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Ship's Log - BVI to St Vincent October to November 2008

From Tony & Sue, for our friends and relatives ...........

Tony's Log - Tuesday 7th October 2008:

Well, after waiting around for suitable weather in the BVIs for a couple of days we managed to find a light wind day for our 90 mile crossing to St Martin, arriving yesterday at the large anchorage just off Marigot on the French side of the island at just after 0530 in the morning. It had been a tiring overnight crossing in an uncomfortable sea for both of us - not without some drama when our dinghy that was being towed broke loose - luckily Sue spotted its break for freedom and we soon had it reattached to Tradewinds where it remained for the remainder of the 17 hour crossing. The Baie Du Marigot is a huge anchorage with shallow waters and turquoise coloured seas - we spent this first day day of our Caribbean adventure by going ashore in the morning (where we cleared through Immigration, did some shopping and bought some spare parts for the boat), resting in the afternoon, swimming in the early evening and later as the sun set, having drinks with some BVI friends (Jean & Mike, who were anchored close by in their 44ft catamaran).

Sue's Log - Tuesday 7th October 2008:

We are sitting in a French bakery come coffee shop in Marigot eating Pain Aux Raisin - Tony's favourite food - drinking lovely coffee. There is free internet access so everyone is busy on their computers including Tony who is checking the weather and emails.  I am sitting just enjoying the tropical French ambiance - sunny with virtually no wind and with a banana tree growing within arm's length overlooking the bay - it doesn't get any better. Yesterday we had breakfast ashore after the crossing, consisting of bacon, eggs, croissants and lots of lovely French coffee - it was so delicious!!! After clearing Immigration we climbed to explore Fort Louis, which overlooks Marigot. The views were spectacular and worth the exercise.  We sailed 3nm north to Baie de Grand Case. Ashore, we looked around Grand Case - the second largest settlement of (French) St Martin, situated on salt flats. There were lots of restaurants and shops most of which were closed, as the season does not begin until end of the month.  It all looked rather sad, dejected and forgotten, although this could actually be the real Caribbean (non tourist style!). We went ashore for dinner at a restaurant that the locals appeared to frequent. The food was tasty and reasonable priced.  Tony had homemade ice cream which tasted like my granny's ice cream - delicious and creamy.

Tony's Log - Wednesday 8th October 2008:

It was a rather cloudy day today when we started, although later the sun did appear for some long periods - there was also some "liquid sunshine", in heavy showers mainly later in the afternoon. It was a very quiet day for us, motoring just 8 nautical miles in total as we explored the north and easterly coasts of St Martin. For breakfast on board we anchored in the bay at Anse Marcel, just 3 miles from where we had started the day at Le Grand Case. Whilst anchored at Anse Marcel we went ashore in the dinghy to take a look at the marina and hotel complex at Port Lonvilliers - it was almost deserted except for several workers employed on "out of season" maintenance, plus the construction of a splendid new Radisson resort. The whole area was attractively laid out, but for me it would definitely a place to avoid, especially in the popular winter vacation season.

After rounding the northern point of St Martin and heading down the eastern windward coast of the island we turned into Orient Bay, where there were two possible anchorages for us. We chose the northernmost of the the two locations, between the two small islands of Ilet Pinel and Petit Chef. What I failed to read in the pilot book was that there was a shallow shoal area between the two islands, which we managed to ground on, and become stuck fast! After some unsuccessful towing by the dinghy we finally managed to escape using the anchor to winch us off into deeper water. We were probably only stuck in the sand for about 45 minutes, but the Captain's embarrassment was huge! We eventually motored to the southern anchorage and happily dropped the hook in just 3m or water, off a nudist beach (Interested? Go to www.cluborient.com)! There was remained for the night, despite some swell managing to cross the coral bar to windward of our anchorage. We did some snorkelling around a small island close by and went for a walk along the beach - I kept my eyes closed, but Sue did the spotting for us both!

We didn't manage to get a WiFi connection today.

Sue's Log - Wednesday 8th October 2008:

After a restless night - water pump kept running for some inexplicable reason, loud music ashore and thunder and lightening we weighted anchor early and went up the coast to the next bay at Anse Marcel - very upmarket resort area. We ate breakfast before going ashore. Again everyone was preparing for the upcoming tourist season and nothing was open and fortunately everyone ignored us. During the season security guards apparently police the area and escort yachties off the premises. We motored around the coast to Orient Bay. I was forward ready to anchor when the boat went aground - Tony tells the rest above, so I won't increase his embarrassment by rehashing it. After lunch we had a nap on deck.  It was a wonderful hour of gentle rocking and rolling with a light breeze. I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the dinghy.  It was hoisted up on a halyard so the water between the inner and out skin could drain out allowing it to plane better when we go ashore.  We had an early night and the pilot book was correct - 'it is rolly in a NE'  The boat was rocking and a rolling all night.

Tony's Log - Thursday 9th October 2008:

We had a gentle sail between St Martin and St Barts today, arriving at the anchorage off the capital Gustavia at just before 10 in the morning. Gustavia is a very smart location in much the same way as St Tropez is in the south of France and Portofino is in Italy. Although there were no superyachts here with us today, the place is geared for the clientele that they bring - designer name jewellery and clothes shops and chick cafes and bars - the supermarket is definitely a very classy place to be seen! Clearing into St Barts and being caught for port dues was a snip - the Capitainerie is a smart building on the waterfront and is where it all happens. After lunch back on board we returned ashore for some sightseeing, including a hot sweaty walk up a steep hill to Fort Oscar (which we had anchored under) only to find that it was the local Gendarmerie headquarters and not open to the public! Late in the afternoon we weighed anchor for an hour, during which time we visited the commercial port to take on fuel, and entered the inner port to top up with water. We are now ready for the next part of our island hopping itinerary.

Sue's Log - Thursday 9th October 2008:

The dinghy saga continues. On our gentle sail to St Barts the dinghy was towing very badly and getting lower and lower in the water.  When we arrived at our destination before going ashore we emptied the dinghy by hoisting it on the halyard. It was saturated with water. Tony, the fine engineer that he is, found the supplies needed at a well-stocked ships chandlers in Gustavia and made the necessary repairs for now. The dinghy is now riding and towing to the Captains satisfaction. The true test will come tomorrow when we tow her to our next destination. While Tony was doing the repairs, I snorkelled to one of the small islands, which is in the marine protected area. I saw lots of fish and got really excited when a turtle swam past. The wind has picked up this evening and there is a lovely breeze blowing through the boat.

