Saturday, March 17, 2007
Underway – North Atlantic Ocean, Bahamas

ROYAL TREATMENT AT EMERALD BAY

We left Georgetown on Wednesday the 14th bound for the brand new Emerald Bay Marina just north of Georgtown on Grand Exuma Island. The seas were pretty rough but I comforted myself with the fact that it was a short trip. I stayed at the helm the entire time and kept track of the huge waves slamming against our hulls. It helps to be prepared and hang on before the big swells hit. I did not get sick and I mark this as a huge accomplishment. As usual, Steve and the kids did fine.

We arrived just after noon. After I regained my equilibrium I quickly gathered our laundry together. I was shocked to realize that it had been a whole month since we last washed our clothes. We were able to hand wash some towels while in Georgetown using rainwater and a large bucket, but our clothes and sheets were growing rather seedy. The marina boasted free laundry with brand new high tech Kenmore machines. I was in laundry heaven.

The marina is part of the Emerald Bay Resort, with a Four Seasons hotel and villas, gold course and pools. Much of it is still under construction and existing structures are brand new and pristine. We think this is why the slips at the marina are so reasonably priced and accessible to average yachts like ours. We did rub shoulders with the crew of huge expensive yachts, exchanging stories in the laundry room. But once the resort is running at full capacity, we suspect it will not be as affordable to the average cruising budget.

After laundry came showers, wondrously glorious hot showers with complimentary coco mango shampoo and mouthwash and sunscreen at every sink. And while we had actually bathed in the past month, it had been a whole month since we had had a real hot shower without the need to conserve water. I suspect that a lot of sand, salt and grime got washed down the drains that day.

Wednesday evening, we took the resort shuttle to the nearby shopping center. We enjoyed pizza and ice cream for dinner. It was a real treat and we felt spoiled as we slid our scrubbed bodies under clean sheets that night. Ahhh, peaceful slumber.

The next day Steve used the Internet access to pay some bills and update our web log. I wanted to take the kids over to one of the resort pools, but Rachel was bothered by a cold and stuffy ear problem, so the kids just stayed on the boat and worked on schoolwork. Steve took the shuttle over to the shopping center to buy some food for our next passage.

BOUND FOR CAICOS ISLANDS

Yesterday, the 16th, we left Emerald Bay along with a flock of other sail boats either headed north on their way back to the United States or Canada or south to the Caribbean. We joined the group going south with a two and a half day/two night passage planned. Winds were predicted to be favorable for our trip to Provindenciales or Provo in the Caicos Islands.

After good sailing to Conception Island the seas were a bit choppy and the winds did not shift as predicted, so we ended up sailing into the wind with the waves hitting our bow. These conditions continued through the evening and all night, making it uncomfortable to perform even small tasks and leaving us all a bit tired and cranky this morning. Still, no seasickness, thank the Lord.

Today, we have been motoring all day since the winds are still on the nose and very tame. The seas are smoother with occasional swells. We are still doing the “underway dance” when we move about the boat, but it is easier to occupy ourselves. Daniel and Rachel played a few rounds of chess, Emily is weaving a bracelet and Steve checked the oil in the engines and changed the alternator belt in the port engine. I continue to read Caribbean Passagemaking – A Cruiser’s Guide.

We will be approaching Mayaguana Island tonight, sailing south of the island, but plan to continue on to reach Sapodilla Bay in Provo sometime on Sunday. We will probably stay in Sapodilla Bay for a week, waiting for another weather window before we continue on to the Dominican Republic.

The other day, as Daniel and I climbed into the starboard bow storage area to hunt for provisions, he picked up a package of blueberry muffin mix and said, “I have to admit, I do like imitation blueberries.” I think everything tastes better when you’ve been at sea for a while. Maybe we will even acquire a taste for ship’s biscuit with fresh weevils.



Thursday, March 22, 2007
Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales, Caicos Islands

A BOAT LOAD OF KIDS

It is now a peaceful night in our anchorage after an afternoon of rain and thunderstorms. We have been anchored here since Sunday. We spent a day and a half simply resting after our last passage. We were worn out. On Monday afternoon Steve went to check in at the customs office. We fly a yellow quarantine flag on our vessel until we are checked in, then we put up the flag for the new place. Down comes the Bahamas flag and up flies the Turks and Caicos flag with the Union Jack in the corner. After check in, we were free to land our dinghy on the beach.

