Thursday 11 December 2008

Hello from Richard

Hello everybody! Just thought I should update you on were we are are and what we are doing. We are still living at the Cooks house but are going to go to N. Van over the christmas holidays Bye

Hello from Richard

Hello everybody! Just thought I should update you on were we are are and what we are doing. We are still living at the Cooks house but are going to go to N. Van over the christmas holidays Bye

Thursday 13 November 2008

Hello from Richard

Hello to everybody! Incase you didn't know I am currently taking Tae Kwon Do lessons at a place called Trancending Martial Arts. I have learnt a lot and have recently broken a board!!!

Hello from Richard

Hello to everybody! Incase you didn't know I am currently taking Tae Kwon Do lessons at a place called Trancending Martial Arts. I have learnt a lot and have recently broken a board!!!

Saturday 16 August 2008

Hi Everybody

Hi everyone it's Brad. we're in the the middle of sailing lessons, but we get the weekend off so we're staying at the Cooks (Jim Tam James and Aidan)for the weekend, they're a lot of fun. Anyway I just thought i'd tell you where we were and what we were doing. Talk to ya later, Brad

Hi Everybody

Hi everyone it's Brad. we're in the the middle of sailing lessons, but we get the weekend off so we're staying at the Cooks (Jim Tam James and Aidan)for the weekend, they're a lot of fun. Anyway I just thought i'd tell you where we were and what we were doing. Talk to ya later, Brad

Saturday 26 July 2008

We're back

Hi everyone this is Brad! After a very,very long flight we arrived at midnight (vancouver time, 3:00 am E.C. time) on the 25th. Grandma & Grandpa were there to pick us up and we're staying at their place for a couple of days. We're at the Grandparents place now and excited to see everyone. Talk to ya later Brad!

We're back

Hi everyone this is Brad! After a very,very long flight we arrived at midnight (vancouver time, 3:00 am E.C. time) on the 25th. Grandma & Grandpa were there to pick us up and we're staying at their place for a couple of days. We're at the Grandparents place now and excited to see everyone. Talk to ya later Brad!

Saturday 19 July 2008

Turtles (click for link)

We toured to Levera Beach at the north end of the island twice, trying to see a nesting leatherback turtle. The second time we were rewarded with a 5 1/2 foot turtle crawling up the beach to select a nest site. Once the turtle started digging she seemed unconcerned with the humans standing around watching and the researchers let us approach very close. Unfortunatly this mom-to-be chose an area that was a bit wet and the nest kept caving in on her as she was digging. After trying 4 times and being out of the ocean for about 90 min she gave up and headed back into the surf, to try again another night. We then collected ourselves and headed back to the marina. The kids, were so excited about seeing the turtle, none slept on the way back. It was 3am before everyone was in bed.

Turtles (click for link)

We toured to Levera Beach at the north end of the island twice, trying to see a nesting leatherback turtle. The second time we were rewarded with a 5 1/2 foot turtle crawling up the beach to select a nest site. Once the turtle started digging she seemed unconcerned with the humans standing around watching and the researchers let us approach very close. Unfortunatly this mom-to-be chose an area that was a bit wet and the nest kept caving in on her as she was digging. After trying 4 times and being out of the ocean for about 90 min she gave up and headed back into the surf, to try again another night. We then collected ourselves and headed back to the marina. The kids, were so excited about seeing the turtle, none slept on the way back. It was 3am before everyone was in bed.

Thursday 10 July 2008

Justice on the frontier (click here for Gouyave website)

Tuesday we all travelled back to the scene of the crime to get case numbers, and talk to the Sgt etc. Expecting North American efficency we were slow to realise that the 4 guys in the jail cell were our robbers. After an hour or so of "processing" for them and lunch for us, Denny and I were in an office with the police, the 4 guys and most (but not yet all) of our stuff. The court date is next Monday and the police were apologetic that it would be so long. While we were there one of the young men's memory improved and two officers stepped out and returned with a satt phone and a pair of binoculars. It turns out that Gouyave is not such a bad place after all. We will report after our court date.

Justice on the frontier (click here for Gouyave website)

Tuesday we all travelled back to the scene of the crime to get case numbers, and talk to the Sgt etc. Expecting North American efficency we were slow to realise that the 4 guys in the jail cell were our robbers. After an hour or so of "processing" for them and lunch for us, Denny and I were in an office with the police, the 4 guys and most (but not yet all) of our stuff. The court date is next Monday and the police were apologetic that it would be so long. While we were there one of the young men's memory improved and two officers stepped out and returned with a satt phone and a pair of binoculars. It turns out that Gouyave is not such a bad place after all. We will report after our court date.

