Cruise news again

March 18: The forecasts for this week are that the northerly swells will build this week to the highest they have been in several years – 15 feet or so.. All the boats who can are planning to remain in protected harbors this week, and we will do the same. Today we confirm with the Jolly Harbour Marina that Singoalla will be hauled on March 31 and stored on jack stands that are welded together and strapped down with heavy duty webbing to large chains anchored in a reinforced concrete slab. This form of storage is approved by a number of insurance companies. Today turns out to be a national “holiday” in Antigua, in honor of the funeral of a former prime minister. We spend some time ashore working on the blog, with mixed success as usual, then return to the boat. It is hot here, so we decide to erect our awning to provide more shade. We work to figure out how to accommodate the Dutchman system of flaking the mainsail so that the awning will be easier to set up. We find that the Hall Quikvang will hold up the boom so we can move the topping lift out of the way. By adding a zipper at the forward end we believe the awning will be much more useful in the future. The rest of the day we read and do minor maintenance and cleaning chores. After a light supper of soup and French bread we read until it is time for lights out.

March 19: Today the Anjo Insurances office at Jolly Harbour is open. The lady here is knowledgeable about marine insurance and is very helpful. We are able to obtain the necessary insurance to store the boat here on Antigua, and she makes a number of suggestions that save us money. We check with customs and immigration to see if we have any issues there, and discover that we should have gone to immigration to remove the family Helgius from our crew list when they departed – or perhaps we should have listed them as passengers instead of crew. Fortunately Elisabeth has the flight number on which they left the island, so the immigration officer is able to confirm that the Helgius are not likely to become a burden on the local economy. We can now leave the island in good conscience, as long as we return together next fall. If only one of us comes down, we will have to bring a letter showing that the other one is not on the island. We are beginning to get used to bureaucracy running rampant, so we agree with the immigration officer that we will not get divorced between now and then. We pick up our laundry and return to Singoalla for a strenuous afternoon of heavy reading. Elisabeth prepares a delicious chicken dinner and we manage to stay awake until almost 9:00.

March 20: We conclude that we have been entirely too sedentary this week, so we will go for a hike. After the morning’s frustrating attempt to upload pictures to the blog and a nice lunch on board, we go ashore in walking shoes and look for a place to go. We go to the security guard at the entrance to the harbor complex and ask for a recommendation for a nice walk. We should add that a requirement to be hired as a security guard here seems to be a waist dimension at least equal to height. After expressing astonishment that anyone would ask such a question she suggests that we go down towards the Castaways Beach Bar, which sounds like it must be a couple of miles away. We follow her suggestion and in five minutes are standing on Jolly Beach in front of Castaways. Not satisfied that we have gone far enough, we walk up the beach and up a nearby point of land where waterfront lots are being sold. The view is terrific, and we are able to see the swells as they roll by -- although they do not appear to be as dramatic as the forecast indicated. We wonder what kind of architecture is going to be needed to put homes on the steep lots, most of which have already been sold. We are reminded of some of the steep sites in the San Francisco area. We return and go to the other end of the beach were the Jolly Beach Resort is located. We admire the various shades of white to lobster red of the bathers along the beach, and wince at the thought of how some of them are going to feel tomorrow. We return to the marina and celebrate our healthy walk with a beer at the waterfront bar there. We return to Singoalla and Elisabeth prepares dinner of pork chop with papaya and boiled potatoes. MMM!

More cruise news , updated March 22

March 7: A “lay day”. Bengt, Lotta and Emelie go ashore to explore Portsmouth while Elisabeth and Larry stay on board to wait for Philip, the refrigerator repairman Martin has found for us. When Philip comes on board, he finds that the refrigerant is completely out of the system. While he is recharging the system, he tells us that he is also a chef and an electrician. He says that even with Dominica’s high unemployment rate you can always find work if you can do lots of different things. The Helgius return and, after a quick lunch (sandwiches made on wonderful coconut bread purchased from a local street vendor) they go with Martin for an afternoon of snorkeling. We are invited to dinner aboard Rockhopper. First Bob gives us a tour and shows us the incredible systems installed by the eccentric Englishman he purchased the boat from. The entire galley is gimbaled – not just the stove, but counters and sinks too. The dining table is also gimbaled, with each side moving separately. The woodwork and engineering required to accomplish this is nothing short of amazing. It also weighs a lot, so Rockhopper is not exactly a speed demon. Herring, snaps and Swedish songs make up the first course, followed by boeuf bourguignon and topped off by a fruit compote, coffee and chocolates. It is hard to waddle in a dinghy, but if it is possible that is how we got home.


Martin takes the family Helgius snorkeling



March 8: Saturday is market day in Portsmouth. All the farmers bring their produce in very early. The market opens about 5:00 a.m., and goes until everything is sold out. We are warned that the best items go early, and late arrivals have slim pickings. Elisabeth is picked up by the Rockhoppers at 5:45, and has a ball buying all sorts of fruits and vegetables at bargain prices. She returns fully laden at 7:00 and we all go back in for a second helping. The farmer whose land we crossed to get to the Bwa Nef falls is there, and Elisabeth buys tomatoes and lemons from him. We leave Dominica about 10:00 for les Saintes. We have a terrific reach over the 18 mile passage, much more comfortable than the crossing on the trip south. The visibility is good, so we go the short way and thread the needle through the Passe de Dames and anchor close into shore by Pain du Sucre. We go ashore and walk into Bourg des Saintes. The police station, which acts for customs at les Saintes, is of course closed, so we cannot clear in. We stop for a beer at the little quai-side bar 1664. It is just by the town dock and we watch the ferries from Guadeloupe come and go. Bengt buys some mystery pies from a roadside vendor, and decides that they are either apple or pear pies. We pick up bread and a few groceries at the local market and return to Singoalla just at sunset. After a nice dinner we enjoy coffee and dessert. The coconut pies Bengt bought are excellent. You may have gathered that Bengt’s French is not up to the standard of his English or his German.



At the market

Elisabeth's haul from the market

The market is very laid back

The variety available at the market is incredible









March 9: Relatively light winds from the east mean a very pleasant reach towards Guadeloupe. We decide to try to reach Deshaies, about 50 miles away and if possible to stop for lunch and snorkeling at Pigeon Island. We leave at 9:30 and go across the passage to Pointe du Vieux Fort at 7+ knots, a great beginning. The sail up the lee side of Guadeloupe is, as usual, quite variable but mostly very pleasant. The wind goes from 5 knots to 15 knots, and changes from easterly to northwesterly and back depending on the topography of the nearby coast. In one of the quiet spells we are within talking distance of a French flagged Beneteau, and have a nice conversation in mixed languages with the captain. He sailed in Sweden last year and was very complimentary. We are forced to motor from time to time to keep our schedule, and when we come to Pigeon island there are no moorings available. You are not allowed to anchor here to protect the coral, so we motor around the island and continue on our way. We eat lunch under way and arrive at Deshaies about 4:00. We find an excellent spot to anchor, and see not far away Nijo with our Norwegian friend John Andreasen on board. Elisabeth swims over and invites John over for a drink before we go ashore for dinner. Since Nina has had to return to Norway, John is sailing alone and seems happy to have company. After cocktails we go ashore to Le Mouillage, a restaurant recommended by the guide book. The restaurant is crowded and the staff is at best nonchalant about service. After about 20 minutes and no contact with our waitress or hostess, Bengt and Emelie go out to look for another place. After about 5 minutes they come back and urge us to move to a small Creole restaurant just down the street. We do that with great success. At dinner, we agree with john that we will sail to Antigua together tomorrow.