The kids were so sad to leave all their new friends back in Georgetown after the regatta, but they were delighted when we pulled into Sapodilla Bay to see four other catamaran family boats lined up at anchor, most of whom they had already met. We will be in good company sailing south down the island chain with many of these boats. There are about 15 other boats in the bay. We arrived with six of them on Sunday and all the other catamarans arrived the day before us.

Time to frolic with friends in the afternoons after school has made this anchorage fun. Liahona, one of the boats in the anchorage, has been here for almost a year. They are a Mormon missionary family with five children. They have a slick sailing dinghy named “True Love” with colorful striped sails, a furling jib and room for a flock of kids. Yesterday they had at least 14 kids hanging on as it tacked around the bay, half of them falling or jumping into the water at any given time. Lots of hooting, hollering and laughter were heard around the bay. Today one of the dads was pulling a donut tube with his dinghy around the bay with kids taking turns riding on top.

CONCH FARM

We rented a car yesterday and today to get a tour of the island and buy provisions. Everything is very expensive and instead of following the crowd to the resort areas, we searched for the downtown zone where the locals congregate, hoping to get a more reasonably priced meal. We ate at The Hole in the Wall. The only kind of menu we had was a chalkboard where the meal choices were posted with no prices. The waitress was not helpful, even seemed a bit resentful when we asked questions, especially about the price. The jerk chicken was pretty good, but at $10 + a plate, we wondered if we were given “tourist” prices or if this was normal.

This morning, while the kids worked on their school lessons, Steve worked like a dog using the rental car to haul 40 gallons of water (purchased from the reverse osmosis water plant) and 20 gallons of diesel fuel onto the boat. On the recommendation of our Mormon missionary friends, we ate at another local favorite called Chicken-Chicken. We found the prices to be a little better and the bar-b-q ribs were very good. Whatever you order here, it always comes with lots of ‘peas ‘n rice’. The peas are actually kidney or pinto beans.

After lunch we visited a conch farm, reportedly the only one in the world. A scientist sailed to the island and wrecked his boat on the coral reefs back in the 80’s. He had come to study the queen conch and decided to stay and build a farm implementing new technology. We were taken on a tour of the facility and learned about the various stages of growth; from the time they harvest the egg masses, hatchery and metamorphosis, to post larvae and maturation stages. We learned that conchs grow their shells in a clockwise direction, which takes about 3-4 years until they become full-lipped adults. The shells have a rosy pink color on the inside, used for making jewelry and decorative items. At the end of the tour we were taken to a tank where the tour guide pulled out “Sally” and “Jerry”, two specially trained conchs who were not shy to come out of their shells to greet us. We were shown the difference between a male and female conch. Okay, so now we know.


Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales, Caicos Islands

NEW FRIENDS

We have been anchored here for a week now and we feel ready to move on, but the weather is not cooperating. We have had a lot of rain all week. It is difficult to get to places on the island unless you spend lots of $$money$$.

Two of the family catamarans moved on to the Dominican Republic yesterday. We would have left with them, but decided to stay and travel with our new friends Peter, Debbie and their two boys Joshua (9) and Mattais (7) from Manitoba on the sailing catamaran Sea U Manana. They had started out traveling with our group of boats over a week ago, but had some engine problems and were hung up in Mayaguana for a few days. They sailed into Sapodilla Bay Friday morning after a frightening night passage in high seas and five hours of continuous squalls. Steve had been keeping in touch with them on the SSB radio lending support since the engine trouble they were having was similar to a problem we had last summer. They were so relieved to arrive in Provo safely and since they weren’t ready to move on yet we decided to stay so we could travel together.

Though it has been raining all weekend, we have been uplifted by our new friendship with the crew from Sea U Manana. They recently sold their hotel/restaurant business in Canada to go cruising. It was a privilege to be invited to their boat for dinner Saturday night for lamb curry. Peter is an excellent chef and Debbie also has some great cooking skills. The kids all got along great and Daniel now has two new buddies to play with. We also have found good Christian fellowship with their family. This has been an answer to prayer for us.

