Category: Travel

Iles des Saintes – the Saints

bearcruzer

June 5th – June 10th, 2010

After a quiet evening in Dashais we traveled along the coast of Guadeloupe passing S/V Sanctuary and S/V Just Imagine anchored just off the southern coast.   We had decided that morning to travel on to Iles des Saintes just south of Guadeloupe and found that they were also headed there.   S/V Persephone had decided to travel up to Pointe a Pitre for some supplies and water but when they heard we were all headed to Iles des Saints they changed course and met us there.   The quaint town of Bourg de Saintes lies along a protected anchorage on Terre d’en Haut.   The buildings have a lot of gingerbread trim on many of their buildings.  I have been told by those that have visited the Mediterranean that the atmosphere of this Island is very similar.  These are a group of French speaking Islands and we do not have any French phrase books so we have had to rely on the kindness of bilingual strangers when in need of translations.    Fort Napoleon sits atop a hill close to the town and La Chameau, an old Napoleonic Lookout Tower sits atop the Islands highest point and offers great 360 degree views of the Island and the entire archipelago.    Michael and I got up early one morning and hiked up to this tower.   Vehicles are not allowed and so those that make the trek have definitely earned the spectacular views.   The hike took us along an old road surrounded by lush greenery and flowers.  Along many stretches we found ourselves engulfed in a cloud of yellow and white butterflies.    We have watched a constant stream of smoke that appears about ¾ the way up the hill the tower is on.   We contrived a story that this was a fumarole (volcanic vent) and like Monteserrat, Iles des Saintes was also an active volcanic area, teasing them that their boats were closer to it than ours.   We had a number of our friends believing us when we finally had to come clean and let them know it was just the local town’s burn area for trash.     We have enjoyed reuniting with our friends and sharing stories over a few cold drinks and of course a French baguette with plenty of Olive Oil and Balsamic for dipping.   The weather was promising a bit of a hard blow and big seas so remained in this slightly rolly but protected anchorage.    We enjoyed walks around the little Island.  We hiked up to the Fort twice.  The first day we arrived late and it was closed but we enjoyed a scenic picnic lunch we had brought along.   The next day we hiked up again and enjoyed imagining what life must have been like for the soldiers that lived there.   It is an impressive structure.  It was constructed and in operation around the Era that was depicted in the movie Master and Commander to spark your imaginations.   The top of the fort has been planted and is now a botanical garden with a museum inside the central barracks with Dioramas of the Historic Battles between the French and English.     We took lots of pics and then meandered back down into the town and stopped for a scoop of sorbet/ gelee before returning to DD.

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Fire and Brimstone / Saba – Guadaloupe

bearcruzer

June 03 –June 04

We caught a good easterly breeze and turned DD South.  We traveled two 12 hour days, sailing for most of the way.   We now have numerous Islands in sight as we journey on.  They appear on our horizon as distant gray hills rising from the water and grow as we approach them into verdant majestic mountains dotted with pastel colored houses beginning about halfway up the slopes and trickling down to the coastline.   On our first day we passed Saba, St. Eustasius (Stacia),  & St. Christopher (St. Kitts).   Many of these Islands are shaped like what created them,  Volcanoes.    By evening of the first travel day we found ourselves moored off the coast of Nevis.  We fly our yellow quarantine flag & spend a quiet night.  This is required upon arrival and prior to checking into any new country however we will remain aboard and will not travel ashore for at least another day.   Upon leaving Nevis we tune into the Coconut Telegraph on SSB Channel 4060.0 at 8:00am and check in.  S/V Persephone whom we have not seen or spoken with since St. Thomas contacts us and we discover we are only 1 day behind them.   As we are making good time we plan on catching up with them in the next couple of days.   They have been traveling along with S/V Sanctuary and S/V Just Imagine whom we have not seen since Luperon in the Dominican Republic so a reunion of sorts is in the making.   We approach Montserrat with its active volcano that began erupting in 1995 and continues still.    We listen to a report given to another vessel traveling our same route regarding the level of volcanic activity expected today.   It is at a level 3 of 5, minimal activity,  and so we pass within about ¾ mile offshore.   We take turns looking over the lava flow area with the binoculars as we pass by a ghost town of sorts.   What used to be the capital city of Plymouth that was destroyed during the initial eruption and remains devoid of life to the present day.    Although not spewing any flaming projectiles, the Soufriere Hills volcano still belched sulfurous smoke that blanketed one side of the mountain.   As it made its way offshore and wafted over DD, the smell of it conjured up memories of downtown Pagosa Springs, CO   reminding us of the unseen forces lurking just below the surface of our own hometown.         Michael was able to get some good shots of the devastation and the contrast between the Northern untouched part of the Island and the lava flow areas to the south and west.     We make good time down to Guadeloupe and anchor off the picturesque  little town of Deshaies .   David from S/V Persephone has let us know that he believes he thwarted an attempt to steal his dingy in this anchorage the night before.   He was working quietly in the dark at his Nav Table when he could hear whispers coming through the porthole next to where the dingy was tied and fortunately locked to the boat.    He picked up a flashlight and climbed into his cockpit and shined it on some men in a skiff within an arms length of his dingy and they immediately started their engine and roared off into the night.    Lesson learned:  As Melanie of the Safety and Security net says…….Lock it or Lose it.    We leave our dingy on the Davits and don’t bother putting it into the water here.