Tony's Log - Friday 10th & Saturday 11th October 2008:

We started the day in St Barts by heading into Gustavia for coffee and a short session on WiFi to check the weather forecast and do emails. Little did we know it would be such a long day for us - the winds forecasted over the next few days made us come to the decision to set off from St Barts straight away and make the crossing direct to Antigua 70 nautical miles away. Our original plans had included short visits to the islands of Saba, Statia, St Kitts and Nevis before arriving at Antigua, but the developing south easterly winds expected over the next few days would not have permitted these calls, or at least would have resulted in us being trapped at one of them for a few days before being able to cross back to Antigua. So we set off from St Barts at 0915 with a moderate easterly wind helping us along the way. For the first half of the crossing we were making excellent progress with an ETA in Antigua of about 2000 in the evening - then it all changed! First we were struck by a rather big black cloud, which inside contained heavy rain and winds from a bad direction, making us alter course to the south away from Antigua. After about an hour the cloud had passed but the wind remained in such a direction that, if we had continued sailing on that tack, we would have missing Antigua completely. We decided that we were not going to spend half the night beating to windward to fetch Antigua under sail, so started the engine, furled the genoa and started motoring directly towards our destination. At first progress was reasonable with an ETA of 2100 predicted, but after motoring for about 30 minutes the engine died - we restarted it and again it failed, and over again several times! In the end we managed to coax it into life by just using low revolutions, which gave us a maximum of just 3 knots. The result was a long and miserable plod in sometimes heavy seas all the way to Antigua - we eventually anchored at Dickenson Bay on the north west coast of Antigua at 0300 in the morning. It had been a long and tiring run since leaving St Barts - it had also been worrying as we did not know if the engine would survive the crossing!

We weighed anchor from Dickenson Bay after 5 quality hours of sleep and a hearty breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches! It took us just over an hour to motor into the capital of Antigua, St Johns and berth alongside at Redcliffe Quay, close to the cruise ship docks in the centre of the town. Sue said that it was just like UK as we approached St Johns - it was a rainy and grey day with no one about! The Immigration authorities were unprepared to clear in a couple of yachties and asked us to return after a couple of hours by which time staff would be available to process the paperwork. The Immigration and Customs officers sat in separate offices in their dilapidated building and passed us through into their country without any difficulties, although the main Immigration document that I had to complete had 6 carbon copies and the officer had to stamp and sign each individually. There were no computers on either of their desks, but each had a television to while away their hours of boredom between sudden bursts of activity!

Our sightseeing of St Johns lasted all of an hour - it is a scruffy, dirty and faded town without much to see. We visited the Cathedral (St. John's Cathedral was built in 1845 - the church is now in its third incarnation, as earthquakes in 1683 and in 1745 destroyed the previous structures), which has an amazing wooden inside, but even that is sadly deteriorated and in need of major refurbishment. On the outside the once magnificent evocative white baroque towers are a shade of local grime and dirt!  Later in the evening we slipped and departed from St Johns - the quayside was being frequented by some "less desirable" locals and so decided that it would be safer if we went to anchor. We therefore motored the 45 minutes to Deep Bay and anchored for the night - we were at the centre of the large bay without any company! Absolutely ideal!

Tony's Log - Sunday 12th October 2008:

We had a short sail today - around the west and south coasts of Antigua to an anchorage off Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbour. It was a typically grey English day with a lot or rain and no sunshine during our sail - the temperature was however more typically Caribbean! His Majesty's Antigua Naval Yard was built starting about 1725. Its function was to maintain the Royal Naval warships that captured the valuable sugar islands of the Eastern Caribbean thus cutting off enemy trade and increasing Britain's own wealth. By 1889, the Yard had been abandoned by the navy and in 1906 was released by the Admiralty to the Colonial Government. From the beginning of restoration in 1951, the yard became known as Nelson's Dockyard in honour of Admiral Horatio Nelson who had served as a Captain in the Leeward Islands from 1784-87. I have read so many Nelson books, but if anyone is interested I would recommend the huge volume by John Sugden.

We had been planning to join the weekly party (barbecue, rum punch, and the plangent strains of steel band and reggae music) at Shirley Heights, which overlooks English Harbour. Shirley Heights commands a strategic and spectacular view of English Harbour, and on a clear day Montserrat and Guadeloupe can be seen. The weather however put us off partying - we remained hibernating on board with a good movie instead!
 

Sue's Log - Catching Up!

Not sure what to write as the captain has written it all above. The trip from St Barts was long however I was grateful that I wasn't feeling seasick and that it was not a full night at sea.  It was a bit nerve racking towards the end when the engine revs dipped several times.  Neither of us commented but we were silently praying that our trusted yacht would get us to our destination - and it did.  The captain did a sterling job at navigating us into another night time anchorage - thank god for GPS. On the way over we were amazed at the number of flying fish we saw.  Watching out for them gave us something to do. The following morning we noticed a few that didn't make it and were lying in the gunwales. 

I have not been impressed with St John. It is the first time I was glad that there was two of us, I had a sense that it is not safe for a women to be out on their own. Having said that, most of my interactions with the locals has been very friendly and helpful. I am sure the weather hasn't helped my impression either. I have had my nose in a book all day and have managed to finally finish it - ideal past time in wet raining weather.

Tony's Log - Monday 13th October 2008:

There is a "Tropical Depression" a couple of hundred miles to the west of us at the moment, which is moving slowly in a NNE direction towards Puerto Rico. The effect of this weather system has been to bring us wet and cooler weather over the past couple of days - during the next few days it is forecasted to deliver strong southerly winds, which is very bad news for us as that is the direction in which we wish to sail! We had toyed with the idea of making a break for it from Antigua this evening and I even went to the Immigration department to clear out, so that we could make an overnight passage to Guadeloupe whilst the wind direction was still relatively favourable. In the end I decided against going to sea in such uncertain conditions - we shall noe probably be stuck here in Antigua for at least 3-4 days until the weather system has completely removed itself from our vicinity. We are also keeping a watch on "Tropical Storm" Nanna, which has just established itself about 1100 miles to the east of the Caribbean. The predicted track of this new system is for it to head in a north-westerly direction well away from us, but we shall be visiting the US National Hurricane Centre website (www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml) just as often as we can to keep an eye on developments. We are disappointed that our southerly progress through the islands is to be paused, but at least we are in a safe place should the weather really become nasty! We shall just have to think of how we are going to amuse ourselves at anchor in Antigua for the next few days - a challenge, if the torrential rain that we have been experiencing over the past couple of days continues.

