I managed to find a place in Panama City to buy a stand up paddleboard and I'm allowed to have it on TinTin as it's inflatable. I'm so excited to get paddling but I have to wait till we leave the filthy waters of Panama City and arrive in Las Perlas! đ♀️ đ She's yet to be named, Any suggestions?
Friday, 3 March 2017
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Across the Isthmus - transiting the Panama Canal
It was time to leave the Caribbean Sea and and take the extraordinary journey through to the Pacific Ocean. Carved through one of the narrowest and lowest saddles of the long, mountainous isthmus that joins the North and South American Continents, the Panama Canal is an incredible feat of engineering and it’s only now having gone through it that I can truly appreciate the extent of its greatness. Completed in 1914, having taken decades in the making and planning and costing tens of thousands of lives due to harsh climatic conditions and the resultant diseases which took a hold of workers of such, yellow fever and malaria spreading like wildfire. This was no mean feat, by any stretch of the imagination, to join together two of the worlds largest oceans and with it unfathomable loss of life.
Before going through the Canal, we needed to hire sufficiently strong and long enough mooring lines to hold Tin Tin under heavy strain and big fenders to protect her against the lock walls and big tankers - heaven forbid! We also were required to welcome a Pilot on board for the whole transit to guide us through the canal - they take this transit business very seriously! We have to wait 3 hours on the flats just inside the Cristobal Breakwater before we receive our Pilot, named Hector. He hops aboard effortlessly from the pilot boat and assumes his control over our vessel. Even Skipper Papa Paul must now answer to him! He then tells us we will be rafting up next to a neighbouring wooden yacht named Arc en Ciel which is bigger than us. Papa is to be helmsman at all times and Hector gives him the directions to follow the buoys along until we reach the locks. We raft up with the other boat just before and meet our new neighbours for the transit.
The skipper is an old American guy called Harry who is sailing around with his 12 year old son and they have recruited 3 kids from Shelter Bay to be the line -handlers for the transit, who are also American and very charming. We go through the first 3 locks on the Atlantic side called the GatĂșn Locks and here we are raised a total of 26m progressively. we share the lock rafted up with our new American friends on Arc en Ciel and in front of us is a huge Reefer and a sports fishing boat. It is really quite surreal to experience the locks filling up. We are thrown lines from the sides with little weighted balls called monkey fists attached to help land them on the boat, we then have to attach and loop our lines through them and the line handlers on shore pull them back to the dock once we’ve secured them round the cleat. We then keep the tension and take up the slack as we rise with the water. We’ve got starboard lines to deal with whilst Arc en Ciel attend to the Port lines. Its quite nerve-racking as the currents can be really strong inside the lock and you do not want to loose control! The final gates open up to GatĂșn lake just as the sun is setting. Here we find a huge red mooring buoy so big it’s almost half the size of Tin Tin and we anchor up for the night. Hector, our Pilot is done for the day and is collected by Pilot boat to go home to bed… I did wander where he would sleep on Tin Tin…?!
We sleep lolling in GatĂșn Lake to the sound of distant Howler Monkeys and think of the crocodiles lurking in the shallows. The next morning we rise bright and early at 6.30am for a 7am departure for our next part of the journey. Despite our early get up, our new Pilot, Omar doesn’t arrive till 9am and we are impatient to get going. We slowly make our way up the canal towards the last set of locks on the Pacific side which seems to take all day. We only can go about 6 knots and have to stay behind Arc en Ciel because apparently the Pilot on her is calling the shots today and we have to time it so that we all get to the locks at the same time as our mother ship - a huge Cargo who is behind us. The Canal is windy as we cut through the thick lush jungle of Panama. We spot a croc bathing lazily on the shore line.
We raft up again with Arc en Ciel and soon we reach the Mira Flores Locks which is another set of three and this time we have to prepare for the locks to empty, slacking off the lines as we descend. First we wait of your big companion to enter behind us and i’m not exaggerating when i say that this beast of a boat completely dwarfs us! She comes up behind us terrifyingly close. A Japanese Cargo ship, on its way back to port, has just a couple of feet clear either side of the Canal. It is incredible how precise these big ships have been designed to fit perfectly within these locks. We hear that there is a webcam just above the visitor centre so have told a few people to look out for us. One of the young American line handlers who is slightly bonkers but brilliant decides to moon the tourists at the visitor centre and the webcam, much to our amusement. Looking back to the webcam footage, there is a great image of Tin Tin and her neighbour being towered over by this giant vessel and we look quite tiny!
The last lock eventually empties out and the golden gates open to reveal the Pacific Ocean, we made it! The Pacific welcomes us with a heavenly breeze and we glide out into the salt water once again and detach the lines from our adjoining friends and say goodbye to Arc en Ciel. Towards us we see the famous Bridge of the Americas joining the North to South America. Omar leaves us and is collected by a Pilot boat waiting for him, and we find our anchorage for the first time in the Paciifc just off Balboa Yacht Club, on the outskirts of Panama City. We see the sunsetting behind the famous bridge and think of how far we have come and what the next leg of our voyage will bring us. To have crossed from one ocean to the next, wow!
Balboa yacht Club is fairly basic but there is a free water taxi service and the bar does good food and we are starving! We then go in search for the showers - well in need of a good wash! The shower block is policed by armed guards which makes us wonder how safe an area we are in..? Anyway it is a welcome shower, if a little dingy… the lights don't really work and the door won’t lock, and so i just have to trust the guards don’t decide to have a peak inside. I take my chances and am grateful to feel clean again!
We sleep well that night despite the constant traffic of ships through the night. The next day is a rest day although Papa goes in search of new batteries as it seems as our old ones aren’t working sufficiently anymore. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t involved myself in these technical issues on Tin Tin. There seem enough men on board with a thirst for fixing things that I’ve taken a step back (I hate to be the stereotype but I'll admit my lack of interest) It turns out that the batteries Papa picked up which were so heavy to get on board were in fact too tall to fit under the floor boards and so the next day we all make the trip to find new ones without much success. Also, we learn that because of Carnival coming up at the end of the week, nothing is going to be open…. It looks like we’ll be hanging around Panama for a lot longer than we'd anticipated. We say goodbye to Steve who catches his flight back to London that afternoon. He’s been such an amazing help getting us through the canal and a great advisory to Papa with all the electrical problems Tin Tin has been experiencing. Thanks Steve!
It’s about time we did a big shop to stock up on food supplies as we need to start thinking of provisions that will last us over the next 3 months as we cross the Ocean to The Galapagos and Marquesas where we won’t come across much in the way of convenience stores, and if we do they’re bound to be mega expensive. We get a taxi to a big shopping Mall call El Rey and get to work on our Supermarket Sweep - the bill comes to a ridiculous sum of $780 I’ve never seen a receipt so long. We need to take two cabs back in order to get us plus shopping back to the boat and then a huge trolley to take us down to the water taxi. We spend the rest of the afternoon storing it away in cupboards around the boat in some sort of logical order. I have to hand it to Justin on being super organised and making an inventory of everything as we went along.
We pootle around the corner that evening to find a new anchorage that won’t cost us as much and as the sun is setting we have the extraordinary sight of hundreds of Pelicans dive bombing into the water to catch their evening meal. I’ve never seen anything like it. The sea must be bubbling with fish as i’ve never seen such a feeding frenzy of birds. Amazing!
