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Topic: Testing Database
Date: 12/18/2004 12:01:45 PM
Log Entry:
This is great, we can upload sailing stories from the road via a simple web browser. This is test number 1. By Hayden.
Topic: Our First Sail on Eventyr
Date: 1/3/2005 4:40:57 AM
Log Entry:
Our first sail started on New Year's day. We woke up to some fine weather. Our guests from the previous week were departing for home and we reluctantly said goodbye. Once back to the boat, I ran into the owners of the Beneteau just a few slips away. They were making preparations to depart on a day sail and I invited them to come sailing with us.
The wind had been up the previous few days and I was hesitant to take her out the first time in small craft advisory weather. This day, however, promised to bring lighter winds and fine weather.
Back to our neighbors, Jim and Stephanie, and the Beneteau. They were excited to get their boat "Free 'n Easy" away from the dock. I asked if they might give us a hand tying up if we went out by ourselves. With this plan in mind, Trish and I set out preparing Eventyr for going out into some seas in the Gulf.
Everything on shelves and fiddles was stowed and all gear was stashed away. We talked about how we would leave the slip and what each of us would do. I disconnected the shorepower lines and cable TV and cleaned up the deck. The diesel cranked up and we began to untie her from the slip. With only two lines left and me getting ready to back her out, I heard an alarm.
Diving into the cabin, I had to walk around a minute to figure out what was alarming. Finally, I realized that the watermaker control panel was showing an alarm and it was high voltage. A scan of the electrical panel showed that my Balmar alternator was producing over 16 volts (voltmeter was pegged high at 16). Recognizing the danger of destroying the battery bank, I quickly shutdown the engine and began investigating.
After several restarts and a few hours of troubleshooting, I found the problems. A battery sensing wire is connected to an external regulator on the alternator. The sensing wire allows the regulator to "see" the voltage on the house bank and adjusts the alternator output to reach the desired voltage. According to the digital display on the regulator, it was "seeing" 14.4 volts on the house bank when I was reading 16+. The first problem was that the other end of the sensing wire was connected to the engine start battery instead of the house bank. The second problem was that the inline fuse was 1/8 amp instead of 1 amp as required and providing resistance. As the fuse heated up slightly, the resistance increased until the point where there was a significant voltage drop between the battery bank and the regulator.
So, with a $0.25 fuse and a relocated sensing wire, I was back in business and charging at 14.4 Volts.
Just as I was finishing this repair, Jim and Stephanie called on the VHF and said they'd rearranged some business meetings and could sail with us the next day. Perfect!
We met yesterday at 9:00 onboard Eventyr. Our guests brought us a bottle of Chardonnay and some fresh bagels. That was a great gesture and sincerely appreciated.
I gave a short safety briefing and we backed out of the slip. I felt great steering her out through Marco River, heading for open water. A mile or so past Capri Light, we turned north and pulled out the main. With the engine off, we made 4.5 knots under the main alone. I held this starboard tack for over an hour in an East wind of 12-15 kts. Trish and I and our guests relaxed and took in the day.
I went through some sail handling instructions with Trish and explained everything to her. This was her first time sailing a boat over 14' and my first time as skipper on a sailboat over 23'! Everything worked great. The roller furling main is a dream and the autopilot frees us from constant steering. I've never sailed on a boat before that had self-tailing winches, a dodger, or a roller furling main. All are great features for us to have on this boat. I wouldn't change a thing.
After this short break in period, we tacked her with just the main up, headed South, and unfurled the jib. With the wind up in the 15-18 kt range, she powered right up and went over 7 knots. Our guests were as thrilled as we were and equally impressed.
Almost immediately, dolphin came alongside and started to swim and play in the bow wave. Trish and I were just loving it! Making 7+ knots on a beam reach with the autopilot steering, we left the helm to ride the bow sprit and watch the carefree dolphin do their thing.
A great first sail and a dream realized.
Pure magic.
Topic: Bahamas
Date: 2/14/2005 2:49:30 PM
Log Entry:
In the 25 days since leaving the marina in Marco Island, We have traveled 443 miles. Our first stop was Key Largo, Florida, which gave Dan time to catch up with some friends. It's also the place we finished the last of our shopping and boat jobs while waiting for good weather to cross the Gulf Stream. An uneventful Gulf Strem night crossing allowed us to clear customs early on Jan 27th in Bimini. Since then, we have been to 9 islands in the Bahamas. Highlights include snorkeling the beautiful reefs of Chub Cay, touring downtown Nassau and Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, hiking in the amazing Exumas Land and Sea Park, and snorkeling the famous Thunderball Grotto in Staniel Cay. Dan's personal highlights were making 8 knots on a beam reach, passing bigger, faster boats and spearing an 8 pound lobster at Highborn Cay. Mine has been recognizing and appreciating the beauty of nature that surrounds us daily. Along the way we have met many cruisers and made some good friends. We will be spending this evening, Valentine's Day, with friends, enjoying a dinner on their boat. Within the week, we hope to reach Georgetown to restock our supplies and prepare for the final few Bahamian Islands before venturing on to the Turks and Caicos.
Topic: Arrival in Luperon, Domincan Republic
Date: 3/15/2005 11:16:21 AM
Log Entry:
Eventyr made a short crossing of Turks and Caicos. We left Mayaguana Cay in the Bahamas for Provodenciales in the Turks and Caicos. We arrived in the morning near Provo and continued on across the bank under sail.
Crossing the Caicos Bank during the night is strongly discouraged in our charts and guides. We soon learned the reason for this as the Starfish channel proved to be littered with shallow coral heads and kept us veering and steering most of the day. The emerald water reflected on white, puffy clouds to create a dramatic visual effect. With some CD's playing and bread in the oven, it wasn't a bad trip at all.
We spent one night in the Caicos Islands before crossing over to Big Sand Cay in the Turks Islands, staging ourselves for the passage to Luperon.
On the way across, we motorsailed the Columbus Passage in comfortable conditions. While Trish took a short nap, I was watching for birds and Humpback Whales. Seeing neither, I did spot a large weed patch. I dialed in 40 degrees to port to run our trolling baits along the patch and BAM, the flat line started to scream. Trish maneuvered the boat while I fought the fish. Fifteen minutes later, I had a nice tuna on board. The freezer is full!
We left at sunset for Luperon. We sailed most of the night, motoring only in the morning before arrival due to the shifting wind coming further South of East.
After several months in the Fl. Keys and Bahamas, making landfall on Hispaniola is quite a shock. The mountains blanket the horizon, fooling you into thinking they are a distant cloud bank. The seas were up a bit and Trish and I were both looking forward to a quiet anchorage.
Mike from SeaComber came out from the harbor to lead us in past the mud shoals without incident. We anchored and waited for the Commandante to meet us in the harbor. After a few minutes, we had our clearance and made preparations to go ashore.
Since then, we've had a wonderful time enjoying the country and her people. We have toured museums, historical sites, waterfalls, mountains, botanical gardens, and much more. Renting a motorcycle for the day was a great experience. Stopping occasionally for live stock and other diversions is not so much of a nuisance as it is a glimpse of another life.
The weekend should see us across the Mona Passage and safely into Puerto Rico.
-Dan and Trish
Topic: St Kitts
Date: 5/25/2005 12:46:19 PM
Log Entry:
After touring the town of Basseterre on foot we decided to rent a car for the following day. St Kitts is shaped like a chicken drumstick, 23 miles long and 5 miles it the widest point. We drove the main road to circumnavigate the island.
