March 13, 2009, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
We spend almost all day at the Hot Hot Hot Spot in Nelson’s Dockyard updating the blog. Placing pictures in the blog is always an adventure, but it works pretty well today and we successfully upload a couple of dozen photographs.
March 14, 2009, Falmouth Harbour
A statue of the prime minister guards the farmers' market
The public fish market at St. Johns
Hmmm!
Elisabeth enjoys shopping at the market
There is a good selection at the market
We take an early bus to St. John’s to the farmers’ market. Elisabeth stocks up on fruits and vegetables, as usual. We buy some manioc (cassava) to try, and receive detailed instructions from the vendor on how to prepare it. We are back on board by 10:30, and spend most of the day reading and cleaning the boat. Larry peels the cassava and puts it in the freezer as we have been instructed. We have a simple soup and sandwich dinner and retire early.
March 15, 2009, Falmouth Harbour – Jolly Harbour
The LED headlamp makes cleaning the impeller for te knotmeter easer
The wind is still out of the north, so that when we sail around the south side of the island we are able to go through Goat Head Channel without having to jibe, although we do have to sail wing and wing for the last couple of miles before rounding Johnson Point. As usual we get a blast of wind just as we are about to douse the sails off Jolly Harbour, so we have a brief moment of excitement, but otherwise it is a thoroughly delightful sail. We go into the fuel dock for dinghy fuel and to top up water, then take the last remaining mooring in the harbor. Larry clears out at customs while Elisabeth does some last minute provisioning at the Epicurean Market. We pay for the mooring today as we anticipate an early departure tomorrow for Nevis. We get the dinghy up on deck and prepare the boat for departure before going to bed. The guide book is very complimentary about Charles Town and we anticipate wandering around there tomorrow.
March 16, 2009, Jolly Harbour, Antigua – Nevis
Personal hygiene at the stern of Singoalla
We depart a few minutes before 7:00 and listen to Chris Parker’s forecast underway. The north swell has largely dissipated, and the wind has come around to the east. We go as deep downwind as we can and still keep the sails full. We sail in comfort between six and seven knots, and soon pass a smaller boat that is holding somewhat farther to the north. We guess that they are not accounting for the northward set of the current, and will have difficulty later on. After 40 miles we just barely manage to round the southwest corner of Nevis without having to jibe. Off Pinney Bay we find 60 or 70 well maintained moorings, and only about 10 of them are occupied. We pick one close to the Four Seasons Hotel, which was devastated by a recent hurricane. It is apparently closed for renovations, with huge mounds of sand piled up on the beach in front of the empty buildings. About two hours after we arrive the boat that we had passed comes in to take a mooring. We guess that they had to jibe and fight their way southward against the current to get around the south end of the island. After we have straightened up the boat we decide that it is too late to be worth the trouble to get the dinghy off the deck to go into town for a couple of hours at most, so we just relax at the mooring with the quarantine flag up. We fall asleep to the sounds of really bad karaoke from a nearby beach bar.
March 17, 2009, Nevis – Simpson Bay, St. Martin
Singoalla passes between Nevis and St. Kitts
St. Kitts southern coastline
Boats passing throughthe bridge to Simpson Bay Lagoon
Life is easy when Otto steers on passage from Nevis to St. Martin
We get another 7:00 a.m. start and motor sail through the Narrows between Nevis and St. Kitts. We are uncertain whether we will go to St. Barth’s or St. Martin today – it depends on the wind and the speed we are able to make. We set course for Anse Colombier on St. Barth’s, as we can always fall off 15 degrees to Simpson Bay, St. Martin if conditions warrant. Conditions do warrant, and we are able to go comfortably between 7 and 7.5 knots, which enables us to arrive at Simpson bay around 4:00. We anchor to await the 5:30 bridge opening into the lagoon, then follow a parade of large and small yachts through the narrow opening into the lagoon. Some of the larger mega yachts barely fit through the bridge and seem to have some difficulty coping with the current and making the hard left turn at the far side of the bridge. We have no such difficulty, but at first we don’t find the dredged channel to the French side of the bay, and plough a small furrow through several spots of the shallow lagoon before we find the channel. We are anxious to get to the French side because it costs about $5 to clear in there, but about $150 on the Dutch side. Having finally found the channel, we locate a comfortable spot to anchor in the lee of the aptly named “witch’s tit” (yes, that is what it is called on the chart!). We enjoy a light supper and fall happily asleep in the well protected anchorage.
