All the photos from the Orinoco

Just follow this link to get to all the photos from our trip down the Macareo River:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39796&id=544472824&l=41b05f615c
(see previous post on this site for the write up of the trip)
Sarah and Richard

Up the Orinoco WITH a paddle!

Hi everyone
Having problems uploading photos at the moment, so here’s the first part of our adventure and just watch this space for the link to all the exciting photographs.

We have returned from what is probably our biggest sailing adventure – so far! After a few delays due to mechanical issues and the like, we finally headed out from Scotland Bay and the howler monkeys on the NW tip of Trinidad and sailed for Columbus Bay on the SW tip. A wonderful sail down to meet up with our sailing buddies “Keesje II” (Brits Peter and Wendy) and “Good Time Charlie” (Yankee Bob who would become known as The Bobster by the end of the trip). The sun was shining and we had 15kn of wind on the beam. Perfect. We threaded our way through the oil fields in the Gulf of Paria. One of them was burning off gas. Quite a sight.

Columbus Bay was beautiful – perfect beach and palm trees, but it was a very rolly anchorage for the night with a swell coming in. But it was not a long trip to the entrance of the Orinoco Delta – just a 20 mile hop across to Venezuela from Trinidad next day. We were staying inshore to try and minimise the current against us and saw lots of local fishermen and pots out. We found a counter current as we motor sailed through The Serpents Mouth, which gave us a lift to the East. There was a clear line in the water. On one side was dark clear water from the Atlantic and the other was light brown silty water that was from the Orinoco. We were definitely getting nearer to our destination!

Bob who has been to the Orinoco Delta a number of times before made the call and we headed for our first GPS waypoint outside the Punta Bombeador headland which is the start of the Rio Macareo – just one of the many tributaries that join the Orinoco and form part of the delta. As we got nearer to the shallow water and the bar we would have to get over to enter the river, a squall blew in so we all got our headsails away and also got our mains down as we needed to do some very accurate steerage to get us from waypoint to waypoint without hitting the bottom. We had the fun of 30 knots of wind, gusting 40kn whilst trying to play follow my leader behind Bob. We got down to 8 feet of water (we draw 7’ 6”) a few times so we had our hearts in our mouths. Little did we know this would be nothing compared to trying to get back out of the river 3 weeks later (more on that later). The best pilotage notes available can be got from either Jesse James, maxi taxi driver in Chaguaramus, Trinidad or from the YSATT office there. These very useful notes and sketches give you all the waypoint co-ordinates.

Once we made it across the bar, the seas calmed a bit and we started to get some protection from the wind. We followed Bob and all tested the waters to find the deep channel. This river used to be dredged until 1955, but now the river bed and delta will have changed beyond recognition and there is no point trying to use the very out of date charts. So this was our first experience of unsurveyed and uncharted waters – our depth sounder was soon to become our best friend. As we followed the channel next to the mangrove swamps, we saw a few scarlet ibis and hundreds and hundreds of islands of floating hibiscus plants all drifting down the river out to sea.

Our first stop was Pelican Island where we would anchor for the night. Having expected to find the river deserted apart from a few Warao native Indians in dugout canoes, we got a real shock when four of Hugo Chavez’ Navy gunboats came out of the Macareo and past us!! We hoped they were not going to stop and give us an inspection, and luckily they passed on by. Not long after that a big ‘convoy’ of Indian dugout canoes were towed past us in the other direction by a boat with an outboard.

And after that the first canoe came alongside to do some trading with us. They were shouting “cambio, cambio” whilst holding up handmade beads and baskets. Another canoe came along and were happy to trade for some of the fish they caught. So I ended up with an unknown fish with big pointy teeth for our supper. I did wonder if it might be a piranha. I then had one of those surreal moments when I was on the aft deck working away with the filleting knife when I looked up and could not believe I was in the Orinoco delta, watching the sun setting, the ibis and pelicans flying overhead and gutting a fish so far from home! So the river was going to be busier than we expected – not just jungle. There is about 3kn of outflow from the river, so this current holds you in the same spot in the river. The holding is very good here and you can’t even feel the boat moving, so we had a great nights sleep, surrounded by red silted and fast flowing water and miles of mangroves.