Our first stop was Romney Manor, a 10-acre estate garden, which is the headquarters for Caribelle Batik. Batik is a process of applying wax to cotton material and dipping it into dye. The process is repeated numerous times to add color and design to the fabric. This fabric is then made into colorful clothing and wall hangings. We enjoyed touring the grounds, which include 300-year-old trees and beautiful flowers.
Beside Romney Manor is Wingfield Estate, which are ruins of a plantation and sugar mill. This is where we met Glenn who took us on a hike through the rainforest. We learned about many tropical plants and trees while hiking to the town’s water source.
After leaving Glenn we continue on to Brimstone Hill Fortess National Park, a wonderful old fort that has been restored. This fort, like most, is on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. The road made for a challenging drive with switchbacks almost on top of each other. On this one lane road it was important to beep the horn before entering a turn to ensure you didn’t hit a car coming the opposite direction.
The next part of our drive took us up the northern end of the island where we enjoyed views of the beautiful coast and of Mt Limuiga, rising to 3792 feet. Heading down the western coast we passed through many small towns before coming to the resort area of the island. We quickly drove through to get a look at the St Kitts beaches. We found a few beaches at the end of some very bumpy roads. Cattle and goat roam freely throughout this part of the island. The roads and the livestock made for another challenging drive.
Since it was getting dark, we headed home. Eventyr was in a place unlike any other anchorage we’ve been to so far. Far from the idyllic Caribbean anchorage, our selected spot overlooked the container yard and commercial ship docks. While this was old news for Dan, I enjoyed watching the containers being off loaded and hauled away by the trucks.
The following morning we headed to St Kitts’ sister island, Nevis.
Topic: Nevis
Date: 5/25/2005 12:52:47 PM
Log Entry:
Upon arriving early in the morning at Pinney’s Beach, we both knew Nevis would be a favorite stop. The beach was lined with majestic palms, creating a dramatic foreground for Nevis Peak reaching 3232 feet in the background. Dan wasted no time going for a swim. With dirty laundry stacking up in the forward head we knew the day would most likely be uneventful. After meeting a friendly Texan at the beach bar, I got a ride to town with as much laundry as I could carry. Much to our surprise the laundry would be done for us and ready to be picked up at 4pm. This gave us time to explore town, attempt some phone calls and use the internet. Unfortunately it was Saturday and most of the stores we closed. We saw what we could and headed off on the few mile hike to retrieve the laundry. Back at home we made S’mores (thanks to Joe and Irene) and enjoyed the evening.
The next day was Mother’s Day so EVERYTHING was closed in town. We decided to head out for a short 30-minute hike around the grounds of Golden Rock Estate, a hotel at the base of Mt. Nevis. Upon arrival we learned the 30-minute hike actually branched off to a four-hour hike called “The Source.” We knew it was too late in the day to attempt it but decided to go to the overlook offering views of Montserrat, Antigua, and Guadelope. We had a great time looking at all the trees and flowers on the way. The view from the overlook was incredible. The view of what was left to climb was overwhelming! Maybe we’ll make that ascent on the return trip. On the way down we met a friendly donkey who nudged our hands if we stopped petting him and we freed him from a long leash he was dragging. After descending the mountain and enjoying a drink at the hotel bar, the owner rounded us up to watch the Green Vervet monkeys. They were busying eating the leaves in the trees. We watched while they jumped from tree to tree to get the best meal. It was totally fascinating. We had been waiting since first arriving on St Kitts to see this!
That night we woke up at 3am and headed for Guadelope, a passage of over 70 miles.
Topic: Guadeloupe
Date: 5/25/2005 12:58:56 PM
Log Entry:
Guadeloupe would be our first real French island (we stayed on the Dutch side in St Martin). From my entire four years of French that I took in high school, I remembered Bonjour and that’s about it. So we knew communication would be interesting. However, we’re Americans and we expect everyone to speak English, right? Well that’s not exactly the way it is in Guadeloupe. We found that out the quickly in Deshaies. So quickly that we decided not to stay and headed to Pigeon Island where Dan was looking forward to the Cousteau Underwater Park. This would be his first official scuba dive of the trip. We arrived too late in the day for Dan to dive so it was planned for first thing in the morning. That just meant a night of rocking uncontrollably with the moderate period swell coming into the anchorage. Not a fun night. The dive was worth the misery though. Dan was thrilled with the fish and coral he saw, calling it one of his best dives ever.
That afternoon we headed south along the coast to Basseterre for a night. The rolling was even worse there so after two hours we pulled the anchor and headed to Iles des Saintes. The Saints (in English) is a group of very small islands south of mainland Guadeloupe. Now this place we were excited to see because our friends on Toot had raved about it for weeks. They were right. We toured the town and enjoyed the local food. We originally decided to leave on Saturday. However, Friday afternoon we discovered “La Fete de la Peche” or the Fisherman’s Festival would take place over the weekend. Dan was determined to leave for Dominica but I wanted to stay and watch the races. While watching the crew rig the sailboats (with their bamboo masts!) Dan also caught the bug and we were soon chasing the boats in our dinghy for the best possible view. The wooden boats had no ballast other than the crew hanging over the sides on wooden poles to level the boat. The amount of strength required for this was utterly amazing. When their feet hit the water they knew the boat was at the proper angle and they pulled themselves back in. Little did we know that Eventyr was anchored right on their course. We had boats racing by our bow and stern. It was very exciting to watch. We couldn’t understand what the crew was yelling but we were pretty sure by the looks on their faces they were a little concerned about hitting our headstay as they breezed past us. We watched two races of this type and one Optimist race, 8-12 year olds in their tiny, tiny sailboats.
Before the second race our friends from Zippidee Du anchored next to us. We both set sail for Dominica the next morning.
Topic: Dominica
Date: 5/25/2005 1:09:27 PM
Log Entry:
After taking a swim we set out for Dominica on a very hot Sunday morning. Upon arrival we anchored close to Zippidee Du and I stood on the bow while it rained on me, a cool shower after a not so cool sail. Dan of course went for a swim.
Dominica is famed, in cruiser world, for its “boat boys”. We were prepared to be approached by one and had been given a recommendation by Last Unicorn, cruisers that were a week or two ahead of us. Martin on Providence was to be our guide, one we would share with Zippidee Du.
The following morning Martin picked us up bright and early for a tour of the Indian River. This consisted of a tour in his skiff, which he rowed down the river. He taught us about birds, trees, and plants along the way. Parts of The Pirates of the Caribbean II are being filmed in Dominica and two sets were built along the river. Later in the day we did some snorkeling and then we cruised around the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow’s boat in the movie. Very cool! That night we enjoyed drinks at the Coconut Beach Resort with Zippidee Du, Caliente, and Belladonna.
The next day Martin took us on an island tour. Our first stop was the Milton Waterfall. Along the way Martin stopped several times to quiz us on our knowledge of spices. We gathered lemongrass, basil, lime leaves, nutmeg, and ginger. To reach the fall we hiked through a banana plantation where Martin showed us the various plants. We saw several different types of bananas, a coffee plant, wild roses and a field pineapple to name a few. He has a great deal of knowledge about herbal medicines and we learned quite a few remedies from the plants growing along the roads or hiking trail. Once at the falls we all went swimming while Martin prepared us delicious pineapple. The next stop was the Syndicate Nature Trail, a .8 mile hike through a forest of mang blanc, gommier (used in making canoes and charcoal), and chataignier trees. Some of these trees have huge buttressed trunks, something totally new for both Dan and I. Each one seemed bigger than the next. On our hike we were lucky enough to see an agouti, a small rodent like animal that lives mainly in the forest. After descending the mountain we headed home to once again pick up laundry!