March 10: John goes ashore to clear out. Customs has changed its sign this morning to indicate that it will be open in the afternoon instead of in the morning. He marches in and says that he is going to leave, and waited all weekend for the opening time that was on the door. Customs relents and clears him out. Since we have not cleared in (customs was not open when we arrived yesterday) we elect not to go through the hassle. We leave when John returns at about 9:00 and set sail just after Nijo does. The boats are remarkably evenly matched in speed, so we are never more than about ¼ mile apart. We reach across to English Harbor in very comfortable conditions, a really marvelous day on the water. We motor into English Harbor behind Nijo. It is very well protected, but very crowded today. We decide to go back out and around to Falmouth Harbor next door, which is much larger and much more open. We find a good anchoring spot not far from the Falmouth Harbor Marina, and both boats anchor within talking distance of one another. It is too late to go to customs, so John joins us on Singoalla for cocktails and dinner. He comes bearing rum punch, and we have a great time admiring the mega-sailboats at the marina. Dinner of grilled chicken, pasta and salad is excellent. We agree that we will all walk to Shirley Heights for lunch tomorrow.

March 11: Larry takes the dinghy ashore and walks over to English Harbor to clear in. The customs officer gives him forms that must be filled out and signed by all crew members, and says that it is OK if everyone comes ashore and walks around before the boat has cleared in. It is astonishing how different the different islands treat the clearing in process. So, back to the boat with the forms, then everyone goes ashore. Elisabeth heads for the Internet café, family Helgius goes sightseeing around Nelson’s Dockyard and shopping for tee shirts, and Larry stands in line at customs. We all gather (including John) at the water taxi to go across the harbor to Galleon Beach from which we walk up (and up and up) to Shirley Heights and magnificent views of English and Falmouth Harbors and more. After lunch Elisabeth and Larry call a taxi to go to Jolly Harbor to arrange for summer storage of Singoalla, and family Helgius returns to English Harbor by trail and water taxi. The ride to Jolly Harbor is interminable, and we discover that it would have been far cheaper to rent a car for the day. Nevertheless, we are impressed by the professionalism shown at Jolly harbor and the arrangements they make for hurricane protection. They weld the supports together using concrete reinforcing rod and strap the boats down with heavy webbing to heavy-duty chains embedded in a strong concrete pad. We tentatively agree to have the boat stored there providing we can get it insured. Our current insurance policy does not cover the boat if it is south of Georgia during the hurricane season. There is an office of Anjo Insurance at the marina, but it is only open on Wednesdays and Fridays. We call their head office in St. John’s, and are told that we have to fill out an extensive form before they can give us a quote. They can fax it to us if we can find an available fax machine. We return and give the taxi driver all the money we have in our pockets, and it is just barely enough. Bengt picks us up at the marina, and we return to Singoalla where we have grilled chicken for dinner with John as our guest and then early to bed.

English and Falmouth Harbors from Shirley Heights

John at lunch at Shirley Heights

March 12: After breakfast Larry goes in search of a fax machine and Elisabeth goes in search of the Internet. While Elisabeth tries to arrange transportation home and to Sweden to accommodate our change in plans, Larry goes into a store called Lord Jim’s Locker to see if they have a fax that we can use. He encounters there a wonderful old gentleman named Jol Byerley who is both a character and an institution on the island. Larry saw him last during Antigua race week in 1993. He was quite memorable, because he always raced his boat with an all girl crew who raced topless. Needless to say, his competition was often quite distracted and he tended to do quite well. For some inexplicable reason he takes a liking to us – Elisabeth’s partly blond hair probably has something to do with it. He says that he knows all the people at Anjo, and after a number of attempts to reach the right people by phone offers to drive us to the head office at the Woods Centre tomorrow morning and perform the proper introductions. He suggests an alternative boat yard that we might look into that is right in Falmouth Harbor. When we get back to Singoalla, Bengt and Larry take the dinghy over to the Catamaran Club Marina to look at Hugh Bailey’s boat yard. We have mixed reactions, and decide that we should stay with the plan to keep the boat at Jolly Harbor. We have cocktails on board together with John, and go to le Cap Horn for very good wood-fired pizzas. We enjoy talking to a young Swedish family at the next table. Both parents are stunningly attractive, and we quickly conclude that they must be models, or if they are not they should be.

Nelson's Dockyard is a mostly restored Georgian British headquarters from the 1700's

March 13: We meet Jol at his store at 9:30, and he drives us in his brand new Range Rover to Woods Centre. On the way we get a perspective of the history and current politics of the island. At Anjo Jol introduces us to Mr. Watkins. Mr. Watkins doesn’t have a clue about boats, but he is very friendly and diligent, and eventually we get the necessary form filled out. He calls the underwriter who fortunately does know about boats, and she gives us a preliminary quote that we find quite attractive. We agree that he will give us a formal quote on Monday, and return with Jol to Falmouth Harbor. When he hears that we plan to sail to Barbuda tomorrow, he suggests that we spend the night at Green Island on the east side of Antigua, from which we should have a better angle of sail to Barbuda. We thank him and agree to follow his advice. John on Nijo is going to sail with us, and we decide that Bengt and Lotta will go on his boat to make life easier for him and to have the experience of sailing on a new 42 foot Beneteau. We motor most of the way across the southern end of Antigua, and Singoalla motor sails the rest of the way after we round the southeast corner with just a part of the genoa out. It is both comfortable and quick. Nijo is more ambitious and sails the last few miles. Rickett Harbor on Green Island is a beautiful natural harbor, one of the few we have seen in the Leewards. Only 2 other boats are there, and we enjoy a beautiful sunset in idyllic surroundings. Dinner begins with herring and snaps and continues with “fiskebollar” (fish dumplings) contributed by John accompanied by boiled potatoes and salad.

Nijo with guest crew off Green Island

March 14: After breakfast Elisabeth and Emelie are delivered to Nijo, as they will be John’s crew today. We motor around to the east end of Green Island and set sail for Palmetto Point on Barbuda. Elisabeth is impressed by the electric winch that John uses to hoist the mainsail, and is quite jealous. Larry is worried what this portends for our budget. Once again we are amazed by how evenly these two boats sail. We arrive at Barbuda after 32 miles of sailing at about 7 knots literally within a few hundred feet of one another. We are gratified that the wind lightens a little at the end, giving Singoalla a slight advantage so that we arrive first by about a minute. We motor slowly up the east coast of Barbuda in very shallow water along a beach that extends uninterrupted for 11 miles. Barbuda is an absolutely gorgeous island- and inhabited by only 1600 people! We anchor close to shore, both boats again within talking distance of each other. We go over to Nijo, and John opens a bottle of champagne in celebration of our “victory”. We return to Singoalla for dinner of ham and pineapple contributed by John, whose food inventory of canned goods is impressive- with tomato sauce and green peas. We make a serious dent in our wine supply. We watch carefully as John rows back to Nijo to make sure he arrives safely.