Next day we headed further up the river to a village in which the famous Anthony Collins lives with his large family. He is the only English speaker on the Macareo and is a great person for yachties to get advice from. He will happily take you on tours, hunt for caiman, show you how the Warao live etc. He and the other villages are very keen to see more cruisers coming up the river. We were greeted by lots of dugout canoes as we approached the village.

It is amazing to see children – who looked too young to walk yet – paddling the canoes expertly against the current to make it over to Quintessence. More trading for beads, baskets and the like. We anchored up opposite the village huts, close to Collins hut. He popped over to see us but was off doing some work up river and would catch up with us next day. Most of the Warao speak Spanish, and even though we didn’t, sign language and smiles got us through fine. Richard went with the others on a Caiman hunt with Collins. They came back with a big fat caiman which is caught in the style of lamping in the uk. I am glad to say there are a lot of caimans on the Macareo and they are eaten not caught just for sport.

The next day we awoke to find a giant raft of floating Hibiscus plants attached firmly to our anchor chain. It was the size of a small island and looked very thick. Richard went out in the dinghy with a machete which we had bought exactly for this purpose. After hacking away for about an hour at both the hibiscus – (and one of his feet by accident!), the bottom of the dinghy was covered in blood and the hibiscus raft was no smaller. Hmmm. What to do what to do? The villagers were all looking on at our predicament, but did not look too keen to help. So I waved my arms at the ones who were staring and they scuttled off! Richard found some more energy and had another hack for a while. But it was like trying to nail jelly to a wall as the raft was so big and went down 5 feet into the water. It was also being held on very firmly against the anchor chain by the strong current. Then Collins arrived carrying a chainsaw! Just what we needed. Even with that, it took a long time and much hacking with a big knife as well as the chain saw. The raft of hibiscus was so large that Collins was able to step on it and walk around while he wielded the chainsaw. Eventually the raft floated away and having given Collins some US dollars towards his fund to buy an SSB radio, we were on our way. Needless to say, by the time we left the Macareo, we were experts on how to remove the hibiscus from the anchor chain without further bloodshed from Richard!

The further up the river you go the more varied and full of wildlife it gets. Exploring all the side canos in either the yacht if the water is deep enough or the dinghies if not was just amazing. The mangroves slowly turn into full on jungle with many plants and trees and tropical birds. We started to see different types of macaws, toucans, birds of prey, kingfishers. The best way to see them is to just float by on the current with your engines off so you see more wildlife without disturbing it. This we found thanks to one of our buddy boats “Keesje II” works just as well in a 55’ yacht as it does in the dinghy. Saves on diesel costs too! The faster current in the middle keeps you away from the slower flowing water at the shallower banks, so only once in many hours did we have to fire up the old Perkins to steer gently away from the bank. Sometimes we were floating down the river backwards which was a bit odd to start with but then became simply relaxing.

Trading with and meeting the Warao Indians was great fun.

They are lovely people, very open and down to earth. They live in very small villages, sometimes only one or two huts at various points along the river. They are semi nomadic and sometimes new huts spring up and old ones are left abandoned for a season or just used as fishing stops. They were mostly all keen to trade and everyone enjoyed it, but it was nice to see them sometimes rejecting a trade, very politely, as they were not desperate for items we had. The kids especially are great fun, always happy and smiling. They love balloons to play with which they call ‘bombas’. And of course sweets. As we did not want to encourage them relying on cruisers for charity, we always asked to trade and it was rare that they simply asked for free stuff rather than having something to trade. If the kids had nothing, we would suggest mangos and they would happily row off and pick some and come back to swop for useful items. The women’s most requested items were 3 yard lengths of colourful material for making clothes. No one was very keen on Western clothes! They also were keen to trade for shampoo, batteries, toothbrushes and toothpaste. With the exception of the men who were keen on trousers, good t shirts, watches and torches. Everyone young and old were very excited to receive magazines with lots of pictures in. So collect some before you head off down the Macareo. They Warao just love all the pictures of the wider world they don’t get to see.

We were very sad to hear that some of the Warao were dying on the Macareo from disease. Collins the English speaker said it was due to disease passed on from bites from the vampire bats. So we handed over all our mosquito netting and bed covers to help keep them away from their open huts. Since we have been back, I read a short article in the New York Times about this. The Venezuela Minister for Health made a statement that the deaths were not being caused by vampire bat bites, but from issues with unclean potable water supplies. But the Minister declined to say what the ‘disease’ if any was causing the deaths. So I hope they get some help soon to put a stop to this as their way of life seems very simple and wonderful to me – but also very fragile.

