Back in Antigua to continue the cruise

Lavers blog, 1st 2008-2009 entry

Elisabeth at Morro Fortress in Old San Juan

We make the best of an 8 hour layover in Puerto Rico on the way to Antigua by exploring Old San Juan.

After having left Singoalla at Jolly Harbor on Antigua for 9 months we returned to find her still up "on the hard" as the keel work had not been done yet. The boat was about a foot above the keel! Due to leaking keel bolts we had asked the yard to drop the keel and re bed it.

Christmas day, December 25, 2008, Jolly Harbour to Falmouth Harbor

We have been in Antigua since December 2, but only restarted the blog today as we have been “otherwise engaged”. We had asked for the keel on Singoalla to be dropped and rebedded, but when we arrived the boat was on stanchions, about a foot above the keel. Carl, the proprietor of A-1 Marine Services had found problems with the original construction that he wanted us to see before fixing them. The holes in the boat and backing plates for the keel bolts were one inch in diameter, but the bolts were only ¾ inch, which caused a lot of flex and stress on the system. In addition, the stringer under the mast step had broken sometime over the years and had become soft and mushy. Thus the mast did not have proper support. Both problems were fixed and the boat finally launched on Saturday, December 13. We had been living on the boat while it was on land so we could stay on top of the work (and in the face of the workers), but we rented a “villa” for 3 nights as our friends, the Bolinders, arrived on launch day and there was a considerable amount of work left to make the boat ready to use.

Getting ready to attach the keel

The repaired stringer

Rowing ashore at Barbuda

Dinner at Hemingway's, St. John's

Catharina joined us on the 11th, and we had the pleasure if her company until the 22nd. The Bolinders were here from the 13th to the 20th. We made stops at Falmouth Harbor, Green Island, Barbuda, and Deep Harbor before returning to Jolly Harbour. Erik arrived on the 20th about the same time Mats and Gunilla left. Both Erik and Catharina were with us for stops at Jumby Bay and Parham. The last one is the only harbor we have seen that we will definitely not return to.

We are taking a rolling approach to all the many maintenance chores that built up under the hot sun and heavy rains over the summer. We accomplish a few tasks every day, but still take time for sailing and exploring ashore. Some tasks are fairly major. Today we loosen all the rigging and, using a 2 x 4 lashed to the mast, we rotate it a few degrees to make it true fore and aft. We also replace the engine fan belt because the old one had stretched and was slipping. Note: this is on Christmas, a day of rest.

Catharina & Mats enjoy fine weather off Antigua

After yesterday’s very boisterous winds that kept us locked in Jolly Harbour, today we have a quick reach down the west side of Antigua, an interesting beat along the bottom of the island through Goat Head Channel in very variable winds, tacking often just before striking the reefs on either side of the channel, then 3 miles of open ocean beat with waves driven by several days of high winds before reveling in the calm of Falmouth Harbor.

Waiting to be served at Seabreeze, Antigua Yacht Club Marina

In the evening we walk over to Nelson’s Dockyard for the end of the day’s celebration and to see the boats tied up to the quay. One of them is a 42 foot boat with only about 20 feet of mast left. We talk to the crew, and hear that they were dismasted when the backstay failed about 525 miles from Antigua. They came in the rest of the way under jury rig. We thought that was quite a feat. They are now waiting for the insurance company to sort out getting a new mast to them in Antigua. Maybe our issues aren’t so significant after all.

Standing by the dismasted boat at Nelson's Dockyard

December 26, Falmouth Harbor

Today we go ashore for a daytime look around Nelson’s Dockyard. We walk out to Fort Berkeley where the British Navy watched for enemy ships and tightened the chains across the harbor entrance to prevent unwanted visitors. We then hike over the rough trail over the headlands to Pigeon Beach and Falmouth Harbor. Back on board just in time to clean up, we are picked up by Don Dery to go to their newly built house for cocktails and to enjoy the spectacular view over Willoughby Bay and the ocean. Dinner at Cap Horn delicious wood fired pizzas.

December 27, Falmouth Harbor

Leisurely breakfast, then a few small chores. Don Dery calls t say that they found Elisabeth’s missing sunglasses on their terrace. We go ashore to meet them, and they very kindly give us a ride to Antigua Slipways, a chandlery just across the harbor from Nelson’s Dockyard, but only accessible by water or by a mile walk. Just after they leave we discover that the chandlery closes at noon on Saturday, and it is now 12:15. We look around for a little bit, then decide to walk to Shirley Heights for lunch. We can’t find the trail, so we walk up the road, probably about 2 miles. We almost make it before the rains come. We arrive as the shower ends, and enjoy the views over the Dockyard and the southern part of Antigua. Lunch at Shirley Heights is very nice; we recommend it over the noise and crowds of the traditional Sunday night barbecue. After lunch we find the ridge trail down to Galleon Beach and find that it does not connect to the Slipways road at all. We have to climb back up another road to reach the road to town. Erik is not sure he is ready to forgive his father for all the forced exercise. Once again, the rains hold off almost until we make it back to the Antigua Yacht Club. Coffee at Seabreeze while waiting for the rain to stop, then back to the boat. Lazy evening – pina colada’s a la Erik, tuna salad dinner, then we read ourselves to sleep.