We spend the next few days in this anchorage just off La Playita, exploring the Old Town of Casco Viejo and enjoying the next few days of Carnival experiencing the Parade and water festival along the main Corniche in the city. At least we are entertained whilst we wait for things to reopen again so we can sort battery problems and find an electrician because now (shock-horror) the engine won’t work, which means we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
I’m on a personal mission to find a paddle board to buy as I think it would be a great way to explore the islets we’ll be coming across in the Pacific. Hopefully I’ll be able to find one here in the City but I’m yet to convince the others that there is room on Tin Tin (there definitely is)…watch this space!
To pass the last day of carnival, we escape the city and get a ferry to the neighbouring island of La Taboga, once a sanitary Island used for quarantining the diseased canal workers, one of which was Paul Gauguin. Because it is Carnival however, the ferries are jam - packed and we have to be there an hour early to ensure a space. Families from the city have come out with huge picnics and umbrellas and are ready to fiesta on the beach. The crossing takes an hour and the island itself is pretty unspectacular and very spoilt due to the mass of tourism and pollution from the city. The water is so littered, even I can’t bring myself to go for a swim although it is scorchio and everyone else seems quite happy to splash around in it! I am however, grateful for a day relaxing on the beach and pay $5 for a lounger and umbrella - it is way too hot to be out in the sun! The men want to climb to the top of the hill which is about an hours hike but it is midday and I chose to watch the world go by and people watch - one of my favourite past times. I also scrub up on my Spanish and speak to some children playing ball after which it hits me on the head whilst I’m reading resulting in a lot of giggles. I also negotiate a very fine piece of Creole fried fish with rice and peas. I meet los hombres back at the ferry port and find them drenched in sweat and hardly able to talk from climbing the hill in the middle of this hot day! I’m quietly happy of my choice of activity for the day. We return back to the mainland on a rammed boat where we are obliged to wear hot grubby life jackets and with only space for half a bottom on your seat, it is quite an unpleasant ride! I’m realising how spoilt I am to be able to cruise in the luxury of one’s own boat…must not take it for granted! It’s good to be back home on board Tin Tin.
Night night,
Panda
xxx
Friday, 17 February 2017
Bye bye Colombia - Hello Panama! (featuring Las Islas San Blas and a surprise visitor)
I was sad to leave behind Colombia and I’d grown rather enamoured with this vibrant city of Cartagena but it was time to set sail again this time in the direction of Panama but stopping en route to the idyllic islands of San Blas.
We woke at dawn to up anchor and realised we hadn’t taken the latest bag of rubbish ashore, so whilst los hombres got the deck ready for our next voyage, I rowed Snowy into the marina with the basura. It was a calm morning and there was hardly a ripple on the water. The sun had just risen and i could see it ascending through the high rises. From Snowy, I could here loud beating music coming from the shoreline, and periodic whoops and shouts. My initial thought was wow - there’s some energetic partygoers still up and dancing at 6am. I mean, this is Columbia after all ; ) and only two hours earlier I was woken by a party boat sliding past Tin Tin with dance music blaring out. But onshore, at a closer look I saw that this group of partygoers were infact up for their daily exercises and were taking part in a lively aerobic class. Looked like fun to me and was tempted to join. Must keep to the task at hand, though, the rubbish run...How glamorous I am? Must get back to Tin Tin before she sets sail without me!
The forecast has predicted winds of 30-40 knots for our passage. But its not until we are a good 10 miles from the coast of Colombia that they hit us, slowly at first but they soon pick up to 40 - 50 knots (storm force 10) this is going to be a rough ride! The swell gets bigger and soon waves are crashing over the aft with the occasional wave wiping out whoever is at the helm. After my watch which finishes at midday - I go below to make lunch for the crew. I try and wedge myself in the galley to stop me flying, I curse the fridge for being so difficult to find anything! I don’t think I’m very good at this after all! I come up through the hatch for some air and to deliver lunch. I take the rest of the afternoon to recover as i’ve become quite green. Its been a few days now of not sailing so my sea legs have left me and it may take a while to get them back. I retire to my cabin and sleep it off. I wake and Justin has made a lovely stir fry but my appetite has gone slightly and I think about how I’m going to get through the night - i’ve got to stay awake till midnight when my watch will end.
Just as I was thinking I need a distraction, we get a surprise visitor - a brown booby who had come to Tin Tin for a refuge as it must have been tired - miles away from land now. He looked young and balanced very skillfully on the side railing just by the cockpit - apparently undisturbed by our presence. He settled down for the night and tucked his head under his wing for a sleep. poor little fella he must have been tired. It amazed me that he could withstand these intense winds and wildly rocking Tin Tin and manage to rest. He stayed with us for about 6 hours as we transported him closer to Panama. I was thinking how lovely it would be if we could have a companion/ pet aboard who would stay with and keep us his home only leaving to catch fish daily. Sadly my hopes vanished as near to the end of my watch the biggest wave crashed into the cockpit, drenching me and knocking poor booby off his perch. Like me, he too must have had such a fright and the poor thing was in a dreamy sleep.. He tried desperately to land back on Tin Tin but without any luck - the winds were too strong by this point and there was now way he was going to land without being blown off again. He tried the boom first, but it swung violently and knocked him into the water, he recovered himself and tried the stern and managed to land on the solar panels but it was so slippy he slid right off and into the water again with a loud cry - I didn’t see him again after that and i felt quite tearful after my long watch, i had grown quite attached to this little chap and fear that he was injured. And i missed him as my companion.. its funny that because I was so tired I suppose and it had been quite a scary rough watch on my own, i had become emotional and the loss of Berty the booby had made me into a fervent sailor.
I will tell you another thing that I forgot to mention on that watch, the exact same wave that took out Berty, also washed our safety ring over the side with the attached Danboy. I had seen that it was attached by just one string and went astern, falling over a few times from the waves, and tried to save it. I was too late and I watched it float away, with the lit Danboy bobbing out of sight into the distance. This felt quite dramatic and imagined how horrific it would be if that was a person in there and I was losing them from sight, helpless. Obviously if it had really been ‘man-over-board’ I would have alerted the rest of the crew and set off the GPS MOB alarm. When I let Papa know in the morning his said we should have used that for MOB practice. It all happened so quickly - first boobie, then life buoy. I stayed astern a little in shock i guess, and it was so rough i could barely make it back in the cockpit. I thought it would be safest to wait until Uncle Mark came up on his shift which would be very shortly. I’d like to add so as not to alarm my close ones - I had made sure I was attached by my harness through all of this - so easy for a wave to take me over in this weather - in fact by rule I’m always attached when I’m alone on watch and always at night - I’d be stupid - the risk is too big without anyone to even see you go overboard. Just putting it out there for rested minds.
We arrive in the beautiful archipelago of Las Islas San Blas and wow is this paradise! We have to navigate carefully through these atolls as coral reefs surround the islands with only a few narrow passages that will allow you entrance, make a mistake and Tin Tin will be another of the many shipwrecks that have met there unfortunate demise in these turquoise waters. In fact there’s quite a history of ships meeting their tragic end here - and because these waters aren't that well chartered we don’t want to be one of them!We find our anchorage in the middle of three tiny islands. The water vis so clear and so blue, it doesn’t even look real - the islands have a perfect ring of white sand around them and tall coconut trees swaying in the wind. There are two other boats anchored in this spot. It’s funny how we are finding new neighbours all the time. We don’t have this paradise to ourselves it seems but I’m not complain this is.heaven.
I want to jump in the water as soon as our anchors taken and i decided boldly to sim to the closest and smallest island. I haven’t, however, taken note of the state of the sea - there is a rapid current that is racing past Tin Tin - even if I swam my hardest, i wouldn’t be going anywhere!. I give in and go with the others in the dinghy where the trusty 2 stroke engine does its work to get us ashore, battling the current. As we approach the white sand beach, we are met by a small native man who greets us and tells us we can land but this is his island and we must pay $3. What else can we do, we oblige and come ashore. The men stand there not really knowing what to do with themselves, i however, am in paradise and take a tour of the island, filming this paradise. To walk the circumference takes about 10 minutes and I’m back to snowy. The men have finally settled into hammocks and realise that they just need to relax and take it easy.