CHURCH IN PROVO

Today, with our friends from Sea U Manana, we went to Abundant Life Ministries International, a very lively church on the island. We were able to hitch a ride to the church and back again. Though it was pouring rain outside the sanctuary, the environment inside was vibrant and colorful as the islanders danced and sang to the music. After singing and announcements came the welcome time when everyone walked around hugging each other. We were treated to full body hugs from at least 50% of the large congregation. After all that it was time for the preacher to get down to business. With the volume on the microphones turned up to high octane, he proceeded to preach, actually yell would be a better description. I listened carefully as he yelled into the mike and decided that if I could just get past the volume, he actually had a good message about being salt and light to the world. It was also an educational sermon for a visitor to the island since he was lecturing the people on their poor work habits, immodest dress and propensity towards drinking and partying. He told them that if they were going to call themselves Christians, then they should act like Christians, otherwise they would lose their saltiness and their lights would dim. The volume level of the preaching was hard to take for our sensitive ears, but the message was true. The service started at 10:45 am and ended at 3:00 pm. Whew, it was an endurance test for all of us. We stumbled back to our boats in the rain, our ears ringing, our nerves tattered and our stomachs rumbling. We needed a bowl of soup and a siesta.


Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sapodilla Bay, Providenciales, Caicos Islands

PREPARING FOR PASSAGE

The rain has continued, making it difficult for the kids to get to the beach to play after school. But we have enjoyed some awesome rainbows this week and Steve has been able to catch a good supply of rainwater.

On Monday, we spent a pleasant rainy afternoon on Sea U Manana. Steve helped Peter fix the engine while Daniel, Joshua and Mattais built wooden model sailboats. Rachel taught Debbie how to macramé and bead a necklace and Debbie taught me how to make embroidered pillows. Emily floated back and forth between building boats and beading necklaces.

Yesterday and today were spent preparing to leave Provo. We shared a rental car with Peter and Debbie, gathering last minute provisions around the island. Steve went to the immigrations office to check out and received the unhappy news that we still had to pay $50 per person, because we stayed longer than the 10 days we initially signed up for. Ugh. Several of the other cruisers also checking out tried to talk their way around the fees, explaining that the weather often dictates how long we stay, but to no avail. The weather can be a hard master.

Tonight we set the kids up with a movie, popcorn and cookies while the four adults went over navigation charts for our passage to the Dominican Republic.


Saturday, March 31, 2007
Luperon, Dominican Republic

PASSAGE TO LUPERON

We left Provo at sunrise on the 29th of March, following Sea U Manana out of the bay. We sailed in choppy water over the Caicos Bank all day, scanning the water for coral heads. It was tense work and we were grateful when we arrived in the anchorage of Great Sand Cay (part of the Turks Islands) to temporarily set our anchors and rest for a few hours before making our night passage. After our stomachs settled a bit, we ate some beef stew for dinner. Debbie called us on the radio with an announcement that she was pulling some hot cranberry scones out of the oven and Peter would be delivering a bag to us in his kayak. Oh, they were perfect after a hard day of sailing! Bless you Debbie. Peter also helped Steve work on the winch for the mainsail since it wasn’t functioning properly.

Our overnight passage was a little rough. I would have done fine, but I ran out of my seasickness medicine and I just couldn’t hold it together. I believe a combination of being at anchor for two weeks (losing my sea legs) and the exhaustion of choppy sailing during the day pushed me over the edge. Rachel got sick too.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

We were relieved to enter the Luperon Bay early Friday morning with helpful people guiding us over the VHF radio. Verdant hills and coconut trees graced the shoreline as we approached the anchorage. After setting our anchor in thick mud, we took a short nap. Soon, customs officials boarded our boat and we forked over more money for every department I’d ever heard of. We landed at the government dock with our dinghy along with the crew from Sea U Manana and paid more money at the immigrations office nearby. By the time we were all checked in, it was time for lunch. We walked into town, passing by friendly children calling, “Hola, hola, hola!” Our senses were filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the narrow busy street. Disco music blared from a stereo somewhere. Animals roamed the streets and fields. Chickens, goats, donkeys, dogs and cats mingled with people carrying out their daily lives and conducting business. Dogs and cats are skinny, fertile and free to roam. All chickens are free range. We passed by little shops and restaurants, humble homes with the front doors wide open, old women giving us a nod and a smile, mothers nursing their babies. We stepped gingerly over open sewage in the streets and gutters and around sleeping dogs on the sidewalk. It all reminded me of the Philippines where I grew up.

We found Steve’s Place, a restaurant run by an American, a former cruiser who married Annie, a local lady and settled here. In addition to running a restaurant, they cater to many of the other needs of cruisers including laundry services, transportation, Internet service, a book swap and selling drinks and produce. We ordered lunch and relaxed in comfy rockers, our weary bodies soothed by the gentle wind blowing through the open-air structure and thatched roof. The kids entertained themselves with foosball.

WOW, WATERFALLS!