Tony's Log - Tuesday 14th October 2008:

Looks like we are in for a bit of a blow! Although we were pleased today that "Nana" has been downgraded to a Tropical Depression, we are are now concerned that Tropical Depression "Fifteen" was upgraded to Tropical Storm "Omar" this morning and is expected to become a fully fledged Hurricane tonight. Further cause for concern is that it has altered course slightly towards us and is now expected to pass just 198 nautical miles from us, sometime on Wednesday night. The maximum sustained wind speeds within Omar are likely to be up to 50 knots. As a precaution we moved Tradewinds from Freeman Bay into the inner part of English Harbour this evening and have anchored with our bow pointing outwards from shore with two lines attached to mangroves on the shore. We are certainly not looking forward to tomorrow night! Below is the latest picture of Omar - we are in the little yellow area.

Despite our worries over Omar, we had a good day today - we took the bus across the island to Jolly Harbour to get a new fuel filter for the engine. It was an hour each way, but an interesting journey both inside and outside the two busses we had to take each way. The weather thankfully remained dry all day.

Tony's Log - Wednesday 15th October 2008:

0800 - We moved Tradewinds further into English Harbour this morning and now are secured by 6 lines in various directions, including an anchor. Where we are is well into the harbour in the most sheltered position we could find. Omar is now a Hurricane and is expected to come closest to us at 1200 tomorrow at a range of 178 nautical miles (see below). We are expecting winds of only 35 to 40 knots, but of course there will be a sea surge heading into the island. We can be in no better position and are confident that we are in a safe place to ride out this storm.

Below you will see the track of Tradewinds from when we arrived at English Harbour on Sunday to when we secured off Peter Point ready for Hurricane Omar.

1545 - It is absolutely amazing. We are here on board waiting for a hurricane, which will be at its closest to us in about 20 hours, yet there are no indications that it is on its way. Admittedly the sky is cloudy and the humidity is high, but there is no wind or swell coming into the harbour from sea. We even walked to a vantage point overlooking the harbour entrance this afternoon, and the sea was calm with virtually no swell. The calm before the storm maybe, but how was it for sailors in the days before satellites and weather forecasting? How would they have known that a hurricane was just 300 miles and 20 hours away? And what about Nelson's ships here in the dockyard over 200 years ago - they would have had to have been permanently prepared during the hurricane season, or would have had just hours to secure the fleet for the havoc that might befall them!

1600 - The latest information is that the closest point that Omar will come to Antigua is now 198 nautical miles and that it will be in that location at 0948 tomorrow morning. Omar's track has therefore increased slightly and will pass us slightly further away than that previously predicted. It is not a big change, but nevertheless one for the better.

1700 - Latest update from the Internet: The approximate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) of Omar is located near 18º 6' N, 64º 11' W or about 184.8 miles (297.3 km) from Antigua. The estimated time of when the centre of the storm will be at that location is on Thursday, October 16 at 0912.

Sue's Log - Wednesday 15th October 2008:

On Monday - we were out bright and early sightseeing around English Harbour.  It is steeped in history and Tony was particularly interested in the areas, as Nelson is one of his heroes.  We walked over to Falmouth Bay to buy groceries and see what was available. After lunch we did the laundry and attempted to get WiFi. Tony is a wiz at locating the free ones available in the area.  We had a quiet evening in with one of Tony's pasta meals and a movie. Not much else to do with monsoon like rain, thunder and lightning.

Tuesday we were on a mission to sort out WiFi and find a fuel filter.  WiFi was easy once we put in the correct user name - the fuel filter took a bit longer!!  We visited three different stores around Antigua - finally found it at Budget Marine in Jolly Harbour, which required 2 bus rides and 2 1/2 hours round trip.  I think bus rides are a wonderful way to meet the local people and observe their customs, and this was no exception.  A fringe benefit of going to Jolly Harbour was the large supermarket where we were spoilt for choice.  Along the way I met a woman selling homemade Roti - it made for a delicious lunch.

The moral on the boat has been low over the past few days due to the weather, approaching hurricane and lack of progress down islands. As Tony has explained, we have been watching the development of hurricane Omar. Tuesday evening, we brought the boat into the inner harbour - put out an anchor and lines to the mangroves. During the night, a few nasty squalls came through and we realised the pilot book was correct - the mud holding was not good - our anchor was dragging.  Neither of us got a good night's sleep and we were not sure what to do. After reviewing our options and consulting a liveaboard, we are now hunkered down in Peter's Point feeling secure with anchors out and lines ashore. We feel confident we will ride out the weather over the next day. At present we are expecting winds of up to 35knots. Our moral has improved now that we feel safe and secure.  We spent the day watching locals and cruisers secure their boats ahead of the high winds. Here is the latest on Omar:

Antigua is in the small red area to the bottom of the chart

Tony's Log - Thursday 16th October 2008:

0415: The approximate Closest Point of Approach (CPA) of Omar is located near 18.4N, 63.8W or about 159.6 miles (256.8 km) from Antigua. The estimated time of when the centre of the storm will be at that location is today at 0506.

0705 - We just heard on VHF Ch 68 that Omar has passed us and is currently to the north of us passing St Martin. Omar was categorised a Category 3 Hurricane at about 0500 this morning (the highest is Category 5) and is therefore one of the strongest vicious of hurricanes to be experienced in the Caribbean this year. Overnight here in Antigua, the winds we have experienced have certainly been very strong, probably in the region of 50 knots - we believe that Omar passed us at a range of about 150 nautical miles at about 0500 this morning. The thunder and lightening was continuous overnight and some of the rain so dense that there was no visibility from our boat's windows. It was not a night that either of us would like to repeat!

1145 - Hurricane Omar has now gone from us, but has left a legacy of torrential rain and severe flooding on the island of Antigua. We are not sure how the BVIs fared, but they too will now be mopping up and counting the cost of being very close to the centre of the hurricane as it passed them by. At the centre of Omar were winds of 130 knots (150 mph) so it must have been bad in both the BVIs and St Martin - when we are able to get a WiFi connection again all will be revealed. We are expecting the winds to drop to 10 - 15 knots during the day, but for the direction to remain south easterly or southerly until tomorrow. We are also expecting the rainfall to decrease during the afternoon - we may not see the sun until tomorrow but at least we should be able to go on deck and maybe venture ashore for a walk.

