us in Antigua on January 10th.

We left Jolly Harbour that day, and sailed around to Deep Bay, where we anchored and everyone got settled.  I phoned George Jeffries and Barbuda, and booked a tour of the Magnificent Frigatebird sanctuary

Next morning we headed north, and after a few hours dropped anchor off Low Bay in Barbuda.  

George met us on the beach, and helped us to drag Bimbo above the wave line.  There was some surge, but this day the swells weren't too bad, so we felt comfortable not only landing the dinghy, but also leaving her tied up to a palm tree.  There are no docks on Barbuda.

Soon we were aboard George's Boston Whaler with a 75 HP Yamaha motor that he pull starts.  We stopped in the village of Codrington and paid our dues to visit the park.  Then back aboard and off to a rather large sea buoy.  Apparently this buoy had been found drifting off shore Barbuda and retrieved by some local fishermen and re-located to the lagoon.  Later research by visitors established that the buoy had been lost from somewhere off Nova Scotia.  The buoy must have drifted with the currents (Gulf Stream, Azores Current, Canary Current, North Equatorial current) for quite a while before it was found!

The next stop George explained how the birds used to live in a different part of the lagoon.  Hurricane Donna came through and destroyed their mangrove habitat.  After the storm passed, the birds set up a new nesting area in a different part of the lagoon.

Seeing the birds nesting is amazing.  

The males inflate their necks until they are brilliant red to attract the ladies.  Here's on couple that look quite taken with each other.  It seemed as though he had his right wing around his girl.

We had a very enjoyable tour, even though Charlie and I have done this a few times before.   If you get to Barbuda, it's well worth doing as George is so knowledgeable.  He gave us lots of insight as to how life on Barbuda is.  The island has a population of about 1800 with a couple of resorts and a few more guest houses.  Tourists may come for a day from Antigua by ferry or plane or, like us, by private yacht.  They treat us all as guests.

We knew that George is also a lobster-fisherman and I had asked if he could get us some fresh lobster.  His fishing boat was being repaired, but after the tour, we landed at the fisherman's co-op (a gift from Japan) and found fresh lobster.  Since we do not have a pot aboard Lady large enough for lobster, Bogie and George went to George's house to par-boil them and get them ready for the grill.  Charlie tried to find the customs and immigration offices since we needed to clear out of Antigua and Barbuda, but it was Saturday, they were closed, so he found a local gentleman on a bike who took him around the village to try to find the people

We found a street booth serving lunch.  Eva and I had fried chicken, Bogie had ox tail and Charlie had pork.

Still no sign of the officials, so we wandered some more.

Looked like nobody needed to dive today.

 

Here's a couple of boys taking their horse for a swim.  All the horses on the island are owned by individuals.  Many of the donkeys are wild.

Finally the lobsters were done, and we had cleared out of the country.  George returned us to the beach, helped us launch Bimbo, and Eva and I walked part of the beautiful even-mile beach.  We did not see anyone else.

Bogie and Eva took over the galley that evening.  What a treat dinner was.  Delicious lobster, with angel -hair pasta and fresh herbed tomatoes.  Yummy!

Next morning we looked at the beach.  The swells were so big it would have been impossible to land the dinghy, so we had picked the perfect day for our Barbuda visit.

It was 58 nautical miles to our next destination, so with light winds, we motor-sailed, and arrived at Anse Gouveneur on Saint Barthlemy at dusk.  The skip-jack tuna we caught on the way provided us with a delicious sushi appetiser.  We could tell that the Gustavia harbor was closed as so many large yachts we anchored outside the harbor.  It was rather a lumpy night with the big swells, but we moved around to anchor off Gustavia the next morning, and soon were cleared in and had a rented car.  

Bogie was a great tour guide.  We lunched at Le Select, always a favorite for cheeseburgers in Paradise, then stopped later in the afternoon for a drink at Eden Rock, a beautiful resort on Baie St. Jean.  Eva and I were able to purchase new hand-made sun-hats from a local lady.  After returning the car, we had a later drink at Shell Beach, where the swells had deposited a lot of beautiful shells.

We had seen friends Kate and Kurt from Myananda while we were in town, and they came over to Lady for drinks  before dinner.

Next morning we took Bimbo over to the maritime park, and enjoyed snorkeling for an hour or so before picking up the anchor and heading on to Sint Maarten.

We anchored in Simpson Bay, and Charlie had time to go ashore by dinghy to clear us in to the country. We made it safely through the bridge to the Lagoon, and moved in to the Simpson Bay Marina.  Bogarts were able to recover their car, and headed back to their house above Guana Bay.

We joined them at Villa Frangipani the next day, and spent a delightful few days ashore with them and Paul and Lynne from Beaudacious, Catalina 470 sister-ship friends who had lost the rudder on New Year's Day between St. Barts and St. Martin and were staying in a rented apartment after Beaudacious had been towed ashore by the St. Martin Coastguard, and was sitting in a boat-yard.

