Captain's Log Jan. 2004

January 1, 2004, 8:30 PM: Arrived Jost Van Dyke, BVI.
Passage distance from Bermuda to BVI: 840 miles
Passage time: 6 days 4 hours 45 minutes.
Passage speed: 5.6 knots.

The passage to the BVI's was rigorous, ranging from light winds and calm seas to gusts up to 42 knots and seas 15-20 feet. Leaving Bermuda to our starboard we turned south, raised the genoa and ran down the rumb line broad reaching or running for the entire 840 mile passage. During Warren's watch he logged a top speed of 10.3 knots. I got 9.7 knots, so we had lots of fun surfing down the larger waves.

We had some rigging problems and excessive oil loss that Warren and Graham were very helpful in diagnosing. In the case of the rigging they were able to make repairs. We had all of the problems addressed by local mechanics in Tortola.

We had two magnificent cloudless nights where the stars were absolutely breathtaking. To suggest that it was like looking at a million Christmas tree lights sparkling overhead doesn't give justice to the experience -- but it is the closest I can come to describing the spectacular sight.

Warren and Graham departed on January 7.

January 8 and 9, 2004.
Hanna and Guy DiTommaso arrived. It was great to see them. Repair of the Four Winds generator was completed on the morning of the 9th and we departed in the afternoon of the 9th for Trellis Bay, Tortola to meet Paul Feola and his family for dinner at the Last Resort. Paul and Kim, friends from New Jersey had come down to the BVI's to charter a sailboat. We're meeting more people who are doing extended cruising. We've connected with several boats and crews who are moving south along the same route we are traveling. It should be fun traveling more or less with others.

January 10 and 11, 2004.
Sailed to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor with a stop at the Baths - an unusual formation of huge granite boulders. Where the sea washes in between the large rocks, large pools have been created where shafts of light play upon the water. We moored the dingy just off the white sandy beach and went snorkeling. It was like swimming in a giant aquarium loaded with colorful fish. Guy went swimming to shore.

The foliage covering the BVI's is green and lush and the islands are beautiful and the water crystal clear. We leave for St. Martin tomorrow, January 12.

Dear family and friends, I think of you often and hope you are all well and enjoying a wonderful winter.

January 12, 2004
Departed for Simpson Bay, St. Martin. We made a night passage in order to arrive in day light for the passage into Simpson Bay Lagoon. The lagoon was loaded with huge sail and motorboats. Some sailboats had five spreaders and were at least 125 feet long. The motor yachts were even larger. Most were of English registry.

St. Martin/St. Maarten has an interesting culture. The island is seven miles in either direction. The northern part is French, the southern part Dutch. There is a story, completely unsupported by historical fact, that the French and Dutch were so civilized that, rather than fight over the island, they had a Frenchman armed with a bottle of wine walk in one direction and a Dutchman equipped with a flask of gin walk in the opposite direction. The French ended up with a bit more land because the gin was stronger than the wine. We dined with the French.

January 13, 14, and 15, 2004
While at Simpson Bay Lagoon we repaired the autopilot and departed on the 15th for Antigua. We made an intermediate stop at a beautiful cove, Anse de Colombier. It is a secluded bay that lies at the base of a steep craggy bluff, and the only way to get there is by boat or a mile long walk over the hills. Coming into the cove was like becoming a part of a living post card. Just off the beach were six boats, anchored in crystal clear water, with green hills rising above a white sandy beach. It had all the serenity and beauty I had imagined an isolated island would look like. We took the dingy to shore and had a great time swimming and walking on the beach.

We departed from Anse de Colombier for Antigua for another night passage, timed to arrive in Falmouth Harbor, Antigua in day light. We made the 86 mile passage in 17 hours for an average speed of five knots.

January 16 and 17, 2004
Antigua is the most pleasant of the islands we have visited. The people are very friendly and the history very interesting. Falmouth Harbor, where we are anchored, and English Harbor that is adjacent to Falmouth Harbor is an ideal anchorage and well protected from hurricanes. English Harbor was completed as it stands today in 1745 and was Britain's main naval station in the Lesser Antilles. Apparently there wasn't much to do or the food on the island wasn't that great. Sir Richard Hughes, Commander of the harbor, blinded himself in one eye while chasing a cockroach with a fork. (He and the Dutchman from St. Martin must have been hanging out together.)

January 18, 2004
Hanna and Guy DiTommaso departed for New Jersey. It was a sad day for me because we had such a great time together. Later that afternoon I went to a local barbecue and music festival where I met six cruising couples. We traded stories and they gave me some great recommendations of places to visit.

January 20, 2004
On Friday, January 23, I plan to depart Falmouth Harbor for Guadeloupe - a passage of about 40 miles. By leaving in the early morning I should arrive at anchorage before nightfall. The weather forecast is for an easterly wind of about 18 knots, typical of trade winds at this time of year, so, I should be able to sail the entire passage. I still marvel at the beauty of the night sky. It gives me an opportunity to have long talks with God.

My love to all.

