Marigot Christmas!

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From Robert, Trish, Owen, Elliot and Daisie Dog, woof!

We're excitedly awaiting the arrival of our friends from Minnesota. Mike, Dawn, Nora and Ian are mates from the old neighborhood in Chanhassen, our first home in the USA. They've rented a lovely holiday home here in Marigot Bay for the week. Fun!

Christening the New Spinnaker in St. Lucia

Beating to windward gets old fast. Bristol Rose has done plenty of that in the past 13 months. In anticipation of some downwind sailing across the Pacific, we had Soca Sails in Chaguaramas, Trinidad make us an asymetrical spinnaker.


These images captured our christening of the new sail and also a first for the crew; a new experience sailing with a spinnaker! Not bad for a first try in light winds, around 10 knots.

Owen and Robert hoist the new spinnaker as Elliot jumps in the dinghy to snap some shots.

Leaving Vieux Fort for The Pitons

Nice and easy, ok Elliot, time to get back onboard.

The Pitons are a spectacular sight.

Fishing village in Soufriere town at the base of Petite Piton. A stern anchor is necessary when anchored or moored off the beach.

Petite Piton in the early morning light, looking south from our mooring at "the Bat Cave".

We picked up a mooring ball in about 45 feet of water. Between us and the shore about 100 feet away, the water depth jumps rapidly to 7 feet with coral heads here and there. Once safely on the mooring ball we snorkel then explore the town of Soufriere. There's a distinctive sulphur smell in the air. They say you can snorkel over volcanic vents in the area.

St. Lucia has a dual French, English history having changed hands fourteen times!

After an early dinner in town, we spot a chorus line of cuttlefish off the dock. The picture was taken with flash a couple of feet above the water.

Schools of fish swim around the boat.

With very little wind overnight, we rolled from side to side all night as the mooring ball seemed determined to bash the side of the boat. Even running a third line from the end of the bowsprit made little difference. The mooring fee is $20 US for a 2 night minimum. One night is enough for us and we're on our way to Marigot Bay before breakfast.

A Dash of Nashville With My West Indies

The Carribean Islanders love their music and they love it played very loud and into the wee hours of the morning. Sound seems to travel better over an anchorage at 4:00am.
In the Dominican Republic and. Puerto Rico we enjoyed Salsa, the Leeward and Windward Islands imported Soca from Trinidad and Reggae from Jamaica. On hair-raising bus rides, we are comforted with gospel music in vehicles christened "God is Love" and "Jesus is on Our Side". During Carnival, Pan Bands work their symphonic steel magic along with Soca and Calypso performances. In Trinidad and Puerto Rico we were also serenaded with Karaoke. Leading up to Christmas, Trinidad rocks to parang, with a humorous twist on the Christmas theme with titles like "Santa got no wife".
We thought we had heard it all before we arrived in St Lucia. Sitting down to a local lunch in Vieux Fort the DJ cranks up the volume and out comes American Country and Western. This is not just limited to one venue, sounds of Johnny Cash and a host of the Nashville greats fill the air with classics from the past.
On Saturday, day and night, the anchorage is filled with C&W music; much more than a dash, we got the full menu until 6:00am. As we've come to expect, at full volume, making sleep restless if not impossible. The roosters' chorus is drowned out. It's 8:00am now and only the dogs are barking.

Swimming with the Turtles of the Tobago Cays

The Tobago Cays are one special place and a favorite of ours.

On our way south to Trinidad we had a wonderful time here and wanted to share the experience with our sons, Owen and Elliot.


Sitting at anchor in Mayreau this morning, the weather is not cooperating; high winds and building seas. I have been thinking that our stop in the Cays may be a disappointment. After a short beat of about an hour from Saline Bay, past Saltwhistle Bay and around the northern tip of Mayreau to the mooring area of the Cays, we found the water looks as perfect as we remembered. The boys jumped into the dinghy to secure our lines to the mooring ball and once that was done, dived off Bristol Rose into the tourquoise water.