Today, after a restful night, we called on Handy Andy to arrange a waterfall tour to the Rio Damajanua Cascades. Handy Andy and his partner Papo are enterprising, trustworthy local guys who cater to cruisers here in Luperon. They will deliver water and fuel to your boat and arrange tours and transportation around the country. After breakfast, our family along with Peter, Debbie and boys and Jim and Ruth a couple in their sixties, traveling in a sailboat called Spirit piled into a van. Papo’s sixteen-year-old son, Wilder was elected to be our guide for the trip. I sat by Wilder, a kind, soft-spoken young man, who spoke good English and told me many things about his country and his family. We traveled over lovely green hills, through sugar cane and banana plantations, stands of coconut trees, homes made of cement or wood and tin. As our van rounded a corner, a man waving a red flag approached us. He was obviously trying to get the driver’s attention. The explanation soon became clear as a herd of cows appeared in the road, led by another man with a stick, prodding them and trying to keep them from blocking the road.

We arrived at the base camp of the waterfalls where we were outfitted with life jackets and helmets. We met Gary and Alberto, two strong hunky men who would save our lives many times over that day. None of us really had a clue what lie ahead. Before we left, Ruth questioned her ability, explaining that she had had a total knee replacement several years ago.

We were led up a mountain on a muddy but easy trail. We soon discovered that Gary was an impressionist and comedian. He tricked the kids by making jungle animal noises like monkey and birdcalls. He kept us all in stitches as he sang, “Ooowaaa winga winga winga winga, the lion sleeps tonight”, in a beautiful falsetto voice and a moment later, a deep rumbling Arnold impression, “Hasta la vista, baby!” and then a Road Runner impression. Someone asked where he learned English. His answer: tourists, movies and cartoons. Bingo.

We stopped for a rest by the side of the trail and Gary climbed into the bushes, producing an oval shaped light green fruit. “What is it?” we asked. “Cacoa,” he answered, as he cut it open on a nearby rock. “Oh, chocolate!” we exclaimed with excitement as he passed around pieces of fruit with white flesh around a seed. He explained that the seeds go through a drying process before they are ground into cocoa powder. The fruit was nice sweet tasting and slimy, but had no hint of the cocoa seed beneath.

As we continued hiking, the trail grew steeper and narrower through thick jungle, the recent rain making it slippery. As we started to descend the mountain toward the falls, the trail turned into one big tenuous mudslide around us. This was the real beginning of our adventures. This is when we discovered the real value of Gary and Alberto, strong and stable like rocks, this was a walk in the park for them. Grasping branches, rocks or the muscular arms of our guides, we slipped our way down to the edge of the water to clean the mud off our knees.

I will try my best to paint a true picture of the next step of our adventure. We didn’t have a waterproof camera and we needed our arms constantly to hold on to the rocks, so we have no hard proof of the physical undertaking we went through. Mom, if you are reading this, you might want to close your eyes at this point until it’s over.

The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing steep rocks, hanging from ropes, balancing on narrow ledges, jumping from cliffs into deep pools of opaque green blue water and drifting down rivers, letting the current carry our shivering bodies. There were a few places where we had to straddle the rocks between crevices to jump into the water. Gary would grab the kids by the life jacket, swing them two or three times and throw them over 20 feet down to the pool below where Alberto was waiting to grab them from the current. Steve lost his crocs (rubber waterproof shoes) at one point and thought he would never see them again. But they showed up after we descended to the bottom of the falls. I was very concerned about Ruth, the lady from Maine who had a questionable knee. I saw the look of fear on her face and wondered if she would make it. She realized that there was no way to turn back, so she really had no choice but to swallow her fear and do her best. Gary and Alberto carried her a good part of the way. She originally thought she was going on a sight seeing tour of waterfalls. She had no idea she would be experiencing the falls first hand, head to toe immersion. Truthfully, we all were outside our comfort zone. It was challenging, thrilling and FUN! The falls were also truly beautiful. The rocks were a geologist’s dream to study and explore. Daniel, always the rock hound, wanted to take some home with him, but had no place to keep them.

When we got to the bottom and started our hike back to base camp, I realized that I had completely lost track of time. Every ounce of my energy and concentration had been devoted to survival. Our stomachs rumbled as our van driver took us to a restaurant for a mid afternoon buffet spread of chicken, pork, beef, rice and beans, fruit and fried plantains. Peter led us all in prayer before our meal and thanked God for His protection. Everyone said a hearty “Amen” as we tucked into our feast.