High fashion on Nijo

Singoalla on the east coast of Antigua


















Singoalla reaches along the coast of Antigua














Emelie at the helm of Nijo

Elisabeth on Nijo leads Singoalla on the way to Barbuda














Bengt, Lotta & Elisabeth celebrate our arrival to Barbuda

March 15: All 4 Swedes go for a swim before breakfast and thereafter we call “Garden of Eden” on the VHF, and George Jeffrey responds and agrees to take us on a tour of the frigate bird sanctuary at the north end of the lagoon. John joins us as we go over the narrow spit of land that separates the lagoon from the Caribbean to wait for George. He arrives in an open skiff about 30 feet long that is obviously very seaworthy. He takes us first to Codrington, the only town on the island to pay for the permit for the tour, then we head north up the lagoon. The first thing we encounter is a large lighted bell buoy lying mostly on its side where no buoy is needed. George explains that it was found floating off the island by some fishermen who towed it back home. Research indicated that it had broken loose from its home station somewhere in Canada, and in order to arrive at Barbuda had to follow the ocean currents across the Atlantic to Europe, down the coast there and back over from somewhere around the Azores. The Canadians say they have replaced the buoy and don’t need it back, much to the disappointment of the salvors. The frigate bird rookery is nothing short of amazing. In the height of the mating season there are about 16,000 birds nesting in the mangroves in a space about a quarter mile wide by three quarters long. When we are there most of the males have gone to who knows where, but the females and chicks remain. The birds are totally unafraid of humans, and we approach within a few yards of white chicks just beginning to exercise their undeveloped wings, and mothers bringing half digested fish back to their young. We return to Codrington where John needs to clear out so he can continue his trip to Tortola where Nijo will be shipped back to Europe. We leave John there and return to Singoalla for immediate departure back towards Antigua since the Helgius must return to Sweden tomorrow. We have another very comfortable crossing, but when we get to Dickinson Bay where we had planned to spend the night, it does not look very attractive and we don’t see a single other boat there. We decide to change plans and go to Deep Bay, just south of St. John’s. It is very well protected and a lovely anchorage. We anchor just ahead of a Vega, a 27 foot Swedish built sailboat, with a Swedish flag flying from the spreader. Just after we anchor a young couple rows over from the Vega because they have seen our Swedish flag. He is a Swede who came to the US to study and decided to stay. She is an American, and they met at Clark University in Massachusetts. They are fulfilling their dream of cruising in the Caribbean, and expect to spend at least 3 years on that little boat. Just after they return another dinghy arrives, with Jay Hellstrom aboard. His grandfather was Swedish and he decided to visit the “Swedish contingent” in the harbor. He is sailing Hell’s Belles, a very posh Little Harbor sailboat built in Rhode Island. After our social hour we decide to go ashore for a final dinner with the Helgius. We start at the Royal Antiguan Hotel at Deep Bay, but it is so dead that we call a cab and go into Hemingway’s in St John’s instead. We return after a very nice dinner and one of the latest nights in recent memory – it is after 10:30 when lights are out.>


11 miles of uninterrupted beach!

John joins us on the trip to the frigate bird colony













Thousands of frigate birds populate the nearby mangroves













George resorts to a pole in the shallow waters


















Emelie walks towards Nijo and Singoalla on Barbuda >













Rain showers can be very local









March 16: Morning is a flurry of packing and getting ready to leave. The larder is quite bare, so breakfast is a pretty mixed affair. We are astonished when we are hailed by a departing charter boat. There is KG Gregory, the man who sold Singoalla to us 28 years ago, and who owns the yard where we have stored the boat for two winters. We are constantly amazed at how small the world really is. While we are packing, Jay and Linda Hellstrom stop by and offer to take our garbage ashore. We consider that to be a very thoughtful gesture and gladly accept. We go ashore about 11:00. It takes 2 trips to get all the people and bags in the right place, but eventually we are able to call a cab and the family Helgius is off for colder lands. It has been really great to have them on board, and we are sorry to see them go. We have lunch at the hotel and take advantage of their WiFi network to make phone calls and do some banking business. On the return trip to Singoalla we stop by Hell’s Belles and invite the Hellstroms over for cocktails. Elisabeth spends the afternoon tidying up Singoalla while Larry does maintenance chores. Linda and Jay join us at 5:00 and we spend a couple of hours getting to know this delightful couple. They have been cruising for over 10 years, and we have fun swapping disaster stories and learning about each other’s families. After they leave we have a bowl of soup for dinner and struggle to stay awake until 8:30. It doesn’t work.








Last breakfast on Singoalla before returning to Sweden






March 17: We have heard some chatter on the radio the last couple of days about some impending northerly swells, so we make a point of listening to Chris Parker today. He predicts swells of 10 to 12 feet beginning Tuesday evening and continuing for several days. We decide that we want to be in a very well protected harbor. Since we have some loose ends to clear up with the people at Jolly Harbor, we decide to go there to see if we can pick up a mooring in the inner harbor. We leave around 9:30 and wave goodbye to the Hellstroms on the way out. Jolly Harbor is only about 5 miles away, so we sail down the coast under jib alone, admiring the beautiful beaches and nice homes – including, we were told, the home of one Georgio Armani. When we come into Jolly Harbor, we are pleased to find one mooring available and immediately take it. We go ashore with laundry and a laundry list of things to check. The yard is once again quite professional and we are pleased with them. We have lunch at Pete’s barbeque, then reprovision at the very complete grocery store. On board it is hot, so we spend some time putting up our awning and figuring out how to improve it for next year. Right now it takes too much effort to set it up, but the addition of a few zippers will turn it into something we can use on a regular basis. In the afternoon Larry works on the blog while Elisabeth is deep into reading one of Stieg Larson’s mystery novels and eventually opens the bar. A quiet evening of reading leads to early to bed as usual.

The cruise continues – March 7, 2008 , updated March 22

February 25: Once again up at 7:00, breakfast on board, then we go in to pick up our tiny rental car for an island tour. We take Helge’s bags with us and begin by going to the airport where he checks in for his evening flight. We experience Fort de France’s vaunted rush hour traffic – it is impressive – then start up into the mountains. Roads in Martinique are surprisingly good, presumably one of the benefits of being a part of France Outremer. We visit the Sacre Coeur church, an approximate copy of the Sacre Coeur de Montmartre in Paris, of which Martiniquans appear to be very proud. Good views of the Baie du Fort de France. We then drive the “Route de la Trace”, which follows the trail through the mountains used by Jesuit priests in search of herbs and bark for their incense. When we come back down it is to the Atlantic Ocean on the island’s eastern side. We stop for lunch at the Pointe du Vue Restaurant, and there truly is a beautiful view point. We then drive out on the Caravalle Peninsula as far as we can, and walk for an hour or so among the mangroves. It is very hot today, so we stop at a seaside café for a quick beverage, then continue our drive back to the airport. After Helge leaves for his flight, Elisabeth and Larry stop at the first large grocery store we see and buy about all we can carry. Just as we get back to the marina a rain squall comes through. We wait for it to pass, then out to Singoalla for a light dinner of bread and cheese. We decide that we will not drink any wine until our next guests arrive on Saturday. We run the engine for a couple of hours to charge the battery, then lights out around 10:00.

February 26: This is a work day. We don’t have more guests until Saturday, and plan to do some much needed maintenance chores during the week. We go ashore and buy varnish, thinner, brushes and sandpaper at “le Ship”, the chandlery at the marina. We search in vain for the needed screwdrivers. Back on the boa we are visited by a very pleasant Frenchman from the boat directly downwind from us. He says he understands our need to charge the batteries, but he and his wife had to breathe 2 hours of our diesel fumes last night. He points out a vacant mooring nearby that he says is owned by a friend of his, and asks if we would consider moving to it. We are happy to oblige and do so immediately. We are surprised at how near the designated mooring is to the boat behind it. We shorten the bow lines as much as possible and resolve to be very alert to any movement of the boat. We spend the afternoon sanding the cabin sole in preparation for varnishing, then dusting and cleaning with a tack rag. We finish after dark and decide to wait until the morning whe we can apply the varnish in better light. After a light dinner of butternut squash soup, French bread and brie, we read until the internal lights go out.

February 27: We are up early and have a quick breakfast. We plan to try to get 2 coats of varnish today, thinking that the drying time may be shortened in the warm weather. We want the first coat down as early as possible. Afterward we go ashore for laundry and more shopping as soon as the varnish is on the sole. We take the laundry into the “Pressing” where they agree to wash and fold it by noon tomorrow. We then walk to the Carenage, a nearby more commercial harbor, in search of a pump and some screwdrivers. We are partially successful, then go to the Champion grocery store where we find a coffee pot to replace our broken one. We have lunch at Paul, a very nice little bakery that makes wonderful sandwiches as well as good bread and various other sweet delicacies. We return to the boat to see if the varnish is dry – no it is not. We spend the afternoon on deck or in the forward cabin, periodically checking the state of the varnish. At about 5:00 we conclude that we can begin sanding for the next coat. That means that we will only be able to put on two coats this week, but we think that will be a real improvement anyway. We go into Mango Bay Restaurant for dinner, as we thought we would not have access to the galley this evening and have not shopped for supplies. We meet a charming Norwegian who is sailing his Beneteau 42 in the Caribbean for a couple of years. His wife has gone home to Norway for a while, leaving him to maintain the boat in her absence. Is there a pattern developing here?

