New Water Maker taking shape

Ever since Parker Hannifin bought out Village Marine water makers we have been faced with ever increasing prices for the "proprietary" membranes - all the while the quality of the membranes has continued to decline and warranty has dropped from three years to one. After realizing that I was going to have to pay $600 for a new set of membranes I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and buy a commercial off the shelf pressure vessel and go with a standard Dow Filmtec membrane - the new pressure vessel and membrane cost less than just the replacement Village Marine "proprietary" membranes alone. As part of this process, since we have spare DC capacity on the boat, we decided to go ahead and purchase a new higher volume pressure pump and motor so that we could increase our water production capability from 8GPH to 13GPH.

We received our new EchoTec high pressure water pump and motor from Customs on Wednesday (29 December 2010). The St Lucian Customs guy was a jerk - just had to humor him. We were able to get everything without paying duty but did have to pay a broker to move the parts from FedEx to Rodney Bay Marina.

As soon as I got the pump out of the crate I verified that my existing high pressure hose from the pump to the pressure vessel/membrane would work (it does) so the rest of the installation should go well.

Yesterday morning after breakfast of pumpkin pie and coffee, Lesley and I started installing the new pump and motor. Turned out that the dimensions for the new pump and motor on the EchoTec website were wrong - the assembly is actually smaller than spec'd so it fit where the old pump assembly had been making installation a WHOLE lot easier. The DC motor was a little bit longer and the drive gear on the new pump was on the opposite side taking up just a bit more access area where I normally store engine spares. The plastic tub that I used for the spares would not clear the pump drive gear so bought two smaller tubs!



I had already run the new heavier gauge
wire (#2) for the new pump/motor but had not yet installed the terminal lug ends, motor relay, and power posts. Completed that and pulled out the old #6 wire and then pulled in a new #16 control wire from the power panel down to the motor relay. Still need to fabricate a cover for the relay and power posts.



After reconnecting the plumbing we started the new pump up and everything worked great. Flow rate was set at 8GPH (existing membrane recommended flow rate) and noted that the pressure was only about 600psi - should be great next season when we complete the replacement of the remaining Village Marine Tech "Proprietary parts".

St Lucia

We arrived at Soufriere, St Lucia on Tuesday afternoon 21 Nov and took a mooring off Malgretout. This is a nice mooring area at the base of the Petite Piton. We are the last sailboat on the left of this picture. We generally prefer to stop here as clearing in is easy, especially with implementation of the new eSEACLEAR entry notification system. All of our paperwork was filled out on-line and all I had to do was send arrival notification and once I walked into customs wait while paperwork was printed and sign. Then off to immigration which was also easily accomplished.




Once we got settled in we took a dink ride around the
area and could see damage that remained from
Hurricane Thomas that hit here late in Oct 2010.












Locals said that they had never seen so much rain.
Evidence of the destruction is still plainly visible.

Lunar Eclipse

We left Bequia yesterday morning at 0430 and when I go up on deck at about 0400 and started removing the anchor chain snubber and some other deck gear it seemed unusually dark. I mentioned to Lesley that the moon must have set and that the first part of our trip to St Lucia was going to be darker than we had planned. Lesley then mentioned that there was supposed to be an eclipse and so I went back on deck and started looking for the moon. Sure enough - a strange reddish orange orb was visible in the Western sky. As we departed the reddish orange color faded slowly but the moon was still darker than normal. As we crossed Bequia channel the shadow line from the earth slowly moved from the top of the moon to the bottom and was then gone.

Glad we got to see this event.

Now we are anchored off Malgretout, near Soufriere St Lucia and there is a tropical low, Invest 95, somewhere near Barbados giving us lots of rain with almost no breeze at all.

Close call today

As we approached Soufriere from Bequia today we had a container ship "Tropic Unity" approaching from our starboard aft quarter. I called the ship on 16 and they responded - Tropic unity this is Grainne - we are the sailboat on your port bow - what are your intentions? Several radio transmissions later we were forced to change course to avoid a collision. Throughout this conversation the "Tropic Unity" kept replying to the sailboat on his starboard bow! There was no sailboat on his starboard bow! We are convinced that the person at the helm was confused as to port and starboard. I called them back on the radio and asked the helmsman if he understood port and starboard but got no response! From the dialect of the person that I was speaking with he was not US, not a Caribbean Islander, was probably from the Pacific Island Nation of the Philippines! No excuse - just a very scary encounter - glad is was during the day!

