The Voyages of "KINGDOM"

Cruise to Florida from Turks and Caicos, and Sale of KINGDOM

2011-03-08T16:45:00.004-07:00

Our last day of ownership of KINGDOM

What a wonderful home she was!

Goodbye, old girl. We hope your new owners love you as much as we did!

Bottom painted in Melbourne

Our last post to this blog was in March of 2010. It is now a year later, and a lot of water has passed under our keel, both literally and figuratively.

We did not dawdle on our way back to Florida, since there were potential buyers wating in Melbourne for us to get there. We took the shortest routes we could plot through the Bahamas, and put in some long days to make up for bad weather days. Fortunately, the weather was mostly good on this leg of our journey.

We made landfall in Miami about April 10, and spent a couple of days there, visiting with our Cuban friend, Dr. Nardelio Nodal. Then offshore again up to West Palm Beach. We ran inside (Intracoastal Waterway) on up to Melbourne from there, arriving April 15.

Once in Melobourne, we worked like dogs, to get the boat in shape for showing. Paint, varnish, fiberglass polishing, oil changes, generator maintenance, etc. etc. We replaced what needed replacing, scraped the bottom, worked on air conditioners, cleaned all sea strainers. If we could do it, we did it!

We had a number of showings to interested buyers, but only one lowball offer initially. Susan flew back to Arizona with Molly, to begin our house search and re-start her real estate business. I stayed aboard the boat to continue with maintenance and keep the boat ready to show. I finally made a two-week trip back to Phoenix in July, and of course, that is when a serious offer came in on the boat.

After sea trial, and spending two weeks in the boatyard to effect additonal repairs that surfaced in the marine survey, we closed the sale on August 10th, three years after buying KINGDOM.

I finished packing our personal gear, arranged for shipping it and our scooters back to Phoenix, and flew back to join Susan.

Except for our Christmas trip to California for Yvonne and Clay's wedding, most of the intervening time from September 2010 until now, early March, 2011, has been spent searching for, purchasing, and furnishing our new home in Phoenix. We finally feel settled again, and are looking forward to the next chapter. It is good to be able to spend time with our families here, though we occasionally do miss our seagoing life.

This will be the last posting for "The voyages of KINGDOM" blog.

Big Sand Cay to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

2010-05-04T13:16:00.005-07:00

Monday, March 15
Since it is only a short 24 mile run to Six Hills Cays, Marco and I decided to do some boat chores during the morning hours. I changed the oil and oil filter and fuel filter on my 12KW generator, for example.

We left Big Sand about 10:45am, and dropped the hook about 3:30pm, in about 15 feet of clear water. Our purpose in keeping the day short was to position our boats for the 44 mile run across the Caicos Banks the next day. The Caicos Banks are extremely shallow, and are dotted with hundreds of coral heads. They must be navigated in full daylight, and VPR (Visual Piloting Rules) apply big time!

Tuesday, March 16
Leaving Six Hills Cays at 8:00am, Susan was positioned on the flybridge, and I ran the boat from our pilothouse, so I could view both chartplotters simultaneously.

The charts show a route across the banks, but there are no physical channel markers to go by. So we set the autopilot to take us to the waypoints (Latitude and Longitude) designated on the charts, and kept a sharp lookout for the dark patches of water that signify coral formations. Susan has become adept at spotting them in time for me to make detours around them. At times, the water was so shallow that we barely had a foot under the keel.

We took it slow and easy, and Marco tucked OLGA II in behind us. He figured that if KINGDOM ran aground or hit anything, he could avoid it and be nearby to help. It was sort of comforting to make this passage in company with another boat. KINGDOM draws 6' and OLGA II only draws 5', so it wouldn't work the other way round. Also, this was their first time on the Caicos Banks, and we had made this crossing two years before.

Along the way, we spotted quite a few dolphins, though they were darker and smaller than the bottle-nosed dolphins we have seen out at sea. Also, it appeared that some of the dark coral formations were moving as we approached them! We eventually identified these apparitions as large black Manta Rays.

We arrived at South Side Marina, on Providenciales, around 3:30pm. The tide was too low for us to take KINGDOM into the marina channel, but OLGA II was able to go in. Susan and I anchored in the bay overnight, and took KINGDOM into the marina next day at high tide.

South Side Marina is operated by Simon and Charlyn Anderson, a delightful couple who became good friends on our previous visit to Providenciales. Their hospitality and service is legendary among crusing boats in these waters. It was wonderful to catch up with them again! We purposely stayed over a few days to enjoy their company, and stock the boat for the next few weeks journey northward. Providenciales has excellent grocery stores, and I was able to purchase the oil I needed for my main engines.

We were able to clear in and out of Turks and Caicos right at the marina. They arrange for the customs and immigration officer to come to the marina for that purpose. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is actually a really HUGE IMPROVEMENT! Ask me sometime what we had to go through to clear in and out when we were in T&C two years ago. Make sure you have set aside plenty of time to hear my ranting and raving!

It was hard to leave such pleasant surroundings and wonderful people. We would have loved to stay much longer! On our previous visit, our friend Gayle Danner was with us, and we were able to SCUBA dive some of the excellent sites in these islands.

But we had to move on northward...

Rio San Juan, DR, to Big Sand Cay, Turks and Caicos

2010-05-02T08:58:00.004-07:00

OLGA II, anchored off Big Sand Cay, Turks and Caicos - Marco, Ann, and Pia are launching their kyak for an excursion
View of Big Sand Cay, a lovely deserted island with a fabulous beach

Marco, Ann and Pia returning from their exploration

Sunday, March 14 - From Rio San Juan to Big Sand Cay was a 16-hour, 113-mile crossing. So after a few hours sleep, Susan and I pulled our hook at midnight, in order to arrive at our small island destination in daylight. We estimated we would get there around 4:00pm, and we hit it exactly right.

The crossing was quite smooth, with hardly any sea running, probably less than 3' waves all the way across. Perfect for us!

Nearing Melchior Channel around 2:00pm, we did spot a lone whale, but it was too far away for us to see much detail.

Approaching Big Sand Cay, we were pleased to see OLGA II anchored near the shore of this pristine little island. Big Sand is not quite appropriately named. It is definitely a sand spit, with a few dunes in the center, but is not "Big" by any means. However, it is a bird and wildlife sanctuary, and has no human habitation. There is only the ruins of an old station of some sort to mar the pristine beauty of the island. Marco and Ann had stayed a day to roam the lovely beach and rest after their long crossing.

Samana to Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

2010-05-02T08:31:00.004-07:00

Marco and Ann's catamaran, OLGA II, passing astern KINGDOM
Marco and Ann, off the coast of Dominican Republic

KINGDOM slowly overtakes Marco and Ann's catamaran, OLGA II

6:30am, Saturday, March 13 - We hoisted our anchor in Samana at first light for our cruise "around the corner" of DR, bound for the small fishing village of Rio San Juan, on DR's north shore.

The day was splendid. With seas following at only 3' to 4', and the trade wind behind us, we made excellent speed. Marco and Ann had departed Samana an hour ahead of us, but we soon overtook them, and were able to photograph them on their boat underway. They were heading directly for Big Sand Cay, at the southeast corner of the Turks and Caicos island group. This would require an all-night sail for them, but Susan and I wanted to make our crossing so that we would arrive at Big Sand in daylight.

We arrived in Rio San Juan at 4:00pm and dropped the hook in 20 feet of very clear water. Several other cruising sailboats arrived shortly thereafter. After about an hour, the port authorities came out in a small boat to check our papers. Thank goodness we had cleared out of Samana properly. Incredibly, no money changed hands this time! In their broken English, they wished us Bon Voyage and Good Luck!

We enjoyed an early dinner, and went to bed at 8:00 pm, for a few hours sleep. We departed at midnight for the long 113-mile crossing to Turks and Caicos' Big Sand Cay.

Cap Cana to Samana, Dominican Republic

2010-05-02T07:20:00.007-07:00

A small island in Samana Bay, with fabulous beach, and at least 100 beach chairs.
Marco and Ann's daughter Pia. Molly shared her chew toys with Pia, who was teething and needed something to knaw on...

Marco and Pia trying to interest Molly in her squeaky toy.

Pia is a sweetheart, with amazing blue eyes!

Ann is lovely, too! What a handsome family. We really enjoyed meeting and visiting with this Swiss cruising family.

I can't believe it has been two months since our last posting. We've been moving fast, and had limited access to Internet until we arrived in Florida. This series of posts is reconstructed from my ship' logs and the few pictures we've taken along the way.

We spent almost two weeks in Cap ICana, waiting for a good weather window to move north along the Mona passage to the huge Samana Bay, near the Northeast corner of Dominican Republic. While in Cap Cana, we met a lovely Swiss couple, Marco and Ann, whose 1-year old daughter Pia was a delightful playmate for Molly.

Marco and Ann have a custom-designed catamaran they have brought cross-Atlantic from Spain. They were sailing it up to Nassau, where they will meet crew to take the boat back to Europe. We cruised along with them from DR to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, anchoring nearby to exchange visits aboard each others' boats. We enjoyed their company enormously. Molly will especially miss Pia.

March 11, 7:30am - The voyage from Cap Cana northward to Samana Bay was somewhat uncomfortable, with a following sea of 6' to 7' waves, with the wind on the starboard beam. It did calm down a bit once we entered Samana Bay itself. We dropped the hook in the harbor about 6:30pm, just as it was getting dark. We did spot a few whales in the Mona Passage - fins, flukes and spouts!

Once we anchored, the port of entry officials came out to our boats, to clear us in and collect their customary fees (and free beer). Next afternoon, Marco and I had to go into town to obtain our outbound clearance papers. The port captain was asleep in his office. I mean asleep on a cot in his underwear! We had to wait while he awoke and dressed enough to fill out our documents. Naturally, he spoke no English, so we had to pay an interpreter a few bucks to help us understand his questions, and help him understand our answers.

The harbor itself was calm, but access to the town was difficult, as the town dock was so crowded with fishing boats that we could barely tie up our dinghy. This area of Dominican Republic is struggling to develop its tourist industry. There are lovely beaches nearby, mountains, state parks and resorts. But electric power is unreliable, and roads are a mess. In ten years, it might be a real destination, but for now it seems so much more primitive than Cap Cana. A few smaller cruise ships do call there now, however. We saw three while we were there.

Cap Cana Marina and Resort - Continued

2010-03-03T07:03:00.005-07:00

The resort covers about 3,000 acres. The marina, though huge, is only about 10% of the property. So one day we rented an electric golf cart to see more of it. We drove about 4 miles southward and arrived at the Zona Hotel (Hotel Zone) on prime beachfront property. There are three major hotel chains in various stages of completion.
The one that has been completed is owned by a Spanish company, and this hotel is called "Secrets", which seems appropriate to us, since we think it is the best kept secret in the Caribbean.
The hotel zone has at least 3 miles of pristine beaches, all behind protective reefs, creating a wonderful sunning, swimming and snorkeling environment. Beach toys, such as kyaks, volleyball nets, soccer nets and balls are all available. Beachside Tiki Huts, manned by smiling attendants, provide cool drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers and local specialties, delivered to your lounge chair on the beach. Even horseback riding is available at the more remote beach areas. (so ya don't step in the horse poop while playing on the beach)

At the end of the day, we returned to one of the lovely restaurants at the marina, located no more than 20 yards from our dock!
These are our friends, Luis (bartender), Fausto (maitre'd), and Victor.
Walt and Fausto, sharing a moment. These people are so friendly, lively and helpful.
Rear view of "Secrets" hotel complex.
Setting up for a reception at the hotel.
"Secrets" Hotel, overlooking pool area.
Note the swim-up bar!
Lobby of "Secrets"
Approaching lobby of "Secrets" Hotel
Entry sign for "Secrets"
View of "Secrets" from the road. Looks like Spain!

We spent a lovely afternoon here, sipping drinks, conversing with a couple of guests, and one of the main real estate agents. We acquired a working knowledge of how homes, condos, and building sites are sold and managed (at least Susan did!) For retirees with investment money available, these properties are definitely worth a look. It feels like a combination of the best features of Monterrey, Pebble Beach, Miami, and the Mediterranean!

We also saw a lovely beachside wedding taking place, along with the subsequent private reception. No, we didn't crash the wedding!

PARADISE FOUND !!

2010-03-02T14:47:00.010-07:00

Finally, on Wednesday, February 24th, we took advantage of the perfect weather day to make the 80 mile crossing of the Mona Passage from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic. We left Boqueron at 5:00am, arriving at Punta Cana Marina at 3:30 pm. Smooth seas, cooperative currents, and almost no wind makes life perfect for us cruisers (at least the ones without sails!)

We had planned to put in at the Punta Cana marina, but when we called them on VHF, nobody could speak English! So we found ourselves at the brand-new Cap Cana Marina, just next door, since they had English speaking folks answering our VHF calls for assistance. What a wonderful, serendipitous event!

This place is FABULOUS! And it is still only 20% completed. For the complete picture, go to their website:
http://www.golfcapcana.com/?page=10022

It is a combination of Mediterranean architecture, high-tech marina, miles of unspoiled, uncrowded beaches, fine restaurants, wonderful staff, warm weather and crystal clear Caribbean waters. And did mention golf? Three separate courses so far...

One of six marina basins.
In March, they are hosting one of the Senior PGA tournaments here.

For you yachtsmen, this is the entry channel into Cap Cana Marina. A straight, well-marked, dredged channel through the offshore reefs.
One of the walkways/cart paths on the property.
Susan and Molly on the bridge over one of the many lovely beachside pools.
View of the beach beyond one of the pools in the Marina area. Hawaii's got nothin' on this place!
Spa and pool beachside. And yes, that is a swim-up bar beyond the little bridge.
Beachside condo's.
Susan and Molly on the beach.
There are miles of white, powdery sand beaches. This is one of the small sections near the marina.
Looking back toward restaurants and shopping area.
Another of several yacht basins, lined by condo's, shops, and restaurants. Looks like the Med!
Walt and Molly enjoy a walk. Notice the crowds? NOT!

Esperanza to Salinas to Boqueron

2010-03-02T14:16:00.003-07:00

Monday, February 15, we made the 50 mile run from Esperanza, Viequez over to Salinas Bay, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. We woke early, and left the bay at 5:30am, arriving in Salinas harbor at1:15pm.

Salinas, on the southern coast of Puerto Rico is a long, narrow harbor, surrounded by mangroves. It is fairly shallow, but the barrier islets and the mangroves offer complete protection from sea surge and wind from any direction. It is as still as a mill pond in there. The main harbor is thick with mooring balls, which we seldom use because of KINGDOM's size and weight. So we anchored in the outer harbor in about 11 feet of water.

Tuesday morning, Feb 16, we were on our way at 8:00am for the 60 mile leg to Boqueron Bay, on the Southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. We had a following sea, with 5' waves powering us along. We were making 8+ knots most of the way. But it is a bit disconcerting to have the stern lift up five or six feet, which points the bow down, and then up again as the wave passes under the boat from stern to bow. Sort of riding a roller coaster backwards, if you can get the picture.
We arrived in Boqueron at 4:00pm, tired and thirsty. We had a beer aboard and went to bed.

We had made friends with some of the local folks on our way down-island. So on Wednesday evening we arranged to meet them (Stan and Rita) for drinks at the "Sunrise Sunset Bar" near the dinghy dock. We put our dinghy in the water, all ready to go, and the battery was dead. Fortunately, we have a portable battery charger, which put a nice fresh charge in the battery in 45 minutes. (We had inadvertently left a switch on when we loaded the dinghy in St. Thomas.)

A great time was had by all, along with many cervezas.

We stayed in Boqueron until Wednesday, February 16th, awaiting perfect weather conditions to cross the Mona Passage to the Dominican Republic. It rained for several days, and we mostly hibernated aboard the boat, reading and relaxing.

Walt also researched an electrical problem with our small generator, aided by two new friends, Tony and David. They are from Michigan, and have family in PR, whom they visit for a couple of months each year.

Speaking of pictures, we didn't take any in Salinas or Boqueron. We photo-documented these places pretty well in previous blogs on our way South. And they haven't changed much.
Still beautiful...

