PUERTO RICO AND ON TO THE LAND OF TURQUOISE SKIES

Time to move on to pastures new and head out to Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Islands. Armed with a pilot book and courtesy flags bought in Red Hook Bay we set off. It took us most of the day to reach Culebra, one of the Spanish VI's, and although they will allow you to check in on the phone we did not have a cruising license so had to stay onboard for the night until we could obtain one from customs the next day.

Bye Bye US VI's

We duly found our way to the very small and slightly dilapidated airport and had to wait quite a long time to see the officer in charge. I started to fear the worst after all the stories one hears of corrupt officialdom but he couldn’t have been more charming and helpful. We now have a cruising permit for the US for the next year at a very reasonable US$27.

We spent a couple of days making our way North to San Juan on the Puerto Rican Mainland and some long overdue culture. We anchored in the harbour outside the marinas and headed out to the Old Town, which is a fantastic place. Beautiful Old Spanish buildings all painted a variety of colors with a mixture of wooden and metal balustrades and a vibe that only the Spanish manage to create, very chilled and relaxed with an underlying sense of chic. We had dinner out and sampled some of the local fare; Andrew is still going on about his pork dish!

The Old Town

The next day we spent the morning trying to sort the Internet situation out and ended up in the largest shopping mall I have ever been in, it seems the modern part of San Juan is very American! We now have a Pay as You Go American phone, which will give us Internet in the US but no international calls, so one step forward.  Then we spent the afternoon visiting one of the old forts San Cristobal and learning about the history of the Caribbean. I was not aware for instance that there was an American Spanish War in 1896 or quite realized how much of the America’s was Spanish until the rest of us Europeans decided to get in on the action.

It was good to get back to sea the next day and we sailed around to the West Coast and put our hook down in Mayaguez ready to check out the next morning. Andrew obtained directions from a very nice uniformed lady on the dock and we set off in the dingy, landing on a rather dirty looking beach. As we climbed out through some barbed wire we came face to face with a Police Car, Oh heck we thought there is trouble ahead and indeed they did want us to get into their car, but only to help us out and take us to the customs as we had misunderstood their directions and it was a good few miles away. They obviously thought we have a couple of Muppets here lets get them off the island a.s.a.p. Anyway we got our first ride in a Police Car and the US Customs man could not believe what had happened!

As we have sailed northwards through the Caribbean I have been amazed at how different each country is with such a mix of different cultures, despite the fact that they all look quite similar from the sea.  Puerto Rico was actually the first Island that seemed to be a working country, probably due to its American influence. We will definelty go back as we have still got the South coast to explore.

We decided to miss out the Dominican Republic; the stories of bribery and corruption outweighed the more positive tales.  This therefore meant we had a 350-mile sail to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the first time we have been at sea and out of sight of land since we came across the Atlantic and it was fabulous!

Sunrise at sea

We did have one tragedy, the reel on the fishing rod had distorted in the sun and despite Andrew’s best efforts we could not mend it so no fish supper for us. Having a rod and fishing line with no reel is rather like having a packet of fags and no lighter!

At Sunset on the second day the conditions were such that we saw the green flash as the sun disappeared, well Andrew did. He had had the presence of mind to wear his sunglasses until the last moment, muggins here stared at it for a good few minutes eyes wide open so as not to blink and actually only saw a lime green haze, I think.

The Turks and Caicos Islands is a whole new world, you certainly feel like you are off the beaten track as a sailor. I understand it is a very popular holiday destination with quite a few hotel complexes but we have kept away from those. There really are turquoise clouds here, imagine that! The waters around the Islands are so shallow and the waters such a vivid turquoise that they reflect onto the bottom of the clouds, so beautiful. And the sea is like a bath and the water so clear you can see the bottom as if you were in a swimming pool.