That night we left at 2am and headed for Martinique with sailing partners, Zippidee Du.
Topic: Martinique
Date: 5/25/2005 1:27:24 PM
Log Entry:
We actually sailed for about three out of the 12 hour/76 mile trip to Martinique! Since leaving the Dominican Republic actual sailing has been very limited, as we have been headed directly into the wind (you cannot sail into the wind!) With favorable winds the trip we anticipated to take 18 hours was cut down significantly. No complaints on Eventyr!
On this French island we were prepared for the language barrier so I had been practicing up on my French. Now I could ask where Customs was located but had no idea what people were saying in response. At least I tried! We checked into Customs and spent the day touring Fort de France and Trois Ilets. That evening we enjoyed some local music as part of a festival held in Trois Ilets, the town where we were anchored. We were joined by several cruisers in the anchorage and had a great time.
The next day we rented two cars and set out with fellow cruisers on Good Hope, Caliente, and Zippidee Du. The day was jammed packed with fun. Our first stop was Mt Pelee, Martinique’s tallest mountain reaching 4800 feet. We drove a one lane road that felt like we were climbing straight up, that was until we got out and started hiking. The hike was to be a 1 ½ mile hike to the peak of Mt Pelee. Once we hiked far enough to be in the clouds we decided the view wouldn’t be worth the climb and opted for a different hike. After lunch in St Pierre, we viewed the ruins of the theater and jail from the volcanic eruption of 1902. Within three minutes of the eruption, St Pierre was covered with deadly gases and volcanic ash killing 30,000 residents, leaving only two survivors. Back in the car we headed for our next hike. After taking a wrong turn we bagged the hike and swam in a waterfall instead. Oddly enough, the highlight of the day for me was an impromptu stop at the Maison de la Nature or Nature House, a beautiful garden with dozens of species of flowers. Our tour guide, a friendly dog that met us at the gate, took us on several different paths to see heliconia, bamboo, cement gazebos, and tons of plants no one recognized. As sunset approached we made our way back home. Our last stop was La Galleria, a shopping mall with a grocery store. Since grocery shopping with a car is a luxury in cruiser world we took the opportunity to stock up a little.
The next morning we spent making phone calls home and walking around Trois Ilets. The hot afternoon sun demanded a dip in the water. Snorkeling was said to be good on the other side of the island. After a five mile dinghy ride we snorkeled with Good Hope, Highland Light, and Midwatch. Dan explored the bat cave (no chance I was going there). We saw tons of sergeant majors, a few parrotfish, some glass-eyed snappers, interesting coral, and some eel-type fish no one had ever encountered. Then we headed back home for a dinner of steak and plantains.
The next morning we left at the normal hour of 8:30am for St. Lucia.
Topic: St. Lucia
Date: 7/5/2005 8:52:32 AM
Log Entry:
Our trip from Martinique to St Lucia was an interesting one. We knew there would be no sailing and perhaps very little motor sailing. We set out planning to do about 5.5 knots. Before we knew it we were cruising along at 7.5 knots and loving it. We had apparently picked up a favorable current that was helping our speed. Dan and I both thought we’d make it to St Lucia so early. About an hour later we found ourselves motoring against an adverse current and were lucky to make 5 knots. So much for our quick trip.
Our spirits were quickly uplifted, however, when we noticed a few dolphin off our bow. Pretty soon we noticed the few had grown to a dozen or so. We made our way to the bow to find ourselves surrounded by dolphin jumping completely out of the water, surfacing for air in a synchronized pattern, and doing flips. We were in utter amazement. Dan estimated there must have been between 30 and 40 dolphin swimming along with us. We had never seen so many at one time.
After a peaceful night’s rest we were ready to clear customs and begin to explore the island. The first morning we spent getting familiar with Rodney Bay and the surrounding shops. We met a former cruiser who suggested we take the bus around the island instead of renting a car. That became our plan for the following day. The afternoon was spent dinghying to the nearby mall. Yes, a mall with a dinghy dock!!
The next morning, after Dan’s haircut on the beach, we set out on our bus tour. The first stop was Castries, St Lucia’s capital city. There we checked out the locals’ market and bought a few souvenirs while waiting out the rain. Then we headed to Soufriere, a city 26 miles south of Castries. The bus ride was an adventure in itself. The road was marked with “Hairpin Bend” signs every half mile. That didn’t slow the driver however. The bus seats came equipped with handles for a good reason!
Once in Soufriere we found after our one plus hour bus ride (made longer due to a landslide produced by too much rain) we had only an hour and a half before the last bus left for Castries. Dan and I headed to Diamond Falls, the Mineral Baths and the botanical garden. Diamond Falls is a mineral-rich waterfall, which turns the rock orange, yellow, and green. The Mineral Baths were first built in 1786 by Louis XVI to allow his soldiers to take advantage of the therapeutic waters. Along the garden paths we were able to see anthuriums, cocoa and mahogany trees, and a Japanese water garden. We hiked a short path and headed back to the bus.
While dinghying back to Eventyr that evening we were overjoyed to see two familiar boats in the anchorage, Unicorn and Wishbone. We had cruised for many weeks with these guys and were anxious to hear of their adventures in the past couple of islands. We made plans to go hiking the following morning with Wishbone.
At 7:30am the next morning we were headed to the Pigeon Island National Park. Our guidebook said this tour was a must and we found that to be true after spending several hours hiking, touring the museum, and learning the interesting history of the area. With too much history to recount, briefly Pigeon Island played an important role in “The Battle of Saints” and was also used as a signal station by the US in the 1940s to protect the Panama Canal. After touring the museum and the remaining ruins a swim in the bay was a refreshing treat, as was the apple pie and chocolate cake Dan and I had at Jambe de Dois restaurant.
The afternoon was spent cleaning the bottom of the boat, doing a jerry jug run for diesel, and checking email. Later that evening we met up with Unicorn, Wishbone, Caliente, and Zippidee Du for an enjoyable dinner at the Eagle Inn.
The next morning Eventyr and Wishbone headed south to an anchorage in Soufriere. As we were picking up a mooring ball, Dan and I noticed a huge school of fish under the boat. It was so enormous at first glance we thought it was a reef. Dan immediately dove in to swim with them. He said there were approximately 10,000 fish right under the boat! Afterward, we headed into town with Wishbone and were immediately hassled by beggars of all ages. Island locals see yachties as a way to make a quick buck by simply begging. We walked around town and attended part of a Catholic Corpus Christi mass. Outside the church the begging became overwhelming and ran us out of town.
The next morning, with plans never to return to Soufriere, we left at 5am for Bequia.
Topic: The Grenadines
Date: 7/8/2005 3:25:15 PM
Log Entry:
Just off the coast of St Lucia we ran into some choppy waves, courtesy of a strong northbound current that created a river effect through the water, which left us longing for land. Dan and I both got wet a few times but made it through rather quickly. We were able to sail most of the way to Bequia and arrived late afternoon.
The next morning we went into Port Elizabeth to clear customs and do some shopping. The local produce market was excellent and we were able to buy lettuce, pineapple, mango, squash, eggplant, christophenes, plantains and much more. Dinners ahead were looking good! While in town we checked out the tourism office to get an idea of the sites. We all decided a tour of the island would be nice and found a willing taxi driver named Lubin to show us around.
