Dominica, Indian River

A little motorboat came out to greet us as we approached the anchorage, the guy at the helm introduced himself as Martin. We dropped anchor in Coconut Bay, Portsmouth. Martin is a local tour guide and offered to take us on a trip up the Indian river. We arranged for him to pick us up at 7am in the morning. We need to be underway again before mid-day so we are on schedule to meet Justin, Ed's friend who's flying into St.Lucia the day after tomorrow.
Sunday 15th June
Martin arrived promptly at 7am and transported us to shore where he left us to collect another group. We had hoped to have the tour exclusively to ourselves, however. He arrived back a few minutes later with another group of 7 people including 2 children. We all climbed into his wooden row boat (outboards are not allowed on this river) and set off up the famous Indian river.
Dominica has a population of 70,000 people, and boasts 8 dormant volcano's that provided the island with very rich soil, just about anything will grow here, and does. The list of fruit and vegetables is too long to list, just about everything you can think of, including just about every tropical fruit. Dominica exports its fruit and veg to most of the other islands, although Sugar, limes and many different varieties of bananas are the main crops.
Unlike other islands Dominica has no casinos,or multi chain resorts, at least not yet. The island is so unspoilt that it's said if Christopher Columbus were to return to the islands today Dominica is the only one he would recognize.
The attraction for visitors here would be the waterfalls, rain forest pools, and the 365 rivers. There are great hiking trails through the rain forest, also the diving is reputed to be spectacular. I wish we could spend more time here, to explore, I must plan for us to come back.
The Indian river we were on was named after the Carib Indians. As we made our way slowly up the river, Martin pointed out hundreds of red land crabs, that could almost be mistaken for fallen flowers on the banks of the river with their bright red backs and white claws. Hundreds of gray mullet swarmed in schools around our boat
we also spotted the occasional barracuda. The flowers from the wild hibiscus that had fallen into the river from the overhead branches floated like Lillie's on the surface. There were so many hummingbirds, Martin pointed out a nest which wasn't much bigger than a golf ball, he told us the chicks are so small when they hatch they look like large fly's. Hummingbirds are very high energy birds,needing a constant supply of nectar to keep their energy levels flowing. They cruise at 25 mph, and dive at 85mph. They are also very territorial and can often be spotted in battle defending their territory. Martin pointed out the 'Heliconia Caribea' a magnificent flowering plant that collects water that the hummingbirds use as drinking troughs. He pulled the boat over to the riverbank, and got out to demonstrate his skills at skinning coconuts, then gave one to each man on the boat for 'Fathers day'.
The river was picture perfect in its natural beauty, with shafts of sunlight breaking through the overhead canopy and reflecting off the water. The only sounds came from the insects and the gentle splash Martins oars as he rowed us further up the river. We passed an area used for filming scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean 2 The site had been completely restored to its natural setting following the completion of filming. We pulled in at one of the forest gardens and we all went ashore so Martin could show us around and talk about the plants and wildlife.
After our river trip we went to customs to clear in and out again, within the hour we were underway sails raised, and on our way to Martinique.

Guadeloupe to Iles Des Saints, food glorious food.

Friday 13th June
We weighed anchor and set sail at 11 am for Iles des Saints, a delightful little group of small islands, just 5 miles from Guadeloupe. Terre D'en Haut being the largest, with the only town, Bourg des Saints.
I served a quick lunch while underway, as the clouds were gathering and the skies growing darker by the minute. The wind was blowing hard from the south and building in strength, we weren't even a mile off shore when we suddenly found ourselves dealing with 40 knot winds, gusting to 50, heavy rain, thunder and lightening, it was too much for me. As always during inclement conditions, I bolted below, like a rabbit down it's burrow to the safety of my bed and buried myself under the sheets, pulling the pillows over my head, where I stayed until we arrived. I'm not a great sailor, I'm not even a good sailor, I can raise the mainsail now without tearing it, and even manage the jib with some semblance of professionalism, but I can't deal with bad weather, I'm terrified of storms especially when underway. Fortunately Edi was aboard and able to manage the boat with Bob. We eventually arrived at Terre D'Haut and dropped anchor in the bay. The rain continued to pour and the skies continued to grow darker. We locked ourselves below in the confines of our floating refuge. Bob was able to pick up an Internet signal, so he was able to work all afternoon, Edi lay on the sofa watching West Wing, and I spent the afternoon in the galley making some of my favorite dishes, french onion soup, asparagus quiche, blue cheese coleslaw, creme brulee and banana bread. The rain continued to hammer the decks until the early hours.
The next morning we awoke to discover the storm had passed, and in its wake was brilliant sunshine, streaming through the hatches.
I prepared a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice, made scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, and some buttered slices of banana bread with strong coffee, yum!

