October-November 2016

October/November

After our summer in the UK we arrived back in Trinidad to our home aboard S/Y Piano. I must say she looked a sorry sight in the dark! We slept the first night comfortably in an apartment at Power Boats then went for our first inspection very early the next morning.

   While we were away it had been found that the hull also needed drying out and after contact with Ghislaine we went ahead and had it stripped right back. This has taken quite a while with liquid stripper, then sanding, preparation and finally new layers.

Cooper.

Andy, who also doubles as a phone technician! Awesome.

Meanwhile, Alan and his son Brandon have done a superb job refurbishing the tired Fridge freezer- it looks like new again! As do the toe-rails and (wood below?) Another minor job since we returned was to seat the new Navigation screen in the old hole, Alan’s team have helped with this too.

Abdu the varnisher has completed his work on the saloon table which now has protected fiddles which will not scratch!

Busy Bee and various boaters have relieved us of many treasures of the bilge. (i.e. items packed far below and never used or just surplus to requirements.) We now have a modern car radio for the music center, so I am trying to amalgamate all the work done before we set sail. I had digitised the old Cassettes and L.P’s, Malcolms Reel to reel recordings and started to produce MP3’s while still at Darby Green. This has paid off big time, but there are still many CD's to finish. Meanwhile chaos rules with with the different operating systems being used, Windows 10, I-tunes and Linux not to mention all the formats to contend with lets not go there! To register the App on the radio I had to invent a car the same age as Piano, these do not exist! It also appears that the App can only be used while on line (and this never happens while we are on passage!) so technology has still to come up to Pianos standards. Plus after all that hard work it turns out that the new car player cannot cope with the latest stick it does not have sufficient memory! So back to the original MP3’s which I made all those years ago. Malcolm is also making new folders to cope.

Life on the hard has been a depressing trauma apart from the highlights of eating out with friends. We had S/Y Minnie B (Phil and Norma) round for a poor excuse of Chilli- and it was all devoured even without the kidney beans -. We also ate shark & bake at the Wheelhouse Pub on a Saturday and either pork ribs, rib eye steak, or fish on a Tuesday. 

Chris and Sharon invited us and Minnie B over to S/Y Quicksilver for the large Moon show. No-one was particularly impressed with it, but the Chicken Mediterranean with garlic bread was delicious- thanks Sharon.

Kay has finished the new dinghy chaps which look awesome, and fit perfectly. She has also made a cover for the outboard and a new one for the cockpit table. Malcolm has been busy putting a fluorescent paint layer onto the back of the dinghy for greater visibility at night. All the security padlocks are fully functioning and ready for use.

Shopping always has to be done but one exception to the household stores was a trip to visit Debbie at Rumpa swimwear, to pick up my new swimming suits. I took Norma and Sharon along and we had a smoothie at elevenses these are made to order on the spot and sooo yummy.

Maybe 20 plus blenders and racks of fruit shows these Smoothies are in demand.

of course Debbie mentioned the Christmas Bazaar at Movietown and after a quick word with Jesse we arranged one of his maxi’s to transport us there and back.

This is the Caribbean version of the many that mum has been making for Christmas.

 The whole Island sends crafts people to show their goodies, food, drink, pastries, knitted goods, chopping boards, jewellery, handmade soaps and candles, jigsaws from Tobago, all in an air conditioned conference center! We also had coffee in a swanky coffee house…

Plus ice cream which was filled with any topping after being thrown across the counter and caught in a tub! The whole of Movietown hummed with Christmas cheer.

We were also invited over to Gasparee Island to Kay and Collins’ house, first for a swim at the beach, then for a jacuzzi at their home followed by a tour of the gardens which even has a blow hole down to the sea.

Shady Beach

What a garden feature eh?

Private Bay too

 To top it all afternoon tea with home made cheesecake and summer berries. This was all a welcome treat after all the time aboard doing various jobs to fill our time.

The end of the month soon came with another invite to dinner aboard S/Y’Minnie B’. This time a delicious curry with chutneys from the Bazaar, very yummy! Finally back to the Queens’ Hall Auditorium for another performance by the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Philharmonic and Singers for a tribute to Earth Wind and Fire. It was as awesome as the classical rendition last year. Plus the transport (driven by Keiran ) was both full and buzzing. Yet again a marvellous trip organised by Jesse James (Members only Taxi Service) . What would we do without him around??

