Happy Christmas Ho Ho Ho...

Christmas in Curacao

The preparations begin...

The floating bridge is decorated ..

...and we enjoy a light lunch with Esther who is waiting for Otto to return tomorrow.
I'm sure there will be more to report as we intend to do more sightseeing when he arrives!
Until then I await news from home and friends far away to see what you have been up to this year!
Have a great Christmas where ever you are and stay safe please.

For those of you who were missed out somehow hear is the long awaited Christmas edict from the Captain - Enjoy!

ANOTHER YEAR IN THE SUN – CHRISTMAS 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2015 TO ALL OUR FRIENDS

Time again to bring you up-to-date with what we've been doing over the last year.

After many years of famine in regard to friends coming out to sail with us, this year brought a flood – 3 sets of visitors for a total of 8 weeks. It was great to be able to share the joys of Caribbean sailing with them and a really enjoyable time was had by all. As all the rendezvous were made in St Lucia, this was the centre of our cruising ground for the year, as attested by all the immigration stamps rapidly filling our passports! We sailed up to St Martin and back via St Barts, Antigua, Dominica and Martinique with Reinhard, down to the Grenadines with Gill and Paul and then, later in the season, explored Martinique with Maria.

While our first two sets of visitors were with us, we were accumulating the usual selection of mechanical and electrical problems but thankfully, nothing for which we didn't have a backup system, so our plans weren't interrupted. Then, however, one of our engine batteries , which was less than a year old, failed, so we decided to head back to St Martin to replace both of them. Our biggest excitement of the year came when trying to cross from the Dutch to the French side of the St Martin lagoon to go out through the French bridge. This is a very poorly marked channel but one we had used many times before. This time, however, we ran hard aground and the combined efforts of 4 RIBs couldn't get us clear initially. We sat there for a couple of hours surveying the surroundings by dinghy then, using the wake of a passing motorboat, we managed to get off under our own power. By this time we had missed the bridge opening so we went back to anchor. We didn't want to risk this channel again so decided to use the Dutch bridge the next morning, as there's deep water all the way. However, when we came to get our anchor up, we brought up half a wooden wreck. Luckily our friend Lee from Allegro was close and together we managed to extricate the anchor from it and, by the skin of our teeth, got through the bridge before it closed. From St Martin, we headed to Guadeloupe and then to Iles aux Saintes and Marie Galant. The latter was our second “new” island of the year, after Dominica – very peaceful and intensely agricultural, with animals working the fields everywhere.

In late May, after Maria had left us, we headed south again towards Trinidad visiting Bequia, Carriacou, Petite Martinique and Grenada on the way. Petite Martinique was our third “new” island of the year. Finally on May 28 we arrived in Trinidad, after a very enjoyable season, during which we sailed just under 2500 miles. This year, PIANO stayed in the water at Crews Inn throughout the hurricane season, while we spent 8 weeks in England, enjoying one of the best summers I can remember for a long while. While there, we managed to catch up with quite a few old friends, some of whom we hadn't seen for quite a time. Back in Trinidad, there were plenty of jobs to get done, although nothing as major as last year. One big purchase was a new mainsail – the original one from Hood had done sterling service for almost 20 years but was now deteriorating in a few areas. Its service isn't totally over though, as the sailmaker arranged for it to be donated to fishermen in Haiti! It wasn't all work, however, and amongst other things, we took the opportunity to take part in Barts Bash on a friend's boat. This event set a new Guinness World Record for the “Largest Sailing Race in the World (Multiple Locations over 24 hours)”. We were one of almost 17000 competing boats from 500 clubs in 60 countries. Amazingly, Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association achieved a turnout of 46 boats, fairly evenly split between dinghies and offshore yachts. Contrary to all expectations, the sailing conditions were almost perfect and we had a great time, while achieving a very creditable result according to the local results.