Turtle Sanctuary

Friday morning we went to town to purchase a few vegetables and ended up walking about 3 miles to the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary on Park Beach. It was a nice long walk but well worth it once we saw what these people are doing. In an attempt to help the odds of survival, young turtle hatchlings are captured and then raised in captivity until they are about 5 years old. The more mature turtles are then released back into the wild where their chances of survival to full maturity are somewhat improved.

http://turtles.bequia.net/index.htm

Watermaker Problems

Just before we left Florida in November I purchased 2 new Village Marine Tech water maker membranes. Immediately after installing them we determined that the water quality did not meet spec so have been dealing with the company in an attempt to resolve the problem. There have been lots of email exchanges - they ask questions and I answer - but no suggestions on remedy. Really getting tired of the company so making a move now to solve this on our own once and for all. Plan to post a writeup and photos of the solution as we progress.

Hanging out in Bequia

We've been hanging out in Bequia, enjoying the anchorage and the weather - especially after checking out the US weather as of late.

Have been redoing some of the boat exterior teak and had to replace the fresh water pump yesterday as it was not delivering normal pressure to all of the plumbing fixtures. Luckily we found the exact replacement here at "Piper Marine" so we are back in business. Looking like the pressure sensor was bad on the old pump so will rebuild the old pump this summer and use it for a future spare.

Lesley bought two maps of the Caribbean - one for Buzz (he knows who) and we picked up some wine, veggies, buns for dinner, etc. Fixing some Nurnberger wurst and fried potatoes for dinner.

Had a nice dinner ashore last night a L' Auberge - lobster bisque, grilled yellow fin tuna in a Pinot Noir reduction, green salad, and polenta provencale. Chef came out and talked with us and we told her how we enjoyed the lightly cooked tuna and the sauce.

Shower time!

Anchor float

I've been meaning to post a photo of the float that we use to mark the location of our anchor. We've found that very often out here people "THINK" they know where their anchor is! We don't think - we "KNOW" and we mark the anchor in part as a way to defend our turf! Really helps us chase off those who like to get just a bit too close.........


Lesley calls this Li'l Oscar

Salvage Diver

Several days ago I was replacing the zinc on the Nissan Outboard and I needed a small screw driver. I asked Lesley to get a small driver that I use for everything and pass it over. I had the OB in the dink and was holding it with one hand and trying to hold the boat with the other - told her to go ahead and throw it - I missed a catch and the screwdriver went swimming. So yesterday after returning to this spot and re anchoring we went swimming, checked the anchor etc. Lesley said she was going to look for the screwdriver - I said yeah right - like you have a snowballs chance in hell of finding it. Three dives later she found it.


The screw driver in not even 6inches long...........





Diver services available - contact Lesley................

Anchor practice

We arrived Admiralty Bay, Bequia on Saturday afternoon 27 Nov and anchored close to the spot we normally use. We backed down as normal to make sure tha anchor was set but for some reason we did not snorkel to check the anchor. Overnight we had real blustery conditions with rain and wind gusting to near 30 knots. Well, about 4:30 am I got up to check the neighborhood and noticed that we were not in the same spot that we had started out the night. I woke Lesley up and we started the engine just as a real heavy rain shower and high winds hit again. We got the anchor up and motored back out of the anchorage waiting for the rain to die down just a bit so that we could re anchor. We finally dropped anchor again at about 5:00am and after drying off we had coffee and just waited to see what would happen.

Everything was fine - fast forward to Monday afternoon - we were sitting on the boat when another squall hit and as we watched a boat in front of us "Restless" hailing port Osteville - no nationality flag - drifting back towards us dragging their anchor. No one was aboard and we did not cherish the thought of having them drag into us - so we picked up anchor and moved to the Southern anchorage off Princess Margaret Beach. We anchored in 10 ft of water and snorkeled to check the anchor which was well set. On the way back to the boat I spotted a lobster hole with 15 small lobsters all looking up at me!