Monday 7 July 2008

Trouble in Paradise

Everyone is OK Friday night another boat,(Salt and Light) and ourselves were broken into by theives. We were anchored off a small town in Northern Grenada to attend the "Fish Friday Celebration" While we were in town somebody broke into both boats and stole our computers, IPods, satphone, cameras, binoculars. They messed the place up really bad. Actually the kids rooms did not look that much different. Although everyone was upset it is only stuff, no one was ever in danger. We cannot let a few "tiefs" ruin an otherwise beautiful country. Unfortunatly with all our communications and pictures gone or blog updates will be even less frequent. We will be back in Vancouver the 25th of July and look forward to seeing everyone.

Trouble in Paradise

Everyone is OK Friday night another boat,(Salt and Light) and ourselves were broken into by theives. We were anchored off a small town in Northern Grenada to attend the "Fish Friday Celebration" While we were in town somebody broke into both boats and stole our computers, IPods, satphone, cameras, binoculars. They messed the place up really bad. Actually the kids rooms did not look that much different. Although everyone was upset it is only stuff, no one was ever in danger. We cannot let a few "tiefs" ruin an otherwise beautiful country. Unfortunatly with all our communications and pictures gone or blog updates will be even less frequent. We will be back in Vancouver the 25th of July and look forward to seeing everyone.

Friday 13 June 2008

St Lucia to Tobago Cays

Unfortunately, our whole St Lucia experience was only 12 hours long, we pulled into Marigot bay, in the late afternoon, had a swim, a beer, dinner, and a good nights sleep before heading off early the next morning for St Vincent. Marigot Bay is an absolutely beautiful setting. It is a deeply indented harbour so is very sheltered with steep hills coming right out of the water. It seems to be a rather exclusive area. We didn’t feel we could afford the time here as our weather reports indicated Tropical wave formations off the coast of Africa therefore we felt we should be moving further south closer to the southern end of the hurricane zone. Our visit to St Vincent was even shorter, sailing along the western shore, we ducked into Wallilabou bay just after lunch, to see the set from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This is the scene in the beginning of the movie where the pirate skeletons are hanging in the arch and Jack Sparrows sad little boat sinks. The dock and some of the town are still standing, as well the rock arch is impressive. By nightfall we were safely anchored in Bequia. Port Elizabeth in Admiralty Bay Bequia, is a typical West Indian town, complete with produce market, taxi stand , a bunch of rum shops, restaurants, internet cafes, and a couple of dive operations. Port Elizabeth also has a couple of reasonably well stocked boat stores, so a few boat parts were able to be had. We visited the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, where they raise turtles until they are around five or six years old and then release them into the wild. The animals are marked with 2 holes punched in the back of their shells and from what they can tell, their survival rate is good. In the wild only around 1 in 3000 gets to reproductive age which is 25 years old. It was a good field trip, it is good to see an effort is being made to increase the numbers of these amazing creature. Although there are rumours that without more funding this sanctuary could be in jeopardy. Ethan, from Salt and Light celebrated his 6th Birthday while in Bequia. It started with the field trip to the turtle sanctuary, then lunch at a local bbq and then the big event, a treasure hunt on the beach where a chest full of pirate booty was found along with a treasure map leading the band of marauders to Macs Pizza for the rest of the party. Steve, Kathy, and Emmett, from Uliad joined the party as well. Happy Birthday Ethan! The older two kids, Liam and Michaela, and the dad from Salt and Light took a SCUBA diving course on Bequia. So one afternoon the crew of High Five and the crew of Salt and Light enjoyed a dive near Moon hole, on the western tip of the island. As always, the kids young and younger had a great time. Bequia is one of those places that makes time stand still, a year could go by and you would not realize it. We do not have another year, so the morning after our dive we left Salt and Light to finish their course and we headed south to the Tobago Cays to meet up with Losloper, our friends from Calgary. They are soon headed to Grenada to put their boat on the hard and head back to Calgary for work and school. The West end of the Tobago cays are protected by a series of large reefs, and although you look out at the open Atlantic Ocean, you are well sheltered from the swells. It is a national Park and is well protected. No fishing, lobstering, shell collecting, or littering allowed. Boat boys zip around offering T-shirts, garbage disposal, and Wally, who was introduced to us by Losloper arrives every morning with fresh croissant and baguettes. There is a large area of “turtle grass” similar to what we call “eel grass” in BC that is roped off, not allowing boats to anchor. Here we were able to swim with at least 6 or 8 different Green Turtles. They would eat, and swim around, pretty unconcerned about the 5 of us watching them. If you got too close, they would just swim away a few feet and continue eating. Although they appear unstreamlined, they are capable of blinding speed when necessary. A few snorkel trips on the outer reef showed us a multitude of tropical fish. Tying to the bouy just outside the cut in the reef, Magnus Gary and Janine jumped in. The reef drops off from the surface to a dark blue abyss, dramatically reminding us that we are not always at the top of the food chain. That and a little bit of current had us head back to the protected waters inside the reef for more exploring. The spectacular colours of the fish continue to amaze us. A small eel was spotted amongst the coral, as well as a lobster and some very large parrot fish. This was Loslopers last day in the cays, they left early the next morning for Union island, and then Grenada. For us it was one more swim with the turtles and then off around the corner to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. A picture postcard bay, well protected, rimmed with white sand beaches and palm trees, eight or 10 boats bob peacefully at anchor. There is a strong French influence here so the only thing hard on the eyes is the occasional very large Frenchman in a very small speedo or nothing at all! Some people really need a mirror! We were joined on our second day here by our newly dive certified friends on Salt & Light.