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Sint Maarten

bearcruzer

May 31 – June 03,2010

We made an overnight passage from St. John to St. Martin arriving at 8:30am.   On the way we were treated to a group of Dancing Dolphins who played around the boat and rode along racing the boat and generally having a wonderful time.     My spirits soar whenever these powerful and graceful beings appear to grace us with their presence.    I have yet to be in a situation where I get into the water with them but I am hopeful that too will come in time.     We set our anchor in Simpson Bay on the Danish Side of the Island and checked in with customs and immigration.   There is no cost to check in but there is a $27.00 fee upon clearing out.     Many cruisers opt to stay in Marigot Bay, on the French Side of the Island as there are no fees however retail prices of goods and services are quite a bit higher.   We found Island Water World on the Danish Side to have prices comparable to the US and well stocked with most anything we might need for the boat.  There was also an Ace Hardware here and so we picked up some additional home furnishings and parts to spruce up the inside of DD.   We were also able to have our spare alternator rebuilt finally and so now have a working replacement should we run into problems with the current one.    While we didn’t anchor on the French side of the Island we did take a dingy ride across the lagoon and walked around the town and hiked up to Fort Louis and toured their museum.   In the evenings we enjoyed the spectacle of zooplankton swimming to the surface and glowing with phosphorescence.     We had two large Day Charter Sailing Catamarans moored close to us and during our time there watched the morning and evening routines of the Capitains, and Crew and they readied their boats or cleaned them after a full day of catering to the somewhat inebriated sometimes dancing masses whom they would return safely to the dock laughing and smiling despite their sunburns.   It was astonishing, the speed which the crew could complete their duties at the end of their shift and get off of their boats. Eager, I’m sure, to pursue their own leisure activities.    We have entered the land of fantastic bread.  We stopped at a French bakery and indulged in a couple of pastries and purchased a loaf of Rye and another loaf with a strange shape, golden inside with a wonderful  crispy crust,  that turned out to be some of the best we have ever tasted.  We still don’t know what kind it was but it was finished off within a day of it’s purchase and when we returned for more there was none to be found.  Lesson learned, when you find something you really like purchase immediately and in sufficient quantity.