This anchorage is rolly and after a rough night we were awake anyway - we had our morning coffee then hauled anchor and moved back to the North hoping that our previous spot was free. Luck held and "Restless" had moved up and reset their anchor and we re anchored (and snorkeled to check it). Restless then picked up anchor and sailed away and we had a great nights sleep!

Bequia

Got up this morning and was finally able to get into the Internet to check weather. Had been looking for an opening to move North to Bequia but it kept looking like the weather was not going to cooperate till later next week. Got a break and looked like the weather would be OK for the trip today so we picked up anchor and moved around to Hillsborough so we could clear out of Grenada.

Just before we approached Union Island we saw an "Ocean Going Refrigerator" - no door on but just floating along in the wind. Lesley wanted to call a Securite on the radio but never did. We had to alter course to avoid the thing though!

Had a pretty good trip, one large squall with 35+ knots of wind, rain and confused seas for about 30 minutes - otherwise the trip was fine.

We had so much rain over the past two days that we were able to catch enough water from the deck to fill the tank - think we must have captured at least 20 gallons overnight last night.

Saw a very large group of small dolphins on the way here today - nice because we had not seen much in the way of marine life yet this winter.

Heating water for showers now and getting ready to relax.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are still in Carriacou, anchored in Tyrrel Bay with the watermaker running and getting ready to heat up lunch. Weather is still warm and the wind is reasonable but a bit gusty at times.

We had a nice lobster for dinner last night with a side dish of Bobby's fried rice. Will have the leftover lobster tomorrow in lobster salad/rolls.

So far this season we have not had anyone anchor to close - that ended this morning when a French boat anchored along side in what we call a sneak attack! He anchored at an odd angle and we are now well over his anchor and chain at just about any direction the wind wants to blow - will be interesting if he decides to move before we do! Hope so!!!!!

Completed more projects yesterday - sewed a sunbrella cover for the helm seat teak to protect it from water when we come back aboard after swimming. I finally permanently installed the wiring for our Media Player (Western Digital) and Lesley re hemmed our new shower curtain. The head is nice and clean, with new caulking around the shower pan, and the new electric toilet motor and seals are installed. Also installed a 10 second flush timer that I mad this past summer - the switch portion of the control is the Lectrasan display unit with a new NE555 digital timer and relay driver circuit.

Have been enjoying the Kindles that Reuben sent us - I have not touched a printed book since I picked mine up in October!

WiFi here is spotty - not sure what the problem is but seems like it is problematic every year.

Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou

We made it to Tyrrel Bay about noon Friday. Took it easy, had a nice lunch and then a nice refreshing swim.

We took a bus into Hillsborough yesterday and picked up a few things in town before heading back to the boat. Changed the generator oil and did a once over, then installed some new muffin fans in the generator compartment, and installed our new media player so we can watch some movies.

Today we completed a few more projects - installed new membranes in the watermaker and got that working again and then finished rebedding some deck hardware that we suspected of aiding to a leak in the aft cabin. Pretty sure the leak is fixed so we plan to reinstall the aft cabin overhead hatch tomorrow.

Had another nice swim today and getting ready to take showers then will have steak ranchero, fettucine ala Lesley and a mixed salad for dinner tonight.

Hoping for our first "Green Flash" of the season at sundown - western horizon looks pretty clear.

Grainne is leaving

We will be starting out this morning going from the South Side of the Island to an anchorage off St George's tonight and then on to Carriacou in the morning. I still need to put the water maker back together but we are ready to move on.

Le Phar Bleu today

We had some unusually heavy overnight rain and spotty showers off and on throughout the day today. First project was to haul the forward berth mattress up to the Vastra' Banken (I'll post pictures tomorrow) and finish fitting some new sheets that Lesley made over the summer while we were in Florida. Sheet project is ongoing (6:30pm Wednesday evening) but nearing completion.

