Christmas in St Thomas

We have enjoyed many things about St Thomas and had a Christmas that was even a little bit like home. Being back in the US made it easier to call home and we stocked up at all the stores that are not available in the BVI. St Thomas is a lively town that has cruise ships almost daily, some days there are 5 ships. However, the real fun here are the parties and festivals for the locals residents. The Friday before Christmas we went to a festival downtown with a boat parade, steel drum bands in the streets and local foods. It was better than any restaurant. We were able to taste dishes like conch in butter sauce, potato stuffing, tamarind candy, fish and johnny cakes and guavaberry wine. The shops stayed open late that night so people could buy their Christmas presents. To celebrate Christmas we had dinner with our Canadian friends on Mirliflore. Then we all went to the 11pm service at the Episcopal Cathedral. It was a traditional service with all the hymns we are used to. This is Al and I on the way home from church at 1 am Christmas morning. On Christmas day we had a turkey dinner and got together with friends in the evening.  

This is the view from the highest point in St Thomas, it is supposed to be the best view in the Virgin Islands. We saw this scary looking iguana up there, too. He was about three feet long.

We are now back in the British Virgin Islands. We decided to spend New Year's Eve in Trellis Bay and avoid the craziness at Foxy's. We are anchored outside the mooring field in Trellis Bay, it is wonderfully quiet here and very dark at night. It was fun to be in the  city of St Thomas but we are now happy to be in a remote location again.   

We would like to express our wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year. Enjoy the holiday with family and friends. We wish we were there, too!


All our best,  


Frances and Al LIma

The British Virgin Islands

In the past few weeks we have been traveling around the BVI. We have been to Rhode Town, Cooper Island, Norman Island, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. They are all gorgeous places and in general have very few people living there. This is a great place to get away from it all as the saying goes. Not much is happening and there is little to do but enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty of the islands. We have done a lot of snorkeling and hanging out with our new friends. We are traveling with two other boats, Mirliflore and Gypsy. They are boats that, as Fran's mom says, are crazy enough to sail straight from Virginia to the BVI in the Caribbean 1500. It's a pleasure to hang around like minded people! We have had no phone service and could only get Internet access at a bar or a restaurant. We didn't mind being without these services last March in the Bahamas but this time it was difficult that we could not call our family.  

The photos here are from Anegada. One is a view of Virgin Gorda from Anegada. We toured Anegada by renting a truck with our friends. There is an Iguana Headstart program there to raise iguanas until they are old enough to release. They are trying to repopulate the island with native iguanas, feral cats are eating the wild baby iguanas. The beaches on the north side of the island were worth the trip. We all enjoyed each beach for several hours, Loblolly Beach and Cow Wreck Beach. It is a paradise there.

We are now in St Thomas, USVI. Our friends are here, too. We are going to hang out here in civilization for a while. There are some sights to see  plus we can get groceries and enjoy being in a city again. This is a big city compared to where we have been for the past few weeks. 

We are making plans for Christmas and will be going to Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke for New Year's Eve. We miss everyone especially during the holiday season. Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch and following our progress!  

All our best,

Frances and Al

The voyage from Virginia to the Virgin Islands

We left November 11th at noon from Hampton Virginia. We had a good breeze from the stern for about 24 hours. The first two days it was very cold, but with the right clothing on you don't notice it! We crossed the Gulf Stream without any problem and turned on the motor to get as far east as we could. One way to make this passase is to go east to longititude 66 and then head south to Tortola, picking up the trade winds around latitude 20. A group of boats headed east. This year the eastern course put us in an area of light winds. For three days we made very little forward progress. But a front was predicted to come in a few days that would bring very strong winds in the right direction. We waited for the front. It was frustrating but we enjoyed our time reading, relaxing, having good meals, talking and laughing. It was wonderful to be on a calm sea and experience the vastness and beauty of the Atlantic. The water is incredibly blue. However, the fact that you are in a precarious situation is always in the back of your mind. It keeps you alert. Everyone on the boat worked to keep it moving safely towards our destination.
Both Bob and Julio were good company and excellent crew. Julio was the fisherman and caught a Mahi Mahi with his trolling line. Bob kept us laughing.

The winds came along just as predicted and blew us all the way to Tortola! We were on a reach or a broad reach for 4 days going at top speed the entire time. At one point we were sailing with just half the Yankee (jib) out and no main. We used various sail combinations based on the wind speed. We had ocean swells on the back quarter and that had us rolling side to side at times. Moving around down below was pretty hard, sometimes we had to hold on with both hands. We still managed to make coffee every morning and have a hot meal every night. Even though it was a little difficult it was extremely satisfying to experience Jade as a sailboat. To move at 6 to 8 knots for days at a time was more than we could have hoped for in this passage. Jade felt like being on a smoothly galloping horse. It was fantastic to be sailing on Jade after the time and effort we have put into making her ready for this trip.

We made it to Tortola at 6:30am Wednesday November 23rd. We were greeted with a glass of rum punch. We were actually a little sad that the trip was over but very happy to have made it safely.