I find a perfect stop on the beach and soak in some glorious sun while the gentle waves cool my feet. My head blissfully cool by the shade of the coconut tree, i drift into a luxurious snooze but not long after i’m warned that this is the most dangerous place to sit under, the tree is loaded with coconuts ready to drop and i’m in prime position for one to whack me on the head. It has been known to be death of some unfortunate souls. How foolish - I did know this but It had been the most heavenly spot that I’d ruled out any risk assessment! We meet the family, who live on the island and i watch the two young boys flying the kit they have made from plastic bags and sticks and a long bit of cloth to create the tail - it flies well and I’m impressed. I think how much richer these boys are making and finding joy in a kite they had created instead of sitting in front of playstation or a computer screen and getting square eyes. I see these boys later go out to fish. They may not have any money but they are richer in life.
We move onto the next set of Islands the next morning and venture through more treacherous coral reefs, hoping that we’d taken the right line… We see remnants of old ships wrecked on these reefs. There’s a ferry that didn’t make it and another yacht tipped on its side with the full force of the waves crashing over. I hope they managed to escape.
Here, the current isn’t as strong and I don’t hesitate to jump in with my snorkel gear on and swim ashore. first I go and have a look at the anchor to see if it had caught but it just lies there at the grassy bottom and hasn't taken purchase at all - I inform Papa who reverses Tin Tin and we hook to a rock - seems to have done the job. I navigate through the coral garden, with a few fish acquaintances on the way, I lose my nerve half way and start thinking of the big fish - apparently there’s a large ray and shark population - the jaws theme tune naturally comes into my head and I react, swimming faster and quickening my breath. Every dark shadow below, making my heartbeat quicken! I’m glad when I reach the beach. And i lie facedown on the sand like i’ve come from my own ship wreck and found land for the first time - it was quite a tiresome swim - not from the distance really but from my nerves - get a grip Em!
The island is dotted with a few backpackers that have made it over on a tourist boat and they have hitched up their tent for a few nights. there are also a few basic huts on the beach you can rent. I’m surprised to see though that the main holiday makers there look as if they are Panamanian. From the small tourist influx, its sad to see that the island is littered with rubbish. Such a beautiful place but polluted with waste.
These are incredibly beautiful islands, but the further in you get to the mainland, the more accessible it is to tourists and the boats that bring them over and the more spoilt they become. It makes us feel lucky that we are travelling this way as we are able to experience the unspoilt, almost untouched islands. I am saddened by the impact us humans have on this planet.
Tomorrow morning we sail to Colon at daybreak, it must be light enough to navigate through the reefs.
The coast of Panama is lush wish green jungle as we sail along it's coastline. By late afternoon we are entering into big shipping waters and we are reminded of what a significant entrance this is. Once you transit the canal you enter another Ocean and there is no going back. When we reach the breakwater at ColĂłn we make a radio call to Port Control which seems to be regimental in its organisation. We have to wait for 3 big ships to exit before we were allowed entry. Here we dock in a well established Marina called Shelter Bay.
This seems to be the stopping point for boats who have to fix things up before making the transit. Some have been here for years and have made this their home with not much intention for moving through or onwards. There is a strange but lovely community here from all walks of life, I could almost write a book on their stories of adventures. We feel welcomed, there is a pool and yoga and I'm quite content to hang around here for a few days (it gets small on the boat!) The men however, seem quite restless although we have things to do - Tin Tin needs to be lifted out of the water for her bottom to be scrubbed and anti - fowled (the Galapagos are very strict about clean bottoms, especially no barnacles, quite rightly) We have a need for an electrician, the fridge needs a look over and she needs to be fumigated for the Galapagos.Oh and paperwork!! Relentless for poor Papa! It's nice to stop for a while but even I'm itching to get on now , the transit (intense line handling and sailing by Caiman crocs) and then the Galapagos awaits! It's getting closer now and I am excited beyond words!
Besos,
Panda
xxxx
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Dolphins and The great escape of El Dorado! (St. Kitts to Columbia via Dutch Antilles)
I am now lying in my cabin at the bow of Tin Tin as she rocks wildly and I can faintly hear the nightlife of Charlestown , the bustling heart of St.Kitts. We arrived here in the dark and luckily spotted a buoy to moor off overnight after a long sail over from Antigua. We left Jolly Harbour at noon and arrived here around 9pm, about and hour ago.
Justin's brilliant idea was to get the fishing line out and now we were far enough away from the reef where the fish could possibly be contaminated by ciguatera, so they would be safe to eat. He had attached a very shiny squid lure to the Watuma Yoyo which was deployed with its very strong line and a makeshift teaser to flap around and make it look like a fish trying to escape the squid's advance. ingenious! It seemed to work as after about and hour of having the line out Justin landed the biggest Dorado I've ever seen! The poor fella battled violently when hauled in on deck (unsurprisingly) and before we'd got round to being in control of the situation (i think we were all in a state of shock) he had got free of the hook and made a great escape off the stern with Papa Paul and Justin desperately trying to cling onto it but he slipped through and was the one who got away! Ahh, so close to having a good fish supper. Im hopeful there will be more .. but I hope Mr.Dorado wasn't too injured and can go on now to live a peaceful life in the ocean. Thankfully for you we aren't yet practised fishermen. Im glad you are free now - you deserve to be after that incredible escape! For supper instead we enjoy one of Uncle Mark's famously good veggie omelettes before our night adventure in the dark to find a mooring.
We spend the next 2 days in Nevis and St. Kitts. Nevis is very friendly, small and unassuming. After Papa deals with tedious formalities and clears us with Customs and Port Control, we learn a lot about its history in Charlestown which has maintained its picturesque colonial style. St. Kitts and Nevis was the first English settlement in the Caribbean. Nelson was based here and fell in love and married here. It was rich from its sugar plantations but famous for its slave trade and slave markets, a poignantly shocking history. We trek across the island in unbearable heat to find an old fort of Nelson's, nothing much remained bar a couple of canons, an old well and a dead goat. It was a hot, heavy day and I was starting to feel really unwell with my cough and a horrible pounding headache, not helped by the heat. We found some lunch in a shady courtyard of the museum and the hopped back on Tin Tin to move on to St. Kitts. I'm a rubbish crew member at this point and go for a lie down in my cabin , with practically all my clothes off to cool down! I don't feel much better on arriving arriving in Basse Terre, the capital but it would be a crime not to step ashore.
What a contrast this town is to the other Leeward Islands we have been exploring. St. Kitts is comparatively more rugged and rough around the edges but seems to have more character than that of the americanised, "Disney" versions of the Caribbean. We ignore 'go this way' signs intended for the cruise liners and find ourselves in downtown Charleston as the sun starts to go down. This certainly feels like the edgier part of town but is alive with music and reggae blasting out of every street corner. For a while, I forget my headache and fever and feel immersed in the heat and smells and sound of the town at night. You can see the old colonial buildings dilapidated but in a way still beautiful with cracked colour. The Independence square is a shadow of its former glory , with the grand houses that surround it and the out of place (could be in England) church and red telephone box! We feel quite weak from our night time strolling and think its high time we stop for a drink and maybe some food. We should have been brave and bought some jerk chicken from the side of the road but we succumb to a far too enticing Thai restaurant (of all places!) with a luxuriously breezy terrace.
