Boundless in 2000 A journey by Faith and Rudy Schwenker Published by Airventures 5 Broadview Road Poughkeepsie NY 12603 Editor Thomas Smith Cartographer David Manners First printing March, 2001 10 Paperback Second Printing April, 2001 3 Hardcover, 10 Paperback Foreword This book is a compilation of the year 2000's log entries from the 47 foot Sparkman and Stevens sailboat named Boundless. This book is the second of the yet undefined series, the first naturally being entitled, Boundless in 1999. The series outlines the nautical travel adventures of Rudy and Faith Schwenker of Dutchess County, NY. The book Boundless in 2000 follows the voyage of the boat, along with its Captain, and First Mate for the whole sailing year. It begins in the Northern Caribbean Islands in January, 2000 and ends in the Fall, off the coast of Venezuela on the island of Trinidad, and safely outside of the Hurricane belt. There always seems to be a plethora of events to deal with, for those who choose to live no more than 47 feet away from each other, either at sea or in a strange port. Most of we landlubbers have difficulty relating to a lifestyle that requires a constant supply of creativity and decision making, with the results sometimes being potentially costly and may even be life threatening. By the time the year 2000 had begun though, Faith and Rudy had tucked over 2 years of cruising experience under their belts. During the last 12 months, as a friend and visitor, I have signed on to cruise with Boundless twice. While I was on board, I have had the enjoyment of watching both Rudy and Faith work together, dealing with their daily challenges and situations. It is quite refreshing to see a couple take their environment, divide it up into areas of responsibility, and make all the required decisions for their section. It is equally gratifying to see them work together in full support during the implementation of their individual decisions. Rudy and Faith have mastered that skill very well. As a result, I believe both of them individually, and together will not only survive this adventure but both their combined confidence and relationship will be much stronger as a result of it. Bon Voyage into 2001 Tom Smith Table of Contents Log Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Virgin Gorda . . . . . . . . . . . .7 British Virgin Islands . . . . . . .9 St. Barthelemy. . . . . . . . . . 11 St. Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Passage to Saba. . . . . . . . . . 13 Saba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 St. Kitts and Nevis. . . . . . . . 16 Nevis to Guadeloupe. . . . . . . . 18 Guadeloupe to Antigua. . . . . . . 19 Back to Guadeloupe . . . . . . . . 21 Guadeloupe . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Guadeloupe . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Isles de Saints to Dominica. . . . 30 Dominica to Martinique . . . . . . 33 Martinique . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 St. Lucia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 St. Lucia - St.Vincent . . . . . . 38 St. Vincent. . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mustique-Canoun-Mayreau-Tobago Cays42 Tobago Cays. . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Grenada "The Spice Island" . . . . 47 Passage to Trinidad. . . . . . . . 49 Still in Trinidad. . . . . . . . . 51 More Trinidad. . . . . . . . . . . 53 Back "On the Hard" . . . . . . . . 55 Map Appendix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Caribbean Islands. . . . . . . . . 58 British Virgin Islands . . . . . . 59 Virgin Gorda and St Barthelemy . . 60 St Martin / Sint Maarten and Saba. 61 St Kitts and Nevis . . . . . . . . 62 Guadeloupe and Outer Islands . . . 63 Dominica and Martinique. . . . . . 64 St Lucia and St Vincent. . . . . . 65 The Grenadines . . . . . . . . . . 66 Mustigue and Canouan . . . . . . . 67 Mayreau and the Tobago Cays. . . . 68 Granada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Trinidad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 1 Log Entries Virgin Gorda Subject: Log 1/10/00 Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 21:15:56 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To : rudys03@ibm.net We are now well into January, 2000. As I am told, like most of the world, Boundless passed through the year change without a glitch. My computers are still up and running and it looks like all of my programs still function. So much for Y2K! It has been several weeks since my last log. We have passed through the holiday season and the new year but we are still in the Virgin Islands. Jaclyn, Stacy and her boyfriend Rob were all able to join us for Christmas. Stacy only had a week so she wasn't with us for the New Year. I actually think she was glad she only had a week to spend with us. She and Rob passed their time with us like troopers but I think they are both landlubbers at heart. We welcomed in the New Year in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, near The Bitter End. We had dinner and joined the party on Saba Rock. This used to be a beach bar with burgers and pizza. Now it is a full fledged resort. It uses every inch of a small island called Saba Rock. Just before midnight we went back to our boat. We had ringside seats to fireworks put on by the 3 cruise ships also in the harbor. The start of the fireworks was highlighted by all of the cruise ships blowing their horns along with anything else in the harbor that could make noise. These sounds along with the fireworks were impressive. We are meeting cruisers on the way and are keeping in contact with a few of them thru the SSB or e-mail. We exchange helpful hints on boating; where to go for BOAT PARTS AND REPAIRS, where are the best places to anchor, best spots to snorkel, and most important we exchange where the best restaurants are and recipes!! Stacy brought ten weeks of TV video tapes that we are slowly going thru. We invite other cruisers over to watch TV with us. It really is a treat when you haven't seen TV for three months!!(Did you know that one TV program is only 43 minutes long excluding commercials!! A little useless tidbit from Faith!) Jaclyn is leaving today (1/14) first for NY and then San Francisco. The past week she took surfing lessons. She is now a California Surfing Girl with USVI experience going back to find a job and then to go back to school and to learn to surf on the California waves. We now have a week before Tom, Phyllis, Dave and Lorrayn are joining us. Rudy and I are going to find a quiet spot to hide from some high winds heading our way and then do some work on the boat and go snorkeling. The sunrises and sunsets have not been as great as they are in the summer. However, the rainbows are gorgeous! We see one at least every other day. Sometimes they are doubled and one time they were tripled. This is a nice place to be! We are both very lucky to have the opportunity to make our voyage. We love you all! Calm seas and stay safe! ********** NOTICE: Mail to the sender of this message is via a (slow) radio link. Processed by Amateur Radio Station W4NPX, w4npx@sprynet.com using NetLink (c) 1996-99, W5EUT, KN6KB For Help - http://www.win-net.org British Virgin Islands Subject: Log February 1st, 2000 Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2000 07:15:46 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We have gone back and forth between the British and American Virgin Islands a few times and I have some favorite places I would like to share with you. My favorite snorkeling spot in the American Virgins is on St. John's. It is called Leinster Bay. When Jaclyn and I swam around Watermelon Cay in Leinster Bay we saw about 30-40 star fish and two sea turtles and fantastic soft coral. Jaclyn dove down and swam with the turtles as she did with a dolphin on Jost Van Dyke. When we took Tom and Phyllis Smith, Lorrayn Pickerell and David Manners we also walked to an abandoned sugar planation on a hill across from Watermelon Cay. Many of the buildings were still standing and the stone walls were awesome. My favorite snorkeling spot in the BVI's is the Indians off of Norman Island. As we went around an Indian, we saw hundreds and hundreds of fish dancing in the currents. Other places of interest were the Baths. We walked thru the maze of geological wonders of Huge Boulders at the Baths to the other side called Devil's Bay. At Bitter End, Virgin Gorda, we hiked up to the Biras Creek Resort to take in the view and to take a peek at how the rich people live!! After a week with the Poughkeepsie Crew we stopped at Cooper Island. Lorrayn treated all of us to a cottage by the sea. We haven't slept off our boat in months. It was a strange feeling not being rocked to sleep, but we managed!!! It was fantastic there!!! We had a great lunch, did some snorkeling, read by the beach and had a fantastic dinner. We all played cards and went to sleep. The next morning we met in the Gazebo for breakfast. What a wonderful ending to a fantastic week with friends!!! After finally clearing customs , we were off to St. Martin's on 1/31. Rudy went to watch the Super Bowl Game , so we left Virgin Gorda at 11 P.M. On our way Shawn and Jon on Sasse Too told us that St. Barth's was having Carnival and headed there instead. We made great time even though the seas were rough (6-8 feet coming from several directions) making it an uncomfortable passage. After a shower and some food, we invited Shawn and Jon to one of the movies Lorrayn had given us. The next day we walked thru town and ate at every French bakery we passed. Today the four of us rented a car and toured the whole Island, stopping at several beaches along the way for a swim and a walk on the beach. The coast is one of the most rugged Rudy and I have seen except Hawaii. It is so beautiful with the mountains and rock coming straight to the sea. Love to all ... Faith St. Barthelemy Subject: Log Feb.14, 2000 Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 19:16:04 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To : rudys03@ibm.net Rudy and I have been to St.Barth's and are still in St. Martin. We are still traveling with Shawn and Jon from Sasse Too. We are now in St. Martin and have visited a couple of beaches, a fort, shops and restaurants. St. Martin is a lot bigger place, but it is more crowded with more stores and is very touristy!!! Some of the beaches are beautiful and so are the hotels. The island does not seem as prosperous and it is not as well maintained as St. Barth's. The roads do seem a little wider though. The island is very interesting and more developed than the BVI. The hurricanes did significant damage with 120 boats sunk or put ashore during Lenny. The marine yards here are filled with all kinds of repair work going on. In many cases the owners are still living on their boats while doing the work themselves...on shore! The Cat owners have their shops right under the big space between the hulls. It also gives them a great place to hide from the rain. You occasionally see a sunken boat or one that has been abandoned on shore. Many buildings still show the effects of the hurricanes, but the damage has been cleaned up extremely well. We are catching up on our work and cleaning and getting ready for another push South. Saba will be our next stop if we can find good weather. Saba isn't much of an anchorage...not well protected.... but it is worth seeing if we get good weather. We are told that it is one of the best snorkeling places in the Caribbean and one of the most beautiful. Love to all... Faith and Rudy St. Martin Subject: Log Feb.16th Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 23:16:12 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Rudy and I received a car on St. Martin by listening to one of those Condo spiels. It was for two days and it wasn't even a Moke (a Moke is a Fred Flintstone Car except they throw in the brakes!.... and Rudy did feel like Dino because his head kept on hitting the cloth top) We drove to Orient Beach which was beautiful and had many activities such as para-sailing, jet skis, wind surfers, small sail boats, water skiing, gift shops, many bars and restaurants, some with steel bands and a nude beach. (Rudy wouldn't let me!!) It was the largest, prettiest and most entertaining beach on the island. We had to do some repair work on the boat which include Rudy going up to the top of the mast two times. He explained to me that I needed to hold on to a certain line or I could kill him....it was tempting!!! He got down twice safe and sound. He was also successful in repairing the instruments at the top. My HERO !!!! Today Feb. 16th, we will be leaving St. Martin's, Marigot Bay where they made the movie Speed 2. We were anchored just in front of the place where the cruise boat crashes into the town. Just for the movie they created a whole new waterfront including stores, hotels, restaurants, etc. where the villagers have their Market