December 28, Falmouth Harbor-Green Island

Erik on the way to Green Island

Erik and Larry finally tackle the SSB antenna. We have to detach the backstay and pull it forward to reach the connection point above the backstay insulator. This means we have to collapse the bimini. Eventually, with Elisabeth’s help, we get it done. We celebrate with a 9 mile beat to Green Island. After a quick look into Nonsuch Bay, we go back to our old anchorage at Rickett’s Harbor where we are joined by only one other boat. We are very salty, but the sail was exhilarating. Average seas 7-8 feet so no sleeping at the helm. All American dinner – hot dogs and French fries, followed by ice cream. We are still not used to the luxury of ice cream on a boat. Score one for new technology. As usual, early to bed…

December 29, Green Island (Rickett’s Harbor)

Larry and Elisabeth take early morning baths/showers at the stern ladder. After breakfast we confirm that the newly connected SSB is working – at least it receives well. We listen to the Coconut Telegraph and hear boats reporting in from as far away as Bonaire. We spend t motor he whole day at anchor. Elisabeth and Erik enjoy swimming in the warm and quiet cove – until the day trippers arrive in a big cat. They are like white mice coming out of their cages and scurrying all over the beach. The simile breaks down, though, because the average weight seems to be north of 250 pounds, and by the end of the day most of them are no longer white but varying shades of angry pink. What a relief when they leave and return the cove to the 4 sailboats that are now in residence.

Elisabeth serves her signature Caribbean dish – chicken, black beans and tomatoes over rice – delicious. We follow that with ice cream, then watch After Sunset on the laptop. Altogether a very pleasant and relaxing day, marred only by Larry’s continuing cough.

December 30, Green Island – Jolly Harbour

Erik’s last day for sailing. We raise the anchor after breakfast and motor into Nonsuch Bay to look around. It’s a big open bay, about a mile and a half across, well protected by reefs from the ocean swell, and with many varying anchorages. We expect to return on another visit to Antigua. We go out the way we came in, and set sail for Jolly Harbour. We decide not to stop at Falmouth to give Erik more opportunity to sail. Light wind today, so we have a very comfortable run followed by a reach up the west side. We arrive at JH about 2:30 and find Ancient Path with our friends Charles and Elaineat a mooring. After showers and a brief session at the internet, we are joined by Charles and Elaine for dinner at Melini’s. They are a fascinating couple and we enjoyed hearing about their educational work in the Dominican Republic. Larry’s cough continues not to improve, so we decide to find a doctor and get some antibiotics tomorrow.

December 31, Jolly Harbour

Elisabeth is up with the chickens and waves goodbye to Ancient Path, on their way to St. Kitts. After morning coffee we go ashore to find a doctor. The marina recommends Dr. Fuller, whose office is in St. John’s. We take the bus, and Erik gets his first taste of that institution on Antigua. The driver talks to everybody on the street as we go, and occasionally backs into a side street to wait for a passenger. It is a mystery to us how he knows when to do that. In St. John’s we find Long Street, then Dr. Fuller’s office. He does the requisite listening to Larry’s chest then issues the expected prescription for antibiotics. He advises us to insist on the brand-name antibiotic, not the generic. He says there are a lot of East European counterfeits on the market here. Then he and Larry talk for about 20 minutes about him and his life on Antigua. He has a house in Jolly Harbour near where we are moored, owns half a dozen islands in North Sound, including Great Bird Island, renown for great snorkeling, and has a second business – salvage of wrecked boats or boats in distress. Hs radio sits right above his desk in the examination room. He gives Larry tips on current issues in some tricky passages through the reefs – all in all they get along very well. We go to the nearest pharmacy, get the pills, then head for the cruise ship docks in search of a place for breakfast. Instead, Elisabeth buys new sunglasses. We wind up back at Hemingway’s for a very nice breakfast/brunch. We bus back to the marina, where Erik gets his bags and is off for the airport. We pick up the laundry from Burton’s, find the bag of fins and snorkels we inadvertently left in the storage room, spend a little time on the internet, and then head out to the boat. We get into the dock for water and gas for the dinghy only minutes before the fuel dock closes. We are too late for the expected repositioning to Falmouth. Instead, we anchor in the outer harbor and ring in the new year there. We crack open the champagne at 9:30 because it is clear that we are not going to make midnight. Oh, well, it must be tomorrow somewhere. We are awakened at midnight by fireworks from 2 sides. We enjoy the show before going quietly back to sleep.

January 1, Jolly Harbour – Falmouth

After breakfast we raise the anchor and set sail for Falmouth. Elisabeth is at the helm all the way. The winds are moderate and a little farther south than before. We have an absolutely glorious sail down the island, through Goat Head Channel and over to Falmouth. It is the kind of day that reminds us why we are here, although Larry is a little tired from grinding on the tacks. After a short rest, we take the dinghy to the Catamaran Club to look for the Hellstroms on Hell’s Belles. They are not there, so we leave our card and go for a short walk to see what stores/restaurants are on that stretch of the road. We return to Singoalla, where Larry services a couple of winches and discovers how much damage has been done by thesun, rain and dust over the summer. Nothing that can’t be fixed, but the winches are useless until they have been taken apart, cleaned and oiled. Elisabeth prepares coq au von “Caribbean style”, using a sauce flavored with local sorrel – different and very tasty. We read ourselves to sleep, for a change.