We set off after breakfast for our big sail across the Caribbean Sea to the Dutch Antilles (ABC Islands). This, with Papa's calculations may take us 3-4 days. I had hoped I'd feel better by this point but I don't.. frustratingly I feel worse.
We settle into our watches, 3hrs on, 9hrs off which works out well, but I wish I could enjoy my watches more without feeling wretched and coughing myself half to death! Despite this, it is a lovely feeling being up on watch on your own especially at night when there's just the expanse of rolling black sea, glittered with phosphorescence as your companion, and the night sky which feels bigger than ever before.
My watches look like this:
6pm -9pm, 6am - 9am, 3pm - 9pm, 3am- 6am, 12pm - 3pm, 12am - 3am
At night, it can be a challenge to stay awake, so I set a timer every 20mins to keep me alert on watch. Every hour, I go down to write the log and position, wind speed, SOG ( speed over ground), COG (course over ground), barometer reading etc. and every 10mins I scan the horizon to look for other boat's lights, ones that don't have AIS and so don't appear on the charts - usually small fishing vessels. In fact, there's very little traffic on this passage, just the occasional tanker/cargo or cruise liner that lights up the horizon. We're to wake Skipper Papa if they appear too close!
The nights are dark which means magical phosphorescence, dance, sparkling in the black waves. It really is beautiful. The wind stays a steady 20-30 knots which means Tin Tin cruises along at an impressive speed of 8-9knts, getting us there quicker than we expected. I am blessed on my morning watch as the sun has just risen and we are joined by a playful school of dolphins, about 9 or 10 of them leaping out at our bow - an incredible sight. they must think our hull looks like a friendly giant whale's belly. They stay swimming with us for half and hour and I manage to film them on my GoPro aas I sit at the bow infront of the Genoa. Such a treat - i think I am falling in love with these playfully graceful creatures! They join us again on my evening watch , Im sure they are the same ones.
Justin hasn't lost faith since the great escape and puts his line out but we don't have any luck for a few days yet. This means suppers remain purely vegetable. This doesn't deter the chefs, though, and beautiful meals are produced which is no mean feat battling with the vigorously rocking Tin Tin at a 45 degree angle! The fridge you have to almost climb into to find anything as it only opens from the top, the oven sways violently and anything that's not strapped in flies off the surfaces. Knife skills are hit and miss and chopping/slicing anything is a precarious operation! There are bananas going brown in the fruit and veg hanging net and so I ambitiously attempt a spiced banana bread. I'm feeling fairly pleased with myself as i pop it into to the dramatically swinging oven to bake but a sudden squall tips Tin Tin over and the remaining eggs on the side all crash to the floor. I shout a number of obscenities and Papa pops his head down below to see what the problem is, in which I then blame it on them for changing course without warning! Turns out I can't always keep my cool... I'm ridiculously hot and starting to feel slightly sea sick. Air, I need air!
My last watch of this leg finishes at 3am and I willingly collapse into my cabin for a sleep that comes easily. I wake up and we are in Bonaire, anchored off Kralendijk. Bonaire is a renowned spot for diving and snorkelling, supposedly one of the best in the world. I had hoped to be recovered by now as i was dying to go diving again since I got my Paddy in Dahab years ago, I haven't got round to using it since. Actually, if I have any diver friends.. I've lost my Paddy card, will dive centres be able to look me up on a database? The snorkelling here, though, far from disappoints. There is a small island surrounded by coral reef a dinghy ride away from the main island and we venture over on Snowy. There is a dramatic drop off where the reef drops to 100m due to the volcanic nature of the island. Here the bright turquoise parrot fish nibble on purple tubular polyps, clown fish come close to investigate my goggles, pouting puffer fish swim cutely between huge fan corals. At the drop of the colourful coral is a beautiful contrast to the deep blue of the water that plunges 100m below. This sends shivers through me as I know this is where the sharks like to loiter. I get a grip of myself and my adventurous streak comes back as I challenge myself to dive deeper each time to explore this stunning underwater garden. If things cant get any better I meet a chilled out turtle who's quite happy for me to film him as he paddles along...woahhh!
Onwards we sail to Curaçao, sailing into the wonderfully serene and sheltered bay of Spanish Waters. It is one of the most well protected anchorages in all of the Caribbean. The inlet and bay got its name because it's reputed to be the first place that Spanish explorers landed in Curaçao hundreds of years ago. The island has quite a different feel to it than Bonaire. Both have their Dutch influence but you can see that Curaçao has been heavily influenced by a huge wealth and we walk through the Miami-like neighbourhood line with million dollar homes. This doesn't feel very authentic and we decide to take a bus to Willemstad through colourful villages. the roads are pristine and one could easily be in Europe if it weren't for the coconut trees and intense heat!
Willemstad has a huge Dutch influence, the amazingly designed bridges that part to let the boats through, and especially the Queen Emma floating bridge! We walk past the bustling floating market, traders that have come over by boat from Venezuela selling fruit, veg and fish. The brightly coloured Dutch architecture derives from when the Dutch captured the island from Spain in the 1600s. Here there is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas built by the Sephardic Jews from Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. Sorry for the history lesson!
We prepare to sail the next morning after stocking up on supplies. We meet a lovely young Dutch family who have made their boat their home and are slowly sailing round the world with their 8 year old twin boys. They've stopped for a year there as the husband has found work and the boys will go to the local school. I could see myself living a nomadic life like that...
Off the coast of Curaçao, we hit gold and Justin lands a very decent sized Skipjack tuna. I gut, fillet and skin it off the aft steps, whilst dangling my legs in the water, I quickly lift them out as I realise its prime feeding time for sharks! We dine on lime chilli and ginger ceviche and seared chilli soy tuna that night. It can't get fresher than this, delicious. Result!
A short breakfast stop in Aruba at anchor, a respite from the gale force winds, and onwards to Columbia - wahooo! This is the roughest passage we've done so far and it takes 3 days. Wind speeds are up in the 30s/40s and we zoom along at 9-10 knots upto 15 knots as wind speed reaches 50 knots - a record for Tin Tin! Sailing like this is really thrilling but not so comfortable. We are running most of the way as the wind is behind us and we start sailing with goose-winged genoa and main but as the wind accelerates, we have to take them down and put up the stay sail as we are flying and the swell is getting bigger (4m waves). This is fun when we can surf them but the occasional odd waves hits at a different angle and completely crashes over Tin Tin and crew, soaking us! I'm off watch at night when one of these hit and I'm trying to sleep without success. I have a fleeting moment thinking this wave has really taken us and we are going down as all I can see is water out of my hatch and side window. I think of my exit plan and that I should probably go and help whoever is on watch but sleep takes me and I wake up in the morning and I'm still alive and Tin Tin has not sunk! Phew..
Frigate birds and brown footed boobies follow us and we are met again by dolphins. Mark lands another fish that looks has the shape of a tuna but is much smaller with a mackerel patterning. He discovers its covered in a parasite. It has long been on the hook and is dead when pulled in. I fillet it and chuck the remains over the side for the sharks but i think we've been put off and we still haven't tucked in.
