St John, USVI. (18.36,-64.75) May 1 - May 9

Matt, Anna and Nina came to Maho Bay, St. John, and we spent almost a week with them. What a special time we had. To see the photo album. CLICK HERE

St. Martin, Anguilla, Saba, St. Kitts. (Saint Christopher)

In a nutshell, St Martin is the home of mega yachts, Anguilla is like Cape Cod, Saba is a big mountain belonging to Holland, and St Kitts - Nevis is an independent country struggling to find its identity....,
All different, all with pros and cons for the potential visitor.

We didn't take any photos in St. Martin. We've already posted a lot of photos of white beaches, so will skip Anguilla. To visit Saba, we took a ferry from St Martin and climbed to the "highest point in the kingdom of the Netherlands." The extinct volcano rises abruptlyl 2855' from the sea, and the trail has 1064 steps, with a thick rope to grab toward the summit.

Carnivale in the Caribbean

Domincia.  On Dominica, Martinique, and Saint Martin, we enjoyed parades full of enthusiasm and warming up to Carnival. These photos are all from Dominica.

Dominica

One of the least developed of all the Caribbean Islands. In one photo, we are rowing up the river with a local guide. 

This is the only island where there are still descendents of the Carib or Kalinago people who originally inhabited the Caribbean Islands, when Columbus “discovered” them.  We took a tour and bought some baskets that the Kalinago people make, using the same techniques that their ancestors used in 1492. 

We also enjoyed flavored rum – we chose the “Obama Special.” 

Like all these islands, there is a fort – a remnant of the dispute between the French and English that persisted for many years. We visited with our new friends Lance and Susie of “Queen Emma,” from Berkeley.

Martinique

Le Marin, Martinique, after a sail from Bequia past St Vincent and St Lucia. Local boats, les yoles rondes (pronounced similar to “yawl” in English.) had a regatta near the anchorage. These boats have no keel, and a crew of 10 or more men. Three of them use a steering oar about 15 feet long

The rest of the crew coordinate their moves using long wooden poles and remarkable balancing feats to keep the boat sailing through gusts, wind shifts and course changes.

BACK ONBOARD!

Grenada, Caribbean. We are back onboard Wilhelm.  We launched the boat after a week of very hard work cleaning, maintaining, replacing, and repairing various bits. Rob has done a great job maintaining the engine and batteries...and we are almost ready to set sail. Here are some photos of the launch, thanks to Emma on Daydreamer.

Wilhelm being moved from the stacker to the travel lift, then lowered in the water where we climb aboard and prepare to leave the dock and start another year of cruising!