every day. Happy Faces....Faith Passage to Saba Subject: Log February 17 Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 11:15:54 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We finally got our act together and left St. Martin or Sint Maarten if you happen to be on the Dutch side of the island. We were ready at 7:00AM to go to the dock to get a fresh loaf of french bread for our lunch. When we returned to the boat we could see some squalls in the distance so we waited until they passed before we removed the dinghy outboard, placed it on the stern rail and hoisted the dinghy out of the water on the davits. We need to do this for passages to minimize stress and strain on the dinghy. It is a bit of a pain but in calm water it is not difficult. With the boat ready for a passage and the dinghy on board we left the harbor around 9:00 AM. We rounded the west end of the island and raised sails about 10:30. The winds were generally 10-15 out of the East with 4-6 ft. seas. This lasted most of the way to the island of Saba, about 25 miles South. We could see a substantial squall line but there was no way for us to avoid it. The winds picked up to 15-20 with gusts to 25 or 30 and seas of 6-8 ft. during the worst of the squalls. I think it was at its worst justbefore we passed to leeward of Saba at about 2:00 PM. Because the island gave us a bit of shelter we could easily lower the sails and get ready to pick up a mooring. There are only four moorings on the West side of Saba but they are free. We picked up a mooring and started to prepare to go into shore to clear customs and see what Saba was like. All in all it was a great sail! It hasn't been often that we can do a passage without the engine. We hit a max of 8 knots but averaged around 7 for the trip. It was a beam reach all the way. It did seem a little strange that there wasn't anybody else at these free moorings. It didn't take us long to figure out why. The winds came through the anchorage in gusts at about 15-25. There is also no protection from seas, just the island to the East of us. We did roll a bit and the winds gave us something to think about. We decided to wait until the next morning to try to lower the dinghy and mount the motor in the wind and rolling sea. Faith fixed a great dinner and another passage was under our belt. Saba Subject: Log Feb. 17th - Saba Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 23:16:08 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Today we went ashore to clear customer and immigration after I sunk the boat hook. It got tangled in the mooring and it was so windy the boat swung away from the mooring. I ended up with the rubber handle in my hand. As the First Mate, my job was to fabricate a new boat hook. I got the oar and my gravy spoon and duct tape and presto.... a new boat hook. I tried it and got the mooring on the first try!!! Of course THE CAPTAIN does a fantastic job of getting and staying right by the mooring!!! (Rudy demands to be called THE CAPTAIN!!!) We took a tour of the Island which looks like a forbidden land of long ago. It has a 3000 foot mountain with a rain forest on top. The whole island is very steep with few flat spots. The houses sit in almost impossible positions on the edges of the cliffs. There are no beaches except occasionally during the summer when the waves deposit some sand on the West shore, which may only last for several weeks. Before, the airport came, I was told that a woman went up and down 800 almost vertical steps to the shore to get the mail. There are also higher inclines to the rain forest. Saba is a small island. It was populated initially around 1640 due to a shipwreck. The population is mostly white and the towns have names like Windward, Bottom, Upper and The Promised Land. The land looks inhospitable but for 1521 people it is a place called home. There is also a medical school on the island. There isn't much to distract the students from their studies. We did have an excellent lunch though. The Saban people were told by their government and engineers in the Netherlands that it was impossible to build a road across the island. Joseph Hassel thought otherwise. He took a correspondence course in engineering and began building the "road that couldn't be built" in 1906. He worked with a rotating crew of 20 people for 20 years to complete the road. It is incredible to see.....the turns, the steeps and all of the digging, filling and support that was accomplished without any mechanized equipment. In addition, all of the stones/rocks and concrete had to be carried by hand. There were no cars on the island until 1947. The road has had almost no washouts or collapses even through the hurricanes of the last several years. Hurricane Lenny destroyed their only harbor. It literally tossed 15-20 ton boulders into their harbor from the breakwater on the outside. We spent 2 nights in the anchorage on the West coast. The moorings are free to encourage tourists....their only industry. The wind howled through the anchorage all the time we were there. It was rolly but we did get some sleep. The diving is supposed to be wonderful in the waters around Saba. It is a wonderful island to visit! If you want a quiet vacation this may be the place for you. St. Kitts and Nevis Subject: Log February 19 2000 Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 23:16:08 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Today we left Saba to make the trip to St. Kitts (St. Christopher). The weather forecast was for East to Northeast winds around 20 knots with a 6-8 ft sea. Everything was fine except that the winds were out of the East Southeast. With a Northeast wind we could sail but with the ESE wind all we did was motor with the staysail up for balance. It was almost 30 miles with the wind on our nose....almost 8 hours. In St. Kitts we opted for a marina as the anchorage, as was suggested in our cruising guide. It was a small marina in the middle of the main town on St. Kitts. The marina was recovering from significant damage sustained from the hurricanes this summer. There was almost nothing on the waterfront. The town was noisy and a little dirty. We took a tour around the island and found that most of the island was the same. There is a narrow gauge railroad to move sugarcane from the fields to the port. It is still in use but in dire need of repair. Sugarcane is no longer a cash crop. The government subsidizes what is grown to break even. Sugarcane is good for the island because it does hold the soil in place. We also stopped at an incredible Fort on top of a large hill. It is known as the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. It took 100 years to complete the Fort. Parts of it are restored and more will come in the future. On the second night the politicians held a rally right next to the marina. There was music, speeches, food, fireworks and noise till 4:00 AM. The speakers were so loud I am surprised you didn't hear them in Poughkeepsie! The fireworks were right over the marina. The wind was strong enough to blow the fallout just West of us. I literally opened my stern hatch and watched them explode directly overhead from my bed....at 12:00 AM. Modern technology is still a bit away from here. The fireworks were all timed and lit by hand....not even any music. They would light a fuse and duck! We stayed 2 days. I don't think we will return to St. Kitts. Our trip to Nevis was only a couple of hours in calm water....with the wind still on our nose....against the forecast again. We anchored along a white sand beach 3 miles long. It was quiet and nice. Nevis is a small island just South of St. Kitts. Significant destruction from the hurricanes is also evident. The Four Seasons Resort sustained enough damage to be closed for a full year while they rebuild. They are still using 9 holes of their golf course though. This island is populated by several large sugar cane estates that have been restored in grand manner. There are now hotels and resorts that offer fine quiet vacations a bit away from the sea. We stopped at most of these resorts on our tour of the island. They are beautiful and would be worthy of a week's stay for fine dining and accommodations. The island was less crowded than St. Kitts and better maintained. The taxi driver was even trying to encourage us to buy land and settle on Nevis. I think we would return to Nevis if it is on our route North next year or whenever. Here we also caught up with Shawn and Jon on Sasse Too. They left St. Martin a few days ahead of us. We have stayed in touch via Single Side Band(SSB), a long distance marine radio with worldwide communication capability. After our tour we met them at the beach bar and had a couple of the local specials together....stinger bees. They didn't hurt much but they did make our knees a little loose! Nevis to Guadeloupe. Subject: Log Feb. 21st, 2000 Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 11:16:07 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Once again the forecast was for East to Northeast winds moving to East Southeast. With Montserrat active volcano in between, it was about a 70 mile passage. Sasse Too was going to make the passage with us. We left the anchorage at 6:00 AM. We each put up one sail for balance as we left. When we got out of the lee of Nevis, Sasse Too put up their second sail and headed more South. We continued motor sailing with just the jib and were heading more East. I was going to go East of Montserrat and run down to Guadeloupe and they were trying to beat all the way to Guadeloupe going West of Montserrat....downwind. If there was any kind of activity with the volcano they were going to have a problem. The ash is not nice to any moving parts. My logic was excellent but absolutely wrong. They beat us to the anchorage by at least an hour AND they sailed most of the way! Montserrat was quiet and they only had a little ash fall onto their boat. They anchored in daylight. They did have to beat most of the way! When we finally rounded Montserrat and turned South. We were really flying. We were doing over 9 knots some of the time. The seas were even comfortable. We were catching up and if our progress continued we would beat them to Guadeloupe. Unfortunately a squall line came through just after we cleared Montserrat. The squall wasn't bad, but the winds on the other side were from the Southeast. We no longer had a reach, but wind on our nose for the direct course to the anchorage. On went the engine, we hauled in the sails and our speed was again down to 5-6 knots. That is how we were beaten to Guadeloupe. When we passed East of Montserrat we could see where the island has grown as a result of the most recent lava flows. They look like large sloping plains that start near mid mountain and travel all the way to the sea. There are islands of green in the middle of the flows and even some buildings. But I am sure that they are all abandoned today. The mountain is very active some days and quiet others. Everybody near by hopes that the worst is over and the mountain will gradually fall into many years of dormancy once again. I would like to stop there on our way North if the risk factor decreases some. Guadeloupe to Antigua Subject: Log 02/22/00 Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 11:16:07 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We finally had a forecast of East Southeast winds so we didn't stay in Guadeloupe long. In fact, we never even got off of the boat! We left at 8:00 AM the next morning for a trip North to Antigua. Going to Guadeloupe was a bit out of the way but going to Antigua first would have been another 12 hours or so going directly into the wind. We might have been able to get there from St. Barth's but then we would have missed all the islands in between. From Guadeloupe the usual Trade Winds would mean an easy sail. To Antigua we went. We left before Sasse Too. I at least wanted a head start so I could do what had to be done to stay ahead. Actually I did tell them we were leaving at 8:00 AM and they chose to leave a little later. It would be a beam reach for 37 miles to English Harbor, Antigua. The winds were supposed to be 10-15 with 4-6 ft. seas. The direction was right anyway! We had 15-25 knots steady all day with some BIG seas. I am sure some were in excess of 10 ft. All in all though it was a great sail! The engine got a rest and we averaged almost 8 knots sailing. I used the staysail and the main. If Jon did start to catch us I would have put up the big jib, but in winds over 20 it can be a big problem if anything happens. We didn't have to worry. Sasse Too put up all their sail and still couldn't catch us. At one point Faith was sunbathing on the aft cushion in the cockpit and got drenched by a wave. She really got soaked and she was very surprised. When we arrived at English Harbor we had the luxury of anchoring in the inner harbor in the last available spot. They had to