Grenada to Bonaire

Whew, we finally did it.....we left beautiful Grenada. I was beginning to think we never would leave. It is such a great place with so many activities and conveniences. Bittersweet to say goodbye!

In our last blog we expressed hope to spend Christmas in Cartagena. The weather did not cooperate but fingers crossed, we might make it by New Years.  Christmas will be in one of the ABC islands or traveling. We have to make the most of our opportunities as we get them.

Boy, Alibi is looking good these days. We spent about a week in the boat yard in Carriacou doing maintenance. She now has new dodger and bimini, fresh bottom paint, fresh boot stripe. We absolutely loved Carriacou Marine Services - ask us if you want more details. Great place!

Our latest travels included the longest passage for us to date. Bonaire is roughly 400 miles from Grenada and takes 2-3 days to make landfall. We are traveling with Celtic Rover to see the western side of the Caribbean. I have simplified it this way...we have spent the last several months on the French side so now we are going to the Spanish side of the Caribbean - lol.

Roxy turned nine on this trip. She got to see dolphins (which she loves) the afternoon before her birthday. She now has the rabies blood test to get her entry into some of the more restrictive countries. She is great on the boat but prefers smoother passages than this one. 

Only a few minor things broke on this trip. One expects some fallout with a 25 year old boat. She is in great shape but conditions are taking their toll on her hardware. We are excited that the auto pilot is working properly now but finally had a point driven home on this trip!  I remember Dick and Nelda telling me not to transmit on SSB with the autopilot on. NOW I know why!!!!  Last night I was at the helm, steering by hand when Darrell went below to do our regularly set up communications with Celtic Rover. While I was driving, the autopilot tried to take over - I couldn't turn it off so I unplugged the remote controller unit. It STILL tried to steer the boat!  I had to yell at Darrell over engine noise and waves and sea spray to hurry up and turn off the autopilot. Whew - that was an exciting moment!! 

Boy howdy, surfing down 6-9' waves in 15-20 knot + winds has been fun. So far our max speed is 12.7 - that is the fastest 12 knots you will ever do!  With the addition of a westerly flowing current, we make good time on a passage like this.  For those of you who are not familiar with cruising, several descriptions are in order here.  Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) can be quite challenging such as going to the bathroom – a seatbelt would be a bonus, brushing your teeth makes you feel like spider man or woman, and eating presents its own unique set of challenges.  The meal preparation can be downright dangerous – even with a gimbaled stove – one needs to stay away from hot or sharp items.  Taking a shower reminded me of being inside someone’s Christmas present that was being shaken – glad to have a seat in there!!!  And after I completed that, I looked out the window to see and hear just how hard the wind was blowing in the rigging of the boat.  Another piece of information is that most of these tasks are accomplished wearing an additional article of clothing – our lifejackets.  Not the great big and bulky ones but the inflatable type. 

One of us has to stand a watch at all times when we are underway (obviously) and we had hoped that the autopilot would work better than it did.  It does function but with the rough conditions, didn’t work to our satisfaction most of the trip.  Could be just the fact that we are so used to hand steering.  Anyway, a learning curve on that…..  After a while, though, you get into a rhythm with the waves and it reminds me of dancing.  You all know that we both enjoy dancing very much so that is the fun part of driving.  In a rocking boat, sleeping is a challenge – for Ann, not Darrell!  I was finally able to go below and lay in the beanbag chair we bought for Roxy to stop the motion enough to sleep some.  That’s right, I slept in Roxy’s bed!  We take turns and you have about 4-5 hours to sleep and rest at a time.

The phrase that is used frequently to wish fellow sailors a good voyage is:  Fair winds & following seas.  Since my dive boat captaining days, I have never understood the “good” connotation of this phrase.  I never liked having a following sea in them and I still don’t in the sailboat.  I would rather be wished fair winds and CALM seas!

Anyway, we made it to Bonaire around sunrise and got checked in with Customs and Immigrations.  We took a few naps that day and slept very well in the calm anchorage (mooring field) that night.  We have met several new cruisers and even got to go diving on Christmas morning!  We are looking forward to a few days here then move on to Curacao to see Tom and Lilly on S/V Tiger Lilly.

Happy New Year.  May 2014 be healthy, prosperous and joyous for all of you.

Hugs,

Ann, Darrell, and Roxy

Another "windy season" is winding down in Grenada. That is what the locals call Hurricane Season since they rarely get hurricanes down this far south.  Anyway, we find ourselves now scrambling to get the boat project list completed so we will be ready when it is time to leave. Where did the summer go?