Turquoise Skies

We checked in to Grand Turk, not a lot going on there but we were very tired after our two nights at sea and just wanted to sleep. Up early the next morning we motored into flat seas with no wind at all. Having missed out on a mid Atlantic swim due to choppy seas we decided to swim in the middle of the sea with over 2,000m below us. The skipper instructed me to gently lower the ladder to avoid making a splash and not attract any sharks, once in the water he then dived in next to me, I got out very quickly because he made one hell of a splash! I didn’t actually like it having so much water beneath me, but box ticked.

The weather seemed so settled that we decided to spend the night on the large Caicos Bank, which surrounds the Islands. The Pilot book said it would be a surreal experience to be at anchor with no land within 50 miles, so we found a patch of sand half a mile in between the reefs and it was an extraordinary feeling, amazing but quite eerie too. After about half an hour the wind started to pick up and then the sea started to get a bit bumpy. After three hands of Gin Rummy we had over twenty knots and realized we needed to get out. There was still a little light left and we managed to retrace our exact path in, thanks to our plotter, but it was quite scary not being able to see the patches of reef around. It seems we were in the middle of a weather system that the locals call a Norther. We sailed onto West Caicos and dropped our anchor at 3am, very tired and a little shaken up.

The next morning things had settled down and we decided to follow a tanker in over the Bank to get to Provo, figuring he probably drew about the same as us. The depths going over the Bank are at times only 3 meters and we draw 2.4 so a sharp eye is needed at all times. After about an hour and a half we reached our destination but had to anchor 1.9 miles off shore, we are a bit too big for these waters! It doesn’t help that there are quite a few wrecks littering the shore, all commercial vessels but it makes you think.

Jo Jo

However we did have the most amazing welcome to Provo. The Pilot book mentions the local dolphin, known as Jo Jo, who is very friendly and he certainly is! He came to say hello swimming round and round the boat for over an hour, such a beautiful sight. We both got in the water with him and whilst he didn’t come up to us he continued swimming around us, which was just awesome!

Jo Jo and the Affro

Bravely we left the boat the next day and took the dinghy 1.9 miles to South Side Marina. It felt like we had stepped back in time but there was a washing machine and dryer so we got up to date on washing, internet so we could deal with our emails, petrol so we now have a full tank for the dinghy and a bloke disappeared in a car and came back with our gas bottle refilled.

We had planned to go back the next day, as the marina offered a free shuttle to the local supermarket, but we woke to a swell and an increasing breeze and with less than half a metre below us, and nowhere to run, we decided it was time to check out. Despite the fact we were almost out of fags, beer and wine! Once out in the sea the swell and conditions were such we decided to do an overnighter and head for the Bahamas. This proved to be a very uncomfortable voyage and we were both glad to make land at Crooked Island.

The next morning the Coast Guard boarded us for a routine inspection, which was rather exciting!! Three young men came onboard and I was “Kept Company” on the aft deck by one of them with a machine gun whilst Andrew answered their questions. They were actually totally charming, looking for refugees from Haiti and drug running.

The breeze was still up so we decided to stay another night and ventured ashore in search of supplies, where we were met with a surprise. From the sea we were totally unaware of the devastation that had been wrought by a Hurricane last October. We chatted to several of the locals who were unbelievably cheerful, despite the fact that their island was in such a mess. Apparently the whole place was completely underwater, lots of houses were devastated and all seemed to have lost their roofs. There were mutilated cars, boats and machinery scattered all over the place along with power lines and bits of broken furniture, trees and vegetation had been uprooted everywhere. All this after several months of clearing up.  Luckily no one on the Island lost their lives in the hurricane but a tanker offshore floundered on the reefs and all souls were lost.

We found a store and managed to buy Tea bags and milk, no alcohol on sale and worse still no cigarettes. However Cyril the owner radioed Ed and then Derrick drove us to meet him and we purchased two packets of fags, so relief all round! Once back on the boat it was obvious there had been a hurricane, amazing what the eye thinks it can see.