That afternoon Lubin took us along with seven other cruisers to an architectural wonder known as Moonhole, a group of houses built into the land. There we explored the grounds, which included a few home tours. The homes there are built with stone with no straight lines or right angles and were constructed with no plans but simply by drawing lines in the dirt with a stick. The major attraction is the 200-foot hole in the land under which the original house was built. On the way back to the boat, Lubin gave us a tour of the southern side of the island including the history of whaling on Bequia as well as its current status. That night we ate dinner aboard Wishbone with Ray and Vonny.
On Sunday, the following day, we met Lubin at 8am for a tour of the remainder of the island. We visited the fort ruins and the Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary. Brother King runs the turtle sanctuary where he rescues hawksbill eggs and raises them until he releases them into the ocean again. We saw all sizes of turtles from six weeks to nine years old.
Monday morning we headed out to Saltwhistle Bay in Mayreau to escape some strong winds in the forecast. As we approached the island I looked down into the water with amazement. The water was a wonderful blue that I can only describe as a glowing blue freezer pop (yes we’ve been eating a lot of those to stay cool!). We had yet to see any water this shade. We entered the most beautiful anchorage where we pulled right up to the beach and dropped the hook in seven feet of water. The beach in front of us was a spit of land filled with palm trees and sea grapes about 50 feet wide allowing us to view the Caribbean Sea on the other side. I began to think I could stay here forever. With the weather we’d been having I was beginning to think we may do just that.
While in Mayreau the main concern was the weather as 20 to 30 knot winds and five to six foot seas were predicted for several days. We didn’t want to make our next passage, a 45-mile trip to Grenada, with such strong winds. So we began the waiting game. The next few days were filled with competitions of all sorts between Dan and myself. We had swimming races (American crawl with and without flippers, side stroke, backstroke), diving competitions, who can hold their breath the longest, who can get in the water the fastest, basically if it could be done in the water we challenged each other to it. We were reliving our childhood. Time out of the water was spent playing Dominos, THE cruiser game, with folks from other boats or trying to fix our SSB radio and of course contemplating the weather. Each day was practically a repeat of the previous day. On Sunday Dan broke into a VHF conversation some other cruisers were having about planning a dive. He was able to dive a nearby wreck of the Purina, a World War I gunboat with five other cruisers from the anchorage while I played Scrabble aboard Wishbone.
A funny thing happened when Dan got back from diving. We were swimming around the boat a little and when we got out Dan noticed a clicking sound in his ear. I looked inside and couldn’t see anything but could hear it when I put my ear next to his. An hour or so later he comes to me with a flashlight and asks me to look in his ear again. Sure enough a teeny, tiny, little crab was crawling out of his ear! I was afraid to reach for it for fear it would go back in his ear so Dan jumped on one foot shaking his head (the same dance you do when you have water in your ear) until it fell out.
The next morning with calm seas and light winds we headed to Grenada at 8am.
Topic: Grenada
Date: 7/9/2005 4:20:56 PM
Log Entry:
As we were heading into the lagoon in St. George’s, Grenada a familiar boat hailed us on the radio. We hadn’t seen Last Unicorn since St. Martin and they were leaving that night for Venezuela. We motored skeptically through the anchorage littered with old broken off pilings searching for a safe area making sure we wouldn’t swing into any dangerous wreckage. With the anchor in the water for 30 or so seconds we started to put the dinghy in the water and race to our neighbor to bid them a safe sail.
As we sat in Last Unicorn’s cockpit Dan and I both eyed the brilliantly located Foodland. After taking taxis and buses, walking blocks and blocks with bags, or skimping on food purchases because the store was just too far from the boat this store was heaven sent. It had its very own dinghy dock only 100 yards from Eventyr. Nothing could be finer to a cruiser!! (Except maybe free rum punch!) So that evening we went grocery shopping.
The following day we cleared customs and had lunch with Wishbone at the Grenada Yacht Club. Foodland was so great the first time we had to make another trip. After a quick walk around the Carenage, the fisherman’s waterfront in St. George’s, we had to say good-bye to our wonderful friends on Wishbone. From Luperon, Dominican Republic (where Ray swore he’d never forget my name then asked me it 20 minutes later) to Puerto Rico and down the Caribbean chain we couldn’t ask for a better buddy boat. We enjoyed some really great times with Wishbone. Dan and I will both miss them and that goofy wishbone rig!!! Hey hosers!
The next day Dan and I walked into St. George’s to check out the town and buy a few necessities. We visited the Spice Market where we saw every spice you can think of (and some you’ve never heard of) for sale. We also saw some of the churches and schools that were damaged by the hurricane. Grenada was hard hit by Hurricane Ivan last September but is quickly rebuilding. There is construction on every street corner. Houses were the main priority and now schools and churches are being rebuilt.
That afternoon we headed to Prickly Bay, only a few miles south of St. George’s but located at the all important 12 degrees north, the latitude our insurance requires we be under for hurricane season from June 1st to November 30th. We found Prickly Bay packed with boats but few we recognized.
The next few days were spent making phone calls, doing laundry, and shopping for marine supplies and groceries. One windy day we decided to head to True Blue the neighboring bay to the west in hopes of finding the house in which Dan’s sister’s lived a few years back. While the trip was very short it proved to be a rocky one. We had some big waves crashing into the dinghy and opted to cancel our other trip planned for that afternoon. The next day with another dinghy adventure to be had we set out for the bays east of us. Halfway there Dan and I looked at each other each waiting for the other to say “let’s turn back”. But neither said it so our dinghy exploration continued. With not much to see we picked our way through the coral reefs and headed back into the giant waves.
Our next big trip was to Venezuela with stops in Los Testigos and Margarita to make the trip more manageable. With stories of pirates and big seas Dan and I both knew buddy boating was an absolute necessity. We called a happy hour meeting of all boats headed to Venezuela to organize the trip. We had about nine boats show up at the meeting where we discussed time lines, strategies, and of course the weather. We made plans to leave at the end of the week with one or two other boats. Later you’ll see that changed quit a bit.
The following day we were hailed unexpectedly by Zippidee Du and found out we would be seeing them along with Caliente and Unicorn later in the day. Over the past couple of months I had somehow become known as the tour coordinator of our group so I started planning our island tour.
Later in the week we took a tour of Grenada. First stop was Concord Falls where along the way we viewed much hurricane destruction and damaged nutmeg trees. Next was the Nutmegland, a nutmeg processing plant where we learned before Hurricane Ivan Grenada supplied one third of the world’s nutmeg. The hurricane, however, destroyed 90% of the nutmeg crops putting many out of work. The week following our visit, many workers were being “sent home.” Even our tour guide didn’t know if he’d have a job. During our tour we learned how the mace was removed from the nut and each were processed. Except for one crude machine the entire process was done by hand, peeling, sorting, drying and packaging all done in a large barn type building. Women doing piecework labored to separate the shell from the spicy nut inside. To earn approximately $12/day, these women had to shell 17,000 nuts. OSHA would’ve had a field day in the factory. Caribs’ Leap followed, a cliff where hundreds of Carib Indians jumped to their death, as the alternative was slavery. Later, we toured The Grenada Chocolate Company. Here chocolate is made from organic cocoa beans using handmade and vintage machinery powered by solar panels. We all sampled and then quickly purchased the amazing creation. Check them out at www.grenadachocolate.com. Dan and I loved the 60% cocoa bars. Our next indulgence took place at the River Antoine Rum factory. This factory still operates much as it did in the mid-1800s using a giant water wheel to extract the sugar cane juice. The dry sugar cane stalks are then used to heat up the juice to begin the distilling process. The tour ended with free samples. Our tour guide stood armed with a pitcher of water, which proved useful after downing the 150 proof liquor. After a lunch of lambi roti and fried chicken, we visited Grand Etang Crater Lake. The crater lake is a body of water created inside the mouth of a dormant volcano. Having learned much of what Grenada has to offer, we headed back to Prickly Bay. That night we waved goodbye to Caliente as they headed to Trinidad.
