| Travelog
Twentyone—January–May,
2003 Our original plan after departing Isla Margarita, Venezuela in January was a 40-mile day sail to Islas Los Testigos and then an 80-mile overnighter to Grenada. Afterwards, just a series of island hops north to the Virgin Islands, where we planned to meet our daughter and several other cruising friends. But as you know, the best laid plans go astray. After listening to all the armchair weather gurus, local prophets and waiting for our "weather window" we took off and within a couple of hours the wind went right on the nose and increased to 25 knots. What else is new?! After pounding away for three hours, it was obvious we weren't going to make the Testigos, so we spent the night at Islas Los Frailes, five little islands seven miles off the coast of Margarita. During this short passage, we discovered that our deck water fill had not been re-caulked when the decks were refinished in Trinidad and salt water was pouring in right above our stereo/CD changer. Luckily, we caught it in time to prevent any major loss of tunes. The next morning the wind was still blowing from the East, and it was obvious we weren't going to make Grenada. So instead, we decided to head to St. Martin, 425 miles to the North to catch up with all our buddies. So much for our little day sails. Well, after three days of nonstop thrashing and pounding the wind turned northeast and we decided to stop in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia to lick our wounds. During this leg we developed a leak in the water heater, the alternator stopped charging and the autopilot arm disconnected itself (again). Of course we found more leaks than we ever knew we had and worst of all, we ran out of fuel and beer! We are definitely getting to old for this nonsense! Well, the good news is that we arrived intact, and after a day in the marina had all the repairs made, the boat washed down and beer stocks replenished. Life was good again! From St. Lucia north, the passage was relevantly uneventful, except that it was obvious we were in for a much more windy and rainy season. We made our usual stops at Martinique, Dominica, Illes des Saintes and Guadaloupe and once again, we had a spectacular view of the Soufriere volcano on Monserrat as we sailed by at dusk. The entire top of the erupting volcano was covered with a reddish-brown cloud and huge boulders, being thrown from the top of the volcano, were sent cascading down the sides of the mountain. Fortunately, the wind was blowing the smoke and ash away from us, but you could still hear the ominous rumblings of each explosion. The next morning we arrived at the chic little French island of St. Barts. There was the usual assortment of mega yachts (ho hum), and time for one last “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. Next it was on to St. Martin for our final spare parts, food, and wine provisioning before heading over to the Virgins. Needless to say, it was quite a shock being back in the land of charterboaters and big bucks after two months of Venezuela, but it was a treat being back in the land of marine stores and French Deli’s. Once again, after
waiting for our “weather window”, we headed out for the
85-mile trip to the British Virgin Islands. The “Prophets”
had predicted 10-15 kt. winds with 3-4 ft. seas, which of course turned
into 20-25 kt. winds with 7-8 ft. seas. “Weather or not”,
we made it across the Annegada Channel in record time. Since we had about
two weeks before daughter Lisa’s arrival, we had decided to revisit
all of our old haunts in the BVI from years past. We revisited the well
protected Gorda Sound and although more developed, is still a delightful
spot to spend a few days. Plenty of spots to swim, snorkel, hike, and
of course the usual assortment of beach bars. The islands and anchorages
have remained pretty much the same; however, the increase in charterboats
and prices are staggering; obviously not meant for budget-minded cruisers.
We found the only way to escape the charterboat hoards in these islands
was to find an area on the chart that was “red-lined” for
charterboat entry or anchoring. Of course that also meant that we would
be losing our daily Happy Hour entertainment of watching them pick up
moorings, anchoring or other buffoonery! We certainly didn’t want
to miss the chance of seeing someone “pole-vaulted” off
the bow by their boat hook while retrieving a mooring ball! With a little
research we were able to find some truly remote anchorages to ourselves.
A few days later we rendezvoused with John & Diana and their guests
on Second Kiss at St. Johns and exchanged our usual tall tales and sea
stories. Then it was on to
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas for the arrival of daughter Lisa and fiancé
Mike, followed by Second Kiss, Rich and Sam on Gray Lady and Kurt &
Ali on Force V. It was obvious we were in for some serious Happy Hours!
Since we had a few
weeks before the arrival of our next guests, we had decided to make
a short run over to the Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra, Culebrita
and Vieques, which we had always bypassed on previous passages. Fortunately,
the 22 mile trip was all downwind, since we left in 25 kt. of wind and
rain. We really enjoyed the smaller, pristine islands of Culebrita and
Vieques, never seeing more than one or two boats. It is still a treat
having your own anchorage with miles of deserted, palm-lined beaches.
After our three
week “rest”, it was back to Charlotte Amalie to meet with
John & Jo Featherstone. The Featherstones are always easy guests
and generally defer to our recommended itinerary. So, it was off again
for another tour of St. John, the British Virgin Islands and yes, some
discovered and undiscovered beach bars! After three months in the Virgin Islands and repairs completed, it was once again time to head south for hurricane season. We had decided this year to take some time and visit some of the islands we had not seen on previous passages, namely Saba, St. Eustatia, St. Kitts, Nevis, Monserrat and a land tour of Dominica; details to follow when we continue with the next travelog. Best wishes, Steve & Pam |
Windsurfers
at the Bitter End, Virgin Gorda 
Anchorage
at the Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI
