Dominica

June 11th we sailed from Pointe-a-Pitre to Iles des Saintes, a group of tiny islands south of Guadeloupe. We had visited the quaint town of Bourg des Saintes last year on the main island of Terre d’en Haut, and since we were just looking for an anchorage for the night, we anchored in Marigot Bay just east of the main town. We were the only visiting boat there. It was very quiet

as well as very pretty.

Tuesday June 12th. Another great sail across the passage to Dominica. You just have to love these open water passages. We arrived in Portsmouth, in the northwest portion of Dominica, to be greeted by a “Boat Boy” (or boat helper as I prefer to call them) named Albert. In some of the islands especially Dominica, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, local men try to make a living by offering services to visiting yachts. They come out in their little wooden boats to your boat and offer to bring you water, gas, take your garbage, sell you fruit, veggies, trinkets, be a water taxi etc. You name it. Sometimes they can be very aggressive and down right annoying but Dominica & St Lucia have tried to organize the boat helpers and they have taken courses in tourism & guiding etc. This has made a great difference. We did not feel as hasseled as we did last year when we had a dozen guys hounding you for the same thing. It has been much more pleasant this year than last season.

Albert was also a certified Indian River Tour Guide. He worked with the film crews while they were making Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3. The scenes where “the pirates” travel up a swamp to visit the Witch were filmed on the Indian River. Albert’s role was to row his boat up the river carrying guns and people. He even met Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Lucky him. The Indian River meanders it’s way through a large swamp and makes for an interesting trek. They do not allow any motors on the river, therefore you have to hire a guide to row you there. (helps the local economy as well). It pays to visit these areas in the off season when it isn’t very busy; we had the river to ourselves for the majority of the trip.

We rented a car for a day for a self guided tour of 2/3rds of the island. Amazing mountains, banana & coconut plantations, rain forests and of course Waterfalls.

This is the Emerald Pool, the reward of a fresh water swim after a short hike through a shaded rain forest.

A typical plantation.

Coconut Palms reach high in the sky.

Banana Trees proliferate lower to the ground.

One Banana Tree produces one bunch of Bananas.

We also saw several other areas where the Pirates were shot. A lot of people back home ask the question “where did you like the best’? That question will probably never be answered. These islands are all so incredibly beautiful. Outstanding, breath taking, every adjective imaginable. I never get tired of the scenery.

On Monday, June 17th, we sailed down the coast to the city of Roseau hoping to take a tour of the southern part of the island from there, however weather dictates our agenda and we decided to continue south. Tuesday morning we headed out across the passage between Dominica and Martinique.

another late posting

After a really nice 2 week vacation to our land home in Quispamsis, we arrived back in Antigua May 31st. On June 2nd we sailed to Guadeloupe, a 50 mile day which entailed a boisterous 40 mile close reach across the open passage between the two islands. It was probably the wettest sail we have ever had, with steep waves and a short chop, but as Pat says what he enjoys most about cruising is the SAILING. I will have to agree.

Guadeloupe is often referred to as being the shape of a butterfly, with Grande Terre and Basse Terre separated by the Riviere Salee. On June 4th we entered the Riviere Salee, which in reality is a 5 mile passageway or channel through a mangrove swamp. The mangroves made for really neat dinghy exploration while waiting for the bridges to open the next morning. There are 2 bridges that we needed to pass through but they only open once a day; the first one at 4:30 in the morning and the 2nd one opens at 5 am. However there are mooring balls by the bridge where you can spend the night waiting.

We anchored near the main city of Pointe-a-Pitre and had an incredible tour of the islands. One day we dug out our bicycles and toured a major portion of the city. It was a great place to bike.

We then rented a car for 2 days. The first day was spent circumnavigating Grande Terre. It is mostly what they refer to as a chalk plateau, lower & drier than Basse Terre. We drove through sugar cane fields, past beaches and hiked along some incredible cliffs looking out across the Atlantic Ocean.

A midday self guided tour through the Damoiseau Rum Factory, which sits in the middle of a beautiful plantation, was very interesting.

The next day we were blessed with an unbelievably clear day. Most days you are unable to see the tops of the mountains on any of the islands in the Caribbean, as they are covered in clouds, but this day was a rarity and we took full advantage of it. After driving over the bridge to Basse Terre it was like immediately entering a different world. The lusciousness of vegetation was strikingly different from Grande Terre. Unfortunately, there is never enough time to “see it all” so we chose to spend our day hiking. The term in French is “Randonee”. The first hike was to Les Chutes du Carbet. The Carbet consists of 3 levels that cascade down the hillside from the Soufriere for 10 km. The first falls is 125 meters, the second is 110 meters and the third is 20 meters high. They have developed a beautifully groomed walking trail to the second falls, which takes about an hour to do the return trip. The hikes to the other falls are more rigorous and require a lot more time. We chose to do the 2nd falls mainly due to lack of time. It was GORGEOUS! (but then I have a little fetish about waterfalls). From the base of the falls, we climbed along the river bed to a little shady spot away from the main “tourist” trail and had a little lunch. Another magical moment of our trip.

