Sailing with the Treleavens

Our pina colada loving daughter is on route to race in the Kings Cup Regatta in Thailand; hopefully by then the Bangkok airport has re-opened.

The last part of her voyage took us to Guadeloupe and through the river canal that divides the butterfly shaped island. We explored Basse Terre, the mountainous side, with a Rainforest National Park and cascading waterfalls. The wet season is over but the rivers are torrential and a swim in fresh water is a welcome massage.

Pointe-A Pitre, the main port, is a surprisingly pretty town with colourful shops and no open drains although the market turns out a little differently. The yellow and red tartan costumed local with bright orange lipstick is worth a photo. As Ian plans to purchase a pineapple, I take up the camera but the mood swings and as Ian declines the pineapple he is pelted with mangoes. A good laugh but by the look of the locals faces, it’s all happened before.

Back at the marina we are surprised at how different a place can be at a different time of the year. Our last visits have been mid to late winter and the sea is a beautiful blue. Now its late summer and the marina waters are brown and smelly. It’s still dark at our 4am wakeup call but we have to make the only time the two canal bridges open. Passing the mangrove sided river we navigate the green and red lights to reach the open sea on the north coast. Our two metre draft is pushing mud at times but we get through with the company of four catamarans who have no problem except the first green navigation light after the first bridge is now reversed as we are suddenly exiting the river not entering it.

We are all off to Antigua 40 miles away so unbeknown to them a race is on! Giving them a little handicap we anchor off a coral reef for breakfast. In perfect sailing conditions we overtake three of the four catamarans… Ian’s excuse for second place was that he had to slow down to get the 10 kilo Dorado on board half way across.

Antigua is always a safe haven with its two naturally enclosed harbours, English and Falmouth. More superyachts and mega motorboats appear everyday for the beginning of the season. For the young adventures of the sea, go get your certificates, there’s plenty of work on these vessels. Patricia Burnett-Stuart, with whom we stayed in France, is here visiting her daughter Julia who works on a super cruiser. The nights are long for the younger crowd, first meeting up at Skullduggery Bar for an Espresso Martini and onto one of the many other bars.

Espresso Martini
1 part Crème de Cacao, 1 part Tia Maria, 1 part Vodka, 1 part Espresso. Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into large cocktail glass.

The Antiguan Sunday starts at the surf beach Half Moon Bay. Cars are backed to the white sand, huge speakers beat out the reggae music so if it’s a quite day at the beach you desire, then forget it. In the evening it’s up to Shirley Heights and the steel band beating out and a rum punch in hand.

The versatile lime - always plentiful and always a basket full at hand. A native of the East Indies it came to these islands on ships to stave off scurvy. Thriving in the tropics, there are several types but the one I look for is larger, juicer and slightly sweeter called Citrus Xlatifolia. Used in most recipes from cocktails, marinating fish to health remedies, its uses are endless. Instead of salt try a squeeze of lime to enhance the meal or try some in whipped cream it will help keep its firmness.

Life is not always to plan, the smell of smoke and we find the water maker has fried some wires. The look of “I have something to fix” and on goes the electrical hat. Getting professionals or for that matter someone to work is impossible so it is a learning process as we go with the help of onshore advise.

Lord Nelson spent time in English Harbour while his ship was being built and said “when she is finished I will be under sail and leave all the mosquitoes behind”. I couldn’t agree more.

It’s amazing how long the arms of a hurricane can extend. The hurricane Omar that passed through the US Virgin Islands five weeks ago created a huge wave system, affecting the usually protected western coast of all the Windward Islands. The four metre high waves travelled 350nm affecting some bays very badly. We were very aware that we would come across destruction and boats washed ashore but I am shocked and awed at the change from last year.

Arriving in Martinique we are astounded to see so much carnage on the shores of Anse Mitan, an area where we spent a lot of time last year. Le Ponton, a restaurant, and the marina have gone! All that remains are the concrete piles and the shell of a restaurant. The beautiful beach is now covered in stones with several shipwrecks on the point. It will be a long time before the marina and customs office is replaced.