St Lucia to Tobago Cays

Unfortunately, our whole St Lucia experience was only 12 hours long, we pulled into Marigot bay, in the late afternoon, had a swim, a beer, dinner, and a good nights sleep before heading off early the next morning for St Vincent. Marigot Bay is an absolutely beautiful setting. It is a deeply indented harbour so is very sheltered with steep hills coming right out of the water. It seems to be a rather exclusive area. We didn’t feel we could afford the time here as our weather reports indicated Tropical wave formations off the coast of Africa therefore we felt we should be moving further south closer to the southern end of the hurricane zone. Our visit to St Vincent was even shorter, sailing along the western shore, we ducked into Wallilabou bay just after lunch, to see the set from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This is the scene in the beginning of the movie where the pirate skeletons are hanging in the arch and Jack Sparrows sad little boat sinks. The dock and some of the town are still standing, as well the rock arch is impressive. By nightfall we were safely anchored in Bequia. Port Elizabeth in Admiralty Bay Bequia, is a typical West Indian town, complete with produce market, taxi stand , a bunch of rum shops, restaurants, internet cafes, and a couple of dive operations. Port Elizabeth also has a couple of reasonably well stocked boat stores, so a few boat parts were able to be had. We visited the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, where they raise turtles until they are around five or six years old and then release them into the wild. The animals are marked with 2 holes punched in the back of their shells and from what they can tell, their survival rate is good. In the wild only around 1 in 3000 gets to reproductive age which is 25 years old. It was a good field trip, it is good to see an effort is being made to increase the numbers of these amazing creature. Although there are rumours that without more funding this sanctuary could be in jeopardy. Ethan, from Salt and Light celebrated his 6th Birthday while in Bequia. It started with the field trip to the turtle sanctuary, then lunch at a local bbq and then the big event, a treasure hunt on the beach where a chest full of pirate booty was found along with a treasure map leading the band of marauders to Macs Pizza for the rest of the party. Steve, Kathy, and Emmett, from Uliad joined the party as well. Happy Birthday Ethan! The older two kids, Liam and Michaela, and the dad from Salt and Light took a SCUBA diving course on Bequia. So one afternoon the crew of High Five and the crew of Salt and Light enjoyed a dive near Moon hole, on the western tip of the island. As always, the kids young and younger had a great time. Bequia is one of those places that makes time stand still, a year could go by and you would not realize it. We do not have another year, so the morning after our dive we left Salt and Light to finish their course and we headed south to the Tobago Cays to meet up with Losloper, our friends from Calgary. They are soon headed to Grenada to put their boat on the hard and head back to Calgary for work and school. The West end of the Tobago cays are protected by a series of large reefs, and although you look out at the open Atlantic Ocean, you are well sheltered from the swells. It is a national Park and is well protected. No fishing, lobstering, shell collecting, or littering allowed. Boat boys zip around offering T-shirts, garbage disposal, and Wally, who was introduced to us by Losloper arrives every morning with fresh croissant and baguettes. There is a large area of “turtle grass” similar to what we call “eel grass” in BC that is roped off, not allowing boats to anchor. Here we were able to swim with at least 6 or 8 different Green Turtles. They would eat, and swim around, pretty unconcerned about the 5 of us watching them. If you got too close, they would just swim away a few feet and continue eating. Although they appear unstreamlined, they are capable of blinding speed when necessary. A few snorkel trips on the outer reef showed us a multitude of tropical fish. Tying to the bouy just outside the cut in the reef, Magnus Gary and Janine jumped in. The reef drops off from the surface to a dark blue abyss, dramatically reminding us that we are not always at the top of the food chain. That and a little bit of current had us head back to the protected waters inside the reef for more exploring. The spectacular colours of the fish continue to amaze us. A small eel was spotted amongst the coral, as well as a lobster and some very large parrot fish. This was Loslopers last day in the cays, they left early the next morning for Union island, and then Grenada. For us it was one more swim with the turtles and then off around the corner to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. A picture postcard bay, well protected, rimmed with white sand beaches and palm trees, eight or 10 boats bob peacefully at anchor. There is a strong French influence here so the only thing hard on the eyes is the occasional very large Frenchman in a very small speedo or nothing at all! Some people really need a mirror! We were joined on our second day here by our newly dive certified friends on Salt & Light.