January 23 - January 31, 2004
Departed Falmouth Harbor, Antigua for Dashies (pronounced Day Hay), Guadeloupe. Fifteen minutes after clearing Falmouth Harbor I raised the main with one reef and unfurled the genoa. The winds were predicted to be out of the East at 18 knots, which would make a perfect beam reach to Deshaies. This was the first time I had single handed Dream Catcher and it really felt good. The windvane steering was keeping a perfect course and all was well. I wanted to give anyone a high five. Instead, I yelled "YESSSSS", and marvelled at how easy technology had made sailing under these conditions. Unfortunately, the excitement was short lived. Within two hours the wind dropped to 5 knots on the nose, the sails started to flog and I had to start motoring. It was important that I arrive in Deshaies before sundown as I didn't want to anchor in a strange harbor in the dark, so maintaining an average speed of 5 knots was important. Throughout the course of the day we , Dream Catcher and I, alternated between sailing and motoring and arrived at Deshaies at 1610 hours. Distance traveled: 41 miles. Time: 8 hours 5 minutes. Speed: 5 knots/hour.

Passage from Deshaies to Illes des Saintes on January 25, was completed different. Thirty minutes out of the harbor at Deshaies I raised the main (one reef) unfurled the genoa and headed for Les Saintes. I was told via the single side band radio by Herb Hilgenberg, a weather router in Canada, that I could expect winds of at least 5 knots greater than forecasted in making passages in the channels between the Leeward and Windward Islands. He was right. The winds were out of the Southeast at 15 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. As a result we were making 7 knots, speed over ground (SOG) and hit a high of 8.2 knots SOG. What a great day!

The passages to Portsmouth, Dominica and St Pierre, Martinique were equally exciting and I am getting very comfortable sailing solo, but it isn't as much fun as sharing it with someone else.

Guadeluope, Dominica and Martinique are French territories. Natural resources are limited and the major source of income is tourism. I was disappointed in the city of Deshaies, Guadeloupe. The buildings were run down and the economy didn't seem to support the people living there. Les Saintes on the other hand was charming, clean and the people very friendly. They had created a city that attracted tourists and the economy was strong compared to Deshaies. The homes in Les Saintes were built right down on the water's edge. Fishing skiffs were beached or moored in front of the houses which created a charming and quaint scene.

The French and English fought fierce battles over the Leeward and Windward Islands. I could not see what wealth they were able to extract from the islands to justify the severe brutality they had to exercise to maintain control over the natives. Slaves brought over from Africa to work the sugar cane fields eventually intermingled with the natives and Europeans after slavery was abolish to produce a culture of interesting and friendly people.

In the French islands people greet each other with, "Bon jour". It is considered impolite to start a conversation without first greeting the other with "Bon jour", -- good morning or good evening. It is a greeting that is given even in the casual passing of another person. It is a nice way to start a conversation in any language and in any country and I've continue to use the greeting. The reaction is interesting and always positive.

St. Pierre, Martinique has an interesting history. All of the islands are volcanic in origin. In the 1900's St. Pierre had a population of approximately 30,000 and was known as the Paris of the Caribbean. It was the commercial and social center of Martinique. On May 8, 1902 the side of the volcano facing St. Pierre erupted releasing a giant fireball of super heated gas which flowed down over the city killing all but two people -- a cobbler who was in his cellar and a prisoner in a stone cell. Twelve ships in the bay were destroyed at anchor.

Today, many of the ruins remain and new buildings have been built onto some of the old structures that remained after the eruption. The city has made the event and ruins a tourist attraction. The second day in St. Pierre, I took a one hour bus ride to Fort de France to check into Customs and got a better sense of the island and the people.

I'm now in St. Lucia, at Rodney Bay, waiting for Ray Clark to join me on February 2. We plan to sail to Grenada with lots of stops along the way. I'm looking forward to his company.

I need to take a few days to rest. Moving almost every day is hard work when sailing single handed. Sailing is the easy part. Anchoring and pulling up 150 feet of anchor chain by a hand cranked windlass each time I move can be testing. Launching the dingy and motor from boat and picking it back up, keeping the batteries charged, operating the water maker, and refrigerator, making notes, plotting courses, reading about the local area and getting to shore to visit places of interest can make for long days and short nights. I am not complaining. Just justifying a slower pace. So St. Lucia is a R and R spot for me. It was an English territory, that is now an independent nation, so English is the spoken language.

Food shopping has been a big challenge for me. In the French islands, it was difficult to determine from pictures on the label what I was buying. At one point I was looking at a very attractive food label until I realized it was a package of dog food. For the last few days it has been a restaurant, or Kraft's mac and cheese, ramin noodles, cookies, coke, and yes, the ever popular and easy to prepare peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So, St. Lucia is a provision stop as well, since the groceries will be in English.

I haven't mentioned the weather. It holds between 75 and 85 degrees, day and night with an occasional shower that lasts about 2 minutes. Dress of the day, sandals, shorts and short sleeve shirt. I hope you are having a great time wherever you are. I am. Dreams are golden, time is the thief. Have a great day.