St. Thomas to Esperanza, Vieques

2010-03-02T13:58:00.004-07:00

We departed St. Thomas on Valentines Day, February 14th. It was only a 40 mile run to Esperanza, on the Spanish Virgin Island of Vieques (Part of the USVI, governed by Puerto Rico). We pulled up our hook at 9:10am, and were in Esperanza Bay by 3:15pm.
The bay is on the southern coast of Vieques. It has a wide entry, and is protected from the East, West, and North. Guess which way the waves were coming from...You guessed it - the South!
We tucked in as best we could behind this spit of land, but spent a somewhat rolly night. Not too bad, since the waves were quite small.

The local guys know how to do it. They drop a bow anchor, then run a line to shore, keeping their bow into the waves.
We were there on Sunday afternoon. The locals were definitely enjoying the beach.
This is just another example of the thousands of wonderful beaches in the islands. Even though it was Sunday, there were no crowds.
The beach here in this bay is about a mile long.

Marina Mascot

2010-03-02T13:45:00.004-07:00

At Sapphire Bay Marina, in St. Thomas, this iguana was sort of the Marina Mascot. We think he liked hanging out with us, since the big iguanas on the beach were mean to him...

Wha 'chu lookin' at, honky?
This guy was about 3 feet long. Probably just a teenager. We saw much larger ones on the beach, but didn't have the camera handy.

Decison Time - Do We or Don't We?

2010-02-06T13:03:00.003-07:00

Upon arrival in the Virgin Islands, we had hoped to have at least a couple of charters booked. Unfortunately we have been unsuccessful in our endeavors, in spite of Susie's most ambitious marketing venue which was putting ad brochures into empty wine bottles and pitching them overboard at regular intervals. Our gorgeous website created by Rod Houk gets plenty of lookie-loos, but no serious inquires.
We also learned that the government of the British Virgin Islands has enacted a host of new regulations applying to charter yachts, to be enforced starting February 15th. We looked into the new rules, and have found that it would take an additional substantial investment on our part in order to bring our boat into compliance.
Given the fact that we have no revenue stream to offset the expense, and none in the pipeline, we have decided to abandon our plans to enter the charter business.
What to do?
We are nearing the three-year mark on our voyages aboard KINGDOM. Our mutually agreed commitment was for three years before we would decide on a new venture, and here we are. We have enjoyed a first class experience, and trying to curb our appetite for the good life is not very attractive to us; go big or go home is our philosophy...so it's time to come home.
In addition, we miss our families. We feel we are neglecting our kids, grandkids, Susan's father, and our many friends. We had hoped to have more of them visit us aboard, but those visits have been few and far between.
After much discussion and consideration, we have decided to return to the U.S. and offer KINGDOM for sale. We will be moving the boat to Melbourne, Florida, where our favorite boat broker, Jim Guin, has arranged a slip for us in a local marina, where it can conveniently be shown to prospective buyers.
Walt will stay with the boat until it sells. We believe it requires constant attention to maintenance, cleaning and polishing to show well.
Once we are established in Melbourne, Susan will return to Scottsdale and work to re-start her real estate business. She will probably rent a small apartment initially.
After the boat is sold, we will use the proceeds to buy a small home in the Scottsdale area, and we will both be back to stay.
Please know that we have absolutely no regrets. Not about our decision to go to sea, nor about our decision to go ashore. Personally, I was never overly enthusiastic about the idea of running a charter business. Having paying guests in your home is not the same as having invited guests in your home. I think t would feel differently if the boat had been purchased with that purpose in mind, and if it were not our only home.
We have had a wonderful time cruising the Caribbean! We have lived the life many people only dream of living. We could go on doing this for years to come, but it is just not practical without generating more income. We love our boat; we love the cruising community; we love the people of the Caribbean; we even love the challenges we have faced, since we have grown from each of them.

Our fuel tanks are full. The larder is stocked. All we need now is a good weather window, and we will be headed home!

Look for us to come steaming over the horizon one day soon...

St. Thomas at last!

2010-02-06T11:39:00.008-07:00

Since arriving in the US Virgin Islands January 14th, we have been quite busy! First order of business was to find our friends and catch up on our doings since we saw them last year.
Dick Shirley and his wife, Jill Lambert are here aboard their 44' Island Packet sailboat, "Changin' Tags". (Dick owns auto dealerships in Burlington N.C.) Jill and Dick brought Molly to us last year from Virgina, and have become dear friends.Edit Pages

We met Jay and Bernadette De Shay last year, while they were managing the charter catamaran "Tachyon". We finally found them while anchored in Christmas Cove on their new boat "Vivo", a beatiful 60' catamaran. They are now salaried crew for the owner, and are not having to do charters anymore. A wonderful couple, and we have become great friends.

We've also caught up with Ana and Wolfgang Boehringer. They are a young and energetic European couple whom we met last year at American Yacht Harbor. They purchased "Second Wind", a 56' Angel Yacht-Fish motor yacht while we were there. Since then they have purchased a home with rental apartments attached, fixed up their boat, and have been working hard as Dive Masters for the Ritz Carlton Hotel. In fact, they were the first people we saw as we came into St. Thomas. When we rounded the reef at Little St. James Island, there they were, hosting a group diving the reef! We had no sooner dropped our anchor at Christmas Cove, than their dive boat approached and hailed us! Who could it be? Sure enough, it was Ana on the bow, and Wolfgang at the helm!

We found Dick and Jill at American Yacht Harbor. Since then, we've enjoyed meals together , sailed out into the BVI's together, and swapped more sea stories than Popeye!

We are currently tied up at Sapphire Bay marina, where Ana and Wolfgang live aboard their boat. It is a small, protected marina on the Northeastern tip of St. Thomas, just around the corner from Red Hook.

This is Walt on the dock in front of our boat. The dock is separated from the bay by a small strip of beach and a rock jetty.
View of Sapphire Bay marina and some of the condos
Another view of Sapphire Bay Marina, looking toward the hotels
You can almost spit in the ocean from our bow pulpit. From this angle, it looks like we've run aground, but we are actually in a slip at the marina.
Jill Lambert, Dick's better half
Walt and Dick, hoisting a couple in Virgin Gorda
From left - Dick, Jill, Susan and Walt, ashore in Virgin Gorda
Cruise Ships docked in Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, where we have been anchored for a few days at a time
Yacht Haven Grande Marina, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Bernadette and Susan on KINGDOM's aft Deck
Dick and Molly (his granddog)
Jill Lambert and Jason De Shay, feeling no pain
Dick, Molly, Bernadette, and Susan (she's the grumpy one...)

Anguilla to Virgin Gorda

2010-02-06T11:20:00.005-07:00

We departed Road Bay, Anguilla at 6:30am, Wednesday, January 13th. This is a long run of about 80 miles, and we dropped the anchor at 5:00pm in Gorda Sound, Virgin Gorda, after nearly 11 hours underway. This passage can be ugly, but we were lucky to have excellent weather, relatively calm seas, and we breathed a sigh of relief when we made it before dark.

Actually, this was the last day of decent weather we have had for several weeks! Thank goodness we were not delayed any longer...

Sunset in Virgin Gorda.
Lunch in Anguilla
Lunch in Anguilla
Yes, I think I will have another Vodka Grapefruit cocktail

Les Saintes to St. Barth's to Anguilla

2010-02-06T10:31:00.004-07:00

Because of our longer-than-planned stay in the Saintes, we needed to move rather faster than we would have normally. We left the Saintes at 9:00am on January 6, making the 31 mile run up to Deshailles, on the NW shore of Guadaloupe in 5 hours. We arrived there at 2:00pm, and departed the next morning at 8:15am, bound for Jolly Harbor, Antigua, a 49 mile run. We ran into the harbor, looking for the customs and immigration dock. We found it, but there was no one around to take our lines and help us dock. So we turned around and headed back out to the outer harbor, and anchored in about 8 feet of water. Next morning, Friday, January 8th, we departed at 6:30am, headed due East to Basseterre, St. Kitts. Although this was a 51 mile run, we had following seas and following winds all the way, making this a romp! All the way, we could see the smoke plume from the volcano on Montserrat to the Southeast, and were glad not to be downwind of it! We pulled into the marina at Basseterre at 2pm, and were awarded the last available slip. We checked in with Customs and Immigration, and had our customary anchor drink...
We had hoped to visit with our friends Mike and Beth Smith when we arrived, but they were off-island. They were due back on Sunday afternoon, so we hung out in the Marina, visited the local grocery store, and washed down the boat. We also met and visited with a couple of other cruisers in the Marina, hob-nobbing until Mike and Beth arrived. We did in fact meet up with them on Sunday afternoon, and they took us over to a Sports Bar on one of the popular beaches. We were able to see the Arizona Cardinals squeak out an overtime victory over Green Bay, while visiting and munching on very large cheeseburgers, and an enormous mound of french fries.
Monday morning, January 11th, we pulled out of St. Kitts, bound for Gustavia, on St. Barth's, a 44 mile northerly run. We arrived at 2:00pm, and anchored in the outer harbor. We had planned to spend a day or two here, as it is a delightful French island. However, since we were already far behind schedule, we reluctantly pulled out at 8:00am, heading for Road Bay, on the north side of the island of Anguilla. We bypassed St. Martin entirely. We had not visited Anguilla before, and we were interested in this tiny British island. We also knew that this was a great jumping-off place for the long 80 mile run to Virgin Gorda. Here we dropped our dinghy, went ashore to clear in with Customs and Immigration, and had a nice lunch at a lovely beachside restaurant.
An interesting side note about Anguilla - When the British were attempting to get rid of their Caribbean "protectorates", they decided to lump St. Kitts and Anguilla into one new Government for both islands, even though they are about 100 miles apart, with St. Barth and St. Martin in between. The Anguillans were outraged, and wanted to remain British! After making many official protests, all ignored, they decided to invade St. Kitts! So a small party of men in small boats sailed to Basseterre, St. Kitts, shot up the police station, and escaped back to Anguilla. Nobody seems to have been hurt in the "invasion", but the British, fearing a communist takeover, sent an amphibian armed force to Anguilla to put down the insurrection. Wading ashore on the lovely beaches of Anguilla, they were met by a few small boys catching crabs. The islanders welcomed them, and in the end, the Brits decided that Anguilla would not be forced to leave the protection of the British Empire.

At anchor off St. Bart's
Sunset off St. Bart's
View of the Gustavia outer harbor. This is as close as we went on this visit.
While at St. Bart's this enormous Tri-Maran anchored nearby. It must be 100 feet long, and is one of the most unusual boats we have ever seen.
A second view of this Tri-maran, bow-on. From this angle, it is hard to get a sense of its size.

Iles de Saintes

2010-02-06T09:36:00.005-07:00

Leaving St. Lucia on December 17, we made it to St. Pierre, Martinique by 4:30pm, and dropped the hook in the small harbor there. Early next morning (7:20am), we departed for Portsmouth, Dominica, arriving at 3:20pm. We cleared customs and Immigration before they closed for the day. We spent the next day, Dec.19th, changing the oil, oil filters, and fuel filters in both generators. We moved on to the Iles des Saintes on Monday, December 21st. This was a short cruise of less than three hours, and we arrived before noon.
The Saintes, as they are casually referred to, are a lovely island group lying midway between Dominica and Guadaloupe. They are actually part of France, as is the island of Guadaloupe, and it is very apparent by the language, architecture, and cuisine. We were delighted with the village and its people.
We learned, for example, that no slaves were ever imported to the Saintes, since the island group is small, rocky, and unsuited to any sort of agriculture. Therefore, no slaves were required, and the island group remains largely caucasian to this day.
We tried, unsuccessfully, to find immigration or customs officials to clear us in. We were told that nobody was available to do so, and that officials probably would not appear until well after the new year (Holidays are taken seriously, ya know...).
We ended up staying about two weeks, right through Christmas and New Years because of a mechanical problem.
Basically, neither of our main engines would start! We tried everything we knew to try. Eventually, a diesel mechanic was summoned from Guadaloupe. He diagnosed the problem in about five minutes, and our engines started right up! Somehow our emergency shut-down cables had been activated, which cut off the air supply to the engines, thus they would try to start, but running out of air, could not sustain combustion. The mechanic showed me how to re-set the shutoff mechanism, so again I learned an expensive lesson. Since he had committed the day to us, travelling by ferry from Guadaloupe in the morning, and catching the ferry back to his base in the late afternoon, we owed him a day's hourly rate. I almost didn't mind paying him the $500 fee, since he was a delightful fellow, clearly knowlegable, and most important, HE DIDN'T LAUGH IN MY FACE!
While we were stuck, and waiting for the mechanic to arrive after the holidays, we enjoyed our time in the Saintes. We stocked up on excellent and inexpensive Friench wine, bought and froze a number of the wonderful baguettes that are baked fresh daily, and enjoyed one extraordinary meal at a restaurant ashore. Restaurant "Ti Kaz La" offers an amazing menu! I was very adventurous, and ordered a dish I never in my life would imagine ordering: Pigs Feet Stuffed with Sweetbreads. I don't think I can describe the experience adequately, but let me assure you, there was nothing left but a few toenails when I finished eating!
We went ashore every few days to access the internet at a cafe, and mostly tried to catch up on email and make a few skype calls to family, but we were unable to update the blog due to time constraints. The cafe had some unusual operating hours, closing mid-afternoon, and if they were open at all in the evening, it was too crowded for us to hook up the computer.

Walt, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.

Susan, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.
Waterfront Bar in the Saintes
A view of the waterfront and the village
While we were at anchor, this 5-masted cruise ship came in for a visit
Believe it or not, this is a private residence in the shape of a ship's bow. On the top floor is a doctor's office.
La Fringale restaurant, along the main street of the village.
Main Street
This was the Wind Star ship that Susan and I began our Caribbean adventure aboard, several years ago. What a coincidence that she came in while we were in the Saintes! That was the cruise that caused us to fall in love with the Islands and thier people.
View of one of the small harbors in the Saintes.

Departing St. Lucia

2009-12-16T09:10:00.002-07:00

Well, we are two weeks later than we expected to be, but tomorrow we depart St. Lucia. We will move northward more quickly than we anticipated, weather permitting. We still would like to be in St. Thomas by January 10th at the latest.
We're not sure where we will be for Christmas Day or New Year's Day, so it will be a surprise to us as much as anyone...
Today we're working on readying the boat for our next trek northward, and saying goodbye to our many friends here.
Last night (Tuesday) we went to Chateau Mygo for our last Sushi a'la Michael for about six months. Had a great time dancing! Tonight we will simply attend happy hour at Doolittle's across the bay, and bid adieu to David, the owner, and our friends Nick and Bev Dyer.

Not sure when we can update the blog again, but stay tuned...

ARC Flotilla Day - November 22, 2009

2009-12-03T05:01:00.006-07:00

BACKGROUND on ARC - Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
This annual transatlantic rally starting each November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has now become the most popular way to cross the Atlantic. The largest transocean sailing event in the world, every year the ARC brings together over 200 yachts from all over the world. The Caribbean destination is Rodney Bay in St.Lucia, one of the most beautiful islands in the Lesser Antilles. The 2700 nautical mile passage on the NE tradewind route takes on average between 14 and 21 days.

Conceived as a friendly race for cruising yachts to make the Atlantic crossing both safer and more enjoyable, participating yachts must carry a range of safety equipment including a liferaft, EPIRB and VHF radio. Daily radio nets contribute further to the safety of participants. The presence of experienced sailors is another incentive for those with little offshore experience.

The ARC has a special flavour, which successfully combines racers with cruisers, old with young, and provides entertainment for all. A wide ranging programme of entertainment takes place both before the start and after the finish. The ARC enjoys the support of the Tourist Authority of Gran Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Rol Nautic and the St.Lucia Board of Tourism.