The day was steaming hot as we pulled the dinghy up to the dock at Bourg des Saintes. Bob headed over to the business center to send faxes, while Edi and I wandered the town, window shopping. There are some wonderful shops on this tiny island, and fortunately Edi enjoys shopping as much as I do. I bought him a locally made ring in stainless steel, and spotted some very pretty starfish earrings for myself, but resisted the temptation to buy them when I saw the $1800 price tag.
We bought ice cream and sat on a bench at the side of the road trying to eat it faster than it was melting, it was a loosing battle.
Later that afternoon we returned to the boat for a late lunch before setting sail for Dominica.

Botanical Gardens, Guadeloupe, Tree Walk!

Illustration by Nicolette Morgan

We drove on to the Botanical gardens, situated within the rain forest. They had beautiful open areas with Raccoons, Monkeys, Parrots, Tortoises, Otters and many other wild creatures.
Edi and I stopped to watch an old, blind extremely overweight raccoon eating his lunch. He sat reaching around with his paws to locate the food that he was sitting in the middle of, obviously thoroughly enjoying every mouthful, until all the food was gone, content with having eaten it all he toppled over, lay with his legs in the air and fell asleep. It was hysterically funny, Edi and I laughed so much it brought tears to our eyes.
High above the gardens strung through the trees was a series of walkways, just two planks wide. Precarious looking bridge's 60 feet above us. Without giving it any thought (one of my blond moments) I followed along behind Bob and Edi, and before I knew what was happening found myself being fitted into a full body harness, which proved to be a somewhat awkward procedure as I was wearing a dress!
I removed my shoes and climbed cautiously up the ladder behind Edi onto the first platform. I felt really silly with my dress all gathered up between my legs, although my daft appearance for once was not my main concern, "what the bloody hell did I think I was doing up here?"
I followed Edi's lead and hooked my safety line's on, and started the walk out onto the swinging bridges high above the gardens, feeling my way cautiously along with my eyes squeezed tightly shut. Concerns about my appearance were quickly forgotten as I slowly made my way precariously along the narrow, swinging walkways, I couldn't help but wonder how I had allowed myself to do this.
Bob and Edi both seemed quite at ease and for a second or two that gave me confidence, although I had to question their intelligence as memories of Garibaldi Hill came flooding back.
As you proceed the bridges get higher and higher, and as frightening as it was, it was exhilarating. Some of the bridges were quite long, causing them to creak, groan and sway as we carefully made our way along. By the time we came to the end of the walk and had to climb down the platforms I was wanting to do it all again. I wish I had been allowed to take my camera, because no one would believe I had done this without some sort of photographic evidence.

Guadeloupe

We were up early to go ashore and clear customs. The office was only a short walk from the dock, but up a steep hill. The day was already steaming hot and I was breathless and sweaty when we arrived. To our dismay the office had a closed sign on the door, but the door was ajar and I could see people inside so we went in. The officer was really nice and despite the office being closed she cleared us in. Quite possibly the sight of my sweaty purple face, coupled with my heavy breathing may have persuaded her not to send me back out into the heat where she may have had to call for the paramedics.
After customs we walked the short distance into town and sat at a little Boulangerie in the main street to have coffee and croissants. Sitting there at the side of the road we could so easily have been at any seaside village cafe in the South of France.
After breakfast, we explored the small town taking photographs and window shopping. I bought some postcards, and Bob hired a car. We bought some pain pizza's, delicious pastries, and cold bottles of Peligrino, then headed out of town following the coast road.
Guadeloupe was originally known as Karukera (Island of pretty waters) the island is part of France and has a population of 330,000. Its composed of two islands in the shape of a lopsided butterfly, with a river separating the two halves. Grande Terre, and Basse Terre which is the larger side.
We drove out through Pointe Ferry where we stopped on the coast to eat our picnic lunch, before continuing on through Baille Argent and Pointe Noire.
At Anse Guyonneau we headed inland to the interior, and drove up the mountain road towards the rain forest. We stopped beside a beautiful waterfall where two nuns were kneeling in prayer before an altar built into the rock.
We explored the area taking photographs before getting back in the car and continuing our climb on up to the Monastery St.Joseph, where the road dead-ended, and we had to turn around and drive back down. The views from the top were breathtaking overlooking the rain forest below.
From the Monastery we drove on to the botanical gardens.