We woke early as we were in the middle of the biggest bonfire, the whole island was engulfed in smoke and we could hardly breath. Time to head off to Long Island and Clarence town in search of a Customs. We moored of the little island and took the dingy ashore to find more devastation from the Hurricane. No shops and no customs but a bar at the marina with beer and wine and best of all served in glass, what a treat! We came back in for dinner and had a great evening but it was a disaster for me.  Despite spraying myself with Mosquito spray I was eaten alive and I have over one hundred bites just on the back of my legs! Andrew thinks it is very funny and I now go by the name of Peppered Pig!

Assured by the pilot book that there was a customs office in George Town in Exuma, and keen to find one as despite our best efforts we were still not checked in after four days and are not keen to meet a machine gun in earnest, we left early and sailed North.  We are now at anchor just off the beach and it is just fabulous here, beautiful turquoise waters, at least a meter under our keel, we are finally checked in and the provisioning is great so all stores replenished! George Town itself is full of character and the locals are very friendly. Andrew has even had his hair cut, nearly losing part of his ear in the process.  

We can’t quite believe our luck as we have arrived at the start of their local family regatta. The local boats are a sight to behold with massive booms protruding over the stern and they use planks of wood to sit out on to balance the boat. We went out to watch the start of the A class and couldn’t believe the starting process, all the boats were anchored in a line and when the gun went off they frantically pulled them to get them moving to windward, whilst putting their sails up and off they went. There appear to be varying levels of competence, so some interesting rounding of marks and not a lot of comprehension of the rules of racing at the back of the fleet. We followed and got some great pictures. Definelty going ashore tonight as we are told it will be one big party!

The Start Line

Hullabaloo and her crew all in great shape despite the peppering! Looking very smart dressed overall in honor of the Regatta.  Our new kayak and the lack of our usual tipple onboard for a few days has resulted in us both shedding a couple of kilos each and that is despite our new love for rum and water. The ants are still with us, we are winning the battle but it is a slow process, especially now they seem to have got their sea legs! My phone has refused to work since we left the BVI’s, which is a little frustrating. Andrew’s is intermittent but the bars offer good Internet so we are managing to keep on top of things. Never thought I would get blasé about seeing turtles.

We will work our way up the islands in the next few days and then head over to Florida to await the arrival of the lovely Emma which is very exciting as we haven’t seen her since October, much motherly clucking to be done!

Local colours

Leaning out on planks of wood

THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

                       

It was fabulous to welcome the Ewart Smith family onboard a little hot and bothered from their trip down from New York via St. Thomas. We scooped them up in Sopers Hole in Tortola and left immediately for a more aesthetic anchorage.

It was a shame that on their first night we came upon the most unpleasant American man that I have ever met! He was not happy with where we had anchored, got very hot under the collar, reported us to the authorities who duly came out to see us, threatened to sue them in his capacity as a hot shot lawyer when they failed to agree with his complaint and called us all sorts of unpleasant names as we left the next morning! I just felt very sorry for whoever was onboard with him and hope we do not meet another character like him again! Jackass indeed!

Who needs a doughnut!

Polly hanging out!

We spent five fabulous days in the BVI’s visiting Peter Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke.  A trip to The Baths, an outcrop of large boulders and pools, proved quite physically challenging. Keen to get away from all the tourists Tom took us on an interesting detour, which certainly challenged my climbing skills!! I hadn’t really thought the trip through properly; keen to look half way decent next to the skinny ginger in her fab new bikini I wore my much-treasured new Melissa Obdash swimsuit. I then had to spend the entire climbing expedition with my bottom at least a centimeter of the rocks to prevent snagging! Mission accomplished and much stronger quads as a result but not very glamorous at all, think soft-shelled boiled crab!

Sashimi experts

Amongst all this there were many completions and games, as one might expect of the EW Smith family! Diving, Long Jump, I was definitely the duffer in that one, cards & games, a little more success in the Dallas family in the latter. Trips ashore for drinks, a particularly amusing one when all spruced up with freshly blown dried hair the return trip was so wet it was like being put through a washing machine, apparently we should have known better and not bothered with the hair, at least much amusement was derived amidst all the shrieking!

