travel

Those of you who know me know that I love taking photos of doors and windows, especially if they are festooned with lace or flowers or vines.  That’s the first thing I want to see whenever we go ashore.  I’ve seen a good deal of lace curtains blowing in open windows over the past week.

We had to get out of St. Barths earlier than we would have liked due to strong westerly winds that made the harbor quite unpleasant.  Before we left a number of boats had already dragged anchor, and two in particular had tangled their anchors and lines with other boats.  This took place in the very dark hours after midnight when these types of calamities always choose to happen.  Murhpy’s Law on boats, don’t know you.

The pre-dawn departure to sail to Antigua that day was no fun, although I’m certain that Bob enjoyed it, especially the part when several of the Caribbean 600 contenders crossed our path–flying spinnakers no less.

At one point during the journey, when I was fighting a moderate case of mal de mer, I could hear all the cans and jars in our pantry crashing back and forth, and the pots in pans in the cabinets doing the same.  Can you imagine taking your house out in to the elements and letting your possessions get bashed around for a few hours every few days?  That’s one of the main reasons that sailing is an endless game of ‘whack a mole.’  Everything keeps getting bashed about until it breaks.

Anyway, we are safe and sound in Antigua now, and here are some scenes from English Harbor. Lord Nelson was here for a number of years, and these buildings were here then as well. There is a small but well curated museum dedicated to Lord Nelson, that we enjoyed–no photos this time.

We had lunch in this historic building that is now a hotel and restaurant, and were underwhelmed by our meal after a couple of weeks of food in the French islands.  However, I think that English food is unfairly maligned–we just had a bout of bad luck.  I’m sure we’ll have other great meals ashore here….we just didn’t pick the best place yesterday–charming spot though!

English Harbor is charming, isn’t it?–although life here in the 18th century certainly had a dark side. On one of the placards at the Nelson Museum I read that 40,000 English soldiers died on this island (over how many years?–the placard didn’t say) from minor things like heat stroke and similar maladies, often brought on from wearing layers of wool clothing in a tropical climate.  I couldn’t help think about the women and their corsets and their own layers of undergarments.   This is part of the customs and immigration offices, where we checked in.

The quaint building on the left is still in use as sail loft.  I don’t know how long it has been in use because there is an even older site where a sail loft used to be.  Next door is the even quainter building, with its whitewashed walls, cedar roof and pretty blue shutters. It is a shop full of carved wooden fish and turtles for sale and a good amount of pottery.  The fish were very tempting, but we didn’t buy one.  How to choose?

These columns used to support a building that housed another sail loft, in use during Nelson’s time.  Now the columns have been restored to enhance a beautiful garden setting for a local resort and restaurant.  I’m definitely giving this place a try in the next few days. I am confident the meal will be as memorable as the setting….

…starting with cocktails right here!  I will have to have something thoroughly English, like a Pimm’s Cup or a G&T.  Bring it on!

With our friends Maureen and Bill (from Kalunamoo), we walked out to one of the promontories on this end of the island.  There are a couple of defunct cannon here from the distant past when this harbor needed protection.  I wonder if this tree was sapling back then.

Walking back into the village I caught our friends and Bob stopping along a beautiful walled garden.

Yesterday we moved to Nonsuch Bay, and today has been a day of household chores.  Bob has been busy ‘whacking’ the SSB mole, with no success, and I did two loads of laundry.  In this climate the first load dried, flapping in the breeze on our makeshift laundry line at the back of our cockpit, by the time the second load was finished.  I do love having a washing machine onboard….one less thing to search for on shore.

Now that the laundry is done I think I will spend a little time on embroidery while sitting on the shady side of the cockpit.

Boaters have all kinds of sayings and phrases for the life we lead aboard.  We know that non-boating people think we’ve sailed off into the sunset on gentle breezes, blowing from just the right direction….like that popular song by Chris Cross.  Here are some of the things that sailors know to be true:

–that Murphy’s Law reigns more supreme on the seas than on land.  If something can go wrong, it will definitely go wrong–and in spades.
–that one year spent cruising on a boat puts the equivalent of 10 years of wear and tear on a boat that is used for weekends and short vacations of coastal sailing.
–Life on board is an endless series of boat repairs in exotic places.
–Life onboard is a strenuous game of ‘Whack a Mole.’  (What’s this, you ask?  check here for a good description)

So I will start this post with some lovely photos of our current paradise, Grand Case, St. Martin. This is the dinghy dock where we come ashore.  It’s not always this peaceful, but aren’t we lucky that this was a perfect day?

