Martin & Louise

[Viv]

Text message received from Louise on Thursday, they'd spent a couple of days in Antigua and were on passage to Guadaloupe. Weather is very hot, and they've seen a whale! Friday Louise was celebrating her big XX birthday. En route to Les Saintes (wherever that is) they intend staying there for a couple of days then off to Dominica.
Can't wait to see all the fab photos and videos when they get back.

Sheila

[Matt]

Thanks for the update Sheila. Wish I could have stowed myself away in their suitcase!

[allan]

I tried to cheer Martin up with updates of the score during the Wales match. Unfortunately I don't think it helped, he was still unhappy at the end. Knowing Martin he will struggle though and survive all his traumas with good grace!
Allan

[louiseishtar]

We are currently in st lucia the weather is hot and the sailing is great.we have seen a whale, turtles, rays,puffer fish, dolphins etc we will bore you with more when we get home.thanks to sheila vince and Allan for updates on rugby and towers going for a snorkel now x

[louiseishtar]

Ok snorkelling over for today, on a mooring in Marigot bay in St. Lucia.I am missing Tigger, but that's about all, can't say I'm looking forward to coming home to chilly Wales! Sailing has been great and everytime we see another boat Martin tests me on col regs! Anyway must go as the ice is melting in my rum&coke x

[Camelot]

I'm not at all jealous - honest!

[Viv]

Well, I am! Wales might be chilly Louise, but you know a warm welcome back will await you. I expect it will be while before we see Martin though because I expect it will take him ages to get all his fab photos and videos posted to the forum! (I hope).
Louise, hope you got my text with number for Simon at Woodvale, if not and you read this call Simon on UK number 07864 288607 to arrange delivery of the club burgees.
Sheila

[louiseishtar]

After another hard sailing in the turquoise caribbean waters Martin&me are sitting in Antigua marina, drinking cold lager,watching the sun going down over the super yachts. Martin pointed out that one of their winches probably cost more than Ishtar! When we were swimming today we watched one of the Atlantic rowers arrive, they got a terrific reception. It's a shame we won't be here to greet Patience but we have left the club burgees with Simon,one of the organisers.Got to go my beer is getting warm x

[Viv]

So glad the burgee mission was accomplished! You might see another rower arrive before you leave. Really looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, although will be very jealous of your tan! Safe journey home. S

[ishtar]

We are back. Three long days sail, a flight delayed by 5 hours, then the 8 hour flight and a 4 hour drive home, so not sure what time it is.

Pics soon.

M.

[allan]

As you have had, what seems like, a couple of weeks of idyllic sailing and wonderful weather, while the UK has been freezing. I for one am struggling to sympathize with a bit of traveling!
I look forward to seeing the pictures of Louise, sailing, rowing, cooking, navigating, cleaning etc. and the pictures of you sunbathing, on the boat, beaches, bars, rocks etc.
Welcome back.
Allan

[ishtar]

OK, Some pictures, general info and report.

Arrived Antigua and took a taxi from the Airport to Nelson's dockyard on the South coast. This is an old Hurricane hole, run by Nelson before his heroics, and now restored as a high quality resort and marina. We met up with Mark and Emma aboard Cafe Seerose, a Beneteau Oceanis 411 which we sailed on last year in the Ionian and which Mark sailed across the Atlantic in November.





Incidentally, in this second shot, the boat was moored in EXACTLY the position the Atlantic rowers arrive at when they finish, and where the boat Karakura is moored in the rowers thread! Spooky.

Didin't see a lot of Antigua, but a place of opposites. Huge money in the marinas and hotels on the coast, and great poverty inland. Currency the $EC, Eastern Caribbean dollar. about 4-5 to the pound. US dollars also taken.

Nelson's dockyard and the nearby Falmouth harbour is where some of the biggest yachts in the world spend the winter. Mirabella V, the largest single masted yacht in the world was there:



mirabellayachts.com/

The stunningly different 'A'



www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/details/76

Roman Abramavich's yacht and so on.

[ishtar]

The temperature was high 30s wind almost exclusively Force 2-5 in the SE and a 0.5-1 knot current running North all the time. Tide was about 2ft at springs. Perfect for sailing. We sailed a couple of short trips and snorkelled then, after 2 days, set off South for Guadeloupe.

Immediately, we began to see the contrast in the Caribbean islands. Guadeloupe is French. The currency is the Euro and the language French. The island is split in two by the River Salee, in fact a salt water channel only 2m deep at the North end and protected by reefs. The 'river' itself wound its way through a mangrove swamp and is controlled by the opening of two road bridges.



The road bridges open 04:30-05:30 each day, so we set off early for a 2 mile motor through the island in the dark. The main town is not pretty, but there is a Marina, although it is in an industrial setting.



We decided not to stay. Sailed South about 5 miles for a swim/snorkel and then another 10 miles to 'Les Saintes', a beautiful island dependency.