We had one very grey and wet day much cheered up by the catching of Gretal the tuna. Sashimi lessons were duly given below decks and I think Polly will definitely be able to get a job in a Sushi bar when she gets a bit older!

Jane

Tarzan

Our last two nights with them were spent in St. Johns in the US Virgin Islands which was a new spot for us and very untouched and beautiful. More silly antics including Tarzan and Jane competions swinging from the Spinnaker Pole. I was even worse at this that the Long jump but at least my arms and shoulders recovered quite quickly having given up after a few goes, unlike Andrew who clearly thought he was the same age as Tom & Polly and is still suffering!

Old enough to know better!

We dropped them of in St. Thomas sad to see out lovely friends go home, and rather incredulous that we got to stay on and keep sailing! Tom & Polly were just fabulous to have around and the boat seemed very quiet without them all.

My kind of breakfast!

We spent a few more days in the Virgin Islands, revitalling in Cruise Bay where I had the best breakfast I have ever had of spicy potatoes and refried beans with quacamole and fried eggs!! (Huebos Rancheros A couple of days back in Jost Van Dyke and an evening at Foxy’s as we fancied a bop, shame it was Karaoke night but still good fun and a great way to finish our stay in the Virgin Islands.





A Word from the Ginger



A month on and I am still the proud owner of a fast fading tan line thanks to a wonderful 7 days on board Hullaballoo. Julia and Andrew played hostess with the mostess  to the Ewart Smith family in the BVI's during late April. We weren't the only visitors on board that week - an invasion of ants were also making themselves at home and every time we thought we had terminated them they reappeared - it didn't help having little people on board leaving apple cores in their cabin at night! Whilst the ants increased, the towels decreased - I blame the men on board. In 7 days we lost 3 towels overboard - 1 a complete mystery, 2 due to complete incompetence! 

Over the week we pottered from Island to Island, luxuriating in sun and turquoise seas. Tom bought out the boy in Andrew and many happy hours were spent snorkelling, swimming and partaking in diving competitions. Catherine won the failed somersault of the year, Polly not far behind taking after her mother in having her legs too far apart! Andrew has perfected his dives to a tee but was pipped at the post this time by Michael and his ever increasing belly!  Julia made a fine adjudicator and even provided prizes at the end of a long and in some cases, painful afternoon of exertion! 

Polly spent many hours looking for sharks or just sitting on deck contemplating life under one of the few remaining towels. Sadly no sharks to be seen but lots of wonderful turtles and the odd stingray.  One of the highlights was catching Tuna, skinning and eating it there and then. A real treat topped by the ever efficient Mrs Dallas who had a sushi kit on board - no mini cheddars for us that night. 

And then there were two!

Once the kids had retired below after supper, the adults embarked on some serious card games and the odd bit of skinny dipping. Fierce rivalry (surely not I hear you cry) between Andrew and Michael ensued and sadly this time round it was not to be for the skipper. His rude guest swept the board most nights either at cards, snatch or bananagram. The more wine we fed him, the better he got - thank heavens there wasn't a croquet lawn on board! 

7 nights came and went too quickly. We were spoilt rotten by our lovely friends. Tom and Polly had a holiday of a lifetime and we all share very happy memories and I still have a sore back! 

I keep telling them to take it down at sunset!

LIVING THAT DREAM!

We arrived back in Antigua in fine form, having had a very successful trip home. We accomplished lots and, as well as family, we also saw some friends this time around.  Not to mention a glorious weekend with the lovely George in Leeds.

The boat looked fabulous when we saw her with her shiny topsides and newly painted bottom. They did a fabulous job at the Cat Club and we were thrilled. A quick provision, which included a tin of ant spray to attack the new and very unwelcome inhabitants of the boat, and we slipped our berth, keen to be out in the bay.