Darrell has returned from a trip back to TX to see about his Mom. We are prepared that these trips could become more frequent. While he was there, he got to spend a lot of quality time with Lyric (the grandson) and even got to attend his second birthday party.  Roxy and I are glad he is back with us on the boat. Even if he did mess up the list of items I sent for him to get for me - grrrrrr!  


While he was gone it seemed that a rash of various crimes took place in this part of the Caribbean. That makes me doubly glad to have him back on board. I know Roxy is a good first line of defense, though.  One night, he stayed out late watching football at the marina and I thought she was going to tear him apart when he came home!!  

Bingo was adopted by a veterinary student and her name is Isla. It was a good change. She just couldn't stop peeing on my settee cushions. She has not had a single "accident" in her new home. I miss her and her lively personality but our home smells nicer with her gone. Roxy is not very sorry that she left - I really expected her to be a little sad. Nope - she is happy being the center of attention again!!  lol

The plan is to go west as we leave here this year to see some new sights. We have charts and books detailing new countries for the next chapter of this great adventure. It will be bittersweet as we begin saying farewell to the cruisers we have spent the summer with. Many are making plans to leave here very soon. In the next few weeks, I will likely run a test run on the SPOT messenger so if you are on the "top ten" list, just ignore it as we haven't left yet. However, we hope to spend Christmas in Cartagena so get out the Caribbean maps once again because we are going to uncharted territory for us!  Cheers to all!!

DnA and Roxy

Summer 2013

      Well, we are still in Grenada this summer.  It really has been fun so far!  When we started the trek back down the island chain, I was a little reluctant to come back here for another hurricane season.  I didn't want to be bored.  Well, I can say that I have been anything BUT bored!!!  Our days and weeks are full to the top!!  We spend days doing boat projects and social activities to the point, we meet ourselves coming and going.
      One event that we took part in this summer was a dinghy concert.  We had heard stories about the one we missed last year so we couldn't miss this one!  I am posting a link to watch a video of part of it:
http://youtu.be/39rR0OKVZG8.  It was a mass of dinghies tied to a couple of barges and a steel pan drum concert.  Everyone should attend one if they ever get a chance.

The Dinghy Concert

     Twice a week, there is volleyball at the marina close to where we are anchored.  It is a sand court and we have some really fun times playing.  Darrell is quite good and I am improving.  Size IS a factor, however.

Volleyball at Secret Harbor

      This week Carnival is going on here and we have not been to any of the festivities yet but plan to attend a parade tomorrow.  Pictures to follow.
      Saturday afternoon, we went to a Hash.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a non-competitive social and running club.  You can google it looking for Hash House Harriers.  Anyway, we aren't runners but they meet every week in Grenada at a different location on the island and walk or run the trails.  We went on a bus with ten other cruisers to Grenville for this hash.  It was attended by tons of people - numbering into the hundreds.  Cruisers, locals, and college students come to participate.  We walked 1.5 hours at a pretty fast clip up and down hills and across a river.  Afterwards, there are drinks for sale and local foods.  Since we had never been on a hash before, we were considered "virgins".  We got a certificate and in a ceremony at the finish, we were sprayed with beer.  It was a lot of fun!!

Hash Beginning

The End of the Hash

After our "Beer Bath"

      The next day, we went with our friends Scott, Kim, Heather and Ryan (their daughter-in-law and grandson), Bruce, and Jan to Seven Sisters Falls.  This was another "hike" up a muddy trail to get to the waterfalls.  They were beautiful.  We picnicked and swam then started the hike back down the mountain.

Seven Sisters Falls

      In between all of these social activities, we are ticking off items on our "to do" list for the boat.  My next project is to sew a dinghy cover for Bruce and Jan's dinghy.  Then, I get to start my own project of replacing the bimini and dodger on Alibi.  Once I get these two projects completed, our boat should float a little higher on her waterline.  That fabric has been in Jim's quarter berth for too long!
      Today, I am placing an order for our water maker.  We have been wanting one for quite some time. This will give us the freedom to go some places that we haven't and the boat and crew are looking forward to an unlimited supply of water.  With the extra solar panels we put on last year, we should have enough energy to run the pumps to keep us supplied with water.

Hikers to the Waterfalls

      We are making new friends but sure do miss some of the people we started this trip with last year.  I guess that will always be the case - cruisers coming and going.  In the meantime, we are getting in better shape physically also by swimming (Darrell goes every morning for 30 minutes with friends) and yoga (we go three times weekly).  So don't worry about us getting bored down here - you ought to come for a visit!
      I almost forgot to tell you about the dinghy raft up we did for the last full moon!  We had hors d' oeurves and told some tall tales while several dinghies were tied together drifting across Mt. Hartman Bay.  Might have to do some star gazing again soon!  And as I was going thru pictures, I found the ones that I took when Darrell played in his first ever Cricket game.  They are teaching him to play one rule at a time - lol!!