With virtually all the planned jobs completed, we set off for Grenada on 9 October to start another season. Although the wind was light, there was almost nothing in the way of waves to disturb things, so the new mainsail was able to drive us quickly and very comfortably to our destination. The plan had been to spend just a day or two in Grenada before setting off downwind to Bonaire to go diving for a month. However, a whole string of equipment failures put paid to that plan. The biggest problems were the generator, which stopped generating and the freezer, which stopped freezing! We ended up stuck in Grenada for almost 2 months, mainly spent waiting for the correct parts to arrive from the US. Finally, on November 30 we were able to leave and reached Bonaire almost exactly 3 days later after another very pleasant and uneventful sail. There were more yachts than last time we were there, so we had to take one of the row of moorings that is VERY close to the shore. Luckily a couple of days later one of the outer ones (an extra 30m from the shore!) became available. This one was in a very good spot for diving and snorkelling, so we took full advantage during our stay. One innovation since our last visit was the provision of a free twice-weekly shopping bus to the island's best supermarket (Van den Tweel). In Grenada, the range of provisions available was often very limited – for example we only found fresh tomatoes twice in two months – but here, on this much smaller island, our eyes lit up at the range and quality of the food in the supermarket. After just a week in Bonaire, we made the 8 hour hop across to Curacao, where we will spent Christmas and New Year. Again it was an almost perfect sail and soon we were safely tucked up in the marina at Curacao Marine. This marina is in the large commercial port area and, while not at all scenic, it is very convenient, being just a few minutes drive to the house of our friends Otto and Esther. This will be the third Christmas we have celebrated with them – the first in Lanzarote, then Suriname and now Curacao! The Christmas celebrations are just about to start in earnest as I write this, with a Christmas Eve lunch at a beachside restaurant planned, so that's all the new for this year.

If you have any plans to visit the Caribbean in the coming year, do let us know and we'll see whether we can meet up. We hope that, wherever you are, you have an enjoyable festive season and a successful 2015.

Malcolm and Sue

So Much Waiting

Waiting ...More Waiting!
I am remiss; We anchored off Calivigny Island and went to our first Dinghy Concert, this was held a short ride into Le Phare Bleu Marina entrance.

  They tow a barge for the musical entertainment and the bar, then everyone in a dinghy ties up behind to listen and ‘Chill’.  We were joined by Jen and John (S/Y Aeeshah) so we caught up with their news.  We also visited ‘Taffies’ for real fish & chips.
Next we motored to recharge the batteries back to St Georges and who should we see as we anchored ?- yes Dave from Mistral! He kindly suggested to stop by and have a look at the freezer the next day.
Well he spent hours with his trusty sniffer and eventually found a leak near the condenser plates.  The choice was to get a new condenser or failing that a new freezer! So to cut a long story short we ordered a new freezer! That Sunday we went to a BBQ at the Coastguards grounds near Prickly Bay by bus. Ten days later we anchored in Prickly Bay for Malcolm to dinghy in to Budget Marine to collect it, VERY Rolly) then back to St Georges for Dave to fit it. Meanwhile Arlene has been busy sourcing the new small end for the generator.  On Saturday we had dinner in Port Louis Marina, on the way home,  Malcolm managed to miss the step getting into the dinghy so ended up in the water, the only damage was a wet wallet and a lost shoe. (What drama)  The next morning –Sunday we motored round to Le Phare Bleu Marina in torrential rain. Kenny the dock master came out to meet us and guide us in as the visibility was quite poor. The new part arrived and work was started by Kevin to remove the old one.  At lunch time Mike his boss told us that it was designed for 110 volts (the American model) and he had Simon out to test for any other problems so that if we could use the old parts for the 220 we would– but no there were other issues so this meant ANOTHER one had to be sent. More work for Arlene, but now she has me to sympathise with and I’m sure she couldn't be doing a better job.

 In the meantime it’s a month since the Dinghy Concert so there’s another one this Sunday.
No shopping buses but the mini market has fresh bread, Wholemeal, French,  Italian, plus sweet pastries too. The shop will also provision for us, as I hand the order in I spy Fresh Tomatoes and lettuce so make a snap decision and take the lot ( there have been no Tomatoes in the supermarkets since we have been in Grenada!)
Tuesday 26th November, the latest small end has been cleared by Arlenes’ husband and is brought to Piano by Kevin, who promptly fits it...

...then comes the moment to start and test it.  All the right noises are made for: preheat, start etc, however, after turning over nothing more.  The fuel line is checked and all the new wiring, each with no success, Kevin then starts on other wires and with the help from Reverend Danny it is finally found.  She springs to life a happy generator once again!  Later Simon comes round to give the final checks together with advice after also checking the battery banks.  One in particular keeps overheating and probably needs replacing quite soon the others are less fit than expected so another expense to look forward to.
    After paying ‘Palm Tree Marine for all their hard work, and the Marina for the extra long stay we say goodbye to everyone who has been so helpful, friendly and sympathetic.