We did some final prep on the boat today hoping to depart tomorrow morning. Topped off the dinghy fuel, water tank, stowed some loose items, serviced the diesel engine changing the oil and all filters and also replaced the engine oil low pressure warning switch. We've had some intermittent problems with the alarm and decided, after seeing an older 4JH Yanmar that was completely ruined here several days ago, that it was time to replace the switch. Long story short - I did not have a socket that would fit the old switch and the terminal lug on top was frozen. Cut the wire from the lug, managed to get the old sensor out, and then using a borrowed 24mm socket got the new sensor back in - what a chore, but will feel better knowing that the low oil pressure alarm is reliably functional again.

The new bimini and connector panel worked flawlessly last night keeping the cockpit dry and nice - so happy that this is no longer an issue. Thanks to The Canvas Shop again............

Every Wednesday the Marina restaurant puts on a "Friendship Table" feast and we are headed up there shortly. Family style seating (30 folks at one long table) with everyone sharing food as it is delivered to the table. Lots of variety and local flavors - this will be our fourth time to enjoy dinner in this manner. Plus, we are both starving!

Will try to take some photos tonight and tomorrow and go back and add some visual information to some of our most recent posts. Reuben always says where are the pictures!

Getting things finished

Yesterday was uneventful - at first! Started off with an HPF error on the AC unit and quickly diagnosed to a faulty raw water pump. Quick, check the on line catalog, get the part number get the Digicel phone out and call Island Water World, they have one, the owner of the Marina will carry it back with him - what a great day! Then, looking at the pump specs the flow rate is not adequate for a 16kbtu AC unit. Go back on line, check other pumps and find one that is big enough, call Island Water World again and the next pump will be here by around 11 AM.

Pump made it right a 11AM and after about an hour and a few new cuts on my hands (hose clamps in the bilge and I do not get along) the pump is in and the AC is working.

David, from The Canvas Shop, stopped by to test fit the connector panel that goes between our dodger and bimini. Very close fit and it really looks good with only a slight move of a zipper and we should have a new dodger/bimini and connector panel. While here David wanted to mark the locations for our side curtain zippers. Amazingly the old side curtains lined up great and he will only have to make a slight modification and we will have compete canvas again for the first time in over a year.

We had a new Dodger and connector panel made last year by the Turbulence loft at Grenada Marine. The dodger turned out OK but the connector panel and attachments were a disaster. We had given written instructions along with drawings on what we wanted and how we wanted it done but Martin seems to only do things the way he wants. Long story short the cockpit was wet every time it rained and Martin was not willing to even discuss trying to fix the problems.

So, we decided to have the Dodger modified, have a new connector panel made and also a new Bimini while we were at it. Will post photos and a more detailed write up once everything is back in place.

In the meantime - I DO NOT RECOMMEND TURBULENCE, Grenada Marine................

I do recommend the Canvas Shop, Thanks Jane and David.

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday was Thursday, 11 November, but between suffering with a flare up of gouty arthritis in the big toe on my left foot, being slightly dehydrated, and having a reaction to the pills that I took for my toe, I was not really in a birthday mood. Fixed that, I am fully recovered, and last night we had dinner at the poolside restaurant. We had a nice dinner and I had a wonderful large chocolate brownie with nutmeg ice cream for desert (no candles). Then came back to the boat and read the latest Daniel Silva book on our Kindle's - Thanks Reuben!

Also saw some unusual colored "fireflies" - a local explained that these bugs are only visible this time of year!

Today we hope to finish unloading the final barrel that we shipped from Florida - 250ft of new anchor chain. Also hope to have our new canvas fitted.

Gra'inne is looking good having installed new lines, some new lifelines, a new Yankee cut Jib, a new Bimini, new interior curtains and a new shower curtain in the head. We have had a busy week but the boat is ready to sail.

Bobby - Da birthday boy

Ackee

Several photos of the Ackee Tree in the front yard at "The Yellow House". The tree was brought to the Caribbean aboard a slave ship and introduced to Europe by Captain Bligh. The fruit (vegetable), if not properly prepared, is poisonous - more info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackee

The tree

Fruit pod open

Yellow House

When we are in Grenada either getting the boat ready to launch or getting it ready to haul out before returning to Florida we stay at the "Yellow House". The efficiency is attached to the main house and is nicely equipped with a small kitchen, cable TV, and WiFi. The owners are very nice and we really enjoy staying here while we are working in the boat yard.

