As promised, here are a few pics of our passage and arrival to Anguilla:
Leaving Bermuda: Waving goodbye to Natalie and Chica on Rogue
Saying goodbye to Idarae and Richard on Molto Bene
Bagel and egg breakfast sandwiches during the passage
The fishing begins
First fish (barracuda) and subject for marine biology lesson
Second fish: tuna (we think)
Origami Girl at sea
Study time
Crazy Hair Day (or Brushing-Out-the-Braids-and-Matted Hair Day)
Another Canadian flag shredded (that's number two!)
Land ho!
Stepping on land -- wobbly!
Checking in at Customs/Immigration
Road Bay, Anguilla
Since our arrival Friday night, we have been settling into Caribbean life. (It really isn't too hard.) We are anchored with dozens of other sailboats from many different places including several other Canadian boats. The water is turquoise blue and we can jump off the boat and swim!
When John and I landed here in 2001 (after being 22 days at sea from Halifax), we wobbled ashore and ate our first Caribbean meal at Johnno's, a beachside restaurant and bar. I have been thinking about that chicken and ribs meal for years. The place was still there and looked exactly the same. We decided to start a tradition and join Johnno for lunch.We all ordered the chicken and ribs and the kids got to try Ting, a grapefruit soda for the first time.
Lunch at Johnno's
When we checked in with Customs Saturday morning, we met a family from the US Virgin Islands who recently started cruising. The kids were eager to invite their ten-year-old daughter Melea over to play. Yesterday morning, they rowed the dinghy over to her boat, So Blessed and invited her over. The kids spent the morning doing crafts with Melea, and later played on the beach together while the frigate birds dove for fish beside them. They collected sea treasures and built sand castles, while reggae beats filled the air. Our day ended with the kids returning to our boat to create more art. John and I got to know her parents Shara and Jeff, and hear about adventures on So Blessed.
Beach girl
Wavey (and Shara) after collecting one of her treasures from the sea (fish head)
Simon swimming with Nahanni V somewhere in the distance
Beach boy
Simon, Melea, and Wavey playing in the sun set
We are planning on being here for a few more days before heading off to St. Martin. We plan to visit some of the cays in the Marine Park here to do some snorkelling. We likely won't visit much more of the island, as there are no buses and taxis are a little pricey. There are no grocery stores within walking distance and we will have to wait until St. Martin to provision. We have almost run out of fresh food, and even the can locker is getting a tad empty. I am being creative with putting together meals with what we have left. So far, no one is complaining.
Since we arrived in the Caribbean, I have repeatedly asked my family to pinch me. It feels a little surreal that we have come this far after years of preparation and planning. I am grateful for where we are now, and to all those who have helped us get this far. Thank you.
We made it!
One more day of motoring got us to Road Bay, Anguilla.
Soon after arriving we were all in the water swimming circles around the boat.
We will be eating the tuna that Simon caught this afternoon for supper this evening.
Life is good!
We'll post an update with some pictures when we find WiFi.
We are coming to the end of our 5th day at sea. The kids are playing Minecraft in the forward cabin, and John and I are engrossed in reading novels. We are all chilling out after a very exciting day!
We started motoring last night at dusk (just when weather router Ben said the wind would die out...man, that guy is good.) We have been motoring for almost 24 hours. The seas have a little swell, so we are rocking a bit, but comfortably so. The night watches were spectacular, while being quiet and uneventful.
At around 0900 this morning, I got up and started to make pancakes, while Simon got to fishing for his second day. I was just getting ready to cook them when he yelled, "I've got something!" We all ran back to see him reeling in something big. We slowed the engine while he tired the fish out. Simon brought it in like he had been doing it all his life, while Wavey ran to get the gaff hook. While John helped to bring the three foot long fish on deck (and kill it with the winch handle), I ran to get one of our reference books that confirmed, it was a barracuda.