February 28: Up at 7:00 as usual. Breakfast in the cockpit, then we apply another coat of varnish to the cabin sole. We can’t do much on the boat, so we take the computer to Mango Bay where we work on the blog and other more mundane tasks that require communication. Elisabeth makes a fourth try at getting her hair cut and this time succeeds, a really raffish cut that becomes her very well. We have pizza for lunch at Mango Bay. We continue to try to upload pictures to our blog, with limited success. We take the mainsail cover to the local sail maker to have the zipper replaced. We decide to let the varnish dry all night before attempting to walk on it, so dinner is a baguette and cheese in the cockpit. We get around in the boat by walking on berths and on the stringers where the floor boards have been removed. We sleep comfortably in the forward vee berth.

February 29: Leap year, although we fail to note it at the time. We rise early as usual and spend about 2 hours putting the boat back together. Then we have a general maintenance day: Change the oil in the engine, tighten the fan belt, replace a switch in a corroded overhead lamp, diagnose the same problem in another overhead lamp, try to find out why the refrigeration water pump is not working – we think it is the impeller. After lunch we go into Mango Bay for coffee and ice cream and to try to upload more pictures. After 2 hours wee have not succeeded in getting a single picture up. We pick up the mainsail cover and return to Singoalla to install it. We then go by dinghy over to le Carenage where we get dinghy fuel and shop for groceries at Champion. We return to the boat just at dark. After dinner, we read for a short while, then to bed.

WiFi is very popular!

March 1: Today the Helgius arrive. We spend the morning making the boat sparkle. Larry picks up the rental car at noon, but leaves it at the rental agency as we will not need it until we go to pick up our guests at the airport. When he returns to the boat, Elisabeth announces that the refrigerator is not working, and that everything in the freezer has thawed out. Larry confirms that the compressor is turning apparently as it should, and guesses that the refrigerant has leaked out. Elisabeth takes the dinghy in and buys a huge block of ice which we put into the freezer compartment. Since this is Saturday, we understand that no repairs are possible until Monday, so we will have to find regular supplies of ice until we can get new refrigerant. About 3:00 we pick up the car and drive to the giant Carrefour shopping center near the airport. We load up on groceries then go to the airport to meet Bengt, Lotta and Emelie. They arrive on time, and we are able to return to le Marin during daylight so they can see some of the island. We need two trips with the dinghy to get all the people and gear on board. Our new varnish job, and the refit in general, receive gratifying rave reviews from Bengt & Lotta. We celebrate their arrival with wonderful French cheeses and wine, then unpack and stow gear. It is very late Swedish time, so we retire before 9:00.

Waiting for our guests

March 2: Today is Sunday, and nothing is open. Rather than stay at le Marin all day, we decide to go to Ste. Anne and take the Helgius on a part of the beautiful path along the shore. We want to be in le Marin Monday so we can have someone look at the refrigeration. Larry and Bengt go ashore to return the car keys and pick up croissants for breakfast. For some inexplicable reason Bengt doesn’t understand Larry’s French, and thinks they are going to buy underwear (kalsonger in Swedish) instead of breakfast. We motor over to Ste. Anne and anchor near where we have been before. Lunch is followed by a very nice walk, then we return to the same mooring in le Marin at the end of the day. We have pork carre for dinner, and the pleasure of listening to a long political rally over loudspeakers from the shore.

Ste. Anne from the stages of the cross

March 3: Larry and Bengt go ashore at 8:00 to find the refrigeration specialist. Well, he is closed on Monday. We decide that it is not worth waiting another day, and we will use ice until we can get the refrigeration repaired. After breakfast we leave the mooring and sail around the southwest corner of Martinique past HMS Diamond Rock and up to Pte. Du Bout – a run, mostly wing and wing, to Pte. Du Diamant, where we cross close behind a catamaran on the other jibe. They begin shouting and waving their arms, then rapidly pull in the fishing lines they are towing astern. We attempt to apologize in sign language. An easy reach up to Islet des Ramiers is followed by a beat in a fresh breeze to Pte. Du Bout. A very pleasant introduction to Caribbean sailing for the family Helgius. We pick up the same mooring wee had two weeks ago. We go ashore and walk around the Pte. Du Bout area to see if we can find someone who works on refrigeration, without success. We pick up a few supplies at the perfectly awful 8@Huit, then return to le Ponton for beers before returning to Singoalla. Elisabeth and Lotta prepare an excellent salmon dinner. The night is peaceful except for a couple of small rain showers.

March 4: Larry and Emelie go ashore to buy the morning’s baguettes, then clear out via Internet at the Bakoua marina. We return with ice cubes and a full tank of dinghy fuel. The weather guru has declared that today is a good day for passages between islands in the Eastern Caribbean, so we set sail immediately to see how far we can get. Roseau, Dominica, is about 50 miles away, and we decide to try to reach there. We sail up the west coast of Martinique, mostly at between 7 and 8 knots. We hit a few dead spots behind high headlands and, since we are in a hurry, we turn on the iron genoa and motoer through them, usually in a matter of a few minutes. We have an excellent passage between Martinique and Dominica with about 4-6 foot seas and 20-25 knot winds. Bengt steers most of the way and has so much fun he wishes the passage were longer. We contact Pancho on our approach to Roseau, and his assistant leads us to a mooring about 75 feet from shore. This seems pretty close, but we realize that about 200 feet from shore the water is about 200 feet deep. We tie up for the night, and our guide agrees to pick us up at 9:00 in the morning to go to customs for clearing in.. Pasta with tomato sauce for dinner.Several rain squalls during the night disturb our sleep.

Bengt steers on passage while Emelie goes Hollywood

The family that sails together stays together

March 5: Larry goes to the customs office on the ferry dock with one of Pancho’s assistants, while the other crew members take the dinghy into the Fort Young Hotel for sightseeing and shopping. The guide proves to be worth his cost, as Larry is ushered around the queue of people waiting for the ferry to Martinique for a painless clearance in. Larry finds the others wandering around Roseau. After a short stop at the duty free wine store, we return to Singoalla. The hardest part of the stay proves to be paying Pancho for his mooring. We finally get one of his friends to take the money to Pancho’s house, which is nearby on the beach, and give it to his wife. We sail to Rollo Head at the south end of Prince Rupert Bay (where Portsmouth is) under extremely varying conditions, sometimes at 7 plus knots, sometimes on starboard tack, sometimes on port tack, and sometimes under power for lack of wind. We drop the sails just short of Rollo Head because the wind has died. As we round the point into the bay we are suddenly greeted by 30 knot winds on the nose blasting out of Prince Rupert Bay. We contact Providence on channel 16, and Martin leads us to the same mooring we had three weeks ago. To our delight, Rockhopper has anchored about 50 yards ahead of us about half an hour before we came. Bengt and Lotta’s friend Maria is on board, and we arrange to have dinner together at Big Papa’s. We get Martin to take us on a late afternoon tour up the Indian River. It is astonishing how quiet it is along the river considering the howling wind just outside. We arrange with Martin for a tour of the north part of the island similar to the one Dylan took us on a few weeks ago. At dinner, Bob and Maria decide to join us, so we will have a very congenial group tomorrow. We are pleased that the wind has subsided by the time we are ready to return to Singoalla.