End of the day - All quiet on the western front! Just light wind and flat seas all around us. We are even seeing the moon for the first time in days! We will have a BIG sleep tonight!

Sue's Log - Wednesday 15th to Friday 17th October 2008:

Wednesday evening we were treated to the most spectacular thunder and lighting show that I have ever experienced. The precursor to Omar. I could see the beginnings at 5.30pm and as it got dark it was even more intense. In the beginning there was no rain associated with it and we sat on deck for a couple of hours watching it - Tony was snug in his T-shirt and sweater and I in my sarong. The rain arrived at about 8.00pm and the thunder and lightning persisted all night. 

Thursday - Several times during the night I got up and sat on deck with a cup of tea watching wind, thunder and lightning - it was awesome.  The winds picked up about midnight and increased through out the night. I felt very secure however - my only concern was that other boats might break loose and knock into us - fortunately that didn't happen. Tony was quite excited about the hurricane and was up looking at the other boats occasionally venturing outside to adjust a line or two. For the most part we were locked in all morning and early afternoon waiting for the rain to ease up and thus the leaks to stop!!  One of the down sides of living on a boat.  Antigua experienced widespread flooding which caused much more damage than the high winds. We were finally able to come outside mid afternoon and assess the damage.  A couple of boats had dragged their anchors. One boat dragged its anchor ended up in the mangroves with virtually no damage.  We had a walk around to Falmouth harbour, which was just as quite as English Harbour. The main noise was the sound of emergency generators - the island had lost power due to the flooding. An English couple Jason and Kirsty and their 4 year old daughter Rosey came aboard for drinks in the evening. They had weathered the hurricane in the same area as us and were fine.   

Friday We were up early - irritated by loads of mosquitoes and flies that were hovering around the boat as we were so close into the mangroves, and there was no wind and the seas were flat calm. We took in the lines and anchor.  The anchor was really stuck in well and took a lot of coaxing and muscle by Tony to get it up. We took on fuel and water and anchored again. The boat has had a good clean and everything has been hung out to dry.

Tony's Log - Friday 17th October 2008:

A quiet day cleaning and mopping up after the wetness of the past few days. We are now really looking forward to leaving Antigua - we have cleared through Immigration and Customs and plan to sail at 0600 tomorrow morning. The forecast is for light easterly winds - ideal for our 45-50 mile crossing to Guadeloupe. We should be anchored by about 1600 in one of the anchorages to the north west of the island. I doubt if we'll be able to find a WiFi connection soon - there may not therefore be an update to this log until Monday morning.

Tony's Log - Saturday 18th October 2008:

We escaped from Antigua at 0600 this morning - it was an almost windless morning as we departed from English Harbour with calm seas and clear skies. We had a crossing of 40 miles ahead to Guadeloupe, which was in view from the start. The wind never did amount to much today, so we ended up motoring the full crossing island to island. Our old problem with the engine reared its ugly head again when we were about half way across - the engine started hunting and finally died. It happened several times and on several occasions I had to dive into the engine compartment to bleed air from the fuel system. Our final couple of miles into the anchorage was a nightmare - the engine died when we were only about half a mile from the cliffs during a very heavy rain storm. We drifted a while whilst I went below to get the engine running again. From then onwards into the anchorage the engine died on several occasions, only running sufficiently between start-ups to give us some forward movement and steerage way. It was a relief when we finally managed to drop the pick within the sheltered inlet of Anse Deshaires on the north west of coast of Guadeloupe. After anchoring I spent some more time trying to identify and fix the problem - it is either a filter blockage, a lift pump defect or air getting into the system from a loose joint! Undoubtedly the matter will be resolved in due course, but until then both Sue and I are concerned over the obvious safety aspects of having an unreliable engine.

Ashore along the waterfront in Anse Deshaires the results of Hurricane Omar were all too clear to see - many of the buildings were damaged and a quite large power boat (about 15m) had been washed onto the front porch of one of the waterside properties. The boat was quite seriously damaged.

Tony's Log - Sunday 19th & Monday 20th October 2008:

We had a long slog down the western coast of Guadeloupe yesterday, finally anchoring in the dark at Anse du Bourg, on the island of Terre-de-Haut within the Les Saintes group of islands to the south of Guadeloupe. It was a frustrating day at sea, with winds from all directions, heavy rain showers and finally, when away from the lee of Guadeloupe and in clear air, with a wind direction far from perfect for our intended destination of Pointe a Pietre, the capital of Guadeloupe. We had some good sailing though, particularly as we beat against the wind for the final few hours at sea. Our entry into Anse Du Bourg was however tense, with no moonlight to assist and a narrow channel into the anchorage - our furling head sail refused to furl, which added another complication to the complicated situation we found ourselves in. We anchored successfully in 12m of water, sorted out the head sail furling and finally got turned in - it was a rocky and rolly night and both of us lost sleep!

Today we had decided to continue our sail to Pointe a Pietre, but after only a couple of miles we decided, because of an difficult wind direction and several heavy rain clouds, to return into Anse Du Bourg for a day of relaxation. The run back into the anchorage, in heavy rain and high winds, was a roller coaster of a ride with Tradewinds reaching 9.7 knots - an all time maximum! We went ashore in the morning to explore the small town and for shopping - a charming little hamlet with a stunning array of gaily painted houses and structures in true Caribbean style. In the afternoon we climbed to Fort Napoleon, which overlooks the entrance to the bay, but it was closed! We have now given up our intention to remain in Guadeloupe for longer and will head south to Dominica tomorrow.

Sue's Log - Sunday 19th October 2008:

We left Antigua with high hopes that the bad weather was behind us - NOT-  we had light light winds and engine failure as Tony described above. but I keep smiling knowing I have been in worse and that it will be worked out. Having said that, I did get concerned when we were drifting towards the rocks with no motor and no wind!  During the crossing to Guadeloupe I saw this fin come out of the water about 20ft from the boat - I know it was a shark - Tony thought so to. I am now a bit concerned about going swimming!! Sunday morning was lovely - we were sitting in the cockpit gentle sailing reading our books chatting - it was the picture most people think the trip is about, however that was our first time. We were both really tired last night and I was glad when we came to the decision this morning to miss Guadeloupe. It can be tiring beating to windward and not very pleasant, although we were both looking forward to lovely French baguettes for lunch - we will have to wait for.