KEY DETAILS

The ARC departs from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and crosses to Rodney Bay, St.Lucia on 22 November, 2009

The ARC is open to cruising monohulls with a minimum length of 8.23-25.91m (27 to 85ft) and cruising catamarans from 8.23 - 18.29m (27 to 60 ft) LOA. Yachts outside these sizes may be permitted to join in the Open Division.
The competitive side of the event will be catered for by the Racing Division, rated under the IRC Handicap System, run under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club.
The World Cruising handicap is used to calculate results in the cruising classes, in which motoring is permitted.
A full programme of social activities, safety seminars and demonstrations will be organised by World Cruising Club in Las Palmas prior to the start, and after the finish in St.Lucia.
Confirmed entrants receive regular newsletters about the ARC, containing useful information about planning an Atlantic crossing, updates on entries and safety tips.

The St. Lucia Yacht Club is the organizer of the annual ARC Flotilla in St. Lucia. The event is in recognition of the departure date of the ARC fleet from Europe. All local yachtsmen and boaters are invited to attend the event. The boats assembled in Castries Harbor, and at 10:00am, sailed en masse from there to Rodney Bay Marina. There, a roll call was taken, certificates of participation were awarded, and the H2O Restaurant provided a catered luncheon buffet. It was a fun day, and the weather was beautiful this year.

We invited a few friends along for the day aboard KINGDOM. Troy (dockmaster at Marigot Bay Marina), Imbert (master mechanic and craftsman) and his wife Marianne, Dominick (General Manager of the Hotel at Marigot Bay) and Dominick's parents, Bettina and Hans, who happened to be visiting from their home in Germany.

Dominick provided a lovely selection of breakfast pastries, rolls, and fresh orange juice for our brunch underway.

A view of the fleet, assembling in Castries Harbor - I think we counted a total of about 30 boats

The sailboats are all milling around in the harbour under sail - we stayed well out of their way

Imbert and Marianne observing the gathering of the fleet in Castries harbour

Bettina - Dominick's Mom - a lovely lady!

The Flotilla, leaving Castries Harbour

The Heiniken crew toasts KINGDOM

Imbert and Marianne brunching on the flybridge

Dockmaster Troy - believe it or not, his wife is terrified of the sea - we tried to get her to come along!

Hans (Dominick's Dad) relaxes on the Aft Deck lounge

The flotilla makes its way northward to Rodney Bay

It was Imbert's Sunday off work, after all...

Troy, don't you dare!

The square-rigged UNICORN was one of the boats used for filming Pirates of the Caribbean movies)

One of the Royal Clipper line of Cruise ships - anchored in Rodney Bay

Bowsprit of the Clipper - these things are massive, and are actually working sailing ships

Imbert - still napping

Troy and Dominick on thee flybridge

News media at the awards event in Rodney Bay Marina

Rear view of Emcee Danielle on the right - Event coordinator for the St. Lucia Yacht Club

Bettina and Hans (Dominick's parents) at the Rodney Bay Marina

All in all, it was a fun day for all of us!

Halloween 2009

2009-12-03T03:58:00.003-07:00

The owner of Doolittle's Restaurant and Bar hosted a Halloween Party this year. The event was held as a fund-raiser for a St. Lucia children's charity. Attendees purchased raffle tickets during the dinner hour, and a drawing was held afterwards. There was even a best-costume competition (won by a very shapely young woman in a Cat-Woman outfit). Kathy's "flapper" costume was a real contender, too! The evening was rounded off by a fireworks display, followed by dancing until midnight.

This is not a commonly celebrated holiday in St. Lucia, and the typical decorations are not readily available. So Kathy Walker, Lisa Meuche, and Susan brought all sorts of things back from their various trips to the USA. They then volunteered to help decorate the restaurant for this event. As it turned out, nearly all of the decorations, and most of the labor was donated by our three cruiser-ladies. They worked hard through the day, then returned to their respective boats to clean up, don their costumes, and then partied all evening.

These pictures are courtesy of David and Lisa Meuche - who for some odd reason chose not to include pics of themselves in costume! David was dressed as a "Nudist on Strike" - you can use your own imagination to picture his outfit.

Our local British friend Susie came up with a very original costume idea. She was "A Cereal Killer", with small cereal boxes stapled to a T-shirt, with plastic knives impaled in the boxes.

Here we see Bonnie the Flapper, and Clyde (complete with Tommy Gun) - aka Kenny and Kathy Walker

This would be one of the monster sailors from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean

Mr. and Mrs. Monster

Doolittle's Restaurant and Bar

Mrs. Monster, dancing the "Monster Mash"

Mr. and Mrs. Monster in disguise

KINGDOM at anchor between the PITONS

2009-12-02T12:25:00.006-07:00

While our friends Jan and Doug West were visiting, we took a short trip down to the Pitons, where we anchored overnight. While there, Jan and I took the opportunity to take some pictures of KINGDOM in this spectacular setting.

Thank You Jan!

Zip Line Day for Jan and Doug West

2009-12-01T13:07:00.005-07:00

Jan and Doug took an excursion up into St. Lucia's high country to experience zip-lining through the rain forest canopy. They left early in the morning, and returned to the boat mid-afternoon, tired but exhilarated.

Susan is grinning ear to ear - she's thinking, "I know what you're in for today!"
(I don't care what anybody says, my darlin' Susan looks great first thing in the morning!)

The gondola ride up into the mountain tops is worth the price all by itself. Notice the cool helmets and hair nets they make you wear. Safety gear - you wouldn't want your hair to get tangled in the zip line - it would snatch ya bald-headed!

No, we're not in Kansas anymore... It's a jungle out there!

Jan says, "Does my hair look all right?" Here she is hooked up on the zipline, and raring to go!

Doug says, "Don't tell my buddies I wore this damn hair net!"

Look closely - you can see Doug on the zipline above the forest floor

Doug and Jan - That is not a rock formation - it is the foot and roots of a giant tree!

On the way back, the driver dropped Jan and Doug at Marigot Village above the bay, so they could shop, have a cold beer, and enjoy the view. Lots of people like to purchase the handmade baskets the Lucians make while you watch. Any size, and in a variety of styles.

Yes, I AM the Basket Man!

View of Marigot Bay from Marigot Village. Our boat is down there somewhere.

Well of course I can make you a hat like mine!

Doug and Basket Man bonding...

Doug and Jan West Visit St. Lucia and KINGDOM

2009-12-01T10:51:00.006-07:00

Our dear friends Jan and Doug West came with Susan when she returned to St. Lucia October 3rd. It was really fun to have them aboard. We spent time at the hotel pool, made a trip to the Pitons for snorkeling, up to Rodney Bay for a bit of beach time, and of course played Bananas on the aft deck. We had sundowners at Chateau Mygo, and a dinner at Doolittle's Restaurant. Doug and Jan also took a day to go Zip-Lining in the rainforest, but that will be in a separate blog entry.

Doug looks like he has done this before (driving dinghy)

Splashing in the Hotel Pool

Doolittle's Restaurant entrance

Typical St. Lucian village by the sea - South of Marigot Bay

Kiss Me! I'm really a Prince!

The Admiral - heading out of the bay

The Captain - at the flybridge helm - talking to the Admiral on the headset

Doug securing the dinghy for towing

The Admiral at the helm

Doesn't Doug look relaxed?

Approaching the Pitons - one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Caribbean

Molly taking a break

Doug and Walt cooling off! The water was perfect for snorkeling - crystal-clear

The dock at Jalousie Resort - right between the Pitons

It's cocktail time on the foredeck - At anchor beetween the Pitons

Sunset Scenes

Did you see the Green Flash???

FOR ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY - OUR ITINERARY

2009-11-30T07:44:00.002-07:00

We plan to leave St. Lucia on Thursday, December 4th.

Our sail plan from here is as follows:

Martinique - Fort DeFrance - in and out
Dominica - Plymouth - 2 or 3 days to catch up with friends there
Les Saintes - 2 or 3 days for sightseeing, since we haven't been there before
Guadaloupe - Des Shailes - in and out
Antigua - Jolly Harbour - We spent the last 2 weeks of December in English Harbour, at Nelsons Dockyard, so we thought we would see what Jolly Harbour is like this time
St. Barth - 2 or 3 days of French cuisine
Anguilla - Road Bay - 2 days - We are thinking to bypass St. Martin this time. We've been there several times, but have never stopped in Anguilla
Virgin Gorda - Spanish Town - in and out after clearing BVI customs and immigration
Anegada - Maybe, depending on weather. We would like to visit here, as it is a very popular charter site, and we have not been there yet.

On the way to St. Thomas, we will probably stop at a number of the small harbours and tourist destinations. ie; The Baths, Peter Island, etc. etc.

Depending on weather, we figure we will have about 10 days at sea, so the rest of the time will be taken up with "shore leave", sightseeing, and visiting friends along the way.

We would like to visit our buddies Mike and Beth Smith in St. Kitts, but we've decided to wait until our next southbound trip, probably in June. Going to Barbuda takes us way out east of the course to St. Kitts.

We should end up in St. Thomas sometime the first week of January.

Happy Holidays to All -
Walt and Susan King
M/V KINGDOM
Marigot Bay Marina, St. Lucia, West Indies

Susan and Molly Vist Yvonne in San Luis Obispo

2009-11-29T14:10:00.004-07:00

Susan and Molly drove to San Luis Obispo to visit her sisters Yvonne and Dee. Their brother Ray came down from San Francisco, too.

Molly gets to visit Pismo Beach, with Yvonne and her little friend Spicy

Yvonne, Molly and Spicy

Yvonne's son Stanton is a world-class Wave Rider. Here he is bonding with Molly!

"Okay, when do I get off this tailgate and into the water?"

Stanton and Molly at Yvonne's home

Susan's sister Dee Paris at Yvonne's home

Susan's sister Yvonne, and their brother Ray

A Quick Visit With Andrew

2009-11-29T13:57:00.003-07:00

Andrew has this cool playhouse and slide in his backyard. So Grandpa and Andrew had a play date.

"No, Grandpa, you're too big to fit in my playhouse!"

Was that fun, or what?

"See Grandpa, ya start here..."

"Do you hafta go now?"

He has such a sweet and joyful laugh! I treasure these moments.

I don't care what anybody says, he is one great kid! No bull, just the facts!

Kara and Miguel are excellent parents, and Andrew is very lucky to have a wonderful sister like Madison. She is the big sister every boy should have!

Pool Party at Carron's Home

2009-11-29T13:37:00.004-07:00

We were staying with Phyllis and Terry Carron, and they were gracious in letting us host a pool party at their home.

Kara, Andrew, and Susan

Kara, Andrew and proud Granny King

Madison - the water baby! She and Obie the dog had a ball! Madison is Miguel's lovely daughter

Proud Papa Miguel - relaxing for once!

Ray and Walt - two old salts swapping tales or telling lies...

Pam and Ray

Miguel and Kara

Grandpa Walt, Kara and Andrew - It don't get much better than this!

Ray's 85th Birthday!

2009-11-29T13:10:00.003-07:00

We were all on hand to celebrate Ray's 85th Birthday. Ray is Susan's much-beloved Dad, and one of Walt's favorite people, too. Why else would we travel to Arizona in July, during the hottest year on record?

Jeff (with camera) and Pam, Ray's wife, look on as Ray opens his gifts. Can you tell they are brother and sister?

For Me?

Yvonne, Molly, Susan, Sierra, and Ray - he's the one with the hat!

Ray in his custom-made Panama Hat - a real beauty! He promised not to wear it in the pool.

Another T-Shirt!

Cuban Cigars! My Favorite!

Well, I can't wear it or smoke it, so I guess I have to read it!

What We Did During Our “Summer Vacation”

2009-11-29T12:11:00.002-07:00

Our last blog entry was quite some time ago. So, this is a summary of our activities over the period July thru November, 2009. We have tons of pictures, and will post some of them to the blog in separate entries as we sort them out...

Travel:

Walt and Susan flew to Phoenix July 14
Walt flew back to St. Lucia August 10
Susan drove to San Luis Obispo, via Los Angeles to visit sisters Yvonne and Dee, and niece Sierra
Susan drove to San Diego to visit granddaughter Allie, then back to Phoenix

While in Scottsdale we:

Celebrated Ray Delrich’s 85^th Birthday July 20 (Susan’s Dad)
Celebrated Walt’s 65^th birthday August 1
Visited Kara, Miguel, Madison, and grandson Andrew
Hung out with friends Phyllis and Terry Carron, who graciously allowed us to stay in their guest room for much of our time in Scottsdale - (THANK YOU!!!)
Visited with friends Marie and John Discerni, Jim and Jordanna Morris, Pate and Ivan Yerger, Phil Browner, Doug and Jan West, Jan and Michael Mehren, Liz Curran, Jenny Leahy, Joyce Crowe, and Barbara Hayes
Susan’s daughter Jeannine, her husband Greg Dittoe, and daughter Nikki came to Scottsdale from Sacramento for a visit. Susan’s sister Yvonne, and daughter Sierra also came to Scottsdale at the same time as Jeannine and Greg. We all hung out at the Scottsdale Princess Hotel pool

We still missed seeing many others of our friends we had hoped to see – we just ran out of time…

In addition, we:

Attended annual appointments with our various doctors, and our dentist for medical checkups (all results satisfactory)
Prepared and filed our 2008 income tax returns (ugh)
Walt enrolled in Medicare
Our dog Molly had her next round of shots, and was spayed
Susan created and filed our LLC papers for our charter business, and opened our business banking accounts
Susan worked with our website developer to create the website for Kingdom Yacht Charters
We met with our Financial Advisor, Yolanda Arrington, for our annual financial planning review - without her help and advice, our retirement would not be possible

Boat Projects:

Rebuilt hydraulic rams for our Naiad Stabilizers
Repaired watermaker system leak, and repaired compressor drive motor
Replaced waste system hoses as necessary
Fixed holding tank pump-out problem
Repainted non-skid deck surfaces in Aft Deck and Cockpit areas
Varnished cap rails
Replaced 32-volt battery bank
Polished hull from waterline to rub rail
Re-seated and re-joined stone countertop in galley
Fabricated a new varnished teak finishing strip around countertop
Purchased and installed additional emergency boarding step for swim platform
Welded and re-installed broken swim ladder bracket under swim platform
Created bracket and seat for stern passarelle (gangway) using Tide Rider for dock access from transom door
Fixed leak in Flybridge ice maker water supply
Installed new AM/FM/CD Player in Flybridge console
Purchased two high-end lounge chairs for Flybridge
Re-seated wet-bar console on Flybridge
Fabricated a removable insert for the forward stateroom, making it convertible from two twin-sized beds to a king-sized bed
Custom-fitted linens for above king-sized bed
Purchased and installed a new Force-10 BBQ grille
Replaced the cracked and scuffed Flybridge windscreen with new clear plexiglass windscreen
Re-wired Salon sound system, so that all components (TV, DVD, CD, and IPOD) all are routed to the BOSE Surround Sound speakers
Cleaned Main Engine Fuel Filters and Water Separators
Repaired 32-Volt battery charger
Re-charged the Salon air conditioning system with Freon gas

Visitors aboard KINGDOM

Yvonne, Clay and Sierra were aboard from June 14, thru June 24
Doug and Jan West were aboard from October 3, thru October 12
ABC-TV crew were aboard November 21 for filming of a segment of “The Batchelor” series
November 22^nd, we hosted a group aboard for the ARC Flotilla. The event is in honor of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, made up of a fleet of cruising boats which sets sail from Las Palmas, Canary Islands on this date. Their destination is Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. Aboard were our friends, Dockmaster Troy, Master Craftsman Imbert, and his wife Marianne, as well as Dominick (Discovery Hotel General Manager) and his parents, Hans and Bettina, who were visiting from Germany.