March 18, 2009, Simpson Bay Lagoon
Elisabeth and Larry think life is not too bad
Catharina and Larry at Marigot Bay, St. Martin
We manage to turn the dinghy upside down while getting it off the deck into the water, but fortunately the engine is not on it so no harm is done. We take the dinghy into Marina Port Royal to clear in at the Capitainerie. The now-familiar computer program is apparently in use in all of the French islands this year, so clearing in is quick and painless compared to the multi-part forms required at the former British Commonwealth islands. After a brief walking tour of Marigot we go by dinghy to the U.S. Import Supermarche, a very good grocery store that caters to the yachting community, even to the extent of having its own dedicated dinghy dock and paved walkway for the use of grocery carts. We return to Singoalla, stow the groceries, eat lunch, then take the dinghy across the lagoon to the Dutch side to the Turtle Pier Restaurant, which is within easy walking distance of the airport. Catharina’s plane arrives early, but she doesn’t come out with the other passengers. Eventually she appears and tells us she needs a letter from us saying where she will be staying and that we will be responsible for getting her off the island. A handwritten letter will be OK. We have forgotten about this requirement, but borrow a piece of paper and Larry quickly writes the required letter. Soon Catharina appears again, visibly upset, and says that a handwritten letter is now no good, it must be typed or she must be able to show the ships papers. Apparently anyone can write a handwritten letter, but only a proper ship’s captain can type one. Larry, in no good mood, walks back to Turtle Pier and heads out to Singoalla. He returns with the ship’s papers while Elisabeth and Catharina cool down over a beer in the airport bar. Once Catharina finally gets her passport back and is admitted into the country we stop for rum punches at Turtle Pier, the more or less standard fee for using their dinghy dock, then finally get back to Singoalla. In the evening we go into Marina Port Royal, select a restaurant among many competing ones along the docks and are fortunate to have a wonderful dinner – steack pommes frites for Larry and Elisabeth and vivanneau, a local fish that may or may not be red snapper, for Catharina. The maitre d delivers a complimentary liqueur and we return to Singoalla very happy.
March 19, 2009, Simpson Bay, St. Martin
Elisabeth and Larry lift the dinghy motor to Singoalla's stern rail
After breakfast we take the dinghy over to the Dutch side of Simpson Bay Lagoon to the Island Water World chandlery, then walk to Budget Marine to buy rubber stretchers for our anchor snubber and a few other small items. We motor around the apartment complexes and marinas near the swing bridge then return to Singoalla. We pick up the ship’s papers, towels and toilet kits and head back to Marina Port Royal on the French side. On the way in we run out of fuel, and Larry has to row the last quarter mile or so until a thoughtful Frenchman sees us and tows us in to the fuel dock. Larry and Catharina fill the fuel tank and Elisabeth goes to U.S. Import Supermarche for a few items. Larry clears out at the Capitainerie while Elisabeth and Catharina take showers in the very nice facilities there. After Larry showers we go to le Galion restaurant, where we had such a nice dinner last night, and enjoy a wonderful lunch of seafood salad and mussels in white wine sauce. After lunch we return to Singoalla and prepare for departure. We hoist the outboard to the stern rail but leave the dinghy in the water as we plan to spend the night in Simpson Bay, just outside the bridge. We retrieve the anchor about 40 minutes before the scheduled 4:30 bridge opening and follow the dredged channel over to the Dutch side of the lagoon. There we mill around with 8 or 10 other boats of various sizes and descriptions until the bridge opens up. We go out through the narrow opening and find a nice open spot to anchor fairly close in to shore. Elisabeth serves a spicy vegetable soup and green mixed salad for dinner. Elisabeth is asleep by 9:00 but Larry and Catharina work over a difficult cross-word puzzle until almost 10:00. We are becoming real night owls!