Rev Danny, Arlene and Kevin Thank-You so much ! you guys are the greatest!

 We sail around to St Georges Bay to do some final shopping and clear out with Customs & Immigration.  Next we prepare for the sail to Bonaire and surprisingly we manage to get away by 08.30 the next morning.  ‘Piano’ is soon under way and enjoying the down-wind run.  We sail most of the day with one reef in but before dark we add another two to make the sail more comfortable for sleeping. Over 100 miles traveled on each day. In all it takes 71 hours for 390 Nautical miles and we arrive at 7.30 on Tuesday 2nd of December.

October came first

Well October came first, and as I write here in the air-conditioner Commadores room at Crews Inn I can afford to tell you of the nitty gritty going on. Our fellow cruisers have just left on the Neirid Rally to Guyana, French Guyana and Suriname, the place seems empty with out their smiling faces.

HAWK MOTH, Pseudosphinx tetrio

Frangipani Caterpillar

This large dark silvery-gray moth pupates from the ground under the wild Frangipani Tree (Plumieria alba) and sometimes from under Allamandas (Yellow Bells), also belonging to the Apocynaceae family.  The caterpillar is large, about 5  inches long, and as fat as a finger. They are very conspicuous with yellow bands on the black body and has a red head, presumably as a warning signal to birds. They feed on the poisonous sap, thus becoming poisonous to the birds that might be searching for food. After the leaves are stripped by the voracious caterpillars then bury into the ground to pupate. This cycle is said to be of much use to each party, so they thus live in a symbiotic relationship.   The gardners' trimmed the empty stems , since they were unsightly, we just wait for the pupation to end

  Falco (as efficient as ever) came to change the freshwater pump , even this took 2 working days as a gasket was not included so had to be sourced before he finished, and he was suffering the after effects of chikungunya the latest mosquito infection to hit the area.

  Graham and the gel coat team arrived to remove then re-seat all the port-lights, which now hopefully will last another 15 years.  We bumped into the expert gel coat man (Colin) to have a look at a few spots Malcolm is worried about but to date he has not managed to come and inspect them- so this will have to wait til next year.  He is very busy on another yacht which must have priority.

  Then of course Malcolm managed to drop his wallet which caused 3 weeks of trauma, having knock on affects while waiting for new cards to arrive.  Many returning cruisers and their friends & family back in the UK were involved in helping and deserve our heartfelt THANKS. Still that meant the weekly BBQ was a welcome break from eating out.

                          

                 which Malcolm fitted himself. This means that all the sailing kit is ready for our new cruising season yippee. 

  The next big event was the 'Barts Bash' a sailing event to get into the Guinness Book of Records.  We crewed  for 'Aeeshah',  since 'Piano' was in no fit state to compete.

Thanks Bethany for this snap

and this the happy team, Captain John, Jen, and their crew for the race

We had a brilliant sail, aboard a fast boat, no bad language, and plenty of fun at TTSA in the party afterwards.

 I'll leave you to look at Aeeshahs blog for the details Click here for our fun.

<http://www.aeeshah.com/blog/>

 We finally took possession of the new main last week amid the heavy rain of a Tropical depression passing through.  Instead of 2 hours it took closer to 3 days to fit and still requires some of the ropes to be sorted.

Jonas the rigger (who was asked to check the rig back in June choose the same day to do his check and found that we needed a new forestay, he does work fast and that was completed in record time.

Now for the fun items:

Another trip to Asa Wrights' Bird Sanctuary, where Barry the Warden remembered us from last time.  The snap shows feeding time on the veranda, and you may just see the Great Kisskadees in the bush waiting their turn at the sugar trough.

A hike in Tropical rain to see various birds.

A land crab enjoying the wet weather.

The Tropical rain drenched the whole of Trinidad and we were lucky to even get there, getting home 

.was more difficult when this tree fell into the road

Luckily someone had a machete in his car and made short work of clearing it, 20 minutes later we were traveling again.

Elsewhere, at TTSA some yachts were seriously damaged:

This yacht ended up on the shore
leaning to starboard,
 so it will be full of water by now.

,Our return to 'Piano' was to no shore power and flat batteries

The RCD had cut in when the power was resumed and left ‘Piano’ quite happily on batteries only, except that we had left the freezer and the fridge on (because I had defrosted said freezer that day) The rectification of shore power is on going and I’m not going to delay posting this blog for any 

...longer.  I’ll leave it as a cliff-hanger until the next episode.