The next day many of the cruisers we met at our happy hour meeting began to visit our boat. All were saying they plan to join us that evening. We were beginning to form a little flotilla! After another sad goodbye to Emil and Olena on Unicorn we headed to Testigos at midnight.
Topic: Los Testigos
Date: 11/25/2005 9:40:44 AM
Log Entry:
Testigos
Setting out for Testigos, a Venezuelan island off the mainland by about 40 miles, we were joined by our good friends on Zippidee Du, a singlehander on Colonel’s Lady, a French family on Lei Lani, seasoned cruisers on Magic Dragon, and a South African couple on a catamaran named Bedouin. This was quite a change for us…we were the smallest and soon found to be the slowest boat in the bunch. Up to this point we were typically in the lead and among the largest in our flotillas. But with a combination of motorsailing and sailing we were able to keep up.
At the break of dawn we found ourselves surrounded by rain showers. After getting wet a few times Dan decided to go below for some sleep. About 15 minutes later, he was unexpectedly awoken by the sound of his drag screaming. We had a big one…a big something. It just kept going and going and going. Dan’s first thought was that we were about to lose this fish because it had stripped almost all the line out of the reel. With literally about 10 feet to go and the drag down to near full, the fish finally let up. That was when Dan’s tough fight began. I turned the boat into the wind to slow us down and furled the jib. Then turned on the engine and pointed us straight into the waves as we did about 1.5 knots. My job was to clear the cockpit and drive the boat while Dan fought this very strong, yet to be seen fish. We still had no idea what it was. Dan fought and fought for about 20 minutes as we occasionally peered over the side to try and get a glance of this monster. What was it? As Dan fought I had removed everything from the cockpit – pillows, a blanket, cockpit cushions, shoes – and prepared for this fish to come aboard. I put a fender out to protect the table and put in the companionway door incase this thing had an idea about going below (what a mess that would be!), got the gaff ready, baseball bat out, and most important had alcohol in hand (no, not rum, rubbing alcohol to stun the fish). I was ready. That was until I saw the fish come to the surface. This “thing” turned out to be a yellowfin tuna and it was huge. How were we ever going to get this fish on the boat? It just wouldn’t fit…no way. But we had to try because this was Dan’s dream fish – his first yellowfin! Dan gaffed it while I held the line – or at least he tried a couple times before succeeding. It was alcohol time no doubt. I of course got the brand new rubbing alcohol because this guy was so big. Turns out though I forgot to take the safety foil off the bottle and panic set in that we’d lose the tuna when nothing came out of the bottle. Finally, I doused him good and he calmed down. Dan pulled him into the boat over the stern rail seats and had no other choice but to cradle him in his arms like a baby. I thought ‘let’s hope Mr. Tuna doesn’t come back to life or Dan will literally have his hands full!’ Once in the cockpit, we snapped a few quick photos before Dan bled him and sliced him up while I got us back on course and running at 6.5 knots again. Wow what a morning that was! Dan estimated he weighed about 40 pounds and he measured in at 48 inches. We relayed our catch to the others who were extremely happy at the possibility of fresh fish once we arrived at Testigos.
The rest of the journey proved uneventful on Eventyr however, Colonel’s Lady caught two unknown fish that we think were blackfin tuna. Once at the anchorage we planned our fish fry/cookout to be held on Bedouin. What a great way to end a 15 hour trip.
The next day we planned to meet the local coast guard at the only restaurant on the island for a Farmer’s Festival. We were all very excited to join in on this local celebration. Turns out the “Farmer’s Festival” was actually Father’s Day – something apparently lost in translation there! We spent a few hours at the restaurant trying our best to talk to these young men who spoke very little English. Both sailors on Lei Lani spoke Spanish quit well and were translators for all of us. The coast guard were planning to cook us dinner at some later time in the afternoon. We decided to head over to the sand dunes located on the other side of the island. The coasties said we could make it by dinghy. Our translators were reluctant to ask the coasties to join us since it was their day off so I gave it a try and soon five of them jumped into our dinghies to show us the way. We beached the dinghies and started our climb over the hill. Soon the hill came into view a little and we realized we had to climb what seemed almost straight up a huge sand covered hill. With each step you would slide back down the hill a bit. I finally decided to walk in the Colonel’s footsteps in the packed down sand. We were all out of breath by the top. Even Dan who isn’t out of breath after running five miles. As we started back down the other side our breath was taken away again. This time by what we saw. It was a beautiful site to see the waves crash onto this beach with no footprints or signs of human existence at all. Soon we were peeling off our clothes and jumping into the waves. Bodysurfing was quite popular with the guys who soon seemed to be 10 years old again. I was just being pummeled by wave after wave. Just as I thought I was passed the breaking waves I got taken right back into shore…under water with feet above head no doubt! We all had a great time and language was no longer a barrier when laughter and screams were all that could be heard.
After playing in the water we headed back up the hill and then back down the other side. We were all astonished when we got to the top of the hill and the coasties took huge bounding leaps down the hill in the sand. They jumped seven or eight feet at a time. The cruisers were much more cautious and took small, apprehensive steps trying to discover how far we’d go before the sand stopped us.
Back at the restaurant dinner was awaiting us. The coasties had cooked chicken over an open fire while the restaurant owner made cornbread patties whose name I haven’t yet learned. Armed with a Spanish/English dictionary I was much better equipped to talk to our hosts. We all enjoyed ourselves and our meal -which consequently cost us $14 for 13 people who drank beer and soda for hours. Welcome to Venezuela! We loved it already.
When we left for Testigos we knew we’d be there a few days to wait out some nasty winds. Our rationale was the winds would be less in Testigos than Grenada so it was a good time to travel. We were holed up on this island for four days – this tiny island chain that is home to 160 people spread over two islands, an open-air “restaurant”, Coast Guard Station, and not much else. We had a blast. Dan and I agreed this was one of our favorite stops so far.
The next day we went snorkeling on the reef behind where we anchored. It was amazing – by far the best snorkeling we’ve ever seen. Every piece of coral – brain, elkhorn, fire, star - sea fans, sponges, soft coral, tube sponges, everything was alive and so colorful. And really big. I had never seen brain coral this size. It was unbelievable. But wait…we swam to the other side of the tiny island and all of the sudden saw tons of fish. We were encircled by thousands and thousands of small schooling fish. It was so cool to swim through them and watch the whole mass separate as you – some foreign object in their world – came swimming through. We saw sergeant majors, parrotfish, trumpetfish, damselfish, rockhinds, needlefish, moray eels and lots of new fish we hadn’t yet seen. The colors were amazing to the extent of indescribable.