Within minutes they were swimming with the turtles. The turtles, large and small, graze peacefully on the turtle grass. This is a marine park and they seemed perfectly comfortable with their audience. Elliot and Owen were able to gently touch their backs as they grazed on the turtle grass.


We picked the boys up in the dinghy to snorkel further out on the reef. Despite the windy conditions the water is quite clear. Trish snorkeled with a nurse shark today, although she didn't know it until later!


To finish off a perfect day in the islands we cooked fresh fish we purchased earlier from one of the local vendors who come along side in their boats. Tomorrow morning we are off to Bequia, about 20 miles north (23 degrees).

Miss Daisie

Sweet Little Lamb

Its Sunday Morning: Its hot hot hot in the tropics. Miss Daisie likes to sleep on the floor where its a little cooler.

Miss Daisie

Hmm I love party snacks

Miss Daisie

Can someone pass me some lemon and tobasco to go with these Calabash oysters

Miss Daisie

Miss Daisie, the fluffy bear, with her pal Betsy

Miss Daisie

With the wind in my hair

Miss Daisie

Miss Daisie - "what am I doing here?"

All Hallows Eve - Chaguaramas Trinidad 2009

As the sun set over Chaguaramas Bay, ghostly figures emerged from behind the shadows. Instead of jack-o-lanterns, the figures weaved their way through a sea of jack stands holding stranded, sleeping giants.

Daisie jumped to attention when cries of "Trick or Treat!" rang out. Who are these strange creatures surrounding Bristol Rose? Thank goodness we were able to placate them with candy. Off they went, leaving the giants alone again, land sick and waiting.

Miss Daisie

Make-up! Will someone please wipe the sand off my nose? She's pointing that camera at me again. The wet sand feels great on my tummy.

It's Sunday morning; time to share a picture of Miss Daisie's cruising life. It was a hot day in the Bahamas when I took this picture. Daisie dug a hole right at the water's edge in the only shady spot she could find. Perfect!

Mss Daisie

Miss Daisie reporting for duty

Update, Montserrat is Still Growing!

The people living and working on the island of Montserrat must be very determined folk. Of the almost 12,000 inhabitants on the island before the first of the devastating volcanic eruptions beginning 1995, less than 5,000 remain today. When a choice is presented, it is a special kind of person who chooses to stay and work to rebuild both home and community alongside an unpredictible volcano.

"By August 1997, the steam had given way to massive eruptions of magma, and Plymouth became buried by pyroclastic flows of red-hot ash, gas and rock, turning it into a modern-day Pompeii." The Independent, 16 July, 2005

The inhabitants live with ash clouds on and off these days, and boats sailing in the area are warned to stay away from restricted areas when the activity warnings are high, if they want to avoid tiny holes in their sails (or maybe worse?).

This month there are reports of renewed volcanic activity in the Soufriere Hills, thought to be the result of the collapse of the old lava dome. There are new pyroclastic flows and rain has caused more mud flows. The sight of the ash clouds rising to 20,000 ft and blowing towards inhabited areas must be startling.

In late May 2009, we sailed from the anchorage at Little Bay at the northwestern tip of the island, around the top and down the eastern side, past the destroyed Bramble Airport and on to Guadeloupe. For a look back, click on the June 2009 archive. On our visit we enjoyed a tour with Wendy and Jim, Merengue, led by Joe Phillip, our very informative tour guide. From the Observatory outlook, Joe showed us his old home in the now restricted area. For the sake of Joe and his fellow countrymen, let's hope the activity calms down soon.

When I was looking at news from Montserrat this morning I found a site by Dickinson College in PA, Geology of Disasters, Spring 2005. This site has some of the best images of Montserrat both before and after 1995. The view from Plymouth "into the mouth of the volcano" is especially chilling. During the course of their research, this group of students from Dickinson were able to get into restricted areas that we could not see in 2009.