Fun Stuff:

Sundowners at Chateau Mygo – where all house drinks are two-fer’s, and the Piton Beers come with a lime wedge, and in their own bucket of ice - we are usually joined by a mix of fellow cruisers Kenny and Kathy, Lisa and David, Captain Ben Fisher, and local residents Jeff and Jan Bullen, Nick and Bev Dyer, Susie, Maggie, and of course, our gracious and lovely hostess, Doreen (owner of Chateau Mygo)
Tuesday Sushi nights at Chateau Mygo – when master Sushi Chef Michael feeds Susan, and the band plays until late – and we dance our feet off
July 4^th BBQ Party – also Jeff and Jan Bullen’s anniversary party
Playing Bananas at the Discovery Hotel’s swim-up bar
The “Welcome Back Molly” Party in early October– combined with Susan’s and Jan West’s birthday celebrations
Halloween Party – held at Doolittle’s Restaurant and Bar – dinner and dancing, costumes, scary décor, and a raffle to benefit children’s charities – we even won a couple of prizes
Thanksgiving Day Dinner – traditional turkey and dressing, with all the trimmings, organized by Doreen’s family and held at her cousin Beverly’s large, beautiful home overlooking Marigot Bay
Snorkeling at the Pitons, near Jalousie resort, with Yvonne, Clay, Sierra, and Doug and Jan West (two separate occasions)
Zip-Lining in the Rain Forest with Yvonne, Clay, Sierra, Kenny Walker, and Ben Fisher
Dinners with friends at the Rain Forest Restaurant – the only 4-Star restaurant in St. Lucia we have found – in fact, one of the best in the Caribbean
French Baguettes fresh from the oven every morning

4th of July - Cruiser Style

2009-07-06T14:18:00.007-07:00

First, the cast of characters - all new friends we have met since our arrival in St. Lucia.

Kenny and Kathy - from the catamaran sailing yacht "Mer Soleil" - have been living aboard for three years, and sailing mostly in the Caribbean. They still have business interests in the U.S.

Lisa and David - from the monohull sailing yacht "Star Stream" - Lisa is a licensed boat captain, and David is a retired airline pilot (TWA and American Airlines). They live aboard their boat full time, but maintain a small condo in Florida. They have two doggies aboard, Katy and Spencer.

Jan and Jeff - British couple from sailing yacht "Wine Down". Jeff is a retired RAF pilot, and Jan is a retired Nurse. They have built a home in St. Lucia, but also maintain their boat in the Marigot harbour. JULY 4th IS THEIR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

Doreen - owner/operator of the Chateau Mygo restaurant in Marigot Bay, she also has numerous other business interests and properties in St. Lucia.

Ben - Captain of the motor yacht KATHLEEN M - a terrific guy, with an amazing store of boating knowledge and lore.

Troy - Dockmaster of the Marina at Marigot Bay - he's the man who keeps the whole marina running smoothly, and the cruising community happy.

The play - we decided among us that we should create a traditional American 4th of July celebration that everyone in the harbour could enjoy. Complete with hot dogs, ribs and bratwurst on the grill, red, white and blue table decorations, and if possible, FIREWORKS!

The plot twist - since we knew that Jan and Jeff's wedding anniversary also fell on the 4th of July, it was decided to include a special recognition for that, too. But that part of the celebration had to be kept secret from the two of them until the surprise was sprung on them at the party!

Planning and preparations were underway for days. Kathy and Kenny made shopping forays into Castries (the capital city) looking for the raw materials. Red, white and blue paper plates, napkins, and tablecloths were among the items they came up with. Kenny made music CD's of great tunes to play at the party. Kathy and Susan crafted a sort of mock wedding veil for Jan to wear, and an ersatz tuxedo vest and bow tie for Jeff.

We spent one evening with Kenny and Kathy creating table decorations - candle holders in red, white and blue.
Walt, Kenny, and Kathy making table decorations
Kathy (aka Martha Stewart of Marigot) and her creations

The menfolk try to help...Walt and Kenny hard at work

At last, the party was planned. Invitations were out. The beer was cold, the tables were dressed, the music was playing, and the food was abundant.

Walt and Susan in Party Mode

Jan and Doreen

Troy (left) and Ben enjoy a cold one!

Cruising couple from Chicago - Augie and Sophie, plus unidentified party-goer

More party animals

Grill Master Jeff at work

At last, it was time to spring the surprise on Jeff and Jan. With long-distance help from (Yvonne and Sierra), Susan, Kathy, Lisa and Doreen had worked out a choreographed dance and lip-synch routine to the 50's tune "Goin to the Chapel...and we're gonna get married", complete with little bridesmaid's bouquets. The dance routine was a hit!

Susan and her "Pips" serenading the happy couple...

Jan in her veil, and Jeff in his "tux" are congratulated on 28 years of marriage, while the "Pips" wail on... (Kathy is at right)

The happy couple enjoys their first dance to the marvelous tune "Only You". Very romantic!

They were great sports! And the Pips are still singing in the background...

Jan and Jeff - truly a lovely and loving couple

Dancing to "Willie and the Hand Jive"

Pips' behinds - from left, Doreen, Lisa, Kathy and Susan

Opposite view from left - Susan, Kathy, Lisa and Doreen

At 9:30pm, several of the menfolk fired off a few rounds from our marine emergency flare guns in lieu of fireworks. Yes, we had obtained permission from all the proper local authorities. But it was still scary doing it in such a small bay. We were lucky nothing was ignited that shouldn't have been...

By 11:30, the place was cleaned up, and the revelers mostly asleep. A great time was had by all!

St. Lucia - Von, Sierra and Clay visit KINGDOM

2009-07-06T08:22:00.004-07:00

Susan's sister Yvonne, niece Sierra, and Clay Davis joined us in Marigot Bay, St. Lucia for a couple of weeks. We had a wonderful time with them. It was like a mini-vacation for us, since while they were here we didn't do any maintenance work on the boat.

We spent pleasant afternoons at the pool, swimming, reading, and playing "Bananas"
Von and Sierra enjoyed kyaking in the Bay

Clay enjoyed fishing (or trying to fish) from the boat, the dock, and the dinghy.

One day, we went zip-lining in the rain forest. This is Susan making a transit...

Susan, all geared up. Note the lovely hairnet... On the left is our friend Kathy Walker, whose husband Ken joined our zipline group. Kathy preferred keeping her feet on the ground.

Yvonne and Clay, geared up for zip-lining.

Dinner at Doolittle's in Marigot Bay. We were joined by our friends Kathy and Ken Walker, and by Ben Fisher, another friend who is Captain of the 95' Motor Yacht "Kathleen M"

Doolittle's happy hour list

Von and Sierra playing "Bananas" at the swim-up bar

Another day, we took the boat south a few miles, and anchored off the beach at the foot of the Piton's. This is one of the most beautiful anchorages in the Caribbean. It is a small bay, set between two massive volcanic cones. There are a couple of very exclusive resorts here, with fine restaurants. Also, a small beach, and two excellent shallow reefs perfect for snorkling. Von, Clay, Sierra and Susan spent a lovely afternoon snorkling, and then we headed back to Marigot Bay to arrive before dark.

Ready for Snorkling - The water is a crystal clear blue, and perfect temperature.

Clay and Sierra adjusting their snorkel gear.

Walt, Sierra and Von playing Bananas at the swim-up bar

The pool at Discovery - olympic size with swim-up bar

Von kyaking in Marigot Bay

Poolside refreshments - pizza, fries, and umbrella drinks

Sierra and Von poolside

Molly

Typical Marigot Bay sunset

The facilities of Marigot Bay Marina, and the Discovery Hotel provide us all we need for hurricane season; Clean water, serenity, security, and beautiful surroundings.

Martinique to St. Lucia

2009-07-06T07:51:00.002-07:00

Thursday, May 28, 7:30am
We weighed anchor for what we thought would be an easy 40 mile run to Marigot Bay, St. Lucia. The day started out sunny and with short seas. By the time we were 5 miles offshore, in the passage between the two islands, we knew we were in for a very uncomfortable ride.

You will notice there are no accompanying photos with this blog entry; we were too busy hanging on...

Our rhumb-line course was Southeast to St. Lucia. Unfortunately the current and 25-knot wind was creating a solid 10-12 foot set of waves directly abeam our course. In addition, the waves were coming at very close intervals. I tried every point of steering near our course, and only succeeded in severely bouncing the contents of the boat around the salon, breaking lamp bulbs, and toppling side tables. Even our sofa came adrift, and was marching across the salon. The salon floor was covered in glass shards from the broken light bulbs.

I finally yielded to conditions, and ran a sort of tacking course Southwest, which at least put the oncoming waves to port and astern the boat. This course gave us relief from the pounding, but took us about 1o miles out of the way. Once we were in the lee of St. Lucia, the wind and waves abated somewhat, and we could steer almost directly East toward Marigot Bay.

This is literally the first time we have had to run a significant tacking course to get where we wanted to go. It added two hours to our passage, but it taught us another lesson in seamanship. Better to run than be run over! Comfort over speed!

Just to make things really interesting, our starboard engine quit just as we were about to enter the harbour at Marigot Bay. The starboard fuel filter was clogged, so I had Susan idle the boat in circles near the harbour entrance, using the port engine only, while I changed the filter and re-primed the stalled engine.

We finally tied up at the marina around 3:30pm. I was able to clear St. Lucia customs and immigration just before they closed.

Martinique

2009-07-06T07:36:00.003-07:00

We spent five days in Fort de France, shopping for groceries, and a few items from the excellent chandlery there. We would have had a couple of boat maintenance items done in Martinique, but we were unable to surmount the language barrier. We called several service companies, but the people answering the phone spoke only French. By Wednesday, May 27th, we finally gave up, and moved on to this lovely village and anchorage of Grande Anse d'Arlet, which lies about 7 miles south of Fort de France.

We spent only one night here, and left Martinique early the next morning.

We did like Martinique, and plan to return sometime soon for a week of exploring inland. There are a number of interesting historical sites, beautiful anchorages, and at least nine rum distilleries on Martinique.

Dominica to Martinique

2009-07-06T07:09:00.004-07:00

Friday May 22nd
We bid farewell to Dominica, raising the anchor at 7:30am, bound for Martinique. It was an easy day of cruising, and we arrived at Fort de France, Martinique at 3:30pm.

Since we have already posted pix of Fort de France, taken on our trip northward, we won't repeat them here. Instead, we will show you some of the photos taken on this trip.

This is a view of Scott's Head, at the southern tip of Dominica, and it's bay. This small bay contains a fishing village, and is off limits to cruising boats, as it is a protected fishery.
Two views approaching Soufrier, Dominica, with the mountains and volcano shrouded by rain clouds

Two views of the village of Soufriere, Dominica. Note the old cemetery near the waterfront, and the church above.

Molly's tyical cruising nook - until the water gets rough

Molly on Walt's lap, in the pilothouse

More Dominica Pix

2009-06-10T11:02:00.005-07:00

During Gayle's visit, we decided to take the boat about 15 miles down-island to Roseau for a few days. Roseau is the capitol of Dominica, and a good place for provisioning. We took a mooring ball near Sea-Cat's dock, from which we could take our dinghy into several of the local docks for shopping and sight-seeing. Sam took a few days off to go with us aboard KINGDOM. We returned to Portsmouth for Gayle's return flight.

While we were in Roseau, Gayle arranged for two days of SCUBA diving with the local dive shop boat. Sam, Susan and I stayed aboard Kingdom.

The four of us did go down to Champagne Reef in the dinghy for an afternoon of snorkling. Champagne Reef is so named because there are volcanic steam outlets among the reef formations. This looks and feels like you are swimming in a warm glass of champagne. The water, of course, is crystal-clear. The fish were amazing in their variety, and we saw eels, as will as a colorful school of squid. Unfortunately, we did encounter some tiny jellyfish, nearly invisible to the eye. We all were stung, but Sam and Susan were hit the worst. We were told later that these were "String of Pearls" jellyfish, and that they had been blown in from offshore by a recent storm. We had not encountered these before in our dives there, or anywhere else in Dominica. We were also told that the the only antidote to their stings is the urine of a certified dive-master. Hmmm...

Sam and Walt prepare the lines for mooring off Roseau.

Sam took us into the mountains on a rain forest hike. This is the entrance to the Morne Diablotin national park trail.

I have no idea what this plant is, but Susan says it is a "Birdnest Antherium"

Along the trail, we observed lots of bromeliads, including orchids growing wild. There are also two rare species of parrots on Dominica, one of which lives in the rain forest. We spotted a pair far up in the forest canopy, but they fled before we could really photograph them.

The scale of these trees is enormous. It is impossible to photograph one of these in its entirety. The trunk of this particular specimen is easily 30 feet in diameter. It is like being among the giant redwoods of California.

Happy hikers - Sam, Gayle, and Susan

This lone lightning-ravaged tree is actually perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a deep river ravine. But the forest canopy is so high and so thick, it decieves the eye into thinking this is just a little dropoff. Note the giant bromeliad at the base of the stump.

Sam took us on another interesting (and Very Challenging) hike. We started at the top of a mountain spine, and hiked (actually, slid, slipped, and fell) down a trail that led us downward about 1000 feet to the Chaudrie Pool. It is a lovely swimming hole formed by a waterfall at the bottom of a steep ravine.

This is the starting point for the trail down to the Chaudrie Pool. Note the cloud-covered peak in the background. Believe it or not, the Dominicans consider this upland to be "farmland". They grow bananas here, and plant terraced vegetable gardens.

At the Chaudrie Pool, we found another specimen of the Dominican Mountain Crab. This one is bigger, and appears ready to defend his territory from all comers.

I swear, these guys are so bright and colorful, they look like they're made of plastic. I was fascinated by them.

Molly needed a good nap after the hike through the rainforest, and then down the mountain to the pool. I had to carry her up and out - she slept peacefully the whole way.

One of the greatest swimming holes I've ever been in anywhere. Very cold, very pure water.

Sam, checking his phone messages at the bottom of the ravine. Good thing there were no urgent ones...

Old guy

Gayle, fiddling with her camera after our swim.

Chaudrie Pool - need we say more?

This is a view of Prince Rupert Bay from the Cabrits Peaks. One of those little white spots down there is our boat.

A last, larger view of Prince Rupert Bay. One of our favorite anchorages in all the Caribbean.

Dominica offers great natural beauty; friendly and hospitable people; great diving among incredible reefs, and a large, comfortable harbour. What more could a cruising couple ask for?

Exploring Dominica

2009-06-10T09:09:00.005-07:00

We spent nearly a month in Dominica. Where did the time go?

Well, first off, our friend Gayle Danner came to visit, so we had a few days of preparation prior to her arrival, cleaning her stateroom, stocking the boat, and planning activities. We met with our friend, local tour guide and boatman, Lawrence Roberts (aka “Lawrence of Arabia”, aka “Meggy”) to renew our friendship with him and his crew. We arranged Gayle’s airport transport, and talked over possible hikes in the interior, as well as dive sites. Lawrence, his partner “Uncle” Sam Haynes, and their longtime friend Andrew took excellent care of us all during our stay.

Gayle arrived on Saturday, May 2nd. Since she had travelled so far in one long day (Phoenix/Atlanta/Peurto Rico/Antigua/Dominica), we allowed her a day to rest up, which also allowed her luggage a day to catch up with her. Sam tracked down her bags, and delivered them from the airport directly to our boat.

We introduced Gayle to the interior of Dominica via the Indian River. Lawrence rowed us up the river to the Bush Bar. It was raining torrentially nearly the entire way. Once there, after a few rounds of Dynamite Punch, we hardly noticed the weather. This was Molly’s first land excursion in Dominica, too. We ordered lunch, which was chicken, accompanied by jungle-grown “provision”, which basically are root crops such as dashine, yams, etc. Delicious!
One of the guys climbed a coconut palm tree, so Gayle could have fresh coconut. She was shown how to crack and peel the nut, and I think she ate most of the meat of an entire coconut all by herself.Coincidentally, a hundred or so students from Ross University Medical School showed up at the Bush Bar while we were there. Seems it was some sort of beginning-of-semester outing for new students. It was suddenly like Grand Central Station in the middle of the damn jungle! It was fun though. We played dominoes.

The following day, Gayle went with Sam on a guided tour. We didn’t go with her, since Susan and I had done this particular tour on a previous visit. The itinerary included the Carib enclave on the eastern shore, a wonderful lunch overlooking the ocean, and a hike to Emerald Pool and waterfall. Sometime during this tour, Gayle fell in love with Dominica, and with Sam.

Next day, we went SCUBA diving. As we were gathering our gear that morning, I discovered that my dive bag containing my BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), regulator, and octopus were missing. The last time I had used them was in January, at St. Martin, to clear a driveshaft that had been fouled by a crab trap line. I stowed the gear, and had no reason to check on it since then. As it happens, that is also where Carol and Teffany signed off our crew list. I hate to think that they may have taken it, but no one else knew where it was stowed. I will probably never know.