One of the great fun days we had was to go ashore to a larger village where they had a school. We landed the dinghies and were greeted by lots of kids. We went to see the chief and were taken along to the school hut. School was on Summer recess, but that did not stop all the village kids from piling in to meet us. The school teacher was also around, so it was great to meet him. Luckily we had Peter from Keesje II there to translate from Spanish into English. Although Warao is their first language, most Warao speak Spanish too. We found out more about how they live and work. We had all brought some supplies of notepads, pens and pencils for the school and the teacher was very happy to receive it. We asked him what were the top items they needed in the future so we could let future cruisers know and he said we got it right with notepads, pens and pencils – keep ‘em comin’!! Richard decided to make a paper plane and when it flew across the hut straight out into the pigpen, it was clear they had never seen one before, so he was soon persuaded to start a production line for the 50 kids so they could all play. He must have spent nearly an hour producing paper planes for the kids and also showing the village Chief how to make them, so maybe a new pastime has been created for the Warao?

We did more exploring up the river and in the side canos, seeing more and more wildlife as we got better at spotting it in the jungle. We have never been bird watchers, but by the end of this trip we were becoming real twitchers. “Oh wow, do you see that, do you see that! Its so pretty. What is it, what is it??!! It’s a hoatzin! Fantastic!” So take at least one set of good binoculars and if you can afford it a very good camera with a telephoto lens or at least a 10x optical zoom at minimum. A comprehensive bird book is also essential or you will have no clue what the amazing birds are.

We went as far up the Macareo as the Lao Lao Lagoon, a fine a destination as any. There is a floating hotel there, very small and remote, which seems to specialise in bird watchers. We happened to turn up when they were about to take some guests back to Tucipita the town about 30k away (by fast speedboat). Raphael (the hotel guide) said no problem, we could come along for the ride and get some provisions at the supermarket in Tucipita. This was an unexpected bonus as we expected to have to be totally self sufficient for 3 to 4 weeks in the Delta. We certainly had plenty of food left but the fresh stuff such as salad and green veg was almost gone. Only room for two people meant that Wendy and I got to go as at least we knew what food was needed, even if we didn’t speak Spanish. The trip was great, seeing more of the Delta and the wildlife. Once we got into a 4x4 to make the hour trip to town it was fascinating to see the countryside, homes and animals, and not be on the water. After exchanging money on the black market in a clothes shop (normal here and WAY cheaper than going to a bank) we started some serious food shopping. The fresh produce was great and very varied. We got passion fruit, paw paw and plantain and lots more. The beer stocks were low so made sure we had plenty more! On the way back we got stopped by the police who were all carrying guns. Just a routine stop we were told. Wendy and I realised that we did not have our passports with us and in fact had not had an opportunity so far to ‘check in’ to the country as we had been in the remote delta where customs offices are in short supply to say the least. So we were effectively illegal immigrants! Oops. Luckily Raphael who was running the trip made it clear that we were just tourists and he was responsible for us. They did not ask for our passports or any other information. Phew. But I think Wendy and I would have been happy to have been searched by the lovely policeman in his crisp uniform. On the way back I saw a capybara in the wild! I was very excited and amazed at just how big it is in the flesh. I knew it was the biggest rodent in the world but you might have mistaken it for a llama it was that big. It was happily chomping some leaves as we drove past it.
The next few days were for chilling out and exploring the magnificent Lau Lau Lagoon. The bird life did not disappoint, we saw so many varieties. We also got our closest encounter with capuchin monkeys. A small troop were in a tree and a few of them came down to water level to check us out. They were maybe 30’ from us calling and jumping up and down. They were so inquisitive, and you could tell they wanted to come closer and inspect us more, but were afraid to. Our boat buddies saw the giant river otters here, but we missed out. There were also many dophins each day, both of the grey variety and the odd looking pink ones. At one point they came up under our boat and bounced along the hull. Whether they were being playful or nosey I’m not sure. They certainly weren’t aggressive at all. Exploring every day in the dinghy was a joy, we saw so many beautiful things.

We managed to arrange another trip to Tucipita, paid for this time and with all of our group able to go. It was particularly fun for Bob who has been down the Macareo many times but never to Tucipita. We explored the town, the waterfront and the bars and shops. It is so culturally different to anything I have experienced before and I was fascinated. I have never been to South America before so it was a lot to take in. We had a lovely lunch on the riverfront, with lots of local food that was cheap and delicious.