The three couples had fun together walking Pancho a chocolate lab that travels with the Bogarts on the Guana Bay beach.  Pancho was very professional at retrieving a tennis ball from the usrf.  We also had a fine week-end outing to Ilet Pinel, where we had a beach day.

Even after we moved back aboard and out of the marina, we have continued to have dinners and outings with the Bogarts and Beaudacious.  

Charlie's birthday was fun - dinner at Bistro Nu in Marigot, a delightful French restaurant in Marigot. Thanks for all the great times Eva and Bogie!

 

 

 

2012 - Another Great Year

 It's been another wonderful year of cruising.

After crossing the Atlantic aboard Jay Sea Dee in December 2011and spending Christmas in Grenada, we returned to Lady in the Virgin Islands.

We spent January in the Virgin Islands.  Particularly memorable we a cruise to Saint Croix with Catalina 470 owners Paul and Lynn on Beaudacious and Larry and Wendy from Comfortably Numb.  

Charlie had a fun 65th birthday at Saint John.  We were also joined by Connie and Jim from Plane To Sea that evening.

In February we went to Culebra (Puerto Rico), Saint Martin/Sint Maarten and Saba, where we hiked in the tropical jungle and had magnificent views of some of the other nearby  islands

Son Mike and girlfriend Meghan visited us in March.  They enjoyed learning to kite-board, as well as snorkeling, watching mega-yachts race and celebrating Saint Patrick's Day.

We left Lady on the hard at Nanny Cay in April, flew to Tulsa and enjoyed Easter, Anna Louise's birthday and my birthday there.  The weather was good for the most part, and it was such fun to see so many old friends.

Returning to Lady in May, Nina and Bob from Moon Dancer joined us as crew for the trip back to the USA as part of the Salty Dawgs Rally.  Stormy weather meant a diversion to Bermuda, where we had a great week on the way to Chesapeake Bay.

 Shortly after our arrival back in the USA, in Hampton, Virginia, in early June we were truck by a tornado.  Mike and Meghan were also visiting that week-end in Mike;s boat, but Artemis II survived with no damage.  Lady had damage to stanchions and canvas, which we later got repaired in Annapolis.  We commiserated with MC and Andre from Dancing Lizard who had much more damage.  We could have stayed in Oklahoma for this!

As we left Hampton, we met Catalina 470 friends on Barra, Hugh and Paula, and anchored out with them at Fleets Bay, off the Chesapeake.  Later in the month we met up with many of the other East Coast Catalina 470 owners for a week-end of visiting.

Bob and Pam of C470 Silhouette kindly loaned us the use of their slip while we got tornado repairs done.  Not only was it fun to see them, but also Joe Rocchio (C470 Onward), as well as Mike and Meghan and Anne and Miles Poor (Karina).

Once repairs were completed we left before it got too hot, and had a good time at Block Island, Rhode Island on our way to Narragansett Bay, where we spent a good part of July.

A number of the boats in the Salty Dawg Rally met at Bristol for the town's historic Independence Day parade.  It was good to see Bill and Linda (Sapphire), Craig and Karene (Il Sogno), Gil and Joy (Joy for All) and we made new friends of Rob and Sarah (Serafina Of Maldon).  We spent about a week there, and new had so much shell-fish and clams before.  Wonderful days!

After cruising the Bay, visiting Newport and Dutch Harbor, we headed to Cuttyhunk and Woods Hole, and then back to meet IV, Olivia and Anna Louise, who spent a week aboard at the beginning of August.  We got from Newport to Hadley Harbor, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and back while they were with us.

Soon, it was time to head south.  This time we went down Long Island Sound, and through New York City.

 We left Lady in Annapolis and headed different directions.  Charlie went to Tulsa.

I went to England where I visited my mother, Mary Pain, who continues to do well for a twenty-one-year-old woman well into her eighties still living alone.  Cousin Kerry came by and the Isle of Wight was as beautiful as ever.  

I also visited cousins Janet and Marilyn in Wales, where we enjoyed the scenery of the Gower Peninsula and Worm's Head.  

In Portsmouth, it was fun to meet with former school friends Pam, Diana, Hillary, another Pam and Lesley.

 

I joined Charlie in Tulsa in September, and we had lots of fun with IV, Olivia, Anna Louise and saw lots of friends.  It was lovely to meet Anna Louise's new McNamara cousin, Mary Loretta.

We returned to Lady in early October and spent money at the Annapolis Sailboat Show and had fun at parties with cruisers and other friends we have made along the way.  We renewed friendships with cruisers from Saint Lucia, Salty Dawgs, Catalina 470 owners, and ran in to other cruising friends around the docks.  We particularly enjoyed catching up with Steve and Sue Ormond - Steve has crewed for us twice on our passages from the USA to the Caribbean.

Charlie returned to Tulsa to take care of business, and I stayed aboard on my own, preparing for our up-coming passage by cooking offshore meals and getting them in the freezer.  Son Mike took me racing on his Tartan 10, Artemis, and we had fun.  It was also great that Jay Sea Dee came in to port and I was able to reminisce with John about our trip across the Atlantic, and hang out with Jodie.