March 20, 2009, Simpson Bay, St. Martin – Gustavia, St. Barth’s
Larry and Catharina in Gustavia
Catharina and Elisabeth in Gustavia
After breakfast we hoist sail for the short 15 mile beat to St. Barth’s. Catharina wonders why we put two reefs in the main before leaving the protected harbor, but ceases to wonder after we come out of the lee of the island. This turns out to be our most uncomfortable and frustrating crossing of the season. The seas are lumpy and confused and the wind seems to always swing to be against the tack we are on. We left Simpson Bay at 8:40, and we don’t arrive at Gustavia until 2:00 – five hours to go 15 miles. We motor the last few miles, find a convenient spot to anchor not far from town and enjoy a late, much deserved lunch. We take the dinghy into town to clear in. The dinghy dock is crowded and the water in the harbor surges irregularly, so that one dinghy gets caught between the sea wall and a larger boat and almost flips over. A passer by hops into the dinghy and with some effort we manage to untangle a mooring line from around its outboard motor and put it in a safer position. While trying to lock the dinghy to the metal ring provided by the marina for the purpose, our trusty combination lock doesn’t properly close and falls into the water, never to be seen again. We then clear in (and out) at the Capitainerie and go for a walking tour of the lovely, quaint town. Back on board, Larry makes giant pina coladas which we think are well deserved after today’s sail and then he more or less sinks into a state of torpor. Elisabeth makes a nice dinner of sautéed chicken and potato salad. Larry crawls off to bed, too tired to be sociable, and has no idea how the dishes get cleaned up.
March 21, 2009, Gustavia – Anse Colombier, St. Barth’s
A turtle surfaces nearby
Anse Colombier
Peta and friend from Moon Song relax in Anse Colombier
We had planned to go to the BVI today, but the weather forecast is not favorable – no wind and an uncomfortable north swell. We decide that we do not want to motor for 90 miles, so we will spend the day on St. Barth’s and leave tomorrow instead. We take the dinghy ashore early and Larry goes to le Ship chandlery to replace our lost lock while the ladies shower. Le Ship has no combination locks, but the clerk refers him to the hardware store “beyond the pharmacy”. She neglects to mention that It is about a half mile beyond the pharmacy along a narrow road with no sidewalks and full of morning traffic. After a harrowing ten minute walk the hardware store doesn’t have combination locks either. Larry buys a keyed lock for temporary use, looks futilely for another way back to the marina, then reluctantly goes back the same way. He finds two very clean ladies wondering where he has been. They go to the bakery for French bread and croissants while Larry showers. We decide to eat breakfast ashore and go to a little restaurant along the shore road. Elisabeth feels there is too much traffic noise so we look for a better one. After about 20 minutes wandering around we settle for a restaurant on the town square with about the same amount of traffic. After breakfast, which fortunately is quite good, we decide to go to Anse Colombier for the rest of the day. It is a short trip and we motor there at a leisurely pace to charge the batteries. As we come into the bay we see people on a nearby boat waving frantically at us. At first we think they need help, or that we are about to run over something or someone, but then we realize that it is David and Peta, our friends on Moon Song whom we last saw on Antigua. We pick up one of the few remaining moorings and almost immediately David arrives in his dinghy to invite us for cocktails this evening. We accept with alacrity. The ladies swim ashore through incredibly clear water and do yoga on the beach. After a pleasant couple of hours enjoying cocktails and conversation on Moon Song we return to Singoalla and have the last of our filet for dinner accompanied by Elisabeth’s potato salad. Catharina and Larry struggle through one of the more difficult NY Times crossword puzzles, perhaps not made any easier by the evenings cocktails and wine with dinner. There is a monster party ashore attended by crews from many yachts that have obviously come to this bay for the purpose, and we fall asleep to what sounds like jungle drums.