We eventually had to say goodbye to the lagoon and head back down the river.
The return half of our trip will be posted to the blog site very soon! This includes the hair raising experience we had when we tried to leave the Marareo River and cross over the shallow sandbar back into deep water. Suffice to say that with a 30 ton boat and a powerful enough Perkins Diesel engine, you can plough through anything (eventually).

Lots of love
Sarah and Richard
p.s. at the end of this post is an underlined link “Comments” with a number in front of it. Click on this to post your message. We would love to hear from anyone who is interested in our trip.

Life in Trinidad

Pictures are at:

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29703&l=5b36e&id=544472824

We have finally been able to see some of Trinidad, but work continues on maintenance on the boat – as ever! We went on a guided walk through the rainforest and saw so many tropical birds, plants and flowers we just couldn’t stop taking pictures.

A lovely lunch at the Asa Wright Nature Centre and some birdwatching. Our tour guides were testing us on our limited knowledge of wild plants, flowers and herbs. I did manage to recognise wild fresh cloves. What a smell! Nothing like the dry ones we are used to.

You can understand why Trinidad is famous for its birds, they are so beautiful. It turns out it is impossible to get pictures of hummingbirds, apart from being very small, they just move way too fast. We also went on a boat (again) through the mangrove swamps to see scarlet ibis coming in to roost. Our waterproofs are being well used as the rainy season is in full force here.

We travelled a long way one evening to a protected beach where giant leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs. They are the largest type of turtles and regularly grow to 1000lbs. That largest one ever recorded was 10 feet long, 5 feet wide and weighed 2000lbs! They don’t have a hard shell, its thick oily skin instead. They can dive deep, especially to escape predators, they have been recorded as deep as 1,200 metres before the GPS transmitter imploded from the pressure. We were very lucky as we saw one come in, excavate a hole and start laying. They are tagging all the ones they find so they can track them, as they are still endangered. Then they leave the eggs and head back up the American coast as far as the Arctic to feed in cold waters, mostly on jellyfish. One was tracked that travelled a staggering 13,000 miles in 647 days from Indonesia to the USA in search of food. It was amazing to watch her carefully and expertly dig a bulb shaped hole, lay they eggs and then carefully cover it over and head back to the sea. We also saw the baby hatchlings digging their way out of the sand and heading towards the sea for their first taste of the ocean. Clutches are as big as 120, but very few survive to be adults. We were allowed to pick them up, and then put them on a flat piece of sand near the sea and watch them make their way to the water. Very cute with incredibly strong flippers for something so tiny. On the walk back, we saw another turtle come in, looking for a suitable spot to start digging. What an experience!

On the way down to the beach to see the leatherback turtles, we were talking with our driver – the infamous Jesse James - about Trinidad food. It is a real mix of Caribbean, Indian and African. One really popular snack is chicken foot souse. I was asking about it and Jesse said would we like to try some, so we said yes. How bad could it be?? I imagined it being something like Oxtail soup, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. I have eaten a whole sheeps brain in Morocco so chicken feet should be no problem. When they were handed to us, I was truly shocked to see 10 wobbly, jelly like boiled chicken feet, toes and all staring at me. My first thought apart from shock was that at least the claws had been clipped off. This was going to be a challenge.

We did not want to be rude, so we started to nibble. ‘Eat’ would not begin to describe it as there is no meat on chicken feet, just the rubbery, scaly skin and some gristle and bones under that. The taste was ok – for the brief moment I was able to block out the visual of what I was putting in my mouth. Something akin to chicken stock or consommé with some chilli thrown in. But then I opened my eyes again, and the feet wobbling around in front of me, combined with the rubbery texture made my stomach turn. I could face no more. When we have worked up the courage, we MIGHT try the cow heel soup and gizzards that were next on the menu. But then again, maybe not.

We have also been to a couple of Texas holdem Poker nights. I ended up in a decent amount of credit at the end of the night. Very pleased as it was my first time playing and I was still struggling to remember whether a straight beats a flush. You THINK it’s lots of money, but $100 Trinidad dollars is less than £10 – but the big wad of notes just makes you think you have done really well. Next time out, Richard did well again – man he can bluff like a pro! My curiosity just kept getting the better of me and I was losing my large pot just paying to see if he really did have a hand or if it was another Neiland bluff!