The coastline of Columbia comes into view and we are blown away by this stark, rugged coastline. A dramatic line where land meets raging sea. The land is arid and lined with cacti. We anchor in 30 - 40 knots of gale half a mile of a village with a cluster of shacks. We have to dodge fishing nets marked only by a small plastic bottle, one of which we get tangled up in! A group of young native men come and suss us out in their boat and offer to sell us water, petrol and beer and more..?? The are very friendly and seem unthreatening so having been keeping down below, I poke my head out to say hola. The boat rules (with me being the only female aboard) are that I'm to find a hidey hole below in case of pirates! Let's hope we don't have such an encounter.. Mark keeps anchor watch and the rest of us dinghy ashore and meet the indigenous tribe of the Wayuu weaving beautiful bracelets and bags. I succumb and buy a wristful of bracelets from the most adorable young girls. It gets confusing because I've come ill prepared with no pesos and only dollars so awkwardly get change from a neighbouring Argentinian tourist who helps me out, then having to share it amongst the girls. We eat a lovely lunch of grilled red snapper (I think?) and watch kite the kite surfers who obviously gravitate to this stretch of coastline to catch the unsheltered wind.
We venture up the coast a way and find an anchorage at Taganga, north of Santa Maria and there is one big PARTY on the beach - its Sunday funday for the columbians and the loud fiesta music floats over to us. We resist going ashore here, as officially we are illegal immigrants as we haven't cleared into the country yet and and risk getting caught out in this busy town. The coastguard boat floats nearby us looking important but never comes to question us. Eeek! An elderly Canadian lady swims over to Tin Tin and chats to us. We invite her on the boat and she tells us of her story of how she came to live here and gave us oodles of advice of what to watch out for in Columbia, scaring us with crime etc and who not to trust! She later comes out on a boat and has brought us some take away supper from the local restaurant and a bag of fruit. What a sweet lady! We enjoy yet another beautiful sunset which I can never get bored of.
We set sail for Cartagena for a very rough passage. Arriving in this city is quite a sight as the shore is lined with white skyscrapers. Under close radio supervision for Port Authority we anchor in 15m of water not far from the Marina Club NauticĂł. Papa and I dinghy ashore to deal with formalities and en route we help to rescue a Columbian boat which had wrapped its anchor around another yacht - we push them off under power and they come free.
We are finally legal and are free to roam this incredible and exciting city! I have fallen in love with this city especially the Old walled quarter which is beautiful beyond words. Bright pink bougainvillea climb vibrant coloured colonial houses which fill the streets with such character. Salsa music fills the fiesta - like atmosphere. The Old City is surrounded by a coral and stone wall with canons poking out of the ramparts. This was built in the 1500s in Sir Francis Drake's time to protect the city from invasion.
As i write this, I'm now sitting under a fan in a high ceilinged beautiful café and I'm blissfully cool as I sip on a Limonada di Coco, a Cartagenan speciality and very delicious. We've had a couple of days here now and its been a real treat to stop long enough to relax and really get a feel of the city. I will definitely be returning to this city if I can - it's up there in my top!
We sail tonight to Panama to start our journey through the canal which is going to be complicated but exciting, I'm sure. I hope Papa Pablo has decided we can stop an the San Blas islands on the way. Finger's crossed!
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long winded. I really will try to refine, but I'm just blabbing out whats going on in my head - there's so much to share! I will try and write more frequently but less volume. I'm struggling to write much when we are sailing as I cant bring my laptop up on deck and i tend to get a bit sea sick if I write down below as its been so rough! So it's limited to when we are land based. Sorryyyy.
Lots of love my friends,
Panda xxx
Hey, I forgot to mention I'm an Aunty again to a Alice and Matt Matt's beautiful baby boy who has no name yet. Unbelievably thrilled - Congratulations guys and sending you bundles of love and hugs!!
Justin's brilliant idea was to get the fishing line out and now we were far enough away from the reef where the fish could possibly be contaminated by ciguatera, so they would be safe to eat. He had attached a very shiny squid lure to the Watuma Yoyo which was deployed with its very strong line and a makeshift teaser to flap around and make it look like a fish trying to escape the squid's advance. ingenious! It seemed to work as after about and hour of having the line out Justin landed the biggest Dorado I've ever seen! The poor fella battled violently when hauled in on deck (unsurprisingly) and before we'd got round to being in control of the situation (i think we were all in a state of shock) he had got free of the hook and made a great escape off the stern with Papa Paul and Justin desperately trying to cling onto it but he slipped through and was the one who got away! Ahh, so close to having a good fish supper. Im hopeful there will be more .. but I hope Mr.Dorado wasn't too injured and can go on now to live a peaceful life in the ocean. Thankfully for you we aren't yet practised fishermen. Im glad you are free now - you deserve to be after that incredible escape! For supper instead we enjoy one of Uncle Mark's famously good veggie omelettes before our night adventure in the dark to find a mooring.
We spend the next 2 days in Nevis and St. Kitts. Nevis is very friendly, small and unassuming. After Papa deals with tedious formalities and clears us with Customs and Port Control, we learn a lot about its history in Charlestown which has maintained its picturesque colonial style. St. Kitts and Nevis was the first English settlement in the Caribbean. Nelson was based here and fell in love and married here. It was rich from its sugar plantations but famous for its slave trade and slave markets, a poignantly shocking history. We trek across the island in unbearable heat to find an old fort of Nelson's, nothing much remained bar a couple of canons, an old well and a dead goat. It was a hot, heavy day and I was starting to feel really unwell with my cough and a horrible pounding headache, not helped by the heat. We found some lunch in a shady courtyard of the museum and the hopped back on Tin Tin to move on to St. Kitts. I'm a rubbish crew member at this point and go for a lie down in my cabin , with practically all my clothes off to cool down! I don't feel much better on arriving arriving in Basse Terre, the capital but it would be a crime not to step ashore.
What a contrast this town is to the other Leeward Islands we have been exploring. St. Kitts is comparatively more rugged and rough around the edges but seems to have more character than that of the americanised, "Disney" versions of the Caribbean. We ignore 'go this way' signs intended for the cruise liners and find ourselves in downtown Charleston as the sun starts to go down. This certainly feels like the edgier part of town but is alive with music and reggae blasting out of every street corner. For a while, I forget my headache and fever and feel immersed in the heat and smells and sound of the town at night. You can see the old colonial buildings dilapidated but in a way still beautiful with cracked colour. The Independence square is a shadow of its former glory , with the grand houses that surround it and the out of place (could be in England) church and red telephone box! We feel quite weak from our night time strolling and think its high time we stop for a drink and maybe some food. We should have been brave and bought some jerk chicken from the side of the road but we succumb to a far too enticing Thai restaurant (of all places!) with a luxuriously breezy terrace.
We set off after breakfast for our big sail across the Caribbean Sea to the Dutch Antilles (ABC Islands). This, with Papa's calculations may take us 3-4 days. I had hoped I'd feel better by this point but I don't.. frustratingly I feel worse.
We settle into our watches, 3hrs on, 9hrs off which works out well, but I wish I could enjoy my watches more without feeling wretched and coughing myself half to death! Despite this, it is a lovely feeling being up on watch on your own especially at night when there's just the expanse of rolling black sea, glittered with phosphorescence as your companion, and the night sky which feels bigger than ever before.
My watches look like this:
6pm -9pm, 6am - 9am, 3pm - 9pm, 3am- 6am, 12pm - 3pm, 12am - 3am
At night, it can be a challenge to stay awake, so I set a timer every 20mins to keep me alert on watch. Every hour, I go down to write the log and position, wind speed, SOG ( speed over ground), COG (course over ground), barometer reading etc. and every 10mins I scan the horizon to look for other boat's lights, ones that don't have AIS and so don't appear on the charts - usually small fishing vessels. In fact, there's very little traffic on this passage, just the occasional tanker/cargo or cruise liner that lights up the horizon. We're to wake Skipper Papa if they appear too close!