Garibaldi Hill

Once back in the car we continued our drive on up to Garibaldi Hill, where we were promised a birds eye view of the previous town of Plymouth below on one side, lush green mountains of the central hills falling away to the coast on the other, and a perfect panorama of the Caribbean sea with views to Redondo and Nevis to the west.
The drive up the hill was an adventure all by itself. The road was not so much a road more the remnants of a road. George's little car tipped and struggled over boulders and rocks, dips and craters in the side of the hill as it made its way precariously on up. Then, as if the road alone wasn't enough excitement we came across a humongous sleeping bull that was sporting the largest pair of horns I have ever seen, right there in the middle of our path. George carefully maneuvered the car past the sleeping giant, and my eyes almost popped straight out of my head when I glimpsed the shear drop beneath us as we passed.
I have to say I was more than a little nervous, but Edi and Bob appeared unconcerned, or maybe it's a guy thing, you know, don't show fear, anyway I was terrified. Bob and Edi actually appeared to be enjoying the drive up the hill. As we climbed higher we could clearly see the trails of the rivers of ash that had flowed from the top of the volcano down to the ocean below. One can only imagine the horror. When the first eruption occurred in August 1995, the defenseless town of Plymouth was thrown into total darkness for a full 15 minutes as the thick cloud of ash hovered above it. Standing there on top of the hill looking down on the remnants of town beneath us, it was a sight I will not easily forget.
George gave us time to look around and take photos before returning to the car and starting our decent. I have to say I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of the drive down the side of the hill, the drive up had aged me 10 years.
As I predicted the drive down was a real heart stopper for me, as George took off at speed. Bob caught sight of my terrified expression in the mirror and asked George if he would slow down for us to take photos, when he was really just trying to prevent the coronary that was threatening to occur right there in the back seat.
Visions of our little car bouncing off a boulder and taking flight over the cliff edge, with all of us inside screaming like banshees as we plunged to our deaths in the sea of ash below were vivid in my mind. I think I may have actually bruised Edi's arm with my vice like grip on the way down. After 10 of the longest minutes in my life we arrived safely at the foot of the hill, miracles do happen!
For information on Monsterrat go to www.visitmontserrat.com and for the current alert level for the volcano go to www.mvo.com