Reality Sucks

REALITY SUCKS Well it is official our vagrant sailing lifestyle is going to be put on hold for a while. Gary has accepted a movie job, and will be back at work in Vancouver the beginning of August. Our plan is to return to the boat after Christmas and continue sailing the first half of 2009. We would love to stay out, but at this time, the realities of the world will not allow us. We plan to put the boat up at Grenada Marine around the last week of July and fly home to Vancouver, buy some shoes and go back to work. This last year has been the adventure of a lifetime, our boys have grown, learned, and flourished in this environment. We as parents have had the opportunity to really get to know our kids, without all the pressures of urban life upon us. It truly has changed us all. We do look forward to seeing all our friends and family back in Vancouver. We also look forward to coming back to High Five and continuing this amazing adventure.

Reality Sucks

REALITY SUCKS Well it is official our vagrant sailing lifestyle is going to be put on hold for a while. Gary has accepted a movie job, and will be back at work in Vancouver the beginning of August. Our plan is to return to the boat after Christmas and continue sailing the first half of 2009. We would love to stay out, but at this time, the realities of the world will not allow us. We plan to put the boat up at Grenada Marine around the last week of July and fly home to Vancouver, buy some shoes and go back to work. This last year has been the adventure of a lifetime, our boys have grown, learned, and flourished in this environment. We as parents have had the opportunity to really get to know our kids, without all the pressures of urban life upon us. It truly has changed us all. We do look forward to seeing all our friends and family back in Vancouver. We also look forward to coming back to High Five and continuing this amazing adventure.