It is interesting to note that this did not come up on a weather forecast report and some islands like Martinique got a three day warning whilst Dominica got no warning at all. In Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica, even more boats are now stranded ashore in addition to the rusting ships still here after a hurricane 8 years ago. How would you feel if you woke to a ship in your backyard or a mast through your balcony? It’s amazing how the locals just take it in their stride, clean up, and life goes on.

Leaving the humidity, the warm waters and with some relief from the trade winds filling in, we continue to sail north. The Martinique Channel was exciting; I can’t believe I just said that… I was made to feel bad about the odd little squawk as the auto helm fought against a 35 knot gust round up. Waves that break under us and flick the stern don’t impress me but we have a fast run and nothing to worry about really.

One highlight for Janey has been seeing the contrast from island to island. From prestigious Mustique where rock and movie stars alike have holiday mansions & Basils Bar on the beach is all very perfectly peaceful and then a 2 hour sail to Bequia where we are back to being harassed by locals & competing bar music by night.

It’s a day sail to St Lucia and we take the eastern side of St Vincent to find some wind. A barracuda is caught, filleted and eaten in hours but the huge marlin that danced on the water was soon gone, lure and all!

In every anchorage we find interesting snorkelling. Peaked mountains run directly down creating a wall of interesting life below the sea. Taking some old bread stuffed in our swimmers we create our own aquarium of fish with the sea a beautiful transparent blue all around us.

In Marigot Bay, St Lucia, is our favourite Caribbean restaurant to date. The ‘Rainforest Hideaway’ is set in a green lit lagoon surrounded by mangroves and mosquitoes. The uninvited invisible mosquitoes have been a battle on most of the islands but thanks to mesh on all hatches we sleep wondering why these monsters ever evolved.
Rodney Bay Marina where the ARC Race finishes has been rebuilt since we were here last year, and with the race starting again from the Canary Islands in two weeks it should be finished just in time for the next 200 plus fleet of cruisers and racers.

Sitting high in a Dominica rainforest is ‘Indigo’, a Swiss Family Roberson style art gallery & single table restaurant built up in the trees. Drinking rum cocktails, we watch the sun set down the valley as birds flit in and out and the big green native parrot is heard. Marie, a French chef and artiste, is married to local Clem who made all the furniture out of dried branches. Janey, as have Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom before her, walked ‘up the garden path’ to visit the long drop toilet. The last ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ was filmed here and they visited this peaceful, bohemian, wooded paradise many times.

The islanders are a mixture of the many cultures that have inhabited the islands over the last 1,000 years. The original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, lived here peacefully until the Caribs arrived and ate them. Then along came the Africans and East Indians forced into slavery. Added to the mix are the British, French, Spanish and Dutch settlers who ruled the islands and provided the languages spoken from island to island today. Christopher Columbus was responsible for the island names still in use.

Creole food is also from an infusion of the different cultures so this too varies from island to island. Whilst I’ve found the local produce to be limiting at times, it is always interesting. At the moment we are in the season of avocadoes, bigger than you could ever imagine them to be and I’d like to share with you my version of Guacamole Creole style.

Scoop ½ an avocado per person into a bowl. Per avocado, add the juice of 1 lime, chilli sauce to taste, a crushed clove of garlic, half a handful of chopped spring onion and half a teaspoon of Columbian curry or cumin. Blend together with a fork (do not mash). Serve with a rum punch at dusk. I suggest 4 parts freshly squeezed pink grapefruit, 2 parts white rum and 1 part honey. Mix the honey and the rum to dissolve before adding the pink grapefruit.

Enjoy!

On the sea again and the islands are lush green from a hot, humid and wet summer that is now ending. Hurricanes in the north this year kept us viewing web weather sites but thankfully none came through the southern islands where we had ‘Cape Finisterre’ high and dry in Prickly Bay, Grenada.

Since leaving Sydney three months ago we have been traveling by car around France taking in the wine areas. Loved it all but we would swap the highways for the seaways any day.