The nights are dark which means magical phosphorescence, dance, sparkling in the black waves. It really is beautiful. The wind stays a steady 20-30 knots which means Tin Tin cruises along at an impressive speed of 8-9knts, getting us there quicker than we expected. I am blessed on my morning watch as the sun has just risen and we are joined by a playful school of dolphins, about 9 or 10 of them leaping out at our bow - an incredible sight. they must think our hull looks like a friendly giant whale's belly. They stay swimming with us for half and hour and I manage to film them on my GoPro aas I sit at the bow infront of the Genoa. Such a treat - i think I am falling in love with these playfully graceful creatures! They join us again on my evening watch , Im sure they are the same ones.
Justin hasn't lost faith since the great escape and puts his line out but we don't have any luck for a few days yet. This means suppers remain purely vegetable. This doesn't deter the chefs, though, and beautiful meals are produced which is no mean feat battling with the vigorously rocking Tin Tin at a 45 degree angle! The fridge you have to almost climb into to find anything as it only opens from the top, the oven sways violently and anything that's not strapped in flies off the surfaces. Knife skills are hit and miss and chopping/slicing anything is a precarious operation! There are bananas going brown in the fruit and veg hanging net and so I ambitiously attempt a spiced banana bread. I'm feeling fairly pleased with myself as i pop it into to the dramatically swinging oven to bake but a sudden squall tips Tin Tin over and the remaining eggs on the side all crash to the floor. I shout a number of obscenities and Papa pops his head down below to see what the problem is, in which I then blame it on them for changing course without warning! Turns out I can't always keep my cool... I'm ridiculously hot and starting to feel slightly sea sick. Air, I need air!
My last watch of this leg finishes at 3am and I willingly collapse into my cabin for a sleep that comes easily. I wake up and we are in Bonaire, anchored off Kralendijk. Bonaire is a renowned spot for diving and snorkelling, supposedly one of the best in the world. I had hoped to be recovered by now as i was dying to go diving again since I got my Paddy in Dahab years ago, I haven't got round to using it since. Actually, if I have any diver friends.. I've lost my Paddy card, will dive centres be able to look me up on a database? The snorkelling here, though, far from disappoints. There is a small island surrounded by coral reef a dinghy ride away from the main island and we venture over on Snowy. There is a dramatic drop off where the reef drops to 100m due to the volcanic nature of the island. Here the bright turquoise parrot fish nibble on purple tubular polyps, clown fish come close to investigate my goggles, pouting puffer fish swim cutely between huge fan corals. At the drop of the colourful coral is a beautiful contrast to the deep blue of the water that plunges 100m below. This sends shivers through me as I know this is where the sharks like to loiter. I get a grip of myself and my adventurous streak comes back as I challenge myself to dive deeper each time to explore this stunning underwater garden. If things cant get any better I meet a chilled out turtle who's quite happy for me to film him as he paddles along...woahhh!
Onwards we sail to Curaçao, sailing into the wonderfully serene and sheltered bay of Spanish Waters. It is one of the most well protected anchorages in all of the Caribbean. The inlet and bay got its name because it's reputed to be the first place that Spanish explorers landed in Curaçao hundreds of years ago. The island has quite a different feel to it than Bonaire. Both have their Dutch influence but you can see that Curaçao has been heavily influenced by a huge wealth and we walk through the Miami-like neighbourhood line with million dollar homes. This doesn't feel very authentic and we decide to take a bus to Willemstad through colourful villages. the roads are pristine and one could easily be in Europe if it weren't for the coconut trees and intense heat!
Willemstad has a huge Dutch influence, the amazingly designed bridges that part to let the boats through, and especially the Queen Emma floating bridge! We walk past the bustling floating market, traders that have come over by boat from Venezuela selling fruit, veg and fish. The brightly coloured Dutch architecture derives from when the Dutch captured the island from Spain in the 1600s. Here there is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas built by the Sephardic Jews from Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. Sorry for the history lesson!
We prepare to sail the next morning after stocking up on supplies. We meet a lovely young Dutch family who have made their boat their home and are slowly sailing round the world with their 8 year old twin boys. They've stopped for a year there as the husband has found work and the boys will go to the local school. I could see myself living a nomadic life like that...
Off the coast of Curaçao, we hit gold and Justin lands a very decent sized Skipjack tuna. I gut, fillet and skin it off the aft steps, whilst dangling my legs in the water, I quickly lift them out as I realise its prime feeding time for sharks! We dine on lime chilli and ginger ceviche and seared chilli soy tuna that night. It can't get fresher than this, delicious. Result!
A short breakfast stop in Aruba at anchor, a respite from the gale force winds, and onwards to Columbia - wahooo! This is the roughest passage we've done so far and it takes 3 days. Wind speeds are up in the 30s/40s and we zoom along at 9-10 knots upto 15 knots as wind speed reaches 50 knots - a record for Tin Tin! Sailing like this is really thrilling but not so comfortable. We are running most of the way as the wind is behind us and we start sailing with goose-winged genoa and main but as the wind accelerates, we have to take them down and put up the stay sail as we are flying and the swell is getting bigger (4m waves). This is fun when we can surf them but the occasional odd waves hits at a different angle and completely crashes over Tin Tin and crew, soaking us! I'm off watch at night when one of these hit and I'm trying to sleep without success. I have a fleeting moment thinking this wave has really taken us and we are going down as all I can see is water out of my hatch and side window. I think of my exit plan and that I should probably go and help whoever is on watch but sleep takes me and I wake up in the morning and I'm still alive and Tin Tin has not sunk! Phew..
Frigate birds and brown footed boobies follow us and we are met again by dolphins. Mark lands another fish that looks has the shape of a tuna but is much smaller with a mackerel patterning. He discovers its covered in a parasite. It has long been on the hook and is dead when pulled in. I fillet it and chuck the remains over the side for the sharks but i think we've been put off and we still haven't tucked in.
The coastline of Columbia comes into view and we are blown away by this stark, rugged coastline. A dramatic line where land meets raging sea. The land is arid and lined with cacti. We anchor in 30 - 40 knots of gale half a mile of a village with a cluster of shacks. We have to dodge fishing nets marked only by a small plastic bottle, one of which we get tangled up in! A group of young native men come and suss us out in their boat and offer to sell us water, petrol and beer and more..?? The are very friendly and seem unthreatening so having been keeping down below, I poke my head out to say hola. The boat rules (with me being the only female aboard) are that I'm to find a hidey hole below in case of pirates! Let's hope we don't have such an encounter.. Mark keeps anchor watch and the rest of us dinghy ashore and meet the indigenous tribe of the Wayuu weaving beautiful bracelets and bags. I succumb and buy a wristful of bracelets from the most adorable young girls. It gets confusing because I've come ill prepared with no pesos and only dollars so awkwardly get change from a neighbouring Argentinian tourist who helps me out, then having to share it amongst the girls. We eat a lovely lunch of grilled red snapper (I think?) and watch kite the kite surfers who obviously gravitate to this stretch of coastline to catch the unsheltered wind.
We venture up the coast a way and find an anchorage at Taganga, north of Santa Maria and there is one big PARTY on the beach - its Sunday funday for the columbians and the loud fiesta music floats over to us. We resist going ashore here, as officially we are illegal immigrants as we haven't cleared into the country yet and and risk getting caught out in this busy town. The coastguard boat floats nearby us looking important but never comes to question us. Eeek! An elderly Canadian lady swims over to Tin Tin and chats to us. We invite her on the boat and she tells us of her story of how she came to live here and gave us oodles of advice of what to watch out for in Columbia, scaring us with crime etc and who not to trust! She later comes out on a boat and has brought us some take away supper from the local restaurant and a bag of fruit. What a sweet lady! We enjoy yet another beautiful sunset which I can never get bored of.