I’m pleased that November is over, I expect all my avid readers in the UK are wondering when they will see Piano afloat ans enjoying life on the Ocean Blue. It can’t be soon enough for us!

More next month before the Christmas rush…

May til June

I start with a short note as to Customs and Immigration in the BVIs. This year at Gun Creek we paid $1 for the photocopied sheet and $5 to check out. There was no mention of an annual tonnage fee at all!

25^th April 14 hours to sailed back to St Martin, mixed motor sailing and sailing as we wanted to be anchored for our evening meal. As much as we like St Martin the only pull for this trip was the dinghy chaps which are STILL not here, To fill in time waiting we had a really pleasant sail up to Tintamarre for lunch, we chilled here for the weekend then sailed back to Marigot to check out for Deshaies. This was an overnight sail with lots of fishing pots to stay clear of . We battled against headwinds and a chop of waves until reaching deepwater at 8 O'clock. Then with fair winds most of the way (45 degrees apparent) and smooth seas, towards the end a broad reach and then flat calm on arrival in Deshaies. Ate ashore and met some of the crew from 'Murder In Paradise'!

7^th May moved to Pidgeon Island Guadeloupe, wind 20 knots and big seas, anchored in a rolly bay.

8^th May Fast sail to St Ruperts' Bay Dominica, just 10 hours, No charge for a buoy and no BBQ as the season has finished here.

9^th May Set a course for St Pierre, Martinique, very little wind until three in the afternoon when the wind puffed up to 20 knots so the average speed went up to 8.2 for 20 minutes and maxed out at 8.8!

We stayed here a couple of days to stock up on Wine and cheese and other french delights. We also found a new restaurant which had both excellent food , good wifi and a charming host.

The Anchorage St Pierre, Martinique.

Local Fishermen.

Me doing a Monty Python impression in the restaurant.

An Eel which Malcolm saw while snorkelling.

11^th sailed to St Lucia and anchored in Rodney Bay. At the far end of the Martinique we saw a school of Dolphins and some turtles. Enough that there were spectator boats out viewing.

Amazingly Deirdre and her son Giles were visiting Dereck and Bridget so we joined them for beers at the Yacht Club and did some liming.

18^th Sailed to Bequia and anchored at Tony Gibbons Beach ate ashore again.

20^th May Sailed to Carriacou, Tyrell Bay hoping to catch our friends on S/Y 'Blue' but didn't see them.

22^nd May Sailed for Grenada and anchored in Whispher Cove. This was a brilliant sail! With two reefs and the Yankee we averaged 7.18 knots! That's 35 miles in just under 5 hours!

26^th May As we were leaving for Trinidad S/Y Quicksilver came in and waved a fish at us, did we want to come for dinner? Duh no we were just setting off! pooh it would have been nice to catch up.

Since the sailing season has effectively finished we have been at Crews Inn preparing for the haul out. I made the mistake of using Teak brightener without gloves and many of my joints have become inflamed, I'm just hoping that it will rectify itself before we get home. In the meanwhile using hands and feet are very painful so as usual I;m not much help when it is most needed.
Today we arrived at Power Boats and were hauled out. and I did the docking for the boat lift! I only got shouted at once and even if I say so myself I did a pretty excellent job!

Well that will be all until we get back to the UK, where we will try our best to catch up with as many of you as possible.  Since we do not let the cottage for holiday makers anymore we can LIVE in it until mid October, so if you are passing , or would like to have a break and visit us please do!

April

March already...Wow!

We had a fair sail round to Great Bird Island but cautiously motor-sailed through the Boon Channel where we picked up S/Y Aspens track to the anchorage. What a pleasant few days in this sheltered Bay. We managed to take 'Forte' around most of the small Islands which compile the area. Such charming names as Rabbit, Readhead, Lobster and Exchange Islands. The snorkeling was pretty good with some fair growth of Coral and sponges.

