On to Montserrat

The boat is back in Jolly Harbour once again and I am alone. I have a couple of small jobs to get done (and a few more Wadadlis to drink), then I'll pick up some groceries and head to Montserrat. It's about a 20 mile sail. When there is no haze, you can see the island and it's three mountains from here. Montserrat still has an active volcano so there should be some cool pictures in a week or so.

Cartwheels and green flashes

After three days of bars and sights we left English Harbour. We had a great sail along the south coast, inside the reef, and up the west coast of the island. The plan was to overnight back in Deep Bay and then head for Barbuda (second attempt). But just like before, that night at anchor, the wind build and swung north.

Instead of Barbuda we decided to stay put. Around noon we decided to visit the next beach over and check out the bar a the Galley Bay resort. There was a bit of swell rolling into Galley Bay but it didn't look too bad on the beach. Wrong. When we were only 20 feet off the beach I looked behind to make sure I had timed the surf right and the wave I was expecting to be a gentle swell had built in size and was cresting. Being down low in the Zodiac it looked about six feet high but was probably only three or four, however it was big enough to pick us and the Zod up and cartwheel us, literally, onto the beach...right in front of a restaurant full with the resort's lunch crowd. Great laughs as we gathered all of our stuff and headed down the beach.

Oh, and that night I saw my first green flash of the trip. I'm told that some people spent their lives down here and never see one. Very cool. It's a phenomena with the light rays that only lasts a second, just as the sun sets. You see a green flash (more like a bright glow than a flash) just after the sun disappears below the sea.

English Harbour

Since the conditions did not allow for Barbuda we sailed south and around the corner to English Harbour. I only spent 26 hours there before and did not sleep the night before so I didn't see much. It is a natural harbour used by the english in the 1700s. Now it is a historic site called Nelson's Dockyard. The harbour itself is very busy this year for some reason. All of these boats are at anchor. Vagrant is in there somewhere.

The other day we took a hike, starting at the fort above English Harbour going over the mountain to the south. This is the fort.

Lots of cool plants and trees along the way. These cacti were huge. The only animals we saw were lizards, goats, and a few birds.

The view from the top was kind of cool too.

And at the end, we found a beach. This is Pigeon Beach. Sadly for us the beach bar was closed when we got there.

Back in English Harbour

Looks like the plans to visit Barbuda are on hold for a while. Two nights ago the wind went north and is just now starting so shift. That means northerly swells for the next couple of days. There are no good anchorages in Barbuda in either a northerly breeze or swell. The boat is back in English Harbour right now. I was only here for 24 hours before I flew home a couple of weeks ago so now I have a chance to look around and see what is here.

Some nice boats in port. St. Maarten is big power boats, English and Falmouth Harbours are all about sailboats. Maltese Falcon is here plus a bunch that are much larger. Hope to have some pictures soon.

Tale of two bays

After a couple of days in Jolly Harbour it was time to move on. First stop was Deep Bay. About a one hour sail. I know, not ambitious at all but a nice change from the big full service marina we were staying in.

Deep bay is a small harbour that we shared with 11 other boats. At one end of the half mile beach is the Royal Antiguan hotel.

The other end is a high hill (where the beach picture was taken) with the ruins of an old fort. Tough climb up. The trip down was a lot easier after we found the path. Mike and Stuart will be able to relate to this from our St. Pierre experience.

This morning was another arduous sail. About 90 minutes in 5 knots of wind to the next bay. This one is Dickenson. The complete oppostite to Deep. In the middle is a Sandals resort and at each end are beach bars, watersport rentals, and lots and lots of people.

Tomorrow we head out early to Barbuda. Very off the beaten trail. I should have lots to write about from there.

Bandwidth at last

Presidente, the Caribbean beer.

Presidente

I don't seem to have the bandwidth here to load pictures. Too bad because I had a great one of a Presidente. Oh yeah, Jolly Harbour, Antigua was in the background. Maybe tomorrow. Yep, back in the Caribbean. Left YHZ at 0800 on the 12th, arrived at the airport here at 1900 and at the marina around 2000. Good to be back in the warm air.

Almost forgot, happy Valentines Day.

Crew wanted

As much as I hate to think about it already, it is time to start working on getting the boat back home in May. To do that, I am going to need crew. The plan is to have the boat in the BVIs for the last three weeks of April travelling from island to island, checking out the beaches and the beach bars. In the first week of May we sail for Bermuda. After four or five days there for sightseeing, restocking, and R&R, we sail for Halifax. That would be sometime around the 18th, weather dependent, with plans to arrive back at DYC around May 24.



I am looking for a couple of people to do either or both legs of the trip. Anybody meeting the boat in BVIs would be welcome to come down a week or so early and enjoy the sunshine and rum.

Catching up

I finally have access to time, computer, internet, and camera all at once. If you are checking in for the first time in a while, go make some popcorn, scroll down to the "January 29, leaving St. Maarten" entry and enjoy. In the meantime I am back in Halifax enjoying the weather where it is about 35 degrees (celcius) colder than it was 36 hours ago.