To top the day off, we drove to the southern tip of the island, dipped our feet in the ocean at a black sand beach and then climbed to the Summit of the Soufriere (an active volcano), a 2 hour hike one way. The Eastern Caribbean chain was created by volcanic activity many years ago, but the Soufriere in Guadeloupe is the tallest of them all, at a height of 1467 meters. Needless to say, the randonee was breathtaking. The trail started through the rainforest and eventually went through about 5 different types of vegetation zones. Near the summit, we were virtually rock climbing to reach the top. It was a fabulous feeling to know that these old bodies could still perform. As I mentioned earlier, it was an incredibly clear day, which also meant it was extremely hot at well, so the heat and the elevation slowed us down a little. By the time we reached the top, the batteries in the camera were getting low, so did not get as many pictures as we would have liked, but took a ton anyways. I would also like to mention that the trail was very rugged and not at all groomed like the nice new trail to les Chutes du Carbet. It was 6:30 pm before returning to the beginning of the trail where we were rewarded with a swim in a great little fresh water pool.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and it was time to move on. Our cruising life is strongly dictated by the weather and since it is hurricane season we need to head south. On June 12th we sailed to Dominica (pronounced Dom-e-neeka) and that will be another chapter.
Fair Winds,

Miriam & Pat

June 10, 2007

Hello from Guadeloupe. This is the 2nd cascade level of the Carbet Waterfalls. There are 3 levels to this falls. It was a beautiful hike through the rainforest to get to the bottom of the falls. To reach the upper level is a 3 hour hike one way, so maybe next visit.

I will try to post more pictures and text next internet stop.

Where would I rather be right now. At the moment we are sitting in JFK Airport waiting for a connecting flight to Portland Maine. We are on
our way for a 2 week visit to our land home in
New Brunswick. Our son Darryl is graduating from Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Brunwick. A great reason to be celebrating.
It will be a great opportunity to visit with family and friends before returning to Antigua. Once we rejoin Rhiannon, we will be heading south through the Islands so will try to keep you posted.
This photo was taken in March, in Antigua and Rhiannon is the boat beside Pat's elbow.
Take care,
Miriam

Late posting

Thursday April 19th
It’s a great morning for the 15 mile sail from Jolly Harbour to Falmouth Harbour. We are on our way to join our friends on Memory for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. The festivities start today with 4 days of racing starting tomorrow. Rick was a little anxious that we weren’t going to make it but HEY we are good at making deadlines. Something I thought we were going to leave behind with our work life. Oh well. Life is about commitments no matter what situations you find yourself in. This was a commitment we have been looking forward to since last Labour Day. We first met Rick & Carey in Georgetown in the Bahamas, February 2006. Rick & Carey own a summer cottage in Burnt Coat Harbor, on Swan Island in Maine. We had visited this harbour a couple of times on our summer vacations so when we met we immediately had something in common. Rick had wanted to enter Memory, a Block Island 40’ Yawl, in the Classic Regatta so when we visited them on Swan Island last September the plan was set. We agreed to meet them in Antigua to crew for them.
Today, along with PJ & Tom from Conch’d Out, we are excited about tomorrow. Unfortunately there was no time for PRACTICE/ not only were we late arriving in Falmouth, but Memory’s engine was in a state of “not working” despite the local mechanic’s valiant efforts to get her running.
Tonight we find ourselves at the Mount Gay Rum Party... You buy 3 rum drinks and get a free hat. Guess what? I don’t drink rum but Pat got a hat anyways.

8:30 am Friday morning we find ourselves being towed out to the middle of the harbour by Hutch and Linda in their dinghy. Hey we feel like the America’s Cup boats, they don’t have engines either. Now it’s time for a shakedown sail before a 10:15 start. We blew the start this morning but all we cared about was having FUN. Not only fun, but it was pretty incredible to be out there amongst some of the most beautiful sailing yachts in the world. We really felt it was a privilege to participate in one of the most prestigious yachting events around.

Day 4; Monday morning, April 23rd we find ourselves tired and wondering what are we doing out here. 3 days of racing a 20 mile course each day in light winds and 4 -6 foot waves leave us disillusioned when the forecast is for less than 10 knots of wind. Well never believe a forecast. We HAD AN INCREDIBLE DAY. Wind was 12 – 15 knots with 1-2’ seas. We really came together as a crew and were only 8 seconds after the gun to cross the start line. We really pulled it together and felt we were finally competitive. We couldn’t catch Eddie on Moonshadow, a 40’ Hinckley but were able to stay ahead of Lazy Leg, both local racing boats. I must mention that the 6 of us on board Memory are diehard cruisers not racers but as they say, practice makes perfect and by Monday we all had learned how to make Memory go faster. And we still had fun!