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USVI

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May 23 – 30th

Arrived in St. Thomas and spent one day restocking a few meal provisions and picked up a couple of fans from Budget Marine that Michael will install in our cabin to make it more comfortable to sleep.   We enjoyed a meal out with David and Trudie and in the morning parted ways to head over to St. John making one stop for fuel and topping off our water.   Persephone has an excellent weather window and so will travel on to St. Martin.    We motored across to St. John and picked up a mooring off of Honeymoon Beach.     The moorings have been installed by the Park Service to help protect the reefs within the marine park and boats are required to use them within the parks boundaries at a nominal $15.00 per day.    We were greeted by a number of laughing gulls who had no fear of humans and found Mighty Mouse to be a comfortable perch.   After enjoying their company we hopped into Mighty Mouse and headed to Cruz Bay.   It had been 5 years since we were last here and we look forward to meeting up with many of our friends.  We walked around the town commenting on the things that had changed and those that hadn’t.     We stopped into Connections where we talked with Syd and Karen.  They had been awaiting our arrival and thankfully the part for our windlass that we ordered a couple of weeks ago to be shipped to them had arrived the day before.  It will be good to have a working windlass again and no longer have to haul the anchor up by sheer muscle.    We were invited to participate in the Friends of St. John, Beach to Beach Power Swim this weekend but with an entrance fee of $40.00 per person we opted to volunteer to help out instead.    We contacted Michael’s good friends Chris and Elsa Angel and met them for a wonderful Greek dinner at the Tamarind.   It was then that Chris told us he was competing in Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta over on Jost Van Dyke this weekend and that he could use some crew.    We had already promised that we would volunteer and help with the Swim, but I could see that Michael was chomping at the bit to get to race with Chris.   I suggested he and Chris head over for the race and some manly bonding time and I would remain on St. John and keep DD going while he was away as well as enjoy some girl time with Elsa and fulfill our promise to volunteer for the Swim.    We spent the next couple of days tracking down and visiting with our St. John friends,  surprising some, i.e. Jan and Lance by appearing at their by appearing at their businesses or in Terry (Sloop Jones) case slipping through his garden gate and up the path behind his home/studio.   We also enjoyed a wonderful Lunch at Skinny Legs’ with good friends Cindy and Paco Ward.   It has been wonderful reconnecting with old friends and an added delight when after lunch and while waiting for a squall to pass we met new friends Belinda and John and ended up spending the rest of our afternoon and evening sharing their company on the last evening of their vacation.   They had their own adventure when they ran out of gas on the way back from dropping us off in Coral Bay.   Welcome to the cruising lifestyle you two, where the unexpected happens and challenges us to draw on our wits and keep a sense of humor while working whatever problems we face usually in remote and exotic locations.    Mike and Chris headed out Friday (unfortunately without the camera) aboard Chris’ 37ft wooden Trimaran Rafiki to compete in the Regatta.    On Saturday,  I met up with Elsa and their dog Phinneus and enjoyed a wonderful hike to some old Danish Ruins.    An afternoon storm came up and I had left the Mighty Mouse on the beach.  I had set her anchor well above the tide line but when I returned that evening I found the wind and waves had caused the anchor to drag all the way to the waterline.  She had been pummeled by the rain and waves and was swamped.    It took me ½ hour of pumping to get the water out of her before I could head back to DD.    Lesson learned.    Tie off to something solid when leaving the dingy for any length of time.     I woke early Sunday morning and met the other volunteers on the beach to help set marker buoy’s and pick up water and station my dingy to distribute water to the swimmers.   We ended up with extra volunteers so I rafted up with the Whitback brothers an amazing couple of young entrepreneurs with a wonderful gift for boat building.  Check out their boat and website.   www.blacksailsvi.com.  We swapped stories, handed out water, and shouted encouragement to those making the long swim and then joined the swimmers and other volunteers on the beach for Lunch and the Awards Ceremony.    Mike and Chris sailed back from Foxy’s with a respectable 2nd place just behind Angelfire,  a 52ft Trimaran and regaled us with stories of their weekend of racing.  We enjoyed a final dinner with Chris and Elsa who were hoping we could stay a few more days, but as always we must keep pressing south toward Grenada and out of the path of potential big Storms that are predicted to come this summer.

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Cooooolebrita!