We are planning to cruise round the Orinoco delta in a few weeks – our first big adventure, with no facilities, food or water. But we know the boat is set up well for being self sufficient and we are going in a support group with some other boats. So we are looking forward to some unspoilt wilderness. Just some Warao native Indians and lots of wildlife on the rivers.

I have just seen a turtle swim past Quintessence and also a ray jumped right out of the water. And now the tropical rain has just started.........

Our flowers, birds and turtles pictures are at:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29703&l=5b36e&id=544472824

Lots of love
Sarah and Richard
xxx

Martinique to Grenada
To see the pictures, you can visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27964&l=b5ef4&id=544472824

We anchored up at Martinique, right next to the main town Fort de France. Right under the Fort walls – where the Navy set a big bonfire and covered our boat in black ash! A nice spot considering it’s so close to town. We spent a couple of days shopping as the town had most things and we had a shopping list of stuff we needed for the boat. Richard finally got his hair cut too and we explored the town. Despite being a French island with nice food, the first place we ate at was McDonalds!! Although we have been enjoying the island food, it had been too long between big macs. We made up for it the next day by going to a great French restaurant and having some classic French food and wine. We explored the market, and bought fresh fruit and veg. At the fish market, Richard did a deal on about 30 small crabs. He managed to avoid being nipped and we cooked them up. They tasted delicious, but separating the (very sparse) meat from the inedible bits was just too much hard work and I gave up on my second crab. But Richard and Ryan plodded on for a good 45 mins before giving up too and ditching the rest over the side of the boat.

We then headed off for Rodney Bay, St Lucia. We anchored outside for one night. We took the dinghy ashore and relaxed with some Pina Colada’s in the breeze overlooking the bay. We had a very rolly sleepless night at anchor. Then we were off to Les Pitons, still in St Lucia. Very stunning location, they are twin volcanic peaks that rise like teeth vertically out of the sea. We picked up a mooring bouy about 30’ from the vertical cliff, which ensured I kept my concentration up so we did not hit any coral or rocks! The snorkelling on the reef right under our boat was amazing. So many colourful fish, including shoals of Sergeant Majors, Hogfish, Parrot fish and Stoplight fish. We also saw a big moray eel and a sea snake which we instinctively knew to keep a safe distance from.

The fishing over the next few days got very exciting. We hooked our first big swordfish (big for us that is, not the species). After fighting the sod for about 45 minutes, we got him very close to the boat and were ready with the gaff hook. Everybody was anticipating swordfish steaks for dinner and plenty for the freezer. But alas, it was not to be. Just as we were getting him alongside, the line snapped and he was gone. Undaunted, we put the lines out the following day and this time, we hooked a real monster. We put the clutch on the reel up to the maximum and he was still screaming off with the line. He jumped a couple of times and we saw just how big he was (somewhere in the league of that famous quote from JAWS where Roy Scheider gets a look at the shark for the first time and says “.......we’re gonna need a bigger boat.....”). He was taking the line off so quickly that the reel actually started to smoke. I kid you not! People talk about this happening but I always assumed it was just a euphemism. Apparently not. Anyway, after running out nearly all the line, it eventually stopped and thinking we still had him on, we started to retrieve the line, only to find that he had spat the lure out.

SWORDFISH 2, QUINTESSENCE 0

Not long after leaving the Pitons towards Wallilabou Bay in St Vincent, Richard and Ryan saw a Pilot whale broaching near the boat. We were also joined by some dolphins playing on our bow wave as they love to do. They turn on their sides while getting a free tow to look up at you and check you out. Wallilabou Bay is the famous location where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. Much of the set is still there - here is Quintessence tied up to the end of it.

More great snorkelling despite Richard and Ryan getting stung by little purple jellyfish – not dangerous ones, but they looked like they had brushed against some stinging nettles when they got out. I managed to avoid them but got tiny stings from what we found out later are called sea ants. Not painful, but very annoying under water!