Sue's Log - Monday 20th October 2008:

Today was a fabulous rest day. Ashore, we did domestic chores like buying groceries, finding internet access and getting money out of the ATM. Back to the boat for a quick dip to cool off followed by lunch - which included a delicious baguette and then an afternoon siesta. It was an ideal cruising day in the Caribbean. Bourg les Saints was  a beautiful village, which obviously catered to the tourist that came over on the ferry. It had small narrow streets and where people's main mode of transport was a scooter. The houses were all brightly coloured and well kept. In the afternoon we hiked up the hill to Fort Napoleon which had great views, but was shut. Good exercise for both of us. In the evening we wanted to eat ashore but there were very few restaurants open and all very expensive so we ended up with take out pizza which was delicious.

Our good friend Marian should have joined us today in Guadeloupe from UK, but unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute. Sorry you are not here with us Marian - maybe we can fix for you to join us here in the Caribbean or in the Mediterranean at some other time. Love to you from both of us here aboard Tradewinds - we shall think about you as we continue our cruise to St Vincent.

Tony's Log - Tuesday 21st October 2008:

A special day today - 44 miles of good sailing and no rain! We left Les Saintes at 0600 this morning and crossed to Dominica, anchoring in Rupert Bay by the town of Portsmouth to clear into the country through Immigration and Customs. My brief spell ashore was a bit of a shock - Portsmouth was a run down town, typically third world! The country has been devastated by hurricanes on several occasions - the waterfront of Portsmouth is littered with decaying ships that have run aground and never refloated. Later we sailed down the length of the west coast to the capital, Roseau, where we secured to a buoy for the night. The sail across from Guadeloupe was in 15 knot winds from the east - perfect for a quick crossing. The afternoon sail down the coast of Dominica was also most enjoyable - calm seas but with a good breeze to propel us at a good speed. The scenery was stunning - Dominica is a lush green island with several high peaks and lush mountainous rainforests.

Sue's Log - Tuesday 21st October 2008:

Today was fabulous, if nothing else we were going at speeds of 4-7 knots. That may not seem much but when we have been used to 2 - 3.5 knots it is a huge improvement. Great moral booster.  I had visited Dominica a few years ago and didn't really appreciate how mountainous it was. There is hardly any flat land. I spoke to the boat boy who came out to show us to the buoy, he said that all the docks in his area were washed away by Omar. In the morning we were able to see where the dock supports are and rest of the dock is no longer there. 

Tony's Log - Wednesday 22nd October 2008:

Another good day for us and again no rain! Quite an achievement during summer in the Caribbean! We sailed 49 miles today, briefly calling into St Pierre on the north east coast of Martinique after our crossing from Dominica. We had intended to remain anchored for the night at St Pierre, but I was not happy with the anchorage, so we decided to continue on south and take an anchorage off Fort de France, the capital of Martinique. St Pierre is of interest because it was almost totally destroyed when the volcano that overshadows it (Mount Pelee) erupted in 1902. The sea bed of the harbour is littered with several wrecks that were sunk on that day. The view of the volcano from sea is quite spectacular - it is clear to see (because of a lack of trees) where the lava flowed during the eruption. We arrived at Forte de France before sunset! Another achievement for us! We actually sat on deck to watch the sun disappear below the horizon and Sue claimed to have seen the mythical "green flash", but I must have been blinking at the time and missed it! The anchorage off Forte de France was virtually deserted when we arrived - just as well because by then we were having engine troubles again! Tomorrow we shall clear into Martinique (in the local chandlery!) and then concentrate on getting the engine problems solved.

Sue's Log - Wednesday 22nd October 2008:

It was another great day on Tradewinds. Weather was fabulous - we left at day break (6.00am) and had a fabulous day sailing - it seems a lot more settled and less humid than the beginning of the trip. We are anchored at Forte de France, the first major city we have seen on our travels. From the books, it looks like we are going to have some fun checking out the sights, shops and restaurants. I am glad to get to a place where we can sort the engine out - it is really becoming a problem and an extreme irritation.

Tony's Log - Thursday 23rd October 2008:

We remained at anchor off Forte de France all day today - we cleared in to the country (by way of a computer in the local chandlery!), did some shopping and had a wander around the town. I bought a new filter for the boat's fuel system and fitted it in the afternoon - a test run of the engine seems promising (Sue immediately commented that the engine was running more smoothly than before). My impression of Forte de France is that I was disappointed and unimpressed. After reading the glowing reports in the Pilot Book and Cruising Guide to the Windward Islands we had been expecting a charming waterfront town with bags of chic French character - maybe a bit like some of the small ports along the French coast of the Mediterranean. In reality the place was a huge let down, or at least it was for me - totally different from St Martin and St Bart, the other French islands in the Caribbean. My disappointment centres around the fact that although the people speak French and Martinique is part of France, there are no street-side cafes, no evidence of the local population sitting chatting with coffees as they do everywhere in France, no cafes on the waterfront (a large car park has been built spanning most of the waterfront!), no elegant well dressed ladies window shopping, no smart designer clothes shops and absolutely no chic French atmosphere. It is a scruffy and busy working town with a Caribbean character, but sadly that character is not French Caribbean. At night when we went ashore expecting to find a restaurant for dinner all we found was a deserted town - all the shops, banks, cafes and even the church was barricaded with steel roller shutters as if in preparation for mass riots! Needless to say, the population had completely disappeared - we felt unsafe and beat a hasty retreat back to Tradewinds, where we cooked dinner from our on-board supplies and later watched a movie. We were pleased to be back in the safety of our offshore home. We shall definitely be on our way from Forte de France tomorrow, after some last minute shopping and another visit to a cyber cafe to do emails (although they are named Cyber Cafes, no food or drink seems to be on sale!). There are plenty more places to see around Martinique and over the next few days we shall be visiting them before heading south to St Lucia.

Tony's Log - Friday 24th October 2008:

We were joined in Forte de France today by the cruise ship "Noordam". She arrived almost silently at about 0630 and tied up to the cruise ship dock just to the west of our anchorage. Sue and I went ashore at 0800 and had breakfast (for Sue Pain Aux Raisin and coffee and for me also a Pain Aux Raisin, but with fresh orange juice) in one of the small cafes near the dinghy dock. We then spent some time in a Cyber Cafe before going our own ways, Sue window shopping and me to the supermarket for the groceries and baguettes to last us through the next couple of days. In contrast to last night, the town this morning was full of life with half the population on the streets, plus a few of the newly wed and nearly dead (Sue's expression, not mine!) from the cruise ship! As soon as we returned on board we weighed anchor for the short south-easterly sail across Forte de France Bay to an anchorage at Trois Ilets. It was as if we had transported ourselves to a different planet - the anchorage at Trois Ilets was quiet, flat calm and beautiful. This was another world for us after the huge disappointment of Forte de France and we loved it. After lunch we went ashore to explore, but found it almost dead, except for a small cafe where we enjoyed ice creams. Trois Ilets is a charming and photogenic town with many old houses and buildings, many of which were constructed of wood. Trois Ilets is famous because it was the original home of the Empress Josephine, who moved to France at the age of 16 and eventually married Napoleon when she was 33 (and he was 27).