Emelie on the Indian River

March 6: As planned, Martin picks us up at 8:00 and delivers us to the van where Dylan is waiting to take us on our tour. Much of it at our request is a repeat of the tour Elisabeth and Larry took a few weeks ago. A new, fantastic addition is the Bwa Nef (Creole for bois neuf which in turn is French for new wood) Falls. A somewhat difficult 30 minute walk over very uneven terrain through the rain forest brings us to the most amazing falls any of us has ever seen. It is as if we are in a cavern and the falls come down a vertical face we estimate at 50 meters. Photographs can’t do it justice. We also visit the Chaudiere pool, where once again we take advantage of the opportunity to bathe in fresh water. Larry falls and twists his knee on the way down, but the damage does not seem to be too serious. At Anse de Mai we find a fisherman who has caught a several hundred pound marlin as well as a 150 pound yellow fin tuna and several mahi mahi. He is just cutting up the marlin as we arrive. We ask where he caught and are told that it was about 40 miles offshore, beyond Marie Galante. We are amazed, as his boat is an open outboard, about 18 feet long. He had to tow the marlin back, because it was too heavy to lift into the boat. One thinks of Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, but this story had a better finish. We had a big late lunch of local foods in Calabishie. We skipped dinner when we returned to the boat. Lotta put ice on Larry’s knee, and after 30 minutes the swelling was reduced considerably.

Bob and Maria on the north coast of Dominica













The Bwa nef waterfall cannot be appreciated from a photograph!













Butchering the marlin















This is how produce is brought in from the fields

The adventure continues – February 28, 2008 , updated March 19, 2008

February 18: We remain at Anse mitan. After breakfast we remove the genoa and the mainsail cover. Both are in need of repair, and we understand that there is a sail maker here. We take the sail cover ashore to look for the sail maker and to see if the hairdresser has an opening. Elisabeth is afraid she will find out what color her hair really is. Well, this is France. Both businesses area closed on Monday – it wouldn’t do to be available for the tourists too often. Finding the sail maker is an adventure – nobody seems to know where it is, including clerks in three stores within 50 meters of the actual location. We ask the local real estate agent – je suis desole, monsieur. When we finally find it, it is back to back with the real estate office, in the same building. We enjoy café au lait and a croissant at the Delifrance, and return to the boat. Close examination of the genoa shows that the tear is only in the spreader patch. We pull out the repair tape supplied by SSteve Thurston and make the necessary repair ourselves. We then clean up the boat in preparation for Helge Alten’s arrival. We visit Windscape 2, a nearby American-flagged Sabre 38 from Boston, and meet the Knapps, who have been cruising for over a year. They are on their way back north. They give us the code for the wifi network at the marina, so we go in to update our blog. Text is straightforward and quick, but it takes hours literally) to upload a few pictures. The computer battery dies before the job is complete. We decise to go for pizza at a local place recommended by the Knapps. After a good pizza we return to the marina to await Helge’s arrival. He arrives about 8:30, tired and hungry. The restaurant le PonTon is fully booked for the evening, so we go aout to Singoalla for good French bread, cheese and wine, then a good night’s sleep.

February 19: After breakfast we leave the mooring and go into the fuel dock to refill diesel and water. Then we head back over to Fort de France for reprovisioning. When we dropped the genoa for repairs, we found that the halyard had a number of broken strands just by the shackle. It had somehow been stressed during the 2,000 miles or so the sail had been up. We decide to buy a swaging device at the local chandlery, Sea Dervices, a generous offer from Helge. It turns out that Sea Services will provide swaging services, but does not sell the equipment. Larry goes back out to the boat to remove the halyard while Elisabeth and Helge go shopping for food and wine. Larry has a problem when the eye connecting the messenger to the halyard proves to be weakened by the sun and parts. He brings the halyard into the chandlery to be repaired, but there is no messenger line in the mast for easy reinstallation. We return to Singoalla and set sail under main alone for Grand Anse d’Arlet. We make 7 knots in relatively flat seas, so the genoa isn’t really missed and we are happy. We have trouble locating an island that shows up on our way on the chartplotter. When we check the paper chart, we find that the island does not exist. That’s a little scary, and reminds us to always check navigation data from more than one source. When we arrive at Grand Anse d’Arlet we anchor in the northwest corner where we expect to find a quiet lee. To our surprise, we roll around quiet a lot in swells that come into the bay from the southwest. We note that there are more boats in the southeast corner of the harbor, and decide to move there. We find a place quite close to sore in 15 feet of water that is quiet and comfortable. We enjoy Helge’s champagne before dinner, and consume 2 bottles of red wine with our grilled steak dinner. As you might imagine, we sleep very well.

Elisabeth at the mast top re-installing the repaired halyard

February 20: We elect to stay in this pretty harbor for the day. In late morning we go ashore, looking for a bakery and Wi-Fi Internet access. For some reason, we ignore le Pti Bateau, a small restaurant right at the end of the dock and walk along the beach to the extreme north end (after some helpful advice obtained by Helge from some locals) to Ti-Sable, reputed to be the best restaurant in the area. We spend a couple of hours updating the blog and using Skype to contact Elisabeth’s mother and sundry other acquaintances. We consider staying for lunch, but find the restaurant’s prices to be commensurate with its reputation. We walk back to the center of ‘town”, and find a tiny store where we can buy bread and some reasonable French wine. After lunch on board, we hoist Elisabeth to the mast head to drop a new messenger line down the inside of the mast so we cn install the halyard. She is very nervous, but survives the trip and does a very good job. We bend on the repaired genoa and roll it up on the head stay. Helge discovers that we have managed to cross the genoa halyards, so we repeat the process and do it right this time. We read, relax and swim for most of the rest of the afternoon. We grill a steak for dinner and make a serious dent in our wine supply.

Helge relaxes in Grand Anse d'Arlet

February 21: We plan to sail to St. Lucia, but first we have to clear out. We decide to return to Bakoua where we can use the internet to clear out, and we leave early, before the daily weather forecast. We set out with 2 reefs in the main and a small amount of jib. We discover that it is blowing about 30 knots as we start to head into Baie de Fort de France. We decide that this is not fun, and retreat to Grand Anse d’Arlet where we anchor within a few feet of where we spent the previous 2 nights. To make the best of it, we go back ashore and, of course, find the Internet. You will probably have guessed that le Pti Bateau has a very fine Wi-Fi arrangement. We sit under a tree on the beach and Elisabeth calls her mother o Skype. A heavy rain squall drives us under the roof, so we decide to have lunch there. Not spectacular, but tolerable. We need fuel for the dinghy, but find that there is no gas station anywhere nearby. We decide to rent a car to tour the island, but the town’s only car rental agency won’t have a car available for a week. Oh, well, reading and relaxing on the boat aren’t so bad. Elisabeth makes a great pytt I panna for dinner, and we go early to bed.

Looking for the green flash

February 22: We give up the plan to go to St. Lucia. There is not enough time to get there, see anything and get Helge back for his flight on Monday. But we are really tired of Grand Anse d’Arlet, pretty though it is. We determine to go to Ste. Anne on the south coast of Martinique whatever, the weather wee may encounter. We have a terrific sail: very fluky winds down the west side of the island varying from moment to moment from 5 to 25 knots. When we round Pte. Du Diamant we find steady winds at about 27 knots. We set the sails to accommodate the conditions and have a great time sailing past the other boats we see. We conclude that catamarans have an big Achilles heel when it comes to going up wind. We tack inside an interesting historic island, HMS Diamond Rock. This island was actually commissioned as a ship of the British Royal Navy, and they harassed the French from here for many years in the 18th century. The French tried repeatedly to take the island, and finally succeeded by allowing rafts full of rum to float downwind to the island. The resulting condition of the British sailors made the conquest rather easy. Ste. Anne is a beautiful anchorage. We anchor next to a boat flying the Swedish flag, a 30 foot Albin Ballad named Balder from Gothenburg that reminds Elisabeth of the sister ship owned by the Wickelbergs for many years. We talk to the couple on Balder. They have been sailing that little boat throughout the Caribbean since 1996! We go for a short walk ashore, find the local 8-a-huit, and provision for a couple of days. We also (wonder of wonders) find an open filling station so we are able to get fuel for the dinghy. Dinner is Elisabeth’s first real disaster, although it is no fault of hers. We had bought mahi-mahi on skewers to be grilled. They were so salty as to be almost inedible. We also poured out most of the bottle of Muscadet that we tried first. Nevertheless, spirits remained good and we disposed of our customary quantity of good wine.