Off to Antigua

We planned to leave early on Monday. But before we could go I needed to settle up with the marina and check out at customs. The crusing guide says customs opens at 0600. When I showed up at 0720 I was told that nobody would be there until 0800. Such is life down here. The dockmaster arrived early and I paid him, then went back to customs. At 0830 we were free to go. Just as we were preparing to slip the lines an english guy with red hair and a beard showed up on the dock asking if we were heading to Antigua and if so, could he catch a lift. He is travelling around the world trying to visit every country in a single year to raise money and awareness for the lack of available drinking water worldwide. He is also doing a documentary on his travels. More about his quest at www.theodysseyexpedition.com. We took him on a crew and set off.

Antigua is about 40 miles from Basseterre but first you have to travel down the west coast of St. Kitts to the Narrows, then northeast for another 6 miles before you can head southeast. This makes the trip more like 60 miles. All of it upwind. We cleared the narrows just before noon and set out on a lively romp in 20 knot winds and 1 to 2 metre seas. With the third reef and a partially furled jib we were making 6 knots. It was a wet, lumpy, sunny, wonderful sail. I saw the best sunset of the trip later in the day. At 0300 we were outside English Harbour but the moon had set and there was not enough light to navigate the reef and the dozens of boats at anchor so we stayed off until sunrise.

Just as it was getting light we were hit by a wicked squall. 30 knots of wind and heavy, heavy rain. It only lasted 15 minutes and when it was done we had the most specatular rainbow I have ever seen. You could see both ends and it had a high sharp arc, not like what you normally see.

Gotta move

Time is running out. I need to get to Guadeloupe to catch my flight home on Thursday. The plan now is to head to Antigua and I will leave the boat with Jim and Freda and catch a local flight to Pointe a Pitre to make my connection to Halifax.

St. Kitts

After Statia, the next stop was St. Kitts. It was supposed to be Nevis but the wind was on the nose and progress was slow. I will see Nevis on the way back north. Basseterre is the capital at the southern end of the island and we decided to get a marina slip there in order to top up the water tanks and charge the batteries. This is the first time Vagrant has been tied alongside since Road Town in the BVIs in November.

Saturday arrival in St. Kitts means that unless there is a cruise ship at the dock (just missed it), you have to go all the way to the airport to get passports stamped. Customs and port authority can be dealt with in one building, but not immigration. Saturday arrival also means that the next day is Sunday and absolutely nothing happens in Basseterre on Sunday. The town is completely and totally shut and empty. I spent the day doing some long neglected boat chores while Jim and Freda went exploriing. Met a boat called Spirited Lady at customs. I hope to cross paths with them again as I think there is an interesting story there.

Statia

We arrived in Statia (St. Eustatius properly) at 3:30 in the afternoon and anchored below the town and the volcano that formed the island. Customs and immigration was the easiest it has been to date and I was back at the boat, all cleared in and out before 4:30. I like this place.


Statia was a huge Dutch trading centre in the 1700s. It was a free port so any country could do business here. That meant that even in times of war, conflicting nations could carry on trade in Statia. I read one stat that said in a particular year Statia produced 600,000 tons of sugar but exported 20,000,000 tons.

That all came to a halt in 1776 when a American flagged vessel sailed into port and received a 9 gun saluted (perhaps by accident) from the governor, thus making Statia the first country to recognize the newly created United States of America. Lots of plaques around the town boasting of this. This of course didn't sit well with the British who started taxing goods from Statia. The French followed suit and Statia's status as a trading nation ended. Now it is one large marine reserve and an internation scuba diving destination. The park extends to the 30 metre depth contour all the way around the island. I will be back here before I head home.

Daily squalls

Almost every day in the Caribbean it rains. It only rains for 10 or 15 minutes at a time as a squall passes through and then it is clear and sunny again. Sometimes it is a light rain and sometimes a downpour. On the way to Statia we got caught in one of those squalls. The wind went light and the clouds moved in. Then the wind picked up and the rain started. Since it was 27 degrees Jim decided the best way to deal with it was strip down to his bathing suit and keep on driving.

January 29, leaving St. Maarten

Today Vagrant finally left St. Maarten. I think we arrived here on the 23rd of November. Met a lot of great people and have had a lot of fun, but it feels good to be finally moving on. Next stop, Statia.

This is a typical morning exodus from Simpson's Bay Lagoon. We were in line with a catamaran, a sport fishing boat, four medium sized (60 to 100 feet), and one mega yacht.

When the bridge opens everyone files out into the bay and heads off in their own direction. Our heading was about 150 magnetic. It turned out to be a close reach so we rolled out the jib and off we went.

Been travelling

Currently in Antigua after short visits to Statia and St. Kitts. Will post more in a day or two when my camera, computer, and internet connection are all in one place. In the meantime I have to find out what is going on in Guadeloupe right now and find out if I can still fly through there later this week. Yikes.