Sailing adventures aboard a PDQ Antares 44i

May 15-17, 2009

Marigot, St. Lucia to Prickly Bay, Grenada

Hypertensive from distressingly negative phone conversations with relatives and nurses, I was able to secure an afternoon on a May 17 flight to St. Lucia (did we not just leave there???) via Barbados, with a morning flight to Miami, arriving Denver around 8 PM on May 18. 

While awaiting boarding in Grenada, I chanced to connect with the attending physician who assured me NOT to rush home.  Mom was stable, although disoriented…whew!  All that running around in circles led me to spend willingly, however unnecessarily, $1500 in airfares and a hotel accommodation in St. Lucia.

Thankfully, an airport attendant was able to retrieve my luggage, and I cancelled my hotel and flights.  That is not to say, I did not frequently review my decision to stay until my scheduled May 23 departure.  For each alarming phone conversation with a concerned relative, only a calming reassurance from the physician alleviated any regret.  Life Lesson:  always talk to the most informed person before jumping into a panic…

May 4-12, 2009

We are now in Rodney Bay waiting for the jazz festival to start.  RECETA, MAGUS, ASSEANCE, MAKAI are already here.  As always, one of our first onshore activities included dinner at the Chart House…a must for anyone who loves good baby back ribs.

It has been raining for days...  (Heck, if I would have known we took a wrong turn and ended up in Seattle, I would have paid more attention to the GPS!)  We went to ASSEANCE Thursday night (with TUSEN TAKK II, RECETA and MAGUS) to listen to the concert on Pigeon Island from their boat.  The ground so wet at noon, the vendor's could not get onto the site and by concert time the promoters cancelled the performances.   No music, but the company, snacks and drinks aboard ASSEANCE were wonderful.

Friday morning was the first day we awoke to semi-overcast skies and NO RAIN!!!   On ASSEANCE last night, Chris said the rainy weather over St. Lucia was due to a "heat plume", the water around St. Lucia being the warmest in the Caribbean it actually created its own weather.  Now that it has been raining for a few days, the water should be cooling and the rain subsiding.  He also added all this rain is a good thing for the Caribbean; the more it rains, the cooler the water stays and the less likely hurricanes develop.  Sounded good to me  J

Saturday evening after dinner with Chuck and Barb at Key Largo, Chuck met Steve (RECETA) at the Jazz venue.  Apparently, Amy Winehouse was a bust.  Completely out of it, she walked off the stage in the middle of a number.  Her press agents later attributed her actions to “technical difficulties”.

Sunday night’s headliner was Chicago.  Steve and I tried to pick up tickets in the afternoon, thinking the prices may be lower...no such luck.   Barb and Chuck later said the concert was a lot of fun, Chicago and Patty La Belle both worth hearing.  Oh well, maybe next year. The fireworks, watched from our boat, were wonderful.

BLUE and LEAP OF FAITH arrived Sunday, nice to see them again.  We all plan to move to Marigot to see MER SOLIEL on Thursday.  Four PDQ’s in one place almost seems like an owner’s rendezvous. 

We last saw VISION, who also arrived Sunday, in Tobago.  More and more cruisers are catching up as we all head south for Hurricane Season.  It appears HS will be a lot of fun once we all make it to Grenada.

Our last night in Rodney Bay, we had dinner with LEAP OF FAITH, BLUE, TUSEN TAKK II, VISION and SEA WIND at an Italian restaurant called Antonio's.   The dinner was good; however, the reason to visit the restaurant is Antonio.  Antonio is a swarthy Sicilian with licentious fantasies regarding Lynn, made clearly apparent by his amorous longing gazes and ever constant touching of her shoulders whenever he stood behind her seat at the table.  As Antonio attempted to describe his recommendations for appetizers/dinner, he would interrupt himself to say, while fondling Lynn's shoulders, " And this one (referring to Lynn)...this one...is so...so...” suddenly returning to his dining recommendations only to loose his train of thought and repeat "This one...so..."   VERY entertaining. 