Grand Anse d'Arlet is very pretty

Helge steers an exhilarating beat towards Ste. Anne

Larry takes a turn at the wheel

Evening below on Singoalla

February 23: Today Helge becomes Elisabeth’s hero, twice! First, after breakfast as Elisabeth is coming up on deck we hear “javlar”, a not too polite Swedish expletive. Her favorite hat has blown overboard. (This is the third time that this has occurred.) Helge is wearing swim trunks and immediately plunges in and retrieves the hat. A short time later we hear “javlar” again. Elisabeth has decided that the grill needs to be cleaned. In her enthusiasm she picks up and begins to brush what she thinks is a single part of the grill. It turns out to be two, and a soot-blackened 4 inch stainless steel disk falls into the water and immediately fails the float test. We are fortunately anchored in only about 17 feet of water. Helge and Larry put on snorkels and masks and look around for it. Larry soon concludes that his vision is not good enough to make out any details on the bottom. Helge, an experienced diver, takes a different approach. He swims down close to the bottom where he can see better. We give up after ½ hour or so and decide to wait until the sun is higher for better vision. Elisabeth serves a nice chef’s salad for lunch, and Helge makes another try for the grill part. After repeated dives Elsabeth tells him to give up – we will order another from the States. “OK, just one more dive,” says Helge, and returns with the disk. Amazing when you consider the amount of swinging the boat does on 75feet of anchor rode, and the unknown angle at which the disk-shaped part would sink. We raise the anchor and motor into the protected harbor at le Marin. We are startled to see at least 3 sailboats resting on reefs – looking as if they have only recently gotten there. We anchor just south of Banc Grande Basse and take the dinghy into the marina to look around. We have decided to rent a car Monday, so we make arrangements then take a short walk through town. The local church has more statues than you might expect. It seems that a ships captain donated the bulk of his cargo to the church in response to a promise to God when his ship was saved from a major storm. We return to the boat for chicken and pasta dinner, then read ourselves to sleep.

Le Marin on Martinique is a major yachting center

February 24: We arise at 7:00 after a very restful night in the protected harbor. We feel we have not been getting enough exercise, so we plan a long walk ashore. The best place to start according to the guide book seems to be Ste. Anne, so while Elisabeth prepares a lunch to take with us, Helge and Larry move the boat back to Ste. Anne. Raising the anchor is somewhat unpleasant as the bottom here is very sticky mud which Helge has the pleasure of washing off. We anchor at Ste. Anne near where we were before, and go ashore at about 10:00. We walk along a beautiful coast trail past beaches and cliffs to Plage des Salines. We arrive thirsty and hungry about noon. We quickly down 3 coca colas, find the lone vacant picnic table (in the sun – that’s why it is vacant) and enjoy Elisabeth’s marvelous chicken sandwiches. We walk back along the road through a very pastoral landscape unlike anything we have seen in these volcanic islands – herds of cattle in lush meadows, and lots of small white herons who seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the cattle. Back at the boat at about 2:00, we go for a swim to cool off, then move the boat back to le Marin. We “dress for dinner” – that is, we put on long pants for the first time in a very long time, and go ashore for a farewell dinner at Indigo – shrimp fritters, lamb filet or shrimp Creole, and ice cream for dessert, all accompanied by copious amounts of good wine.

Beautiful beach on Martinique

Lavers cruise continues – updated March 22

Downloading pictures takes an inordinately long time, so we are adding the pictures as we can. Please check back from time to time to see those that have been added.

February 6: Staffan and Eva Kihl join us at 9:00 for our now traditional breakfast onboard – croissants and baguette, yoghurt and cereal, juice and coffee. They have been on the island for several days and have rented a car. One of our propane tanks is empty and we are told by the folks at the marina that we must go to Jarry, some miles away across the bay, to get them filled. Staffan drives us to Jarry where we find what we half expected – everything is closed for carnival. Same story at the big Cora supermarket. We give up, and decide to take advantage of the car and tour the island. We drive into the national park on Basse Terre, and first visit a nice waterfall accessible by a paved stone walkway. Lots of tourists are there splashing in the pool at the foot of the fall. We drive on and find an open air restaurant high up in the mountains. Lunch is OK, but the view is impressive. There is an elevated wire nearby, and we see the occasional adventurer slide by on a harness. After lunch we drive down to the west coast, then northward to Deshaies. Eva and Staffan had dinner there the day after we left, so we are all familiar with the town. We stop for post card shopping, then continue on around the north side of Basse Terre and return to the marina just about dusk. After the big lunch, dinner is cheese and red wine.

February 7: Staffan and Larry are up early and head back to Jarry for propane. Well, the French are always French. They have their own connection system for propane, and it doesn’t fit our American tank. We ask about adapters, and are greeted with a gallic shrug of the shoulders “je suis desolee, monsieur”. Meanwhile, the ladies have walked to Cora and provisioned to their hearts content. It is a really well stocked supermarche. Staffan returns the car and we have a late breakfast. Since we now have different crew, we have to clear out with customs. Our papers are not quite in order (our application for an extension of our documentation has taken longer than expected in Washington, and the certificate has not yet caught up with us). The French do not recognize state registrations, only Federal documentation. Although I have the application for extension with me, the customs agent is quite unsympathetic. “No good for France, monsieur.” I am silent for a moment. He sighs disgustedly and stamps the papers to let us leave the country. We leave, a little nervous about what will happen when we get to Martinique. The downwind sail to Les Iles des Saintes is boisterous, but pretty quick. We average around seven knots. The passage was topped off by a 35 knot rain squall that mercifully lasted only about 20 minutes. Fortunately we saw it coming and had reduced sail in preparation. An unexpected bonus is that Staffan is an excellent sailor. Although we have known Eva since she was a nanny for our children, we have only met Staffan a few times before this week. Approaching the harbor we are assaulted by about a dozen Hobie cats – the local sailing school is out in full force. The harbor at Bourg des Saintes on Terre d’en Haut is very picturesque and very popular. We are forced to anchor near the commercial dock where it is a little rollier than we would prefer. Eva and Staffan prepare a wonderful steak dinner with a couscous salad. Elisabeth is ecstatic about not having to prepare dinner for a week. Eva and Staffan are both in the restaurant business, and their culinary skills are amazing.

Breakfast in the marina at Pointe au Pitre

Singoalla at the marina at Pte au Pitre

There are some pretty wild sailing craft out there

Sailing school at les Saintes

We enjoy a well deserved libation after the crossing to les Saintes
February 8: Eva and Staffan go into town to buy the day’s croissants and baguette. After breakfast, we move Singoalla to the west end of the island, behind Pain du Sucre (sugarloaf, which the point resembles). We feel the need for some exercise, so we go ashore and walk to the highest peak on the little island – about 320 meters in altitude. This is a typical volcanic island, very steep with dramatic views in all directions. The harbor seems very far away from the summit. The only sour note on the hike is the town dump, amazingly placed on a very steep slope and burning very fragrantly. We have to walk past the dumping place. On our way down we see the Wind Surf, one of the cruise ships with sails originally conceived by Karl Andren, approaching the harbor. We lunch at a little waterfront restaurant right by where the passengers are arriving from the cruise ship – salad nicoise or quiche. We enjoy classifying the passengers according to the scheme reported to us by a charter boat captain in the Virgin Islands: overfed, newly wed, and nearly dead. After lunch, Staffan and Larry walk up to the old Fort Napoleon overlooking the harbor from the north side while the ladies window shop. We get to the fort 2 hours after the museum is closed. By the time we return to the boat, we feel we have earned a beer, so we stop at the Hotel Bois Joli for a Carib, the popular Caribbean brew. Wine and cheese for dinner, then, as usual, early to bed.