Nevis to Montserrat

Tuesday 10th June
We completed the crossing from Nevis to Montserrat in just 5 hours, at a comfortable 9 knots with a great 15 - 18 knots of Easterly wind. We dropped anchor in Little Bay at 12:30 and took the dinghy ashore to check in.
At the customs office we met a South African couple off a catamaran that we seem to have followed for the last few days, they're also making their way down to Grenada with their daughter Nadia. Once we had cleared customs we set off for an island tour with George, a local taxi driver. We headed south out through the villages of Davy Hill, Brades,and Cudoehead, to Salem in the south, turning inland we made our way up to the MVO (Montserrat Volcano Observatory). There's basically only one main road running from the North, down each side of the island West coast and East coast. The roads in northern Montserrat wiggle, climb and plunge, seemingly designed for an athlete, a bicycle would be totally redundant here.
During our drive we stopped several times to take photographs and pick mango's, filling a whole bag with them. Following the Soufriere Hills volcanic eruption in 1995, Brades which was once the least populated part of the island has become the hub of the island. George pointed out where they are building the new capital. Throughout Montserrat there is evidence of dislocation and deprivation, but at he same time positive change and development. Despite the enormous catastrophe suffered by these people they remain upbeat, warm, friendly, and optimistic for a better future. While many of the islands major attractions were destroyed in the eruption, the southern end of the island remains an exclusion zone.
We arrived at MVO in time for the 3:15 video showing. We sat in awe as we watched the horror of the eruption, a vivid reminder of the true destructive force of Mother nature. The video showed Plymouth, the previous capital, once a beautiful town, pastel pretty with gingerbread houses in the Caribbean vernacular style, that today lies in ruins under a deep sea of ash. As we left the observatory we took photos of the smoking volcano, which now appeared much too close for comfort. As we continued on around the island George stopped so we could drink from the fountain at Runaway Ghaut. The water that flows from the mountain stream is some of the best in the Caribbean, and legend says that if you drink from the fountain you will revisit Monsterrat again and again. Edi and I drank from the fountain, but Bob couldn't be persuaded. As we continued our drive out through the exclusion zone George reported that the volcano was currently at low activity, and as there was no rain forecast (rain causes huge slimy rivers of ash creating treacherous conditions)we were allowed to enter. We drove slowly through one of the low laying areas that had been devastated during the eruption. George stopped the car for us to get out and walk around. As we walked through the ruins of a previously beautiful golf course that had fallen victim to the volcanic devastation it was difficult to comprehend the reality of the tragedy that had occurred there. Rooftops of houses poked through the ash wherever you looked, stumps of dead trees, boulders and rocks the size of houses covered the terrain. It was a totally dead zone, it looked like the surface of the moon, or at least how I would imagine the moon would look. The only activity came from the occasional clouds of ash rising from gusts of wind. Edi and I climbed through a second story window of one of the houses buried in ash. Dust covered books still stood on shelves, broken pieces of furniture lay scattered around covered in ash, remnants of a previous life. It was eerie, and very sad, once again a humbling reminder of Mother nature's power over years of human endeavor. I took a photograph of George as he stood on one of the rooftops, then we all got back in the car covered in ash, to continue our drive.

St.Kitts to Nevis

Still alongside at Porte Zante. We filed the water tanks, and made ready for sail. I went into town for a quick last minute shop, and bought some lovely, locally embroidered cushion covers for the salon, I also found some little gifts for Nicolette and Daniela.
There is an adorable little gift shop in the center of Basseterre, filled with genuine island made goods, real souvenirs, not the imported junk common to most gift shops in the islands. I managed to find some lovely authentic gifts there.
Back on board, I made lunch while Bob made his conference call and Edi took a nap with Nicho curled up contentedly next to him.
At 3:30 we were ready to set sail. With steady 15 knot winds and calm seas, we had a very short but pleasant sail across to Nevis, arriving at 5pm. We picked up a mooring off Pinney's beach, which is reputed to be not only the most beautiful beach on Nevis, but one of the best throughout the whole of the Caribbean. Although here I have to say, whenever I read about beaches in the Caribbean almost every island boasts of having the most beautiful beach. Personally I think that the majority of the beaches if kept clean are beautiful, and I have yet to discover what actually constitutes being the best! Pinney's beach is lovely with 4 miles of golden sand, clear calm water, and plenty of coconut palms providing welcome shade from the blistering sun. This is absolutely a beach worth a visit. In fact, the Four Seasons loved it enough to build a very high end luxury resort here.
As soon as Daisy was secure we took the dinghy ashore for cocktails in the garden bar of the hotel. We wandered around for a while checking out the facilities. The views from the hotel were spectacular, and the hotel itself was typical Four Seasons, with luxury and quality in abundance. We found a table outside and enjoyed a couple of delicious cocktails served by our very attentive waiter. One would definately not lack attentive service staying at this hotel. We took a quick glance at the dinner menu, but decided that we should return to Daisy for one of my 5 star dinners. After all, on board we could enjoy our own private view of the ocean and island, in affordable comfort.
I have to say the Four Seasons hotel looked absolutely superb, with a truly idyllic location on Nevis, and there is no doubt in my mind that if you were loking for peace, luxury, and 5 star service, you would find it here.
To learn more about the hotel go to www.fourseasons.com/nevis