May 13-14, 2009

We moved to Marigot to await the arrival of Kenny and Kathy (MER SOLEIL).  It was important for us to see them as the four of us had planned to summer together for hurricane season at St. Lucia.  Our late change of mind to go south to Grenada meant we possibly would not see them for several months if we did not wait for their return on May 13 from the US.

Our last night in Marigot, we had dinner with Kenny and Kathy (MER SOLEIL), Lynn and Bob (LEAP OF FAITH) and Richard (BLUE).  It was, by far, the best meal we have ever had at this restaurant.  Although Kenny and Kathy are staying at the Marigot Marina for hurricane season, we have decided to rendezvous at Tobago Cays as often as weather permits.

Amusing note: Earlier in the afternoon, a cruiser dinghied to our boat.  Noting the unusual sight of three PDQ catamarans on mooring balls, one right after another, he asked Steve if it was a PDQ convention.  Steve said there were actually four PDQ's, another at dock in the marina, but it was not a "convention"   

April 29, 2009

We departed Portsmouth at 5:40AM and struggled at 4.5 knots through the low winds in the lee of the island.  Once in the channel, the winds picked up to 20 knots, and so did the seas.  Although our average SOG was 7.5 knots, crashing bow first into the 8-foot waves dropped us to 5.2 in a heartbeat.  It was much like hitting a brick wall, up and down, fast forward to stop, all the way to the head of Martinique.

TUSEN TAKK II, with the reliability of substantially sized engines beat us to the anchorage.  After 11 hours, we finally set the anchor in Anse d'Arlet, Martinique, south of Baie de Fort Du France at 4:45PM.  We hoisted the quarantine flag, as there is no check-in in Grande Anse.  An early night for us - I was in bed by 8:30. 

Note: One small casualty, the VHF antenna came loose and danced a jig at the top of the mast.  We were lucky to pick up TTII with the handheld once we were in the lee of Martinique.

April 30, 2009

I woke up this morning with sore muscles...no joke...undoubtedly from keeping balance while I moved around the boat yesterday.  Must have been a bit like isometric exercise  J

We moved to St. Anne this morning.  Not nearly as blustery, but still rough as we found ourselves motoring head first into 13-15 knots of wind...just another short passage which took 3+ hours at 4.5 knots/hour SOG...sigh...

The guidebook informed us Customs Office hours were 7:00 AM -12:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM…an older cruising guide which was incorrect.  Hours are 7 AM to noon daily; and, much to our surprise, Grande Anse d’Arlet does have a newly opened Customs office.

May 1-3, 2009

It has been raining here for 3 days.  The boat has never been so salt-free.  Even the dinghy cover has been "washed/rinsed" enough to look cleaner  J  Needless-to-say the Iridium phone reception, internet and DirecTV reception sucks.  We entertained ourselves with dinner aboard TUSEN TAKK II and our on-going Progressive Rummy tournament.  Another night, dinner aboard SEAMAN’S ELIXIR and Wii bowling. 

Unable to do much ashore with the torrential rain, both TTII and SE will leave tomorrow for St. Lucia.  We need to continue our trip south, and we can tolerate rain there as well as anywhere  J

April 23-28, 2009

We are safe at anchor in Rupert Bay, Dominica.  It was a FAST trip, boy!  The winds were blowing like stink (old sailing term...whatever it means).  We were already doing 8.5-9 knots when a 30-knot gust hit us right at the head of the island.  It actually brought the port hull out of the water!  Dad turned to wind to get the boat to slow down and settle back into the water.  WHEW!