Highlights were the Champagne and Burgundy areas where we learnt such a lot, but when it came to one of our last dinners and I made the comment “I think I am over wine” the reply from Ian was “No! Never!” Grape picking in the Charente and making the wine was also fantastic. All sounds a bit decadent considering the financial state of the world, but the best thing for us is no papers and no TV; life goes on.

There’s always a toilet story. Always avoiding those squat ones, Ian got caught out in an emergency in Italy; before his bum was down he had missed the target. Not a good look and spent some considerable time cupping water and throwing it up the wall.

Talking of naughty bits we also saw the “Picasso and the Masters” exhibition in Paris and we never knew the extent of promiscuity in his paintings. On arriving before opening time the queue is already a 2 hour wait. Ian has another one of those genuine urgent moments and jumps the queue to use the toilet. Once inside, he purchases tickets, gets me from the long line and bingo we are in. To see so many great paintings exhibited beside Cezanne, Van Gogh, Goya and many others, show where he got his inspiration for a modern prospective. It is not to be missed if you are in Paris.

Now back to Grenada - the Spice Island; nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, vanilla, and ginger are all grown on this island that’s 18 km wide and 34 km long. The population of 70,000 is mostly African with some Europeans making a second home here. Despite its past political upheaval, we found it to be a relaxed tropical island set in an environment friendly country. Wonderful to see a road sign grafted ‘Thank you America for saving us’. The most impressive building would have to be the cricket stadium thanks to the Chinese needing a vote for their Beijing Olympic bid.

Cape Finisterre was clean and back in the water very quickly mostly so we could get the air-conditioner working. With humidity very high, temperatures in the 30s day and night, it’s hot and the trade winds have not arrived yet. It’s not exactly working conditions either so Ian has the antifouling and boat polished by the local workers. Spice Island Marine has been very professional and we would recommend them to anyone leaving a yacht here.

Anchored in Prickly Bay, we are surrounded in this blue water cove by beautiful modern homes and fabulous gardens full of bougainvillea and anything tropical. Ian spends a few days getting sails up and fixing a few minor areas of corrosion. Janey, our daughter, arrives to join us for 3 weeks on our travels north, 350nm, to Antigua.

A drive around the island reveals shanty houses mixed with luxury and a few resorts dot the island. High on a peninsular overlooking more peninsulas and coves, we are invited by Billy, Patricia and Ian McKinney for dinner. From this gorgeous house we watch the vivid sun set turn bright red and then total darkness. Very tempting to stay forever but the sunsets will continue to enthrall us on our way north.

One last thing before we leave Grenada is to see the sculptures under the sea. They are not exactly easy to find as we snorkel from bay to bay and then at last a very haunting sight when we do. Sculptures of skeletons, bodies, heads and a circle of children dot the ocean floor.

Our first day sailing north is flat seas and a breeze from the north east. Water temperature is 29 degrees and not all that refreshing but it’s great to be back at sea. Our destination is Union Island of the Grenadines; our favourite cruising area in the Windward Islands. On the way we anchor off Morpion Islet, a white sandbank with a diameter of 30 metres, a single thatched palm umbrella and surrounded by heavenly clear turquoise water. There are too many choices in this area of white sand beaches and small islands. In my dreams I will return as a guest to the stunning Palm Island Resort.

The only thing to do in this heat is swim and Tobago Cays, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world, the place to swim with the turtles. Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau Island is divine and to top it off we dine on fresh lobster cooked superbly by Ian on the BBQ. Two of our last three meals have been lobster; why not when it’s cheaper than steak! When it comes to negotiating the price Ian informs them it’s a recession but the blank expression can only mean “What’s that?”

Our plan this season is to sail the areas we have already covered relatively quickly to Antigua and from then on slowly through to the St Martin group, British and US Virgins, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands, north coast of Cuba and then a large number of the islands in the Bahamas. We will then leave the yacht for the hurricane season at end of May 2009 on the US coast north of Carolina.

Looking for a cooler change!