BINGO

     At the request of some friends, I am posting some pictures of Bingo - the kitten we picked up in Guadeloupe.  She is a constant source of laughter, frustration, and entertainment.  She is fearless and her best antics yet are getting on top of the dodger and bimini - this makes Roxy crazy seeing the footprints walking all over.  From there she can now get on top of the boom and she slept there the other night.  She attacks Roxy all the time and Roxy, being the sweet dog, just tolerates her.  They both vie for any and all products from the sea.
     We are in the process of trying to teach her to use the head instead of having to have a litter box on board.  I am having the hardest time with moving the pan of litter without spilling it all over.  Hopefully, this will be a quick process!!

Bingo May 24, 2013 - first day

Sweet Bingo

Texas Visit

            We left early from the boat on June 25 to fly back to Texas.  We arrived in Amarillo that night at 10:45 PM Central Time – whew, a long day.  We were greeted at the airport by Ann’s Dad – a welcome sight! 

            The days and hours in Amarillo were spent divided among family, friends, and Jessica, Craig, and Lyric.  We always arrive with very few plans but by the end of the week, every minute of every day is accounted for!  Of course any “spare” time is filled with shopping trips to get the essentials that we hope to carry back with us.  Several items were ordered and timed to be shipped into town for us to bring back.  Some caused great consternation and some just couldn’t make the deadline. 

            One of the best parts of this trip included a surprise birthday party for Darrell’s Mom.  When we began planning to come back for a visit, we mentioned to Jessica that it would be fun to have a birthday party for her.  Wellllll, Jessica took the ball and ran with it!  We had a fantastic party and even managed to keep it a secret from her!!!  Thanks, Jessica and Mike and John and David for all you guys did to make this happen.  Of course we were especially glad to see some of the relatives who traveled some distance to the party because we seldom get to see them on our brief visits to Amarillo.

Mom opening her gifts

            We made a couple of trips to Pampa where the kids live.  This is an hour drive one way to get there at 75 mph – wow, that is fast after you have been travelling at 5 knots for most of the past year!!  One trip we spent an afternoon at the waterpark there – Lyric LOVES the water.  On another afternoon, we took him to the park and he loves the slides.  We also discovered he loves bubbles except they are pronounced “duddles”.  What fun times we had with him! 

Fun at the Water Park

            No trip home is complete without fun times with our dear friends “the railroaders”.  These people are like family and we couldn’t miss getting to spend time with them.  Amazing that we have remained close even though we left ten years ago. 

            Another “event” just happened to occur while we were visiting.  Darrell’s mom got a dog.  She has been looking and talking about getting one for some time now.  I really think that Roxy helped her make up her mind that she wanted one.  Anyway, Journey came into her life a day or two before we left.  Journey is a cocker spaniel and a perfect match for mom.  She’s not your typical high-strung cocker spaniel – very easy going.  They are going to bring each other many hours of enjoyment and companionship.

Mom and Journey

            July 2 found us saying our farewells and boarding a plane that evening.  The time goes so fast!  The trip back to Grenada was even longer than coming down due to an 18-hour layover in Miami.  If it could have been just a little longer and not during the night, we might have been able to connect with friends in the area on our way back through. 

            Roxy was glad to have us back home on the boat and I am quite sure that Bruce and Jan were glad to send Bingo home.  Our dear friends, Bruce and Jan, from Celtic Rover were the ones who boat sat and critter sat while we were gone.  Next to Bingo, the boat was the next biggest PIA! 

On Saturday morning early, the winds shifted and gusted with a tropical wave that came through here and Alibi decided to go on a walk-about!  Yep, Bruce spent the morning in pouring rain getting her untangled from a French boat near our anchor spot and getting her settled onto a mooring so she wouldn’t move again.  They are going to think twice next time we are planning a trip out of Grenada.  We are so grateful to them for taking such great care of all we entrusted them with while we were gone!

Back in Grenada, life moves on.  Interestingly, our landlubber friends ask us what we do all day.  On a recent day, I made a mental note so I could include it in the blog.  On Wednesday, we got up at our usual time, which is around 6 AM and drank our coffee relaxing in the cockpit of the boat.  At 0700, we listen to the weather on the single side band radio (like HAM radio).  At 0730, we listen to the Cruiser’s Net on the VHF radio and this lasts until a little after 0800 with all the activities to be announced.  By 0815, we were loaded in the Dinghy and headed to shore for 90 minutes of Yoga practice.  After that we went for a swim and sat on the back of a nearby boat to visit for a while.  In the afternoon, we went back over to shore and played Mexican Train Dominoes – which Darrell won (second time this week).  That evening, we loaded up and went around the corner to the next bay and had grilled hamburgers with all the trimmings.  The evening was capped off by some great musical entertainment and dancing! 

