May 01
From Guadeloupe we hopped north to Antigua to be there for the Antigua Classic Regatta and enjoy a tot or two with with the Royal Tot Club Members. Mike sponsored a couple of English, Ocean Cruising Club friends as members. As sponsor, we were there with them for seven tots over a two week period …
Mar 14
We came to Dominica in February, 2018, five months after the tiny island was ravaged by hurricane Maria. Dominica is a poor country and evidence of the destruction was everywhere. Many houses still had tarps on the roof to keep the rain out and much of the electricity service hadn’t been restored. …
Mar 01
It’s a short day sail from Dominica up to Guadeloupe but it’s light years away culturally. Much of Dominica is unspoiled paradise with the many of the inhabitants living off the land. Tourism is in it’s infancy and the Kalinango Indians, whom the Spanish called Caribs and after which the Caribbean is named have a …
Feb 20
We left Les Saintes, a small island group just south of Guadeloupe and headed for Martinique. We passed Dominica knowing we would spend much time there in the near future and were in a hurry to meet up with our friends John and Ellie of SV Serenity who were waiting on the southern end of …
Jan 20
We upped anchor and headed out of Falmouth Harbor, Antigua early in the morning headed for Deshais, Guadalupe. It was a glorious day with moderate trade winds from the north east and a gentle swell. Mermaid was in fine form plowing through the azure Caribbean at eight and a half knots with the apparent wind …
Dec 31
Robin flew to Juneau to spend the holidays with the grandkids. Stacy and Frank were busy with work and theater so Nonna got to spend lots of quality time with the kiddos. Lots of cookies were baked as well as some delicious meals. Autumn and Kaash enjoyed painting wrapping paper, science experiments, ice skating and …
Dec 20
We flew back to Antigua and stayed in the same “villa” near the Jolly Harbor Yard where Mermaid was hauled out. The unit we rented may be called a villa by the locals but it’s not what comes to mind when we use the term. It did have Air conditioning, good internet and was clean …
Dec 02
Antigua gets quite hot during the summer months and is in the “hurricane belt” so we decided that somewhere else was the place to be. We put Mermaid on the hard in Jolly Harbor and flew to Grenada for a few weeks R&R before flying to Alaska. We spent a month in Juneau sightseeing and …
Jun 07
Antigua is steeped in sailing history. Back in the 1700s the British and French fought it out firing big cannons at each other from close range in the waters nearby. The Brits had the winning hand and the old English traditions left an indelible mark on Antigua from Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbor to the …
May 31
St. Barts is different from many other islands in the Caribbean in that it’s language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French. Because there were no plantations on St. Barts few slaves were brought in and so today the reggae and rasta culture seen on other Eastern Caribbean islands is largely absent. St. Barts seems to …