Malcolm recommended a hike to the top of Bird Island and led the way. It was a very gentle hill and the views from the summit (100 feet) were spectacular. The flora and fauna along the trail interesting too. I suppose if we had a guide we may have seen the rare Antigua Racer (Alsophis antiguae)

The second week in March we sailed from Joly Harbour to Marigot Bay on St Martin. A night crossing, this possibly the slowest sail of the year so far, wind zephyr-like and the sea glassy calm. Until 04.30 in the morning when the wind came up and 'Piano' lifted her skirts again.

Mike and Sally gave us our usual welcome and yet again they both look even better than last year.

The wind has stayed high 15-20 knots gusting more so we have moved into the lagoon. Thanks to Graham and Joan on S/Y Karma we did not go aground this time.

A few days later Jane and Paul landed at the airport. It was raining! So we went prepared with waterproofs to pick them up. Their plane had arrived ½ hour early (tailwinds) so we waited in the floating bar until the skies cleared and then returned to 'Piano'. After settling them in and tea we went ashore to the French side and looked around the waterside while Malcolm checked them into St Martin. Marigot was still damp and dreary so an early dinner at a delightful french restaurant, then home for an early night. After croissants and coffee we up anchored and went out through the Dutch Bridge ready for the sail to St Barths.

Calm seas and a good trip, Paul helmed for some way,

 we arrived in Corrossol and anchored in time for a late lunch and celebratory beer (5 fifteen). After checking in and collecting the hire car Jane and Paul drove to the cottage. We stayed aboard to double check the holding and were picked up the following morning. The next week at the cottage was sublime, no rocking and rolling and Wi-Fi 24/7!

Upmarket shops here in the Capital.

During the Bucket we chose a viewpoint and watched the racing. This at a leisurely pace as the start times were all after elevenses. The J's always started first, followed by various other classes. These are just a few shots to give flavour.

J's away...

Just like a game I play ...

The whole week flew by with side trips for shopping

Jane,Paul and I 

and the least windy beach for a swim.

Guvnor

Many meals were taken at the cottage with Paul cooking at the BBQ on the veranda. All too soon the holiday ended and we prepared for the sail back to St Martin. This time we changed to route and sailed around the top end, which meant a beam reach most of the way. We even had lunch on board.

I won't mention our grounding once back in the Lagoon suffice to say that we stayed near the french end once we were free. Thanks to all who came to assist getting us off.

Our last night was a meal ashore and doubly good as it was Janes' Birthday!

By chance the return flight was delayed enough that we had time for a picnic on the beach.

A side trip to Grand Case and the back to Marigot Bay for the arrival of the new batteries. The old ones had lasted over 4 years and we donated them to Mike at Shrimpeys they probably have another life ahead of them ashore.

Last minute provisioning, cheese wine beer and bread and we set off for Charlotte Amilie at the beginning of April.

April

Charlotte Amalie wi fi

Shopping k mart

Circumnavigation St Thomas Turtle Dove Bay-all alone! Sailed to Botany Bay ,Inner Brass and Magens for the night little wind so motored .

Next day 7^th Motored to Hans Lollick Islands for lunch and snorkelling.

8^th back to Christmas Cove

9^th Charlotte Amalie to Lameshure Bay

10^th Sunday Saltpond Bay

12^th Tues sailed to Gorda Sound very pleasant. Cruising Association meet.

14^th Vixen Point , Gorda Sound, shackle off main and foot came out of boom track.Anchored Cane Garden Bay

15^th Cane Garden Bay to Little Jost Van Dyke, drinks aboard S/V Treck

This is the Bubbley pool, just wait for the occasional wave... 

and the bubbles feel rather as I would expect champagne bubbles to feel!

16^th Hiked trail on Sandy Island Rockefeller.

B Line Bar Little Jost Van Dyke

18^th Little Jost Van Dyke to Lee Bay, great sail running with the wind and 8 knots! Lee Bay too rolly for lunch so motored round the point to Marina Cay. And stayed the night.

Tuesday 19^th Sailed from Marina Cay to Virgin Gorda and anchored in St Thomas Bay to do food shopping.