There were a total of 60 boats divided into various classes. We were in the GRP class with 7 other boats. Check out www.photoaction.com for some awesome pictures. Follow the link to Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2007, look under boat name Memory, and you’ll see us. Also look under the heading of BEST and you will see a shot that is pretty awesome. Memory looks like she will T-bone Heron, but we’re not really that close. Incredible photography by this guy Tim who goes out there in his inflatable dinghy to take photos... Awesome! Also check out Belle Aventure. She won the Concours d’Elegance award and she certainly was number 1 in my books.
The overall winner was Galatea, a 66’ Yawl, she was first over the line each day, first in class and the oldest boat participating. Built in 1898 & refit in 2003, she was beautiful & sleek and it’s important to mention that her skipper and crew were very friendly, down to earth, average people. (like us)

Now that the parties are over for the Classic Regatta, the heat pumps up as Antigua gets ready for the Antigua Sailing Week. There are 204 boats registered for 6 days of racing. This is serious racing, not the Gentlemen’s race of the Classics and it is also serious party mode with competition between Mount Gay Rum of Barbados and English Harbour Rum of Antigua. Pat & I were still recovering from our Bermuda trip so did not party as much as a lot of our new friends but we still managed to put in a decent effort. Free rum goes over well with everyone except me. No matter how hard I try, I do not like the taste of rum, so no worries for a designated driver here.

Racing started Sunday April 29th, with the Racing class going one way around the island to Dickenson Bay while the Cruising Class goes the other way. We missed the start
but then we were trying to get ready to leave Falmouth. It is time for some R&R on our own boat. Rhiannon was starting to feel neglected and was complaining that it was time for a change of scenery.

Monday April 30th we cover the 50.2 miles to Barbuda in 8.5 hours. I love sailing in these waters. A beam reach or close reach in 12 -18 knot winds is the order of the day. There’s nothing more enjoyable than that… Barbuda is an island North of Antigua and is considered part of Antigua but it is very very different from any of the other islands in the Eastern Caribbean. She is 14 miles long by 8 miles wide and is very flat, almost featureless and very dry. In comparison, the other islands are very mountainous with rugged coastlines. We visited the west coast which has 11 miles of uninterrupted beach. Nothing but gorgeous white and pink sand. I’ve never seen pink sand before. It is unique. Needless to say we basically did absolutely nothing but relax for 4 days, enjoy the snorkeling, swimming and Bocce Ball on the beach. On the other side of the sand dunes is a mile wide lagoon. On the opposite side of the lagoon is the town of Codrington, which houses the majority of the residents of Barbuda. Wednesday we took a water taxi across the lagoon and needless to say found a very sleepy little town. This is the most laid back place we have visited in a very long time. This area is one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean and I hope the residents will continue to keep it that way. On the 11 miles of beach, there were 9 boats anchored on one night, but averaged 5 boats a night. Talk about solitude. This is a real paradise, only 1600 people live on the island (which is considered part of Antigua) and they do not allow very much development, so no fancy resorts or marinas to spoil the view. Truly an exception in the Caribbean!

Friday May 4th it is time to be moving on. We have other islands to explore while heading south. There is the endless concern that hurricane season is coming and we need to be out of the hurricane “box” by July 1st. So Friday afternoon we are back in Jolly Harbour. It is beginning to feel like home, but it is a great spot to reprovision and prepare for our next journey.
Fair Winds.
Miriam

Still in Antigua

April 10

This is a copy of an email I sent to some family & friends via Satellite phone while sailing Magique.

It is now Tues April 10th at 1330 hrs. Latitude 27°37 N Longitude 64°06 W Course 180° with light winds right on the nose. Needless to say we are motor sailing.
We left Bermuda, Lat 32° Long 64°48, Sunday April 8 @ 3 pm under cloudy skies, 18 knots of WSW wind and seas 8 to 10 feet. Not bad considering she blew gale force Sat. night.
We had excellent sailing conditions Sunday night, all day Monday & covered 154 nautical miles in 24 hr. Unfortunately, early this morning, the wind turned due South and under 15 knots. On came the engine and she has been purring away at 5.8 k ever since. There is a gentle ocean swell, lots of sunshine and that is all. Pat & Brian are trying their hand at fishing. Hope to have fish for dinner!!!
The weather is supposed to stay like this till Thurs. although the wind is supposed to swing WSW again. Here’s hoping.
Take care everyone,
Miriam