Monday 2 June 2008

Guadaloupe to Dominica

The marina in Guadaloupe is home to several huge French multi-hulls, and a few transient open 40 ‘s and 50’s. For the non-sailors, these are very sexy state of the art racing machines. Very interesting to see up close. Some of our friends were headed for the Iles de Saints, we had been here already with Doug and Suzanne but as this was on our way south, off we went. Many of these islands are little blobs of Europe scattered throughout the West Indies, stinky cheese, cheap wine and expensive everything else. Iles de Saints is no exception. They are all very beautiful and deserve more time than we were able to afford them. From the Saints we sailed to Dominica, which in contrast to the “Joi de Europe” is much more of a third world country. We were lucky and caught a black fin tuna on the crossing. Doug and Suzanne had left us with a bit of luck. As we got close to the bay, a small wooden boat zipped up along side with a local man, who we would later know as Jerome, waving and yelling, offering us a mooring ball, and anything else we needed. After we were safely anchored, several other locals came by on various craft such as kayaks and surf boards, selling us fruit, and offering services. Albert had befriended our friends Salt and Light. Both Albert and Jerome were very determined to sell us various tours of the island. The local guides have formed an association, which supplies mooring balls, tours, fuel, water and anything else you could want as well as a night time security patrol of the anchorage. Since a few locals were jailed a few years ago there have been no problems with petty theft or harassment. The first day we took a tour up the Indian River with Albert. After leaving the ocean, he rowed the 10 of us up through the swamp forest. Along the river we saw birds and fish as well as a few of the locations from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Our guide, as well as many of the locals were employed by the movie. I’m glad that the locals were treated well by the film company. All the locals we met were proud that their town was in the movie and many were able to be employed by Disney. Albert’s knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Indian River was excellent. At the head of the river there is a Restaurant/Bar that has a garden with many examples of local plants. The flowers were spectacular with lots of brightly coloured hummingbirds buzzing around them. It was here we met Greg, our bartender who as it turned out would be our Guide for the next day’s adventure. We were back to the boat at 7pm for a quiet night, to rest before our next adventure. We lent the DVD of the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to Albert as he was not able to get the movie in Dominica. He and his 2 kids really enjoyed the movie they actually watched it at night and were up at 5am to watch it again the next morning before returning it! The next morning Jerome picked us all up at 9am and shuttled us to the beach where Greg and his van met us, for our tour of the north part of the island. Volcanic in origin, it is steep and lush green. Bananas and limes are their primary cash crops. Plantations consume a lot of the countryside. Greg knew incredible amounts about the local flora, every so often he would stop and pick stuff off a tree for us to sample. Mangos are everywhere now, as well as nutmeg, lemongrass (growing as weeds at the side of the road), tamarind, grapefruit, oranges, papaya and limes. Along the way we saw the local fishing villages, and Greg very proudly showed us his house which is part of a government initiative, he bought the land and house for $85,000 and pays $400 a month as mortgage. He took us to a pair of 100’ waterfalls, where we could stand underneath and rinse the salt and sand from our bodies and hair. A local Caribe family had a small roadside stand that offered crafts, spices, and a few fruits and vegetables. Similar to indigenous populations throughout the “new world”, after their discovery they were virtually exterminated by disease and warfare.
We had a late lunch at a restaurant owned and operated by local Dominicans, Randy and his wife. Randy had spent several years in the USA where he had worked mostly as a chef but also as a Chippendale dancer. We were given some mangos and bananas from the backyard tree, as well as some herbs for Richard to grow on the boat (he misses gardening). We then finished our tour. Jerome met us back at the beach and motored us slowly back to our boats in the dark, We were all full and tired. Further south along the coast of Dominica, we anchored off a black sand beach that Greg had showed us the previous day. Snorkeling along in the shallow water we found some great sea glass. Sea glass is broken bottles and ceramic that has been polished by the waves and sand until it is very smooth. Connoisseurs of sea glass can date many of the finds back close to a hundred years. We collected a large Ziploc full of shiny smooth gems. From here we traveled to Roseau, the capital of Dominica. Upon entering the bay we were again met by a small wooden fishing boat. Our host this time was Octavius of Sea Cat Tours. We tied to his mooring buoy and were told he could provide us with all we needed. There was a local soccer game that night that Octavius need to get to, he invited us to go see it but we were not up to it. The next day after some school we headed in to explore the town. The kids on Salt & Light were in need of some new clothes as they keep on growing, so we were on a mission to find these. It was more interesting to walk through the city than to wade through a mall like you would at home but there is not the choices that we have in north America so we were not very successful. It was another example of how our lives back home are made much easier by all the amenities and conveniences. Leaving Dominica we spent the next few days on Martinique. Legend has it that before the last local Caribs were killed at St Pierre, in 1658 they invoked horrible curses upon their murderers. 344 years later Mt Pele erupted and destroyed the village of St Pierre, killing 30,000 people in a matter of minutes. Twelve ships in the bay were also destroyed. History states that only 2 people survived the eruption, a cobbler who happened to be in his cellar and a murderer who was locked in a stone prison cell. We explored the town and climbed through the ruins of the prison and theater.
Marinique is very European, baguettes, espresso, Renaults, and Citroens, with a busy modern infrastructure. Customs and immigration in St Pierre is handled by the local internet café. Sipping on a cold bierre Janine filled out an online form, which the waitress/owner/customs officer then stamped, signed and then offered to pour us another glass (Robin I think Canada customs could take a lesson). A marked contrast to many other countries. Life cruising has been described as “fixing your boat in exotic ports around the world”. Martinique was no exception. After passing the 570’ Diamond Rock, which oddly enough was once commissioned as a warship in the British Navy, Marina Marin was our home for 2 days. Fred from Tillicum helped us sort out some electrical problems, install a new battery charger/monitor, and recharge our fridge, which seemed to be the root of the problem. Refrigeration on a boat in the tropics is difficult. The compressor has trouble cooling with 95 degree air and 82 degree water. Fred was able to sort things out pretty quick. It seems these cooling problems are not unique to High Five. With the fridge cold, and all of our Euros gone we bid au revoir to Martinique the last of the French islands and headed south toward St Lucia.