stay outside. It was a little quieter by us, but they had clearer water. We also got there early enough to clear customs the day we arrived. It felt good to get even....... We spent several days in English Harbor. It is surrounded by Nelson's Dock Yard. Nelson's and the area around it are a National Park. There are tours going through here every day to see the restored facilities of a Dock Yard that was key to International Trade 200 to 300 years ago. The old buildings are still in use today. There are many boats from all over the world anchored and docked in English Harbor. There was even a boat from Salt Point, NY. Nobody was around to meet though. We had a great dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Faith had Black Pasta, colored by the ink of a squid, calamari. I had roast suckling pig. It was a great meal! I took a bus to the capital, St. John's, to get my computer fixed. Finding the problem was easy. Getting parts is another story.....maybe only ten days of waiting. St. Johns is a busy bustling city which seemed dirty and not very pretty. The interior of Antigua showed signs of being a poor island while the coast boasted many large private homes and resorts. Antigua was most recently an English island, but today it and Barbuda are an independent country. We left English Harbor on Saturday, 2/26. We went to the West coast to a place called Jolly Harbor. It is actually a Village/Marina/Condominium complex built around a series of canals dredged from mangroves. It was well protected and very quiet. Most of the shops were closed because it was near 5:00 P.M., but there did seem to be much to offer, including a casino. From there we continued along the West and North Coasts. We stayed in a bay called Jumby Bay on Long Island. The island is occupied by a luxury resort which looked great from the boat and it is surrounded by many coral reefs for snorkeling. The water was cloudy the day we were there so we didn't see much. The next day we headed back to the West Coast to a place called Deep Bay that looked nice and it is near St. Johns to do some provisioning. We are also planning to meet Jim Sutherland and Marilyn tomorrow, 2/29. They plan to be with us for a week or so to catch up on the warm weather that has been lacking in the Northeast this time of year. We are only 1650 miles from NY!!! Back to Guadeloupe Subject: Log 03/06/00 Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 19:16:01 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Jim Sutherland and Marilyn actually arrived ahead of schedule. They were waiting for us on the beach because the storm in the North Atlantic provided them with very high tail winds for their flight to Antigua. We all got a little wet fighting the dinghy through the surf...actually just a small wave surge...and made our way back to Boundless in Deep Harbor. It was a fairly active harbor with a lot of things going on. It was also a little rolly so we decided to spend their first night on board in Jolly Harbor. We had a great dinner on shore and their first night with us was in the quiet, flat waters of the harbor. The next morning (Wed. March 1st) we moved a couple of miles North to Five Islands Harbor. Just outside the entrance their are five small islands. There were several other boats anchored and room for hundreds more....it was a large harbor. There is nothing along the shore except several beaches and some rocks. We all explored one of the beaches and had a swim. Jim and Marilyn did some exploring on their own and must have run into a sand storm.....The dinghy had almost as much sand in it as the beaches!! The anchorage was quiet with a slight rock to sleep by. On Thursday March 2nd, we went South to English Harbor. This time we anchored in the outer harbor where we could swim and maybe even get a bit more breeze. The winds had been quiet most of the day and were projected to stay that way for most of the week! It was time for a passage! With the forecast of light East, Northeast winds and low seas the 42 mile trip to Guadeloupe should be a breeze. IT WAS!! We sailed almost the entire distance and averaged about 7 kts. The weather was near perfect for Marilyn's first passage. She did great! The only downside was exiting customs from Antigua. Faith and I breezed through, but Jim and Marilyn had to pay $20 each to get out of the country because they arrived by plane. This gave them the opportunity to look forward to another $20 each when they flew back from Guadeloupe and left for the US in only a few days. We arrived in Guadeloupe about mid afternoon. We didn't even try customs because they close before noon. Maybe they would be open tomorrow, Saturday, for us all to clear into the country. We hoisted our quarantine flag (yellow square) to let customs know we had arrived but hadn't cleared in. By rights we are "quarantined" and couldn't leave the boat until we had legally entered the country! Well, we were ready but customs was closed so we had our first meal on Guadeloupe. The island is entirely French with few English speaking people. We all weren't sure what we ordered but in the end we had another fine meal! We tried to go through customs the next morning but, as before, they were closed. We decided to start moving South once again. We also wanted to get some pictures of Boundless under full sail. We put Jim in the Dinghy with 2 cameras and sent him out of the harbor. The wind was 10-15 with no significant seas. Faith and I raised the sails and tried to look pretty from various places on the boat while Jim was zipping around trying to get everything right for some pictures. Not too difficult except that the wind shifted, the sun went behind the clouds and then the wind died. He took a bunch of pictures that we still haven't had the opportunity to develop. Our next stop was Pigeon Island, just South a couple of hours. We wanted to snorkel and maybe dive in Jacques Cousteau's National Underwater Park. We did snorkel in water with 60-70 ft of visibility and saw many neat rock formations and some sea life but not enough to justify a dive trip the next morning. We anchored in a fairly protected cove, had dinner and left for Basse Terre the next morning. It was only another couple of hours South. Maybe customs in Basse Terre would be open! We also wanted to arrive in Basse Terre in time to see the first parade of Carnival in Guadeloupe. It starts on Sunday and ends on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. We arrived early in Basse Terre but we did not feel secure about the anchorage or the local marina. By the time we had lunch and got ourselves situated it was well past the start of the parade. We tried to get a taxi into town but because of carnival, nothing was available and Customs was closed. Would we ever be legal aliens? We swam around the boat in crystal clear water. We started to scrub the bottom of the boat because it was accumulating some grass, barnacles and other assorted marine life. Faith prepared another great meal and we relaxed for the balance of the evening. On Monday morning, March 6, we left Basse Terre early in the morning for the 5-6 hour trip around the Southern tip of Guadeloupe to Pointe-A-Pitre. Guadeloupe is shaped like a butterfly. We have been traveling along the West coast, the outside of one wing. Now we were going to turn the corner and travel towards the center of the island, where the two wings come together. It was another day of light and variable winds with flat seas. It was comfortable but we did burn some fuel! We arrived in Pointe-A-Pitre around noon as planned. Getting into the harbor took a little real navigating as the digital charts I was using were significantly different than the real world. The system actually said that Boundless was traveling down a road to get to the local marina but since we didn't have a trailer I knew it was wrong. Guadeloupe Subject: Log March 7, 2000 Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 19:16:01 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We all decided to stay at the Marina at Pointe-A-Pitre for a couple of days at least so that Jim and Marilyn would have "real" shower facilities to get ready for their departure on Tuesday. We also rented a car so that we would be able to carry baggage without the threat of an unplanned swim or have the dinghy sink!! We called ahead to secure a spot in the Marina. The costs were about $.65/ft including unlimited water and electricity....one of the better deals so far. Except the power was 220v @ 50 cycles. ( We have 110v @ 60 cycles) Leave it to the French! We would dock bow in with no finger piers. We would need to climb over the bow rails and bow anchor to get on and off the boat....not too bad. Customs wasn't open and they would only be open for a few hours the next two days due to the holidays and Carnival. Would they ever let us into their country? The showers had nice stalls and unlimited COLD water. Needless to say, I am the only one who used them frequently. Faith opted for the showers on board with hot water. The toilets in the men's room had not been upgraded lately. While each was in a very nice clean secure stall they only consisted of a porcelain floor fitting over a drain with a place to put your feet. You can be sure few men do any reading during their daily constitutional. Not quite as expected, but not bad. We had lunch ashore and rented a car so that we could see how active Carnival was in town, see some high points of the island and still get Jim and Marilyn to their plane by 4:00 PM or so on Tuesday. The Carnival was not very exciting but we did have a great meal of French cheese, French bread, fruit, wine and other assorted drinks. Tuesday (March 7th), Customs was open! We all cleared in so Jim and Marilyn could clear out later that day. We never did catch Immigration so we still weren't legally in the country but we were getting closer. We had a French breakfast at a local patisserie and left for the chute de Carbet. The first of a series of 3 waterfalls along a path into the rain forest and up the side of the volcanic peak that created most of the island. We were told there was a pond at the bottom of the falls with clear water where we could swim and relax after our hike in. We thought we were told that the trip was 30 min. each way. After about 40 min. hiking uphill over wet muddy ground, over roots, rocks, pallets, logs, etc., we asked a person returning where the falls were. He told us it was another 30 minutes and more difficult. If we continued we would not be able to see the rest of the island or the volcano.....we turned around. It was great exercise, but who needs that much exercise? We drove to Basse Terre, had lunch and started up the mountain. It was almost 5000 ft. and many of the turns were almost 90 degrees!! Marilyn wanted to go back to the boat to get her medicine for motion sickness. It was quite a drive. The Renault Clio really strained to get the four of us and the luggage to the top of the volcano, but we made it. It was a beautiful trip. There were many steam vents near the peak. The colors of various minerals were evident. The peak was not shrouded in clouds so we had magnificent views and it was cool over 4000 ft. Because of time we couldn't climb to the peak....actually, we could hardly move from the earlier hike to nowhere! We walked around and took a few pictures. Maybe by summer we'll be able to get some pictures onto the Web Site. From there we continued around the island heading back to the airport. We considered staying for a while to see the start of the largest and most elaborate Carnival parade that was scheduled for 3:00 PM, but decided the risk was too high. Maybe we could catch the end of the parade in Pointe-A-Pitre! We said good bye to Jim and Marilyn after a great week. They were going back to Antigua to relax for a day, maybe do a dive and get ready to return to the real world. We returned to the Marina and asked Jon and Shawn of Sasse Too if they would like to go with us to see the end of the parade...it was now after 5:00 PM and the parade was scheduled to start at 3:00 PM. We drove into town and couldn't find a place to park. We eventually parked in the middle of a wide street with many other cars straddling the center line. It looked like everybody was still waiting for the parade...how could that be? Well, 3:00 o'clock island time is not very specific. The parade actually started close to 6:00 o'clock. We didn't miss a thing! It was a wonderful experience. We are not sure how the groups were organized, but they were all large groups with piles of energy! The group's costumes were all hand made with a central theme, but each was unique. Each group started with a banner or flag that said who they were. These were usually carried by young men and women that played to the crowd and set the stage for the balance of the group. Next came the kids, some as young as 3! They would dance and sing just like their