March 22-23, 2009, Anse Colombier, St. Barthelmy – Virgin Gorda, BVI – Marina Cay, BVI
Kjell and Margareta visitus from Emma, visible in the background
The forecast is for light north easterlies and a tapering off north swell. That sounds OK to us, so we decide to leave at 4:30 pm for an overnight passage to the BVI. It is about 98 miles to the anchorage in Virgin Gorda, and the departure time is selected so that at almost any conceivable speed we will arrive during daylight tomorrow. We spend a very relaxing day, snorkeling in the morning and snoozing in the afternoon to be fully rested when we take off. We leave the mooring at 4:30 as planned, and find that there is essentially no wind. We raise the main, principally to damp any tendency to roll, and motor past St. Martin towards the BVI for 13 hours. The autopilot, “Otto”, steers while we rotate watches and enjoy watching the stream of yachts and cruise ships going the other way. Many boats are apparently taking advantage of the light conditions to get east without having to beat into the prevailing easterlies and accompanying sea conditions. At dawn we are still about 30 miles out when it begins to blow about 12 knots from the NNE. As a result we finish the passage with a marvelous, comfortable reach to Round Rock Passage followed by a brisk beat to St. Thomas Bay on Virgin Gorda. We find an empty mooring and pick it up at about 11:00. We discover that Emma af Kungshamn is anchored nearby. We met Kjell and Margareta in les Saintes, and Elisabeth stayed with them in St. Martin on her trip home this spring. Using hand signals we select a VHF channel and find that Emma has already cleared out and will be leaving for St. Kitts shortly. Kjell and Margareta come over to Singoalla for coffee and a brief social hour before departing. As always we greatly enjoy Kjell’s humor. We launch our dinghy and head into the Virgin Gorda marina where Larry will clear in while Elisabeth and Catharina buy a few supplies at Buck’s Market. We take the dinghy inside a really scary looking reef just outside the marina entrance, made particularly scary by the strong north swell breaking on it so that it looks as if we are doomed to be dashed on the rocks along the shore. Actually, the reef serves to break the power of the waves and we arrive at the marina intact. After we return to Singoalla the anchorage is not very comfortable due to the same north swell, so we decide to sail over to Marina Cay for quieter water. We sail under jib alone at about 6 ½ knots. When we get to Marina Cay we find that all of the moorings are taken, so we anchor at the leeward end of the mooring field. Elisabeth’s phone rings, and it is our friends the Kelleys from Newport who happen to be at a mooring only a few yards away from us. Another small world demonstration. Dinner is cheese, crackers and pate – that’s all we feel up to after little sleep the night before.
March 24, 2009, Marina Cay – North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Catharina helps Larry hoist the burgee
We spend a lazy morning at anchor. Elisabeth and Catharina see a nearby boat flying the NYYC burgee, and decide that we should fly ours. After a couple of tries we manage to get the “pig stick” up past the running backstays and the topping lift and Singoalla is now properly clothed. We raise the anchor and head for the fuel dock. There is a catamaran there that must be taking on water for a world cruise. As we are circling through the mooring field waiting for the dock to open up we discover that our burgee is now completely wrapped up around the VHF antenna. A few minutes of circling the other way resolves the problem. We fill our fuel and water tanks and head out for North Sound, Virgin Gorda. After a few minutes of very fluky winds in the lee of Scrub Island the wind fills in in earnest. We sail on the wind to clear the Dogs, then fall off for a very rapid close reach to Mosquito Rock at the north entrance to North Sound. We follow a 44 foot charter boat that has tacked some distance ahead of us, and we pass them just after rounding mosquito Rock in the channel beside Colquhoun Reef. They smile, take lots of pictures and give us thumbs up signs. We take that as an indication that our old lady still looks pretty good. After some moments of indecision we go to the Bitter End Yacht Club and pick up one of their moorings. We make a feast of the last of the gourmet cheeses and pates that we picked up in St. Martin. We are afraid to think about the calories we have just put away.
