Over a year ago, when friends, Lauren and Brian made it to Martinique, I found myself drooling over every Facebook and blog post they wrote. We were still in Puerto Rico, with limited options for good wines, bubbles, and fancy food stuff at the grocery stores. I poured over every word, eager for my chance to indulge. When that […]
Many Islands, Reunions, and Farewells
There are so many small islands that are collectively called “The Grenadines” that it can be overwhelming for planning a visit. Most are uninhabited, so proper provisioning is essential. They also span two countries, St. Vincent & The Grenadines (SVG) and Grenada, so officially clearing in and out of each country is required in almost […]
The Land of Reefs
Carriacou lives up to its original Kalinago name, Kayryouacou, meaning “the land of reefs”, with spectacular clear waters, and some of the most pristine underwater flora and fauna we have seen in the Caribbean so far. Combine the underwater beauty with friendly locals, gleaming white beaches, and protected anchorages, and you get a sailing cruisers’ […]
Island Love Affair
We were just playing around for a few weeks, but before we knew it, several months had passed. We never intended for anything long-term to develop. But we fell in love! We think about her all the time. We have such fond memories that we know we will see her again; must see her again! […]
That Time We Were a Kid Boat
As we are preparing to depart Grenada, it’s hard to believe how quickly the time has passed since we arrived, a little over three months ago. In that quarter, we found ourselves welcomed into a loving and fun community of sailors with children. The horror! We had always prided ourselves on our ability to steer […]
Sprinting to the Finish (with Hurdles)
We were running out of time to get to Grenada from Martinique before Kimberly’s eleven-year-old godchild, Tesoro, arrived by plane to visit during her break from school, but we could not bring ourselves to sail past St. Lucia without stopping in the land of the pitons. We arrived in Rodney Bay right before sunset, and […]
The Island of Gastronomic Decadence
After a smooth sixty-mile sail from Dominica, we arrived in a modern-day Pompeii of the Caribbean, Saint-Pierre, Martinique. The Saint-Pierre harbor is extremely deep, except right along the shoreline, so we had to get unusually close to the beach to anchor. The harbor is also littered with wrecked ships that burned and sank during the […]
Wai’tukubuli – Tall Is Her Body
How can you not love the original name of Dominica? The Amerindian settlers, who called themselves Kalinago, and were later labeled Caribs by European colonizers, gave the land a name fitting her grand form. She does make quite the first impression! The designation, Dominica, derived from Latin for “Sunday”, the day the Europeans first […]
Karukera — The Island of Beautiful Waters
The forty-two mile sail from Antigua to Guadeloupe was fast and bouncy. The trade winds were steady from the east, but with fluctuating intensity anywhere from the mid-teens to gusting well over thirty knots. The seas were around eight feet and hitting us just forward of broadside. As usual, ¡Pura Vida! loved the high winds […]
Antigua’s Bottom and The Shirley Heights Death March
We thought we were, pretty much, done with Antigua after exploring the north and west coasts of the island over a three week period. We thought wrong. We knew there was much more to enjoy, both in and out of the water, but our goal was to get to the south coast where we could […]