Anyway, I was able to use rented replacement equipment from Cabrits Dive Shop, and we really enjoyed the day’s diving in Douglas Bay.

Diving in Dominica is “world-class”. The island boasts some of the healthiest reefs in the world. An amazing variety of soft and hard corals are inhabited by an incredible array of fish and crustaceans. I cannot begin to name all the species we identified, but we saw several varieties of moray eels, which fascinated me. Susan and Gayle both saw seahorses, which are some of the rarest finds. Susan and I both learned to relax into the dive, move slowly, and conserve air, which allows for more “bottom time”.

On this dive, we met a French Canadian couple, Pierre and Celine, who are highly skilled underwater photographers. She was using a video camera, while he shot still photos, focusing on the tiniest organisms he could find. They provided us a CD copy of some of their shots, which we will try to include here. Inspired by them, we’ve decided to try to acquire some sort of underwater camera, so we can share our experiences more fully.

We took a day off to rest, and then dove again in two more nearby locations. Again, we were completely enchanted by the experience.

A day-by-day account of our activities in Dominica would probably be tedious to read we will simply recap some of the highlights of our treks to national parks, waterfalls, natural hot springs, rivers and mountains via pictures. Sam was our tour guide and driver throughout. His knowledge of the island, its flora and fauna, is encyclopedic.

Pirate's Roost restautant, overlooking Scotts Head Bay - Sam points out the sights to Gayle and Walt
A dusky view of Scotts Head Bay fishing village

Walt, Gayle, and Sam - We stopped here at the end of a long day of hiking.

This is a hot-spring-fed pool in one of the national parks. Dominica has several semi-active volcanos, which supply hot water to these pools. They vary in temperature, and in their mineral content and sulpherous aroma.

This was near the end of a day of hiking, and the hot spring was fabulous for our tired and aching muscles.

At first I thought this was a plastic crab, but then he moved! This is a Mountain Crab, which we found at an altitude of 1500 feet, on the trail to Trafalgar falls.

Isn't he cute? These guys remind me of the alien character in Steven Spielberg's movie, "E.T."

This is Gayle at the foot of Trafalgar Falls, the highest waterfall in Dominica. There are actually three separate waterfalls coming over the precipice, about 50 meters apart. But the canyon is so narrow here, we couldn't find a vantage point to photograph them all in one frame.

One of the three falls of Trafalgar Falls.

Old guy and falls...

I'm including this shot (even though it is dark), in an attempt to show scale and perspective, and the height of the falls in relationship to human size.

Gayle and Sam, hiking the trail to Trafalgar Falls - the easy part...

Lunch is served! Maria is a fabulous cook. We each ordered different entrees, and each was excellent.

Gayle and Walt, waiting for lunch to be served. Maria's roadside restaurant is perched cliffside over the river canyon that is formed from the flow out of Trafalgar Falls. From this vantage point, we lost count of the number of different tree and flower varieties we could see while dining.

Susan, Sam and Gayle. This was taken at the overlook above Roseau, the capitol city.

This only one view of the majestic panorama overlooking Roseau. At the base of the hill is the Botanical Gardens. Beyond them is the old city cemetery. This shot is not close enough to make out much more than that. You will just have to come and see it for yourself...

Susan and Gayle.

Gayle at the Bush Bar, a mile up the Indian River, near Portsmouth.

Southbound to Dominica, West Indies

2009-04-29T11:17:00.005-07:00

Saturday, 18 April –
We left Christmas Cove, St. Thomas around 11:30AM for Jost Van Dyck, BVI. We obtained official clearance in and out of the BVI’s there, and ate lunch at Foxy’s on the beach.

Foxy’s is a legendary eatery with a long history of fabulous New Year’s Eve parties. They make great burgers, fresh seafood, and have their own micro-brewery on-site. I tried the Foxy’s Lager with my burger. It was okay, but nothing special, and a bit bitter for my taste.

We departed Jost Van Dyck about 3:30PM, bound for Virgin Gorda. Arriving at Gorda Sound just as the sun was setting at 6:30PM, we settled in for the night so as to get an early start for the long run to St. Martin.

Sunday, 19 April –
It is an 80-mile passage from Virgin Gorda to Marigot Bay, St. Martin, on the French (north) side of the island. Good conditions are essential. As it happens, we had good weather and mild seas in the 4’ to 6’ range all day.

Starting at 6:30AM, we dropped our hook in St. Martin at 5:33PM, breathing a sigh of relief, as this is the longest single passage we will make this summer.

Monday, 20 April -
I cleared in and out through St. Martin Customs and Immigration the next morning, which took forever. There was an hour wait before I was even allowed in the office, as there were several other captains in line ahead of me. The process is straightforward; all information is self-entered on a computer terminal, which prints out the forms for verification by the customs officer. However, there was only one officer on duty, and only two computer terminals with French keyboards in the tiny office. Given the large number of yachts that visit the island, it would seem to me they would make better provision for handling the paperwork. Ah, well – who am I to question the wisdom of French officialdom…

We departed St. Martin for St. Barthelmy about 12:30PM, arriving at 4:00PM. This was a short run for us, only 26 miles.

St. Bart’s (as it is called) is a small island with a very nice anchorage and port. We both went ashore to check in (and out) since it was still early.

In marked contrast to St. Martin, the process only took 20 minutes – fast and friendly. We wanted to see a little of this legendary town, playground of the “rich and famous” for ourselves. We were very pleasantly impressed.

The town is quaint, clean, and very French – more so than the other French islands we have seen (with the exception of Guadaloupe). It can also be very expensive. Haute’ Couture shops are in abundance. All the big names in fashion have exclusive shops here along the narrow little streets. It’s like Rodeo Drive, Caribbean-style.

We stopped in to a small open-air bistro for a beer and a glass of wine, where we could watch the street scene unfold before us. It has been a long time since we have seen so many tall, well-dressed, thin and fit people in one place. Many of them appear to be well-off, fitted out in the previously mentioned high-fashion styles. And of course, mixed in were the scruffy cruisers like us, from off the boats anchored in the harbor. We only spent a couple of hours here, but would like to return for a longer visit to soak up the ambience at a more leisurely pace.

Tuesday, 21 April -
Our next destination was the island of Nevis, just south of St. Kitts. Since we had spent several weeks at St. Kitts last year without stopping at Nevis, we wanted to see what it was like.

So we pulled our hook up at St. Bart’s at 7:45AM, for the 50 mile passage to the town of Portsmouth, Nevis, arriving at 3:30PM.During this run, the seas kicked up to 7’ to 10’, with winds gusting to 40 knots. That made for a very bumpy ride.

After dropping the hook, we simply relaxed aboard, and planned our next move. We decided to stop next at Montserrat, because the run all the way to Guadaloupe was too long for one day.

Wednesday, 22 April –
I went ashore in Portsmouth to clear in and out of Nevis. While the officers were friendly, I had to go to three different offices to accomplish my task - Customs, Immigration, and Port Authority.

We hoisted anchor at 10:45AM, a bit later than we would have preferred. The run to Rendezvous Bay, on the Northwest tip of Montserrat, was 33 miles of “bad road” on this particular day. The winds were consistently 25 to 30 knots, with seas running 7’ to 15’. NOT a fun crossing!

By the time we arrived at 4:30PM, we were beat, and the boat was covered in salt from the spray. We decided we needed a day of rest. We would clear customs the following day (Thursday), wash the boat down, and rest overnight before heading south to Guadaloupe.

Friday, 24 April -
We debated the best route to take around Montserrat. As you may know, the island had a major volcanic eruption in 1995, and the volcano has been spewing ash into the air ever since. Another eruption could happen at any time, and the ash cloud tends to drift eastward on the trade winds for several miles out into the Caribbean.

Boats that sail the western shore of the island too close inshore end up covered with grit from the fallout. On our trip south last year, we elected to go around Montserrat on the eastern side. This trip, because of the heavy seas, we decided we needed the protection of the island’s lee (western) side. So, we pulled up the anchor at 8:30AM, and sailed directly offshore about three miles away from the restricted areas before turning south. In this manner, we managed to avoid the dust cloud. There were rain squalls in the vicinity, which helped to prevent the dust from travelling very far offshore.

After clearing the lee of Montserrat, the seas were running 6’ to 10’, with winds clocking 15 – 20 knots. In addition, we were facing a stiff opposing current of at least 1 knot. Overall, we only averaged 5.3 knots of speed on this 40 mile passage (instead of our usual 7 knots). It took us 7 ½ hours to make the port of Deshailles, at the northwestern end of Guadaloupe.

We dropped our hook at 3:45PM, and immediately our radio sprang to life! “KINGDOM, KINGDOM, KINGDOM, this is CHEETAH”. Our friends from Trinidad, Peter and Jenny, had arrived a half-hour before us. They spied our boat coming into the harbor, and hailed us after our hook was down. Obviously, we invited them aboard for cocktails! It was great to catch up with them and their doings since we saw them last in late November last year. They were heading north to Antigua, with a couple of old friends as their guests aboard. We enjoyed meeting them as well, and managed to polish off several bottles of wine together. A FUN evening! They too will not be spending the hurricane season in Trinidad again, so we will see them in St. Lucia.

Saturday, 25 April -
Next morning, a local boatman delivered four freshly-baked baguettes and two lovely brioches. Wow! Fresh Bread Delivered to our Boat! What Luxury!

We ate the two brioches for breakfast, and headed out at 8:45AM, bound for the town of Portsmouth, on Prince Rupert Bay, near the northwestern end of Dominica, West Indies.

This 50 mile passage offered three distinct sailing zones. The first 20 miles, down the eastern lee shore of Guadaloupe, was peaceful – smooth seas, mild winds. Rounding the southern tip of the island, we entered a 10 mile area of confused seas, heavy currents, and wild waves which continued until we had cleared the Iles de Saintes. This is caused by the combination of the western setting Atlantic current flowing over the relatively shallow banks between the southern tip of Guadaloupe, and the stiff trade winds out of the east. A nasty ride!

After clearing the Saintes, the seas settled down somewhat. 5’ to 7’ waves in relatively light winds, 10 to 15 knots.

We arrived in Portsmouth, Dominica at 4:00PM, and were met by our friend Lawrence, a local boatman, tour guide, and all-around “fixer”. We’ve come to know and trust him over the last two visits to the island. We discussed our plans to stay here over the next several weeks. We arranged with him to provide transportation from the airport to Portsmouth for our friend Gayle Danner, arriving here next Saturday, May 2nd, for a two-week visit aboard KINGDOM. Lawrence will also help arrange inland tours and diving trips for us while she is here.

316 Miles – That’s how far we’ve travelled since we left St. Thomas on April 18th. A hard week’s travelling. We don’t expect to move again for several weeks, except perhaps to explore around the island of Dominica. No rough passages for a month! Yippee!

Through it all, our little puppy, Molly, has been a good little trooper. She has upchucked a couple of times during really rough conditions, but generally she finds a comfortable place to sleep through the passages. She is very smart, and is learning to do her business on the foredeck whenever possible, where we can easily wash it down. She is going to make a good boat dog, we think. She has a calm, friendly personality, and enjoys meeting new people. She sometimes barks at unfamiliar sounds, but is not a “yappy dog”. She doesn’t bark at people passing by when we are at the dock, or at other dogs. She has a couple of periods daily of high activity, usually morning and evening, when she insists on playing with us. She runs ‘round the decks like a crazed maniac, and then brings one or more of her toys to us for a game of “tug-o-war” and “fetch”.

Molly has two favorite toys: Hot Dog, and Hedgehog. They are small stuffed toys that she loves to chase around and play with. While we were at anchor in Deshailles, Susan was playing “toss and fetch” with Molly and her Hot Dog. A bad throw put Hot Dog over the side rail, and poor Hot Dog was slowly moving out to sea with the tide (picture Wilson, in the movie Castaway). Susan jumped in, clothes and all, and swam to Hot Dog’s rescue! Yeah, Susan!

Molly with Hot Dog and Hedgehog

Big square-rigger off Nevis

FLOPPER STOPPERS and KYAKS

2009-04-29T11:03:00.005-07:00

We’ve finally figured out how to deploy our passive roll inhibitors, aka “flopper stoppers”.

These consist of a rectangular shutter-like apparatus, suspended in the water from a boom on each side of the boat. The shutter opens as it sinks, and closes as it rises, providing resistance to the weight of water above it. As the port side rises, the starboard side sinks, and so on. The net effect of these simple devices is the reduction of the boat’s rolling action while at anchor by about 40%. This makes us much more comfortable aboard whenever a wave or a wake hits the boat broadside.

We had been looking for a couple of affordable kyaks for some time. Our friends Wolfgang and Ana had been to PriceSmart (like CostCo), and had seen kyaks on sale for $299. Since that is about half the price we had been seeing for these, we hurried to the store and bought two! These are individual kyaks, and will be perfect for beach excursions. More Toys!

Now all we need are some Super-Soakers and Water Cannons…

It will be difficult to visualize these things from my pictures...
Kyaks - ready for play

View of Starboard flopper stopper from flybridge

Sunset at Christmas Cove, St. Thomas

St. Thomas Yacht Club

2009-04-29T10:40:00.005-07:00

We joined the yacht club at St. Thomas, since we plan to spend several months each year operating from the US and British Virgin Islands. It is a good base of operations for us, situated just across the bay from Christmas Cove, which is one of our favorite local anchorages in St. Thomas. The club sponsors the annual St. Thomas ROLEX Regatta.

Members have free access to their fleet of small sailing craft, including Hobie Cats, Sunfish, El Toros, etc. The club’s restaurant is open every day for breakfast, lunch, and for dinner on Tuesday and Friday nights. The menu is limited, but the food is excellent. The bar is open all day every day. The club also hosts special events and parties for members.

There are tennis courts, and a small sandy beach, as well as a good dinghy dock. Bathrooms and showers are available free to members.

They also have a free shuttle service to get people back and forth from their yachts in the harbor. The shuttle is summoned from your boat by tooting three times on the ship’s horn. Appropriately, the shuttle is named “Three Blasts”. We can also meet and drop off guests at the club, as people arrive from the airport to visit KINGDOM.

A few pictures of the club:
Patio area overlooking harbour
Club's fleet of small craft

Signal Cannon

View of Club's small beach

Entrance and parking

Club lobby

Walt using the internet in the Club's bar.

Susan and Molly (nearly invisible at the end of the kyak) on the beach. Molly's first swim...

KINGDOM’s 15 Minutes of Fame

2009-04-04T15:11:00.018-07:00

We were recently recruited by representatives of the St. Thomas Yacht Club to provide the Committee Boat for the International ROLEX Regatta, which took place this last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (March 27, 28, & 29). We were thrilled to be asked! (Please don’t tell them, but we probably would have paid them for the honor…)

For those of you unfamiliar with the duties of the Race Committee Boat (like us), we hosted the Regatta officials, starters, timers, recorders, the Press, and various and sundry volunteers. We anchored KINGDOM off the Yacht Club mooring field on Friday morning, and the group came aboard at 8:30am with their signal flags and equipment. About 16 people in all.

We then motored about a mile offshore, and anchored in about 80 feet of water. The service boats set the marker buoys for the starting and finish lines about 100 yards on either side of us.

Racing began about 10am each day, and generally was finished around 4pm. There were 5 classes of sailboats; everything from the 70-footers with a crew of 15, down to the beach catamarans crewed by two people in wet suits hanging on for dear life. There were about 65 boats in all. Some of the most exciting races were in the 24-foot one-design class known as IC-24.

For us, it was like having 50-yard-line tickets at the Super Bowl! Basically, we were at the starting line and finish line of most of the races. Some of the big-boat classes raced a long course, and ran as few as one race per day. The smaller boats ran as many as five races each day. Race courses were laid out by the workboats, setting out temporary buoys marking the path of the race course. The racers are provided the coordinates of each marker buoy for each race.