Sue's Log - Friday 24th October 2008:

We have gone ashore to see the sights of Forte de France and were let down. The description in the guide books was misleading. However, we did find baguettes and pain aux raisin in the bakery so I was happy with that. I was even more relived when we found the right fuel filter and was able to get it installed. We decided it would be prudent to have an extra one onboard so Tony made a special trip back to the store and bought another one. I had a look in the stores that seemed to be very French and didn't see too many bargains or clothes that I needed.  That said, my focus is very restricted with living on a boat with no iron. I was very disappointed we couldn't find anywhere to have dinner last night - I was looking forward to nice Creole cooking. This is the off season and a lot of places won't be open to the end of the month. We are going to satisfy ourselves with going out for lunches instead of dinners. Tonight the anchorage at Trois Ilets is lovely and quite - No rocking and rolling or being woken at 6.00am with ferry waves!!  The water here is a bit murky, which is unusual - I had a swim but was uncomfortable with only seeing a few feet in front of me.

Tony's Log - Saturday 25th October 2008:

We chose a perfect anchorage last night - it was indeed calm and quiet, and this morning provided an idyllic sunrise over the three mangrove islands after which the place was named. We weighed anchor early (the anchor was caked in thick mud!) and motored across the bay into Port Antonome, where we replenished diesel, water, outboard engine fuel and ice! We then returned to the anchorage at Forte de France and spent a couple of hours ashore grocery shopping and visiting the cyber cafe to do emails and to update this website. I also took the opportunity to visit Cathedral St Louis - an amazing building constructed partly of steel girders - the inside is also quite unique, with a grand design that includes more steel and intricate wrought ironwork! This should be our final visit to Forte de France - in the afternoon we sailed back across the bay to Anse Mitan where we anchored for the night. It was a sunny and clear afternoon - we enjoyed some swimming in the clear blue sea and also a walk ashore. Mitan is a small holiday town with several restaurants, many hotels (including a very smart "Meridian") and holiday apartments and a rather scruffy pebbly beach. We found a good restaurant during our walk and returned there for dinner in the evening - many thanks to my crew for treating me to an excellent dinner. It was a very pleasant evening ashore in a classy restaurant, which was very much enjoyed and appreciated, but really it should have been me buying dinner!

Tony's Log - Sunday 26th October 2008:

After our late night ashore we slept a little longer than usual this morning - it was almost 0900 before we weighed anchor to motor around the south west coast of Martinique to a new anchorage. Anse Grande D'Arlet was a deep inlet with a sandy beach and small settlement ashore. We anchored in 5m of water over a sandy bottom giving excellent holding for our anchor. We went ashore for our usual exploratory visit and found what we were looking for - a small grocery store selling baguettes! Ashore we also saw more evidence of the havoc Huricane Omar had reeked on the area, with an eroded shoreline approaching several of the waterfront properties, an abundance of debris, flotsam and jetsam and four sailboats wrecked along the shoreline. We returned on board (Sue swam back to Tradewinds) after we had seen all there was to see, weighed anchor and motored around the headland to the next inlet, Anse Petit D'Arlet. Here we anchored not far off the jetty, had lunch and again went ashore to explore. Petit D'Arlet was a picturesque small holiday location with a white sandy beach. At its centre was a church, which had clearly suffered badly from storm damage, but we were not to know if it was Hurricane Omar to blame! The bell tower of the church was being reconstructed and the remainder of the church refurbished - there is a picture of the old bell tower in our Cruising Guide, and it is totally different to the one that is now being built. We had a ice cream ashore before returning on board. We had a rather quiet afternoon, although Sue went for a long distance snorkel around the rocks close to the jetty. We liked Anse Petit D;Arlet and enjoyed a quiet evening and calm night.

Sue's Log - Sunday 26th October 2008:

It has been a restful two days doing a few boat chores, emails, grocery shopping, sunbathing and sightseeing.  The weather has been very pleasant and sunny during the day and cool in the evening. One can tell that autumn is here, even in the tropics!!  I was pleased today when we anchored at Anse Grande D'arlet as the sea colour was back to the clear, turquoise one associates with the Caribbean. While in the area of Forte de  France the water was muddy and visibility very restricted - it didn't make for comfortable swimming, or maybe I am just spoilt!  I am trying to do a lot of swimming as I have indulged in baguettes, croissants, pain aux chocolate, ice creams - I feel the inches creeping on around the waist. But that is what holidays are all about. It is so nice to have the engine running properly again - it has reduced the stress and we can now zoom along at 6knots!!  As it is the weekend there seem to be more boats than normal out and it is great sitting on deck and people and boat watch. Last night we were enjoying watching all the lights out at sea and guessing what type of boat was involved.

Tony's Log - Monday 27th October 2008:

We made and early start and motored the 15 nautical miles to Le Marin, which is located at the head of a large inlet on the south coast of Martinique. There are two marinas and associated shipyards and facilities at Le Marin. There were also a couple of charter boat bases and restaurants. The Cruising Guide to the Windward Islands gave us to think that we were arriving at some fantastic yachting mega-centre, but we as so often is the case we were disappointed by what we found. Although there was a large supermarket with its own dinghy dock, we never did find a launderette, although reference was made to a couple in the cruising guide. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the marina at Le Marin, but they were nothing special! The anchorage outside the two marinas was however very large, but crowded - anyway we found a spot to drop the hook about 5 minutes dinghy ride away from the dinghy dock.

Tony's Log - Tuesday 28th October 2008:

We weighed anchor from Le Marin early this morning and departed Martinique for the short sail across to St Lucia, just 20 miles to the south. On arrival at Rodney Bay we went alongside in the marina to clear Customs and Immigration and then took an anchorage in the bay. The lagoon, where cruising yachts have traditionally anchored, has been developed into a huge marina leaving no space for anchoring. In fact the lagoon and marina is now one great construction site, a place that we would rather not be at! So tomorrow we shall head on south along the coast of St Lucia - a beautiful island despite today being rather wet from a succession of heavy downpours.