Bourg des Saintes from le Chameau

Sweaty but happy on le Chameau

Bourg des Saintes from le Chameau

Can you find the airport (far right)?

We just liked this picture

We relax at Hotel Bois Joli

Wind Surf arrives

February 9: At breakfast we are forced to eat day-old bread, which feels like a cultural error on these French islands. We start early to sail to Dominica, about 20 miles. We encounter big waves, around 12 feet, a somewhat confused sea, and winds of 20-25 knots, gusting to 35. It is not a comfortable ride, but once again we average over 7 knots and are in protected waters in only about 2 ½ hours. It is amazing how quiet it can be in the lee of the islands when it is blowing so hard in the passages. Prince Rupert Bay is one of the most protected anchorages in the Leeward Islands, and Portsmouth is a very welcoming small town. There is a well-developed system of “river guides”, young men who adopt your boat and provide everything from shuttle service to customs, moorings, fresh fruit and, above all, tours to interesting places. Martin, who answers on VHF channel 16 to “Providence”, was recommended both by the cruising guide and by other boats we have met. We call him while still a couple of miles from the harbor. He shows us to a mooring when we arrive and takes Larry ashore in his boat and drives to customs for clearing in. It is a very simple process in Dominica, and we will not have to clear out if we leave with the same crew on board within 14 days. In the afternoon Martin rows us up the Indian River in the national park, describing the flora and fauna that we see (that includes a pretty good sized iguana), and talks to us about the history of the area. Among other things, he shows us reproductions of the grass-roofed houses that the various Indian tribes constructed. He cuts open a fallen coconut so we can taste the fresh coconut milk and the meat of fresh coconut. He also makes little birds as souvenirs for Elisabeth and Eva out of palm fronds he picks along the way. It is truly a magical tour. In the evening Elisabeth struggles with the Internet over a beer at the Purple Turtle while Larry and Staffan go in search of the town’s lone ATM so we can get some EC (Eastern Caribbean) dollars, and we finish with a good dinner that is almost what we ordered at Big Papa’s. We fall asleep to the music (?) coming from Big Papa’s weekly Saturday night party.

Can you see the iguana?

Bananas grow wild and are extensively cultivated too

The Indian River is frequently canopied by the vegetation

Fantastic root structures on the blood wood trees

Martin is one fantastic guide

Pretty view up river

White crab

Martin prepares to make a snack of fresh coconut

The beauty of Dominica is breathtaking

Martin makes a souvenir hummingbird for Elisabeth

February 10: Sunday morning. An early breakfast, because Martin has agreed to pick us up at 8:00 for a tour of the northern part of the island. He is accompanied by Dylan, who will be our tour guide for the day, driving Martin’s van. We are more and more amazed by the astounding topography of this island (it was formed by no less than eight volcanoes, some of which still show some signs of activity), and almost the entire island goes virtually straight up or straight down. As we drive along, Dylan stops the van every few hundred yards to get out and show us something fascinating. The first stop is a dugout canoe (made using hot coals and water from a single tree) still in use by a local fisherman. We see growing wild bananas, nutmeg, grapefruit, oranges, cashews, vanilla, mangoes, guava, plantains, and a relative of the raspberry, as well as, of course, coconuts. The island is reported to have 365 rivers, and a good deal of it, especially on the west side, is rain forest. We stop at a “cold Soufriere”, gases smelling of sulfur dioxide bubbling up through mud flats in the bottom of an old volcano crater. The water is only lukewarm, a surprise to those who are accustomed to thinking of geysers as being scalding hot. We see how resourceful the farmers can be, growing their produce in places that would be considered impossible to cultivate in other areas. The island has 50% unemployment, and is almost desperately poor. Agriculture provides the bulk of the island’s income. Bananas have been their principal export crop, but the banana market was destroyed for them when the EU made an agreement with some South American countries. They are searching for a new staple crop, and struggling along in the meantime. Nevertheless, the people we see are neat and clean. We see people walking to church in their Sunday best. Some of them are well over a mile from the church when we see them. The roads we traveled were very narrow and very steep. Dylan honked before each blind curve to warn pedestrians and oncoming traffic that we were there. In a number of places we go along ridge tops, with the land falling away steeply on both sides. Then suddenly we realize we are in a farm, with cabbage and tomatoes planted on the shoulder of the road and yams and “dasheen” on the steep slopes. Dylan takes us to Chaudiere Falls, where after a steep hike of about ½ mile, we swim in the pool formed by the falls. We have brought shampoo, and we look like a scene from South Pacific. We have a late lunch in a tiny little restaurant in Calabishie – all native grown foods and excellent. We see several places where scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean 2 were shot, and meet a number of Dylan’s friends preparing stewed goat over a wood fire at their weekly Sunday afternoon gathering by an abandoned mill that was one of the Pirates sites. We also meet a lady who is cleaning and drying arrowroot for sale. We arrive back at Portsmouth about 5:00. Dinner is ham and melon with other local fruits.

This dugout boat was made from one log and is still in active use

Very young bananas

Typical Dominica coastal view

The pool at Chaudiere Falls

Raw nutmeg - the brown seed is what is used

North coast of Dominica

Papayas (I think)

Vanilla is a vine that grows wild here

Bromeliads abound

Eva collecting shells

Cold Soufriere - bubbles from the volcano

Bananas grow wild and are extensively cultivated too

Dylan demonstrates the right way to open a coconut

Elisabeth samples coconut milk

Does this remind you of South Pacific?

Do you recognize this mill from Pirates of the Caribbean 2?

Dylan's friends are cooking up their weekly goat stew

The weekly Sunday party

Elisabeth and Larry enjoy Red Rocks on the north coast of Dominica








Kids love to make coconut shell boats and set them on fire










Arrowroot drying in preparation for sale











Arrowroot before processing

February 11: You could call today a lay day. We walk around in town, buy produce from the street vendors, then walk to the south end of town in search of a restaurant. Staffan tries to buy gas for the dinghy, but both stations in town are temporarily out. At one of them, the car in front of Staffan took the last of the fuel. The Sisters Guest House is run by 2 German sisters who have been on the island for over 20 years. In a typical island twist of events, their two cooks are both off on maternity leave, so the kitchen is temporarily closed. We have a beer, then go to the food court at the medical school next door. The food looks interesting, but there is no place to sit. We take a bus back into town and have lunch at Big Papa’s. On the way back to the dinghy while searching for a bakery Larry buys a mystery island sauce. Typical of the friendliness we encounter here, the vendor takes us two blocks to the bakery and persuades them to open so we can get fresh bread. Staffan has conceived a way to fix our ailing refrigeration pump, but we can’t find exactly the right parts in town. Martin says that Igna can fix about anything and sends him to us. He takes the pump with him with a good understanding of Staffan’s idea, Staffan and Eva make salad nicoise for dinner and as usual we retire early and happy.

A 1995 hurricane did some serious damage to the Portsmouth waterfront

Elisabeth enjoys talking to her mother on Skype in Portsmouth harbor






Dominicans are rightfully proud of their local brew

February 12: We plan to leave for Roseau today, but the weather forecast is so daunting that we decide to stay another day. Ever since we first arrived in the Caribbean we have heard about the daily weather forecast by Chris Parker, but have been unable to locate it on the SSB. Today we finally do, and it scares us into inactivity. Chris says that the conditions in the Eastern Caribbean are the worst he has seen in several years, winds averaging 25 knots and gusting to as much as 40 knots. Twelve foot seas and higher in the passages. He says it won’t calm down much for several days, perhaps not until next week. We email Helge Alten, who is to join us next week in Martinique, that we don’t know whether we will be able to get there or not. We go ashore to find Igna to pick up the repaired pump, and Eva and Staffan buy ferry tickets in case we can’t leave in time for their flight. We then call Martin to say that we will be using his mooring one more day. He suggests a snorkeling trip to Rollo Head just south of Prince Rupert Bay, and we gladly accept. We see lots of sea fan and other types of coral, sea urchins, and many varieties of fish including some we had not seen before. Eva and Staffan prepare a truly exceptional Gaspacho soup for dinner, then we watch Gosford Park at the boat’s film studio (the lap top). Miraculously we stay awake until after 11:00.