parents and older siblings. Next came the teenage girls and progressively older women. They danced and gyrated to the rhythms created by the teenage boys and men. Unlike most of the other islands there were no steel drums. Instead there were other kinds of drums.... tomtoms, snare drums, Clorox bottles, cow bells, garbage cans, and almost anything else that would allow the user to keep a rhythm. The were also many castanets and gourds filled with beans that helped create the excitement of the beat! There were various kinds of brass instruments to carry a tune as well as sea shells and other implements to aid the overall effect. It was really exciting! The sound was deafening, but we loved it! You couldn't sit still, you had to move! The beat was fast and contagious. The energy was incredible and they kept going for hours! There were also what seemed like rogue groups that followed their own route, weaving in and out of the normal parade, but with equal energy and excitement. These groups were generally a little smaller, but they seemed to have no less pride in their statement! The parade seemed very unorganized from what we were used to, but was absolutely normal for Guadeloupe. The groups would stop at various places to do special routines and just have fun. It seemed each group had a leader that would run back and forth to keep everybody on the same song, watch that they didn't crowd the group in front, maintain a level of safety while rounding corners with large holes, getting around crowds or things in the road. Another unusual sight was bull whips. If you were a teenage boy you had to have one. Those that didn't have them clearly wanted one. Some of the groups had 15 to 20 teenagers with these whips leading the group. The snaps were loud and frequent. There was always competition amongst the teenagers with the younger boys trying to snap their whips as loud and hard as the bigger and stronger boys. I was absolutely amazed that nobody was injured or hurt by the frequent use of these whips. It seemed as though any open space had one or several young men testing their prowess with a whip. We are not sure if this is something new or something that has been carried down from long ago, but it certainly was unusual and unexpected. Some of these groups marched for over 4 hours! They completed the normal route and continued on their own still frequently stopping with special routines, songs, dances and just to have fun. Everybody was involved and everybody had fun! What an experience! Guadeloupe Subject: Log 03/08/00 Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 19:16:01 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net The first thing we did today (Wednesday, March 8th) was to go back to the chute de Carbet to try an easier route that we were told about. Well, the easier route was to the second falls which was smaller and you couldn't swim there. Faith and I decided we had to see the falls we almost saw yesterday! We drove a little deeper into the rain forest to start our hike. We found the point we stopped the previous day and timed the additional hike. It took us about another 15 min. to get to the falls. It wasn't even more difficult! The problem was that we were at the top of the falls and needless to say, the pond and swimming is better at the bottom! It was almost straight down! It took us another 20 min. to climb down to the bottom AND it was more difficult! They were neat and the swim certainly was refreshing after our hike and climb. We took the obligatory pictures, I'll certainly send one to Jim, and rested for our climb and hike out. The return trip was quicker, but we had a light rain for most of the trip. Footing was getting treacherous as we exited the rain forest. One family had pulled leaves off of trees that were big enough for umbrellas. They looked funny, but they were dry! We had lunch at a small restaurant near the start of the hike and made our way back to the boat. Jon and Shawn were going to join us for yet another parade. It was the Black and White Parade that signified sorrow on Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. At the last minute Shawn decided to rest and relax rather than join the crowds and walk around town for several hours. Faith, Jon and I drove into town to try and find a parking place near the center of activity where we might catch the parade. We found a spot just a few feet off of the main square. Faith suggested that we have something to eat in a small restaurant on the square. We sat down with a drink and some snacks. We heard the sounds of drums and singing coming towards us. We must have been in the staging area for the parade! Actually, we had front row seats to a show that was as exciting and entertaining as the previous day! We never got more than 100 ft. from our car and we had seats with nobody in front of us! We sat there for a few hours as the groups passed by in different costumes, but the same energy and excitement as before. The boys with whips were there and each group was organized the same as yesterday. There were rogue groups that came from all directions and another good time was had by all! There was one difference. A tractor was pulling a flatbed trailer that was filled by a band. There were speakers pointing forwards that could be heard for blocks and the back had no less than 12 large PA speakers that made the world shake! The beat and energy was the same only MUCH louder. Behind this it seemed that every person on the island was following, singing and dancing. What a site! These groups were circling the town. The costumes were more simple. The colors were more subdued. Everything else was the same. Carnival on Guadeloupe was a hit! Now it's back to the boat to catch up on maintenance and cleaning. Guadeloupe Subject: Log 3/9/00 to 3/23/00 Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 19:15:49 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Today Rudy and I worked on the boat...I washed it and Rudy repaired it. Shawn (from Sasse Too) and I walked to a Food Store which was about a mile away. It is amazing how something like finding a good food store is so exciting!! But it is!!! When you can actually get items that you have been searching for for weeks, it is like a 5 year old in a candy store. Shawn and I took so long exploring the shelves, it was dark before we left. We had to walk along the highway to the dinghy and then to our boats all in the dark. We found Jon and Rudy drinking wine and decided to join them. We pulled out from our found purchases a couple of cheeses, bread, salami and of course some French wine...A FEAST... by all of French Standards!! Another exciting task is finding a laundry...Well in Pointe-a-Pitre there was one and better yet..one that did the laundry and folded it too!! What a treat. This Marina also had a car rental, boat store, bakeries, hair salon, post office, a bank, toilets, showers, garbage cans, restaurants and an aquarium.... All in walking distance!! Rudy andI were happy we had to wait for two weeks in such a convenient spot. (waiting for the computer to be repaired and waiting for the winds to abate was a large part of the reason!!!!) On March 16th, we decided to rent a car to pick up the computer that IBM France repaired for Rudy. This also gave us the freedom to see more of Guadeloupe and do some shopping. As we approached the bridge to get to the town, the cars were in a dead stop. (we had at least some entertainment with all the cows grazing along the road...sometimes you see goats, chickens and an occasional pig or two...no need for lawn mowers!!!) A half an hour later we saw a Protest March coming down the opposite side. Then the buses that had stopped our path went off the road and we finally were on our way! Later that day we went to the Aquarium. It was small by American measure, but fascinating. It had different kinds of coral and fish (sea horse, sucker fish, nurse sharks, etc.) On March 19th, we sailed to Gosier about 3 miles away. Rudy and I took the dinghy and walked around the lighthouse island. I swam back. The next day we went to an island called Marie Galante and arrived in St. Louis. After we traveled to Grand Bourg on Marie Galante, we decided not to anchor there and traveled to Isles Des Saintes instead. This is an picturesque village with red roof houses and Caribbean buildings many of which balconies. They welcome hundreds of tourists each day that come on high speed ferries. There are many boutiques and restaurants which are a tourist delight! IT DELIGHTED ME TOO!!! On March 22rd, we left Bourg Des Saintes and traveled around the corner to Anse-a-Cointre to snorkel. It wasn't as pretty as the guide portrayed, but it was a great swim. We went across to anchor at Ilet-a-Cabrit and had a very quiet night. The next morning, we motor sailed to Dominica. As we entered the Roseau Anchorage, we were met by a Boat Boy. He helped us with our mooing lines. He also ran a taxi service and we were able to go to customs and clear in and out the same day. Tomorrow we plan to tour the island and leave the next day. Love to all.... Faith Isles de Saints to Dominica Subject: Log 03/24/00 Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 17:16:04 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net So far all of our passages since we left Guadeloupe have been in light and variable conditions.....no seas but also no wind. This wasn't any different. We had over 40 miles (8+hrs) to go with our engine one more time. The trades, Easterly winds, were supposed to start again sometime during the day. We left around 7:00 AM so that we might get to customs before they closed. The trip was uneventful...we did buck a slight current so we took a little longer than expected, but we did make customs before they closed. We have been fishing for the last few passages with no luck. Maybe one of these days we'll catch something. As we approached our intended anchorage we were met a couple of miles off shore by boat boys. On some of the islands there are people that make a living assisting/selling services to cruisers. We wanted to anchor off of a specific hotel and our guide suggested that we use a person from the hotel instead of the local boat boys. We communicated this to these two guys in what we would consider a poor looking row boat with a motor. They had a gas tank that was a plastic container in the middle of the boat....but it ran well. They understood , but also followed us to the hotel. We called the hotel and got no answer....we used the boat boys. They lead us to a mooring for $5 per night and provided us a taxi ride to and from customs for another $10. The "taxi" was in poor shape as were many cars we saw. There was a short in the radio which couldn't be turned off. There were holes in all the seats. No door handles or window handles, etc., etc. The boat boys are required are because 200' off shore the water is over 200' deep! This makes anchoring a challenge. We had two choices. We could take a mooring, which we did, or we could anchor with the help of our boat boys. To anchor we would let out about 100' of chain and start backing towards shore. The anchor will eventually catch and hold. Then you give a boat boy a long line with one end attached to your boat. He takes the other end to shore and ties it to a tree or other strong object. This then keeps the boat pointed directly off shore, into the waves. We did not have this benefit as we had a single line to a mooring. The waves weren't large or violent. They were rollers though. The boat would usually orient itself broadside to these rollers. As you can guess it was not very comfortable. The boat did roll quite a lot, but we had been in worse anchorages so we did get some sleep. If we had a stern line to shore we would have stayed perpendicular to these waves....much more comfortable. There are no real harbors on the island of Dominica. Therefore there are no anchorages that offer good protection and quiet nights. The rollers always seem to be there even on the leeward side of the island. It was a challenge for the boat boys to beach their boat and tie the lines on shore. The surge from these waves was significant. We would not have tried to anchor by ourselves. We did however, see another boat manage to do this. They had 5 people on board. Because of the anchorage we didn't want to spend more than two nights on Dominica. We reserved a rental car for early the next morning. This would be exciting....they drive on the left side of the road and the roads we had seen looked dangerous. Remembering to stay to the left was hard enough with many turns and traffic circles, but the roads are what really created a challenge. More than once we had to back up along a very steep drop off with no guard rail because the road wasn't wide enough for two cars to pass. They were also very poor with many holes, rocks, loose dirt, etc. Most roads also had a drainage ditch that was 2' deep with