Our friend, Martin, (a local tour guide on PROVIDENCE) stopped by to say hello, and brought us a present of freshly picked grapefruit, so sweet you can peel and eat it like an orange.  We asked him aboard to share a French lunch of Brie, bread and Grapes, to catch up on what he has done since Steve taught him to weld when we were here in May ‘08.   Remembered I had been "sick" last time Steve and I came through, he told me about the local bush medicine and suggested I take a thorough herbal cleansing capped off by the locally brewed Castor Oil.  Although sweetly concerned, I think I will pass  J

Friday afternoon, Martin brought Florien (his wife) Nikki (his daughter) and business associate Dillon by for a visit.  Nice to know he feels comfortable enough to drop by for an afternoon chat, soda and snack.

Friday night’s dinner with TUSENTAKKII and ISLAND ROAMER at Heaven’s Best, was a charming surprise wonderful food served in a relaxed casual atmosphere.  (We highly recommend it to all cruisers; just remember to bring your own alcohol drinks, as the bar is not licensed for liquor.  One nice amenity however, the restaurant will arrange for Surge, a local taxi driver, to pick you up at and return you to the dinghy dock). 

Karima, our server was a joy, with a quick humor and ready to tease.  Fair-skinned Steve, perpetually red faced from lack of sunscreen, became her favorite, and was aptly named “The Pink Man”.   She even invited us all back to Dominica for her 26^th BD on November 27 because, as she said, “We know how to have a good time!”

Saturday afternoon, Martin took us to the Wall to snorkel, a spectacular experience highlighted by a dramatic drop-off from the wall down into the sapphire ocean depths.  The myriad of baby marine life (fish, eel and octopus) living amongst the coral encrusted crevices kept our attention.  Anyone who enjoys snorkeling should make an effort to take this tour.

Barb, Party Hostess Extraordinaire, brought the day to a close with cocktails and nibbles aboard TTII.  Steve and I joined B/C, S/K, John and Angela, Jim and Galena, Betty and Larry for several hours discussing future plans and swapping sailing stories.  It was a nice conclusion to a nice day.

On Sunday, we attended a weekly BBQ hosted by the Boat Boy Association.  It was a pleasant time to chat with fellow cruisers, although the highlight of the evening for me was dancing with a charming 6-year-old Dominican boy.  What a cutie.

Monday night we hosted a goodbye dinner for Keith, Susan, Chuck and Barb.  Keith and Susan have been a lot of fun to lime with these last few days.  We look forward to visiting them and seeing their newly completed house in Antigua on our way north next season.

April 18-22, 2009

What a long slow ride it was, out of Jolly Harbor by 2:45AM we did not arrive Terre D’en Haut until 4:50 PM.  Following another 45 minutes and three tries to secure the anchor, we were extremely tired by the time I had dinner on the table at 6:30. 

Chris Parker predicts squalls of 30-35 knots by Monday evening, with 6’ seas and an additional 1-3’ wind chop, with brisk winds and north swell for 10 days following.   Seems as though we will have to leave early Monday morning or hunker down in a northern exposed anchorage, which has been in our experience, uncomfortable in the past.

We spent the days hiking, the nights sharing cocktails and appetizers. 

One day, Steve, Chuck and Barb hiked to Le Chameau Lookout Tower.  Steve claimed it one of the coolest buildings he had seen - walls 5 feet thick made of hand hewn large blocks of stone.  The structure was three stories high, the floors still intact with ladders leading from one floor to the next.   Even the wood framing in the doorways was still in place...and the walls, not a stone was missing.  Completely exposed to the elements, the tower has withstood hurricanes for over 300 years...I have to admit, the French were darn good builders  :)

Another day, the four of us hiked to a beach and treated ourselves to lunch at Le Tourmada, a delightful restaurant, one of our favorites, very French…no English speakers there.

Cocktails and nibbles one night on TTII, followed the next night with cocktails and nibbles aboard ISLAND ROAMER, a 70+ foot motor yacht which is beautifully detailed and decorated.  We all enjoyed ourselves enough to agree to meet in Portsmouth, Dominica for dinner Friday night.