Final Post - Coming home and Captian Al

We arrived in St Petersburg July 29th at noon. We blew the conch horn, shot off the cannon and toasted with Champagne with our welcoming party. Al gave a speech thanking the three women who made the trip possible, Jade, Mama (Caroline), and Frances. Then we stepped off the boat. We had wonderful gatherings that day and that night reuniting with friends and celebrating the fulfillment of a dream.

This longer blog will tell what we did to prepare for the trip and how we feel now that we have returned. It includes a lot of photos of Al. Al is basically "The Man" on Jade. He is the one who really made the trip happen. He can design, install and repair anything on a boat. He went through the entire boat upgrading every system. In just the first year he designed and replaced all the chain plates, stanchions, lifelines, running rigging and wooden cap rails. That year he also relocated the batteries, improved the chain locker and installed a new windlass. He worked with a metal fabrication shop to design tools and parts to do the upgrades. His work and supply of spare parts made it so that we had very few problems or mechanical breakdowns. Only once were we stuck somewhere waiting for a repair. Al can fix anything in any type of sea state so when something happens he takes care of it immediately. Al was the navigator and weather man. He checked us into Customs. He even took some of the photos. Al is also the main reason we met so many people. He can make a connection instantly. His charm comes through immediately and because of Al we met people and made friends everywhere we went. As you can tell by all this, one of Frances' main jobs is to make Al take a break and relax!

We both have been boating all our lives, Al in New England and Frances in Florida. After we met in1989 we sailed Al's 31 foot boat up and down the coast of Florida on weekends and vacations, going as far as Cuba. We found out about extended cruising and knew that was for us. We did not want to wait until retirement so we decided to take a two year break from regular life and go sailing.  We started a 5 year plan in 2006. The first year we bought Jade. The next 4 years we worked on the boat, saved money and attended classes and training seminars. We can't emphasize enough the amount of training and preparation that went into this trip. The training really started 15 years ago when we joined the St Petersburg Sail and Power Squadron and took seamanship and navigation courses. Then we both obtained Captain's licenses, Al has used his as a professional captain and Frances did it for the information. We are members of Seven Seas Cruising Association and have attended numerous weekend training events and individual classes offered by that group. All the training classes are a lot of fun too and a way to meet other sailors preparing to take off. During these 4 years we kept up with normal life, working, spending time with family and friends, going on vacations, etc. It was a fun time and having the goal of cruising in mind got us through many a rough day. 

Things got very busy the last year before leaving. We took the boat out of the water for painting and emptied out the house to get it ready to rent. It was a lot of hard physical work, good training for cruising! Once those two major things were completed we had three months left to go. In the last few months we wondered if we had lost our minds and were crazy to be going on the trip. At the same time we were afraid something would happen to prevent us from going. We scaled some hurdles in the last two months by sheer determination and left the dock January 29th 2011. It's true what everyone says, the minute you leave the dock you feel free. Al played the John Lennon song Starting Over and we sat there saying to each other, "I can't believe it".            

The previous posts tell the story of the trip from beginning to end. We kept a journal and ship's log so we can write a more detailed account later on if we want to.

We have found that going on the trip put life in perspective for us. Traveling to all the different places, learning about the history and culture of the US and the Caribbean and meeting people from all over the world has given us a better outlook on the world. There is plenty of time to think about life when you are traveling at 6 miles an hour. We had time to talk about all the things we saw and experienced. We were also able to savour so many special and beautiful moments. A sailing cruise involves a lot of physical labor and gets you in shape. Living on a boat is a daily workout especially when you are sailing and on land we walked almost  everywhere. We took a break from TV, newspapers and commercial radio for the entire year and a half. We only had sporadic phone and Internet service for the past 9 months. We were on the Internet for about 3 hours a week to keep up with the headlines and do the blog. In every new place we saw the historic and interesting sites, tried new foods, had fun snorkeling or going to local festivals and parties and spent a lot of time with people we met. The experience has shown us that the world is an amazing and beautiful place with tons of very nice people.