The boat is back in the water!

We arrived at the boat yard this morning at about 0800 and loaded some of the stuff that we had at the Yellow House.

We got things basically organized and I walked down to the office to pay our bill and to check and see when we would be relaunched. To my surprise we were scheduled to be the first boat moved.

The yard guys showed up right away and moved a small boat that was blocking our way out. Then they brought a lift trailer and wedged it in so that they could move our boat out so that the travel lift could move us to the water. We were so close to another boat, an IP named "Joule", that the yard guys had an extremely hard time getting the lift trailer in position. After about an hour of maneuvering the trailer, the lift pads were set and they pulled us out to the travel lift. I finished touching up the bottom paint and we went to the lift well and within 15 minutes we had the engine running, reefer running, and all systems were a go. Had a one hour trip from the yard to LePharBleu Marina and as soon as we were underway "Houston, we have a problem". We had some water intrusion into the headliner on the port side, and water started draining from the aft cabin overhead hatch. Lesley drove the boat while I collected the draining water in a large Tupperware container. Pretty sure that the leak was the result of us removing a plexiglass vent cover last year when we hauled out. Time will tell as we try to reseal each of the screws and hope to stop the water intrusion.

Boat is nice and shiny

We waxed the hull and put stuff away yesterday. Did some minor rewiring of the boat Navigation computer and tested the GPS - no position. Pretty sure that the coax connector on the cable from the antenna (internally) has gone bad so tried a spare antenna unit and the GPS is functioning OK. Will look for a new connector today while we are in St George's and replace it once the oat is back in the water. Started the engine briefly and happy to say it fired right up.

Today we plan to go to town for minor provisioning, a visit to Island Water World (Boat Parts), and will pick up some Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner tonight.

Plan to take some pictures of the house here, some real unusual fruit trees (Ackee), and also some shots around the boat yard.

More work on the boat

We got to the yard early this morning and got the bottom painting finished. Washed the hull good and hauled in some scaffolding so we can wax the hull tomorrow. It has been warm in the yard this year but we have had lower humidity and some breeze so it is not bad. Lesley sprained her ankle just as we finished so we wrapped the ankle and then she hobbled to lunch. Had a nice chicken Caesar salad at the Waters Edge (located at the Bel Air Plantation) just up the road from the yard. Also had a few draft beers and then called a cab for a ride back to the Yellow House. Had planned to walk back this afternoon but the ankle sprain killed that.

Now taking it easy.............

Back in Grenada

We arrived back in Grenada yesterday. Today we picked up some of our boat parts and the took a cab to the yard and did some work - mostly installing new lines and cleaning up the boat. Ready to start bottom painting in the morning.

Wayne, may you rest in peace

My stepdad, Wayne McGill, had an accident and passed away on 4 October 2010. Even though he had 4 grown kids of his own when he and my mother married, he opened his heart and his home to her 6 grown children. Wayne was much more to me than a second father, he was a wonderful friend to me and Bobby. When Bobby's building was blown up in Saudi Arabia, I lived with my mother and Wayne until Bobby found a job in the U.S. The night I flew in from Riyadh, Wayne's favorite horse Candy had her second foal. I couldn't sleep and happened to look towards the pasture and saw a streak of roan and white. Wayne thought I was playing an April Fool's joke on him and almost didn't get out of bed. Imagine my surprise when he let me name her. Wayne spent countless hours in the mall parking lot teaching me how to drive the truck and horse trailer so my sister-in-law, Patti, and I could take the horses trail riding anytime we wanted. He and my mother flew out to Virginia and helped us remodel a kitchen, then we went out on the Chesapeake Bay and caught a mess of striped bass. Wayne and I fished and went trail riding every chance we got, ate hamburgers in the local greasy spoon, coconut shrimp at Red Lobster, and pie and coffee anywhere and anytime we could get away with it. We played tricks on and told stories about each other, played a lot of cards, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Wayne made a sign that read "Lesley's home away from home" and propped it up next to his pop-up camper. Overnight visitors were teasingly warned not to overstay their welcome; the threat of brown sugar in the sugarbowl meant it was time for them to go home. One of my last trips to Colorado I made Wayne a coconut cream pie, his favorite, from scratch. I didn't get a chance to make him one last pie, but I see him every time I tell one of our stories, and he's smiling.