All Clean & Shiny

We spent our first night onboard in Falmouth Harbour and I duly set about trying to kill ants. The sight of this mad woman with a black & white spotted shirt tied around her very red and perspiring head with venom in her eyes should really have been enough to frighten them to death! The boat smelt like an Indian corner shop from the East End of London and I was hopeful that the job was done… It is not and the battle continues, they don’t seem to like being at sea and disappear until we anchor and the boat is still, perhaps they get seasick!

The next day we went around to Nonsuch Bay, which is truly special. We picked up a mooring off Green Island and snorkeled around the reef, to be honest the water was very murky and there wasn’t a lot to see but it was good exercise and we need to get more of that when onboard or we will end up looking like the Telly tubbies, or a least I will if I don’t already! I have noticed that several bottles of wine seem to have attached themselves around my middle and do not seem to want to be put in the recycling bin…

We left the next morning for Barbuda via the Spithead Channel, which was our first experience of a Pass through a reef. I stood on the bow giving Andrew directions with my heart in my mouth; it is not something you would want to do with any sea running or in the dark. We had a cracking sail across to Barbuda really happy to be out at sea again, the flying fish with whom I had got rather fed up with on our Atlantic crossing seemed like old friends. We put out the rod and Florence the Dorado was kind enough to hop onboard, even if she was half an hour late for lunch. I was quite proud of my gaffing this time the fish looked quite calm – definitely time for me to land the next one. Florence being a little too large for two ended up in the freezer, which is a whole new achievement freezing fish that you have caught.

We had to pick our way through the Coral heads to get to the Anchorage, a beautiful long sandy beach and not a lot else. We set about our new regime of swimming madly around the boat and were quite exhausted with our efforts. Fish supper and an early night. Probably done Barbuda but I am very happy to have seen it.

Barts Cup

The next morning we set sail for St. Barts, keen to see the Super Yachts who were there for the Barts Bucket. A very rolly night outside the Harbour in the Red light district was worth it for the spectacular sight the next morning of these enormous boats racing each other, a downwind start so lots of kites. As they all have such huge masts they have a red anchor light at night to warn any planes that might be coming in to land, unlike the rest of us with our plain white ones, hence my new nick name for the more affluent areas of the Caribbean.

Having found a French supermarket in Gustavia, amid all the Prada, and properly stocked up we spent the next night in a lovely bay south of the island before setting sail the next day for St. Martin. Our objective was to buy a paddleboard in this duty free island, all part of our keep fit plan. Another uncomfortable night and of we set firmly determined to purchase said item, we are now the proud owners of a blow up kayak…. Her name is yet to be decided by my mother who names all our vessels. Hullabaloo was her idea all those years ago, it means chaos and confusion, she thought it was fitting for our exploits around the cans and she was right!

That evening we decided to try out our new purchase, proudly we set of and happily acknowledged all the people smiling at us from their boats thinking how marvelous we must look. Eventually some kind sole pointed out to us that the boat was a little flat and we were sagging in the middle, happily we made it back before we got too wet!

Elvis 's Bar

Then onto Anguilla, somewhere we had never been before and which is definitely worth a visit. After the mountains of St. Martin it is very flat, Google tells me that is because St. Martin evolved from volcanic eruptions and Anguilla from reefs. The locals are very friendly, we had a fabulous meal in Barrel Stay   and Elvis’s bar is not to be missed!

Sadly we have had our first accident, a mooring buoy we were attached to broke lose in the night, we were woken by the sound of our boat crashing into rock, which was very scary and got us both out of bed very quickly! We were unbelievably lucky in that we have only damaged the gel coat on the port side in four relatively small places and we didn’t hit a reef, which could have totaled our baby. It is very sad after all the work we had done on her, she is now rather like the phantom of the Opera but at least it is only cosmetic. We were both very shaken and definitely stirred!

So now we are sitting in the British Virgin Islands awaiting the arrival of Michael, Catherine, Tom & Polly, happy to be at the end of our own ground tackle and looking forward to having them all onboard!