Having said all that, it's nice to be home. It's nice to turn on the air conditioning, it's nice to be clean all the time. It's wonderful to be with family. It's nice to have unlimited water and power. It's nice to be able to get any thing any time. It's so easy to accomplish things here. We have phone service all the time, Internet service all the time and a car. At first we were in culture shock. So many companies, charities and organizations vie for your attention. Everything seems so fast. People talk fast here. You can be busy all the time if you want to be. 

We have jumped back into life in the US but will continue to live with the "cruiser" attitude that got us out on the water and through the trip. We had a dream and acquired the knowledge and skills to make it happen. Obstacles had to be overcome, on a boat it can mean the difference between life or death! If you make friends along the way the trip is much more fun. Some people we met will be our friends for life. It was a lot of work but the rewards were worth the effort. No matter what happened, at the end of each day we stopped, enjoyed the sunset and had a nice meal. We want to use everything we learned at sea to enrich our lives now on land. The adventure continues, just in a different setting!

We are living with Fran's parents for now. Al is continuing his business and Frances is looking for work. 

We want to thank all our friends and relatives for cheering us on and welcoming us back!  

We thank the Ocean that inspired and challenged us for a year and a half. 

Finally we would like to say, "Don't be a stranger". We have spent the last year and a half with people and we like it that way! 

To everyone we know we wish you fair winds and following seas,

Frances and Al Lima

The Bahamas, aaah!

The water in the Bahamas is truely amazing. It's as clear as tap water in shallow places.The shades of turguoise and blue make you want to get out a paint brush and capture the beauty. The Bahamas are easy and relaxing. We first stopped for one night near Crooked Island and then went to Clarence Town to get fuel. We walked around the little settlement in Clarence Town and swam in our own private anchorage surrounded by coral and beaches. The photo above is from Conception Island where we stopped next. Conception is an uninhabited nature preserve. 

George Town, in the Exumas was our next stop and we ended up staying there 10 days. Our friend Herman is there for the summer on his boat White Wing. Larry on Restless another Tampa resident was there, too. They showed us around George Town and the nearby beaches. We all went the the Bahamas Independence Day celebration on July 10th. They celebrate the night before and raise the Bahamaian flag at midnight. The whole town turned out and they had Rake and Scrape music and a small Junkanoo parade. The dancers and drummers in the Junkanoo group move so much it was hard to get a clear photo! The group had elaborate costumes, dancing girls and men playing horns, drums and cowbells. Simply put, It Rocks! We will definitely be heading back to the Bahamas for a full fledged Junkanoo parade. 

George Town has some gems. J & K computers is located in a historic house and run by a lovely couple Julius and Crystal.  They have computer services and sell drinks and groceries so you can have a snack while working on your blog. 



  

On the last day we were treated to a visit from a pair of wild dolphins that swim with people. For hours a mother and her calf swim next to you just out of arms reach. They turn their head and look at you when you dive down and swim along with them under water.

One advantage to cruising is that your plans change with the weather. After having two going away parties we reluctantly said good bye to our friends on July 15th. 

We sailed to Staniel Cay which  took one day. It is just as beautiful as the rest of the Exumas. Years ago, the locals put their pigs on a separate island and fed them by boating over from the main town. The pigs learned to swim out to the boat when ever they heard an outboard motor. Now the pigs are lucky enough to be fed many times a day by tourists. The Thunderball Grotto is in  Staniel Cay, too and it's a great snorkel. It was used in the James Bond movie, Thunderball.

This is the Atlantic beach on Staniel Cay. We did a little "End of the Trip" ceremony and talked about what the cruise has meant to each of us. We left Staniel Cay Tuesday July 24th and sailed straight to the Florida Keys. We are now anchored in Marathon.

We are leaving the Keys tomorrow and will be home in St Petersburg Monday morning, weather permitting.

The next blog will be our last. It will include photos and an short article with some of our thoughts on the trip for those thay may be interested.

All our best,

Frances and Al

First stop on the way home - Puerto Rico

Even though we are heading home there are a lot of stops on the way and it will take a month or two. We might as well enjoy ourselves!                                                              

We stopped in Salinas, Puerto Rico after leaving Dominica. Life is slow and easy in Salinas, a small town on the southern coast. On the sidewalk outside a restaurant someone had a basketfull of sugar cane they were selling by the piece. In the restaurants you can pick your crab for dinner. There water is nice for swimming and several small beach cafes are on the main street. We also went to the city of Ponce for the day and enjoyed the architecture and the shops. On one historic building this poor girl is stuck holding up a column for all time.