Lesley

Ready to return to Grenada

We loaded up the truck yesterday and headed to Miami to deliver our 2010 shipment of boat parts and supplies to Grenada. The trip over was uneventful (unlike last year) and everything is staged for departure on the vessel Tropic Unity (Tropical Shipping) on 21 October. The warehouse folks in Miami were very surprised at the weight of our "small" barrel - weighed 243 pounds - anchor chain.

US Sailboat Show

We had a great time at the show in Annapolis staying aboard Hayden and Radeen's IP35.

I did not take the camera with me but Hayden got a picture of a friend who dropped by!

Eastern Shore

I forgot the camera so just doing text blogs for now.

We stayed with friends Buzz and Cheryl on the Eastern shore for 10 days and had a great visit - Lesley had lots of quality time with their dogs and we got to help power wash the decks and do some computer maintenance. Lots of good food, beverage and company.

We also got to have dinner with friends Reuben and Mollie while on the Eastern Shore.

Moved over to Swan Creek yesterday afternoon and moved aboard Island Packet 35 Island Spirit. Radeen fixed a nice lunch and we got the low down on systems aboard from Hayden and Radeen. Bumped into friends on another IP - CAVU, Ron and Maryanne, and had pizza with them and sat around talking till late in the night.

Left Rock Hall this morning (4 Oct) about 10:00 AM and headed for Annapolis. Windy - 30 knots on average with gusts to 40, sloppy swells, and rain/mist all the way over. Once we crossed under the Bay Bridge things settled down some and the trip up Spa Creek, where we tied up to a mooring ball, was fine. Got thru the Spa Creek drawbridge at 1:30 PM took the mooring and Lesley made grilled cheese sammies with pickles and potato chips.

Hanging out now taking it easy and trying to adjust to the cold (55 degree) temperatures!

Getting ready to visit the Chesapeake Bay

We've nearly filled three shipping barrels with boating supplies, provisions, and miscellaneous items in preparation for our return to Grenada. Two large barrels are just about full and a smaller barrel, loaded with new anchor chain, is so heavy that I'm not sure how we will be able to load it the truck for the ride to Tropical Shipping in Miami.

So now we are going to relax, travel to Rock Hall, Md to visit friends and then take friends Hayden and Radeen's IP-35, Island Spirit, over to Annapolis for the US Sailboat Show. We have not been to the boat show in several years and we always enjoy the Annapolis area so this will be a great fall trip. We are also looking forward to meeting boat owners that we already know and those that we have not yet met.

We intend to document our trip North with occasional photos and postings here as we go.

Summer in Florida

After returning home to Florida this spring we
started a remodeling project on our bathroom.

We did not like any of the pre-made vanities that we saw in the home improvement stores so Lesley designed a new one and I built it using birch and topped it with a nice pattern of Formica with a stained birch bevel on the front. We made new mirror frames and also a medicine cabinet and shelf unit also from birch. We ordered most of the hardware on the Internet, to include sinks and light fixtures.

Another view of the new vanity

Flamboyant

Each year as we cruise in the Islands we see beautiful red colors on the hillsides. This year, probably because of the drought, we did not see nearly as much color. But, after we returned home to Florida we did see this beautiful tree just down the street from our house at Burnt Store Marina.

While we were gone

While we were in the Caribbean this past winter we think that we had visitors in the house. Not sure but it sure looks suspicious!

Gra'inne is now in Summer Storage

We have the boat waxed and secured at Grenada Marine for another summer season.

We cleaned and waxed the hull, flushed all raw water systems (saltwater) with fresh water, cleaned all perishable foods or anything that had been opened off the boat, redid the interior teak with Daly's teak oil, washed all bedding and towels etc, changed the oil, oil filters, fuel fitlers on the main engine and generator, and applied a UV protectant to the deck topsides.