Tony's Log - Wednesday 29th October 2008:

Another early start for us after a long sleep last night! For some unknown reason we were very tired last night and needed an early night, which we had. We had an easy morning today though, motoring the 9 miles from Rodney Bay to Marigot Bay a little south along the western coast of St Lucia. Marigot Bay is considered by many to be the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean - it might have been at one time, but now that it has been taken over by a couple of charter yacht companies and the inner anchorage has been littered with mooring buoys each with a ugly great catamaran attached. The bay is not quite as beautiful as it obviously was in years gone by. Marigot Bay is famous because it was used for the filming of the movie "Dr Doolittle" staring Rex Harrison, "Water" staring Michael Caine and "Fire Power" staring Sophia Loren. Mariot Bay is undoubtedly an attractive place, but the proliferation of commercial interests has destroyed scenic views in all directions - that it rained frequently during our day did not help. Soon after securing we went ashore for coffee and pastries, and then went to see our friend Rick aboard the sailing yacht "Sophisticated Lady", who is moored in the bay undertaking boat repairs. He and his crew, who we know from the BVIs, are currently heading north to start the charter season in the BVIs. They joined us for drinks aboard Tradewinds early evening.

Sue's Log - Monday 27th October 2008 to Wednesday 29th October 2008:

Monday evening, after doing Laundry in the afternoon, we went to one of the dockside cafe for a meal.  It was lovely and for a Monday night just a few people about. This restaurant offered  free WiFi so a few yachties had their laptops open, doing their thing on the internet while eating and drinking. We had tried the WiFi earlier in the day with no success, so ended up at an internet cafe. Tuesday was a pleasant sail over to St Lucia - we were there for lunch!!  In the afternoon I checked out the biggest mall in St Lucia while Tony went back to the boat. Tony had broken the spatula cleaning the bottom of the dinghy so I was able to find a replacement. I checked out the grocery store and then walked back to the marina. I had a lovely swim from the boat to the beach and then walked along the beach. We sat on deck and watched a quite dramatic sunset, through the grey clouds whilst people and boat watching.  It was very relaxing. Today Wednesday we had a short hop to the next anchorage (at Marigot), which is beautiful but tiny. There are steep hills all around and we actually had a walk up to the top and looked down over the bay - it was truly spectacular.

Tony's Log - Thursday 30th October 2008:

We slipped out from Marigot Bay at just after 7 this morning, motor sailed down the coast and turned into Soufriere Bay where we took a buoy off a popular snorkelling area just inside the bay. We were soon over the side, but found little of interest - just a few fish and rather uninteresting coral. I returned on board quite soon and Sue was following me when disaster struck - she was attacked by a jellyfish, which stung her across her midriff. We discovered later that the jellyfish was not dangerous, but the bad news was that the sting was excruciatingly painful and produced a rash from one side of her body to the other. At the time were obviously worried that we faced a dangerous situation, so quickly went ashore to seek urgent assistance. Fortunately we met a professional diver on the quayside and he confirmed that, although the sting would be extremely painful, the jellyfish in the area were not dangerous. He advised administering vinegar to the affected area - I immediately went to a small grocery store to get some and we both returned on board Tradewinds to carry out the treatment. Although there was some minor pain relief, the sting remained very painful for the remainder of the day. Cold beer cans from the fridge were a very effective pain relief for her. Sue was a brave trooper and did not complain, but was obviously suffering very badly.

After Sue's unfortunate accident we decided later in the morning to leave Soufriere Bay and head further down the coast - we were being harassed incessantly by "Boat Boys" trying to sell us produce and local tours and attempting to get money off us for any reason they could think of! I therefore went ashore, cleared Customs and Immigration, did a last minute sightseeing walk of the town, went to a pharmacy to get some medication for Sue and came back on board. After lunch we slipped our mooring buoy and headed south along the coast intending to anchor at Vieux Port at the south of the island - at some point however, mainly because of a rip tidal situation and frequent rain showers, we changed our plans and decided that we had had enough of St Lucia, so turned southwards and headed for St Vincent. We had a spectacular sail between the islands and eventually took a mooring buoy in Young Island Cut (between Young Island and the mainland), in the south of St Vincent at 2230. Another night approach into a new location for us!

Tony's Log - Friday 31st October 2008:

To celebrate our arrival at the south of St Vincent, which has been our focus since leaving the British Virgin Islands, we started the day with a traditional English breakfast of fried sausages, eggs and fried bread. It was a great way to start the day and much enjoyed, particularly after our late night last night, but unfortunately it took too long to prepare and eat, because by the time we had finished and slipped, someone came to charge us for our night on their mooring buoy! It was just 50 EC$ (about £10) and worth the experience! After slipping from the mooring in Young Island Cut we motored the mile around the island, crossed a small bay and then passed through the narrow entrance into the reef at Blue Lagoon, where Tradewinds is to be based for the next 4 years. It is a beautiful area and perfectly safe mooring for Tradewinds - TMM (Tortola Marine Management) who will be managing Tradewinds shares some pontoons with the charter company "Sunsail", but also has several mooring buoys in the lagoon. After arrival we went ashore to meet the TMM staff and afterwards took Harold's taxi to the airport and the capital Kingstown to clear into St Vincent & The Grenadines (known as SVG) through Customs and Immigration. Later we brought Tradewinds alongside one of the TMM / Sunsail pontoons for water and a long-overdue wash down! By mid afternoon everything to be done had been completed so we slipped and sailed the short 8 miles across to the island of Bequia, where we anchored in the large sheltered bay off the capital Port Elizabeth for the night. It was a pleasant light-wind sail across the Bequia Channel - a few moments after we anchored we enjoyed a spectacular sunset. We had originally intended to go ashore but by mid evening we had both become so tired that we gave up the idea, preferring to remain on deck star gazing and listening to local music from the nearby shore.