Puerto Rico has good shopping so we loaded up for the trip home through the Bahamas. If you have ever wondered how we shop this is Al with the dinghy loaded to the top with groceries. After getting everything up on the boat from the dinghy we find places to put it all away down below. Food and supplies are stored in every nook and cranny of the boat.                                We were amazed by the mangrove trees at the marina in Salinas. The mangroves had the longest roots we have ever seen. 

We left Puerto Rico but had to come right back to Boqueron on the west coast. A couple of things just plain wore out on the boat and Puerto Rico is a great place to get supplies. We drove to San Juan twice to get parts so we had a tour of the whole island! We stayed at a nice marina in Boqueron. Our first night there a group of people on the dock included us in their weekly dock party. That lifted our spirits after having to turn the boat around. The Puerto Rican people are some of the friendliest we have met on the whole trip. They love to gather in groups, chat and have a good time.  

If you have to be stuck some where Boqueron is not a bad choice. It's a favorite beach of the Puerto Ricans and the whole town is hopping on the weekends. Their specialty is local oysters and clams sold on the street from these carts. Al said thery were really good.

We visited the cliffs of Cabo Rojo on the south west corner of Puerto Rico. There were some other people there, too having a good time and enjoying the wind.

We got every thing taken care of in a week and sailed to the Bahamas. We will continue to post on our way home. It's a bitter sweet time for us. A journey's end of also part of the adventure. 

Thanks to everyone for following our blog. The trip is not over yet!

Frances and Al

Decision Time - Heading Home

We came to a point about a month ago when we needed to make a decision. We had planned to spend the Summer and Fall in Grenada and come home in January but several things changed our mind. Al would like to be available to visit his father more often and the heat in the summer is a little tough to take down here. We also need to get normal life started again. Cruising was more expensive than we thought it would be! The end result of all this is that we have decided to head for home. After living with the decision for a while we are satisfied that it is the right thing to do. We feel so fortunate that we have been able to take this trip and will always have so many amazing memories to look back on.

However. The trip is not over yet! 

We sailed from Dominica to Puerto Rico which took four days. We then spent two weeks in Puerto Rico staying in Salinas and Boqueron. Salinas was fun and we saw our friends Gary and Barbara on PaLaOla. Boqueron is a popular beach town and we loved the small shops and restaurants there.

From Puerto Rico we sailed straight to Crooked Island, Bahamas. It took 5 days which was our longest trip without additional crew.  After about two days we got into a good watch pattern that worked for us. The first part of the trip the wind and waves were behind us so we could sail. The last two days the wind died down and we had to turn on the motor but the seas flattened out and that gave us a rest. We were very happy when we threw out the anchor behind a quiet island. If we did these long trips more often we would probably get very good at it!

We are still in the Bahamas, in George Town, on Exuma Island.  The beaches are incredible here and the water is so clear.  We forgot how beautiful the Bahamas were. We came to George Town especially to visit with our friend Herman Bips from Tampa. That must be why we are still here! Herman has been showing us around and we have been enjoying this area.

We are working our way home and hope to be back in St Petersburg in August.

When we can get good internet access again we'll do a proper blog with photos!

All our best,
Frances and Al

Dominica, Wow!

Dominica is wild and amazing. It's full of rain forests and rivers and it's not very developed. We anchored off the town of Portsmouth. Fishermen go out daily, some in dug out canoes and small farms are everywhere. We had delicious fresh food while we were there.

  Our guide, Albert, visited us every day to  arrange tours and see if we needed anything. He gave us an excellent  tour of  the Indian River. Parts of Pirates of the Caribbean II were filmed in Dominica. The Indian river was used for the swamp scene. The trees called Swamp Blood Trees make it look very creepy.  

 

After not hiking much this entire trip we decided to go on the hike of all hikes, the Boiling Lake.

It is an all day trip up and down and up and down mountains and valleys. On the way we passed through the Valley of Desolation. No trees grow there and water boils out of the ground with a sulphur smell. The lake was amazing and you don't get real close because the water is 250 degrees. We were a little sore the next day, or two, but it was a special treat to see such an interesting phenomenon.