20^th Sailed round to Vixen point for the right angle for tomorrows sail, but took a mooring at Saba Rock to fill with water and do wifi. The plus is we get a free bag of ice, Mighty cool sun-downers eh?

Somewhere here the Navigation computer had a fit and showed everything upside down, Malcolm thinks the monitor has gone. So the computer is hooked up to the TV screen for viewing , which makes the mouse great fun to use! Hey ho.

21^st Sailed to Anegada which is very shallow on approach. Managed to anchor in 2 metres which is the shallowest we have ever anchored in (apart from aground in the lagoon). Next day moved to a buoy. Along came Barry, an ambassador for the Island, and welcomed us to his office. We invited him for morning coffee and listened to his tales. If we needed anything just give him a call! We told him we were thinking of walking to the North shore and he encouraged us.
Here is the map. The path goes all the way round...

I packed a snack lunch and we set off. The great thing is that the island is flat so it was easy hiking. Along the way we saw these orchids in great profusion.

 The wind didn't help focusing the camera- sorry. Alan Titchmarsh should really do a programme here, the whole island is sand and a few ancient outcrops of coral. That said the variety of species is amazing, and what isn't green is salt lakes with flamingoes, and a bird sanctuary. We stopped at the Cow Wreck Bar and had a drink and our lunch.

 Cow Wreck Bay is on the North side and so we swam and snorkelled in a very shallow bay. Then we continued back on a circular route to the Whispering Pines bar and dinghy dock. By this time I was dead on my feet. We had walked about 8 miles in all and when almost back I refused a lift (big mistake) there was still 30 minutes more to walk.

 I showed Barry my poor feet and he told me to soak them in sea water. I then apologised for being late back and asked if we could have dinner. Of course he said so we showered and changed then returned for a delicious fish meal.

22^nd It stared raining in the early hours of the morning and there was thunder and lightning almost overhead (OMG) we were not hit ! And had decided to leave for Virgin Gorda after lunch . As it happened it was a pleasant sail of just over 3 hours.

24^th Managed to turn the sea cock fully on for the generator and checked the impellor was is one piece, but saw a drip from the hose so had to fix that. This while I baked bread for lunch. Then went into Eden Rock to get a weather report and check emails. This is a resident of the wildlife pond which I did post on Facebook. Sorry no upload today will add it later (promise)

 The bread-pan has come to the end of it's life, much of the loaf had welded itself to the bottom of the pan- that was fed to the sea life which is when we found that 3 fish were waiting for such morsels under our keel!  They failed to upload so here's one of a Tarpon

 Tomorrow we sail for St Martin so I hope to get this posted soon afterwards. Big problems in St Martin so videos will appear next month.

February 2016

Doesn't time fly when you are enjoying life? Yes 'Piano' seems very happy too! We did spend a few days restocking in Martinique St Anne 

Quite a few yachts here!

and for a change took the bus to Carrefour, all went well until the return bus home, which was late and so seriously oversubscribed. We waited another 1 ½ hours for the next bus arrived - to go all round the houses, so we got another Island tour! Well even that wasn't too bad. 8^th February we sailed to Anse Mitan for a change of view.

Malcolm also cleaned the hull and we managed to get the dive tanks filled on the beach. I took advantage of the rainwater and cleaned the cockpit teak.   All set then we departed for Dominica. This being the 12^th Feb. It was an early start which turned out to be unnecessary since we flew along and made the anchorage by 5 o'clock. There was no sign of Titus but Raymond greeted us just as warmly, and there was a BBQ that evening so no cooking necessary. 

and did a town trail in Portsmouth on the Monday.

The guy who lives here was a cyclist when he worked in the UK

 We managed to sign up far a hike in the National Park on the Tuesday.

This is Winston our Tour guide

and hike leader, he was a real star!

Since it was Customer Appreciation week we were treated to a cracking good dinner at the recently converted Shirley Fort. 

  Here we met the Minister of Tourism for Dominica. The whole week was amazing as we met lots of new people, some who may even visit us in the U.K.!

Malcolm also did a fair bit of hiking up various hills so I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Trail from Fort Shirley

Malcolms' hike to Toucari 

This was on a path through the swamp but also had a hill to climb!