After a couple of days we were off to Bequia (pron. Beck-wee) A nice town, with a fruit and veg market. Unfortunately I let Richard go on his own, and he bought enough fruit to last a lifetime (he claims he was forced into it), we would never eat it all! Also, they ripped him off and he probably paid at least double what it was worth. He also excelled himself in the variety of what he bought. Fruit I have never heard of before, so it was fun to try them out. Some were delicious, but some – like the giant green knobbly ‘soursop’ never ripened and ended up in the bin. We found inventive ways to put some of the lime mountain to use in cocktails and the like. The rest is still festering in various cabins round the boat..... About this time, we started to see little black bugs on the boat in the area of the galley. We didn’t know where they were coming from, and as there were not too many of them, we didn’t worry too much.

Then we were off to the Tobago Cays, but we HAD to stop in at Mustique at the famous Basil’s Bar for lunch. Mick Jagger owns it, but sadly he was not there. I think we would have recognised his ugly mug if he was in attendance. The island is privately owned and those with very deep pockets holiday here. We didn’t have to pay a penny – except for the extortionate burger of course. After the fantastic burger and some photos we weighed anchor for the quintessential small sandy islands and coral lagoons of the Tobago Cays. Wow. Such a stunning place. Not a bad view from the boat?

When Ryan headed up the mast, he took some pictures of the lagoon as well as us looking like ants on the deck below him....

Next stop, Clifton in Union Island, just to clear customs. Then off to Hillsborough in Carriacou for the night. A nice non touristy town.
The Caribbean fruit mountain was by now down to about half its original size and the odd little black bug was still appearing in the galley... We caught a small tuna during the day – but more than enough for a lovely fresh dinner for the three of us. Unfortunately we also caught a bird – a booby! It dived on our fishing lure and got hooked. I was very worried about the poor thing, but the guys managed to reel it in and unhook it and let it go with just a small wound on its neck. They were sure it was going to be OK. The ships log has a note saying “caught a booby but forgot the endangered species cook book”. Hmmm. We put the fishing rods away after that.

Next stop St Georges in Grenada. On the way along the Grenada coast, a squall from the island went over us and our already damaged genoa got ripped even more as we had to let it flog (fly free) as the strong wind passed us. Another job for the long list of repairs. No rest for the wicked!
To read about our previous passages since Florida, just click the archive on the right...

Love from Richard and Sarah

xxx

Guadaloupe and Dominica...

You can see all the pics from this leg by visiting:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26402&l=ccc55&id=544472824
But here is a taster...

Finally having got our rudder fixed and the boat back in the water, we headed out of Antigua, headed for Guadaloupe – a French island. Sailing up to the island was beautiful. Very rugged, sharp mountains (volcanic) and all the steep slopes covered in tropical rainforest. We anchored up outside the capital Basse Terre outside the marina. We anchor up wherever possible as it does not cost anything versus staying in a marina. As we have a good generator, two watermakers and a big flat screen TV in the saloon we are pretty self sufficient. Marinas cost a lot here, so we spend the money on car hire to tour the islands and meals out instead! So we headed ashore to a restaurant called Le Barracuda. Very appropriate as Ryan had caught two of them on our way in, but not big enough to be worth keeping. I had moules mariniere my favourite French dish and Richard and Ryan had lobster. Very nice. We were so tired from the sail that we headed back to the boat for some well earned rest.

Next day, I hired a car and tried and failed to check us in to customs (closed) while the boys fixed the windlass and a winch. Then we headed into the rainforest up in the mountains for some exploring. Driving the little car up the windy mountain roads was fun. We walked round a tropical ‘preserve’ which showed you all the native plants and animals. The raccoons were very cute! Some of the parasitic plants and flowers were incredible. We watched a long line of huge ants carrying giant pieces of food and leaves to their Queen. Then we got harnesses on and walked through the canopy on Indiana Jones style rope bridges. Great fun. After that we headed to a waterfall with a pool below it and went for a swim as it was so hot. It was a stunning spot, just like the Herbal Essences advert. The water was so clear, clean and cool. Then we headed for the hypermarket to provision for the next few weeks. We especially stocked up on French wine, cheese and pate. It has been a good chance to practice our French and for Ryan to learn some too. Unfortunately when he went to ask a guy in a bar if he could use the toilet, he unfortunately said to him “You are a toilet” in French! After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing, I had to quickly teach him the French for ‘I’m very sorry’ and he went back and the guy didn’t punch him thank goodness. Sadly for Ryan he didn’t have a toilet either.

Gaudaloupe really has the most beautiful rainforests.