 

There were so many intersting sights in Dominica we'll include a few extra photos.

                                                The trail to the Emerald Pool.

                            A Banana Plantation, the blue bags are protection from birds and bugs.

                                                  Loading the bananas onto the boat.

                                                 A beautiful display at the market.

                                   Buying baskets on the Caribbean Indain territory.

We hated to leave but it was time to move on once again. We will keep everyone posted as we make progress towards the next destination.

Thanks again to everyone for following our trip.

All our best,

Frances and Al

 

Guadeloupe

We spent time in Guadeloupe before and after traveling to Massachusetts. You better speak some French in Guadeloupe or you will not even find the customs check in office! After learning a few French words we started having a good time. We spent time in Deshaies, Pointe a Pitre and Les Saintes. A German cruiser we met said that Guadeloupe is just like the South of France and the island does have a very European feel. The tourists are mostly from France, Germany and western Europe. We were fortunate to meet some Canadian and German cruisers who also spoke English so we could make some friends while we were there. The photo above is the anchorage and town of Les Saintes. The church bell tower is in the center and is rung every hour by hand.

In the small towns life is like it was 100 years ago. Every morning the townspeople go out to pick up bread and buy fresh produce or fish. On Les Saintes fish is sold in this open air market on the water. The fish were probably caught that morning. The market in the photo above is in Pointe A Pitre. We quickly adopted the lifestyle of picking up fresh fruits, vegetables and fish every day to cook for dinner that night.

Something we did not expect to find was that the signature fabric on Guadeloupe is Madras. They use the plaids to make everything from clothes to table cloths. We bought several yards of fabric to make something when we get home. Now Frances whishes she had bought this outfit, too!  Guadeloupe was a pleasure in many ways. 

Now we are in Dominica which is completely different. More on that in the next blog.

Thank you for all your kind e mails and calls after the loss of Al's brother last month.

All our best,  

Frances and Al

Al's brother Bruce

A very sad event has occurred. Al's younger brother Bruce died suddenly on April 24th. We have been in Massachusetts with Al's family for the past two weeks. Today we are flying back to Guadeloupe where we left the boat in a marina. 

Bruce was a beloved friend to many people in the towns where he lived his whole life, Fall River, Massachusetts and Tiverton, Rhode Island. Please keep Al's family in your thoughts and prayers especially Bruce's wife Angie and Bruce and Al's dad Al.  



Family visits and Saba Rock

There is nothing better than showing your family around the Virgin Islands. In late March Bill and Caroline came to St Thomas and stayed in a hotel. Their favorite tour we took them on was to St John's. They had a cruiser's type day using local transportation, going to "Skinny Legs Restaurant" and mingling with donkeys, chickens and goats. They even did some birdwatching and saw two local humming birds. Papa always has binoculars! Afterwards it was a luxury for Fran and Al to relax with them at the hotel. We wish they could have stayed longer.

Two days later the really wild visit started. The Landmessers flew in to St Thomas and we took them to the BVI.  The weather was good and we hit all the highlights. The girls liked it all, the bubbly pool, the Baths, the clear water and the snorkeling. It was a whirlwind trip and every day was fun. Helen, Fran's sister, loves the boat so much this has been her third visit! 

The last night there was a Full Moon party at Trellis Bay. They redo their New Year's Eve party every month on the full moon. The fires, Jumbies and Fungi music on the beach create an atmosphere where you almost have to have fun. Fran is planning to have many more good times with her family, weather it be on this trip or back in the States!  



And here's Captain Uncle Al relaxing after all the entertaining! We treated ourselves to two nights in a hotel room at Saba Rock. Fran calls it a mini-resort. The island is probably a total of 4 acres of land. A tiny beach with hammocks looks out onto the Atlantic and the restaurant overlooks North Sound, Virgin Gorda. No elevators, no lobby and no room service because the restaurant is only 500 ft away from your room. Now we are back on the boat and plan to leave soon to go south. We'll explore the Windward Islands and spend the summer in Grenada. It feels like another phase of the trip is beginning.

Thanks to everyone for the continuing good wishes, e mails and comments. 

Our best,

Frances and Al