Bright and early the next morning we took off for a hike up to the lighthouse with Zippidee Du and Bedouin. Our guidebook said it was not well marked and the coast guard guys warned it was a tough hike. The worst part of the hike was the bugs. They were everywhere. We had to do a lot of climbing over rocks while making sure not to grab onto the cacti that lined the trail. The view from the top was anticlimactic as it wasn’t really a top unless you climbed the tree roots up a cliff to get to the actual lighthouse – which is exactly what Dan, Chris and Bob did! Mandy broke out the banana bread and we all enjoyed a little snack before heading back down the path. A quick swim was needed to rid us of sweat and bugs! We loved the snorkeling so much that we went for a second tour of the reef.
That night we planned a big outing at sunset. We were headed back to the sand dunes to watch the giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs. We waited for about 2 ½ hours and only saw one turtle come out of the water only to turn right back around and swim out to sea. Dan and I definitely have this on our list of things to do next nesting season. Although we didn’t get to see any turtles laying eggs, Dan was really excited to see this Volkswagen size turtle hauling itself up onto the beach under the full moon.
The next day we headed to Margarita, another Venezuelan island. This one is described as Venezuela’s Hawaii. Many mainlanders as well as Americans head to Margarita for vacation. Sailing into Margarita that afternoon was a shock after hanging out in Testigos for a few days. Large multi-story buildings polluted the skyline making for a much different anchorage. After spending the night, we headed to Cubagua where we would spend the night and then head to Puerta La Cruz, Venezuela and Bahia Redonda Marina.
Topic: Tribute To A Friend
Date: 1/1/2006 5:04:26 AM
Log Entry:
I only knew him for a few weeks. We met in Venezuela at the marina. In the short time we spent together, we quickly became acquainted. I remember sharing fishing stories, eating ice cream, and going with you to get your ear pierced (even though I couldn’t watch). I hired you to watch my boat while we were gone and knew that my trust was well placed.
You always said “please” and “thanks” and “sir” and “madam.” You made friends easily and won over a lot of people. I can only imagine where you might have gone with your fine manners and strong ambition.
James, I have no doubt that you were my friend. I’ll see you on the long passage buddy.
Topic: Grenada
Date: 3/9/2006 10:17:52 AM
Log Entry:
In keeping the long-standing tradition aboard Eventyr of going to windward, we now had the problem of having to go directly East against the trade winds to get back to Grenada or some other island in the Windwards.
We waited for a forecast with light winds and made our departure. Heading out with sailing partners Zippidee Du, we rounded the island in a choppy sea and headed Northeast toward the open water. We arrived to a point off of Porlamar, Margarita at 4:00 AM. After some discussion on both boats, we all decided to make landfall at nearby Los Testigos instead. I pushed the throttle back to cruising speed and we slowly put the lights of Porlamar on our stern. Daylight came and the calm conditions persisted. Around 1:00 PM we were coming into Los Testigos. Having undertaken this trip with the expectation of having full trade winds and an Easterly swell, I was more than pleased with the calm conditions. Again, I proposed the idea of continuing on, this time much further. If we chose to continue on, our next stop would be in the Windwards. We both had more discussions and did our own plotting and calculations. After all of this was sorted out, we decided to continue on again with Carriacou as our destination.
In turn, the starry night turned quickly to a wind-whipped hammering that brought us directly back to the reality of our situation. With the Testigos Islands over the horizon in our wake, the Equatorial current found us at precisely the same time as the trade winds. We suddenly had fifteen to twenty knots out of the Northeast and an adverse current of at least two knots. The combination of these cut our speed in half and our spirits dropped in equal proportion.
We had planned to make landfall in Carriacou, but began doubting ourselves. As the wind increased and veered further to the North, we were forced to fall off on a port tack and accept a more Southerly destination. Ultimately, we ended up making landfall at St. Georges in Grenada. We pulled into the familiar lagoon just after sunrise and anchored near the Island Water World dinghy dock. Our friends on Zippidee-Du were just a few minutes behind us, yet I was fast asleep when they arrived. They had trouble with getting their anchor to hold and ended up moving South to the deep, rolly Prickly Bay.
We ended up staying for the next two weeks in the Lagoon, enjoying the idea of just being at anchor as well as taking advantage of the very calm conditions in the lagoon. Being back to Grenada felt very much like being home to us.
Although we had just done a ton of work to the boat in Venezuela, we had a few problems to iron out and a few additions left to take care of. The first items were the vibration with the new autoprop and the alternator which was still losing output.. In addition to these chores, I chose to upgrade the chartplotter with an external horn in our stateroom, added an external vent on the engine anti-siphon loop and added the option of saltwater wash down to the freshwater wash down connection on the foredeck. While working on the boat, Trish took some time to explore downtown St. Georges with Marilyn from Zippidee Du. They visited the historical museum and the fruit market and enjoyed meeting the local people
We met a single-hander in the anchorage, a gentleman named Lawrence, aboard a small Cape Dory called Meander. Lawrence had several long chats with us and eventually invited us on a hike with him to Mt. Qua-Qua in Grand Etang national forest. It was a great hike, despite the obvious damage from Hurricane Ivan. In one respect, the toppled trees opened up the ridgeline and gave us great views of the lake and surrounding island and sea. That’s a positive spin on the subject for sure, but nonetheless true. The trail was breezy and the air cool for such a challenging hike.
The three of us returned to town for a nice lunch at a pleasant waterfront restaurant, the Tout Bagaye.
While in Grenada, we realized we were coming into the holiday season. Trish and I both did some Christmas shopping in Grenada, picking out a few small gifts for each other. More importantly, we wanted to have a proper Christmas Dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc. In other words, we wanted the whole menu. Everything seemed fairly easy with the possible exception of a turkey.
Having an oven the size of a sock drawer made preparing a regular turkey seem impossible. We both assumed that the best we could do would be to find a turkey breast and roast that. We checked the various markets on the island but could not find a turkey breast. Finally, on our last night, I went back to Foodland with a tape measure. Armed with an accurate set of dimensions of our oven, I carefully set a frozen turkey up on the counter and measured it. It consumed 12 of the available 13.5 inches in height and all but one or two inches of available length. With luck on my side, I found a throw-away aluminum roasting pan and headed to the checkout. I checked the fit when I got back to the boat and it was perfect!
Finally, we picked the best available weather and planned our short 30-mile passage to Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.
Topic: Carriacou
Date: 3/9/2006 10:20:12 AM
Log Entry:
The weather forecast for the trip from Grenada to Carriacou was for reasonable but certainly not calm conditions. With such a short trip, it seemed unimportant to wait for perfect conditions. We set out early in the morning, motoring hard for points North with buddy boats Zippidee Du and Unicorn. The three of us chatted off and on by VHF, and all of us were doing fine however, making less than the anticipated progress. As we approached the end of the island, we came into some big seas. I figured this to be a local effect or the elusive “cape effect,” and only temporary. We continued on, and the seas only built bigger. What was worst was that we now had two trains of seas to deal with one on our beam, and one directly on the nose. We tried tacking back and forth with little success
A few times, both Trish and I heard a strange, loud noise. She asked what it was, but I’d never heard it before and couldn’t imagine what it was. The engine was running ok, with no abnormal indications. Later, it happened several times again and it suddenly dawned on me. I yelled to Trish, “Our prop is coming out of the water!” This was proof then that what I was feeling and seeing was true—this was the roughest condition that we had yet experienced aboard Eventyr. Our propeller is normally submerged at a depth of approximately two and a half feet. If this depth, combined with our 10,000 pound lead keel, could not keep it in the water, we were in some nasty seas for sure.
