January 26, 2008

(more photos at the end of the journal entry)
My last update went out in mid December. We were in Rodney Bay on St Lucia and had lost our dinghy in the crossing between St Vincent and St Lucia. It's now January. Christmas has come and gone. It is a new year and we are sailing again!
Right now we are on a mooring just off of Charlestown on the island of Nevis. But before I share what we're up to today, let me catch you up on what we've been doing the last month.


On December 31st it was time to say good by to Theresa. It had been a fun week and we enjoyed her visit. I dropped Theresa off at the Castries airport for her return home. Then Ken and I headed back to Rodney bay expecting to pick up our new dinghy on January 2nd or 3rd. Not to be. We spent another two weeks in Rodney Bay waiting for our Avon 310 RIB to arrive. It is a long story that Ken has already written up. You can read all about it in his January 16th journal entry, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly."

Rodney Bay was not such a bad place to be stuck. It's just that we were anxious to begin sailing again as it took us so long to get work done in Trinidad and to start the season. Spending another month waiting wasn't what we wanted to be doing. Having gotten that off my chest, there were benefits to being in Rodney Bay. Sparkle laundry came by the boat, picked up our laundry and returned it to the boat washed, folded and ready to put away. Of course there was a price, but not much more than I was paying in Trinidad to launder clothes myself and I usually ended up with an extra towel or two that wasn't ours. However after a quick VHF call, Sparkle always came by to pick up the extra towels. Not sure if the misplaced towels ever got back to their owners. But that's the islands. Access to services was nice. Our printer died and we were able to replace it easily in Castries, the large town close by. Island Water World, the chandlery, was located in the marina and there was a hardware store across the street. There was even a pizza restaurant we could dinghy up to and get pizza to go. This pizza joint was the equivalent to a fast food restaurant with a playground. Only this playground had equipment for kids of all ages--two trampolines, swings, monkey bars, a hand push merry-go-round and a blow up jumping room. The equipment was situated on dirt and was not made of bright plastic, as it would be in the states. The playground was not as tidy or as safe as it would be at home, but it sure looked like all those children were having fun.

The dinghy finally arrived. We set sail for Martinique where we anchored in the bay at St Pierre for the night before moving on to Roseau Bay on Dominica. We had been in these anchorages last season in June when they were almost empty, maybe three other boats were anchored with us. But not now, it is high season in the Caribbean and the anchorages are full. Looking for a spot to anchor is like looking for a parking space in San Francisco. And anchoring with an audience is not fun as dropping the anchor isn't always a smooth process. And, Ken does not enjoy being watched, especially when Aurora has not settled where we wanted, too close to another boat. Up comes the anchor for another try. If the wind is up anchoring can be even more challenging as Aurora, like any boat, can easily be blown into another vessel. All in all one breathes easier when the anchor is set and the anchorage goes about watching someone or something else.

Of course there are other things to check out in a crowded anchorage besides the newcomer dropping anchor. The lady on the small sail boat next to us in Iles des Saints not only took her shower in full view of all of us but she must have been going out for the evening as she completed a full personal grooming routine. Ken enjoyed it. "I think she's shaving her legs, Maryann. What's she doing now? She's up on the bow. Oh she has the sun shower up and is rinsing her hair. Now she's shaving her pits!" No privacy at all in the anchorages! I wont' give you Ken's comments on the six folks right next to us in Deshaies who were all skinny dipping and showering in full sight of us. Before you begin to think this is exciting, remember most of these folks are past their prime and could loose a few pounds. But it makes for an interesting evening in the cockpit, kind of like sitting on the front porch in a small town. I hold the line at observing with binoculars, but not everyone on Aurora does.

No privacy in the anchorage extends to no privacy on the VHF radio, which I've learned is called the weHF. I've mentioned this in previous updates, but now that we have gotten to know other cruisers it is more interesting. Channel 16, the hailing channel, is used to call other boats. We always have our VHF set to 16 when we are sailing and most times when we are at anchor or in a marina. After hailing a boat on channel 16, one selects a different channel for the conversation or "traffic." Because everyone can hear the hailing channel and the selected channel for talking, one can just tune in an listen. I forget that I'm not alone on the line when I'm calling another boat. And Ken and I listen in when boats we know are talking to hear where they are and what they are up to. People stay in contact up and down the islands. And to make sure you know where everyone is there is a "coconut telegraph" on the SSB at 8:00 each morning. The purpose is for cruisers to keep in touch. Basically anyone who wants to let folks know where they are can call in and announce their location, "Ken and Maryann on Aurora in Charlestown, Nevis." If you want to contact someone you can also set that up on the telegraph.

From Martinique we sailed on to Dominica and picked up a mooring at Fort Young in Roseau. Dominica has a national marine park which we took advantage of with two SCUBA dives. It had been some time since we last dove, last May in the Virgins, and I really enjoyed myself. The dives were two of the nicest we've done--lavender, orange and chocolate colored coral; colorful reef fish and clear water. I thought if I were a decorator I'd use this color scheme in a house. The colors were just so inviting. We even saw two sea horses! And on the second dive we experienced underwater volcanic springs with hot water and gas bubbling up through the ocean floor. The dive, called Champagne, was lovely as if one were swimming through a glass of champagne with the little bubbles floating up all around.

Guadeloupe's Iles des Saintes warranted another visit this season. These small islands ooze with French charm. We enjoyed 4 days at anchor off The Saints before sailing on to Pigeon Island the home of the Cousteau National Park. Unlike Dominica, Guadeloupe allows individuals to dive independently. Ken and I did our first independent SCUBA dive off of Pigeon Island. We picked up a mooring, donned our SCUBA gear and went for a 50-minute dive on our own. Nice to be able to just dive off the swim step. It was not as spectacular a dive as the two on
Dominica, but we did see large schools of fish, lots of corals and a huge crab.

