Never Close Your Eyes

Today I woke up in beautiful Saint Lucia. Night sailing is starting to become a way of life here on board Ryen's Quest. Actually, night sailing is quite calming. I am at my calmest when dreaming about other things. Back to Saint Lucia. We arrived early morning and were tied along side before noon. Allan did all of his running around with customs and immigration. There is a tremendous amount of running around to do when you are the captain of a vessel. I am happy to be crew. The last 70 hours have started to show on Al's face. Maybe tonight he can rest easy and sleep, knowing the boat is secure. That may be him I hear snoring in the back cabin now.

Rodney Bay is undergoing a major overhaul. The marina is top of the line, accommodating boats and mega yachts. They have both 220 and 110 electrical, which means we get air conditioning for the next few days. There is laundry, groceries, banking, eateries, gas, water, plus they added a jazz festival which starts on Sunday. At least we won't smell bad if we go to any of the jazz events.

We have been in St Lucia for a week, and without a doubt this is by far my favourite island. We have met a lot of nice people, and yesterday Allan and I went on an island tour with a couple from Washington state. They are also taking their yacht to Trinidad. Our tour guide, Jonas, was a terrific fellow, has seven children and fifteen grandchildren. We drove through lots of little fishing villages, the island's mini rain forest, a drive in volcano and got a chance to swim in the waterfalls. Well, I didn't swim, I just watched. The island has a diverse economy, from the very poor, to the very, very rich. We had lunch in a small little place and tried local cuisine. Chicken Roti, which is potato, chicken, and curry spices all wrapped up in a soft tortilla shell. Our hostess/cook, and proprietor was Cynthia. She was delighted to have us in her place, but I am still not convinced that she charged us enough.

Martinique - April Sometime

We got to this beautiful french colony and spent two days there. Fort de France. It was lovely, but too hot. Photos to follow.

Guadeloupe April 22, 2010

Getting away from the mangroves and heading towards Guadeloupe was only a forty mile passage. Trade winds were still missing, so with no wind we had to motor. Here’s a funny for you. The only thing worse than sailing with no trade wind, is sailing with the hot, motor running in the tropics with no trade wind.

Entering the bay at Deshaies was beautiful. The water is clean and people are swimming all around. Being unable to swim might have accounted for a brief but relentless meltdown on my part. I am reminded that this is a journey, and we are headed for the equator. That is like the hottest spot in the world. The closest part of the world to the sun. I am menopausal with hot flashes, sailing the tropics with no trade winds, being belted by bugs that carry the sickly dengue (sp) virus. I think I am entitled to one little outburst. But moving on to the beauty of Deshaies.

We anchored at a quaint little French village, with the colourful faded shanties rounding the water. And their traditional fishing boats were ready for any amateur’s photo camera. I hope I have taken enough shots. Early in the evening this adorable young blonde male child of 18 or so, came to us in his dinghy and in his truly Parisian French accent asked if we would be interested in “fresh bread and perhaps some croissant au chocolat to be delivered fresh in the morning around 7 or 7:30”. Indeed we did order six croissants and a loaf of bread. Insisted he return for the right currency in Euros, and to return a third time with the change. Al did this for me.

The sunsets are like I have never seen before. Probably because I have never been so close to the sun before. A photo is worth a thousand words, so I will leave a photo or two. I thanked God for the beautiful sunsets, He knew I was being facetious, and I stubbed my foot on the boat rail. Another “Our Father”.