January 2, Falmouth Harbor

We go ashore to clear customs in preparation for tomorrow’s departure for Guadeloupe, and for better Internet access. We are pleasantly surprised to see the Derys at the Hot Hot Hot Spot, and join them for coffee. We find a chandlery open and get a new dinghy motor lock to replace our broken one and a new dinghy anchor. We contact the Hellstroms on channel 68, who promptly invite us to lunch. Lunch turns into a 4 hour, very lively discussion and we leave pleased to have established such a nice friendship. Back on Singoalla, we get the dinghy up on deck in preparation for tomorrow’s departure.

January 3, Falmouth – Deshaies, Guadeloupe

We raise the anchor at 0800 and leave on the 42 mile crossing to Guadeloupe. Apparent wind is on the beam, between 20 and 25 knots, seas mostly under 6 feet. We set one reef in the main, roll out enough jib to be fast but comfortable, and average between 7.5 and 8 knots. We are mystified by what feels like sand blasting our faces and other exposed parts in the brisk wind. We find out later that this is not the result of a major sandstorm in the Sahara (Africa is the nearest piece of land upwnd), but volcanic ash from a new eruption at Montserrat. The ash is apparently carried high enough in the atmosphere to go with whatever the southern equivalent of the jetstream is, to later subside and come back at us with the trade winds. Fortunately, this is a really quick passage, very few other boats out, and we have doused the sails and are comfortably at anchor by 2:00 p.m. We anchor near a beautiful 77 foot boat, Aglaia, in 20 feet of water. After a discussion with the very pleasant captain of Aglaia we shorten scope by about 20 feet to keep the boats a little farther apart. That proves to be a very good thing, because in the evening the winds go light and variable, and with the slight swell pushing the boats in unpredictable directions, the boats at a couple of times get within 10 feet of one another. At least one catamaran has to reposition in the dark because they swing too close to a boat on a mooring.

January 4, Deshaies

Larry spends the afternoon servicing 3 winches that have all totally seized up. A combination of WD40, a rubber mallet and wooden blocks finally gets them apart and they are cleaned, greased, oiled and put back in working order. Now only one winch (out of 14) is still out of service, but it is the main halyard winch, an important one. We are temporarily using a spinnaker halyard winch for the main. As usual, Elisabeth is a non-stop cleaning machine, and by the time we decide to go ashore in the afternoon, the boat is spic and span everywhere. We take the dinghy into the fishing port, as the old dinghy dock was totally destroyed, along with several waterfront buildings, by a storm during the fall. We walk up the hill to the customs office for the sake of good order and, as usual in Deshaies, find it closed. We have never found it open on any of our visits here. We wander around town, but as it is Sunday afternoon everything is closed up. Still, it is pleasant to stretch our legs. We return to the boat, and our neighbors from Aglaia bring us a bottle of wine for our “services” in watching the boats last night while they were ashore at dinner. Unnecessary, but appreciated nevertheless! Dinner tonight is pasta with a homemade eggplant and tomato sauce. Delicious!

January 5, Deshaies-Pigeon Island

Sunset at Pigeon Island

We go ashore in search of croissants and good French bread as we haven’t had decent bread since arriving in Antigua. Mirabile dictu, customs is open! Larry clears in while Elisabeth goes shopping. We shop at the grocery store, the charcuterie (butcher), the boulangerie (baker), several vegetable stands (no candle stick maker). It’s nice to be in a country with a real food culture. After breakfast and the long awaited croissants, we head out for Pigeon Island, where there is an underwater park established by Jacques Cousteau. The winds are light and variable in the lee of the big island, so after a brief attempt at sailing under just the jib, we start the iron genoa and spend the rest of the trip charging batteries. We anchor in the cove behind Pte. Malendure, then enjoy swimming in some of the clearest water we have ever seen. We both finish our respective books and start new ones. A very relaxing day.

January 6, Pigeon Island – Basse Terre

Boats at anchor, Basse Terre

This morning we listen to Chris Parker, the Caribbean weather guru, on SSB. The forecast is for squalls all day into the evening in the Leewards. We decide to stay at Pigeon Island. Larry works on updating the log and the blog, and Elisabeth tries to clean the soot from the headliner caused by a malfunctioning kerosene light last night. About 11:00 we realize that the sky to the north is completely clear and the squall clouds are retreating to the south ahead of schedule. The battery needs its daily charge, so we decide to motor sail down to Bassse Terre and then get to les Saintes a day earlier than expected. The wind for some strange reason s coming from the west, but the sea is flat anyway as we get a good closeup look at the coast of Guadeloupe. We anchor at Riviere des Sens together with a small international flotilla: boats from Sweden, Canada, Austria, the U.S., France and the B.V.I. We decide to wait until tomorrow morning to go shopping(island time!), and spend the afternoon reading.