vertical sides. Since there was nothing between the road and this ditch, the penalty for cutting a corner or putting your tire over the edge of the road was severe. The roads were no wider with these ditches. The island is also very mountainous with rough ragged hills so there weren't many flat or straight roads. There also weren't any signs.....this was probably to force you into using a local tour operator instead of driving yourself. We did survive, but it was a hard day.....we thought we would have a chance to relax a bit! We made a wrong turn to our first destination and ended up following a lady driving a tour van. She eventually took us under her wing as she quickly figured out that we had no idea where we were going or what to see. We followed her to the hot sulfur springs...bubbling and smelly! Boiling water.....bubbling and smelly under water! Cascading water....a small water fall where a cattle path was full of other tourists and we had to fight off the tour guides who didn't want us to walk 1/4 mile without a guide. We said we were with our tour lady. She even stopped us on a road to point out a species of red bananas growing near the road....don't forget, she was doing this from her tour van full of paying customers! She was very nice to us! We left her and tried to make our own way to the Emerald Pool. We got lost, but eventually got there.... well behind our tour lady. We walked down another cattle path to view a small pond at the bottom of a small gorge with a small waterfall feeding it. There were people swimming but we decided to take a picture and leave. All of these attractions were well attended because there was a large cruise ship near where we anchored and there weren't many places for all these people to go! When we got lost people were very friendly and tried to help as best they could. Even our tour lady told us to be careful because the roads were very steep, with many turns and in bad condition. The island is poor but again the people were great! When we left the Emerald Pool we drove around the entire island. The coast had some incredible sights and the huts/houses/homes of the natives were very interesting. Although many didn't have much they cared about what they had. The flowers were gorgeous and the vegetation was lush. There are rain forests in the mountains as on most of the islands and the West coast is dry and brown and the East coast wet and green. Dominica was fun, but we probably won't stop on our way back. Dominica to Martinique Subject: Log 3/26/00 Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 17:16:04 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Another 40 miles and no wind. Actually the wind did pick up with 2 hrs left of the passage.....we didn't even bother to put up the sails. We were catching up with our friends on Sasse Too in Fort de France. We passed the harbor of St. Pierre. This is the town that was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Pelee on May 8, 1902. In 3 minutes 30,000 people died as a result of hot gasses and steam. Two people survived. One was in jail with thick walls underground and the other was in a basement. The criminal eventually joined a circus side show where his extensive burn scars were on display. The harbor at Fort de France has some protection, but a lot of activity. The ferry boats cause roll during the day and some nights there is roll in the harbor.....less than Dominica but still uncomfortable at times. We explored the town, actually a city, and rented a car for a day. I stopped in the local marine store to see if they had the batteries I have been looking for since Antigua. One of my large 12v batteries lost a cell. This caused our house battery bank to become very inefficient. We would loose voltage quickly and require charging twice a day in some cases. We were managing. The marine store said he didn't think they had batteries that large on the island, but I should try an Auto parts store a few miles outside of town. Just down the street I passed a store that sold batteries, guns, sling shots, bow and arrows, martial arts things, etc. I checked just for the hell of it. They had what I needed!! To make a long story short, I purchased eight 6Volt golf cart batteries and installed them. This gave me 840Amps of capacity which I'm sure doesn't mean much to some of you, but it doubles the capacity we have been living with since we left New York! What a luxury!! Now I can go a few days without a worry of running the batteries down too low! We can leave lights on and even be a bit frivolous!! Our first tour of Martinique took us through the mountains. It was great to drive on the right side of the road again. The roads are generally in good shape and they are generally big enough for two cars. There still isn't more than ten feet of straight road, but driving is easier on the driver and the passengers! We visited the museum at St. Pierre that chronologicalled the disaster. They had many artifacts that were melted and burned as well as many pictures that showed the actual devastation. There was increasing activity for several weeks with many deaths prior to May 8, 1902, but nobody wanted to evacuate the entire city. The ruins are very visible and many of the buildings of today use pieces of walls that remained after the eruption. We stopped at a rum distillery and a botanical garden. The garden was fantastic! It was on the edge of the rain forest in the mountains. It took 20 years to construct with continuous planting and rebuilding with over 200 different plants. The exotic plants we sometimes see in the US are displayed in their natural settings along meandering paths on the side of a hill. It was well worth a stop! We had dropped our friends, Jon and Shawn, at the end of the road where they were to start their hike to the top of Mt. Pelee. Their hike took them over 5 hrs. It was very steep, but they did say it was worth it. I'll look at their pictures when they get developed. On the way back to our boats we stopped at a large supermarket...it was GREAT!! It is a real treat to get GOOD fruit and vegetables that we recognize. We were also able to find many product brands that were familiar to us in the US. The prices were a bit higher, but we weren't complaining. We do intend to take another car tour of the island and we WILL stop at the supermarket again. The island is more affluent and the people do have better living conditions than many of the other islands. We will stop at Martinique on our way back! Martinique Subject: Log 4/3/00 -4/7/00 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 09:15:56 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net Today we left Anse Mitan and traveled to Anse Noir. We dropped anchor and jumped in to snorkel. We saw some interesting things: a white sea snake with black spots (looked like a Dalmatian), a jelly fish (clear gelatin with 4 black eyes the size of a dime),a skate, an octopus (Rudy saw him under a rock on the bottom), a flounder, a blow fish and many, many small fish as though this was their spawning ground. After we got out to have some lunch on board, we traveled to Grand Anse D' Arlet to anchor for the night. Rudy and I walked along the waterfront to see the village and to make a phone call. (that is the thing I miss most.. to be able to receive phone messages!!!) We rolled a bit during the night but not too bad. The next day we traveled to Petite Anse D'Arlet, a very photogenic village with brightly colored houses and a Church on the waterfront. Rudy and I walked along the well built promenade that follows the waterfront. After buying some fruits and vegetables, we traveled to St. Anne. St. Anne has beautiful white buildings, a Church and a white shrine with a winding path straight up a steep hill. Rudy and I watched one of the most beautiful sunsets and then went to dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Les Tamariniers and I had the most delicious fish with vanilla sauce. (on the French islands, you don't have to tip...it is included. It makes it a lot easier especially after drinking their delicious wine!!!) We also called both Stacy and Jaclyn and found out that my April Fool's joke worked!!! (you'll have to ask them!!) The next day I walked up to the shrine and at every turn there was a station of the cross..all in white marble. At the top was the enclosed shrine with an altar. The view from the top was beautiful!!! On April 6th, we went to Miran in the fog?!! That is the first time we encountered that in the Caribbean. We went to the Marina and took a Med mooring ( they squeeze you between boats using a mooring to tie your bow or stern and then tie the other end of your boat to the dock. They can fit many more boats that way and no pilings or finger docks to deal with!!) On April 7th we did our car rental thing! We went for breakfast in Le Diamant. ( a mile off shore there is a huge pinnacle of rock a few hundred feet high they call Diamond Rock that was actually commissioned as a British War ship at one time.) There we had some of the best pastries ( four) we have had so far!! Then on towards Fort de France where we stopped in the Planation where Josephine(Napoleon's wife) lived and also saw a beautiful park with fantastic gardens and a golf course that you wouldn't mind waiting for someone like me to finish my hole. We then traveled across the island to the east coast and stopped in Le Francois for lunch. (fresh fish just off the boat) We stopped at several villages along the east coast while we headed north seeing pineapple fields, sugar cane fields and fields and fields of bananas. So many banana fields it reminded me of corn fields in the midwest. They put blue bags around the growing bananas to keep away bugs, holes for air and why blue you ask?...I did , it was for the right amount of sunlight filtering in to ripen the bananas. Then we crossed the island again to go to the west side and stopped at Le Carbet to visit Anse La touche Estate a sugar plantation that was in the process of being restored. It was destroyed by Pelee and became many things over the last hundred years. It is now a butterfly habitat and a beautiful garden with many trees along with a tree that survived Pelee. There is a greenhouse which was made for the purpose of making the butterflies a happy home. Then on to the Food store to do some provisioning before we get to the English Islands. (We will both miss the French Food!!! No one makes better bread!!!) St. Lucia Subject: Log 04/16/00 Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 01:15:48 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We are now on the Island of St. Lucia. It is independent but was once an English Island. The predominant language is English...of sorts...and the currency is the EC for Eastern Caribbean. This currency is used in most of the non-French islands. It is about $2.60 EC to $1 US. They also drive on the left side of the road....we take our lives in our hands every time we step off a curb and look the wrong way. We are staying at a marina to get some cleaning and primping done as well as watch some TV....they have US cable! We can't use the power because it is 220v, 50 cycle, but we do enjoy bathrooms with real sit down toilets WITH SEATS! The showers even have Hot and Cold water! What a treat! We are oriented in the correct direction while at dock so we get a great breeze to keep the boat cool and make sleeping comfortable. Faith is right now enjoying the pool at a local restaurant. The harbor is a little dirty for swimming, but it is well protected and we literally don't feel the 25-35 knot breezes. The breeze is due to a large high off of the US. It sure makes the wind generator effective! The passage to St Lucia was a little over 21 miles. It was blowing 15 to 25 knots with 6-8' seas. Not too bad for a short passage. We did sail the whole way. It has been a while since we have done that! It took us about 3 « hrs. with no problems. We have the length of St. Lucia and another 20+ miles to St. Vincent, our next stop. In Martinique I was able to find the parts I needed to fix our generator. There aren't many Westerbeke dealers down here but we always seem to find the parts we need to fix whatever breaks. Here we are concentrating on woodwork. The Rodney Bay Marina is pretty neat. Staying here is easy because of the language and almost everything we need is on or near the dock. There are busses to most of the island for less than $1. We went to the movies by dinghy the other night. Many of the boats that have stopped here are returning from a circumnavigation. One boat has taken 11 years and some as little as 14 months. In all cases though they rave about their accomplishment and what they have seen and done. I still don't know if we are up to that.....we'll see. We haven't seen much of the island yet, but we have plenty of time. St. Lucia - St.Vincent Subject: Log April 23rd to May 3rd Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 