Sue's Log - Friday 31st October 2008:

I still have my war wounds from the jelly fish sting. Although we took all the appropriate action in record time, it is still stings and itches 48 hours later and the welts are very apparent. I have never known such excruciating pain in all my life - enough said!!. The sail down to St Vincent was terrific, although I was not really aware of too much except getting the cold packs (beer cans) from the fridge to ease the pain of my sting. It was lovely to wake up in a new place when anchoring at night, as you never know what to expect outside. Today was fabulous - there was a lovely feel to the place and I really enjoyed having my cup of coffee on deck watching the boat taxi coming and going from Young island to the main land. The breeze was blowing and I was very contented to finally get to our destination with loads of time to do sightseeing in the southern part of St Vincent, and go to Bequia. After being ashore at Blue Lagoon and in the area around Kingstown, St Vincent is the first island that I would feel comfortable living. The people are very friendly and the island is safe, clean, well maintained and picturesque. The sail from Blue Lagoon to Bequia was wonderful - lovely breeze, rolling waves from the Atlantic but calm enough for me to make and drink a cup of tea without spilling it. The town of Port Elizabeth, which we will explore tomorrow, looks alive with lots of places to discover.

Tony's Log - Saturday 1st November 2008:

It was an excellent decision to sail across to Bequia yesterday - we were anchored in the bay at Port Elizabeth all day and very much enjoyed being there. Port Elizabeth is a typical scruffy Caribbean small island town, but nevertheless it is very attractive and has bags of character - there are lots of smiling faces, which made us feel welcome and safe. Walking along the shore from the town there is a spectacular waterfront - a white sandy beach and slightly back, a rocky shoreline fringed with palms and a few cafes, bars and restaurants. We spent the morning wandering about town, having coffee, fresh orange juice and pain aux raisins and chocolate for breakfast - we also visited two or three small supermarkets and the local fruit and vegetable market. During the afternoon we went ashore for lunch - afterwards I spent much of the afternoon in one of the cafes with my PC enjoying free WiFi whilst Sue pampered herself with a facial and massage in one of the local hotels. We were ashore until sunset, watching the sun dip behind the horizon from our viewpoint amongst the palm trees - lots of pictures were taken. We returned on board soon after for an evening on board - we were very tired after a lovely day today ashore doing almost nothing! The weather was clear and sunny and we had no schedule to keep! The tiny island of Bequia has a unique charm - only in Les Saintes (Guadeloupe) did we find anything similar during our cruise down the islands. Bequia is the largest island in the Grenadines group - the total population is about 4.300, the native population being primarily a mixture of people originally from African, Scottish and Carib Indian descent. Although the largest island in the Grenadines group, Bequia is in fact very small, measuring only 7 square miles. Princess Margaret, who had a home on nearby Mustique, visited Bequia and had a beach named in her honour. Princess Margaret Beach is next to Port Elizabeth and is situated inside Admiralty Bay - we shall walk there tomorrow!

Tony's Log - Sunday 2nd November 2008:

Another day in paradise - it was a gorgeous sunny and clear day so we went for a walk to Friendship Bay on the other side of the island and to Mount Pleasant, which is the 3rd highest point of the island. The beach at Friendship Bay was absolutely stunning - exactly the sort of place that appears on picture-postcards and what conjures up in your mind when you think of the Caribbean. The beach was fine white sand and the sea a most beautiful turquoise and light blue - the shoreline was adorned with palms and other plants and trees, each with their own unique colourful flowers. Our walk was long, but on the way back we took the road to the top of Mount Pleasant - at over 800ft this is Bequia's third highest peak. Needless to say the views from the top were fantastic, both back down to Port Elizabeth and Admiralty Bay and across the Caribbean to Mustique in one direction and St Vincent in the other. This is certainly paradise and we are enjoying every minute of it. At the end of our walk we indulged in lunch ashore - then got the PC and did emails and websites. In the evening we went ashore to the Gingerbread Restaurant for our special "end of cruise" dinner - a special occasion to mark the end of several weeks here in the Caribbean during which time we have travelled from the BVIs to St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Sue's Log - Monday 3rd November 2008:

We had a lovely weekend in Bequia. It was very relaxed. Sightseeing Saturday morning we lunched at the Frangipani restaurant and then I indulged myself in a massage. It was lovely. Tony was also happy as he had found a free WiFi and was content to sit and wait for me. The woman who gave me the massage was interesting. Her family had sailed into Bequia from England when she was 11 years old. and she had been there ever since, living on land. She understood when I said I wanted a bit of pampering as I had been on a boat for 4 weeks. Tony has not been well for the past few days as he has suffering from an ear ache but has stoically continued with life on the boat. Sunday we had a day on land. We walked for two hours and it was great exercise and worked up a big appetite for lunch. After a welcome rest, we had a lovely dinner at the Gingerbread restaurant. Monday I had a lovely coffee on deck - it was great. We headed back to Blue lagoon in the afternoon. It was lovely sail and we tied up up in the marina late afternoon - the end of a fabulous adventure.

Tony's Log - Monday 3rd November 2008:

We had a lovely morning this morning, whilst remaining at anchor in Admiralty Bay, off Port Elizabeth on the island of Bequia. We went ashore for coffee, juice, pain aux raisin and pain chocolate and had a final wander around the streets together. I have been suffering earache for several days, so it was good that it was Monday and the pharmacy was at last open after its long weekend break! Later in the morning we took the dinghy across the bay to Princess Margaret Bay (which is still part of Admiralty Bay, but on the opposite side to where we were anchored) for a walk along the beach and have a swim in the clear blue sea. It was a fantastic morning, especially so as this was to be Sue and my final island visit before returning to Blue Logoon and Sue's departure for places north! Eventually all good things had to come to an end and we returned on board, had a quick lunch and weighed anchor for the 2 hour sail back to St Vincent. We arrived mid afternoon and were soon tied up stern-to on one of the pontoons of the marina. Tradewinds was therefore delivered to its management company to look after for the next few years. Arriving in Blue Lagoon was a sad moment for us, as it marked the conclusion of our special "down islands" cruise from the British Virgin Islands and the end of Sue and my time together for a few weeks to come. She flies back to Bermuda tomorrow.

This will be my final log - we have sailed 568.7 nautical miles since leaving Tortola, have visited some wonderful places, have enjoyed some fantastic experiences and sailing, have successfully dodged a hurricane, have overcome a number of technical problems aboard the boat and enjoyed being together. Many of the places we visited were rather intimidating, some were a great disappointment and some better than we had expected. Ashore we probably enjoyed the atmosphere of the French islands more so than the British or independent islands, but overall they were a all great experience and we would not have missed the opportunity to visit so many places. It is a pity that, early in the cruise, the weather was influenced by the development and passing of Hurricane Omar, as we missed several islands that we had originally hoped to visit. Maybe we shall be able to see Saba, Statia, St Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat on some other occasion.

We send our thanks to our friends and relatives who have kept pace with us through our logs, and for the emails we have received from them along the way. It is always good to know that we are being supported by folks back home.