There was a lively band playing at a local bar/restaurant called Hemmingway’s. It was packed and the band sounded great. They sang English, French, Spanish, and maybe more but none that I recognized. There was lots of laughing to be heard, if you could hear it over the cricket’s protests. And in the morning you are awakened by what can only be described as the “Rooster’s Symphony”, and this I kid you not. While I tried to point out the area where one was doodling, another would answer, and after their banter back and forth, a third and a fourth rooster would add their doodles to the piece. I enjoyed this part of our stay most. Those darn roosters! And the other thing I particularly enjoyed was in the morning, long before dawn, when the fishers would tear through the anchorage with their motors revved up, nary a light to see with and not hit one boat in the entire places. I know this to be true, because I was sitting at the bow of the boat figuring out the rooster thing

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Today I celebrated my birthday in Guadeloupe. Allan had stuffed crab for an entrée, and conch and rice for an appetizer. He enjoyed it very much. I ordered a steak with no entrée, and it was tough as the bottom of a leather boot. The waitress struggled with her English, while I puttered with my French, and we found common ground at “non bon”. At $45 US it was definitely “non bon”. But I do have to ask myself why I would order beef in the middle of seafood country. I would have tried the poisson if the poisson had a name, and came to the table with no tail and eyes. I will try harder; this is after all an adventure. At my age, a peanut butter and jam sandwich tastes great on that French bread that was delivered this morning.

While we were waiting for the customs office to open so we could exit the country (it never did open) we enjoyed the company of the local people, as well as a visit from a very friendly pelican. I thought for sure he had made a suicide dive, but these birds dive from about fifty feet straight into the water, and their wings all go squishy and funky, and they come out of it with a beek full of fish. Amazing!

Antigua April 17

Leaving Road Town, Tortola meant one thing to me. My first ever over-night passage, and also my first ever two-night passage. To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to the event; however, the trip was really quite spectacular. I might have missed some of the trip due to some well timed gravol. The weather doesn’t seem to be changing, much. Just getting much hotter.

We arrived in Antigua just at the end of the Classic Boat Racing and the good people co-coordinating the events were already preparing for the influx of sailors and on-lookers for the racing week to begin. We took a spot in the anchorage at Ordinance Bay which was beautifully surrounded by mangrove trees. I had never seen a mangrove tree before and it wasn’t until sundown when I learned where all the night biters lived. It quickly became less beautiful. But life is an adventure. And where were the trade winds that keep everyone so even tempered? It was so hot in Antigua that even the locals were dropping like flies. One woman warned me about the gray and white striped mosquitoes that carry the dengue (sp) virus, which makes you very sick. I can’t see with my glasses on, and I thought gray was a shade of white. Allan is bitten from his feet to his knees and neither of us took note to the biters' colour. He could be getting very sick. Yikes!!

English Harbour was very nice. Nice like Citadel Hill and King’s Landing, only warmer. We ate out at some of the eateries, which were all very good but I am getting a hankering for some galley-made food. I am going to start cooking as soon as this heat wave subsides. We did a little shopping which consisted of a t-shirt each. Mine reads “Antigua, Wind Chill Factor 87 degrees”.

I just happened to have a ring side seat when the sailors began arriving for the races. There was a time when I could have imagined what fun it would be to be out partying with a group like that. Now I imagine what fun my kids could be having with a group like that. Have I mentioned the heat yet?

Al talked to his mom and dad, and I talked to my kids. Allan’s parents are doing well, as they always are. Shout out to you Orva and Gerald! My son leaves for Afghanistan on May 3^rd. How quickly I am learning all of my prayers. My oldest bought a new house, and my baby picked out kitchen cabinets for her new place. Wonder who is financing this luxury? And there’s a saying about not having a pot, to….throw out the window or something like that.

With the bugs and the heat, I was ready to move along to Guadeloupe.

Just A Little Off The Top

Allan has been talking for awhile about shaving off his beard, and there's one thing I have learned from Allan, is that he always follows through on what he says he is going to do. Anyway, today the plan was to go to Cane Garden Bay because it's a nice place to anchor and there is a nice beach. So in preparation for the short jaunt across the water, I take a gravol because I am most certain to get sick. I don't remember what caused our plans to change, nor does it matter really. Point is, I went for a nap courtesy of Gravol. A short time later, Allan came into the aft cabin and tapped me on the shoulder. I think he looks like his 7 year old nephew Skyler. He is adorable. Beardless makes him look younger I think. I also think that we won't be seeing him with no facial hair for another twenty years.