Apologies are in order for the cranky full stops and exclamations at the beginning of the sentences, just another quirk to put up with

September 2014

Back To Trinidad.
  Well there’s no news like old news, so here goes.  We did leave the UK with a little sunshine but all we received after returning were comments as to how awful the weather was once we had left!
 We finally reached Piano at 3.30 am on the 7th August, after a dreadful flight. The Monarch flight had been detained by air traffic control at Manchester unable to leave its hanger or refuel, so arrived at Gatwick 2 hours 55 minutes late! Then slight headwinds so we were almost 4 hours late, Malcolm had left 4 hours between flights from Tobago to Trinidad knowing we could take some beach time to acclimatize, not to be!

We were put on standby and managed to catch the last flight out at 1.45 am on the 7th  all thanks to the sterling work done by Caribbean Airlines staff doing their utmost to get us all home.  (After complaining to Monarch we have heard nothing as yet, in the way of apology)
  We have been back for a month and have settled in nicely.  Abdu has been to re-varnish a few spots where seawater has done its worst.  Kay has made alterations to the dinghy chaps , spray hood and bimini, and we are very pleased with her work as usual.  Ian has helped Malcolm to drill out the screw from the staysail furler and is as I write replacing the thread.  The new anchor has been marked ready for use , installed and is ready to do duty.  (Its home has been cleaned and polished too!)   The lads from Dynamite have been to rectify the fuel tank fitting and are in the process of sorting out the small hatches which seem to allow seawater to ingress.

On the bright side we have been to listen to the Trinidad & Tobago Youth Philharmonic playing Tchaikovsky at the new Queens Hall in Port of Spain.  How amazing that this was the day that our dear friends Otto and Esther came to visit unannounced!

We must have missed them by a few hours! hopefully we will catch up with them in Curacao in November.

and the Starlight Steel Pan Orchestras' Independence Day Celebrations.  This meant missing two sessions of Mexican Train Dominoes with both events being on a Sunday.
Shopping takes place each Tuesday or Friday which ever is more convenient.
The new watch which I bought in the UK has fallen to pieces ALREADY so I shall be sending it back!  and the mobile printer which was supposed to be the answer to our printing problems has been giving Malcolm big headaches.

 Most stuff is proceeding at the usual Caribbean slow rate here, The main upset has been that Malcolm lost his wallet while cycling between two cash machines and to cut a long story short the guys who found it and gave us the run around finally brought it back sans 350 TT $ (£35) so no reward for all the problems they caused us.  We have had to cancel 2 cards and his driving licence, but all are winging there way home with some Brits who are also bringing spares back for us. The forestay is now fully operational after a weeks work with Ian the winch guy to help, the dinghy chaps have been modified to stop water syphoning in at high speed, and the bimini has also had modifications to stop some tiresome drips so all is now watertight and usable in all weathers!  Varnishing has been finished indoors ( as it is the RAINY season and a neat thing to do if not reading or swimming etc) another leak in the mast boot has too been fixed along with a cycle repair puncture and 2 new spokes by Maxwell for only 100 TT $. (£10) 

That just means the new main, freshwater pump for the generator, and troublesome leftovers since the re gel job last year namely re-seating the port light windows and rewiring the aerial for the furuno box of tricks which is not receiving any satellite info for the nav systems! eeek the list just gets longer!!!!!

that's enough to let you get the picture.
Next update just before we sail or early October whichever comes first!

June to August 2014

Well my intrepid readers here we are in the UK once again, for the hurricane season.

Thanks first to my mother who has put up with us the longest in Sandwich, as usual home cooking has meant that I have put a few extra kilos on! 

 Next we travel down to the cottage to do some house work in the form of window painting etcetera.  Our first real outing of the visit was the Eden Project. Last year we visited in November and it was too hot to use the Tropical walkway!  This year it has been discontinued , however the Tropical Biome does have an air conditioned room to chill out in (if you need it)

 The shop supports the foundation by selling ethically sourced products and look what we found:

 Coconut Candles!  Next up was a hike along to Loe sands, the water was crystal clear and we could see huge jelly fish in the water too.

                       Our first visitor was Gaye my housemate from early in my career.

Our friends Raymond and Helga came to visit so we took them to Polo on the beach at Newquay, this being a shot of the venue, still underwater from high tide.  A few hours later the event began and was terrific fun- if a little slower than the real type of Polo at Windsor Great park.