Fort at Brimstone Hill, St.Kitts

Our next stop after the botanical gardens was the Fort at Brimstone Hill. The fort is surrounded by cannons brought there by (us) the British (hehehe) and dates back to 1690, its currently being painstakingly restored by a local non-profit organization.
While we were exploring the fort we spotted a couple of the islands Green Vervet Monkeys scampering around, they're supposed to outnumber the islanders by two to one, and are mischevious little creatures, getting into all sorts of trouble. We also saw lots of Mongoose. The views from the fort are breathtaking, with a panorama of ocean, punctuated by the two peaks of Statia and Saba to the northwest and the lush green rainforest of the interior behind us.
On leaving thr fort we drove out along the other side of the island to the new Marriott resort, which was surrounded by elaborate and expensive houses and villas perched high on the cliffs, overlooking the ocean in one direction and the beautiful golf course below.
We stopped for lunch at the very popular 'Shiggedy shack on Frigate Bay's beach, before returning to Porte Zante and Daisy.
I've heard people say there's nothing much on St.Kitts, I can only say that they obviously didn't explore the island. In my opinion this island shouldn't be missed.
For more information on the island go to www.stkitts-tourism.com

Day out in St.Kitts

Saturday 8th June
The herbal tea obviously did the trick because I woke feeling bright as a button. Juni arrived as scheduled, bang on time at 9am, and we set off on our tour of the island.
St.Kitts is a 68 sq mile island, and was once the wealthiest island in the Caribbean due to the sugar and tobacco it produced, but over the years competition from other larger countries forced them to close their plantations one by one, as they could no longer compete. Today many of the previous fields of sugar cane lie neglected, leaving them to grow wild and uncontrolled. I thought it a very sad state of affairs.
As so many of the islands throughout the Caribbean St. Kitts thrives today on its tourist industry. Many Cruise ships stop here, and the island has built a beautiful dock and shopping area in Porte Zante, catering to the needs of the visiting tourists. The port boasts many new elaborate high end stores, selling all the unnecessary, (to my mind) useless artifacts that tourists seem to crave, especially jewelery stores. So much paraphernalia, totally unrelated to the island or its history but always in high demand by cruise ship folk. Luckily there were no cruise ships in while we were there, so the town was blissfully quiet.
We drove out through Basseterre, the island capital, stopping along the way to take photographs, while Juni gave us a detailed account of the towns history, and pointed out interesting and historical buildings.
It was a scorching hot day as we continued our drive out through the local villages following the coastline around the island, I was very grateful for the air conditioning in the car. We stopped to look at some local ruins that were gradually crumbling back to nature and covered with magnificent flora and fauna. Hummingbirds flew overhead feeding on all the wild hibiscus, and other tropical flowers which grew everywhere in colorful profusion.
From the ruins we drove up to the botanical gardens which were bursting with rich, lush green foliage. Magnificent trees included Flamboyant, Breadfruit, Mango, Coconut Palm, White Cedar, and Sour Sop, to name but a few. The floral display was spectacular, including some of the most amazing orchids.
The gardens were so beautifully manicured and maintained, wonderful to walk around and explore. The setting right there in the rain forest with walk paths snaking through the foliage, and man made balconies perched high in the grounds added to the overall beauty of the place. We picked mango's from the trees and ate them, they were warm from the sun and very sweet,the sweetness of the fruit combined with the scent from all the flowers was intoxicating. I would have happily stayed there all day, but the heat was so intense I felt as though I was melting, and had to make a hasty retreat back to our cool air conditioned car.