For reports from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory click here MVO.

A Trinidad Moment

"Forever Young" was looking forward to getting back in the water after 5 weeks on the hard. On the morning after her scheduled splash, I noticed she was still on her hard stands.  I asked what happened.

A new chainplate was on order from the USA and it had not arrived. A deck mount chainplate is typically used to attach a shroud, forestay or backstay.  Customs regulations in Trinidad state that "Yachts in Transit" can import repair parts duty free. On investigation they found the Customs Office had returned the part because "China Plates" are not repair parts for yachts.

Miss Daisie

Miss Daisie - "where's he gone, when will he be back?"

First time entering another country by boat. Captain went ashore to check in and left Daisie and crew to look after the boat.

A Trinidad Moment

Customer Service is not a right, it’s a privilege.

I went to my favorite Roti Hut for breakfast the other morning. By now I have developed a good relationship with Grace who runs the Roti Hut. Grace was preparing my Sada Roti when a worker from the boat yard barked out his order. Grace slowly looked around to see who was barking, then returned to complete preparing my breakfast. The boatyard worker had quite a long wait for his breakfast.

If you come to Trini thinking you have some right to good customer service, think again. You have to earn good customer service through relationship building.

Miss Daisie

Miss Daisie the Navigator

A Trinidad Moment

Inspiration Lady in Chaguaramas

Secured to our mooring ball in Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad, we were distrubed by the sound of amplified announcements coming from a tour boat moving through the anchorage.

The lady announcer informed those on the tour boat the "yachties come from all over the world to spend the summer in Charuaramas Bay to keep safe from the Hurricanes". She also told the group, and the rest of us listening, that Yachties prefer to be called Cruisers, "if you get a chance to met a cruiser, don't call them Yachties", she warned.

I think I am starting to understand how animals in the Zoo must feel.

Power Boats Yard in the early morning haze.

Back to Maryland

Here are some photos I've taken over the past 5+ weeks in Trini. We're not quite feeling like locals but we've settled into the routine and found our way around without too much trouble.

We walked around to the Trinidad and Tobabo Sailing Association (TTSA) anchorage the other day and spotted these local cuties drying off after a swim.

TTSA anchorage

Today I'm on a flight back to Maryland. As we look back through our blog we are amazed at how far we have come, in so many ways. Three thousand miles in the space of about nine months.

M/V Emily Grace, moored off Peake's yard.

Jackie and Gary, S/V Inspiration Lady

During the last two months in Grenada and Trinidad, we've had time to stop, rest and reflect upon all the great times and the wonderful people we have had the good fortune to meet and to travel with.

Elaine of S/V Virgo's Child on her birthday, with Jesse James of Member's Only

Terry (Virgo's Child) and Robert playing pool at Sail's Bar & Restaurant

While Robert and Daisie stay with the boat to continue maintenance work and preparations, I'll spend a few land-lubber weeks catching up with friends and most importantly spending time with our boys. Bristol Rose is truly our home these days so being on land again, in a house, is going to feel pretty different!

Dave and Laura

Dave's biscuits and gravy, best in Texas and Trinidad!

The sunsets here even make Power Boat's fuel dock look good.

Most sailors arriving in Trinidad have come a very long way. This boat makes me think of the Kon Tiki Expedition. I love the director's chair under the shade cloth.

I'm going to Maryland with a list of "to do's" including a day at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, plus and a substantial shopping list. The majority of my time will be spent helping Owen and Elliot move out of their apartment. Robert and I are looking forward to welcoming them back aboard BR as crew on our journey across the Pacific. The last time they were with us was for Christmas in St. Augustine, Florida. This time they'll get to really sail. It will be a unique learning experience for all of us. There's always something new to learn no matter how long you've been sailing. We'll get to do some downwind sailing with the Trades. We have not done much of that for quite a while.

Dock C, Bristol Rose is the third boat on the left.