 Next a visit to our dear friends Denise and Anton at Postling, this is a walk we went on after a massive lunch cooked by Denise.  Plus who else is there but Maria who visited us this year looking for Papillion -in Martinique!

This is a shot is of the Sailing Club at Theale with Malcolm helping his old buddies rig their boat,

Now a picture of the walk we did at Sidmouth while passing through.  Sidmouth was hit by a storm last winter which took part of the sea wall away.  It has subsequently been restored for us walkers.

 Finally we stayed with Gill and Paul for a week while the holiday makers used the cottage,  we had a pleasant day out at Silchester Roman Ruins this being the amphitheater.

The present "Dig" site which is below the Roman ruins, is now down at the Iron Age.  Unfortunately English Heritage who owns the site will loose the band of archaeologists from Reading University this year.  The grant has expired so the site will be re-covered to preserve it !

We also had time to Visit our 'old ' friends in Darby Green , namely Vi and John  ex-neighbours, then Shirely and David- just look at Shirelys' quilt:

James and Franke at Reading, Patti and Peter in wildest Berkshire plus Malcolms' sister and family in Basildon, giving everyone the usual invitation to visit us in the Caribbean.
I am writing this sitting at my mothers while cooking the evening meal, we have had a wonderful stay with sun-kissed weather.
My Uncle Chump is 90 years young on the 9th of August I'm sure it will be a grand family gathering but by then we will be back in Trinidad.  Yes we will raise a glass!

Gill and Pauls' Time in the Grenadines

We (Paul and Gill Slater) followed Reinhard as guests on the 'Piano'. We have known Sue and Malcolm for many years as I used to work with Sue. Paul and I retired last year, giving us the opportunity to take up Sue and Malcolm’s invitation to join them for some sailing. Our previous experience of sailing is in dinghies and on flotilla holidays around the Greek islands. 'Piano' is definitely a step up from this!

We arrived in St Lucia late afternoon on 26th February, getting to Rodney Bay about 5 o’clock. After a meal at Bosun’s Locker we collapsed into bed, ready to be up bright and early.

The following morning we joined Reinhard and Sue on a trip around St Lucia, exploring the island before we set off on our sailing trip. In spite of the jet lag, we really enjoyed getting a feel for the area, visiting Castries,

Reinhard was here too 

 Marigot Bay and Anse de Raye. Edward, our driver, pointed out breadfruit, calabash, avocado, mango, banana and cashew fruits with nuts forming on them. At Place cassava we watched a farmer digging for cassava roots. These were used in the bakery to make cassava bread and sell cassava flour. 

Cassava Root.

We also stopped at several view points, giving us the opportunity to see Dennery and Font a Dir. We followed a detour where the road had been completely washed away during the Christmas storms. We arrived back at Rodney Bay in time for sundowners and pizza.

On 28th we used the dinghy to reach the large supermarkets at Rodney Bay, stocking up on provisions before motoring out into the bay and anchoring. We had our first experience of snorkelling in the beautiful, warm Caribbean waters with an astounding variety of fish.

1st March gave we set off early on our first sail on 'Piano'. Malcolm and Sue had planned a fantastic trip for us, combining plenty of sailing with the opportunity to visit and explore the islands of the Caribbean, particularly the Grenadines. This was a fairly short sail, arriving at the Pitons in time to snorkel before lunch. Malcolm and Paul then went in the dinghy to sign out while Sue and I sheltered from the rain showers, had a dip and baked a cake.  Dinner on board followed by 2 episodes of Black Adder.

2nd March saw us on one of the longest sails of the trip, leaving by 7 and arriving at Bequia just in time for sundowners at 6.00 p.m. The weather was very mixed, We had a good start, then the wind dropped and we had to motor sail. This was followed by rain showers, some with no wind and some with squalls of 20-30 knots. It was also choppy, with quite a swell. Eventually arrived at Admiralty Bay in evening sunshine. We were followed at one point by a large pod of dolphins. The next morning we went ashore and took a truck to the top of Mount Pleasant, giving views of St Vincent. We walked back down then visited the market to stock up on fruit and veg, getting the chance to try various fruits before we bought them. We had lunch in the Fig Tree before returning to Piano for a refreshing swim. Hazel and Tony (S/Y Longbow of Itchen) were in the bay and joined us for sundowners. We returned ashore to Port Elizabeth the next morning for a bit more shopping, then took the dinghy for some spectacular snorkelling. In the afternoon we sailed round to Friendship Bay, where we dropped a stern anchor as it was a very rolly mooring.