Much of the racing was broadcast live on the internet. It was also filmed by on-water movie crews. So if you are interested, you can probably find pictures of KINGDOM where you find reporting of the event. We were invited to all of the evening festivities at the Yacht Club, but only made it to two of them. Saturday night we were too pooped to attend the Big Bash at Yacht Haven Grande in Charlotte Amalie. I think we were in bed by 8:30pm.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures. Sometimes it looks like mass confusion on the water, as boats mill around jockeying for position on the starting line, or rounding a buoy. At other times, it is like watching sprinters lined up waiting for the starting gun at a track meet.

We hope you enjoy….

Friday night at the Yacht Club, Susan got to meet one of the patriarchs of offshore racing. Arthur, known as "Tuna" was instrumental in formalizing the rules of International Sailboat Racing. He is now 85 years young, and sharp as a tack, even though he gets around with a walker. He ran the World Cup Regatta in Sydney, when Dennis Connor won for the U.S.A.
New friends...

The bar at the yacht club, hung with regatta and yacht club pennants.

IC 24's just off the starting line.

IC 24's crossing the finish line.

Spinnakers flying, approaching the finish line.

The race starters awaiting the next race with their flags at rest.

Dave Brennan, the Race Captain, aboard one of KINGDOM's Yamaha scooters. He was on a radio or cell phone all during the day.

S/V Shamrock, a legendary race boat.

S/V VICTORIE, approaching finish line, well ahead of her competitors.

Racers rounding a mid-point buoy.

S/V DONNYBROOK loses her spinnaker overboard.

One of the Beach Catamarans flipped over just at the starting line. They righted the boat and took off like a rocket.

One of the most beautiful of the racer/cruiser class.

The boats passed so close at the start and finish, we could almost reach out and touch them.

The little trimaran was named PIGLET.

Dave Brennan , still hard at work, running the races from KINGDOM's flybridge.

One of the regatta's several workboats, hauling buoy markers out to the race course.

We plan to do it all again next year. We've been invited to join the St. Thomas Yacht Club, too.

Oh Captain, my Captain...

2009-03-31T14:18:00.009-07:00

We have decided to operate a few charters next year in order to supplement our income and write off some of our expenses. We have been thinking about doing this for months, ever since our friends Courtney and Dustin suggested it to us last year in St. Kitts. Since then, we have met a number of other couples who have also encouraged us to get set up for chartering. They all have said the boat is perfect for the purpose.

Our thinking is that we will set aside up to 10 weeks per year for chartering, with the intention of actually accepting no more than 4 to 6 week-long charters per year. We will take 4 adults or 2 adults plus 2 children, providing them island-hopping tours of the US and British Virgin Islands, or potentially other itineraries as we cruise down and back to and from St. Lucia.

Our job will be to provide great meals and beverages, clean linens, and FUN. We have purchased 4 sets of snorkel gear for guests, and will take them to the beaches and reefs in the dinghy for swimming and snorkeling. In addition, we bought 4 blow-up floaties, and are planning to purchase either a two-person sea kyak or two single seat sea kyaks. We will also take guests to the various island restaurants and tiki-bars for onshore dining and music experiences. Some of the islands also have wonderful hiking trails, and historical sites that can be visited.

We’ve been told we can expect to charge upwards of $10,000 to $12,000 per week for 4 people for six or seven days of cruising. It appears we can probably clear $5,000 to $6,000 after meeting our expenses. This will really help balance our budget, and will provide the opportunity to write off much of the operating expense the boat incurs.

However, in order to legally engage in taking people aboard for hire, we’ve had to meet the requirements set by various regulatory agencies. It has taken several weeks of time and effort, plus about a thousand dollars in fees, but it had to be done. Captain’s License

First, I needed to obtain a Captain’s License of the class which allows me to take up to six guests aboard my boat. I enrolled at The Captain’s School here at American Yacht Harbour. This is a two-week, 56-hour course, followed by the Coast Guard Exam. This will result in a 100-ton OUPV Captain’s license (Operator of Uninspected Private Vessel). Larger commercial vessels carrying more people require a Master’s license. This is a tough course, and covers an amazing array of seafaring skills.

STCW Certification (safety)
Second, I had to pass the STCW courses and obtain Certification in the following classes:

7 ½ hours Basic Firefighting (they let us put out several types of fires at the local dump)
6 ½ hours Personal Survival Techniques (they made us jump in the water with and without wearing various floatation devices, as well as right an overturned life raft - see pictures)
2 ¼ hours Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities
8 hours First Aid and CPR (yes, we used the dummy for mouth-to-mouth)

The STCW training was all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and it was pretty demanding physically. I was thoroughly pooped by Sunday night!

The ever-fashionable GUMBY SUIT! (Survival suit for cold-water)

Our instructor insisted that we be able to don the survival suit in less than three minutes.

My entry style may not look very graceful, but dammit, there are four young beauties wearing bikinis in this life raft. Every seaman's fantasy!

We each had to right an overturned life raft. If she can do it, then so can I, dang it!

Our grizzled old instructor, and some of my less grizzly classmates. Note that their eyes are closed. The instructor made us close our eyes, turn around 360 degrees, find a life jacket on the deck and put it on while keeping eyes closed. This is intended to simulate finding your life jacket in the dark, after being torpedoed by a U-boat, or colliding with an iceberg, ala Titanic.

Yes, the old dude finally made it into the life raft.

Why aren't life rafts self-righting? Because our instructor enjoys turning it over and making us right it!

Just like Ivory Soap....it floats!

TWIC (Transportation Workers Identification Card)
Third, Susan and I both had to apply for and be issued TWIC Cards by the US Department of Homeland Security. This is a new ID Card that everyone involved in the public transportation industry must have. That includes people from airline pilots to longshoremen. The good thing about it is that it has a chip containing our digital fingerprints, and is good for five years. The TWIC database is becoming the single database used for USCG license holders, as well as all merchant mariners. We had to go to Charlotte Amalie for this, and it took a couple of weeks. We finally got these yesterday.

We also needed to connect with local yacht brokers, and get our boat listed with at least one clearinghouse web site. We’ve begun making contacts for this part of the process.

St. Thomas has proven to be a great place for me to take the necessary classes, and for us to begin making logistical decisions for this next phase of our life aboard KINGDOM.

A Few Pix of the Virgins (Not us - the Islands)

2009-03-05T03:43:00.005-07:00

We spent a week cruising along with our new friends Jill and Dick. They are from North Carolina, and sail their 48' Island Packet, "Changin' Tags". They had two couples as guests aboard their boat, and we took turns hosting cocktails and/or dinner at the various anchorages that week. It was a bit confusing, since both their male guests were named "Jim".

Susan, Jim 1, and Jill (who appears to be in the witness protection program...)

Jim 2 and Dick (evening cocktails at Cooper Island)

Jill and Diane (Cooper Island)

Dick and Jill's sailboat, "Changin' Tags", at Cooper Island, BVI

Two views out into the Caribbean from Cooper Island anchorage

Looking West from Cooper Island - View is of Sir Francis Drake Channel

Nice picture of "Changin' Tags" at anchor - Cooper Island

The ceiling of Sidney's Peace and Love restaurant on Jost Van Dyke is hung with hundreds of T-Shirts donated by visiting sailors over the years.

Sidney's restaurant has a unique self-service bar. It is stocked with everything, including mixers, ice, booze, beer, and wine. Customers keep track of their drinks in a notebook, then pay the cashier when they're done.
From left to right -
Jim 2, Dick (behind the bar) Mickey, Jim 1, and Jill (I think...)

Diane, Jill, and Dick

Two view of Kingdom at the American Yacht Harbor Marina, St. Thomas, USVI

A Month in the Virgins

2009-03-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

After seeing Bryan off to his new life in Miami, we turned to the maintenance tasks awaiting us. Fortunately, St. Thomas provides us the opportunity to engage competent marine technical experts, and the ability to locate supplies and parts that are sometimes difficult to find elsewhere in the Caribbean.

I should mention here that our laptop computer had become ill, and had to go into the Computer Hospital. We took it into a repair place in Charlotte Amalie, where it stayed for three weeks. Several hundred bucks later, it came back with a new motherboard. This should help explain why our email and blog updates have been running behind schedule.

The computer repair was especially critical to Susan, since she only had until the end of February to complete her coursework to renew her real estate license. As you may know, realtors must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain their real estate license. Susan made it three days under the wire!

Also, our big 12KW Generator needed to have its fuel injection pump rebuilt. This is the generator which creates the power to run our watermaker and air conditioners when we are at anchor (away from shore power). We located a good diesel mechanic, who removed the pump, and sent it to a company in Texas that specializes in rebuilding them. That also took about three weeks.

The main power control panel also needed the attention of a marine electrician. The “Shore Power 2” system kept shutting off for no apparent reason. The electrician found that the GFI breaker had become defective. A new one was ordered from Miami and installed two weeks later.

Our hot water heater had begun showing signs of impending doom. While working on the generator, I noticed a small drip below the water heater. I traced it to a rusty spot on its bottom. Susan and I know what havoc can be created when a water heater ruptures, and you have VERY HOT water spraying under 40 pounds of pressure all over the place. An engine room full of sensitive equipment is no place to allow that to occur. So we found a marine plumber, bought a new water heater from the local ACE Hardware, and installed it the next day.

While re-supplying our paper goods, which are stored under the floorboards of the forward stateroom, I discovered more water present than should normally be in that area of the bilge. After a bit of investigation, I determined that two out of the three bilge pumps that service that section of the bilge had gone bad. Our friendly neighborhood marine plumber quickly remedied that situation with some high-quality re-wiring and two new pumps.

Once these repairs had been made, we decided to join some new friends for a week of cruising in the BVI’s. Jill and Dick are from Burlington N.C., and are our neighbors here in the marina. We met them our first day here. They are aboard a late-model 48’ Island Packet sailing yacht, which they sail down from the Chesapeake each December. They spend the season here, and return to the States in April. Their children, friends and relatives come to visit and sail with them at intervals each season. Since Dick and Jill have been coming here annually for at least 8 years, they know all the neat anchorages, beaches, and snorkeling spots around here.

We enjoyed our cruise with them, as we traded off dinners aboard and ashore, swimming and snorkeling together. Midway through the week, our big generator overheated and as designed, shut itself down (a very big safety feature). We spent a day at anchor in Gorda Sound, where I was able to replace the impeller in the raw water pump from my spare parts inventory. That resolved the problem. We visited the islands of Jost van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Cooper Island, and two harbors on either side of St. John; Waterlemon Bay and Little Lamshure Bay . During my repair day, Dick and Jill took their friends on up to Anagada, and met us back at Cooper Island. It was a nice break, with a spectacular sunset sail aboard Changin’Tags under full sail which has Susan completely re-enchanted with sailing.

At the end of that week, Susan and I intended to find an anchorage within a dinghy ride of the amenities of Red Hook, but it was not to be. The weather deteriorated, and we spent a night rolling at anchor in Secret Harbor, Nazareth Bay. So we headed back to American Yacht Harbor Marina, in 30 knot winds, and 8’ seas.

Asylum for Bryan

2009-03-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

As previously noted, we arrived at Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI at 2:00pm, Monday, January 10th, 2009. Cruz Bay is the principal location of the Customs & Immigration office for yachtsmen coming into the area from BVI. However, Cruz Bay is tiny, and full of mooring buoys more or less permanently occupied by resident boats. There is a Customs Dock, but when we entered the bay it was full.

The alternate anchorage is around the point to the west, in Caneel Bay. Boats unable to get into Cruz Bay are expected to anchor there and use their dingy or tender to motor back around the point to the Customs office in Cruz Bay for clearing in procedures. So that was what we planned to do.

As KINGDOM motored OUT of Cruz Bay, we picked up an emergency distress call from a boat just offshore a quarter mile. The Coast Guard was requesting that assistance be rendered by any boat nearby. We spotted the distressed boat, and hailed them on VHF Channel 16. They were very glad to hear from us indeed. We notified the Coasties that we would assist the distressed boat.

Aboard the small boat were two women, whose husbands had been SCUBA diving. The men were swept away from their boat by the current, had run out of air, and were by then hanging onto a navigational buoy about a mile away, just in front of Cruz Bay. The women had somehow entangled a line around their boat’s propeller, which prevented them from starting their engine. Our first task was to maneuver KINGDOM as close to the navigational buoy as possible. Susan and Bryan helped the two men aboard, along with their SCUBA gear. Once the divers were aboard KINGDOM, we then had to get as close as possible to the distressed boat in order to transfer the men back aboard it. This was a bit tricky, as we were dealing with strong currents in the channel, and fairly brisk winds. However, we were able to do this successfully. Then we circled their boat while one of the men untangled the line from the propeller. Once they had their engine started, we left them to proceed on their way.

All this took about two hours, so by the time we dropped anchor in Caneel Bay, it was 4:00 pm, and we were exhausted, grungy and hungry. We had started the day very early, without taking time for morning showers. We had fought heavy seas through the morning hours, and thus eaten no lunch underway, so our first order of business was now something to eat. By the time we had each had a sandwich, it was 4:30pm. I started hailing the Cruz Bay Customs office, but they did not respond until nearly 5:00pm. I asked if we could wait until morning to clear in, since it was so late. They refused permission, and told us to be in their office before their closing time at 5:30pm.

Quickly dropping our dinghy, we (Susan, Bryan and I) scooted around the point, arriving at the Customs office at 5:15pm. While I began filling out our usual paperwork, Susan took Bryan by the hand (which was shaking), and approached the young Immigration Officer in charge. She said, “We have a small issue here…” The young officer politely offered assistance. She then said “We’ve just learned that our crewman here is Cuban, and that he wants to apply for asylum in the USA.” There was a momentary silence in the office. The young officer got a sort of silly grin on his face, as if to say, “You’re joking…aren’t you?” The older of the two Customs officers, growled, “You people have a lot of nerve, coming in here just before quitting time with an asylum request!” Susan politely reminded him that we had requested to wait until morning, but that he had denied our request.

They were very nice after that, and told us they had never had to deal with an asylum request, and didn’t quite know how to proceed. They inspected and photocopied Bryan’s documents, and made a few calls to other officers in St. Thomas. They told us to take Bryan to the Homeland Security office in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas as early as possible the next day for his asylum request to be processed. Breathing a sigh of relief, we went back to our boat. KINGDOM, Susan and I were cleared in.
Next day, Tuesday, January 11th, we made a reservation to tie up at the American Yacht Harbor marina, in Red Hook Bay, St. Thomas. Once the boat was squared away, we arranged for a taxi to take the three of us to the Homeland Security office, located in the Niskey Center on the western outskirts of Charlotte Amalie. We arrived about noon. The Security officer on duty called another office, and told us to make ourselves comfortable, and that someone would be there shortly to assist us. About 30 minutes later, Special Agent Fraser arrived, and introduced herself to us. She was a stocky, no-nonsense type, and looked as though she would be comfortable as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. She was courteous and professional, and asked Bryan to fill out a questionnaire before beginning her interviews. She told us that her initial task was to verify Bryan’s real identity. She took him off to an interview room, and our waiting began…

Several hours later, interspersed with a short interview with me, Special Agent Fraser emerged to tell Susan and me that they would need to “detain” our crewman while they completed their interviews and processing. She told us that he would be transferred to a cell in the city police station. We, of course, wanted her to release him back to us overnight, but we were unable to persuade her. She told us he would be comfortable and well-fed in the police station jail. We were instructed to call her the next day for an update on his status. That was on Tuesday afternoon.

We didn’t get much information on Bryan’s status on Wednesday, so we decided to try to visit him in the jail on Thursday, just to make sure he was being treated well. We arrived at the police station about 2:00pm, only to find that we were dressed inappropriately for a prisoner visit. We had dressed in our best khaki shorts, with collared shirts, as the weather was warm and humid. We were told, unfortunately, that visitors are not allowed to wear short pants or sandals in the jail. (It would have been nice to have been told that ahead of time by Agent Fraser!) It takes a couple of hours via public transport to go from our marina to the police station in downtown Charlotte Amalie. The only thing we could do was ask the attendant at the jail to let Bryan know we had been there, and return to the boat. We determined to go back and see him the next day.
Friday morning, Susan called Special Agent Fraser to let her know we were heading back to the jail to visit Bryan. But she advised us to come to her office instead. She was going to bring him there in about an hour. Susan excitedly asked her if Bryan would be released that afternoon. Agent Fraser said, “I’m working on that…”

Arriving once again at the Homeland Security Office, we sat down to wait. Agent Fraser told us that an FBI Agent had flown in from Miami, just to interview Bryan, but that it wouldn’t take very long – maybe a half hour. Several hours later, Bryan was released!