Not sure who reversed that boat in there!

Les Saintes is a charming French island. Good bread, great food and a lovely atmosphere.



We did not realise until later that much of the fresh food crops in the Caribbean were lost in e recent eruption of Monserrat. Louise's 40th was spent in a French restaurant. I had Octopus Bourginoin. Not good. The sauce overpowered the octopus, but the wine was good.



A beautiful cruise ship left not long after our arrival.



The following day, a short sail around the island to a pretty bay, teaming with wldlife.









This last little round prickly fellow Louise christened 'Paschall'. I've no idea why.

[ishtar]

In the same bay, a reminder of one of the dangers of the Caribbean. We saw about 10-12 of these wrecks, all looked to have been lost in recent years.



The next island (all are about 20-30 mile day hops) was Dominica. Part of the commonwealth, we were back to $EC. A big contrast again. Dominica is underdeveloped (which I really liked) and gave a taste of 'the real Caribbean'. We anchored in Portsmouth, with a few wrecked ships and shacks. As soon as we arrived we were met with 'boat boys', who offer to sell things, run errands, watch your boat when you were ashore and so on. This is my favourite, Eric Spaghetti!



Eric took us up a tropical rainforest river the following day, rowing the whole way. On the evening we arrived though, we went ashore to a local shack for beers and a sunset.



Beautiful, isn't it? THis was the scene just behind the bar, which shows how the Dominicans really live, in paradise.

[ishtar]

A 10 mile sail the following day to Roseau, Dominica's capital. Depths off Dominica reach 2000m, where Sperm whales dive for squid.







Even 10m from the shore the bottom shelves steeply and we anchored precariously in 20m, before a gust dragged us. We tried again, even closer in, and tied the stern to the shore.

[ishtar]

The following day we sailed for the next Island, Martinique. Back to French, the Euro and civilisation. We didn't go ashore on Martinique, and anchored in a huge bay on the West side, in 3m amongst some small islets.

Martinique was another big contrast, and the following day, dozens of small French yachts headed down the coast to the local beaches. Could have been the South of France. We pushed on for St Lucia, our furthest island South.

[ishtar]

St Lucia uses the $EC, has a huge marina, with superyachts and again had it's own flavour. We anchored just off the Marina and had a swelly night, with a local disco blasting out Reggae until 2am. A bit grumpy the following morning.



A short sail South to the picturesque Marigot bay. In years gone by this must have been an idyllic spot, but now seemed very overcrowded. Still, one must not complain......



Another 10 mile hop took us to the South end of the island, where the spectacular Pitons came into view



Just to give you an idea of teh scale, in this second picture, the tiny white blob is a 40ft catamaran!



To make things even better, Louise and I had a stunning dive to 30m on a coral drop off, with trigger fish, lobster and moray eels.

As we turned to head North, the sailing became much easier. Cafe Seerose bowled along at 7 knots, downwind and with the current. We called in for water and supplies at the Marina, and saw this vessel leaving. The guys aboard told us that it was the 'Black pearl' of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, although subsequent research has made me very doubtful of this. Louise would not miss a chance to pose, though......

[ishtar]

We had 180 miles to cover in 5 days. It seemed a tall order, but an early start saw us reel off 50+ miles downwind on the first day. We anchored in a bustling French bay on Martinique, where Louise squeaked with delight, weaving in and out of the moored yachts as she snorkelled all over the bay following turtles. The less active amongst us simple floated, 5m from our yacht, watching them feed on the eel grass.



We'd been catching fish by trailing a lure from the boat, and took a Spanish Mackeral ashore for a Barbeque on the beach:





The following day and a 70 mile hike back to Porstmouth on Dominica. I was fiddling with the settings on the camera, so was really lucky to have it in my hand when Louise screamed 'Whales' on seeing a huge spout of water.



There were 2, and we think they were humpbacks.

[ishtar]

Another early start as we set off up the West side of Guadeloupe as the weather closed in. The wind was gusting force 6, and rainclouds opened, giving us another side of the Caribbean as we dropped anchor in Deshaies.



Tired but happy, we set off the following morning for the final trek back to Antigua, and Nelson's dockyard, arriving as the third boat in the Atlantic rowing fleet did.



It was great to see that even the most expensive boats in the marina blew their horns at the rowers achievement.

Louise and I thought we'd splash out and spend our last night with a dinner at Antigua yacht club. I was planning to share some of my extensive sailing knowledge with Roman Abramovich, I'm sure he would have appreciated it....... but the club was closed that night. We had a Burrito takeaway from a Mexican shack instead, and walked the pontoons.



Great fun, fantastic experience, and I'd certainly consider sailing the Caribbean again, it's straightforward and a charter would be great fun.

[Viv]

Excelled youself again Martin with your photos and narrative. Great to have you both back, and to see Tigger again!