What Fun...

5th March we left Bequia and sailed to Mustique. I had my first experience at helming, which was great. Malcolm’s advice and support made sure that we stayed on course and arrived without incident, in time for lunch. The variety of fish we saw when snorkelling was again stunning, also a turtle close to the boat.  We went ashore for sundowners at Basil’s bar and all had one of his famous cocktails. 

The next morning we went ashore to explore Mustique, an island that is quite different from the other Caribbean islands. It is well manicured and beautifully kept. We walked around the northern end and past the library to Endeavour Bay, eating a picnic lunch on the white sand and swimming in the turquoise sea. We carried on to Sandy Bay, then called in at Basil’s for beers before returning to 'Piano' for dinner of roast pork. We woke the following morning to find an oil tanker moored in the bay, with a pipeline to the island. Paul and I snorkelled from the boat while Malcolm used the dive gear to renew the propeller . We went ashore in the afternoon and walked through the nature reserve on the south of the island, which had mangrove swamps and a lagoon. We finished with a swim from  the white sand beach. 

8th March we sailed from Mustique to Canouan, a 2 hour sail with good winds behind us all the way. Paul helmed most of the way, I also took a turn as it was choppy and my first experience of helming across the waves. We arrived in time for lunch and went to pick up a bit of shopping from the one town on Canouan. Unfortunately the ATM wasn’t working. We had lunch on board, then went snorkelling, seeing many fish that we hadn’t seen before – not sure what they were because it is much harder to identify them back on the boat that you think! Ian and Jackie (S/Y Blackthorne Lady) were in the bay, so they came over for sundowners, bringing a large jug of rum punch. The next morning Paul, Malcolm and I explored Canouan, walking over to the other side of the island and back passed the salt flats. It was a bit of a rainy afternoon, so Sue and I went to the dive shop to try (unsuccessfully) to get the regulator fixed  while Malcolm fitted a new bow propeller. As the ATM was open, we were able to go to the Mango Restaurant for dinner – our first taste of Caribbean fish. Very nice, but we got soaked on the way back to 'Piano'.

Land Iguana, Baradal Island Tobago Cays

10th March  we had a good sail to the Tobago Cays, arriving at about 11.30 am. This is a beautiful group of uninhabited islands that form a Marine Park. There are so many different shades of blues and turquoises in the sea, it is unbelievable. We dropped anchor between the islands and were immediately visited by a number of small boats, offering to help us anchor, sell us fruit and veg and various other items. We bought a fresh loaf and ordered croissants for the next morning. We also bought tickets for a beach BBQ from Michael, who arranged to pick us up at 7.00 pm. After coffee, we took the dinghy to Baradal Island and snorkeled just off the beach. There were turtles everywhere, we just swam above them and watched them.   Also, lots of coral and different fish, including a Flying Gunard. After lunch we walked on the island, seeing land iguanas. Michael took us to the BBQ in the evening, fresh lobster with a selection of Caribbean vegetables and fresh fruit. We spent 2 nights here, admiring the huge variety of coral and sea life.

12th March we left after coffee and headed for Union Island. As it wasn’t far, we only had the yankee up. Good wind. We arrived in time for lunch, then headed ashore to stock up on provisions. There is a very colourful market area. We went back ashore to Barracuda Bar for sundowners – cocktails and tapas. The tapas were so big it doubled up as dinner! Definitely a place to be recommended. Next morning Paul, Malcolm and I walked up to the fortress at the end of the island. It was quite a climb but the views were fantastic. It was a very clear day and we had fantastic views of all of the Grenadines. We got back to 'Piano' to find the toilet door had broken and couldn’t be opened, so Paul and Malcolm had to take it apart. We then had a short sail to Chatham Bay. We anchored for the night and went snorkelling, seeing lots of starfish.  The following morning we snorkelled, seeing a French Angel fish, then after coffee motored the short distance to Mayreau. This is the only inhabited island in the Marine Park, with one small town.