We set sail for Cartagena for a very rough passage. Arriving in this city is quite a sight as the shore is lined with white skyscrapers. Under close radio supervision for Port Authority we anchor in 15m of water not far from the Marina Club NauticĂł. Papa and I dinghy ashore to deal with formalities and en route we help to rescue a Columbian boat which had wrapped its anchor around another yacht - we push them off under power and they come free.
We are finally legal and are free to roam this incredible and exciting city! I have fallen in love with this city especially the Old walled quarter which is beautiful beyond words. Bright pink bougainvillea climb vibrant coloured colonial houses which fill the streets with such character. Salsa music fills the fiesta - like atmosphere. The Old City is surrounded by a coral and stone wall with canons poking out of the ramparts. This was built in the 1500s in Sir Francis Drake's time to protect the city from invasion.
As i write this, I'm now sitting under a fan in a high ceilinged beautiful café and I'm blissfully cool as I sip on a Limonada di Coco, a Cartagenan speciality and very delicious. We've had a couple of days here now and its been a real treat to stop long enough to relax and really get a feel of the city. I will definitely be returning to this city if I can - it's up there in my top!
We sail tonight to Panama to start our journey through the canal which is going to be complicated but exciting, I'm sure. I hope Papa Pablo has decided we can stop an the San Blas islands on the way. Finger's crossed!
Thanks for reading, sorry it's so long winded. I really will try to refine, but I'm just blabbing out whats going on in my head - there's so much to share! I will try and write more frequently but less volume. I'm struggling to write much when we are sailing as I cant bring my laptop up on deck and i tend to get a bit sea sick if I write down below as its been so rough! So it's limited to when we are land based. Sorryyyy.
Lots of love my friends,
Panda xxx
Hey, I forgot to mention I'm an Aunty again to a Alice and Matt Matt's beautiful baby boy who has no name yet. Unbelievably thrilled - Congratulations guys and sending you bundles of love and hugs!!
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Guadaloupe, the beautiful Archipelago of Les Ăles Saintes and a friendly dolphin
We leave Deshaies and have our first decent daylight sail towards the Islands of Les Saintes. En route, we stop at Pigeon Island for a bit of snorkelling where the water is crystal clear and we feel the historical presence of the legendary Jack Cousteau - intrepid explorer and pioneer diver.
As we approach Les Ăles Saintes, we are astounded by the beauty of this little Archipelago, with the SugarLoaf mountain peering down at us and a vibrant little bay to anchor in. We are impatient to go ashore and explore Terre de Haut Island. We are slowly adjusting to boat life but its always exciting to go ashore and see what awaits… the town is colourful - every house painted a different bright colour yet again there is such a remarkable French vibe and my rusty French is being put to good use. Here we discover the the joys of coconut ice-cream that is out of this world and the most idyllic beach which couldn’t be more heavenly even if you dreamed it, in fact i keep having to pinch myself every now and then.. Getting back to this ice-cream though….made the traditional way of churning the coconut cream within stainless steel drums within a wooden barrel which they fill with ice blocks and add copious amounts of salt which dramatically lowers the freezing point.. sorry for the science but i find it fascinating! Anyway, this ice-cream is ladled out into little cups and topped with nutmeg, utterly divine and quite possibly now mine and Lottie’s new favourite thing.
Another anchorage in a sheltered secluded bay of an even smaller Island called Basse Terre where we snorkelled off the boat - quite hard to beat my first snorkel and wow factor of the spotted eagle rays but still in awe of the magical underwater world…interrupted by the occasional niece trying to drown me : ) but I’m regarded briefly as a bit of a hero when Ruthie drops her underwater camera to the bottom and Aunty Em valiantly dives 5m down to retrieve (with ears hurting a little as i haven’t managed to equalise successfully - out of practice!) I also bring up a beautiful conch shell for Lottie which makes her sad in the end as she can’t take it back to Dorset with her.
There has been a special bond between Greatest Uncle Mark and particularly Bethie and she is often seen on the aft deck dancing and twirling to Uncle Mark’s wonderfully tuneful Ukele playing - another skill which I’m yet to turn my attention too. Anyway, Bethie is ridiculously adorable and is tremendously funny without even knowing it! The pure joy of a three year old!
After a few days in Les Saintes, we wave goodbye to the turtles and they wave a fin, and we reluctantly up anchor back to Guadaloupe mainland and leave these gorgeous Islands. We contemplate making a trip over to Dominica but Papa can’t face another day in customs office - quite understandably not worth it for a short stay. On our brisk sail back, we keep our eye out for Sperm Whales which supposedly frequent these waters, every wave and a splash brings great excitement but sadly to no avail…not today. We dock Tin Tin in a very uninspiring marina in Riviere Sens. Their showers were delightful though, i hasten to add…its amazing the appreciation one gets after being on the boat for a while and having to limit the amount of water used - a shampoo and condition are a rare thing! So here i delight in a more lengthy soak.
The next day we venture into the rainforest, Kate hires a car and after a few wrong turns, we make it up to the volcanic mountain, La Soufriere. The ascent into the luscious green giant leaved wonderland leaves us breathless in both senses as the humidity is stifling! It is quite a hike for the little ones and with totally unsuitable footwear - we underestimate how muddy it would be, we split up so Daddy Shim and Ruthie can climb to the waterfall and Kate and I take the smaller ones on a more gentle route and listen to the sounds of the tropical birds and frogs hiding in the canopy.
When we return we realise that Gerry has been left behind at the lunch spot we stopped at along the way…absolute catastrophe - Bethie, as you may have already figured out cannot live without him and so Kate goes on a rescue mission to find him while I take the girls for a sunset swim off the black sand beach and we’re joined by Papa Paul.
Gerry the giraffe arrives safely back in Bethie’s arms incase you were worrying! Mummy Kate saves the day.
We sail back to Deshaies and on arrival we are greeted by a very friendly dolphin dancing in the wake of the bow, playing up to our squeals of joy. I want to jump in and swim with this beautiful animal but i’m too slow and he has already swam off into the sunset. And wow what a sunset it was!
We set sail back to Antigua at midnight, we’re lucky again with a beautifully moonlit passage and this time my watch is 3-6am with Papa. The wind is very light but it is so peaceful sailing through the calm that we resist putting on the motor to make us go faster. I fabricate a ‘grass skirt’ for Lottie made from undone threads from an old rope. i took unexpected enjoyment from this tedious task (I had promised Lottie a “Moana” grass skirt from day one but didn’t have the suitable material to do so until the bit of rope caught my eye) I created, and i’m very proud of this, not only a grass skirt but a magical one at that as it had been touched by the moonlight. Its the little things… that are beginning to give me a lot of pleasure. Im aware that this may be boring you all immensely but I’m on a roll and therefore must not stop writing - its a rare occasion. I stay up to watch the sunrise - again i don’t think i can store all of this beauty in my mind… i mean, really? Can this earth get anymore stunning? TOO MUCH <3
More giant turtles!! Loads of them swimming under our bow. Hi again, Antigua! We briefly anchor in mosquito bay and then think again -perhaps not the most pleasant place considering the name. Although here we do spot a load of Ospreys and Brown -Footed Boobies - the girls find this very funny. Now i’m not much of a bird buff but even i recognise their glory! We move on around the corner to Crab Hill and swim ashore to the white coral sand beach, which Papa informed me was the result of the blue parrot fish nibbling away at thousands of tonnes of coral a year. Amazing. Here we meet the owner, Oliver Joseph, OJ, a funny old Antiguan man with round rimmed glasses who jestfully (i Hope) asks Papa if he could marry me! Papa and Uncle Mark have had a few Pina Coladas by this point and probably are striking a deal as i speak!