Lesley with one of the local "pot hounds". In the Bahamas they call them pot cakes. She's never found an animal she doesn't like. While we were in the yard today we even had a local come by and show us his pet "tortoise" . We had not seen this species anywhere but Mustique so they must be indigenous here as well. So we bought some local nutmeg and passed on the tortoise. The tortoise was looking for a new home!

We have a small amount of work to do tomorrow and then we are going to the beach. We are seriously tired tonight.

Gra'inne is out of the water

We left LePhareBleu Marina yesterday morning with the wind kicking up to 20 knots. We got out of the slip OK and made our way East to St David's arriving at about 1000. We continued getting the boat ready for our "SCHEDULED" 1300 haul out. We dropped the stay sail and folded it, lifted the dinghy up and stored it upside down on the foredeck and gave the boat a good freshwater wash down.

Our 1300 haulout was doomed from the start - we heard the Marina hailing a large Amel (French hailing port) at about 1030 - no answer. The hail was repeated several times and the Amel finally answered and said something about water before one of the guys on the boat jumped in the water and swam around front. We are pretty sure that the mooring ball was tangled on the guys bowline. The Amel then moved into the lift well and we thought that we might just make our scheduled haulout. WRONG - It was now lunch time..... At 1310 we heard the travel lift start and thought we might make a 1330 haul but the guy was not ready and had to get someone from the sail loft to drop both of his head sails.

We were finally hauled, the boat power washed and blocked by about 1545 - the yard shuts down at 1600 so we manged to squeak in again (LONG STORY).

We spent the night in a small privately owned guest house, had a nice shower with cool water (another story here), and then dinner. Sometime during the night we had a very heavy rain storm so we are hoping that the rain also fell in St David's so the boat would have an extra fresh water rinse!

Le Phare Bleu Marina

We are now in the marina completing preparation for our 27 April haul out for summer storage. Work goes so much easier when you have the air conditioner on in the boat! We are nearly finished with our work so today will be a catch up with the little things day.

The trip from here to St Davids (Grenada Marine) is a short one but it is always really rough - heading directly into the trades and short steep chop.

Calvigny Island

While getting ready to haul out for the summer we like to anchor behind the reef off Calvigny Island. The island is private and they make there own water so they can keep the lush grounds looking nice and green.

You can see the severity of the drought by looking at the hill in the background of each picture. We had some rain last week that started to bring some green back to the trees but it remains unusually dry and the ground cover is still just brown.





The Island has a very unusual looking resort type hotel and there is always lots of construction going on. The main work this visit appears to be major renovations to the private residence on the Island.

Kite Surfer - She's Back

Several days later, the kite surfer lady came back and tried again. This photo was taken from our boat with the surfer and here husband setting up on Calvigny Island, Grenada.










The kite is up!















Now getting ready to take off!














She's up and off!

Kite Surfer

Several days ago we were sitting on the boat in the early evening and a dinghy came up near us and went ashore. We watched as the couple unloaded and started rigging something. When the compressed air bottle came out and they filled the leading edge of the wing we figured that it must have been a kite surfer rig. We watched as the lines were laid out, the woman then hooked up the harness and attached the wing while here husband stabilized the wing.

We continued to watch as the wing lifted off, drug the woman toward our boat, and the wing and lines snagged our bow and anchor roller and rigging. The couple were very apologetic but we told them that there was no problem as we helped them untangle the lines, deflate the wing, and gain control of the whole setup. The couple were older than me and were French but the woman spoke very good English.

I didn't manage to get any pictures of the encounter.

Caribbean "DUST BOWL"?

First we had volcanic ash from Montserrat while up north, then after arriving in Grenada about a week ago we anchored off Calvigny Island, southern Grenada. What, more dust? This time it is wind blown dust from the Sahara.









Dust on our sheets (ropes for you land lubbers), sail covers, and overhead hatch screens.




We've finally gotten a few showers and most of the dust ended up on deck as a nice dark red gooey looking mess.