23:15:54 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net On Easter Sunday, we went to a Baptist Church with Judy and Bob from Hornblower II. The Minister met us at the door and since we were early, invited us to join their adult Sunday school session. Later in the service, he introduced us to the congregation and welcomed us to the church and St. Lucia. After the service, we asked where the buses were located. A woman stopped a taxi and we were told that he would bring us back to the marina as his guests (it would have normally been $15-$20 US). The taxi driver was very happy he could do this for us and told us how a missionary coming to St. Lucia about 20 years ago, saved him from his evil ways!!! While Luis was putting 14 coats of varnish on our teak in Rodney Bay St. Lucia, we took walks and swam in a pool owned by a restaurant that was on the other side of our dock!! We also did our car rental"thing" ..this time for two days!!! The first day he had to get an international car license ($20 US). Then we went to an IBM facility to get our computer diagnosed. Rudy was right...the hard drive crashed!!! Thank goodness we had a back-up. After that stop, we went south to the Ladera Estate for lunch and had a breathtaking view straight down the valley between the Pitons (twin mountains). It really was one of the most spectacular views in the Caribbean. We then continued south to the end of the island and then up the east coast. About half way up the east coast is an estate called the Mamiku Gardens. It had a very interesting landscape and view. They were excavating the top of the hill for artifacts from a battle that was fought there between the Carbis (cannibal Indians)and the English. After returning home, we ate at a Thai Restaurant which was very good! The next day we drove to Soufriere (means sulfur in French). We stopped at a restaurant for lunch. After they called the cook, we waited another hour for him to prepare the meal. While we waited, his 6th grade son came over to talk to us. He was very charming. He told us he would like to be a professional soccer player or a taxi cab driver like his father when he grows up.(The career opportunities are significantly limited on most of these islands.) We then traveled to Morne Coubaril Estate which is an 18th Century working farm. We learned how cocoa, copra for coconut oil, tapioca, and sugar is made from various plants and the many, many products that are made from the coconut tree. We then went to a Drive-In or Drive-thru Volcano and experience seeing many sulphur springs. I dipped in a stream from these springs because they say that they make you younger and cure just about everything!!! From there we went to the Botanical Gardens and saw the Diamond Waterfalls. The next day we put the boat together since they finished varnishing. It took ALL DAY!!! That night we rested at a restaurant and watched the Miss Common Wealth Fashion Show!! On April 30th, we left Rodney Bay and went to Soufriere by boat this time. The boat boys came out to met us and put us on the last mooring ball. It happened to be a huge steel ball. When the wind died down, our mooring ball did not move so our bow hit into it and the mooring ball behind us did move right into our stern with a 45 foot Sailing Vessel attached!!! So all of May St. from 12 a.m. on, Rudy and I were on watch fending off the boat behind us. In the morning at around 6:00 AM, two other boats left the cove and we and the other boat moved to more appropriate moorings. Rudy and I went back to sleep. I woke up in time to go to my birthday massage at the Hilton Hotel and a great lunch that Rudy provided for me. That night we went out to eat at the most bountiful Italian Buffet Rudy and I have ever experienced!! We ate for two and a half hours. We stayed another day and snorkeled. On May 3rd we decided to sail to St. Vincent's. We enjoyed almost 3 weeks in St. Lucia! We will stop there again! St. Vincent Subject: LOG May 5th-May 13th Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 17:16:11 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We were ready to continue our journey South! We said good bye to St. Lucia and headed for St. Vincent. We had about 8 hours. of about 15 knots of wind and 6-8 foot seas. As we approached the tip of St. Vincent we were cautious because of reports of high winds around the tip of the island. They didn't exist but we did run into a squall which caught our attention with gusts to over 25. From there our trip to our destination, the harbor of Wallilabou Bay was smooth and calm in the lee of the island. We could see a small row boat a few miles from land as we approached the harbor. This was to be our boat boy! He positioned himself so that we would need to pass reasonably close to him to get into the harbor. He started a conversation as he rowed fast enough to keep up with our normal cruising speed of 5-6kts. Needless to say he was good and in good shape. The boat was sleek but the oars were hand made and they looked thin. I think the men fight for first contact so that they can claim you as their customer unless we were looking for a specific boat boy...we were not so we had a boat boy who could row a boat as fast as we could sail! As in Dominica the water was very deep close to shore. We let out about 100ft of chain and backed towards shore. Our boat boy giving directions as we went. When the anchor finally caught he took a line from our stern and tied it to a palm tree. Faith and I both got into his row boat for a trip to shore to clear Customs. It was a little unstable with a lot of water in the bottom with live fish swimming around.....these were his bait for fishing while he was waiting for his next customer several miles off shore! When he took us back to our boat we ordered some ice and bread for delivery in the morning. The ice turned out to be several plastic bags filled with water and frozen. We were surprised at first, but after some thought we decided that this was a solution for us to make our own ice.....I'll let you know how it turns out! The bread was several small loaves that were good. The next morning our boat boy...This was HIS JOB!!....released our line after delivering our bread and ice and we were off once again. We had planned to stop at a couple of other harbors on the West shore of St. Vincent, but after several discussions we decided we would head straight for Bequia. Bequia is a small island with a few hundred residents. It is one of the few islands that still does some whaling...2 per year allowed! Some of the residents are known as excellent model boat builders. They build replicas of older vessels as well as commissions from cruisers for working or display models of their boats. The island is totally dependent on the yachtsmen of the world that stop in their great harbor. There are good restaurants and many bars that cater to the transient traveler. It takes a couple of hours for a taxi tour of the island if you stop and enjoy all of the high points! We even saw a model yacht race. These were large models of sailing sloops that raced around the tip of the Island into current and wind. Each model had a chase boat with a motor and several people. These model boats were not radio controlled. To change direction it was necessary for a person from the chase boat to get close enough to reach out and turn the rudder and adjust the sails. In most cases somebody jumped into the water, caught the boat and made the appropriate adjustments. The race was not short and it took place in the real ocean! It was neat to see how the locals enjoyed the competition. This island also started a very social week for us. We had cocktails on a different boat every night. One was an Oyster 55, Ostrika, owned by Elliot and Marion from London...what a boat! Another was Feisty, a 53ft Trintella owned by Mel and Jackie from Scarsdale...another beautiful boat. Another was Impulse, a duplicate of ours from Philadelphia.....and on it went. We had lunch and/or dinner out every day. We walked around the island and swam at the local beaches. It was great! On Monday, 5/8, we had an excellent Italian lunch at a restaurant on the water. We decided to reserve a table for dinner later in the week. The owner/chef said that he would make a special meal for us and three other couples from other boats...Ostrica, Feisty and Sasse Too. The owner, Maurice, went diving in the afternoon to get us some fresh fish for Sashimi and baked fish. He also made us a couple of Pizzas and four different pastas! It was excellent! We had Happy Hour one night at the Whaleboner. About ten other boats joined the fun. One, Avemar we met at the SSCA gathering in Maine last summer and joined them in Annapolis for cocktails at their yacht club just before we left the Chesapeake. We saw them in the USVI and the BVI as well. We packed a lot in to a short stay on a nice Island. The people were great and the island was fun! Mustique-Canoun-Mayreau-Tobago Cays Subject: May 13th- May 18th Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 01:16:00 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net One significant thing we accomplished while in the harbor at Bequia was to get our Ham E-mail system working again. For some reason we ceased having the ability to receive and send E-mail. This lasted for about 9 days. We tried everything including reloading the Software and adjusting all kinds of parameters for sending E-mail via radio. All of a sudden one morning it worked again and hasn't stopped since. Without E-mail we really do feel out of touch! We hope whatever caused the problem is gone forever! Back to our trip! The trip to Mustique was under 2 hours. The seas were a little confused at 4 to 6 ft. with a couple of eight footers to keep you awake. It is now onto Mustique! This is truly a fantasy island. It is primarily owned by the "Rich and Famous" of the world. Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfigger, Princess Margaret, etc, etc. Each estate has a name like Shogun, Calliloo, or Windswept. There are a couple of boutiques and restaurants with a small harbor that is not well protected, but does have expensive moorings and the water is crystal clear. Most of the homes/estates are for rent while their owners are away. There are a few with 2 or 3 bedrooms and one that has 9 with many more in between. In many cases these bedrooms are in separate guest houses so it is very practical for several families to get together and rent a larger estate. The prices start at about $2000 per week and go as high as $25,000 per week for the largest estate. Each comes with cook and servants. You purchase the food, but they prepare and serve. Most of the people that work on the island are imported from surrounding islands. It is pretty, well maintained, and quiet. The restaurants tend towards the expensive. If you like island life this may be the place for you! We decided to spend only one night at Mustique. Our next stop was Canouan. This island has a reasonable harbor with a good anchorage. It is small and we didn't even venture much beyond the Tamirand Bay Hotel right on the harbor. We had a good pizza with a nice pumpkin soup to start. The Prime Minister of these islands, a couple of Senators, the owner of the hotel and some lady friends were seated a couple of tables away. Yesterday we were among the "rich and famous" and today it's politicians! Our next stop was Mayreau. Only an hour away! This is a small island with a couple of hundred residents. The harbor is nice. We hiked over the hill to the main town to have a drink. We stopped by the church and school at the top of the hill for a magnificent view of all the surrounding islands and our next few island stops! Another hour and we're in the Tobago Cays. This is a series of several small islands surrounded by reefs with no permanent residents. The anchorage is protected by the reefs in 10-12 ft. of crystal clear water. The big draw here is the amazing reefs where you can spend days exploring the never ending coral gardens inhabited by schools of brightly colored fish. We saw snake eels and even a shark! We'll stay here for several days. There are plenty of people from the local islands that will bring us vegetables, bread, ice, fruit or almost anything we want. The dress code out here in the middle of nowhere is lacking in some cases. The Europeans do their thing. Others are less inhibited and some boats come out here just to party! One such boat was named "In Excess"...they certainly weren't talking about clothing. We are still developing our own cruising style and it still consists of clothes most of the time on deck. We had dinner last night on Feisty, previously mentioned, with another couple from Chance which is a 43ft. Shannon. A nice cruising boat. Kristen and Craig have a combined age of about 75 and THEY ARE RETIRED!! She started and grew her own business of selling and delivering executive aircraft