Staffan is an amazing chef. Eva relaxes for this meal

February 13: The weather forecast isn’t much better today, but we decide to move the boat to Roseau, the island’s capital city at the south end of the island. This will put us in a better position when we decide to cross to Martinique. We put a double reef in the main in preparation for a windy trip. We find that the forecast of weather in the passages between the islands bears almost no resemblance to the weather close in the lee of the islands. We actually power most of the way due to lack of wind. At Roseau we pick up a mooring at the Fort Young Hotel. “Sea Cat” comes out to greet us and offer services similar to those we received from Martin in Portsmouth. We tell him we will call him tomorrow if we decide to stay in Roseau. We are able to fill the dinghy’s gas tank right next to the dinghy dock, then go to the hotel to pay for the mooring. It is a very fine hotel very interestingly created in an old British fort. We decide to stay for lunch and all try callaloo soup for the first time. It is really good. A short provisioning trip downtown convinces us that the best parts of Dominica are outside the city. We return to the boat, and Staffan and Larry install the repaired pump. Hooray, it works as it is supposed to with the help of a little Teflon tape to account for a size difference between hose and nipple. Sea Cloud, a cruising windjammer comes in during the afternoon and anchors near us. Sunset is a pretty sight silhouetting the ship. Dinner consists of fruit salad and bread, and really hits the spot. We roll a lot during the night and resolve to move the boat to another place tomorrow whether or not we decide to try for Martinique.

Roseau is a mixture of ruins, rebuilt structures and new










At least the rain is warm and the seas flat in the lee of Domnica

Sea Quest at sunset in Roseau harbor

Elisabeth enjoys lunch at the Fort Young Hotel

February 14: We are getting low on both fuel and water. There is a nearby fuel dock, but we don’t want to risk damaging Singoalla in the swells that continue to roll in. We transfer the diesel from one of our Jerry jugs to the boat. Staffan takes the dinghy in to fill a couple of five gallon containers with drinking water in case we need it, and to buy today’s bread. The weather forecast is marginally better than yesterday, slightly lower wind gusts, and perhaps slightly lower seas. We now face a Hobson’s choice. If we don’t leave today, Staffan and Eva will have to leave for Martinique by ferry, and Elisabeth and Larry will have to make the crossing with no other crew on board. That is very OK, but it means that we will wait a little longer to find the right weather window. Helge Alten arriving from France on Monday will have trouble getting to us because the next ferry going from Martinique to Dominica is Thursday. We decide to stick our nose around the corner and see how bad it is. Like yesterday, the weather is pretty mild for the five miles in the lee of the island, but that all changes as soon as we get beyond Scotts head. The seas are about the same height as they were between Les Saintes and Dominica, but they seem to be more organized and to come from the same direction. With the double reefed main and a little jib rolled out, we are not too uncomfortable, so we elect to go ahead. We have about 22 miles of open water, and we cover it on a close reach at about 7 knots. Everyone agrees that it is not as uncomfortable as the previous two passages. We meet about 10 boats going north, but only see one other boat making the trip south. Of course, no one wants to go below to make lunch until after we are in the lee of Martinique, so we are safely at anchor in St. Pierre before lunch is ready. We are very salty, so we use the jug water to wash our hair and faces at the transom. Then we have open faced egg salad sandwiches on French bread with a little beer to wash it down. Who ever heard of eating so well on a 40 foot sail boat? Today is Alexandra’s birthday. We are not allowed to call until after her exam was finished, so we call her after lunch. We go ashore and wander around a little in this town that was totally destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Pelee in 1902. 30,000 people died, and many of the ruins are still visible. It was an unusual eruption, involving hot gases blasting through the town instead of a lava flow. Everyone died instantly, and most of the wood in the town as well as ships in the harbor were incinerated. We decide to have dinner in a small restaurant named Tamaya, after one of the ships that sank. Three had shark for a main course, and one had stingray. Unusual for us, but excellent. Back to the boat and lights out about 11:00. We are getting used to these late night parties.

Eva swims every day

Elisabeth likes to drive when the seas are calm










The eruption of Mt Pelee killed all but one of the almost 30,000 in the town at the time of the eruption

February 15: This was a lazy day in St. Pierre After breakfast we go into town to do laundry and confirm Staffan’s and Eva’s travel reservations. We buy massive amounts of fruits and vegetables at the market, then wander around the streets a little in search of an attractive place for lunch. We give up and return to the boat for sandwiches and fruit prepared by the Kihls. A lazy afternoon of reading is followed by a farewell dinner on board, pork “carre” in a special sauce, accompanied by a couscous and fruit salad. Fresh pineapple over sherbet for dessert. A feast fit for royalty!

Singoalla in St Pierre at the center of the rainbow

February 16: We have our traditional breakfast on board at St. Pierre. The forecast is for lighter wind (about 15-18 knots). Staffan and Eva had planned to take a taxi from St. Pierre to the airport, but decide to take advantage of the nice weather and sail with us to Fort de France. We begin with a full main and genoa about 9:30. Winds are quite variable behind the high island, and Staffan gets a workout keeping the sails in trim. Winds pick up some as we round into Baie de Fort de France, and we roll in a good bit of the genoa. As the water remains flat, it is a very nice sail close hauled to Pointe des Negres. We have noticed a slight tear in the genoa by the upper spreader patch, so we drop sails and motor the last mile into Baie des Flamands. We go ashore with the Kihls shortly after noon and confirm that customs (along with practically everything else in F de F) is closed on Saturday afternoon. We find a nice, quiet restaurant in a small hotel that is open and have a final lunch together. Staffan and Eva leave by taxi for the airport, and Larry and Elisabeth go in search of an open grocery store. Le Casino (!) fills the bill. We spend a quiet evening reading and nibbling on cheese and sipping wine to quiet jazz on the stereo. Life isn’t too bad!

The harbor at Fort de France, pop 130,000, is not exactly bucolic

February 17: Elisabeth prepares a nice pancake breakfast which we enjoy in the cockpit. Larry discovers that the refrigeration is off, presumably since yesterday morning when it was turned off to listen to Chris Parker’s weather forecast. The compressor interferes with SSB reception, especially when signals are weak. Since this is Sunday, we assume that customs are closed. We decide to motor 2 ½ miles to Pointe du Bout for water and fuel, and perhaps return to customs tomorrow. We pick up a mooring – the only one vacant – off Bakoua Marina and go ashore to look around. We take a short walk around the Pointe and find that most of the shops are closed. There is a good selection of small restaurants, and we choose the one at the marina for lunch. It is a good choice. We have developed a real weakness for the French entrecotes. We see a sign at the marina that says that they offer clearance service. We assume this means that they will take our documents to customs, but when we ask we are referred to a computer in the marina office. We discover that we can clear in on line. We enter all the information on the customs web site, print out the clearance, and that’s it. The guide book stated adamantly that one should not go to the French islands unless your papers are complete and perfect. Times have changed with the adoption of new technology. Ah for the Internet is not as successful. We can see a network from the boat, the local Sofitel hotel, but we don’t have the key. We get conflicting information from the mairina/restaurant, the net of which is that we will get nowhere today. We spend a quiet afternoon reading and updating the blog. After the big lunch, a dinner of melon, baguette and cheese is just right.