January 2010
One Lap Wonders
Kicking Back in the Caribbean
In case you aren't an ardent follower of our web site, this may be a good time to let you know that we have now completed our circumnavigation. We arrived in Antigua last month where we had been in March 2003 so six years and eight months later we have returned to complete the circle. We hoisted the courtesy flags of all the nations we had sailed to, dropped the anchor and enjoyed a bottle of cheap sparkling wine.
Here are a few facts gathered for your enjoyment:
- seven years and a few days since departing Fort Pierce City Marina (cumulatively three years were spent in marinas typically waiting out hurricane or cyclone seasons or traveling back to the US)
- 47,000 plus miles (although the equator is only 21600 miles we spent three years sailing around the Caribbean and you never sail in a straight line)
- 47 countries (seven covered by land travel)
- 400 gallons of diesel per year most of which was spent charging our batteries and making water.
Favorite World Heritage Sights
The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Machu Picchu, Peru
Valley of the Kings including Abu Simbel, Egypt
Petra, Jordan
Ephesus and Palmukkale, Turkey
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
The Great Wall, China
The Nazca Lines, Peru
Favorite snorkeling places (so far)
Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands, Polynesia
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
San Blas, Panama
Bait Reef, Australia
Aves and Los Roques, outer islands of Venezuela
Dolphin Reef in the Red Sea, Egypt
Lady Musgrave, Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef
Light House Reef, Belize
Port Smyth (Shumma Island), Eritrea
Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Marinas we enjoyed (none of the below had a surcharge for catamarans)
MareMare, PLC Venezuela
Rabak, Langawi, Malaysia
Admiral Marina, Port Dickson, Malaysia
Hurghada, Egypt
Rabat Marina, Rabat, Morocco
Bocas Marina, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Fort Pierce City Marina, Florida
Mackay Marina, Australia
Favorite anchorages
Moorea, French Polynesia
Whitsundays, Australia
Balearic Islands, Spain
Tobago Cays, St Vincent
Sydney Harbor, Australia
San Blas, Panama
HuaHanie, Society Islands, French Polynesia
St John, US VI
Most interesting or intriguing places
Nuie
Vanauatu
Indonesia
Oman
Jordan
Tonga
Fiji
Cartagena, Colombia
Turkey
Now the question is "what's next for slackadventure "? Last month we were on a mission (to complete a circumnavigation) but today we are just two of the many unemployed. No complaints just an observation.
We have many ideas about what to do but no plans yet, so for right now we'll just enjoy the moment.
Falmouth Harbor, Antigua
Antigua is the sailing capital of the Caribbean and when we arrived there were several dozen mega yachts in Falmouth Harbor waiting for the charter season to get underway. Not much has changed since our last visit here except that prices are up. After our sail across the Atlantic, Antigua provided a nice anchorage to catch up on some rest and to provision.
USVI
From Antigua we sailed to Cruz Bay on St John in the USVI to visit with our friends Tom and Amy from the sailing vessel Sandpiper. Off and on, we traveled most of the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea with Sandpiper. But whoa! The Piper has been sold and Tom and Amy now own the "Sadie Sea", a day charter business which operates out of Cruz Bay, St John and they now live ON LAND! What gives?? Check out their web site at www.SadieSea.com to find out how to make your visit to St John a memorable event.
Besides enjoying time with Tom and Amy, we enjoyed being in Kenny Chesney country. Anchoring on the north shore of St John we could almost see the lights of his house(es) and could visit all the places he mentions in his songs, like Cinnamon Bay, the Quiet Mon, Foxy's, Ivan's, and yes we drove on the wrong side of the road for a while. Did I say anchoring? Well actually most of St John is a National Park and the waters around the island are covered with mooring balls that cost $15.00 per night unless you have a Golden Age card and with that the price is halved.
We accompanied Tom and Amy on a few day trips on the Sadie Sea and they were able to spend a weekend on Shiraz in the BVI. We were also delighted to see Paddy Barry, a cruising friend we hadn't seen since Tonga. Paddy now calls the waters of St Thomas home and he accompanied us on his catamaran, Le Chat Beaute, to the Baths of Virgin Gorda. The time went by too fast but we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends and were glad that they could relax and spend a few days with us.
BVI
The BVI is the Disney World of the sailing community and people vacation here because of the the tropical climate, the close proximity of all the islands, brisk winds, and the adventure of visiting another country (there are no fast foods in the BVI). The islands are much as we left them except there are a zillion more mooring balls and catamarans have taken over the charter fleets.
We skipped the Baths on our last visit to the BVI's (2003) so this time we made two stops, one with friends and the other to take pictures (due to weak camera batteries during our first visit). We departed with brisk easterly breeze and decided to sail to Anegada for a lobster dinner at the Anegada Reef Motel. Before we leave the BVI's, we plan on making all the other stops such as swimming in to the Soggy Dollar Bar for a cold beer on the beach, anchoring at Virgin Gorda and maybe having a flying fish sandwich, and checking out Ivan's. We may even make a stop at the Spanish Virgin Islands before heading north to the Turks and Caicos.
Please click on the smiley face to go to our Flickr set of the BVI's 2010.
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