So a typical day usually includes an hour or so of weather watching (really listening), then some form of group activity or social activity, a boat project or two and a few minutes reading.  Many weeks include a shopping bus trip that lasts from about 9 AM to noon to buy groceries and various hardware items.   Of course most of our meals are prepared on the boat – which takes up another huge chunk of time with preparation, eating, and cleanup.  In all, we really have very little idle time.

Here we are for most of the summer months because of what a local called “the windy season” since there are seldom hurricanes this far south.  I have a long list of boat projects to find time for.  AND one of the purchases during our visit included a Wi-Fi antenna for the boat.  This helps us stay in touch with all our family and friends (such as this blog) and gives another tool for watching the weather.  Another big boat project for the summer months includes purchasing and installing a water maker.  I almost forgot another big boat project we have been preparing for since January is to haul out the boat and paint the bottom – a week of fun and mess!!

The kitten, Bingo, (should she make it to maturity) continues to scamper all over the boat giving us many laughs.  In fact, her latest hiding spot to sleep is somewhere on top of the boom!  For those of you who aren’t familiar with sailboat terms, here is the definition of a boom.  It is the horizontal structure that holds down the bottom of main sail.  When not under sail, the sail is folded on top of the boom and contained by a sail cover – which provides many places to hide!  Stay posted for more of her antics!!

Happy Father's Day 2013

My Daddy and Me 2009

St. Martin to Grenada

     After nearly two months here, it was time to move on. St. Martin is nice and has many amenities but we needed to begin our southerly migration. There is a small part of me that has been missing south Florida lately and I'm sure if Roxy could talk, she would say the same. However, another hurricane season out of harm's way is in store for us. 

     We finally made the trip to Guadeloupe - it took longer than prior trips because the winds were not as strong and a little out of the wrong direction (weather men always get it wrong!).  We spent some time in the same old spots, then decided to try somewhere new. Boy, am I glad we did!  The people are SO nice and go out of their way to help you!  

     Pointe-a-Pitre is on the southern coast near the mouth of a river that divides the island in two. About the only negative about this anchorage is the big boat wakes made by ferries and pilot boats. The place reminds me of Jacksonville, FL (on the St. John River). We spent enough time there to get our hydraulic cylinder for our autopilot repaired. 

     We sailed to Martinique from Marie Gallant, a small island 20 mi south. Landing in St. Pierre once again - love Martinique!!  The weather continues to hold on for us so we moved south to an anchorage we had not seen before:  Grande Anse d'Arlet. Beautiful spot - and lots of turtles. 

From there, we went around the corner to Le Marin and St. Anne on Martinique.  The anchorage at St. Anne is very pretty and a dinghy ride gets you into a very bustling yachting center.  We stayed a couple of days to get some things done like kitten vaccinations and airplane reservations.  Then we were ready to go.  Oh yeah, we got a kitten!

         BINGO – the kitten found us!  We were walking back to the dinghy from the place that did our hydraulic work and I heard a noise that I thought was a bird.  We looked back across the street and there was a calico kitten yelling at the top of her lungs – and boy could she be heard a long way!  We were afraid to leave it there because it acted like it was going to follow us across a busy street.  Darrell said, “go back and get her”.  I did, reluctantly.  To my surprise, she wasn’t wild like I fully expected.  She made the dinghy ride back to our boat fine and is now in the process of training us.  She is about 2-3 months old and attacks anything and everything.  Roxy is “tolerating” her pretty well.  The cat box training had its ups and downs but we have that ironed out now, too.  She has been a barrel of laughs thus far! 

The weather continued to be favorable for travel so we left with Celtic Rover for Grenada.  This passage took 25 1/2 hours to make but it was lovely weather and seas.  On June 7, we arrived in Carriacou.  As you may recall, this is an island of the country of Grenada just north of the main island.  After one night there, we decided to head on down to Mt. Hartman Bay, Grenada. This is where we will leave the boat and animals while we fly to TX for a visit.  

We made it back on Saturday afternoon.  We are much earlier in the season than we were last year.  Hence, there are quite a few unoccupied boats here and very few cruisers in the area right now.  They will be along later.  

Sorry there has been such a long interval between posts.  I will try to keep up better this summer!  Have a great summer.