We were able to wash the boat pretty thoroughly on our way here from Carriacou during two very heavy down pours but after only a week here, red mud.....





I've talked with several locals about the dust and was informed that the dust was airborne all the way from the Sahara. Apparently the local news reported on the ongoing dust arrival.

Drought in the Caribbean

We arrived in Bequia on the 18th of March 2010. The drought in the Caribbean is getting worse - once lush green islands are brown and dead looking. While we were in St Lucia water rationing was in force at the marina.

This picture taken from the boat in Admiralty Bay, Bequia shows how brown the foliage is, not much greenery left here.

Snorkeling with the family!

Anchored off Anse Mitan, Martinique we saw this mother and her two young daughters out for a snorkel! The family was on a boat anchored next to us and they were outfitting another boat in the anchorage. Family on the way to visit dad on the other boat.

Morne Trois Pitons, Dominica

We decided to do some exploring while we stopped this year in Roseau, Dominica. We arranged to take a hike up to Middleham Falls. The trail was really interesting in spots, covered on the surface with tree roots.

The trail, even though it is in the rain forest, was extremely dry. We wondered if the waterfall would have any water it was so dry around.







Managed to get a nice shot of a humming bird.

















Wild Orchid


















Middleham Falls

Iguanas in the Saintes

While exploring ashore in the Saintes in December 2009 we noticed lots of large Iguanas. This time when we stopped in March 2010 we noticed that many of the lizards were gone, probably due to the drought.

Guadeloupe

We moved South from Antigua to Deshaies, Guadeloupe and had a nice sail. About half way over the wind picked up a bit so we rolled in some of the jib. After an hour or so we tried to roll up the rest of the jib and could not. We could move it a foot or so in or out but could not roll it up entirely. Had to go up on deck and drop the sail and then move it back to the cockpit.

Once we arrived in Deshaies we discovered that we had a line override inside the furling drum - what a mess but was finally able to clear it. Before reinstalling the sail we examined it and decided to do some repair to the sunbrella cover. Lesley took the dinghy in and cleared in while I stayed on the boat and dried off from an early afternoon "Hat Rescue" swim!

Had a nice evening in the anchorage with some small amount of occasional roll.

The next day we walked to the local Botanical Garden and had a great time exploring and taking pictures of the plants and animals.

Lorikeet













Every "Pirate" ship should have a parrot!




















Some of the blooms from the Botanical Garden

Ash Fall - Soufriere Volcano

Woke up this morning to a layer of fine volcanic ash on the boat. The Soufriere Hills Volcano on Montserrat had a major dome collapse yesterday and ash was reported to have gone to over 50,000 feet. We noticed that planes were landing from the East to the West yesterday and didn't see any weather related reason for this. Now we know why. We are on the East Side of Antigua so sundowns are not nearly as spectacular as they are on the West side but will see what sundown looks like this evening. The wind has gone light and variable and there is a lot of haze in the area - suspect that some of that may be atmospheric dust.

The sundown was partially obscured by clouds so I was not able to get a decent picture showing the effects of the volcanic dust.

I wasn't able to get a decent picture of the sunset but I did notice the ash had covered our solar panel!

Antigua and Barbuda

We were hanging out in Antigua and decided to sail up to Barbuda for a few days - we have been wanting to make the trip up for the past few years - but weather and boat issues had not allowed it. We made it this year and after a nice sail up we anchored for three days in Gravenor Bay - between Cocoa Point and Spanish Point. The water was shallow, 8ft and the bottom looked like fine sugar. Went ashore and did some exploring, but found the island very desolate and rugged. The stars are incredible at night and you can hear donkeys on shore. With some serious weather (North swells from Atlantic Storms) forecast, we left Barbuda and sailed back to Antigua. Came in through the reef at Horseshoe Channel and made our way in to Davis Bay off Long Island. Long Island is a very nice private island development. We are tucked in nicely and are enjoying the calm water here and Lesley is up to her old tricks (some great food) while we hang out and enjoy the place.
I did some teak maintenance today and we sent a birthday greeting with photos to our sailing friend Hayden - enjoying the winter of 2010 in Souderton, PA! NO SNOW FOR US THANKS.