after receiving her pilots license for jet aircraft right out of college. She was the basis of an article in Entrepreneur magazine because she was a millionaire and retired by 34. Her husband hit it big as a stock broker. After they cruise for a while, they plan to stay on land to start raising a family! They will be leaving here in a few days for Bonfire. From there they plan to go the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Azores and Spain. Not bad! We'll spend another couple of days here snorkeling and just hanging out. All is well! Tobago Cays To: rudys03@ibm.net X-Type: Email; Outmail Subject: LOG May 17th-May29th Snorkeling in the Tobago Cays is like entering an underwater Disney World. With every twist and turn we took, we saw many different species of coral and fish. The water on the inside reef is about 5-7 feet deep with sandy spots in case you want to stand and rest for a while. I have seen more different species of fish and coral than all my experience in snorkeling!!!! The coral does reach the surface in spots so you have to choose and pick your way. The gardens of coral look as if an artist and a landscaper got together to make this magical underwater world. On the outside of the reef, you see schools of fish with hundreds of fish dancing as in a ballet....all shapes and colors. I guess you can tell I liked this area!!!! Rudy, Craig and Kristen (from Chance) dove one day and I snorkeled. We saw a turtle and a couple of barracudas as well. The next four days was much of the same. One day Rudy spotted two nurse sharks...one about 4 feet and the other about 7 feet. Even though you know they are harmless, it is a little intimidating when they are swimming two feet away from you!!! On Saturday after Snorkeling again, we went to Palm Island. We called the doctor we met on Martinique, the one who we gave our two batteries to, and he came to pick us up in his electric golf cart. He gave us a private tour of this small island and showed us all the improvements he helped foster since he left France about 4 years ago. Then he took us to his house and showed us his paintings. Rudy and I were very impressed with his paintings of underwater fish and coral. He had them all over his house....every where. The smallest were 30x60 inches to the largest of mural size. The next day was Stacy's Birthday and I had the pleasure of waking her up so Rudy and I could sing "Happy Birthday" to her. We were awake early because the anchorage at Palm Island is not well protected so there was a bit of a roll most of the night. Since this anchorage was so rolly, we left for Union Island. We talked to Chance over the VHF, and we were told that their dinghy was stolen during the night in Tobago Cays!! We thought we were safe there!! The next day Chance arrived and we went into town to have lunch. After lunch, Craig called the police to report the stolen dinghy and was told that they had it. So all four of us got a bus to the police station. The government official was checking out Frigate Island and found the dinghy rolled up, the motor in an army duffel bag with Hamburg plane tags and an empty gas tank. Their dinghy and motor was ready to go... where no-one knows. After Craig and Kristen thanked the gentleman and gave him the reward, we went back by way of a pick-up truck. Rudy helped Craig put the dinghy together and I did my part by going boutique shopping with Kristen. We then ate dinner at our boat and celebrated for a few hours!!! The next day Rudy was a hero to another boat who dropped a windless handle overboard in 30 feet of water. He got it in the first try!!!! Chance left for Bonaire on May 24th and gave us a poster of one of the doctor's paintings for our help the day before. We were both touched by this and we appreciated it immensely!!! Now when I look at the poster I will remember not only the artist, but the Tobago Cays and especially Kristen and Craig!!! They were really fun to be with.....we will miss them! We left the next day (5/25th) for Petit St. Vincent and Petite Martinque. We left Union Island late in the morning for a 5 mile trip to the two small islands. We anchored off of Petite St. Vincent in a reasonably protected anchorage. The anchorage at Petite Martinique looked open and rolly!. Petite St. Vincent is a private Island.....it is a resort that houses its guests in separate stone cottages. When you want room service you raise a flag in front of your cottage. The bar was very nice and the menu looked exciting for dinner, but I bet it was expensive. The view from the top of the hill looking out over the anchorage surrounded by turquoise water was magnificent....we had to have a drink. We decided to eat on board with another great meal by Faith. We went back to the bar around 8:00pm to enjoy a piano/sax team that played familiar songs with a touch of Jazz. This is another island with a touch of class. We decided to bypass Petite Martinique and travel to Carriacou. Carriacou is part of Grenada even though they are separated by about 15 miles. We cleared in at the main town of Hillsborough with no problems. The town didn't look very interesting so we left for a brief snorkel at Sandy Island.....Faith found $50EC(about $20US) clinging to a rock in about 10 feet of water. She cleaned off the seaweed and was ready to go shopping. The snorkeling was good also! From there we went around the corner to Tyrell Bay. A well protected anchorage that sounded interesting in the Cruising Guide. Actually there wasn't much on shore. Hurricane Lenny did a job here.....not the wind, the waves! There were huge slabs of concrete lying helter skelter that were once a road that ran along the shore. Many buildings were damaged and some were still closed. The boat boys were still active though. One was selling fresh oysters...he opened them and we ate them! We contracted for 12 at $10.US, but when he got here it rained. He said he would open oysters at no charge until the rain stopped so he could stay dry. Well, he opened about 5 dozen oysters! They weren't very big, but they certainly were good with some of Faith's hot sauce and a little lime. We also bought a bottle of wine for $5.US from another boat boy, but we were not so lucky with it. On Sunday we went into Hillsborough to attend a church service at an Anglican church. The priest was a cruiser that ended up here several years ago! The service was a special once a month service usually done by a missionary. It was a first for the priest.....he told us he wasn't sure what was going on, but he was sure we would enjoy the service. It was scheduled to start at 9:00AM. It actually started at 9:30AM and lasted till after noon! The longest service we ever attended! It was different. Once again we were the only white people in the congregation and we were introduced during the service. When we returned to the boat it started to rain! It's been over 48 hours and we haven't seen the sun. The island needed the rain, but we really didn't! Tomorrow we leave for Grenada....bright and early. The winds are forecast to be about 20kts. with seas running 6-8ft. It should be an interesting trip. Watch this space for more news! Grenada "The Spice Island" To: rudys03@ibm.net X-Type: Email; Outmail Subject: May 30th-June 19th Well, it wasn't so bright but it was early. We left Tyrell Bay, Carriacou at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at St. George's, Grenada about 2:00 p.m. The trip was not bad and it would have been fast except for the 1-2kt. current we were fighting some of the way. Boat and passengers handled the seas well. On the way, we saw a pod of Dolphins (40-50) who swam up to us to play with our boat and welcome us to Grenada!!! As we entered the harbor we saw a few familiar sailboats that we have met before. We all are traveling to our home for the hurricane season. The next night we went to a happy hour at the Yacht club and met other cruisers....Feist, September Song, Air Power and others. The next few days we walked around the town and visited the shops between rain drops. Rudy had someone make wooden steps for our ladders and it has made such a difference!!! I signed up for a resort diving course at Dive Grenada and found myself taking the full Open Water Dive Course instead. So after four days of reading, videos, quizzes, tests, skills in the pool and open water dives..I was certifiable!!!!!! I now have completed 10 open water dives in 11 days and have gone as deep as 80 feet!!! I am enjoying all the aquatic life, much of which I have never seen before!!! We went to a couple of Jazz Concerts, one with Roberta Flack. She was fantastic. She had the whole audience rockin'....even RUDY!!! One of her musical support group was a sax player named Arturo Tappin whom I loved. We had seen him the day before with a couple of other great musicians. He plays three or four instruments to perfection. He was just simply amazing.... Jim Sutherland arrived June 8th and we have been diving together on many of the under water reefs of Grenada. I was able to dive with Jim and Rudy except for a wreck dive (the Bianca C ) which was 120 to 160 feet. They both thought it was spectacular! We went on an 2 hour boat ride to an island called Kick em Jenny and had two FANTASTIC dives around these off shore islands. The current was very strong and the second dive hardly anybody needed to kick.....I guess Jenny did that for us!!!! We also took an 8 hour land tour with the people on Feisty and Lulu. We had lunch on top of a hill and could see for miles in three directions including Carriacou. Jim left this morning and Rudy and I will probably leave Grenada on Monday June 19th, for Trinidad. Again, we are looking at 20 kts of wind and 6-8 foot seas.....oh well. Maybe the current will be with us. We plan to leave at dusk and sail through the night to arrive at Trinidad in the morning. The trip will be about 80 miles to the South. Passage to Trinidad Subject: Log June 19th to July 26th Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 21:15:42 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We prepared to leave for Trinidad today. It took us a half an hour to get the mud off the chain to the anchor. Once we had that done, we were off. It was 5:30 p.m. with strong winds just off the coast of Grenada. The winds became more gentle when we cleared the coast. The moon was full and we could see through the night which is very comforting for me!!! We had a good night with Rudy and I taking turns on watch and sleeping. We arrived at 8 a.m. just behind Thor (Miles, Gabby and their toddler Hannah. We went to the bank to get some TT's (Trinidad and Tobago which is 6.18 to $1) Then off to immigration and to customs. After endless forms to fill out we got back onto Boundless to fuel up. Here it is about $1 US/gal. compared to about $2.50-$3.00 on the other Islands. After the rain stopped we docked at Crew's Inn and found the pool and cooled off!!! We took a warm shower in an air conditioned bathroom and then had a great dinner at their restaurant. Rudy and I are very pleased with the accommodations here... we receive cable TV (60 channels), water, electricity (this is a charge), pool, exercise room, food stores, bakery, travel agent, car rental ($15 a day), beauty parlor, newspaper delivered every day and our own enclosed garbage container right outside our boat. I talked to Pat and Fred about the dress I designed for our re-union which we plan to attend. We are leaving for home on July 7th. They are also making Rudy some shirts, covering the cushions in the cockpit and in the main salon. I went with Pat and Fred to choose the material for all of these projects. Rudy talked to a cabinet maker to do some work on Boundless in the main salon. Since Trinidad is so hot and humid and it rains at least three times a day, we put up all the canvas we had and turned on the Air Conditioner!!!! YES!!!!! On Friday June 23rd, Rudy and I went on a free Van tour to a mall. We met Joyce from Mood Indigo on our trip. She told us about the Jazz groups she and her husband have organized for the last 5 years at Powerboats, a local marina. For the next several days, Rudy and I did our chores and met with the people who will be working on our boat. I have used the exercise room and then gone for a swim every day so far....it is great!!! For the first time I feel like I am on a vacation!!!! On Tuesday June 27th, Rudy and I went on a Turtle Watch. We left about 9 a.m. and stopped for a snack and then lunch on the beach on the way to the hotel on the beach in the Northeast corner of Trinidad. The owner of Crew's Inn and his family happened to be on the same tour. He and the driver were very informative concerning the island and it's people. While we were eating dinner, a litter of baby turtles came to visit us. They were quickly taken away to the ocean. About 8 p.m., we all followed our guide to a turtle just starting to lay her eggs. The turtle makes a hole three feet deep and