March 25, 2009, Virgin Gorda – Road Town, Tortola
When we start the engine to charge the batteries we discover that no cooling water is coming out of the exhaust. We are also getting a periodic strange noise from the engine – a scraping or slipping sound that we cannot identify. Larry goes through the tedious process of checking the water intake under the boat, seeing if the strainer is clogged, checking the impeller and checking the belt tension. He tightens the water pump belt, and we briefly get water but then it stops again. Back to checking everything – somehow the belt is loose again. In addition, the intake water strainer, which is now 30 years old, has sprung a leak that we can’t stop. We decide that it is time for expert help. We call Parts and Power in Road Town, and agree to bring the boat to the BVI Yacht Charters dock to meet their mechanic tomorrow morning. We go to the Bitter End for showers, fresh bread and a tee shirt, then put the dinghy motor on the stern rail and set sail for Tortola. We tack downwind very comfortably, then broad reach up Drake’s Channel and come into the marina. At first the dock boys are missing, but eventually they show up and help us into a slip. This marina is near the commercial dock where there is a great deal of large boat/small ship traffic at all hours. That means that the boats roll around a lot in their slips, so they have to be tied off to the next pier to keep from rolling into the concrete dock and getting severely scarred up. That in turn means that the neighboring boat’s lines need to be removed before a boat can go into or out of a slip, so we can’t dock or depart without shore side help. Catharina invites us to dinner ashore. We go to the Dove, a wonderful small restaurant in Road Town that we can recommend to anyone. Although we walk into town, we decide to take a taxi back to the boat. That is a really good decision as a major rain squall breaks out just as we arrive at the marina. Even with the taxi driver’s borrowed umbrella we are soaked just running down the dock to the boat.
March 26, 2009, Road Town – Benures bay, Norman Island
Catharina is picked up by boat at 8:15 for a morning of scuba diving near the Indians. Leo from Parts and Power arrives shortly after 8:30 to attend to the engine. Elisabeth takes the laundry to Freeman’s Laundry, then goes to the bakery in Road Town before returning to the marina. Larry helps Leo replace our old water strainer and then they look for the cause of the water stoppage. They conclude that the pulley for the water pump is periodically scraping against the engine bed when the engine is under load and perhaps vibrating more than usual. While Leo goes to lunch, Larry takes a hammer and chisel and cuts out a piece of the engine bed to give the pulley more clearance. After lunch Leo replaces some of the intake water hose for a better flow of water and, lo and behold, everything works. Elisabeth goes back to the laundry and returns claiming that her arms are now several inches longer from carrying the heavy bags the half mile or so from the laundry. Catharina returns very happy with her dive trip. About 4:00 we check out of the marina and head for Great Harbor on Peter Island under jib alone. As we near the harbor we furl the sail, but then decide that there are entirely too many boats in the harbor, where there is only a very narrow shelf along the east side suitable for anchoring. We motor around the west end of Peter Island and over to Benures Bay on Norman Island. This picturesque bay has been one of our favorite anchorages for years, and there are only two other boats here today. Elisabeth serves rum punches, and then we enjoy a light supper of various leftovers from the refrigerator. We play a few hands of gin rummy before the sandman beckons.
March 27, 2009, Benures Bay – Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke
Catharina steers towards Jost Van Dyke
We spend a relaxing morning swimming and reading. Larry grills chicken and Elisabeth prepares a rice/wild rice/lentils mixture (mélange?) for lunch. In the early afternoon we raise the anchor and reach across the Drake Channel, through Thatch Island Cut past Frenchman’s Cay and over to Jost Van Dyke. We find a nice spot to anchor fairly close in. Larry clears out at the very relaxed JVD customs office while Elisabeth and Catharina buy banana bread at Christine’s bakery, specially opened by Christine’s husband for the occasion. We shop for tee shirts at Foxy’s and Elisabeth congratulates Foxy on the award he is to receive from the queen at Buckingham Palace in June. We have never seen Foxy with shoes on or without some provocative tee shirt, so Elisabeth asks him what he plans to wear to the awards ceremony. He replies that it will be an African outfit. We return to Singoalla for Larry’s pina coladas and Elisabeth’s pea soup with sliced avocados and homemade croutons. We finish the evening with another few hands of gin rummy.
March 28, 2009, Great Harbor – Caneel Bay – Maho Bay, St. John, USVI
Elisabeth and Catharina go ashore to the bakery for fresh bread while Larry prepares the boat for departure. After breakfast we make the short one hour broad reach to Caneel bay, St. John in the USVI and pick up a mooring near the Caneel Bay resort. We take the dinghy into the resort and walk over the Lind Point Trail to Cruz Bay to clear into the U.S. We pick up a few supplies at the Dolphin Market, then walk back to Caneel Bay in time for a late lunch at the resort. Elisabeth and Catharina order fruit salads and Larry has his first hamburger in four months. We return to Singoalla and motor the four miles up wind to Maho Bay, a picturesque bay that is part of the national park on St. John. We pick up a mooring near Maho Bay Camps. Larry and Catharina work several cross word puzzles, then Catharina decides that we need a change in our cocktail regime, so she serves screwdrivers. Elisabeth to Larry’s surprise prepares hamburgers for Larry to grill, although she tries to convince him that they aren’t really hamburgers because they contain capers and various other spices.