We walked to a nearby marina restaurant to celebrate with beer and sandwiches. Bryan insisted on treating us, as his first act as a free man, on his way to US Citizenship. He was also able to telephone his Mother in Cuba, to let her know that he was over the first hurdle.

Bryan was given legal documents which described his status. Officially he was released on his own recognizance, and was free to travel to Miami. Once there, he was to report to the Immigration offices, and formally apply for a series of interviews and hearings, after which an immigration judge would rule on his eligibility for asylum.

So Bryan spent Friday evening and Saturday aboard KINGDOM. On Saturday, Brian gave the boat one last thorough scrubbing, and then packed his clothing, books, and medical gear. Susan made the reservations for his flight to Miami early Sunday morning, where he was to be met by his cousins and an aunt at the airport. Saturday night, we played our last few games of dominoes with Bryan, and turned in early.

By 5:30am Sunday morning, Bryan was on his way to the airport, and on to Miami. Sunday evening, he called us to let us know he had arrived safely, and was with his aunt and her family. We had already begun to miss his lively presence!

The Doo-Doo hits the Fan in Virgin Gorda

2009-02-02T13:30:00.004-07:00

From Gorda Sound to Spanish Harbor is a $24 "taxi" ride over some of the most spectacular scenery you have ever seen. The road winds upward, around, and over the spine of the volcanic mountain range that runs from end-to-end of the island. There are many overlooks where you can see both the Caribbean and Atlantic simultaneously from 800 feet above sea level. I wound up making that trip three times both ways - and never took a picture! I guess I was too awed by the views...

Anyway, when I attempted to clear in at Customs and Immigration, on Saturday morning, I was told that our crew member (Bryan DaSilva - remember him?) could not be admitted! He was travelling with a Guyanese passport, and they told us that as a Guyanese, he would need a visa to legally enter BVI. We thought that if he did not go ashore, staying aboard the boat, that no visa would be required, or that a temporary visa would be issued. That is a courtesy that yacht crew are often extended. We only wanted to stay overnight anyway!

They insisted that I go back over the mountains to fetch Bryan and Susan for personal interviews. I got back to the boat, explained our dilemma, and back we went to Customs and Immigration. When we got there, they took Bryan away to another office, and interrogated him. He told us later that they didn't believe he was Guyanese, because he spoke English with a Hispanic accent, and because he was not Black. Most Guyanese are of African ethnic origin, and are very dark. Bryan "explained" that his father was Venezuelan, and he grew up on the border between Guyana and Venezuela.

The immigration officer also told us that we could not go to the US Virgin Islands, since Bryan would need a visa to enter US Territory.

They finally told us that Susan and I were welcome to stay in BVI, but that we would have to pay to send Bryan back to Guyana by plane! We had a fit! We told them that if he wasn’t welcome, then we would turn around and go back to St. Martin, where we were all welcome! We only asked for a few days grace, because the weather was really too bad for the return run. This was Saturday morning, and we wanted to stay until Wednesday, when there would be a fairly good weather window. No dice!

As a sort of compromise, they allowed us to go back to the boat overnight, in order to think it over, but insisted that if we would not agree to send Bryan back to Guyana by air, then I would have to clear out the next day.

That night, we discussed our options. During these discussions, Bryan told us that he was actually not who we thought he was. We learned that he was in fact Dr. Nardelio Nodal Dominguez, a noted Cuban physician. He told us that he had served in the Cuban Intelligence Service during his military service, and that his father was a general in the Cuban army. He had been sent to Guyana on a medical training mission, under a 4-year contract between Cuba and Guyana to train Guyanese doctors. At one time, he had been Fidel Castro’s personal physician.

He further told us that the Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana attempted to recruit him to undertake a planned infiltration of the US Hospital ship anchored off the coast of Venezuela. Bryan refused to do so, and was then harassed by his government in a number of ways. They finally tried to kidnap him and send him covertly back to Cuba for his disobedience. Eluding capture, he went into hiding, and had been on the run for nearly 18 months prior to meeting us in Trinidad.

In short, he convinced us that his life would be endangered were he to return to Cuba. He had spoken with his father, who told him not to return to Cuba, as he feared he would certainly be imprisoned and possibly executed for his disobedience.

We decided we had no choice but to return to St. Martin and try to figure out what to do next from there.

Sunday morning about 11::00am, I went back over the mountains again, and cleared us out of BVI Customs and Immigration. Officially, we had 12 hours in which to physically leave.

Early Monday morning, we departed Gorda Sound, headed for St. Martin. By mid-morning, we were slogging along at five knots, with 14-foot seas on the port bow, and into 20-knot winds. For the first time in my life, I knew I was going to be seasick! This was NOT GOOD! I knew the boat could safely handle the conditions, but that I could not. There is nothing more useless than a seasick Captain!

I called a conference with Susan and Bryan. I told them that there was no possible way for me to deal with these seas for another 10 or 12 hours, and that I was going to turn the boat around. We got out our charts, and decided to head for the US Virgin Islands, bypassing BVI altogether. We reasoned that if Bryan was indeed Cuban, that landing him on US soil would allow him to formally seek political asylum. Agreed on that plan, we turned the boat around, and literally surfed toward St. John in the US Virgin Islands. With the winds and seas now behind us, we made good time, reaching Cruz Bay, St. Johns, about 2:00pm.

Next installment - Asylum for Bryan

Antigua to Virgin Gorda

2009-02-02T13:05:00.002-07:00

Well, here it is February 2, 2009, and our last Blog entry was at Christmas!

We were in Antigua for both the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, since the weather was not cooperating for us to move on northward. Nelson’s Dockyard was a great place to be during those two weeks.

In the Caribbean, “Old Year’s Day” is the correct terminology for our accustomed “New Year’s Eve” celebrations. There was an evening concert on the marina grounds, and a marvelous fireworks display at midnight. We had front-row seats from our boat. We slept in a bit on New Year’s Day, since the next leg of our journey was starting in the afternoon.

We departed Antigua on January 1st, at 3:00pm, for the overnight run to St. Martin, arriving at 6:00am. Since we had enough crew aboard for four-hour watches, we bypassed Nevis and St. Kitts, and made the 111 miles to St. Martin in 15 hours, averaging 7.4 knots per hour. We dropped the hook in Marigot Bay on the French (north) side of the island. We also knew there was a big “blow” coming into the area from the Northeast, and wanted to get some sea miles in before it hit. After a short rest, we moved the boat into the marina, and cleared in thru Customs and Immigration.

The town of Marigot is small, quaint, and very crowded, but we were within easy walking distance to everything we needed, except for the major grocery shopping trip. For that chore we walked to the store, and got a taxi back to the marina, since we were stocking up the boat for awhile. Internet service in St. Martin was almost impossible from the marina. Skype was definitely inaccessible.

The thing we like best about St. Martin is the wonderful bread! Restaurants are also a cut above average. Even the hamburger joints are excellent. The French and the Dutch definitely take food seriously!

Teffany and Carol signed off our crew list in St. Martin. They were signing onto another boat on January 15th. Bryan stayed aboard with us.

Weather kept us marina-bound until January 9th, when we made the 80 mile run to Virgin Gorda, British West Indies. This was a 10 hour leg, and as we had the wind and waves behind us traveling northwest, we averaged a very respectable 8 knots per hour. We anchored in Gorda Sound overnight, and I (Walt) took our documents over the mountains to Spanish Harbor to clear Customs and Immigration.

That’s when the s---t hit the fan!

Christmas Day Festival - Antigua

2008-12-27T06:09:00.006-07:00

The Nelson's Dockyard Marina management and local charitable organizations throw a party each Christmas Day. It is a fund-raiser for a local children's hospital. They engaged a most energetic band, who played five or six hours straight with no break. Their lead singer was a tall black girl with (as one cruiser put it) "legs up to her armpits", dressed in a modified Santa's Elf costume. The band really got the crowd dancing, including the KINGDOM crew!

There was a dory filled with ice, covering bottles of champagne and prosecco, which was for sale to the public. I would estimate at least a thousand people, both locals and cruisers, attended the party. Boats full of people kept arriving throughout the day, many bringing picnic baskets from their sailboats anchored in the harbour. Others came in buses from the cruise ships in other ports around the island.

As the pictures show, the party was attended by young and old, of all ethnic backgrounds, with everyone open, friendly and enjoying each others' company. We and our crew found ourselves dancing with each other, and with some of our new friends. By 4:00pm, we were tired, and hungry, and ready for Turkey Dinner.

Admiral Horatio King (don't tell Susan - she thinks she's the admiral)

Tied up beside "TIVOLI" an 80' charter yacht

Some folks brought picnic lunches to share with friends

Susan's new friends! Aren't they cute??

A good time was had by all

I think the lady in the hat might be related to Queen Elizabeth...

Dancin' fools!

Teffany and Susan with the long-legged elf/singer

The Captain treats the crew to a bottle of prosecco

Dory full of ice, champagne, and prosecco

The Band, and the lead singer/elf with the long legs - and she can sing, too!

The party ended at sundown, and by bedtime the marina was peaceful once again.

Christmas in Antigua

2008-12-27T04:35:00.003-07:00

Sorry, but these pix are in the reverse order of events...

Christmas Day started with a traditional Guyanese Holiday Breakfast. Carol and Teffany cooked fresh bread and "Pepperpot" (which takes two days to cook), served with fresh orange juice. The pepperpot is a sort of beef stew, made with chunks of beef. I have no idea what combination of spices are involved besides pepper, but there were lots! One forks up the beef, and soaks up the sauce with chunks of fresh bread. It was fabulous!

After clearing the breakfast dishes, Susan put the turkey in the oven. She made a traditional stuffing, except she used turkey sausage instead of pork sausage, since Carol and Teffany do not eat pork. She also made avocado and hearts-of-palm salad, mashed potatoes, English peas with pearl onions, gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course, the meal was served with more of Teffany's fresh bread.

While the turkey was roasting, we attended the Christmas Day festival mounted by the Marina management. (I'll post separate pictures of those festivities.) In the meantime, we set up the table as an open bar for any drop-in guests.

We ate our Turkey Dinner at 4:00pm, and how perfect it was! Carol contributed a lovely Christmas Cake, decorated with poinsiettas. Unfortunately we were all too full to cut it!

Having stuffed ourselves all day, interspersed with libations of rum and prosecco, while dancing at the festival, we all retired early. Actually, I think the dancing helped pack down our food, and burned a few calories at the same time!

KINGDOM's guest bar, ready for service

Breakfast - Pepper Pot and fresh-baked bread, with orange juice

The Guyanese Holiday Breakfast

Teffany's fresh-baked bread right out of the oven Christmas morning

Teffany twisting the dough into loaves

More Pix of Nelson's Dockyard & Marina, Antigua

2008-12-24T09:20:00.004-07:00

Nelson's Dockyard & Marina, Antigua

2008-12-24T08:35:00.006-07:00

We left Portsmouth, Dominica early on Saturday morning, December 20, bound for Guadaloupe. Since our weather forecast only gave us two days of good sea conditions, we made for Deshailles, on the northwestern tip of Guadaloupe. We only spent one night there, and did not go ashore.

On Sunday, December 21st, we made a relatively long (7 hours) crossing to Antigua in six-foot seas, which we consider our upper limit for semi-comfortable cruising. Our goal was to get to Nelson's Dockyard Marina, in English Harbour. For the next ten days, the forecast called for seas building to 12-plus feet offshore. We expect to be here through the end of December, awaiting better sea conditions, before heading onward to Nevis/St. Kitts.

This harbour is unique in a number of ways. It was used by the British Navy as a base during the late eighteenth century. The dockyard is named for Admiral Horatio Nelson, who served here. He led his fleet from here in pursuit of the French fleet, an action which led to the defeat of the French in the battle of Trafalgar. Many of the original buildings still stand, and have been restored quite attractively and put to other uses. There is a bakery, museum, gift shops, and restaurants galore. The old Copper and Iron Store is now home to a small boutique hotel and a classic English Pub.

English Harbour hosts an annual regatta each year in early December, which attracts beautiful big sailing yachts from around the world. This year it was held Dec. 6-12, and some of these famous boats are still here. There are probably a hundred boats here, including everything from megayachts to small ocean sailboats.

Falmouth harbour is just to the East of English Harbour, separated by an isthmus. It is an even larger harbour, and there we can see the masts of massive sailing yachts and cruising boats of every description. The megayacht crowd seems to prefer that harbour, as it allows more berths for their BIG BOATS.

Indian River, Dominica

2008-12-24T06:51:00.005-07:00

Wild Ginger

Lawrence (of Arabia) took us on a tour of the Indian River. It empties into Prince Rupert Bay, near the town of Portsmouth, Dominica. The river is so named because it was inhabited and used by the Carib Indians, and the Arawak Indians before that. Apparently the Caribs killed off the Arawaks when they arrived (and ate some of them, too).

The river is now a protected habitat. No outboard motors are allowed now, so Lawrence rowed our boat deep into the interior. Fishing is supposedly banned as well. Some years ago, enterprising fishermen employed dynamite to kill and harvest fish en-masse, nearly wiping out the stocks. Since the fishing ban was imposed, native fish populations have been recovering nicely, and we were able to spot large schools in the water.

Crabs are plentiful along the riverbank, and our own "Carol of the Jungle" leaped off the boat in hot pursuit of the tasty critters. She chased them down and dragged them from their holes, and eventually caught six.

The turnaround point in the tour is at a remote riverside pub, that has been in operation for generations, and currently manned by "Boo Boo" a descendant of the Carib Tribe. There are enclaves of Carib Indians along the Northeastern (Atlantic) side of the island, and they make and sell native craftwork. We bought two beautifully made baskets during our previous day's tour.

Teffany in the Jungle Pub - their specialty is Dynamite Punch, a tasty blend of rum and fruit juices.

The boat dock at the Jungle Pub

Carol with one of her quarry - Nice Crab!

Carol - Queen of the Jungle - in hot pursuit of Crabs

Entrance to the Indian river

Boo Boo - Our host and bartender at the Jungle Pub

While at the Jungle Pub, we played three hotly contested games of Dominos -

From left, Lawrence, Walt, Teffany, and Brian

Wild Hibiscus

Bird of Paradise

Mystery flower...

Portsmouth, and Northern Dominica

2008-12-23T13:43:00.009-07:00

Wednesday morning December 17th, we moved the boat up the coast of Dominica to Portsmouth Harbour, a very protected harbour that has no significant swell during the prevailing easterly winds. We love this bay, and the local people here are welcoming and fun to be around. We had stopped here overnight in June, on our way south, and promised the locals, and ourselves that we would spend more time next time we arrived. Since the weather was not allowing us to move northward, we were able to spend three days exploring the northern part of Dominica.

Lawrence (of Arabia) is our local contact here. He is the principal boatman who provides transportation, tours, entertainment, and can fix you up with anything you need while you're in the bay or ashore. He arranged for a tour of the northern island with his associate, "Uncle" Sam. Sam is an officially licensed and trained tour guide, and knows all the local lore. He drove us to points of interest, overlooks, tiny restaurants and pubs, and generally regaled us with information about the islands flora, fauna, history, and culture.

We had a wonderful day with Sam, which included a stop at a fabulous cliffside restaurant, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There we were served a sampling of nearly all the local "provisions" along with our BBQ chicken and fish; breadfruit, pumpkin, yam, eddo, and plantains. And ice-cold local beer, of course. During our lunch, Sam crafted a bird from palm leaf, and presented it to Susan as a small gift.

After lunch, we stopped at a National Park, and hiked into a lovely gorge, at the bottom of which we came upon a waterfall, with a crystal-clear pool where we swam and frolicked in the waterfall. We rubbed pumice-laden mud on ourselves, as a skin cleansing agent. Our skin now feels smoooth as silk!

We ended the day with a cold one on the beach at sunset...

Refreshing swim!