After our dive we motored up Guadeloupe's coast 8 miles to Deshaies, another small village visited on our trek south last season. I'm finding that I like our second season better. Last year everything was so new. Too new. It was a bit overwhelming. This year we know the anchorages and where to dock the dinghy and what to expect. And the visits are different. Last season Deshaies was extremely hot and humid, and we spent our time visiting the botanical garden. This year the weather was mild and I spent an entire afternoon wandering around town taking pictures. But we did have croissants at the same patisserie. So yummy.

We left Deshaies in the wee hours of the morning, 4 a.m., for the 75 mile sail to Nevis. In early June we had stopped at St Kitts, which is the other Island in the country of St Kitts and Nevis. So this time we decided to check out Nevis. And that is where I'm writing this update from. Our first night here we dinghyed over to the beach, pulled our new dinghy up on to the sand and walked to the Sunshine beach bar where we watched the sun set and drank Killer Bee rum punch. Very much the island experience. The next day we walked around town and out to the ruins of Fort Charles, another British fort on the islands.

We'll be having dinner this evening at an old sugar plantation house, Montpelier Plantation Inn. I'm looking forward to it. Ken will have to wear long pants and covered shoes. No shorts and sandals tonight. As for me, I get to wear a dress!

So that's where we've been for the past month. But it doesn't tell you much about what the second season on a boat is like. For me living on the boat is more familiar and thus more comfortable. I know Aurora--all of her storage places, all of the systems, what all the breakers are for in the nav station, how to keep her clean, and what all the different sounds are. "Oh, that's the bilge pump" or "the reefer just kicked in" or "the anchor chain is rubbing against a rock." It's akin to getting to know a new house. As I had not spent my adult life on or around boats, understanding what a boat was all about and getting to know our specific boat was a steep learning curve. This season I'm learning more about sailing. Yes, we can put up the sails, reef them and furl them, but there is much more to the art of sailing than letting out the jib. Maybe by the end of this season, I'll be as comfortable adjusting the traveler and the fairleads for proper sail trim as I am turning on the generator to use the 110v outlets. There is much more to learn and it will come with time and experience.

As for living on the boat with Ken, that too is less of a learning curve. It is a small space and there is no getting away from each other. Still, we've learned when to give the other person space and how to do so. When I ask other cruisers how this "living on a boat" is for them. The women, at least, have similar experiences. They miss the company of women. The need for women to talk with other women seems universal. I enjoyed Theresa's visit as we sat up late talking. So nice to visit with my daughter, to catch up and to just talk. As for Ken, I hear the "we've already talked about that" statement regularly. Seems women don't mind having the same conversation more than once. Talk is not a means to an end, for many of us females, it is an end in itself. Just one of the many differences between the sexes and one Ken and I dance around in our 46 feet of space.

This life is not for everyone and not for every woman. I've met a lot of men who, when they find out what Ken and I are doing, say they would love to live the cruising life, but their wives would never consider it. I'm not sure if these men are wishful thinking or if they really would cruise if their wives agreed. But it seems to be, for the most part, a man's dream. Still some men go ahead and sail leaving their wives at home. We met such a man last week. His wife comes to visit, but only if the boat is docked at a marina and not moving. She doesn't like to sail. They talk every day via phone, and he returns home periodically. Still, he's sailing with a crew member he only recently met in Annapolis. It's sad when one partner's passion is not shared by the other. However, they found a compromise that works for them. And then there are the women who are the sailors and the men who join them. Not many, but we've met a few.

The pace of life on a boat is slow. Some of it is due to the pace of island life and some just because there is no schedule or a plan and no external forces driving one to get things done. Half the time I don't know what day of the week it is. It is one of the pleasures of this life. No hurry. It does take us type-A personalities time to adjust and just let it go. Ken is forever reminding me we don't need a plan and we don't have to get things done right now. On the flip side of that is the never-ending boat work. It does eventually need to be addressed, but for the most part there is no urgency to get it done. It is 11:00 am and I'm sitting here writing when I was planning to clean the interior of the boat this morning. Oh well, it will get done later today or tomorrow or.....

Before I wrap this up, I want to remind folks that we have a web site, svaurora.com. I've updated the Photo Gallery, added the archives so our old journal entries can be accessed and updated most of the pages. The Google Earth route has not been updated from last season, but the list of our locations is current. So if you haven't checked it out you might want to. Ken only posts his updates or journals on the web and is more prolific than me. And he writes about all of the systems on the boat if you are interested.

Safe Passages,

Maryann

P.S.

We had the most wonderful dinner at the Montpelier Plantation Inn last night. It had to be one of the best meals we've had in the Caribbean. Not only was the food exceptional but the setting was elegant and the service outstanding. One could see how the sugar cane plantation owners might have lived. The Inn was lovely, the gardens inviting and well tended, the stone buildings impressive and the view of the ocean spectacular. Of course in its day this elegance came at the price of slavery. Not pretty at all. Still, last night was a wonderful evening and a pleasant surprise.


And here are the photos...

Theresa photographing a frangipani worm.

Colorful boutique in downtown Soufriere, St Lucia.

A back street of Soufriere. Not such a charming view.

The harbor at Terre de Haut, Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

This boat house is where the local doctor lives. Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe.

Entering Deshaies anchorage, Jan 23, 2008.

Deshaies from the pier. Guadeloupe.

Two doors on a Deshaies building.

Fishing nets, Deshaies, Guadeloupe.

French fabric, Deshaies, Guadeloupe.

The ruins of Fort Charles, Charlestown, Nevis.