St.Maarten to St.Eustacia

Friday June 6th 2008
We dropped anchor in Simpson Bay outside the bridge at St.Maarten at 8am. OH boy was I happy that leg of the trip was behind us. It was a beautiful morning as we sat on the deck waiting for the 9:30am bridge opening, eating our breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, toasted bagels and steaming hot coffee, yes I had my appetite back.
St.Maarten is partitioned between two different nations, the French and the Dutch, and has been shared that way for 350 years. There is a charming legend that tells of the original partitioning of the island.
A Frenchman and a Dutch man were to walk in opposite directions around the island, starting at Oyster pond, and then meet at the other side of the island, in order to decide the division of the land. However the crafty Frenchman gave the Dutchman a bottle of wine and a bottle of gin as they left. So the Dutchman having worked his way through the bottles only made it as far as Cupecoy Bay. As agreed, the imaginary line between that beach and Oyster pond was drawn to constitute the border. So the French got the largest portion of the island, and the Dutch only 13 sq miles. This makes for a very cozy state of affairs and creates a unique cultural mix. For more information on St.Maarten/St. Martin, go to www.geographia.com/st-martin
We were having such a great time relaxing with our coffee and chatting we completely missed the 9:30am opening of the bridge, and as we didn't want to wait for the next opening at 11:30 we decided to move on. Our next port of call was St.Eustacia, colloquially called Statia.
We had a lovely sail over, quite different from our overnight crossing, and arrived mid afternoon. As we approached the island, we saw several tankers and large cargo ships anchored off the island. We motored into Gallows bay looking for a good spot to drop anchor.
The islands initial appearance is one of being run down and decrepit. A road runs along the front where you can clearly see the remains of the original buildings that have been devastated over the years by hurricanes, invasions and general battering of the sea. The Smoke Alley Bar is situated on the left at the corner of the bay, with an enviable position overlooking the ocean. The Old Gin House and bar, stands next to a newly renovated building, and next to that another hotel and bar with a balcony overlooking the bay. The well known Blue Bead Restaurant on the main road also has a wonderful terrace overlooking the bay, next to that are a few more tumbled down buildings, and a dive shop at the end of the dinghy dock. More remnants of original buildings collapsing into the bay, the pink customs offices, the pretty little tourist office building, some remains of previous warehouses, and random ramshackle buildings with their doors falling off and trees growing out through the windows.

It’s a messy initial introduction to the island, but then you look up; a steep cliff face goes straight up from the far side of the road running the entire length of the bay, on the top of the cliff are some quite beautiful buildings and gardens, a lovely little church, and the beautifully restored Oranje fort with all its cannons facing into the bay, next to the fort there are pretty trees and palms, its very picturesque, with the peak of the Quill dominating the landscape behind.


It’s such a shame that the shorefront below isn’t as attractive as the cliff top. Looking at it I can easily imagine how beautiful it once was and could be again. There’s some effort being made by a few locals to modernize and restore the shore front, but Statia will need a great deal of help from Mother nature, as it’s extremely exposed, and vulnerable to damage from future storms.

Very few tourists make the effort to visit this off-the beaten track Dutch outpost, which is a shame because it's definitely worthy of investigation, most particularly by hikers and divers, Statia’s underwater reefs are probably the best-kept secret of the Caribbean. The diving here is wonderful, but the island has yet to achieve a reputation for diving. There are fabulous virgin reefs, an abundance of fish and coral, sea turtles, and numerous historic wrecks. There are over 30 dive sites with buoys, mostly located in the South and Northwest where anchoring and fishing is prohibited. But before you go rushing over, you should know that diving in Statia waters is only permitted through local dive operators, and each diver is asked to contribute to the marine parks maintenance by purchasing a dive tag. This money is well spent, being used for the maintenance of the buoys and reefs.

Oranjestad is the only town on this tiny island, but what it lacks in beaches and shops, it more than makes up for with dramatic scenery. However unless hiking or diving is your thing, you won't find much else to do here. Culturally Statia is a world away from its well-developed neighboring islands of St.Maarten and St Barths.

We walked along the front past a pretty gingerbread house that's used as the local tourist office, colorfully painted in typical Caribbean style. The little gardens surrounded by white picket fences were bursting with brightly colored Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Oleander, Frangipani and lush green palms, and were alive with Hummingbirds and butterflies. There is an atmosphere of tranquil beauty about this island. Statia truly is far from the madding crowd.

For the real history on the island you should visit the museum, which is located right in the center of the town. This peaceful little island is part of the Dutch Antilles, and has over 3000 inhabitants. It also boasts a dormant volcano, called The Quill, and there are some great hiking trails from the west side of town that wind gently up the slopes of the volcano to the edge of the crater, where a lush rain forest is grows within. You can descend into the crater to explore the rain forest, which is definitely worth the effort. The trail into the forest is very steep and not for the faint hearted.

Before we headed back to Daisy we stopped at the little hotel on the front for some cocktails. Bob was able to pick up an Internet signal and check the weather for the next couple of days, while Edi and I kicked back under the shaded terrace watching the glorious sunset and sipping our delicious drinks, I had a margarita, Bob and Edi had rum Punch's.

An hour later we were back on Daisy and I was busy preparing chicken satay for dinner. We ate on deck enjoying the warm gentle breezes, under a star filled cloudless sky. With a great bottle of wine, delicious food and great conversation, our evening couldn't have been better.