When I return to Trinidad, we'll haul Bristol Rose at the Power Boats yard where she is currently slipped. Then the messy work of bottom sanding and painting begins in earnest. Hurricane season ends at the end of October and we want to have ourselves and Bristol Rose ready to sail north to St. Lucia for Christmas.

USS Doyle visited Chaguaramas a couple of weeks ago.

100 Days + a Few Hours to World ARC Rally 2010/2011

We're counting down the days with a sense of excitement and a healthy dose of trepidation.

In 100 days and a few hours the crew of Bristol Rose will embark upon our most challenging and exotic journey. Robert and I, our sons Owen and Elliot, and Robert's brother Rex, will leave Rodney Bay in St. Lucia for the voyage of a lifetime, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Ocean, to the sunny shores of Australia.

I said I'd never do it; cross the Pacific in a sailboat. Fourteen hours in a plane high above the ocean, crossing from Los Angeles to Sydney is challenging enough. It's hard to explain "why the change of heart?"

Unlike so many we've met, neither Robert nor I have dreamed for many years of sailing the high seas. We don't have years of racing behind us, not even a lot of sailing compared to others. When we purchased Sandpiper to sail the Chesapeake Bay we were relative newbies to sailing. We'll always consider ourselves newbies; the sea is a teacher always ready with a new lesson. There will always be more experienced sailors and for their counsel we are grateful.

Our sailing plan might have something to do with the lure of exotic, far flung places that few will ever have a chance to see. It has more than a lot to do with the willingness to step outside one's comfort zone with an urge to broaden horizons. The opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than oneself is attractive. So, here goes.

Who doesn't love the idea of encountering inviting islanders on palm lined beaches. We are hoping the San Blas islands will fit that bill. Trading new fabrics and assorted goodies for their amazing molas could be fun. Galen Frysinger has some great images - click on the link to his website over on the right hand side of this page under "Personal Favorites" or go straight to mola art here.

The 77 km, 48 mile Panama Canal allows us to cross from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. According to Wikipedia, a cargo ship can complete the passage in 8 to 10 hours. Transiting the Canal is no doubt a highlight, although it will present quite a challenge. There are a number of locks to pass through, a testing current, as well as the company of supertankers.

Anyone who spent Sunday evenings in their youth watching Wild Kingdom or David Attenborough nature programs would jump at the chance to see the Galapagos Islands. It's not possible to sail freely through the islands these days. Visitors must pay the park fee (about $100 US per person), and travel is somewhat restricted. The ARC has organized tours and we're especially looking forward to our time there.

The Marquesas, Tahiti and Bora Bora sound like some of the most amazing locations on earth. Besides blue water, palm trees and white sand, I'm keeping my mind open to the experience.

While we are busy in Trinidad with routine maintenance for Bristol Rose, we're acquiring charts and guide books and continue to update our safety gear to comply with the World ARC safety requirements. Our committment is to sail the "half rally" with the World ARC, from St. Lucia to Australia. A major benefit of participating in the ARC is the cruising company of 38 other boats. They vary from a 76' Swan, Wild Tigris, to a 40' Hallberg Rassey, Eowyn. See the entry list here.

The cost of participating in the ARC will cover customs and immigration in each country, include three days slip fees at each rendezvous point, social gatherings, constant position monitoring and a rather unique experience, to say the least.

No doubt we will have little chance of keeping up the pace with the larger, faster vessels on each leg but the organizers take that into account with a range of dates during which all participants are expected to arrive at each rendezvous point. The rally boats should create quite a spectacle as they depart together for each of the 17 legs. Look for us if you are in St. Lucia for the start on January 6, 2010, or anywhere else along the way!

Panama Canal at Wikipedia. For more about the World ARC click here or click on the link to the ARC in the right hand column under "Resources for Cruisers".

We'll work hard to keep our blog current and informative. We like to think that you'll be traveling with us through our blog so jump in and leave comments. To send us an email, click on the envelope at the bottom of the page. It's always great to hear from you!