Guadaloupe to Dominica

The marina in Guadaloupe is home to several huge French multi-hulls, and a few transient open 40 ‘s and 50’s. For the non-sailors, these are very sexy state of the art racing machines. Very interesting to see up close. Some of our friends were headed for the Iles de Saints, we had been here already with Doug and Suzanne but as this was on our way south, off we went. Many of these islands are little blobs of Europe scattered throughout the West Indies, stinky cheese, cheap wine and expensive everything else. Iles de Saints is no exception. They are all very beautiful and deserve more time than we were able to afford them. From the Saints we sailed to Dominica, which in contrast to the “Joi de Europe” is much more of a third world country. We were lucky and caught a black fin tuna on the crossing. Doug and Suzanne had left us with a bit of luck. As we got close to the bay, a small wooden boat zipped up along side with a local man, who we would later know as Jerome, waving and yelling, offering us a mooring ball, and anything else we needed. After we were safely anchored, several other locals came by on various craft such as kayaks and surf boards, selling us fruit, and offering services. Albert had befriended our friends Salt and Light. Both Albert and Jerome were very determined to sell us various tours of the island. The local guides have formed an association, which supplies mooring balls, tours, fuel, water and anything else you could want as well as a night time security patrol of the anchorage. Since a few locals were jailed a few years ago there have been no problems with petty theft or harassment. The first day we took a tour up the Indian River with Albert. After leaving the ocean, he rowed the 10 of us up through the swamp forest. Along the river we saw birds and fish as well as a few of the locations from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Our guide, as well as many of the locals were employed by the movie. I’m glad that the locals were treated well by the film company. All the locals we met were proud that their town was in the movie and many were able to be employed by Disney. Albert’s knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Indian River was excellent. At the head of the river there is a Restaurant/Bar that has a garden with many examples of local plants. The flowers were spectacular with lots of brightly coloured hummingbirds buzzing around them. It was here we met Greg, our bartender who as it turned out would be our Guide for the next day’s adventure. We were back to the boat at 7pm for a quiet night, to rest before our next adventure. We lent the DVD of the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to Albert as he was not able to get the movie in Dominica. He and his 2 kids really enjoyed the movie they actually watched it at night and were up at 5am to watch it again the next morning before returning it! The next morning Jerome picked us all up at 9am and shuttled us to the beach where Greg and his van met us, for our tour of the north part of the island. Volcanic in origin, it is steep and lush green. Bananas and limes are their primary cash crops. Plantations consume a lot of the countryside. Greg knew incredible amounts about the local flora, every so often he would stop and pick stuff off a tree for us to sample. Mangos are everywhere now, as well as nutmeg, lemongrass (growing as weeds at the side of the road), tamarind, grapefruit, oranges, papaya and limes. Along the way we saw the local fishing villages, and Greg very proudly showed us his house which is part of a government initiative, he bought the land and house for $85,000 and pays $400 a month as mortgage. He took us to a pair of 100’ waterfalls, where we could stand underneath and rinse the salt and sand from our bodies and hair. A local Caribe family had a small roadside stand that offered crafts, spices, and a few fruits and vegetables. Similar to indigenous populations throughout the “new world”, after their discovery they were virtually exterminated by disease and warfare.
We had a late lunch at a restaurant owned and operated by local Dominicans, Randy and his wife. Randy had spent several years in the USA where he had worked mostly as a chef but also as a Chippendale dancer. We were given some mangos and bananas from the backyard tree, as well as some herbs for Richard to grow on the boat (he misses gardening). We then finished our tour. Jerome met us back at the beach and motored us slowly back to our boats in the dark, We were all full and tired. Further south along the coast of Dominica, we anchored off a black sand beach that Greg had showed us the previous day. Snorkeling along in the shallow water we found some great sea glass. Sea glass is broken bottles and ceramic that has been polished by the waves and sand until it is very smooth. Connoisseurs of sea glass can date many of the finds back close to a hundred years. We collected a large Ziploc full of shiny smooth gems. From here we traveled to Roseau, the capital of Dominica. Upon entering the bay we were again met by a small wooden fishing boat. Our host this time was Octavius of Sea Cat Tours. We tied to his mooring buoy and were told he could provide us with all we needed. There was a local soccer game that night that Octavius need to get to, he invited us to go see it but we were not up to it. The next day after some school we headed in to explore the town. The kids on Salt & Light were in need of some new clothes as they keep on growing, so we were on a mission to find these. It was more interesting to walk through the city than to wade through a mall like you would at home but there is not the choices that we have in north America so we were not very successful. It was another example of how our lives back home are made much easier by all the amenities and conveniences. Leaving Dominica we spent the next few days on Martinique. Legend has it that before the last local Caribs were killed at St Pierre, in 1658 they invoked horrible curses upon their murderers. 344 years later Mt Pele erupted and destroyed the village of St Pierre, killing 30,000 people in a matter of minutes. Twelve ships in the bay were also destroyed. History states that only 2 people survived the eruption, a cobbler who happened to be in his cellar and a murderer who was locked in a stone prison cell. We explored the town and climbed through the ruins of the prison and theater.
Marinique is very European, baguettes, espresso, Renaults, and Citroens, with a busy modern infrastructure. Customs and immigration in St Pierre is handled by the local internet café. Sipping on a cold bierre Janine filled out an online form, which the waitress/owner/customs officer then stamped, signed and then offered to pour us another glass (Robin I think Canada customs could take a lesson). A marked contrast to many other countries. Life cruising has been described as “fixing your boat in exotic ports around the world”. Martinique was no exception. After passing the 570’ Diamond Rock, which oddly enough was once commissioned as a warship in the British Navy, Marina Marin was our home for 2 days. Fred from Tillicum helped us sort out some electrical problems, install a new battery charger/monitor, and recharge our fridge, which seemed to be the root of the problem. Refrigeration on a boat in the tropics is difficult. The compressor has trouble cooling with 95 degree air and 82 degree water. Fred was able to sort things out pretty quick. It seems these cooling problems are not unique to High Five. With the fridge cold, and all of our Euros gone we bid au revoir to Martinique the last of the French islands and headed south toward St Lucia.