One of the many advantages of a sailing vacation for me is that everyone is together, and after dinner conversation is always fun. Some of the happiest times in my life are those spent on board with my family. As the boat rocked gently in the bay that night, we all slept like babies.

Virgin Gorda to St.Maarten

We cast off at 6:45pm leaving Bitter End 45 degrees north of Necker Island, and headed out during a perfect Caribbean sunset. As so often is the case heading in this direction, the sail across to St.Maarten was quite rough, with a headwind for the entire leg. Daisy literally slammed up and down through the waves, all the time rolling from side to side. Having spent the last five weeks back on dry land I had yet to get my sea legs back and was suffering with a major bout of seasickness. To add to the drama poor little Nicho-San was barfing for all he was worth below decks.
We were unable to raise the sails, which would have steadied the boat, because of the headwind, and so we were forced to continue under motor. I spent the majority of the trip hanging limply over the side of the boat like a rag doll, wondering, but not caring, whether a monster from the deep was about to raise its ugly head from the inky depths below and snap off my head like a pretzel. I was also seriously regretting the lasagna and several cocktails I had consumed before we left.
With a calm sea and favorable wind, under a velvety black sky littered with trillions of sparkling jewels night crossings are wonderful, unique experiences that are both peaceful and exhilarating at the same time. They also provide the best opportunity to fully appreciate the extraordinary and incredible beauty of the stars without the distracting reflection of light coming from land. Unfortunately at this particular juncture I’m about as interested in the stars as Nicho! I take a deep breath filling my lungs with the crisp, clean, salty, fresh air, and usher up a prayer to God, to please let this leg of the trip be over quickly.
Normally, I love the sound of the ocean as the boat slices gracefully through the waves. I’m always transfixed by the amazing spectacle of the rising sun as it creeps gradually over the horizon at dawn, casting a blanket of pure gold and sparkling diamond dust across the ocean. I get so excited to see the first glimpse of land as it appears through a misty haze in the distance. These are just some of the things that despite my nervousness thrill me, filling me with a desire to travel further. Visiting places inaccessible to most folk is what sets sailing apart from any other form of travel. There are few limits as to where you can go, and distance is no problem. With wind as your power, sail is an environmentally friendly form of travel. How can you improve on that?
Sadly for us this was not such a crossing, and I would have paid any amount to be air lifted off Daisy and returned to terra ferma. But, alas, with sailing, as with all things adventurous, one has to take the good with the bad. I look across at Bob at the helm, and mutter to myself “the next leg of the trip better bloody well be good!”

Swinging from the Mast...

Apprentice First Mate

Our first 18 months aboard were spent sailing around the Caribbean mainly in the friendly waters of the BVI's, and up and down the East coast of America. Bob was absolutely in his element, spending his time happily familiarizing himself with all the systems and workings of the boat. While I spent my time bouncing around a galley the size of a shoe box trying to prepare meals in sweltering heat. Operate the mainsail without jamming up the hydraulics, or tearing a hole in the sail (yes I actually did that).
I also proved to be totally inept at driving the dinghy, displaying nothing resembling control, causing raucous laughter from Daniela who was watching me, and putting fear in the hearts of the other boat owners within range, for the safety of their vessels. The last straw for Bob was following an unfortunate incident one-day where I almost turned the dinghy upside down by driving it up over the stern of the boat. Bob felt the only safe option before I killed myself or someone else was to have a steering wheel fitted. A couple of other necessary skills I'm still working on perfecting include, maneuvering around the decks at speed without breaking my toes, or falling overboard, thereby initiating the 'Man Overboard' procedure, something I'm praying that we never have to do. . On the positive side I displayed a skill for varnishing, and have over the last couple of years become inordinately good at it.
As with all cruisers, Bob and I amassed a multitude of both amusing and horrific tales to tell during those early months aboard Daisy; mostly mine due to my total lack of experience and expertise, coupled with my extraordinary desire to demonstrate to anyone interested enough to be watching, my fabulous skills as a first mate. As it happened I didn't possess any fabulous skills, or in fact any skills when it came to sailing, but, as one learns through errors, so I hope to quickly become well educated in all things nautical.