Cabrit Park entrance

In fact Cabrit means Goat so no wonder that many hills and paths have this name!

Nets hanging to dry

A very pleasant bus stop.

This is the jetty close to the PAYS Office.

'PAYS' Stand for Portsmouth Association of Yachting Services. All the members work their hardest to make our stay such a memorable one.

22^nd Feb sailed to Isles de Saintes and picked up a buoy at Islet Cabrit

23^rd Feb did a morning sail to Malendure, Pigeon Island (Saints)and anchored.

A Caribbean Cray fish (AKA Spiny Lobster)

25^th Feb moved to Deshaies to check out.

26^th February Deshaies to Jolly Harbour another early start and faster than lately clocking 8 knots! Our usual warm welcome from the Customs, Immigration and Port Authority teams.

27^th Feb motored round to 5 Island Harbour and anchored in Hermitage Bay.

View over 5 Island Harbour

Next time I write will be in March and by then it will be time for the Barths Bucket.....

January 2016

2016 January.

Mid- January and at long last I wish my avid readers a Happy New Year again (in case you didn't read the Christmas issue)

Our first Christmas in the UK since we began Bluewater Cruising!

 All the rush and tumble of Xmas shopping, coupled with trips to the local GP and ordering presents for 'Piano'.

Fortunately we managed to secure a BBQ from Lakeland which packed easily into hold baggage. This will ensure that our visitors can enjoy a BBQ either aboard or on a beach of their choice. Just the charcoal/briquettes/cobbles and fire lighters for use as fuel to procure locally.

We arrived back on the 8^th (me with a head cold beginning) Brigid welcomed us with a delicious salad so no shopping nor cooking necessary just to unpack. Then 'Piano' began telling us that she had missed us! The generator which had worked perfectly while we had been in the UK stopped and the engine followed suit,(we found this to be due to glutinous fuel, so the filters had to be changed). Luckily Derek had shore power to use in the interim (Thanks Derek!) Then the selector switch was found to have burnt out, it needs renewing but finding another without the model number will be stressful in the UK next summer. Until then hard-wiring will be the norm.

Both Malcolm's and my Birthdays were celebrated in St Lucia. The oven has had too long sitting idle and took 2 ½ hours to bake Malcolms' birthday cake. Yes it was scrumptious in the end. We drank Champagne and toasted the happy man with Peter and Nikki from S/Y 'Chanto' (Bowman 48) They had sailed across with the ARC this year and noticed 'Piano' on Derek’s jetty so were invited to join us for the evening. 

A Full Moon for my Birthday

 Their daughter is a GP at our local practice in Penryn!!! what a small world!

Other friend who are here while the ARC finishes are Devon and Liz on S/Y "Moosetracks", and Franz and Elke on Yan Plezier.('Pianos' sister a 45). Moosetracks were waiting the arrival of S/Y "Emily Morgan" yet another Bowman! It must be a record having all these Bowmans in Rodney bay at the same time? Franz & Elke are sailing back to Europe this season to end their sailing exploits we will miss them dearly. This is a snap of Yan Plezier in the cockpit 

And here is the better half of the couple we have come to love.

And finally one of the yacht!

Anyway after our lunch in Marigot (before Xmas)we suggested a trip to Martinique with Derek, Brigid and their nephew Stephen the following weekend.

St Annes for Coffee and Croissants

This too was most enjoyable, Brigid was a star managing very well with all the convenient hand-holds below, she hardly needed her walking stick! (She did draw the line at getting into the tender twice in one day) Stephen made a notable 7 knot average on the sail back which was only marred by the inordinate length of time needed to check back in.

We finally made it to a local Indian restaurant in the Marina for Malcolms Birthday celebration.

My Birthday arrived in no time (eek)I baked a chocolate cake in Brigids' oven and filled it with whipped cream flavoured with Baileys. 

Candles and Flags c/o Esther last year in Curaçao (Thanks Esther).  This accompanied with another bottle of Pop, and followed by a meal in Jacques by the waterfront. (Note to self add them to Trip Advisor). Many Facebook friends sent well wishes while we were celebrating.