16th March A really good sail of about 5 hours back to Bequia. There was quite a bit of rain but really good winds.  We went to Mac’s for pizzas for dinner. The next day was spent in Bequia, stocking up on provisions,

 (we discovered Doris’s, a real emporium) Malcolm tried the dive shop, and snorkelling. We were entertained by a small turtle swimming around the boat. Last night’s pizzas were so large, they did lunch today as well.  The final day at Bequia gave us the opportunity to walk to Fort Hamilton at the end of Admiralty Bay, giving good views. After a quick swim we joined Elkie and Franz, (S/Y Yan Pleziere) with their visitors Ingrid and Bordo, for sundowners at the Fig Tree.  

19th March we left Bequia at 6.30 am and arrived at Martinique at 9.00 pm. An excellent days sailing, good winds all the way except for about 1 1/2  hours when we were in the lee of St Vincent. Reached 7-8 knots all the rest of the time. Big seas between St Vincent and St Lucia, but this time it was in the sunshine! We arrived and anchored in the dark in St Anne’s bay. We were a bit taken aback the next morning, when we saw all the fishing buoys we had managed to avoid. We went shopping at the large supermarket, then explored the small town of St Ann’s. Martinique is totally different from the other islands we have visited, totally French and far more roads and traffic, also some very nice buildings.

21st March we left St Anne’s by 7.00am for a very fast sail to Fort de France, arriving by 11.00, much earlier than Malcolm expected. We made some sandwiches and went ashore to explore. This is by far the biggest city we have seen in the Caribbean, with lots of interesting buildings, especially the library. Lots of French boutiques.

22nd March we left Martinique at 8.30am, for our final sail back to St Lucia. We arrived back in Rodney Bay for lunch. This gave us a day to try to remove all the salt from 'Piano' and get it back to the pristine condition it was in when we arrived. We finished the holiday a we had begun, with dinner at Bosun’s Locker, before returning to the airport on the 24th via Pigeon Island. This was a fantastic trip and we would like to thank Sue and Malcolm for their hospitality and their planning.

Reinhards Time in The Caribbean Feb/March

Leg: St. Lucia to St. Lucia 6th to 27th Feb 2014

This blog is not written by Sue. As Malcolm and Sue’s first time second mate in the Caribbean I volunteered to write down what we experienced during this time.

I am Reinhard Struefing and I know Malcolm back from the seventies when he worked and I studied in Kiel/Germany. In the eighties we both worked in Reading and shared our past time: windsurfing and sailing. Since then we always kept in touch , in the nineties together with Sue.

Working part time now, I gladly accepted Malcolm and Sue’s invitation to accompany them in Caribbean waters.

Arriving at St. Lucia in the evening after 10 hours flight from Hamburg via Frankfurt I experienced a very warm welcome by Malcolm and Sue. Next morning at day light I could marvel at 'Piano’s' new gelcoat, what an elegant yacht!

Since we wanted to do a lot of sailing we set off immediately. Despite a lot of clouds and some rain sailing was very impressive: warm weather, just T-Shirt and shorts, Atlantic swell, deep blue water, all this I hardly had experienced during my Baltic Sea cruises. We arrived in St. Anne on Martinique a nice, not too touristy place in the south of Martinique. On the 8^th the dinghy first was used to check in at immigration, by the way, this job kept the skipper busy at all anchorages. Then we used the dinghy to visit the local supermarket to buy French food, Chilean wine and German beer and pay with Euros, global world. The afternoon I enjoyed swimming in turquoise waters so warm that it almost felt like silk, a daring comparison, but in this area one has to become enthusiastic.

The 9^th saw us sailing to Fort de France, the capital of Martinique which protected by a big fortress developed to a city, though remarkably quiet on a Sunday afternoon and so we went to immigration on Monday. So we started our longest leg of this trip on Monday 10^th aiming for St. Martin 250 miles away. Passing the Mount Pelé, the big volcano in the north of Martinique, we encountered a lot of dolphins busy with hunting their lunch. During evening and night we sailed along Dominica and later Guadeloupe, of course in a moon lit night, just to meet the stereotypes, and still with just T-Shirt and shorts.

Passing some more islands we arrived at the French part St. Martin on Wednesday 12th and dropped anchor at Marigot Bay. Here I first saw the super sailing yachts (in the Baltic you hardly find them) with masts so high that red lights mark these as air traffic obstacles, perhaps a status symbol of the very rich. Malcolm immediately went to work to find out why the generator’s cooling was not working. He identified the exhaust elbow but could not fix it because of lack of spare parts. So the engine had to charge the batteries. For tea Mike from S/Y Right Turn came over , one of the many friends Malcolm and Sue know from their former cruises. For dinner we went by dinghy into the lagoon, very stylish to park your dinghy next to the table.