This is the sunset we viewed over margueritas on the deck of a beach bar.  I know, you are thinking, SEE?  Just what you’ve been saying all along….

When you get ashore in Grand Case, you are greeted by a charming French seaside town.  Lots of restaurants and shops.

–not to mention tropical gardens enhancing such lovely buildings.

Even the trash is exotic.

The pretty Catholic church in the center of town.

The beach is as charming as the village–all those colorful umbrellas remind me of  beaches on the Mediterranean.

For luxury, you can’t do better than eating in one of the French restaurants along the waterfront.  For Valentine’s Day dinner we chose Ocean 82.  They even make their own flavored rum with vanilla (grown nearby), caramel, and ginger.  I really must give this a try–flavoring rum, that is– when I return home.

It was a beautiful location for watching the sunset, with rain on the horizon, while eating a terrific dinner with our good friends from Kalunamoo!  See the rain shower in the distance?

I have had a great time ashore in Grand Case.  Here’s some of my swag.  There is a quaint housewares shop call MerSea with wonderful designs from Denmark.  I could not resist the bird fabric used for the travel bag….and our new live aboard, Louis!

 

Isn’t Louis adorable in his sailor garb?  He comes with his own bunk with mattress, pillow and blanket.  He is making his way into our affections.  Eventually he will live with Tori, but for now he is having some sailing adventures with us!

Another incredible bonus of being here is having sting rays and turtles swim right around our boat.  At this time of year there is also the possibility of seeing humpback whales with their calves.  We have been treated to the first two, but haven’t seen any whales yet.

What you don’t see is that there is often quite a swell coming through the anchorage, so only the hardiest sailors–like Bob– find this a quiet anchorage. I am not part of that club.  And while my photo of dinghy dock was taken on a  peaceful evening, the waves are often crashing on the beach where the dinghy dock juts out into the bay.  That means that you will be landing and taking off from a dock where your dinghy is bouncing wildly as you try to get your supplies just purchased and your self into the boat without too much ill effect.  Being ashore is definitely luxurious but getting there and leaving again is dicey.

Now shall we move on to the repairs we now need in this exotic place.  We’ve only been down here for two weeks, and this is the list of what has been damaged or died from the harsh elements of sea life:
–Damage to main sail during 4-day gale as Bob sailed to BVI, being repaired at sail loft on shore.
–Broken batten on sail, which could not be repaired, so awaiting new batten being flown in from Boston, delayed due to winter storms in New England
–VHF radio with very light signal
–Non-functioning SSB, diagnosed by local electronics guy but not solved at all–nada.
–Dead windlass (that’s the thing that picks up the 100 or more feet of anchor chain which no one human can continue to do by hand day after day.  This is a BIG deal.  Looks like we need to buy a new one.  At least this is in stock in the local chandlery.

And I have suffered a little damage myself, but no hope of repairs until I return home.  The block and tackle on the dinghy davits hit me in the mouth about a week ago.  I was looking the other way, then turned my face right into it!  I was also talking…no surprise….so I got it right in the mouth, on my two front teeth.  I have a chipped front tooth now.  Then a few days later I was doing something in the kitchen so simple that I cannot even describe–just leaning over the counter trying to find something in our deep freezer.  We have very high fiddles on our counters to keep things from rolling off on to the floor in a seaway. Around here you can have a seaway in the anchorage, and that’s what happened.  Somehow I was thrown off balance a bit and the big fiddle bruised my rib.  Now that’s a fun injury, isn’t it?