lays about 80 fertilized eggs and then about 50 unfertilized eggs so that the baby turtles will have room to dig their way out. She does this three times in about 10 days. The incubation is about two months. Mamma turtle then fills the hole and packs it down and then rotates in a circle to smooth out the sand around the area so no-one can tell where the eggs are. When she is completely satisfied, she goes back into the ocean. The whole process takes about an hour and a half. Rudy and I woke up at 5 a.m. and saw in the light 5 more turtles laying eggs. Since they go into a trance while they lay eggs, you can touch them and they do not feel anything. We watched this unbelievable happening for a couple of hours and then went back to bed until it was time for breakfast. Chris and Ken Schwenker (Rudy's brother) arrived on July 2nd and the next several days Rudy went over at least 15 pages of notes on how to run Boundless. Cruising is more involved than we ever imagined!!!! We will fly home on July 7th and return on July 26th. Still in Trinidad Subject: July 27th to August 15th Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 23:16:02 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We arrived in Trinidad safely, but without our luggage. Two days later five of our six pieces arrived, just before Ken and Chris came back to Trinidad from a visit by plane to Tobago. The next day the last piece of our luggage arrived. They had a good time in Tobago and got in a dive as well. They resorted to air after trying twice to make the overnight trip by boat. Once they got towed part way back and the second time they had a nice sail back to a local anchorage. We are still working on the various problems they found......more later! On August 31st, the four of us rented a car and had a very full day of sightseeing!! First, we went to Pitch Lake to see the Tar Pits. It is incredible to see and walk on the natural black pitch that continually rises from the depths of the earth. We had two wonderful guides show us the many interesting aspects of the Lake and give us a great history lesson of the area. Did you know that tar has been exported from Pitch Lake in Trinidad to almost every country of the world! You may be driving on a little bit of Trinidad! Next we went to the Wildlife Conservatory founded by the employees of the oil refineries. Now it is maintained by the government of Trinidad. We saw many beautiful birds and flowers of Trinidad. Then we went on to the Caroni Swamp to see the beautiful Scarlet Ibis return to their nests en mass which they do every evening. At times there are thousands of these magnificent and colorful birds surrounding the mangroves of Caroni Swamp. We also saw a couple of snakes in the trees and a few other species of birds as we motored along the swamp in an open boat for over two hours. The next day Ken and Chris went back to the states and once again Rudy and I were alone on our floating home!! The weather is fairly consistent....almost no wind where we are located although the winds are still 15-25 out of the East offshore. We consistently have nighttime temperatures around the mid 70's and the daytime is 85 to 93 or so. It rains almost every day for an hour or so with heavy rains accompanying the tropical waves that come off of the coast of Africa about every week. There is little thunder and lightning although a thunder storm is over us right now with rain but no wind. Rudy and I go to local restaurants (the dollar goes a long way in Trinidad) and listen to entertainment provided by locals and the occasional cruiser. We have enjoyed all... some more than others. We were really impressed by a ten year old boy who played the pan (steel drum) with a touch of genius. The steel drum originated here in Trinidad and it is a major part of their culture and CARNIVAL. Since we are on the dock in the marina we (I ) need the air conditioner because we don't get the breeze as we do on the hook(anchor). Twice now the AC has stopped and Rudy (my hero) had to go under the boat to check it out. (The water is very dirty) The first time there was a fish stuck in the intake value and the second time we caught a plastic bag. Every Friday the marina provides the cruisers with free transportation to a shopping mall that contains a supermarket.... and every Saturday there is organized transportation ($4TT=$.65) to go to the Open Market. There we can find all kinds of fresh...meat, fish, fruits and vegetables....almost everything we want! I have gone to both with my insulated bags and fill them with as much as I can carry!!! On Thursday the marina organizes a Pot Luck Dinner. Wednesday night we can enjoy movie night at another local anchorage or enjoy Jazz at a restaurant which has a jazz band started by a cruising couple. They also organized entertainment on Friday night at another marina called Powerboats. Here they not only bring in local entertainers, but incorporate cruisers. The marina also organize book swaps, various classes, tours and outings. The other day I even treated each of us to an hour massage (for $120 TT =$20 US). It was a real treat and didn't hurt our pocketbook!!! There is just too much to do around here...it hardly leaves us time to get Boundless back in shape for our next passage. The labor rates are low($3-$4/hr) and the quality of work is usually good which makes for good value for most boat work required. We are having some cosmetic work done, cushions(interior and exterior), canvas and some wood work, while we wait for our engine to return. It needed to be rebuilt. Some of the other things my brother found broken have also been fixed.....starter, auto pilot, main outhaul car, boom gooseneck, injector pump, etc. Cruising is fun! If we keep this up the low labor rate and good value will break us! Although, Boundless never looked so good. More Trinidad Subject: LOG August 16th- September 21st Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 17:01:34 -0700 From: rudys03@attglobal.net To: rudys03@ibm.net Still in Trinidad waiting for engine parts: Boundless hasn't moved since the beginning of August. A small job is always a big one in Trinidad. The latest challenge was getting a starter from the states. Pete Dayger pulled this one out! Total shipping cost about $225.00, but that's life in Trinidad! Boundless has also changed significantly while here. She has a full set of new cushions on deck, new upholstery in the main salon, some new cabinets in the main salon, galley and two of the staterooms. Boundless also has a new sunshade that covers her from bow to stern. This cools her significantly and reduces the demand on her air conditioning system that has been running for the last four months. I'm glad we replaced her cooling water pump earlier this year! While stuck at the dock here in paradise Rudy and I have been experiencing many of the activities that exist in our community of Cruisers. I shared many of them in the last log. Since then we have also enjoyed horseback racing, a Pig Roast, a Parade celebrating the last session of parliament for the year,( the President even waved at me...even though it was not PROPER to wave to him, a Dinghy Rafting (it was tricky figuring out what to bring and pass around to the other dinghies while drifting through a large anchorage with a formidable current and frequent traffic!!)and Dominoes.....a good reason to drink for several hours on a Sunday afternoon. Tonight we went to a Pan Yard where they are practicing for a bi-annual contest in October. They play classical music and the sound is unbelievable!!! We also listen to a Cruisers Net every morning which keeps us abreast of all the activities for the week, important messages and helpful hints. It also has a "treasures of the bilge" section where the cruisers offer used or new boat gear for swap, barter or trade as it is illegal for foreign flag vessels to sell anything in Trinidad and Tobago. Many cruisers simply give away their treasures!! I have two activities that I have established as a daily routine. One is exercising in the small gym and then going for a swim everyday in the pool here at Crews Inn. The other "Hobby" I have acquired is fabric hunting. I have now joined the F.A. (Fabric Anonymous). I was told by the owner of the shop I am getting my clothes made that "I am not allowed to buy any more material!!!!! We are planning to put Boundless "on the hard" (on land) while we travel home for about 2 months where our daughter Stacy and her boy friend Rob have been holding down the fort. We will attend a family wedding on October 22nd, spend Thanksgiving and Christmas home, go out West for a week of skiing and visit our daughter Jaclyn and her boy friend Jason, and return to Trinidad for the New Year. We will stay in Trinidad through the end of February and participate in Carnival 2001. From there we plan to travel West along the coast of Venezuela visiting many islands on our way to Bonaire. From there we will either head North to start our trip across the Atlantic or stay in the Caribbean another year....decisions, decisions! At least we are still talking!!!! Back "On the Hard" Log September 22nd - October 10th Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 17:03:26 -0700 From: rudys03@attglobal.net To: rudys03@ibm.net This will be the last Log until the New Year. Hurricane Joyce has changed our plans. We will be flying to the states a week earlier, the 10th of October instead of the 18th and staying until after Christmas. We, as well as many of our fellow cruising community, put ourselves on the hard (boat goes on land in a Marina) to escape the hurricane. However, thankfully, she never hit Trinidad!!! We had a good amount of rain, but no wind. Since we were going on the hard the following week anyway, we decided to stay put and go home a week earlier. On September 28th (the day our engine was finally running), a tropical wave went through the area and kicked up a small localized storm in the body of water between Trinidad and Venezuela. This created a Southwest wind of about 40 kts for an hour or so. Our harbor is susceptible to swells from this direction. It created havoc in our harbor. There were docks damaged and some boats damaged by the swells. It was a wake up call that even in paradise we had to be ready for mother nature. This small storm was far worse than the Hurricane, but it also was the reason we were all well prepared for Joyce as she passed about 50 miles North of us. This small storm was an excellent example of the value of the entire Cruising Community. During the storm everyone came out of their boats and gave themselves and equipment to others. We put out more lines and bumpers and made sure boats with no crew on them were secure and safe. The next day, we were helped when we went on the hard since we only had one hour to prepare. There was one long term storage space left and we could have it before the Hurricane if we could be ready to be hauled in one hour. With Joyce a day or two away it was an offer we couldn't refuse. The next hour was very intense.....we had to take down canvas, sails, electricity, phone and TV cables, and secure everything inside and out on a boat that hadn't been moved in almost 3 months!!! We did make it with a little help from our friends. The following day, (9/30) we helped two of our friends pull their boats out and then put them back in the water on Monday 10/2 after the Hurricane, actually a tropical depression, passed Trinidad. To celebrate the unevent, about 20 of us played Dominoes (Mexican Train) for about 4 « hours on Sunday, the day of the storm. Rudy and I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast called Tammy's Friday and Saturday nights and then in a hotel on Sunday. We dined in the hotel with two other couples; Marcia and Kumar, who live in Red Oaks Mill, about 1 mile from our home in Poughkeepsie, on Wave Dancer and Julia and Paul on Coral Bay. Before we all went to dinner, the electricity went out. No problem, the generator started about one minute later. However, after we got back to our rooms from dinner the generator died for about 15-20 minutes. Rudy and I decided it was time for bed! Then the generator came to life again and we had a chance to see the closing ceremonies of the Olympic's and the amazing Fire Works!! I was happy we were not in the elevator or still eating dinner when the lights went out in Trinidad!! Today (10/4) it was quiet except for the EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!! Trinidad is on a Fault Line and this is the second one we experienced here. However, this one was much stronger and lasted longer (6.1 and 10 miles away). I was worried about the boat on the land, but all was fine. Just another day in Paradise!!! We are excited to see our family and friends in the states, but it is also hard to leave our Cruising Family especially when we share so many experiences together!!! Life is great!! See you next year Rudy and Faith