The next two days we spent snorkeling, exploring the lagoon (with many more super yachts) and sailing to Grand Case Bay, very nice for its beach and the restaurants. On the 15^th we started very early for the British Virgin Islands in order to arrive there still at daylight but after some hours we realized we would not make it in time. So we turned back again. By the way, our early start was more than compensated by a sunrise and a simultaneous moon set. After passing St. Martin we headed for Ile Fourchue near St. Barths. This uninhabited island is nice for snorkeling. All these different kinds of fish are fascinating, especially for someone like me who just knows cod and sole.

During the 16^th we moved on some 3 miles to Columbiere beach at St. Barth, on a Sunday very busy with local yachts. Here we could observe a turtle unimpressed by human beings. Next day it was a short trip to the main anchorage of St. Barth. Needless to say, that we passed more super yachts. The former Swedish, now French island seems to me almost like the St. Tropez of the French West Indies.

Tuesday 18^th we were sailing again: On our way back Malcom and Sue wanted to show me Antiqua. We had to beat one more time, sometimes in squally conditions. We arrived around midnight and anchored at Five Island bay waiting for day light to enter Jolly Harbour, a nice tourist settlement where one can park the boat next to the terrace. After the usual check in we took a bus into St. Johns, a lively “normal” Caribbean town and capital of Antigua. However, the highlight of

 Antigua is Nelson’s Dockyard, a very pleasant place, to which we sailed on Thursday 20^th. Walking around the restored buildings I almost felt like a contemporary of Nelson specially after having visited the museum. Although there are lots of super yachts around this place feels not so posh because these boats were in use by many sailors.

With not many remaining days we left Antiqua during the afternoon on Friday the 21st and had a nice overnight sail along Guadeloupe to Dominica where we arrived during the morning. At Portsmouth anchorage we were welcomed by Titus, one of the boat boys. He arranged for us an excursion on Sunday 23rd, quite an adventure as it turned out. Paul, our guide, was reluctant to guide us because to his opinion one should rest on Sundays. The minibus he drove had seen better days: The bumper had to be but back in position occasionally by a kick, the engine overheated in the middle of nowhere,

 but some bottles of water revitalized it. Two boys, apparently on drugs stopped our bus asking for trouble but as Paul mentioned his black belt in martial arts they backed down immediately. Apart from this Dominica has all the ingredients of stereotype Caribbean Island: abundant, often unspoiled  vegetation, big mountains, quite a number of beaches, waterfalls, rain forests. Paul is a flora expert. So we learned a lot about plants but why he often related to the nanu(?) plant remains unknown for Malcolm and me: it has a good impact on the prostrate.

After a nice barbecue organized by the boat boys we said good bye to Dominica, sailed south and arrived at St. Pierre, Martinique on the 24^th. This place is a bit like a modern Pompeii. In 1902 St. Pierre was destroyed by an eruption of the volcano Mount Pele. 30000 people died , only 2 survivors, one of them a death sentenced prisoner. Unlike Pompeii this little town is rebuilt but some ruins still can be visited.

On the 25^th we hoisted anchor for my last leg on this trip. After a pleasant reach we entered the marina of Rodney Bay during the afternoon. Suddenly game( or sail) over for me. For sun downer,  Susan and Andrew (S/Y Andromeda) came to greet us, small world as they are members of the Burghfield Sailing Club. But before and on the next day maintenance had to be done: rinsing the boat with fresh water, taking the spray hood to the sailmakers, laundry, preparing the generator for the engineer and so on. In the afternoon the new guests arrived: Paul and Gill. So we tested “Piano” for hosting 5 people which worked very well.

Going to the airport on the other side of St. Lucia we wanted to have a closer look at St. Lucia. So Sue, Gill, Paul and I (Malcolm had to stay with the engineer) took a taxi along western route to have a look at the two pitons at Soufriere. The sulfur springs and botanical gardens can be found there as well and are worth visiting.

Then it was time to say good bye: I have to express my gratitude to Malcolm and Sue for enabling my best sailing holiday. I think we got on really well but I apologize for not being an expert cook, I did not meet their standards but I will work on it in case there is a second chance. And I apologize for my English: it has got a bit rusty over the years.