Who said Travel was enjoyable?

Following 30 hours of 'tear your hair out' travel, It's taken me 2 days to reach a frame of mind where I don't want to strangle someone, and can actually write calmly about my experiences without resorting to foul language and feeling a desperate need to stick hat pins in a voodoo doll.

But, before I continue, I should point out that Delta (an airline I absolutely despise) had surprisingly the most wonderful flight attendants on the flight from Atlanta to London, they were friendly and attentive, it took me quite by surprise, and reminded me of the attention I used to receive in first class.

I've become quite complacent over the last few years about the treatment dished out by miserable, dissatisfied, sour faced flight attendants, but then I fly coach these days.  In first class the attendants have to be nice.  I became quite used to the special attention one receives in first class service, and its been a bit of a slap in the face moving back to coach.

Usually I manage to snag an exit isle or a front seat, but this flight was so overbooked, Delta seem to do that a lot, and the miserable desk clerk curtly informed me that I had no chance of changing my seat.  The flight was so full I only saw one empty seat, but at least I was fortunate to be seated next to someone very nice.  The airline food was absolutely disgusting, I just couldn't eat it, and breakfast was really special, some slimy, sour tasting yellow gunge in a soggy bun,  it's almost insulting the bad food they serve.

Upon landing in Gatwick I was greeted with more problems at the car rental desk, and after an hour and a half of trying to sort it out, waking poor Bob and Danni on the phone at 3:15am desperate for help, and throwing a few tantrums, I eventually gave up and decided to take the train instead.

As it turned out, train travel was lovely, all the trains ran on time, they were immaculately clean, and comfortable, and the views of the countryside were spectacular.  I had to change trains twice, at Reading and Bristol, but there was only 5-8 minutes between the trains so there was no waiting around, it was all very easy, other than that I was lugging a bloody heavy, huge great suitcase with me, without that, the train travel at least would have been great.  Whoever said travel was enjoyable probably has their own plane, professional chef, and a chauffeur!

Back in the beautiful West country, in the stress free, relaxed atmosphere with my Mum, it's given me the chance to wind down and forget at least for a couple of days all the trauma of travel, even the trials and tribulations of dealing with airline staff and car rental companies... Sadly I'm boarding a plane again on Wednesday to take the long flight to South Africa, I'm excited to be going but dreading the actual trip.  I'll be taking my own food with me this time.

The weather here in England is lovely, and Mum and I have been driving around the beautiful English countryside enjoying the views.

Wells, Somerset, UK

Somerset Countryside

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.