March 29, 2009, Maho Bay – Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas
Catharina draining water from the dinghy at Maho Bay, ably supervised by Larry
On St John you pay for moorings by stuffin your fee in the little box on this unatttended boat
Elisabeth is more beautiful than even this magnificent floral display
Windmill ruin at the Annaberg sugar plantation
We take the dinghy ashore to Maho Bay Camps and walk up the 168 or so steps to the open air restaurant in this wonderfully rustic camp for grownups. After breakfast we walk to Leinster Bay and explore the ruins of the Annaberg sugar plantation. On the way back Catharina and Larry detour to the ruins of the old Danish school for slave children while Elisabeth heads straight back. We meet at the camp, take the dinghy out to Singoalla and put the engine and fuel tank aboard. We sail downwind across Pillsbury Sound through Current Passage, planning to anchor at Christmas Cove on Great St. James Island. We discover that the Rolex Regatta is finishing there and there must be 50 boats in the cove. We change plans and sail along the south side of St. Thomas, through the Gregerie Channels and anchor in Lindbergh Bay just off the Best Western Hotel. After a short swim, Elisabeth makes pork chops in salsa. We play some hands of gin rummy and are asleep by “cruisers’ midnight” – 9:00.
March 30, 2009 Lindberg Bay-Crown Bay Marina, St Thomas
Catharina is flying out today and we are to meet Michael Rossi and April Carleton, our next guests, at Crown Bay Marina. Although Lindbergh Bay is within walking distance of the airport, Elisabeth remembers how tight the entrance is to Crown bay marina can be if there are large powerboats there, so she asks Catharina to stay onboard until we have docked at the marina. As it happens, there are no large boats today and the wind is light so docking is a piece of cake. Just as we finish tying up at the dock, Michael and April arrive with April’s longstanding friend Al Whittemore, who now lives on St Thomas. We have a leisurely lunch at Tickle’s Restaurant at the marina, and Al very kindly offers to drive Catharina to the airport. We spent the afternoon provisioning and stowing. Larry prepares Pina Coladas as the traditional welcome aboard drink and Elisabeth serves a light dinner with smoked turkey and (homemade) potato salad.
March 31, 2009 Crown Bay Marina-Maho Bay, St John
Micahel and April on the way to Maho Bay
Michael and April enjoy dinner on Singoalla
We leave Crown Bay mid morning, reach down Gregerie Channel, then beat in about 20 knots apparent along the south shore of St Thomas. We have set the main with 2 reefs, so we are quite comfortable while making almost 6 knots at a good wind angle. We require a short 2 minute engine burst to get around Calf rock, but we are perfectly on the layline to Current Hole. We see Adventurer and Adventuress, the Catamarans that Al Whittemore works on, and we hail each of them with no response. We are able to sail through Current Hole against the current with Adventuress right behind us. Michael steers on the close reach to Caneel Bay on St John. Adventuress passes us on her way to Honeymoon Beach at Caneel Bay. We plan to have lunch off Honeymoon Beach so we pick up a mooring near Adventuress. We look for Al, but cannot see him. Pretty soon Adventurer comes along and anchors nearby. We think we can see Al, and wave repeatedly until he sees us and waves back. In the middle of this semaphoring, a motorboat, Pirates Penny, comes close by -- and Al is driving that boat. We feel a little sheepish and wonder who the nice man is with whom we have been exchanging waves. We speculate that he must be wondering which of his friends are on that nice blue sailboat. After lunch we motor through Durloe Passage over to Maho Bay where we pick up a mooring for the night. For dinner Larry grills marinated filet mignons that Michael and April brought with them from Rhode Island. After dinner April and Michael teach Elisabeth and Larry how to play cribbage- or at least they try to.
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