Sam presents his finished product to Susan

Waterfall in the gorge

Sam, crafting his palm-leaf bird

Walt at cliffside restaurant - awaiting lunch!

Surfer's paradise!

Susan at a small fishing village

Sam, Susan and Carol

The next afternoon, Lawrence took us on a tour of the Indian River, a unique habitat in Dominica.

Roseau, Dominica

2008-12-23T13:00:00.004-07:00

We arrived in the port city of Roseau, the capitol city of Dominica, West Indies around 2:00pm on Tuesday, December 16th. I checked us in through Customs and Immigration, and we enjoyed a leisurly afternoon of rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, the harbour was subject to swells, and our anchorage was "rolly" through the night. Not terrible, but not great. So, we only stayed one night

Susan, basking in the glow of sunset...

Carol, peeking out of the pilothouse

Teffany, fishing from the foredeck with her handline

Brian and Walt enjoying the traditional Caribbean "sundowner"

Cruise ships call here, too

The Anchorage Hotel, and Sea Cat's small dock in the foreground.

Martinique, West Indies

2008-12-14T08:35:00.008-07:00

We arrived here in Martinique on December 9th, and dropped our anchor in the bay directly in front of Fort De France. Yep, there is a fort, and the city is the capitol of Martinique. It is a very tidy place, and very French in feel and atmosphere.

This is a large bay, with several smaller arms containing villages, resorts, commercial port facilities, etc. Our view is of the main part of the city, and we get to observe the many large liners, freighters, warships, and other traffic arriving and departing. There have been an average of ten cruising boats anchored around us in the harbor each day.

Clipper Ship at sunset

The most beautiful building in the town is the Biblioteque (Library), a most unusual building that was manufactured in France, and shipped to Martinique for assembly. It appears to be made of mostly gilded metal and glass. Pictures are included here, but they cannot do it justice.

Our first day ashore was spent on a self-guided walking tour of the city. We found all 11 of the sights listed on the tourist map, and had a good lunch of crepes and beer at a little open-air kiosk on a square in the center of town. In the center of the square was a hand-made carousel for children to ride. It had no motor to make it spin or mechanical music. It was turned by the musicians while they played their drums and accordion in a calpyso rhythm. The children were captivated and wide-eyed!

While we were lunching, I had an unusual experience. A four-foot tall coffee-colored man walked up to me and held up his hand for a high-five. I said, "Good afternoon, sir", and held my hand up to meet his. He promply gave my hand the proper vertical slap, turned, and walked away. He never said a word. He was a distinguished looking fellow, well dressed and well groomed. I've been wondering ever since about the meaning of this encounter. After all, it isn't every day that a well-dressed dwarf high-fives me in a foreign port. I suppose "Little Person" is the PC terminology. Anybody have any ideas?

The "Crew" - Brian, Carol, Walt and Teffany in Fort de France, Martinique

Waterfront street - Fort de France, Martinique

Just another of the amazing sailing ships we've seen since leaving Marigot Bay, St. Lucia

Each evening this week, there has been a concert held in the waterfront park, with lively music emanating from huge towers of speakers from 8pm to around midnight. Vendors offer local produce, food, and fruit juices. An unusual feature of this festival is the LACK of alcoholic beverages in evidence. Nowhere did we see anyone drinking alcohol, and it is not offered for sale anywhere by the vendors. Not only that, but we saw almost no one smoking cigarettes. This struck us as particularly un-French! While we were in Paris, it seemed to us that Parisiennes smoked and drank all day long! Martinique is certainly a healthier place in that respect.

We've been waiting for a good weather window to proceed northward to Dominica. Seas have been 2 meters or more since we arrived. Today is Sunday, December 14th, and we will move the boat tomorrow to the small anchorage off St. Pierre, at the northwestern end of Martinique. We will spend the night there, and hope to make the crossing to the port of Roseau, Dominica on Tuesday. It appears that Tuesday is the only day in the next week that the seas will subside a bit. We will clear into Dominica, at Roseau, spend a day or two, then move northward up the coast to Plymouth, in Prince Rupert Bay, to await good weather for the crossing to Guadaloupe.

It is becoming clear that we will never make it to Puerto Rico by Christmas! Maybe by New Years...

Marigot Bay Marina, St. Lucia

2008-12-08T10:38:00.002-07:00

We're no longer the big frog in the pond! Most place we go, KINGDOM is usually one of the largest yachts around. Take a look at these pix of two boats in the marina here....

"MERIDIAN" and "DAKOTA" make "KINGDOM" look like a dinghy by comparison! Both of these mega-yachts are privately owned. They are not even available for charter, to help defray the costs of ownership.
DAKOTA has a permanent crew of 11 people, and they just hang around waiting for the owner or his guests to show up.

Imagine having the means to support these kinds of toys....

A Day at the Beach!

2008-12-08T08:32:00.003-07:00

Our last day in Grenada, Wednesday, December 3rd, we decided to spend at the beach. We took a maxi taxi a couple of miles down the coast, to Grand Anse, a lovely two-mile long beach. There were a number of beach vendors who provide umbrellas, lounge chairs, and offer you food and beverages, all of which we were glad to purchase! We had a lazy afternoon, swimming and goofing with the locals.

The beach was fairly active, since there were two cruise ships in port. Our maxi taxi took a long loop through the town of St. George, so we got to see the place bustling with tourists. We were very glad we had anchored in the lagoon. No crowds!

I had an appointment at Grenada Customs at 4:00pm, to obtain our clearance for departure early Thursday morning. Then we began readying the boat for the next leg of our voyage.

We hoisted anchor at 8:30am Thursday, December 5th, bound for the little town of Clifton, Union Island. It is the southernmost of the St. Vincent group of islands. We hove to in Clifton at 2:05pm. The harbour is bounded on two sides by long reefs, which provide a good barrier to the sea swell. It is a picture-perfect anchorage in good weather. The water is crystal clear, and perfect for swimming, which we all enjoyed. I went ashore to clear customs and immigration, and found the village to be small, but well-kept, with a modern bank and a good small grocery store. There is a small airport right near the village, with quite a bit of traffic going and coming. We counted a half-dozen commuter flights within an hour or so of our arrival.

After a peaceful night, we raised the hook Friday morning at 8:00am, heading for Wallilabou, on the West Coast of the island of St. Vincent. We arrived there at 2:00pm, and were met by the local boatmen, who took a stern line ashore and tied it to a strong tree. This is a steeply sloping shore, dropping in depth from 15 feet to 100 feet within 50 yards of shore. So here we set the bow anchor in 40 feet of water, then back the boat toward the shore. This procedure keeps the bow pointed toward the open sea, and into the path of any swell that enters the harbour. This arrangement makes for a most comfortable anchorage, as the harbour itself is ringed by tall cliffs to the north, east, and south. The little village sits at the base of the cliffs, and the local restaurant caters strictly to the visiting yachts. We took the crew ashore for dinner here.

Wallilabou, you may recall, is the location where much of the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie was shot. A lot of the sets and props remain. I remember the very funny scene where Johnny Depp casually steps from the mast of his sinking boat onto the dock, looking for all the world like he planned the whole thing with absolute precision.

Saturday morning, we departed at 8:00am for St. Lucia, and reached the lovely marina at Marigot Bay by 2:00pm. We had to wait a half hour to enter, while an enormous mega-yacht maneuvered out of the marina. We were welcomed by the dockmaster, and given the berth just vacated by the "big boy". We're no longer the biggest private yacht in the harbour as you will see from the pictures I'll post later.

This is a shot of a small island in the bay at Clifton (Union Island). It is built entirely of conch shells, and is the private home of a local Rastafarian man. He built his little island, and welcomes visitors to a small pub he maintains for his income.

Brian and Susan at Grande Anse beach

Carol plays the old man's drum on the beach

Susan and I are happy as two clams can be!

View of Grande Anse beach, St. George, Grenada

It's Good to be in Grenada

2008-11-30T12:22:00.013-07:00

We departed Chaguaramas on Wednesday, 26 November, at 4:30pm. We expected the trip to Grenada would take us about 15 hours, and we would arrive after sunrise on Thursday. However, due to favorable currents, calm seas, and light winds, we actually arrived off St. George's Bay, Grenada at 3:30am. We picked our way into the harbour lagoon, but there was no room in the inside anchorage for us. So we returned to the outer anchorage and dropped our hook about 4:30am in a mildly rolling anchorage. We all slept soundly for a few hours.

At least Susan and I did! When we woke up around 10:00am, we found that Teffany and Carol had already cooked a fabulous brunch of fried chicken, salad, rice and veggies. All we had to do was pour our coffee and dine!

Just after our brunch, the dockmaster from Port Louis Marina came by in his dinghy to invite us to stay at the new marina in the lagoon. We accepted his invitation, and by noon we were tying up to the docks, and being warmly welcomed by three American couples shouting "Happy Thanksgiving!" It has been rare for us to encounter other large trawler-type motor yachts on our travels, so this was both an unusual and especially gratifying surprise. The three couples have been travelling together on their yachts for some time. The welcomed us as fellow "Trawler Trash" and we really enjoyed meeting them.

The docks at Port St. Lous Marina, St. George's Bay, Grenada - KINGDOM in background

Marina landscaping is gorgeous!

Dockmaster's Office

KINGDOM - Laundry day...

At the bar last night, we met the Captain (Charles) and Stewardess (Marina) of one of the private mega-yachts tied up here in the marina. Charles volunteered to come aboard KINGDOM to verify our electrical problem was solved. He is also a marine engineer, which includes electrician skills. He came aboard this morning, inspected the systems, and pronounced KINGDOM's electrical systems to be properly functioning. He also invited us for a quick tour of his boat, which we will try to do this afternoon.

85' Italian Megayacht "PRINCESS CLAUDIA" - Skippered by our new friend Captain Charles

"WANDERING STAR" departing the marina - aboard are our new friends and fellow "trawler trash" Ade and Jo Salzer, from Big Bear, California

Not pictured - "DREAMWEAVER" - owners Ken and Dottie Saville, also of Big Bear Lake, CA.

"VOYAGER" departing

Yesterday, Susan, Brian, Teffany and Carol hiked over the hill to a small beach to try a bit of swimming. The beach they found was small and rocky, so they didn't stay long. I stayed aboard, hoping to research and solve an electrical glitch. We eventually found that the problem lies in the onshore electric supply, and not aboard our boat, thank goodness.

"Speedo-man" Brian

Teffany doing her "Girl from Ipanema" impression...

Last night (Saturday night), the marina restaurant and bar had a band playing from 8pm to 10pm, so naturally we all attended. It didn't take long for Susan to have everyone on their feet and dancing. The band was really darn good; they played mostly 70's and 80's disco and rock music with a very Caribbean twist. The guitar player would go off into some incredible jazz/scat riffs, jamming with the bass player until they would remember we were still there, our tongues hanging out with dance-fatigue.

Grenada has an entirely different feel from Trinidad. Both land and water are much cleaner, folks are quite friendly, and the atmosphere feels much safer. We will remain here until Thursday, when sea conditions are expected to be more favorable for northward travel.
While we are weather-bound here, we will try to take a mini-bus tour of the islands principal attractions; Rain Forest, waterfalls, wildlife (including monkeys), rum factory, etc. We'll report on those later.

In the meantime, we are never really bored. When it gets too quiet, there is always a Domino game ready to break out.

Domino-Master Walt, trouncing Carol and Teffany

More later from Grenada...

Free at Last!

2008-11-25T16:04:00.005-07:00

Tomorrow afternoon, we leave Trinidad for Grenada! We have 2000 gallons of fuel aboard, and we're on our way to Puerto Rico for Christmas, weather permitting...

We've decided to skip Venezuela and its environs this year. There have simply been too many instances of violence and piracy in those waters for us to take the risk of going in that direction. If it is safer next summer, maybe we will go that direction. For now, we feel more like spending more quality time in the Leeward and Windward Islands, where we know we are welcome.

In addition, Bonaire was hit hard by hurricanes this summer. We had thought we would go there after stopping in Venezuela for fuel. Though it is a world-class diving destination, we have heard reports that the reefs suffered significant damage, and may take a season to recover from the inundation of silt and sand. The island's infrastructure was heavily damaged by wind and storm surge. Bonaire is a relatively low-lying island, unlike many of the windward and leeward islands. Beachside piers, tiki bars, restaurants and dive shops simply disappeared.

Immigration cleared us to leave today around 3:00pm, and we now have 24 hours to leave Trini waters. We have to do some last-minute shopping for provisions in the morning. So, we expect to clear customs tomorrow by 2:00pm. After that, we hit the duty-free shop for beer, wine, and liquor, load the scooters, and off we go...

It is about a 15 hour voyage to St. Georges Bay, Grenada. We will be travelling overnight so as to arrive in daylight Thanksgiving Day. It is an observed Holiday in Grenada, so we don't expect to see many shops or restaraunts open in St. George, but maybe we'll be surprised. I just hope customs and immigration is on duty!

We've been here in Trinidad since July 11th, and the official end of hurricane season is November 30. We've made a lot of friends here, and so we will probably return to Chaguaramas in August next year to spend another hurricane season. The boat really likes it here. She feels safe and there are plenty of skilled workmen around to help care for her. The list of repairs, improvements and upgrades we've accomplished while here is really quite long, and I won't bore you with it. Suffice it to say that KINGDOM is in great shape and ready for the 2008/2009 Caribbean cruising season!

I'm not exactly sure how long it will be until we will have internet service again - maybe in St. Vincent - for sure in St. Lucia. In the meantime, don't worry about us, we're just on the move!

We love you all, and truly enjoy receiving your comments and emails.

Walt and Susan

Recent events and plans

2008-11-18T12:36:00.004-07:00

We have had a good time getting to know some of the local folks. Last weekend, there was a sort of End-of-Hurricane-Season party at the pool and gazebo here at Coral Cove Marina. Our Columbian friends Suje and Liliana provided an excellent evening meal, and another cruiser brought a music setup for dancing. Cold beer and fine Guyanese rum rounded out the refreshments, and a good time was had by all.

Our recent blog entries probably give the impression that life here is one big party. Actually, we've been working our buns off on the boat. We only seem to take pictures when we're among other people, and generally those are social occasions. Cruisers do know how to party, though.

For example, yesterday, we changed the oil and oil filters in both main engines and the big generator. This has to be done every 150 to 200 hours of running time. We also topped up the 24-volt battery bank with distilled water, a quarterly task. And late yesterday evening, we cleaned out the thru-hull and raw-water strainer for the air-conditioning system to improve its cooling performance.

We're trying to top up our fuel tanks with diesel at a reasonable cost. Looks like we may have a line on it for $1.50 per gallon. We need about 1800 gallons before we take off. We would like to be able to leave here late next week.

Once our tanks are full again, we plan to move up the islands to Puerto Rico rather quickly, then take six or seven months to come back down again for the next hurricane season. Depending on weather, we will probably be in PR or the Virgin Islands for Christmas. When we came down-island in June/July, we were in a hurry to get south of the hurricane belt, and so we bypassed a lot of places we really want to visit; St. Bart's, Martinique, Antigua, etc.

One of the things most people probably don't know is that most full-time, long-range cruisers are grey-haired folks like us, some much older. We know two couples here that are in their mid-80's. The yachting and boating magazines are full of pictures of young people in bikinis and speedos running around in megayachts and fast boats. Truth is, for every one of those, there are a hundred retired or semi-retired couples, typically running a 40-foot sailboat. We are a bit of a rarity, in that we are running a comparatively big motor yacht. In any harbour, we are likely to be the largest boat around. The sailboaters are generally friendly, but envious, since we have amenities their boats cannot support. Two ice-makers, huge refrigerator, extra freezer, washer/dryer, full-size bathtub, air conditioning, etc. Susan sometimes invites other cruising wives to come aboard to do their laundry, though so far they have been too proud to accept. When there are get-togethers, they always ask us to bring ice.

If all goes well, we may be cruising northward to Grenada on Thanksgiving Day, so we will be out of touch for a bit. That is a 90-mile, 12-hour crossing against the prevailing easterly current. We will enjoy imagining everyone sitting down to Turkey and all the trimmings, while we munch on peanut butter sandwiches and power bars - our typical underway snacks.