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

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

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.

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.

BVI To St Maarten

Happy birthday Janine. April 14th marks 41 years old for our intrepid Admiral, mother and wife!! It seems like just yesterday………. Unfortunately for Janine and Granny (who is in for another visit) we took a marina in Roadtown, Tortola for the 13, 14 and 15th. This meant working. Cleaning, fixing, laundry, grocery shopping and stowing away all the stuff. We also got our boom sorted out once and for all, as well as buying new house batteries for the boat. True to form on the 14th itself it poured rain all afternoon (as it almost always does on Janine’s birthday),but at least we were quite sure it wouldn’t hail! It was a very busy day without much time for birthday revelries. We had a birthday dinner in the restaurant at the marina with Granny, Rennie, and Denny. It was a nice dinner but we were all very tired. With Granny aboard and all our chores done, it was time to start heading east again. We have been in the BVI’s for nearly a month. These are a very beautiful group of islands and despite the large number of boats (think Ganges on August long weekend) and that everything out of the main towns is overpriced “No I will not pay $12 for a hot dog!” We have really enjoyed ourselves here. Snorkeling and diving in these crystal clear waters is truly amazing. We have also been able to meet up with family and friends (see Sue and Steve’s post). Although you could probably spend a lifetime here and not see it all, it was time to move on.In preparation for our passage to St Martin we spent 2 nights in Gorda sound at the eastern end of the Bvi. The Bitter End Yacht Club is a five star resort that welcomes charterers, cruisers, and their families to their facilities. The mooring balls are only $30 a night. On our previous visits the boys really wanted to sail one of the Hobie Cats the club had to rent. Up steps Granny “ Oh I’ll rent one!” Yippee !! Dad and Granny got the first ride. Zipping across the bay at full speed, water spraying everywhere, was lots of fun. Our friends and us all got a chance to sail. Thanks again Granny! There was a photographer out in a dinghy taking pictures of the fun www.yachtshotsbvi.com is their website and if you search April17, and I think the subheader is “watersports fun” you can see the pictures. We left Gorda sound and the BVI on the afternoon of the 18th and by dark we were well on our way to St Maartin. Again it was a motorsail into the wind with lumpy seas. Not very exciting, or comfortable but in the morning we were able to anchor in the lagoon at St Martin. The crew, along with friends had a great breakfast of Ham and cheese Croissants, Pain au chocolate, Café Latte, and other such luxuries. After checking out the Dutch side of the island ( you can pass freely between the 2 countries almost without notice) we sailed to Ille Tintamarre and played on the beach. Some of the others on the beach introduced us to a strange custom, the cliffs are made of a reddish clay and we all had a “spa” treatment. We looked pretty funny all covered in mud, but it was a lot of fun. Grand Casse was our next stop, a small beach town on the French side, on Tuesday nights they close the street to cars and the restaurants and shops spill onto the street. A drum band paraded with a large variety of dancers. Our friends on Migo (www.migo.ca) I’m sure have posted many pictures of both the street festival and the mud bath adventures. We rented cars and took a tour of the island, the highlight of which was the beach bar at the end of the runway, where you can lie on your back in the sand and have large planes fly right over top of you, so close it feels like you could reach out and touch them. All too soon it was time for Granny to take that long lonely plane ride back home, early the next morning we loaded into the rental car and drove across the island to the Airport. After a tearful so long it was off to the grocery store to refill the pantry, and the cooler and a few more boat chores. It is now Monday April 28 (Happy Birthday Vance!) and we are getting ready to move along to St Bart’s and then St Kitts and Nevis. We must get moving to customs and check out, as well as find internet to post this blog. Cheers from us until we find internet again, the crew of High Five.

