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 

Puerto Rico - San Juan and Culebrita

Puerto Rico has been a pleasure. When we made it to the main island we visited Old San Juan, a walled city built by the Spanish. In downtown Frances is really happy that she is not being thrown in this old Spanish prison cell! The wall around the city is immense. You can see how small the people look walking around the wall on the path. The fort the Spanish built to defend the city is huge too. The fort has a chapel and cemetery on the grounds, right on the ocean. The painted chapel and elaborate tombstones are such a contrast to the brown and gray fort. It was a very moving scene.

After spending some time in Fajardo to shop in some big stores we picked up our friend Mary and headed back to Culebra. Mary spent twelve days with us teaching us Spanish and having fun, too. Culebra is one of our favorite places. It's so small we kept running into people that we knew after being there only a few days. We got to know three other boats there too, North Star, Palaola and The Dove. We snorkeled, hiked, went to the gorgeous beaches and hung out at our favorite place the Dinghy Dock Restaurant. 

From Culebra we went to a small island next door called  Culebrita. The water was so nice we could swim from the boat to shore. There were deserted beaches and interesting rock formations filled with water. The island had an old Spanish light house. We found a Geo Cache near it with information and a photo of the light house in better days. We spent every day hiking around the island, snorkeling and swimming. There are a lot of times that cruising is like being a child again, discovering new places with friends and spending a lot of time essentially playing outdoors.

We now are back in St Thomas, USVI to meet up with family for a few weeks and then we will head south again. Thanks for continuing to follow our trip.

It's not going to last forever, we'll be home in January!

With our best regards,

Frances and Al Lima

Nevis is nice and Culebra easy.


On February 8th we sailed from Antigua to Nevis which took 8 hours. Nevis was a quick stop on the way to Puerto Rico. It's a small island with just a few tourists. We always try to check out the historical sights. Nevis has a museum about Lord Nelson and a History museum at Alexander Hamilton's birthplace. Al has been amazed in the islands at the historical items and artifacts displayed on open shelves. It's good the know that these small communities are interested in keeping their history alive. 

There is not much to do on Nevis and most people go there just to relax. There is one main street in town with old buildings that hold local businesses and a few restaurants and beach bars. The sunset views from the anchorage are wonderful and all the cruisers sit out in their cockpits every evening to watch the show.  


On February 11th we sailed to Culebra, Puerto Rico which took 35 hours. It was a nice downwind sail and we anchored just before sundown on the 12th. Being back in the USA made it easy for us because our phones work and Internet access is available on the boat. So much for getting away from it all!

We found Culebra to be very relaxing. The anchorage is quiet and calm. Everything is easy to get to, grocery stores, US Post Office, restaurants, places to snorkel, buses to the beach, and our favorite... the Dinghy Dock Restaurant. We met cruisers and characters there every night.

 On Flamenco beach there are two tanks  that were used by the US military as target practice. Other than that it is a gorgeous beach. In town most of the houses and shops are freshly painted. We loved our stay in Culebra and will definitely go back. 

After playing around since November the boat needs some attention. We have some projects and general maintenance to do and Puerto Rico is a good place to do it because the stores we need are close by. Frances already polished the stainless, including the shackles and Al is doing everything else. Not exactly! 


Thanks again to all our friends and loved ones who are following along.


All our best,
Frances and Al 

Anitgua

We sailed overnight from St Martin to Antigua with our friends Fran and Bob. It was a little rough going into the wind but great to have some help with the trip. Antigua has a restored British boatyard from the 1700's. Having spent plenty of time in boatyards ourselves we wanted to check it out.  To repair sails in the 1700's small boats would row into this channel and the sails were lifted into a huge sail loft supported by the columns. It is still a working marina and boat yard where the mega yachts come to enjoy the island and have repairs done. It's taking two men at once to varnish this mast it is so big. The original gate to the complex looks medieval with a door inside the gate and a hole in the door to see who's knocking at the gate! 

We toured an old sugar plantation where there is a restored sugar mill. We learned all about the sugar / rum making process. Something had to be done with the leftover products from producing refined sugar. Some smart person realized they could make rum.

The sugar mills and copper sugar pots are everywhere on the island.






This is Bob having a nice time listening to a steel drum band at a party and Fran at sunset on the trip over. They definitely left smiling!

We enjoyed the beaches too and also spent time in Jolly Harbor where we rejoined our friends on Mirliflore, Gypsy and Kalista. This last picture is the view of Montserrat from the anchorage in Falmouth harbor.
We left Antigua February 8th, stopped in Nevis and are now in Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Our best to all our friends and loved ones,

Frances and Al

St Martin, yum!

St Martin grew on us and we appreciated it even more after we left. Visiting the Caribbean is a little like taking a trip to Europe. The French influence on St Martin means that it has great bakeries, a supermarket with European quality food and everyone is fashionable. We ate baguettes and drank espresso every day. There are wonderful restaurants and clothing shops. Frances had to buy some clothes of course.  This is the view of Marigot from Fort Louis. It had a cannon facing every direction to protect the town from the British.

This is a house in downtown Marigot. It is typical of a lot of Caribbean houses with heavy shutters that can be closed to lock up at night or keep out high winds.  

There are some strange pastimes for tourists in St Martin. The airport has a short runway that backs up to the beach. The thrill is to stand behind the planes before they take off and withstand the blast from the jet engines. Luckily the guys lived to tell about it.

A town we really liked in St Martin was Grand Caas, a cute beach town with restaurants, clubs and more clothing shops. The group of boats we are traveling with went there as well, Gypsy, Defiant, Mirliflore, Wind Dancer and Kalista. It's fun to explore a new town with a group of cruisers. We left St Martin and are now in Antigua. From Antigua we will go to Guadalupe. We are still having fun and are finding it very interesting to explore the islands. They are all different despite being so close together.

All our best,

Frances and Al

Back in the BVI, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day

We spent New Year's Day on Marina Cay, an island we really like. It has a pretty view, a great beach and a reef close by that's nice for snorkeling. We were also using the laundry facilities all day, too.

The night before was one of the best New Year's Eve parties we have ever attended. Trellis Bay on Tortola throws a party with a buffet of local foods, music, dancing, performances, fire and fireworks. Large metal sculptures are lit with fire all night long on shore. There are bands playing and performances by stilt dancers called "Jumbies". People of all ages are enjoying the evening.  At midnight they light metal sculptures in the water and shoot off fireworks.  It was very dramatic! 

On Marina Cay we ran into a familiar face, the guitar player and singer Eric Stone. He plays 
there at happy hour almost daily. If you request a song you get a free shot of Pussers rum! 

We are now in North Sound on Virgin Gorda. This is a gorgeous spot so we have a lot of company. The big luxury yachts are here along with cruisers and lots of charter sailboats. Cruise ships show up occasionally, too. It's funny that no matter what the size of the vessel we are all doing the same things: checking out the view, going to the restaurants, swimming and snorkeling, and spending time hanging out with friends. We are heading to St Martin early next week with a few of our friends.

Thanks for continuing to follow us on our adventure!

All our best,

Frances and Al