We stay anchored off here for a couple of nights with more ridiculous sunsets with Montserrat Silhouetted in the background, its volcano smoking steadily away. Ha, what a view! We all luxuriate in the crystal blue waters, the girls make rafts with wooden pallets and fenders and another Spotted Eagle Ray comes to say hello with a big splash whilst I’m dangling my legs astern… I’m beginning to think i’m a Ray Whisperer now…. extraordinary.
There's some drama as I get a fish bone stuck in my throat whist eating a red snapper at OJ's (First time ever in my 30 years, i'd like to add) I quietly whisper to Surgeon Shim, not to make a scene, that i may be slowly dying and find it hard to breathe. He tells me not to worry and drink CocaCola to dissolve the fish bone. Although i feel like its a little too large for that so later he attempts minor surgery on Tin Tin and manages to tweezer out the fish bone from the back of my throat, wedged in my left tonsil. The offending fish bone is in fact quite a beast... about an inch long! Thanks Shim for your skilled surgery and Kate for your reassuring words. Phewf..what a relief! Has not put me off eating more fish, however, just must be more careful, silly Em!
We sadly say goodbye to the Shim’s and my little munchkin nieces who have made the first part of my adventure such a joy. I’m going to miss the entertainment and atmosphere that only children can create, and seeing all of this paradise through their new little eyes! Thank you.
Now Tin Tin feels strangely quiet but we sail to Falmouth Harbour to pick up our newest crew member, Justin, from The Antigua Yacht Club,, thank goodness! Freshly caught Dorado line the dock and i ask to buy one but all are reserved for the restaurants and super yachts - oh my i forgot about those bad boys! How many billions of dollars nestles in this harbour, again ridics!
We have a lovely morning sail to Jolly Harbour and we manage to launch the Parasailor - what a beauty! Uncle Mark goes for a surprise splash as he steps onto the guy sheet, luckily we can laugh about it now but it was touch and go! Jolly Harbour is very American with large condominiums and not much character but it has everything we need and we have the day getting the boat ready for our next passage - a four day sail to the Dutch Islands of Aruba, Bonair and Curaçao (ABC). Fuel, water and gas topped up. The chaps do chandlery and tackle shopping for new lines and lures and I’m on supermarket duty to stock up on provisions for another week. This air-conditioned place is full of over- sunned Brits and Americans and to my surprise stocks Essential Waitrose items…what?! I would have much preferred to go to a local market in St. John’s but time didn’t allow. I sit writing this feeling chilly for the first time since my arrival in the Caribbean (yes, I’ve actually put a jumper on) I can’t work out if I’ve just acclimatised or I’ve got a fever which comes from the lurgy i may have caught from Lottie, making me feel rather rotten - i hope i’ll be rid of it before we set off tomorrow, i don’t much fancy feeling like this for the coming days all at sea. And before you say anything - I’m drinking gallons of water so not dehydration ickiness.
Next time i write, it will be off the coast of Columbia, wahooo... so excited for the next leg en route to Panama!
Frustratingly, internet not behaving so won't let me upload any photos onto blog. Will try and solve this but for now i hope my descriptions been enough to take you here....
Thank you for following me on my journey my lovelies.
Peace,
Panda xoxo
Ps Can i just mention that I’m missing all my dearest ones dreadfully…you know who you are.. Not to mention, my gorgeous and courageous sister Alice (Crumpet) is about to have her Baby any day now and i’m really sad I won’t be there to welcome the little one into this world. I love the little bubba already though, Crumps and its still in your tummy! Be strong and I love youuuu. I’ll be holding your hand in spirit… and yes you may bite it!
Oh and my Monty Dog, how i miss you and your cuddles…I wish I could explain that I haven’t gone forever. Sending my love across the Ocean.
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Saturday, 14 January 2017
Another day in Antigua as generator guy was running on “island time” and was to be there in the afternoon. Started off brilliantly (i’m rather proud of this) with a 6am long swim to the beach and a 5km run around the island (which almost killed me ; hills+heat!) followed by glorious yoga on the beach with the sun rising and swim back to Tin Tin. Now if that’s not achieving before breakfast, i don’t know what is? I’ve surprised myself and probably surprised you. Also, has given me licence to have an ice-cream later!
I have now become familiar with Snowy and her outboard motor and take great delight in ferrying crew ashore and then planing her back.. Yeeha!
Lazing back on Tin Tin, Turtles keep popping their heads up around her and I’m finding myself becoming very fond of their friendly presence. I feel like they are wise and come in peace.
Generator is finally fixed! Papa Paul has sorted out formalities with customs and we are good to go. We end the day with a family swim relishing in these tropical waters. Guadeloupe here we come!
Uncle Mark and I are on first watch for three hours and i feel like an excited child waiting up to go on a midnight adventure. It starts to rain hard when we leave harbour for Deshaies, but soon the clouds disperse and the full moon makes its grand appearance to light our way. Just magical! Me, Tin Tin and the Ocean (oh and Uncle Mark)! We clock only two other ships on our watch - Lady Luck,a luxury cruiser, with the same destination as us and Hong Dai, a container ship on its way to Brindisi, Italy. I’m slightly worried about the latter but Uncle Mark and Mr GPS are pretty certain that they will pass behind us. I guess i should trust them? I helm for the fist hour and then put George (autopilot) on and find rather frustratingly that he does a better job than i do with getting the maximum efficiency out of the sail. With me helming we go at an average of 6.5 knots but with George he takes us unto 7.5-8 knots. Im putting that down to wind speed increasing out of the lee of the island, not my lack of skill ; )
My watch is almost over and I’m tempted to stay up until we reach the luscious shores at dawn but the persistent rolling of the swell has made me dozy and i know i will have plenty more of these to come…
Bethie’s little head pops up on deck clutching her blankey and Gerry half asleep and wondering what dream world she has entered. We put her in Mummy Kate's bed and wake her Daddy up for his watch. I fall into bed next to Lottie and wake with the light gleaming through the hatch, pop my head out and breath in the rich air of Guadaloupe - Bonjour La Belle Monde, s’il vous plait un pain au chocolat!
Gerry the Giraffe finding his sea legs and Uncle Mark and Bethie enjoying french patisserie
We go ashore to a very rickety old pontoon which is being pounded by the Atlantic waves not ideal but adds to the excitement! The bay is not sheltered and anchorage is very roly-poly due to the northerly winds . Guadaloupe is so French it takes me a while to remember that we are actually in the tropics. We breakfast in the Boulangerie, walk past La Post and Hotel du Ville and everything is in Euros! But Palm Trees, Conch shells and coconuts line the streets. And the french here are super chilled out, I love it! 
Papa sorts out customs. We venture over to the other side of the island where there is the most beautiful yellow sand beach, Plage de Petite-Anse, that stretches for miles and is totally wild with the Atlantic waves crashing up the beach with impressive spray. It is more of a hike than we anticipated and girls start to flag but its totally worth it as is breathtaking! Sadly no chance of a swim here as we would be dragged out but the spray is refreshing and there is a perfect ice-cream spot. A wave almost takes me out as i have settled down in my bikini to read my book, much to the amusement of the girls!
Lovely meal out watching the sun set in the bay and eating delicious Marlin caught that day in a perfect quaint little local restaurant. A choppy ride in the dark on Snowy who takes us safely back to Tin Tin who is starting to feel more and more like home.
Lottie's sketch of view ashore from Tin Tin
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