BVI To St Maarten

Happy birthday Janine. April 14th marks 41 years old for our intrepid Admiral, mother and wife!! It seems like just yesterday………. Unfortunately for Janine and Granny (who is in for another visit) we took a marina in Roadtown, Tortola for the 13, 14 and 15th. This meant working. Cleaning, fixing, laundry, grocery shopping and stowing away all the stuff. We also got our boom sorted out once and for all, as well as buying new house batteries for the boat. True to form on the 14th itself it poured rain all afternoon (as it almost always does on Janine’s birthday),but at least we were quite sure it wouldn’t hail! It was a very busy day without much time for birthday revelries. We had a birthday dinner in the restaurant at the marina with Granny, Rennie, and Denny. It was a nice dinner but we were all very tired. With Granny aboard and all our chores done, it was time to start heading east again. We have been in the BVI’s for nearly a month. These are a very beautiful group of islands and despite the large number of boats (think Ganges on August long weekend) and that everything out of the main towns is overpriced “No I will not pay $12 for a hot dog!” We have really enjoyed ourselves here. Snorkeling and diving in these crystal clear waters is truly amazing. We have also been able to meet up with family and friends (see Sue and Steve’s post). Although you could probably spend a lifetime here and not see it all, it was time to move on.In preparation for our passage to St Martin we spent 2 nights in Gorda sound at the eastern end of the Bvi. The Bitter End Yacht Club is a five star resort that welcomes charterers, cruisers, and their families to their facilities. The mooring balls are only $30 a night. On our previous visits the boys really wanted to sail one of the Hobie Cats the club had to rent. Up steps Granny “ Oh I’ll rent one!” Yippee !! Dad and Granny got the first ride. Zipping across the bay at full speed, water spraying everywhere, was lots of fun. Our friends and us all got a chance to sail. Thanks again Granny! There was a photographer out in a dinghy taking pictures of the fun www.yachtshotsbvi.com is their website and if you search April17, and I think the subheader is “watersports fun” you can see the pictures. We left Gorda sound and the BVI on the afternoon of the 18th and by dark we were well on our way to St Maartin. Again it was a motorsail into the wind with lumpy seas. Not very exciting, or comfortable but in the morning we were able to anchor in the lagoon at St Martin. The crew, along with friends had a great breakfast of Ham and cheese Croissants, Pain au chocolate, Café Latte, and other such luxuries. After checking out the Dutch side of the island ( you can pass freely between the 2 countries almost without notice) we sailed to Ille Tintamarre and played on the beach. Some of the others on the beach introduced us to a strange custom, the cliffs are made of a reddish clay and we all had a “spa” treatment. We looked pretty funny all covered in mud, but it was a lot of fun. Grand Casse was our next stop, a small beach town on the French side, on Tuesday nights they close the street to cars and the restaurants and shops spill onto the street. A drum band paraded with a large variety of dancers. Our friends on Migo (www.migo.ca) I’m sure have posted many pictures of both the street festival and the mud bath adventures. We rented cars and took a tour of the island, the highlight of which was the beach bar at the end of the runway, where you can lie on your back in the sand and have large planes fly right over top of you, so close it feels like you could reach out and touch them. All too soon it was time for Granny to take that long lonely plane ride back home, early the next morning we loaded into the rental car and drove across the island to the Airport. After a tearful so long it was off to the grocery store to refill the pantry, and the cooler and a few more boat chores. It is now Monday April 28 (Happy Birthday Vance!) and we are getting ready to move along to St Bart’s and then St Kitts and Nevis. We must get moving to customs and check out, as well as find internet to post this blog. Cheers from us until we find internet again, the crew of High Five.

Cruising the BVI's with the Minielly's

Hi, it's Sue and we've just returned from spending 12 amazing days cruising the British Virgin Islands with Gary, Janine and the boys. Gary asked me to download some photos as communication connections are very slow and difficult to access these days, and they've not been successful in uploading much lately due to technical issues. I said I'd be happy to take on the assignment of Guest Recorder/Reporter upon my return to the world of high speed 'everything', and isn't that the truth -- after enjoying twelve days of slowwwwww, I must say it's a bit of a shock to get back to the world of alarm clocks, cell phones, schedules, deadlines etc. etc. which is a major contrast to life on the boat where the days events and activities were planned each morning, sitting on deck with a coffee, looking at the waves, weather and every conversation started with, "Well, where are we going today?" It actually took us three days to discover that the only clock onboard was out by two hours (due to being accidentally readjusted during the Pirate Takeover and Treasure Hunt, but that's another story...)

Here's a photo of the crew of the SV High Five, taken on April 12th.

Bradley, Tavish and Richard have all grown at least 4 inches taller, it seems. Everyone is a golden brown, in spite of the 30 SPF sunscreen. Clothing choices consist of sunglasses and swim shorts/suits which makes it much quicker when going for a swim, snorkel, swinging from the halyard (what a blast!!) or diving off the front of the boat.

We spent a good deal of time playing in the water; the snorkelling was amazing. We had the opportunity one afternoon to swim with a sea turtle, who was not bothered by 7 people following behind, over and under him as he lead us around the cove. That same afternoon we swam with fish that looked like salmon (sorry I can't remember their name; where's Richard when I need him!!) and were approx. 4-5 feet long, which was a little awkward at first until we realized that they didn't care about us either. Then there was the day we snorkelled over top of the stingray for a while-- snorkelling in the BVI's is truly like swimming in the tropical fish tanks at the aquarium with no boundaries. You can see to the bottom of the ocean at 50 feet the water is so clear!

Live entertainment at Happy Hour!

I am also pleased to report that the boys are working very diligently on their schoolwork each day (right boys???!!!)

Oops, that's better!!

We met up with Gary's sister Nancy, Bob,Catherine and Alex for a few days. We also had a chance to meet some of the wonderful new friends the Minielly's have made along the way from SV's Salt and Light, Losloper and Migo.

Anyway, enough chat from me, but suffice to say that we had an unforgettable time cruising the BVI's with our dear friends. They are all healthy and happy together in paradise and most definitely having the time of their lives!

The end of another beautiful day in paradise!

Thanks for all the wonderful memories,

S&S