Monday 19 May 2008

Guadeloupe

As the latest guests of the Minielly’s on their sailing adventure, we have the pleasure of posting an update of their cruise and our week’s trip. We went aboard High Five on Saturday, May 10th in Bay Mahaut on the north end of Guadeloupe. The next day we sailed south to Baie Deshais in search of a good anchorage, a good swim and provisions for the next few days only to find as we would for the rest of the week that most shops are closed for most of the afternoons although there was always a place to find a cold beer much to Gary’s delight. On our way we caught our second fish, a black fin tuna (our first was a barracuda which we let go) which was soon to become dinner but only after Gary got it drunk on cheap vodka! The next day we headed to Basse-Terre and stopped on the way to the Reserve Jacques Cousteau on Pigeon Island for some great snorkeling. The area had a great variety of beautiful colourful fish, coral and we even got to chase a turtle around. Back on the boat, Richard was able to identify and name all of the fish we saw. We continued south the next day to Les Saintes. The crossing, as would be all of them, was very pleasant notwithstanding that the wind was on the nose most of the time. It was sunny every day and temperatures averaged 30 degrees. The sea entertained us with flying fish and a big sea turtle. We spent a few days in Les Saintes, swimming and snorkeling and visiting the local villages. We took a stroll to the windward side of the island which was spectacular but unfortunately the currents were too strong for swimming. The Guadeloupeans are French and all very friendly. We very much enjoyed practicing our French at the villages and bars. On our last night in Les Saintes, we went for a stroll in the village and enjoyed a cold drink at the “in” bar with the locals and other tourists. We continued on to Marie Galante for more great swimming and snorkeling and on our crossing caught our second fish, another black fin tuna which we feasted on that night in a great asian-fusion dish thanks to Richard’s soon to be famous marinade (most ingredients of which you could find in the rum drinks he prepared for Doug). We rose early the next day to get fresh croissants, baguettes and a few other provisions and returned to town later on for some soccer on the beach and another cold drink at the beach bar. We finished our last few days returning back to the main island at Pointe-a-Pitre where we said our goodbyes and returned home. We had a fabulous week. Gary & Janine were very gracious hosts and the boys were absolutely a joy and delight to be with. They were a lot of fun and entertaining. All are well, happy and truly are thriving from this adventure. We wish you all a continued safe journey on your way to Grenada and now that your fishing luck has changed, we look forward to seeing pictures of the Mahi Mahi you are soon to be catching. Thanks for a wonderful time. Doug & Suzanne

Guadeloupe

As the latest guests of the Minielly’s on their sailing adventure, we have the pleasure of posting an update of their cruise and our week’s trip. We went aboard High Five on Saturday, May 10th in Bay Mahaut on the north end of Guadeloupe. The next day we sailed south to Baie Deshais in search of a good anchorage, a good swim and provisions for the next few days only to find as we would for the rest of the week that most shops are closed for most of the afternoons although there was always a place to find a cold beer much to Gary’s delight. On our way we caught our second fish, a black fin tuna (our first was a barracuda which we let go) which was soon to become dinner but only after Gary got it drunk on cheap vodka! The next day we headed to Basse-Terre and stopped on the way to the Reserve Jacques Cousteau on Pigeon Island for some great snorkeling. The area had a great variety of beautiful colourful fish, coral and we even got to chase a turtle around. Back on the boat, Richard was able to identify and name all of the fish we saw. We continued south the next day to Les Saintes. The crossing, as would be all of them, was very pleasant notwithstanding that the wind was on the nose most of the time. It was sunny every day and temperatures averaged 30 degrees. The sea entertained us with flying fish and a big sea turtle. We spent a few days in Les Saintes, swimming and snorkeling and visiting the local villages. We took a stroll to the windward side of the island which was spectacular but unfortunately the currents were too strong for swimming. The Guadeloupeans are French and all very friendly. We very much enjoyed practicing our French at the villages and bars. On our last night in Les Saintes, we went for a stroll in the village and enjoyed a cold drink at the “in” bar with the locals and other tourists. We continued on to Marie Galante for more great swimming and snorkeling and on our crossing caught our second fish, another black fin tuna which we feasted on that night in a great asian-fusion dish thanks to Richard’s soon to be famous marinade (most ingredients of which you could find in the rum drinks he prepared for Doug). We rose early the next day to get fresh croissants, baguettes and a few other provisions and returned to town later on for some soccer on the beach and another cold drink at the beach bar. We finished our last few days returning back to the main island at Pointe-a-Pitre where we said our goodbyes and returned home. We had a fabulous week. Gary & Janine were very gracious hosts and the boys were absolutely a joy and delight to be with. They were a lot of fun and entertaining. All are well, happy and truly are thriving from this adventure. We wish you all a continued safe journey on your way to Grenada and now that your fishing luck has changed, we look forward to seeing pictures of the Mahi Mahi you are soon to be catching. Thanks for a wonderful time. Doug & Suzanne

Sunday 18 May 2008

Montserrat (click for link)