The day wore on like a 10-hour sermon on the fourth of July. We would slam and pound a dozen times, tack once, I checked all the instruments three times, and a meager five minutes would have passed. The rock islands near Kick’Em Jenny appeared to not get any closer nor further away.
Very gradually, and after many hours of cursing the wretched conditions, the rock islands that taunted us all afternoon were finally looking somewhat distant, and arriving in Tyrell Bay was no longer a pipe dream.
We came in shortly after Zippy and anchored nearby towards the back of the fleet. I was never so happy to get into an anchorage in my life! The calm bay with its clear water was so inviting to our weary bodies.
Our friends Rick and Sue on La Vie Dansante which we hadn’t seen since Georgetown in the Exumas, had taken semi-permanent residence in Tyrell Bay. They came by our boat after we were anchored and invited us over for a sundowner. We spent much time with them over the next few weeks taking trips to town, snorkeling, spear fishing, and just hanging out on each others’ boats. It was great to finally see them again.
Rick told us that the island and the bay were very safe. He had no troubles in the time he’d been in residence. Not a week later, we returned to the commercial dock after a late night out with friends at the Parang music festival. We left just a few minutes before they did and came back to find our dinghy missing. At first, we wondered if it came untied or drifted away. We looked under the dock, along the beach, etc. and considered that our dinghy had been stolen and would never be seen again. I cursed myself for not having locked it.
Our friends helped us search the anchorage for our dinghy to no avail. I then went to the police station to file a report, which took until nearly 4 AM
Frustrated, tired, and upset by the incident, I slept fitfully. I woke up early at about 7 AM. Not willing to give up, I grabbed the binoculars and searched the bay for our stolen dinghy. Far away on the beach, I saw a dinghy pulled up on the sand with a white motor. Quickly, I donned fins and a mask, slipped into the cool water, and headed off. A few minutes later, I was on the shore inspecting our salvaged dinghy. It was dirty, but miraculously unharmed otherwise. Cleaning up some sand and grime, I found a bottle of cheap French wine in the bottom of the boat. This gave me the indication that our dinghy had never really been stolen, it had simply been borrowed for a night of activity.
A highlight of our stay was Christmas and our big Christmas Dinner. Before dark on Christmas Eve, we piled eight people in two dinghies and toured the anchorage doing some traditional caroling in a non-traditional way!
We pulled our dinghies up alongside involuntary boats and sang two songs at each boat. It was great fun and I could have continued into the night.
Later that evening, Trish and I went with Emil, Olena, and Marilyn to a “midnight” mass on Christmas Eve that was actually held at around 8 pm. The service was beautiful. The music was familiar, but given an island rhythm and was accompanied with bongos and drums. The open shutters allowed a cooling breeze and moonlight to waft into the sanctuary, giving a sense of being outdoors. I watched tropical flowers dance in the evening light outside the windows and etched the moment in my memory as best I could. I truly felt the peace of Christmas and was very glad we chose to attend this service.
Christmas morning came and found Trish and I fast asleep. We exchanged gifts with each other and shortly after, we began preparing our turkey. Trish cut a stack of vegetables and bread for stuffing while I prepared the bird for roasting. The smells of roasting turkey surely wafted through the anchorage and made some jealous sailors!
We served dinner buffet style with all the food, plates, etc. on our dining table in the salon. Everyone came down and stacked a big plate full of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, and salad then made their way to the cockpit. Desert consisted of homemade pumpkin pie and rum cake. We missed our families for sure, but had a great Christmas on Eventyr.
Although we arrived in Tyrell Bay with plans to stay only 3 days, we were there for nearly three weeks. The time went fast for us. Memories of Venezuela and being “on the hard” faded away and we embraced the return to cruising life.
Topic: The Grenadines
Date: 3/10/2006 1:29:41 PM
Log Entry:
While in Carriacou we heard a familiar voice come across the VHF, our old friend Phil from Beothuck, a boat we hadn’t seen since Puerto Rico. Phil sold us cruising in the Grenadines like he worked for the local Chamber of Commerce. Dan and I were excited to explore some new islands and moved on to Union Island. After a nice sail we approached the anchorage and all the navigation buoys with some trepidation. We had been advised of the poor holding there. We chose an open spot and I went to the bow to guide Dan to the exact place where I wanted to drop the anchor. Peering over the bow the water was so clear I thought we would run aground. Dan assured me we were still in 20 feet of water. Despite the forewarnings, we found the anchorage comfortable during the 20-knot winds that blew for the next couple of days. Our findings on shore were a bit more disappointing. The island caters to the charter boats and was very expensive. Dinner is only serviced at specific times and a few restaurants didn’t have much to choose from including the Lambi Queen that was out of lambi. We waited out the blow and headed off to Tobago Cays, a marine park that consists of a few islands and a large protective horseshoe reef. Our guidebook cautions boaters to enter from the north due to the many shallows reefs surrounding the islands. We were south of the island and by no means taking the longer course. Only experienced captains are advised to take this route. Dan and I were confident we could make this passage without incident. We made it in and dropped anchor in the most beautiful light blue water I’ve ever seen. Dan and I quickly deemed this paradise. The snorkeling, which happens to be about the only activity going on these islands, was fabulous. After just a few days we reluctantly headed to Bequia to prepare for our quests – Dan’s mom and Aunt Carol. Although the seas were big we were able to make a quick sail to Bequia. My queasy stomach was happy to round the corner into Port Elizabeth and drop anchor at Princess Margaret Beach. On the approach we spotted Beothuck. At this point, we had only spoken to Phil on the radio but lost track of them when they got out of VHF range. The next few days we spent catching up with Phil and Brenda while preparing for our guests’ arrival. Our aft cabin is typically our garage and storage area so major changes had to be made to our stowage plan. Spinnaker, cooler and fenders up on deck. Tent, spare canvas, cool weather clothes stuffed into any compartment that looked partially empty. All the work certainly paid off as soon as we saw Ruth and Carol come off the ferryboat from St Vincent. Their trip was seven days although cut short by two with travel in and out of the island. Dan and I knew five days would not be enough to share with them our wonderful findings in the nearby islands and introduce them to our way of living. Back on the boat, suitcases were unpacked and swimsuits donned as the Pennsylvania natives could not wait to dive into the beautiful blue Caribbean water. The next few days were spent cruising the streets in town, combing the beach for shells and snorkeling around the shore. Given that Dan and I had fallen in love with Tobago Cays we could not wait to show the place off. After heading around the western point of Bequia we turned south and picked up an easterly wind. We were very pleased to have such great conditions for this sail considering our guests have one sail total between the two of them. We were making 7.5 – 8 knots on a lovely broad reach. This was by far the best sailing Dan and I had experienced to date (which wasn’t hard considering we’ve sailed about five times before this since our entire trip has been to windward). Ruth and Carol were having a blast taking turns on the bowsprit and hanging out with Dan on deck. Once at anchor and in the water Ruth and Carol enjoyed the reefs at the Tobago Cays although at a faster speed than we did. Dan let them use our sea scooter. With Carol at the helm and Ruth holding onto her feet they flew around the reefs like something from the Jetsons. They were having a great time and the giggling that filled our boat was a sure sign. With a short visit planned and high winds approaching Eventyr was once again headed to Bequia. This time, the sailing was a little livelier with the excitement starting early on. Our mainsail would not unfurl and seemed to be getting caught in the furler. Dan and I cranked the winches without success. This was unfortunate because we knew with the rough seas ahead of us we needed all the main we could get to steady our ride. Nevertheless we headed out into the ocean with a partial main and full genoa. Once