These are the very big projects facing Bob right now.  We cannot leave until each of these has been addressed and corrected.  So, we may not get out of here for some time to come.  Yes, it’s lovely here, and I’d rather be here than on Pandora in New England right now (though warm and snug in my house is a strong contender).  We are certainly NOT gliding along from island to island on a zephyr, drinking our umbrella drinks.  In fact, although we get to experience such dramatic scenery and wildlife,  and interesting cultures on our travels, living aboard is still very much like living on land.  Each day brings its own demands and challenges, and in fact, procrastinating on boat chores has somewhat bigger consequences than neglecting chores at home.  Boat has more challenges for sure than my cushy land life, but it does have its rewards. One of those is magnificent views.

 I don’t expect much sympathy!

This year’s trip started with a revisit to a romantic hotel we stayed in 31 years ago.  Where did the time go?  In some ways it definitely feels like a different lifetime ago, but I am stumped at where all that went…so quickly! It’s still a very romantic spot, and dinner here was quite wonderful.  30 years on, I am even more appreciative of a stunning setting and excellent food.

The road in front of the Sugar Mill runs along the coast and looks north to Jost Van Dyke.  Last time that didn’t mean much to me, but this time we visited that island shortly after our evening here, so now I know a little about Jost Van Dyke.

We made sure we got here in time to enjoy the sunset, which is beautiful from this lovely Victorian porch with cushioned settees for relaxing.  It was very relaxing.  To mark the occasion I had a Pimm’s Cup to remind me of spring evenings in England with my dear friend Lesley.

The dining room is just as I remember….the stone walls of the old mill yet open air to the ocean.  That’s me at the back of the room on the right, deciding what to have for dinner!

The Sugar Mill does not show up in any of the guide books we’ve got with us, which is rather baffling.  It is listed in “Romantic Inns of the World,” but that might not be the place you’d look if you were researching where to stay on Tortola.  Anyway, clearly they are doing something very right.  We would have loved to see the owners from 30 years ago, Jeff and Jinx Morgan, who wrote for “Gourmet Magazine” for many years.  We missed them by only a year or two.  I hope that they are well, wherever they are these days.

We are now in St. Martin/St. Maarten which is new territory for me.  The island is a range of tall volcanic mountains, some so steep that there are no roads and no inhabitants up those slopes.  Part French and part Dutch, there is lots to see and do, and two rather different cultures to enjoy.

Here we are at the top of one of the highest points.  We drove partway up with our rental car, then walked the rest of the way.  Our friend Bill took this photo which looks idyllic.  You cannot tell there is a gale blowing up there, and we were afraid to go any closer to the edge for fear we’d be blown right off!

Aren’t these pretty?  The petals are so like an oncidium orchid that flutter in the breeze, but those long stamens are definitely NOT an orchid. These flowers come in yellow and orange, and my favorite here, a blend of the two!  They grow on a somewhat shrubby plant that has leaves similar to a maiden hair fern.  I would love to have a plant onboard, even a red geranium.  So far, I have not found a nursery where I can buy something green. My friends aboard other boats suggest I get over this.  If I get a plant it will just be taken away when we enter a different island nation.  Sad face….

Along that road to the top of the mountain were some very impressive villas, and some houses that looked like they’d been built by hands that did not know much about building a house!  I think some of these diy houses were hideouts for people who no longer wished to be known.

Along with wild goats and chickens that roam the roadsides, here there are also wild cows.  They do not cross the road quite as quickly as goats or chickens.   

On our way down we stopped at a large park called Loterie Farm.  It is preserve for wild monkeys, iguanas, and had a maze of zip lines for use in getting a wonderful view of the flora and fauna from some thrilling heights.  That is a bit too much of a thrill for me, but I enjoyed seeing the views from the tree house style tapas bar, where I had a tropical drink with a salad and a crab cake.  Far more sedate than zip lining!

I was happy to enjoy the restaurant views, rather than experience them from the tree tops on a zip line!

Next time it would be fun to rent this tree top cabana near the pool.

We ended the day at the beach right near Princess Juliana Airport, where some of those adventurous zip lining people line up at the end of the runway to be blown off their feet whenever a jumbo jet lands or takes off.  There is no end to the risk taking you can experience on St. Martin.  I’m happy to watch from the safety of the nearby bar, thank you.