Montserrat is a beautiful green island with an Irish heritage dominted by a large active volcano. The volcano had been dormant until 1995, when it erupted and destroyed the main town of Plymouth Over half the population left and those that stayed are now living on the north coast, in a somewhat protected area. We took a van tour of the island with Joe Phillips who is said to be the premier guide of the island and knew a great deal about the history as well as the plants and animals. He showed us a cashew tree with its bright fruit, wild bay leaves, cut up a coconut, and picked us some mangoes out of his friends front yard. He even knew where to find the home made ice cream, which is sold out of a van after the store in plymouth was destroyed. After the volcano, rains mixed with the ash and caused some flooding. The hotel in the picture is three stories high with only one and a half visable above the mud. There is a picture of the hotel before 1995, and as the hotel looks today. There is also a picture of the bay as it looked before the eruption and a similar picture taken by us. The island has grown over a hundred yards due to the ash. Joe was able to drive out on to the beach along the old pier which is completely land locked, onto the ash which covers the bay. It was very humbling to see the massive power that a volcano has. and the vastness of it's destruction. Looking out from the hilltop overlooking the ruined city (you are not allowed to go there) you could see the burned out buildings, the steeple of the church, houses and buildings covered in ash. It looked like a moonscape. After a potluck dinner with Migo and Salt and light, High Five rose early to head for Guadaloupe to meet Doug and Suzanne who flew in from Vancouver to visit for a week. S&L and Migo are headed to St Johns Antigua and possibly Barbuda

Montserrat (click for link)

Montserrat is a beautiful green island with an Irish heritage dominted by a large active volcano. The volcano had been dormant until 1995, when it erupted and destroyed the main town of Plymouth Over half the population left and those that stayed are now living on the north coast, in a somewhat protected area. We took a van tour of the island with Joe Phillips who is said to be the premier guide of the island and knew a great deal about the history as well as the plants and animals. He showed us a cashew tree with its bright fruit, wild bay leaves, cut up a coconut, and picked us some mangoes out of his friends front yard. He even knew where to find the home made ice cream, which is sold out of a van after the store in plymouth was destroyed. After the volcano, rains mixed with the ash and caused some flooding. The hotel in the picture is three stories high with only one and a half visable above the mud. There is a picture of the hotel before 1995, and as the hotel looks today. There is also a picture of the bay as it looked before the eruption and a similar picture taken by us. The island has grown over a hundred yards due to the ash. Joe was able to drive out on to the beach along the old pier which is completely land locked, onto the ash which covers the bay. It was very humbling to see the massive power that a volcano has. and the vastness of it's destruction. Looking out from the hilltop overlooking the ruined city (you are not allowed to go there) you could see the burned out buildings, the steeple of the church, houses and buildings covered in ash. It looked like a moonscape. After a potluck dinner with Migo and Salt and light, High Five rose early to head for Guadaloupe to meet Doug and Suzanne who flew in from Vancouver to visit for a week. S&L and Migo are headed to St Johns Antigua and possibly Barbuda

Friday 9 May 2008

St Somewhere

We left St Martin and headed out for St Bart's anchoring in a small bay on the north side. A boat near us took their dinghy into Gustavia to check in with customs and were told not to bother until they brought their boat to Gustavia. There was a path from the anchorage that led along high cliffs, the scenery was incredible looking down to the surf pounding the cliffs below, to a town called Colombier It was a small resort town that had a stunning beach with large surf. People were boogie boarding and skim boarding. We found a small general store where we sampled some french popsicles..yum! After the hot walk back to the boat we were glad to take a refreshing bath in the ocean. After 2 days in the bay we again headed off. This time to St Kitts. Here we joined up with Migo and Salt and Light and hired a van to tour the island. Our 3rd tour with the 3 families together. Brimstone hill fortress is a British built fort that sits atop a large bluff overlooking the ocean, and surrounding area, it is an impressive sight with the valcanoe towering behind it. We were all amazed that the whole fort was completely constructed by hand(slave labour of course) We also toured Romely manor, home of a world famous Batik artist. The highlight for the kids was seeing small monkeys in the trees, eating mangos. The main street in front of the marina in Basse terre came to life on Friday night and was full of music and bbq food, and cold beer. It was a lot of fun, we all enjoyed dancing together with the locals. Moving down island we found a great snorkel spot and a salt pond to explore. We hiked up to some old ruins but had to be very careful of the giant thorns that would poke right through the bottom of our shoes...OUCH! Unfortunately Johnathon on MIGO suffered 2 flat tires on his wheelchair. Nevis was the next stop, a quaint town that was celebrating "labour day" every thing was closed. dogs slept in the street. The four season's hotel put out a series of free mooring balls in front of their hotel, we took the mooring but went down the beach to a local spot for a snack and a beer. We had to stay a little longer as a short but very wet rain storm blew through. the next morning we headed in to customs to clear out, before we headed off to Monserrat to see the active volcano.