Since being in Tortola we have been to parties and had some celebratory dinners on the boat. We toured Tortola by car with Bob and Julio. We have cleaned up the boat and are now ready to start moving again. We are leaving the marina this morning but we don't have a destination yet! There are lots of places to go that are just a few hours sail away. Our plan is to stay in the Virgin Islands area for a month and then move on. For now we just need to take it easy and savor the feeling of accomplishment of having made it this far.

We made it! Wednesday 11-23-11 6:30 am

We arrived safely in Tortola, BVI after 13 days at sea. It was a fantastic experience. The crew and the boat did very well and sailed through all the different conditions without any problems.
We will post photos and more information after we settle in for a few more days.

Caribbean 1500

We will leave soon on a 10 t0 12 day passage in the Atlantic. We have joined the Caribbean 1500 Rally, a group of sixty boats sailing directly from Hampton, Virginia to Tortola, BVI. The planned departure date is Monday November 7th, weather permitting.

During the voyage Jade and the other boats will be tracked on the Caribbean 1500 website. http://www.worldcruising.com/carib1500/ The progress of each boat will show up on a map along with daily logs. Please follow along and keep us in your thoughts as we take this challenging and exciting trip.

Two experienced sailors will be traveling with us, Bob Caffee and Julio Menendez. With these two guys along the trip should be a lot of fun and easier than with just the two of us.

The next blog post here will be soon after we reach the islands!

Inspiration in Annapolis and Washington D.C.

We are in Annapolis and have had experiences in the past three weeks that remind us of some of the great things about this country.

We have attended services at the Naval Academy chapel twice and have been so impressed with the architecture and the service. It takes us out of our small world of boating and reminds us of larger ideals and truly important endeavours.
Thanks to our friend Jeff Hazzard we had a tour of Washington DC that included many of the highlights of the National Mall. At the National Archives we saw the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Then we went to several of the Smithsonian museums. We saw the Air and Space, American Indian, Hirshhorn, Natural History and American History museums. We saw the Capital Building and the Whitehouse but just from the outside.

The Washington Memorial is in view no matter where you go on the Mall. The Air and Space Museum amazed us with actual rockets from the space program and planes of every type starting with the Wright Brothers plane. Here's Al in front of the lunar module. It looks like something you could make in your backyard but one just like this made it to the moon.

Jeff's wanted his picture in front of this commercial airliner to show how enormous these planes are.

In the evening we saw the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial. We started the day with the beginning of the country, then viewed artifacts of our history, art and culture and ended it with stunning reminders of those who struggled or died to keep the country going. It was an emotional experience and we found ourselves feeling very grateful and humbled at the end of the day.

Last week in Newport, Now in Baltimore

Our last week in Newport was a whirlwind of sight seeing with Frances' parents and getting ready to travel south. Fran's parents are experienced travelers so we were ready with plans and information. We did touring around Newport and saw the Breaker's mansion, Trinity church, the Seaman's institute, Fort Adams, Doris Duke's museum and the wharfs on the waterfront. We checked out the surrounding towns of Bristol, Jamestown, New Bedford, Fall River and Tiverton. We went to the Heresoff museum the Whaling museum and on a Lighthouse cruise. And of course, we stuffed ourselves with good food everywhere. It was so fun to show them the places we have been enjoying the past three months. Hopefully we will all be back next year to do it again.

Beavertail Point is one place we visited. It looks out over the Atlantic. This scene is typical of New England around Newport. The rocky coast with men fishing in the surf, a lobster boat in the middle ground and an international sailboat race going on in the background. A helicopter is flying above the race taking photos.

A fashion tip for men in Newport. For years Frances made fun of these red pants Al has. However, you see them them every day in Newport, pants and shorts. They are Breton Reds, mostly worn by sailors. They fade from red to pink but that does not stop any guy from wearing them.

Frances has had a promotion lately. But she thinks it is one of those jobs with a fancy title and no change in duties!

Carrying with us lot of good memories we left Newport Wednesday, September 21st. One of the best things about our summer was meeting Mike and Terry on This Side Up. They are going to catch up with us soon! Also Al will miss getting to see his family.

We sailed straight to the Delaware Bay in just over 48 hours. Two days later we sailed to Baltimore.

Always looking for history, we sailed past this marker of the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner in the Baltimore Harbor.

So we have started the next phase of our trip. We are getting ready to travel south to the Caribbean. In November we will head straight south from Virgina to the BVI's with a group of sailboats. It is a transition to spend the winter season in the tropics.

We still feel very fortunate to be on this trip. The experiences we are having make it completely worth the effort. We are so appreciative of our family and friends that are cheering us on. The trip is turning out to be a very enriching experience.

Frances and Al

From Maine to Provincetown to Newport

Our last few days in Maine were spent in Rockland. Like most harbors in Maine Rockland is a "working" harbor. Pleasure boats are  the minority. We were mixed in with lobster boats, large fishing boats and a Coast Guard station.

This red lobster boat was moored next to us. They left every morning before we even got up. Frances' conclusion after seeing so much lobstering is that the sea floor in Maine must be solid lobsters. 

We got this photo in Maine of a seal in the cove where we spent the hurricane, Seal Bay.