The next job was the oven, so we called Prudent and took it to pieces. I then spent the rest of the day cleaning all the various parts. The main find was a rust hole in the burner which had certainly been the cause of the problems. Malcolm then repaired it and we then rebuilt the oven. It now works perfectly again and I was able to bake a birthday cake for Dereks' 85^th !

We thanked our fantastic hosts for looking after us so well and took them out for a meal.

Nikki and Peter S/Y “Chanto”are back from the UK so we asked them over for sun-downers and hey yet more pop to celebrate Nikkis' birthday!

We will spend a day in the anchorage to clean the hull and then hop across to Martinique to fill the cellar with wine, maybe drop by Dominica for customer appreciation week before heading for St Martin.

The weather has been seasonable, light showers of warm rain to fill the tanks,(and wash the salty decks), a pleasant 27C with a gentle breeze for comfort. What more could be asked for?

December 2015

Finally then we checked out of French Guyana and said our last goodbyes to everyone there.
We took the morning tide down to Creek Coswin for an overnight stay.

 The next day we finished motoring to the sea and set off for Grenada.  This was for the most an enjoyable sail being mostly a reach and typically fast. We did have a couple of light showers and plenty of normal Caribbean sailing. Late on Wednesday we came into sight of Grenada which was shrouded in dark clouds.  As we closed nearer the coast the wind picked up to 25 knots gusting 35 and I was called on deck to help read the instruments, which were only visible from the companionway steps due to the driving rain. Fortunately the Yankee and staysail were already down  and we had 3 reefs in but sailing was still a handful. As we came round the corner of the island past the airport we were given some shelter and motored on to St Georges Bay to anchor for that night. A celebratory nightcap before retiring to an uninterrupted full nights sleep.
   The next morning (bright and sunny yeay )but who should we be anchored beside Non other than ’****’ (Dave the fridge and Jan) so Malcolm swam over and begged a lift into the marina to clear customs and immigration. I swapped books, then a light lunch of beef burgers and potato wedges.  By the time Dave picked us up it was raining again and continued until late that night.
  Once we had confirmation that the new rib was available we moved into Port Louis. Great to find all you need at the supermarket! Only a short Maxi away. The dinghy arrived with the engine but none of the extras (engine lock, security lock, lifting strop, go faster fin, etc) so another wait ensued. However, we were mobile again.   We Sailed around to Whispher Cove and talked to Arlene and S/Y C– Drifters, Our Irene and Ray and had Fish & Chips at Taffies (scrumptious as usual!) We then dinghyed in to Palm Tree Maine to arrange with Mike for Simon to visit the generator.    After making contact with Mike we moved to the new Clarkes Court Marina for Simon to fiddle with the generator and he decided that a large capacitor had failed, he took the details but after 2 weeks it had not arrived with Mike - who had forgotten to order it ( come back Arlene all is forgiven). So we sailed on up to St Lucia to prepare for our winter break.
      On the way up we stopped at Bequia and did some snorkelling. Malcolm also replaced the anode on the prop as it had almost disappeared in the Maroni river. Another daysail brought us to Rodney Bay where we anchored to watch a few of the ARC yachts arrive.  Nice to see so many Ocean sailors kitted out in foul weather gear and life jackets.  Once ashore in shorts and T shirts they looked like the rest of us!
  Derek and Bridget are in fine shape and came out for an afternoon sail with us.

We took a picnic down to Marigot Bay and had a really fun day.

I also managed a lunch with Marsha and the crowd which meets on a Wednesday.  We all wished Marsha a Very Happy Birthday.

  There was a fair amount of rain in St Lucia so the top decks were washed of the salt water so just a quick polish then settled the dinghy on deck.  Customs wanted a list of electronics in triplicate and then came out to check them. Then it was off to the airport and the flight home.
  As I sit here listening to the (cold) rain on the roof and the heating keeping us warm I am reminded that there are only a few days left before Christmas.  So it only remains for me to wish you all A Very Merry Time, may all you dreams come true, and wherever you are we will raise a toast to absent friends.
As to the landlubbers, much as we love your news from home we would far better like to welcome you in the Caribbean so why not make time in 2016 for a visit?

All Our best for the New Year.
XX