Hurricane Sandy threatened, so I prepared Lady by stripping the canvas and getting everything stowed and after Charlie (in Tulsa) declared "Abandon ship!", I evacuated to Baltimore to stay with Mike and Megan for a few days.

We had fun at a Chili cook-off/Halloween party at the Baltimore Downtown Sailing Association.

Charlie returned after selling his business.  Flow Measurement Company was acquired by Precision Fitting And Gauge.  

We finally departed Annapolis in early November; Lady had been at a dock for over two months -  wow - we'd not been ashore for so long since we started cruising - we'd not been apart for so long since we got married.  We were late heading south.  The weather had changed from summer in New England to late fall in the Chesapeake as we headed down the bay, making a stop at Solomon's Island to visit Hugh and Paula (C470 Barra) and plan on connecting in Hampton as Hugh was to crew on the passage to Virgin Gorda, and Paula was to fly meet us there.

Arriving in Hampton, some of the Salty Dawg Rally fleet had already departed.  A nor'easter threatened, so we delayed a few days until we had a good weather fore-cast.  Hugh and Paula joined us and we made all the necessary preparations for a significant offshore passage.  

We finally departed November 9th, with the full cockpit enclosures installed, dressed in sweaters and foul-weather gear. 

We arrived at Virgin Gorda in the early morning over nine days later, wearing summer clothes.  Quite a long passage with light winds, and a lot of engine time.

  Good times with the other Salty Dawgs followed.  Bitter End Yacht Club made us very welcome.  Paula arrived safely and we had fun together.

Our last "official" Salty Dawg event was a great dinner for all the participants, and as it was the evening before Thanksgiving, we took Mr. Turkey with us.  Paula and Hugh returned to the USA Thanksgiving Day.

We invited other cruisers to join us on the beach for  meal on Thanksgiving Day.  Crews from about a dozen boats came, and all had fun.  Here's Charlie carving the turkey breast that had lain at the bottom of the freezer since I purchased it in Annapolis.

We were pleased that the new BVI Customs and Immigration Office in Gorda Sound made departing the country easy, and after clearing our made an overnight passage in one tack to SImpson Bay, Sint Maarten, following Il Sogno with Craig and Karene aboard through the "Dutch" bridge.

It was fun to re-connect with other cruising friends we have made in the last few years.  Besides celebrating Karene's birthday, we had fun with Elsa and Glen from Windara, and made new friends.

In early December we left St. Martin for a couple of days and headed to the next country, Saint Barthlelemy.  Tulsa friends Brenda and Dan were due to arrive aboard  Sea Dream I, a small cruise ship, part of the Sea Dream Yacht Club.  We met them outside the Capitainerie (port captain), and headed for Lady.   Soon the anchor was up, and we sailed for and hour to Ile Forchue, where we snorkeled and ate lunch, before sailing back to Gustavia.  That evening we were their guests aboard Sea Dream I.  What a treat that was - thanks so much Brenda and Dan!

We stopped back at Ile Forchue on our way back to St. Martin, and were thrilled when Farhaven pulled in to the anchorage.  We hadn't see Tom and Lesley for a couple of years and it was such fun to have them over for dinner.  They had been sailing overnight and were ready for a break.

Back on the French side of the Simpson Bay lagoon, we busied ourselves with boat projects and kept busy with cruising friends.  

We left the lagoon, and spent a couple of nights at a lovely anchorage off the north-east side of St. Martin - Islet Pinel.  We departed there before dark on evening, and sailed overnight to Antigua, arriving at Jolly Harbour after daylight.  

After a few days on a mooring, we moved in to the Marina, and Lady got a good fresh-water wash, as we prepared for visitors.

Christmas was uneventful - we went to the beach.

Mary and Steve Snider arrived from Tulsa after awful delays in Dallas caused by weather and minus one of their bags.   They were able to get swimsuits and flip-flops at a store in the marina complex, and we departed and spent a quiet night at Deep Bay.

We headed to Barbuda and were able to get a taxi tour of the island and a guided boat ride around the Magnificent Frigatebird sanctuary.

After a couple of days there, we returned to Antigua, one long tack took us around the windward side of the island, and we anchored in Nonesuch Bay.

We did not celebrate the end of the year, but on New Years Day, Steve and Mary treated us to a delicious fresh wahoo lunch at Harmony Hall - thanks so much!  We had tried to catch wahoo going to and from Barbuda, but only managed to catch a barracuda which we released.

We went on to Falmouth, and walked over to English Harbour, where we specially enjoyed the museum.

Steve and Mary left us in Falmouth Harbour, and after they spent a couple of days in Saint John's, retrieved their lost luggage in San Juan, and returned to Tulsa safely.

We continued to hang on the anchor in Falmouth - a great start to 2013.

What new adventures wait for us?

Happy New Year to all our friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2012

Jenny laces new wheel covers as a gift for Charlie.

 

Tree below.

 

Outdoor decorations.

 

Outdoor tree - mounted in Bimbo.

 

Holly Jolly Beach (Antigua) on Christmas afternoon.

Charlie gave Jenny a new propeller for Bimbo.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!