bearcruzer

May 19 – 22nd

The next day while Persephone said their goodbyes to their guest we traveled to the nearby Island of Culebrita or should I say Cooooolebrita!   It is a nature preserve and so there are no buildings besides an old decrepit but still working lighthouse.    We pulled into the bay next to Tortuga Beach and were able to snag the only mooring and spotted several turtles of various sizes swimming around the boat and in the bay.   There was one other catamaran in the anchorage and they left the next morning leaving us with the place to ourselves.   That same morning we also discovered a huge disturbed area on the beach  in front of our boat and obvious tracks and diggings made by a very large turtle.   By the width of the tracks we determined it was probably a large female leatherback that had come ashore to lay her eggs.   There are signs posted along this beach stating it is an active turtle nesting area.    We hiked up to the old lighthouse on the hill overlooking the anchorage.   It was built in 1882 by the Spanish and is one of the oldest in the Caribbean.    It is made of Brick and Stone and has a lot of Character even though it has been abandoned to the elements.    Hurricanes Hugo and Marilyn took their tole on the old place as well.   Although it’s beautiful Fresnel Lens is gone, its light has been replaced by the Navy with a Solar Panel, batteries and a small beacon supported tenuously by the ironwork that used to hold the previous light.     We wandered around the building and then tentatively climbed the metal staircase to the top of the tower and sat atop her taking pictures and looking out over our pristine anchorage.   In the distance we could see a sailboat approaching the island from Culebra and waited and watched as it grew close enough to determine that it was David and Trudie on Persephone.   So much for having the place all to ourselves but I don’t blame them one bit as it is truly a world class anchorage.    We made our way back down to the beach and then walked over to a place called the Jacuzzis, where the warm Caribbean ocean spills over the rocks into large pools filled with little fish and bright red sea urchins.    The anchorage, we found, is not usually so remote as it first appeared.    Soon 3 more catamarans joined our group,  Suzi & Mike on S/V Awakenings,  Peter & Weebee on S/V Muse,   and Charlie and Liz on S/V Kaya who we had seen anchored near us in green beach Vieques.   We left David and Trudie to settle in while Michael and I went to cool off and do some hunting around the reefs.    We found a great spot and it wasn’t long before Michael yelled for me to come quick as he had speared the first lobster and saw a second that he left for me to spear.    I dove down to about 10ft and looked into the hole he pointed at.   It looked really big!  I surfaced  and then stretched my spear to the maximum I could hold it at and took a deep breath and dove down again trying to stay relaxed so I could make the shot and not have to come up for air so quickly.    I was able to get a good shot but the lobster was too big for the tip of my spear to penetrate all the way through the body but enough that it was caught.    It took a little work to get it back out of the hole.       We made our way back and showed off our spoils to Persephone.     We were also immediately approached by our neighbor Charlie so we gave him directions, albeit vague, on where we found them.    We went out again in the afternoon and I found two more big lobster.   One I was able to force out of its hole before Michael helped me finally catch him and another I pointed out for Michael to spear.    A 4 lobster day in a beautiful anchorage……..Epic.   Over the next few days we enjoyed many hours of snorkeling and exploring the reefs.   Evenings were filled with wonderful visits aboard, DD, Awakenings a beautiful 43ft Catana Catamaran and Kaya, a 40ft Catana along with the crew from the other boats in the anchorage, sharing many stories and camaraderie along with drinks and of course plenty of lobster dip.    We even had a book exchange while we were all there.      The weekend arrived and we discovered that our pristine little anchorage is actually very well known as a not to miss destination with the power boat and charter companies.    As the crowds converged we decided it was time to move on to St. Thomas and St. John to visit with our friends there.  Goodbye Culebrita,  you definitely hold a special place in our hearts as one of our favorite destinations.

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Mighty Mouse

bearcruzer

May 18th -Dewey

Here I come to save the daaaay!!!!! Mighty Mouse is on the way!  If there is a wrong to right, Mighty Mouse will join the fight.   Yesterday, While I was busy bringing you all up to date….Mighty Mouse was performing another rescue.   Seems a gentleman who had taken his date to the beach for some snorkeling had is boat go on walkabout across the channel.   He was able to flag down Michael on DD from the beach and Michael and Mighty Mouse took them across the bay to retrieve their boat that was drifting precariously close to the rocks on the nearby Island of Luis Pena.   We spent the evening with David, Trudie and their friend Mike as he must return to the States tomorrow.    We enjoyed a few drinks at the Dingy Dock Restaurant and then walked over to Mamacita’s for dinner and drinks.   Mighty Mouse patiently waited for us  at the Dingy Dock Restaurant and so we made our way back by 9:00pm before they closed.   It began to rain and so we waited for a regional weather window while shooting the breeze with some of the local expats that have chosen to make Culebra their home.  We chatted with Gregorio who sails his little 17ft trimaran over to the Dingy Dock Restaurant every evening for a drink and then home again across the bay after dark.   He happily boasts that his little trimaran has happily carried over 225 people on sails across the bay.   He just takes folks out for the fun of it.     Mighty Mouse sat quietly not boasting about the rescue.    When the rain began to diminish,  Mighty Mouse waited until Mike and David finished their water fight using the Dingy Pumps and gently wisked us back to the boat between downpours and delivered us safely back to our floating home.  All in a days work!

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Culebra

bearcruzer

May 16 & 17

We left Ensenada Honda and even though the winds were predicted to blow around the 20 kt range out of the East…..they were expected to continue and even increase for the next few day and bring a number of thunderstorms as well .    Sooooo…..we plunged ahead and ploughed our way through 7-10 ft seas until we rounded the eastern end of Vieques and turned north where we were able to used the winds to our advantage and made great time up to the Island of Culebra.   On our way we rigged and trolled both fishing poles behind DD and again both pole were hit at the same time and we pulled in a couple of Little Tunny the smallest but most prevalent tuna in the Atlantic waters.    We picked up a mooring outside of the main bay of Dewey in a Marine Reserve here.   So no fishing off the boat for the next couple of days.    Mighty Mouse took us to town where we walked around for a bit to acquaint ourselves with the town.   Being Sunday,  most everything was closed but we did meet a local ExPat here who gave us the skinny on where to find good food, drink, & WiFi.   We stopped at Mamacita’s Bar and Grill and enjoyed a couple of beers, They will also sell cigarettes but discourage it as you can see.    On our way back to the boat we had a large Iguana swim by us.  The reefs off of the boat are shallow but very beautiful .   We enjoyed a great fresh Tuna Steak dinner.   Today,  well here I sit in the Pandeli, a very nice little coffeehouse and bakery, known for some great Cuban sandwiches and wonderful coffee and paistries taking advantage of their WiFi.  Michael is running errands,  while I bring you all up to date with the latest happenings of the last two weeks.     Sorry for the Delay but I do try to write daily so our experiences stay fresh in mind and then I post when I can.   Keep the feedback coming and I’ll continue to do my best to share our adventures when I am able.