Next day the boys headed back up the volcanic mountain into the rainforest and walked all the way to the top to see the vent. It was steaming and the sulphur smell was strong. They took pictures of what they thought was a snake in a tree but turned out to be just a wiggly branch! They looked like drowned rats when they got back as the top is shrouded in thick mist and rain stops and starts all the time. Then we got back to the boat and decided to head off to the next island as our anchorage is very rolly, the swell keeps you awake at night.

After a good sail, we arrived just after sunset to Portsmouth in Dominica. Straight to bed after an exhausting day. In the morning one of the many ‘boat boys’ came alongside, offering fruit for sale. We went for mangoes and grapefruit. Both were fantastic, sweet and fresh. Even better than M&S ;-) The guys selling stuff paddle out on surfboards and if they can build up a bit of cash they eventually get a boat and build up regular customers and make a decent living I guess. So we were happy to pay them a bit over the odds for fruit etc. Local boat mechanic Igna - who was clearly as capable with his one arm as most people are with two – helped Richard fix the broken windlass. Luckily it did not involve horrendous amounts of money or parts as rare as hens teeth! He regaled us with stories of his days shipping goods between the islands on old style island gaff rigged boats. Right up until the eighties they were delivering cargo under sail only, no engines.

Having just done a long sail, of course we decided next day to go on a boat trip! But on a small rowing boat down the Indian River. The forest canopy covers over the river and you quietly go past all the beautiful scenery. Herons, crabs, iguanas, bloodwood trees with crazy convoluted roots, like mangroves you will have seen but they grow like waves. We stopped off and hiked a short way, looking at all the parasitic plants and tropical flowers. After a refreshing tamarind juice it was back down the river, a swim off Quintessence and a rest. We were playing cards when we had a visit from the local Customs and Immigration. Like all customs officials I have met so far, they are efficient, polite and have no sense of humour whatsoever. After some standard questions and checking of our ships papers, they headed off as were clearly not suspicious enough to warrant a search of the boat. We were not sure where to have dinner, so we putted along the shore in our dinghy in the evening and were drawn to Big Pappa’s Bar and Restaurant as we could hear a saxophone playing across the water. An old guy was singing rhythm and blues and it was very relaxing. Caribbean curried chicken and plantain was very nice, washed down with a cocktail. We were all so tired, we went straight off to bed.

Next day, we did a tour of the island in a minivan, with 3 guys from Colorado. Ryan felt right at home as he’s from Boulder. Our guide Gregory really knows the island, especially all the exotic plants and flowers; wild orchids, epiphytes, bird of paradise, banyan trees etc. En route he would find fruit growing near the road and would even scamper up trees to pick something fresh. So we had bananas, papaya, grapefruit and grafted orange. All straight off the tree, sweet and delicious! We had so many “Kodak moments” during the day we filled the camera up. Hiking and then climbing to some waterfalls in the jungle was a highlight. A swim in the pool below was heaven – cool and crystal clear. Dominica is definitely a place I we would like to come back to.

We are now in Martinique about to go exploring....watch this space...and some more pics soon!

xxx

Still in Antigua!

By now we were hoping to have been round the anchorages here in Antigua and be off to St Kitts or Nevis via Montserrat. But unfortunately Quintessence had other ideas....

Our steering had suddenly got very very stiff and after inspection the likely cause is seized bearings in the rudder. The only solution is to have her hauled out with a boat lift and the rudder taken off and worked on. So we were harbour bound until we coud arrange for the boat to be lifted which happened today. We had a long hard day sorting out the boat and getting her hauled. Trying to get the boat into the concrete slipway for the lift was not much fun. We had to reverse into the slip and had a very strong cross wind, combined with the fact that the boat "walks" to port in reverse. Much shouting and red faces later we managed to get in intact. We have checked into a hotel and work starts on her tomorrow.

Despite the frustration (and cost) we are reminding ourselves that there are far worse places to be stuck in :-)

The hotel has a pool, lovely beach and small dinghies for us to go racing in. Right now we are recovering from the hard day in the sun!

Hopefully we will be sailing off into the sunset in less than a week....

Sarah and Richard

xxx

Working hard to bring a nurse shark in - I let her go!











We are still having fun in Antigua. Weather good. Antigua Racing Week is in full flow and abot 200 boats will be descending on our harbour this afternoon. Here are a few more pics....

Nelsons Dockyard, Antigua