With a filleting knife in hand, John transformed the aft deck into Science class, and led the class through a fish dissection (thanks Ben and Lana for the knife.) The kids examined all the parts including the internal organs, eyeballs and spine. Barracuda have incredible teeth and the kids examined the teeth closer than you would get if it were alive. John filleted the fish, and it is now cooling in the fridge while we wait for an expert opinion about whether we should have fish cakes or leftover chili for dinner. Barracudas living close to reefs apparently can have toxins that are not safe to eat. (As I am writing this, Simon came up and asked if he could fish again. Given how long it took to clean up this afternoon, we will wait until tomorrow until he gets back at it.)
We continue to make good time and may get in to Anguilla by tomorrow (Friday) night or Saturday morning.
Good morning from 23 46.423 N and 063 28.73 W!
We are enjoying another gorgeous North Atlantic day. Our winds continue to be great - between 15 -20 knots from the NE. We have been sailing non-stop at about 7 knots. The skies have been clear and the seas have not been too lumpy. We have about 330 miles to go.
Last night I had the good fortune of being on watch when the moon rose across the starlit sky, and at dawn when the sun rose. Both wondrous sights I never get tired of seeing.
We had breakfast in the cockpit this morning, followed by dancing and singing (phys-ed) for an hour. Simon just put out the fishing rod for the first time. I hope lunch arrives soon!
The crew are doing well. Simon and Wavey manage to keep themselves busy while John and I take turns with watches and sleep. I am amazed at how resilient and adaptable the kids are to this environment.
Have a great day.
Cheers,
Kathryn and Crew
Good morning!
It is another beautiful day in the North Atlantic. The sun is shining and we are sailing along at 7 knots with 15-20 knots of wind from the ENE. Pure sailing heaven. Watches last night went well despite some squally conditions which only brought a bit of rain and more wind which was appreciated. I wanted to yell, "Woo hoo!" when we hit 9 knots, but everyone was sleeping and didn't want to wake John and the kids. The stars and moon have been amazing. We have not seen any sea life yet, but are keeping a lookout for blow holes.
We are finding some routine now. Everyone has their sea legs and we are all moving around OK. I have discovered that a little piece of daily chocolate and a bowl of popcorn under the stars keep this crew happy and subdued. The kids are more independent with their self-care and I don't have to do so much nagging about who has brushed their teeth or visited the head. We all are starting to look (and smell) a bit raunchy though, and I think that when we get to motoring, some cockpit showers will be in order.
John suspected a loose connection one of the batteries, so he has now emptied the entire aft head and has fixed the problem. Poor guy. Hard enough to do at anchor, let alone while sailing on your ear. Now to put all the stuff back. Must get rid of some stuff...
I must get into the galley and subdue these crazy kids with some bagels and cream cheese (they have just placed their order.) I think there might be some fishing on the To Do list today and they must have some energy.
Cheers,
Kathryn and Crew
It is our second morning at sea. The sun is shining, the weather is warm and the seas are about 3-5 feet. We are sailing downwind at about 5-6 knots and the motion is not too rolly. We just finished our mushroom, turkey, and cheese omelette and I believe everyone has their appetite back. The kids are busy playing in the forward cabin and preparing to give a singing concert later this morning.
We got off to a pretty good start on Saturday around dusk. We have been sailing most of the time, with a bit of motoring yesterday morning. We finally have our sea legs; we were all a bit queasy for the first 24 hours, but so far, no one has fed the fish. We are expecting the winds to be light for the rest of the passage, so I think we will be doing a lot of fishing. (I have lots of canned tuna in case we are not successful.)
We will try and update as often as we can.
We finally left Bermuda yesterday at 5PM, just as the sun was beginning to set.
Had enough wind to sail at 6Knots most of the night, but by 5AM the wind died.
Everyone is getting their sea legs quickly this time since we have been living aboard in the sometimes rocky anchorage at Bermuda.
Now we are waiting for some wind.