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Ensenada Honda

bearcruzer

May 13 -15

We traveled another few miles east and made our way into a favorite anchorage of Michaels cruising friends, George and Paula Capra.   They loved Ensenada Honda and so we felt we needed see for ourselves what all the toodoo was about.   It has been a wonderful anchorage.   We spent many hours snorkeling & hunting the reefs and enjoyed a great meal of fresh Rock Hind on our first evening  there.  Our friends on S/V Persephone along with their guest, Mike caught up with us there when they heard we had also seen lobster.   The first evening together we enjoyed painkillers aboard S/V Persephone,  those of you who attended our wedding will remember our favorite rum drink.   We all went out together the next day and between the Michael and the David, the Orkin Man….we caught 5 bugs!  A wonderful  5 star dinner was enjoyed by both crews aboard DD.   Again great recommendation by George and Paula…….Thanks you two!  Got any more favorites we should see?

Ferro Bay

bearcruzer

May 12, 2010

We travelled 4 miles east to Ferro Bay,  one of the 2 phosphorescent bays here on Vieques.  Our timing was much better to experience the beauty of this bay as we are only one day off of the new moon and the nights are very dark and the light pollution from the homes on the island is minimal.  We had the place to ourselves.   There were 3 other boats anchored back in the mangrove bay that looked to have been there for some time and were stripped for hurricane season.      We spent the day snorkeling the reef at the entrance to the bay and found them to be plentiful with corals and fish.   We even found a number of Hogfish which Mike says are great eating.    They were a bit on the small side so we left them to grow up.   After nightfall we took Mighty Mouse out for a sparkling cruise around the bay.    We played in the phosphorescence by placing our hands in the water as we motored around the bay.  It gave the appearance of greenish/yellow fireworks shooting from our fingertips across our hands and snaking up around our arms.   Matrix stuff and really cool.   We have also been able to see the Southern Cross from this latitude so we have enjoyed amazing light displays from above and below.   Wow!

Sorry No Pics…..you’ll have to use your imagination.

Bicycling on Vieques

bearcruzer

May 11, 2010

Michael and I rode our bicycles to the Northern coast of Vieques  and to the town of Isabel ll.   The  Island is beautiful and we took a loop route that would take us through the verdant hills of the island and by a farmers market that we read about.  We got a good workout on the 4 mile ride across the island.   We arrived at the farmers market which consisted of two venders, a produce vender and someone selling baked goods.  The produce was exceptional and we commented so.   The young couple that was running it, said they had seen that no one was providing decent produce on the Island and so they purchased a refrigerated truck and bring it from PR on the ferry.  We loaded my bike basket and rode on to Isabel ll.   We rode to the tourism office to clarify whether or not boats were allowed in the phosphorescent bays before we visit them tomorrow.   We had heard both yes and no when asking in Esperanza.   People were correct on both counts as there are 2 bays one that allows boats with gas powered engines and one that doesn’t.    We rode down to the bay where the ferry departs from and up the hill to the lighthouse.   On our way back we stopped at the gallery of a local artist Siddhia Hutchinson.   Her gallery, with an open air apartment and a studio above, looked out over the bay and her paintings were a variety of landscapes and flora and fauna of the area.   We got to talking with her about real estate in both PR and on Vieques as she and her husband have property in both places and we always like to stop and peruse the local listings in the windows of the Real Estate brokers offices.    We both like Vieques.   We rode back across the island and saw quite a few of the local paso fino ponies loose along the roadsides.   We stopped at the park next to Sun Bay where a number of them were happily keeping the grass trimmed.   They would let us come up to them but would only tolerate being petted or scratched for a few moments before intimidating us by laying their ears back and turning their hind quarters toward us.     We rode back into Esperanza and enjoyed an early dinner.   The bikes have proven themselves a great way to experience more of the local flavor of the islands.

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