Jamie's Top 5

Hey guys, here’s a list of my favourite spots we’ve been to so far. I figured I should put it in point form since I’m obviously not the storyteller my sister is. I hope it does justice to each place. Enjoy!

5. Iles Des Saintes

• Compact buildings & roads; very European
• Most houses are just 2 steps from the road
• Not many cars, mostly scooters
• Amazing airport where planes take off directly over the open ocean
• Gusty kiting
• Great snorkeling (a lot of fish in a small area); found 20 Euros on the bottom!
• Saw an iguana while walking out of town
• Many goats at the fort on Ile Cabrit

 

 

View from Ile Cabrit

This guy was happy to see us

 

4. Frigate Bay, St. Kitts

• Anchored in South Frigate Bay
• Dad and I walked about 10 minutes from South Frigate to North Frigate Bay to kite
• Kited in large rolling waves, fun session
• Ate lunch at Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack
• Saw lots of sand dollars and starfish while snorkeling

North Frigate Bay

North Frigate Bay from above

 

South Frigate Bay

 

 

3. Norman Island, BVI

• Took my scuba course here  
• During first scuba experience saw a small sting ray the locals call “No Tail”
• Many different snorkel and dive locations
• Dove at The Indians, Spyglass Wall, and Angelfish Reef
• Saw a shark while diving Angelfish Reef!
• Saw a sea turtle while snorkeling The Caves

Stad Amsterdam's a little bigger than us

Fishermen at Norman

          

2. Portsmouth, Dominica

• Took an island tour around the Northern half of Dominica
• Tasted cassava bread in the Carib reserve
• Tried local fare
• Swam in the Emerald Pool (waterfall)
• Dense green forests everywhere
• Took a tour of the Indian River, saw a boa constrictor and many iguanas
• Tried fresh grapefruit, coconut, banana, cinnamon right off their trees
• Attended a weekly cruiser barbeque where they served chicken, salad, rice, vegetables, and lots of  rum punch… good times!

 

 

Banana Plantation

Emerald Pool Waterfall

Indian River Tour

1. Green Island, Antigua

• Most beautiful water colour
• Outer reef protects the anchorage which makes for great flat-water kiting
• Anchorage looks straight out into the ocean
• Could also kite outside the reef where there were some fun waves
• Kited 8 out of the 10 days we were there (the old guy made it out 10/10)
• Learned a bunch of new tricks
• Great snorkeling

 

 

Shot from Green Island

Unhooked

Greeeeeen!

J'aime Iles des Saintes!

     So far the Saintes have been our favourite place to visit. Every island has its merits, its attractions and its beauties, but for some reason the Saintes have captured our interest in a way that no other island has. Being a small group of islands, everything is compact and close together, and the islanders are very lively. Last Sunday as Mom, Sarah and I hiked the tallest peak (1000 feet high) to an old stone watch tower, we could hear music blasting from tents in the village as a sailing race took place on the bay.

     From the anchorage at Ile Cabrit, the main village of Bourg des Saintes is close and accessible. There is even an amazing reef to snorkel beside this island with an unexpected concentration of fish and sea creatures. Ile Cabrit also has old concrete roads that make for an interesting hike amongst a large population of wild goats and chickens to several stone ruins and the remains of a fort. With its great hikes, excellent snorkeling, decent kiteboarding, unique shops and colourful culture, Iles des Saintes has everything we've come to look for in a cruising destination, and our time here has been incredibly enjoyable.

     But alas, the time to move on has come and today we'll sail 20 miles to the intriguing island of Dominica, the last of the leeward islands. At present we plan to make Dominica the furthest south we will travel, so from there it is north and north again. Turning back is a sad thought after almost six months of travel, but there are still many more islands to visit on the return journey, so the end is not in sight quite yet.

     Please enjoy some pictures from the Saintes below. Also check out my favourite pictures so far through the "Favourites" link on the Travel Photos sidebar.

Thanks for reading,

Nicole.



Moments Like These: Tadoussac to Riviere-au-Renard

Tadoussac

Our anchorage at Tadoussac turned into an ordeal where we swung too close to the shore as the tide went out. We floated around for a while with no ideas about where to go, then reset the anchor just behind our previous spot. Mom and I sat up until low tide at 1 am doing word searches and glancing at the GPS to ensure we stayed in a depth of 30 feet. The wind went up and down, howling then quieting throughout the night. Trying to sleep after the danger had passed I realized how attuned to the sounds and motions I had become. The clanks and creaks, water lapping on the hull, the pitch and cadence of the wind, all these things become so noticeable when you are on watch during the night.

Saturday was a great day in comparison and our favourite sailing day yet! The sun warmed the air nicely and the sky was a clear blue as we sailed on a long downwind tack along the southern shore of the gulf of the St. Lawrence. Despite watching for sea creatures we only spotted one whale early in the morning. The sails were set in the perfect downwind “wing in wing” configuration with the main on one side and a preventer to stop it from jibing, the genoa attached to a spinnaker pole on the other side with ropes (a foreguy, afterguy and topping lift) to hold the pole in place.

We consulted with s/v Raftan and the favourable weather and south-west winds convinced us to go through the night. We took three-hour shifts throughout the night (Mom and I; Dad and Sarah) and had a beautiful sail into the early hours of the morning. Stars illuminated the clear sky like thousands of fireflies and the moon made a strikingly orange appearance and great visibility. It was nice to just sail a course and not worry about aiming between buoys.

Like the night before, I found my senses awakening to the sounds and sights around the boat. It was so relaxing to listen to the salt water foam up as the bow cut through waves, letting off a rush and fizzle sound. We noticed that this fizzling foam doesn’t happen in fresh water. Being on watch involved a lot of sitting wrapped in layers of clothing and sleeping bags, adjusting sails, checking the depth, speed, wind direction and wind speed, watching Raftan’s progress beside us, staring up at stars, and watching lights on land slowly pass by. All in all it was a beautiful night to be sailing and I have to say that it’s moments like these that make all the stress of the trip so far worth it.

Today we sailed and motored through a sunny day and are now anchored at Riviere-au-Renard, a peaceful, large and empty anchorage inside the harbour of this small fishing town. Mom says this is her favourite place yet, as it has lots of “east coast” character with the fishing boats and simple white houses in a rugged landscape. This is a place like nothing seen yet and we’ve finally turned the corner into the east coast!

Riviere-au-Renard

To carry on with this trend of “favourites” here are the most memorable places for each of us so far: Dad enjoyed Tadoussac with the whale in the harbour and the currents as the Saguenay flows in and out of the St. Lawrence with the tides. Sarah liked Cap-a-L’Aigle because it was our first time seeing this hilly region up close, was very pretty and exciting because it felt like we had just appeared there out of the mist. And my favourite place was Quebec City with its windy streets and refreshing beauty.

Our plans for tomorrow aren’t firm yet but likely we’ll aim to re-provision in the Gaspe region before beginning a passage to Nova Scotia. 

Sorry it’s a long one, but hope you all enjoyed!

Nicole. 

Sarah on deck in Riviere-au-Renard