Pirate in the Caribbean

A Giant Aquarium We left Deshaies in 14 to 18 knot winds with a double reefed main and a full jib, as it was gusting up to 30 knots (a little beyond the comfort zone for many sailors).   It was a beautiful sail with calm seas as we were on the protected western shore of Guadelope.  As you can see below, Pirate was enjoying it too.     After just a couple of hours we arrived at our next anchorage near Pigeon Island.  This is home to the Jacques Cousteau Underwater Park, and is a very popular spot for both snorkelling and diving.  It is a protected park, so fishing is strictly forbidden.  We dropped our anchor in 20' of water and let out the prescribed 140' of chain (7 to 1).   After getting settled at anchor, we quickly got ourselves organized and headed over in the dinghy to Pigeon Island to go snorkelling.  We brought Pirate and the Pup Plank so that she could be part of the excursion.  When we got in the water it was unb...

  A Beautiful Sail We left Jolly Harbour Marina in Antigua at 7 am.  It was significantly easier to get out of the stern-to dock that it was to get in. Adventure I has a bow thruster and that makes a tremendous difference when you are trying to maneuver a 48 ft boat in crosswinds.   For the first hour we traveled under engine south along the coast, within the Curtains Reef, in order to stay out of the swells and improve our angle for the sail to Guadeloupe.  When we reached English Harbour (around the bottom of Antigua) we set sail and bore off towards Guadeloupe.  With 20 knot winds coming from the east, we decided to go with a reefed main and full jib.  It was a beautiful sailing day with blue skies and some seas but not as significant as what we had seen over the past several passages.    Before we set out, some sailors were reconsidering their departure from Antigua as a cold front was moving in, but we had determined that this was our best...

The Height of Fun   Shirley Heights is a popular tourist destination because of the phenomenal view it affords of English Harbour (foreground below) and Falmouth Harbour, in the distance, where we are anchored.  The lookout is a restored military and gun battery which has a high point of about 490 feet.  It is named after Sir Thomas Shirley, Governor of the Leeward Islands who strengthened Antigua's defences in 1781.   Every Sunday there is a party at Shirley Heights with a BBQ and steel drum band, followed by a reggae band.  The last time we were here was about 15 years ago, but always worth a second visit. The people here are very friendly and welcoming, and Roger as usual was making friends with the locals. And of course the steel drum band was excellent. We had a wonderful time in Falmouth Harbour, but it was time to move on to check out the other anchorages that Antigua has to offer.  After a lovely night at anchor enjoying the scenery of the super yac...

  Antigua ... a Sailing Mecca We were ecstatic when we finally saw the outline of Antigua on the horizon and were over the moon to be greeted by rainbows.  It had been a gruelling 14 hours to get to Antigua but we were finally there.   We had set out in the pitch dark at 4 a.m. anticipating a 12 hour sail in the forecasted 14 to 18 knot winds with gusts to 24 and 1.5 m (4.5 ft) seas.  As we set off the winds were more like 22-24 knots with gusts to 35 knots (40 MPH) and as we got further from Antigua the seas built to 10 to 12 feet.  We motored upwind, crashing into waves, for over 4 hours until we could create the right angle to bear off and hoist the sails.  After the first few hours of motoring into the waves, Roger went below to do a general inspection and saw that everything in our main front sleeping cabin was soaked.  There are 2 opening hatches in there, and unfortunately in the early morning I had closed and locked both, but rookie mistak...

  France in the Caribbean St Barthelemy (St Barths) is like a visit to France with the warmth of the Caribbean.   The picturesque port of Gustavia was a welcome sight after a 3 hour sail upwind from Sint Maarten in 25 to 27 knot breeze, and 6 to 8 foot waves.  Adventure handled beautifully with a full main and 2/3 jib.  The bow went under a few times, but all was good.  Pirate still thinks we've lost it, but she did fine.  And as you can tell by his huge smile, Roger is a happy guy 😁.  His new sailboat can actually sail! It took quite some time to find a place to anchor as Gustavia, which is the main port in St. Barts, is extremely busy.  Along with the Super Yachts, there are sailboats of all shapes and sizes anchored and moored there.  We found out later that while this is a beautiful port, it is very rolly and not the most comfortable anchorage to stay in.  Interestingly enough, even when you go into the harbour where it appears calm...

Adventure is Southbound! It's a 90 mile trip over open ocean from the British Virgin Islands to our next stop, Sint Maarten.  In fair weather, this trip should take about 12 hours and is often done overnight so that when you arrive you can check in to customs and immigration the next day.  Typically the wind is in your face for the entire journey and there are many horror stories of sailors pounding into big winds and huge waves for 15 to 20 hours or more. This often happens in December due to what is known in the Caribbean as the "Christmas Winds". Our original plan was to stay in BVI until after New Years, as our friends Dave and Lorrie would be there on a charter boat starting New Year's Eve.  We had purchased everything to make a big spaghetti dinner for the whole crew.  However, some will say that the most dangerous thing on a sailboat is a schedule.  We ended up having a perfect weather window with low wave heights, a full moon and light winds in what shou...

Merry Christmas Caribbean Style 🌴 The wonderful thing about Christmas is that no matter where you are, you can find some beautiful Christmas spirit.   We had the opportunity to attend the local community Christmas concert in Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke.  Proceeds went to the local church to replace the roof that is still missing since Hurricane Irma.  The entertainment included a children's choir and a steel drummer playing Christmas carols.  What a special evening to share with these lovely people.  This year for the first time, we are celebrating without a Christmas tree.  As a result, I have asked friends to send me a picture of their tree so I can live vicariously through them.  😀 However, even in the British Virgin Islands, you can buy a fresh tree.  Luckily the sign said that they were on sale - until Dec 31st no less. Every establishment has their own kind of Christmas tree.  At the Soggy Dollar Bar, they have a Painkiller Cu...