again Ruth and Carol were enjoying the ride. Dan and I were happy to have such novices aboard since the conditions were less than pleasurable for us. At least these new sailors didn’t know any better. They thought crashing into the seven foot seas and falling into the wave trough was great fun, the whole time Dan and I cringing. Approaching Bequia made for some interesting sailing with a strong head wind coming directly from the bay. Tacking became a new activity for us. Up to this point, tacking to me has meant turning to boat in a different direction so the furling and unfurling of the genoa accompanied by winch cranking was all new and exhaustive. After several tacks the bay began to get closer and very welcome. Following a day of island touring we sent our guests packing. We were sorry to see them go but happy to get back to the peace of just the two of us especially with the weather forecast we had ahead of us. The next few days were fraught with high winds and big northerly swells. Taking shelter in Bequia is not ideal since the bottom is hardly desirable. The next few days were spent on the boat except for the daily swims to check the anchor. At least this time in the anchorage gave us time to fix the roller furling main problem. I cranked Dan up the mast in the bosun’s chair (twice!) and pulled our main until it was stuck again. At this point Dan yanked on the sail and discovered the problem was our lovely Island Packet star decal that is affixed to the Dacron. With one forceful pull Dan ripped off the star and solved the problem. Finally with a few days of lighter winds Dan and I set off to do some hiking. On our first day of hiking we set across the hills to a southern bay. Along the way we met a nice British couple that joined us for a short leg of the trip and pointed out the trail up the hill. Along many parts of the trail I began to wonder if it actually existed, making it a bit challenging. At the top of the climb we were graciously rewarded by the most beautiful yet unexpected site – a wonderful pond full of lily pads. The blue and purple flowers welcomed us to their little oasis while the large rocks allowed for a short break. The next day promised another hike and more exploring. On this excursion we headed toward the eastern part of the island. Along the way we stopped to visit a partially restored sugar mill currently serving as artists’ studios where we were able to view some of their pottery and paintings. Further down the road we passed by some beaches and an old coconut plantation where we spent much time in search of the perfect nut to take home. With a few stuffed into the backpack we headed for home and the machete. After loading up on fruits and gasoline the next day our stay in Bequia came to a close. We were headed to Martinique by way of St Vincent then St Lucia with plans to spend one night at each island before heading out in the morning.
Topic: The Boiling Lake Hike
Date: 3/15/2006 8:19:28 AM
Log Entry:
While in Dominica Trish and I filled our days with such activities as island touring, hiking and snorkeling. By far, the pinnacle experience was my hike to the boiling lake.
In our second week on the island, my friend Bill from Makai joined me for the hike. It is described in detail in our Caribbean hiking guidebooks and listed as the number one hike. It is considered a strenuous hike with slippery rocks and paths. The authors caution that this 12 mile round trip hike should only be undertaken by those in good physical condition and then only with proper footwear and plenty of water and food.
The night before our hike, it rained like never before. Rain fell in thick sheets and seemed to be endless. I was afraid of poor conditions on the trail, but unwilling to forego the trip. Our guide, Peter Green, showed up to greet our moderate sized group of six hikers gathered in the van and headed for the trailhead.
Peter was a colorful character and strong hiker. He moved quickly down the trail, leading our group of hikers through mud and puddles along the way. We all hopped and bounced from roots and rocks to avoid a deep plunge into a soaking puddle. With six or more hours of hiking to go, no one wanted to start out with soaked shoes and feet. I followed closely behind the guide and tried to emulate the placement of his feet as we moved swiftly through the dark and thickening rainforest. The trail for the first hour passed quickly and was not exceedingly rough. At the end of the first hour, we descended steeply to the Friendship River, forded, and took a short break on the other side to consider our ascent to the 3500’ peak of Morne Nichols. We took off up the mountain and quickly found an endless number of steps leading to the heavens.
An hour later, we reached the fog-shrouded summit. It was cold and extremely windy at the summit. We all clutched our hats and put our damp jackets back on to keep off the chill. Pressing on, the trail opened up to give us a wide-open view of the “Valley of Desolation”, a hub of volcanic activity. It is full of hot, sulfurous springs, steaming pools and streams, and colors of rocks and minerals that are not typically seen by humans. It is described as an alien environment and fits that description completely.
We descended steeply down “stairs” towards the valley floor. The “stairs” were actually erosion control dams. They are generally too far apart for an easy step and too close together to take a step in between. The steepness continued as we crossed several mineral rich streams, alternating between hot and cold water. Once on the valley floor, we toured the rich scene as we made our way across and towards the boiling lake.
We crossed the valley, re-entered the forest, and climbed to a small rise and descended again. This, I was sure, would be the boiling lake. Surprisingly, we emerged in yet another desolate looking valley. I asked the guide about our route, and he simply shrugged and said, “This is the second valley.”
Again, we reentered the forest canopy and climbed up to what was finally the edge of the crater that has partially filled and become the famous boiling lake. Amid the steam and fog, it was difficult to get a clear view of the lake. Nonetheless, we peered over the edge at the boiling water and sat on some rocks to eat our packed lunches. I pulled out my lunch, ate quickly, and considered this to be the most unusual place I’d ever eaten lunch.
We departed the boiling lake at about 1 PM on our return route. By this point, the rain had stopped completely, though it remained windy and colder than one would imagine for a hike in the tropics. We passed through the “second” valley of desolation and arrived back at the “first” valley. We stopped at a small stream of warm mineral water that had a natural pool. We all donned swimsuits, unlaced our wet, nasty, hiking shoes, and slid into the warm embrace of perfectly comfortable water. It was a delightful stop. It soon became difficult to think of a good reason to get out of the pool and put the hiking clothes back on!
We eventually did resume our hiking and shortly, we began the ascent of Morne Nichols from “the other side.” The oversized stairs that we descended steeply were now at eye level. The climb was tiring and for the first time, our group became spread out. I wondered how I would fare with this hike since I haven’t done anything like it or any running in months. I was happy to keep up right behind Peter, maintaining a conversation with him as I hopped from stair to stair on the ascent. We stopped for a break at one point, the group reassembled, and Peter informed us that there were about 400 stairs yet to climb.
Peter stopped us just before the end of our hike and took us over to a viewpoint of Titou Gorge. A log has fallen across the very narrow (6-8 feet wide) gorge opening. He led us one by one to the log to have a look. We all went expecting to see a streambed just below us. Each of us came back with eyes wide with fascination, as the gorge at this point is easily 100 feet deep. It is a head-spinning view and one that would likely kill a person afraid of heights.
Back at the trailhead, our adventure continued. We donned bathing suits again and swam upstream in the gorge about 100 yards to a beautiful waterfall. It was an ethereal experience. As I swam upstream in the bracingly cold water, I asked myself what I was doing there. Had I not had enough exercise for the day or what?
The van picked us up rather late. We were a cold, wet, tired group that climbed into the van and headed back to Roseau. Jim from the Cabo Rico 42, Selah, showed the wear and tear we all felt as he struggled to stand upright and walk to the van.
Trish picked us up in the dinghy from the Indian River and we made our way back to Eventyr where a dinner of meatloaf and potatoes was awaiting me. It was a great end to an amazing day. I was extremely happy at having the opportunity to do the hike. It was made even sweeter by the fact that Martin, our friend and island tour guide, expected me to be laid up for a few days afterward, yet I felt great.
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