We left Rockland September 2nd and sailed to Provincetown, Mass. getting there at 10am on the 3rd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provincetown's claim to fame is that the Mayflower stopped there first before heading to Plymouth. They built a huge tower monument to recognize this event.

One of the main things to do in P-town is walk up and down the main street. It's a great place for people watching. They call it the Key West of New England.

The beach nearby is one of the best we have ever seen. It's immense with incredible dunes.

We are back in Newport now and hoping the weather is good next week for Fran's parent's visit.

 

Cruising in Maine

Despite the visit from hurricane Irene we have had a wonderful time in Maine. We weathered the storm in a cove called Seal Bay in Vinalhaven. There were 15 other boats there too so we got to know some new people and saw some folks we had previously met in the Bahamas. We had 40 to 50 knot winds with no waves so it was not a problem to ride out the storm on two anchors.
Other than the break to deal with the hurricane have been enjoying the beauty of Maine. The towns are small with incredibly friendly people but on a boat you can easily get to some remote and peaceful places with no town at all.
We have primarily visited Mount Desert Island and Rockland. We stayed in Southwest Harbor which is a very small town with a large number of lobster boats in the harbor. The town was fun to visit. We bought some jelly from a lady who sells it in front of her house on the road to town. We then anchored in Somesville Harbor. The photograph above is the anchorage in Somesville as the sun was setting. From Somesville we toured Desert Island by bus. The Acadia National Park is there, this is Al on the pink granite shoreline in the park.

We are now in Rockland, the largest town we have visited in Maine. The harbor is a mix of working fishing boats and pleasure boats. One of the highlights of our visit has been the Farnsworth museum with a large collection of Andrew Wyeth paintings.

We did get caught in the fog on our first day in Maine but the fog has mostly stayed away since then. This is a schooner in Bar Harbor with the fog rolling in. Right down the street it was sunny at this restaurant covered in lobster bouys.







We have been fortunate to have friends in this area who are also cruising this summer on their sailboat. Alan and Judy have shown us around the local waters and we have had a great time with them here. We are going to hate to say "good by" to them and to Maine.

We are leaving in the next day or two to sail straight back to Cape Cod and from there to Newport.

One last photo...a sunset over Southwest Harbor.

Newport to Maine

Believe it or not you can become very busy as a cruiser. Since our last post we have attended the Newport Folk festival and Jazz festival. The weather was perfect for the Folk festival. Hundreds of boats anchored close to the stages to listen to the music. Lets just say that the atmosphere on the water gets very festive as the day goes on. You can't help but have fun.
Al's brother Bruce turned 50 and his wife Angie threw him a great party. The homemade Portugese food was delicious as usual. Family members and friends were there including Al's daughter Christine and her husband Chris.

We spent an entire week doing boat projects at anchor in Newport. We completed numerous things but took only one photo that week of Frances fixing a sail on deck. Oh well, the work needed to be done but we had fun in the evenings having dinner with friends.
Newport continues to amaze us with classic boats, colonial history and lots of things to keep us entertained. Here are several 12 meters lined up at the dock getting ready for a race. The harbor is full of sailboats, all in beautiful of condition. In comparison Jade is on the small, cumberson and scruffy side. It's all relative!

We decided to go north to check out Maine since so many friends said we had to go there. Al's long time friend John Gosson joined us for a georgeous day of sailing from Newport to Onset. Then we went through the Cape Cod Canal to Provincetown. We sailed overnight from Provincetown to the Bar Harbor area of Maine.

We are now in Maine. We're not in Florida any more! However, we did see a lobster boat named FLO-RIDA. The landscape, birds and sea life are completely different here. This is Al on the beach. After the tide goes down 13 feet this sea weed is exposed and you can pick out as many mussels as you want. They made for a good dinner yesterday. We have just begun to see Maine so there will more on the next blog.

We still miss our family and friends from Florida and love hearing from everybody. Thanks for keeping in touch and for all the positive feedback on the blog.

Frances and Al

Time with Family

The second week of July Fran's sister Helen joined us for a week. We did nothing but have fun the whole time.

First we toured Newport and then sailed, actually sailed, to Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard is a nice island with several little towns and striking views of the ocean. Helen took this photo of the Light house at Gay Head on the southeast corner of the island. One town, Oak Bluffs has a famous retreat center with charming cottages that started out as tents 100 years ago.

We then sailed to Cuttyhunk, a small island with only about 50 houses. It feels very remote and peaceful.
A lot of the beaches in New England are rocky. Everyone flocks to the sand beaches on nice days. This is Al on a rocky beach in Cuttyhunk.

After the nice visit with Helen, Frances went home and got spoiled by her parents for a week. She found out that she really misses thunderstorms, a regular bed and air conditioning. She realized also that it is a lot easier to drive a car than a boat. It was a wonderful visit with her friends and she loved spending time with her mom and dad. Al stayed in Tiverton and helped his Dad with some projects around the house. Next time Al will probably want to go home with Frances!

We are back in Newport again for the folk festival this weekend. We will be around this area another week and then go north for a while.