I am not sure if there will be more surprises in the morning if I fall asleep tonight!!

A Foxy Milestone

We left Soper's Hole on Tuesday, mid-day, and sailed to the infamous "Foxy's" bar. You could spend the day there just looking at remnants of t-shirts hanging on the rafters, left by patrons of the bar over the years. Of course, some people just leave their thongs, underwear, and mini-skirts. I am still undecided whether to leave a shirt of Allan's, or Mac's shorts. Fighting for space in the rafters are wicked amounts of spiderwebs, and a variety of insects who found their final resting place.

This doesn't paint a very pretty picture, what with the moldy clothes hanging around, but one would be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with the cuisine. I had a rib steak that I could cut with my fork, with nice fresh vegetables. Allan had a tuna steak with rice and veggies. Mac opted for the King Fish with rice. Al still hasn't found "great" conch fritters, but thought the dish he had for an entre was probably the best yet. However, the search continues. (I recently found out that my daughter's underwear is part of the decor at Foxy's. Those crazy kids! I just keep getting prouder and prouder the older they get.)

We didn't see Mr Foxy himself last night; however, because we had forgotten the camera we took the dinghy in this morning and Foxy was chillin' in a hammock rappin' to a couple of ladies. He took notice of my "Canada eh!" tee and welcomed us over with some Canadian specific rap. He's quick for sure. Or has done it so many times it's like riding a boat for him. He told us about meeting the Queen and his trip to England and Buckingham Palace to receive the prestigious "Member of the Order of the British Empire".

If you ever get an opportunity to get to Foxy's you may come across a very popular and anatomically correct carved wooden monkey. Al urged me towards Mr Monkey and was ready for the shot when I turned around with embarrassment. This may be a long trip or a short trip, but I will get him back for that one.

I just have to share another beautiful sunset with you. The reason I notice the sunsets is because I realize that my reading time is over and the bugs are coming out to dine. Allan really gets chewed up bad.

Be safe everyone! And as they say in Great Harbour, "Have a Blessed Day!"

Back In The Cockpit

After some months of being away from Ryen’s Quest, I have returned to find paradise. Don’t be fooled by those pretty glossy pictures you see in tourist mags, and “Cruising World”. Being here in the British Virgin Islands is so much more.

We arrived in Tortola after a less than ideal flight. Missing connecting flights in Toronto and having to switch to United Airlines, meant having a sleep over in San Juan. Lucky for us there is a hotel in the airport so we didn’t have to do much digging to find a bed to fall into. By noon on Tuesday we were enjoying drinks and sunshine in Soper’s Hole. Since then, our schedule has been pretty pathetic really. Because I have a few more weeks of recuperation post-surgery, the biggest decisions I have to make is whether or not I want to read or swing in the hammock, or both. The sun is relentless. Everyday is sunny, hot, blue skies, clean water, and a refreshing trade-wind which cools you off. And don’t expect things to change. Nobody wakes up wondering what the weather will be. It is what it is. Not a good place to be if you like a lot of variety.

There is an unending parade of charter boats coming into and leaving the harbour. Catamarans seem to be the boat of choice. So far I haven’t seen a lot of chartered mono-hulls. The charter boats seem to be in excellent repair and having watched a few young people working as Skippers and Crew on the crewed boats, they don’t look like they miss much. The boats are meticulous and they don’t cheap out on provisioning.

Allan has provisioned the boat with water, diesel/gas, and food and fluid, so now we are prepared to make my first trip to Jost Van Dyke. We will probably drop the pick there for a few days and then head for Peter Island and then Road Harbour.

I wish my brother and his wife could be here. This is the place to find rest and relaxation. Think it over guys, I can give up the hammock for a week or two. You would absolutely love it here. I will try to post some photos…enjoy!