28. How do you say in French? -Guadeloupe

    Good bye, Antigua.

No better place to write the blog than a 4 hour international flight with no movie :) right?

This last week aboard has been busy with some everyday living and some once in a lifetime experiences.  I love when they happen simultaneously, it totally screws with the girls’ perspective!

After some great days touring Antigua (last blog), there were a few boat items that needed our attention.  

    Dinghy rub rail repair.

The girls took this opportunity to attend a local sailing school.

Antigua National Sailing School was a perfect way for them to hone their skills and understanding of sailing and boat handling.  

The spent the first day in a boat a bit smaller than a Sunfish, with an instructor, taking turns on the tiller and sail trim.  

The second day in class they were joined by the Take Two kids and gave their instructor a run for his money :) When we increase his class size by 6, a lesser coach might panic, but Tony and his crew were up for the challenge and made it a great day for everyone. Andrew was even able to help them out by doing some sail repairs for them so there were plenty of boats available.  

Sky was able to go to a third day of class and got a Pico Laser all to herself and a friend.  It is mind blowing to watch your ten year old, with no prior experience (except living aboard), sail out the channel around the bend and out of sight to a local beach for a day of fun before reversing the entire trip at the end of the day.  She said her favorite part was tipping the boat for the fun of it and having to right it by herself!  Over dinner we were discussing how we thought it was an experience she would never forget and she said, “What’s the big deal?  I learned to sail in Antigua.”  I think someday she’ll get it :)

After my best effort at prepping the cabin for our trip to Guadeloupe, we headed out early Friday morning.  

Andrew and I enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and a perfectly comfortable morning sail with no UFOs anywhere in the cabin :) The girls played Go Fish with goldfish crackers :)

and were so busy with their games we could barely get them to look at the beautiful new country we were sailing by.  

We arrived in the seemingly sleepy town of Deshais before 3pm but were surprised to find most of the town closed for the afternoon.  I don't know what you would call a siesta in French but the smaller towns all seem to abide by the few early hours of work, long break in the afternoon and restaurants opening around 7pm for dinner; we’ve learned to adjust our schedule accordingly.

    Found an afternoon ice cream snack overlooking the anchorage :)

We snorkeled Pigeon Island which is quoted as one of Jacque Cousteau's favorite dives in the Caribbean and swam with some of the biggest parrot fish we’ve seen yet!  

 

In desperate need of water and laundry facilities, we found our way to Rivière Sens.  We were a little freaked out about Med-mooring, which is when you grab a mooring ball at the bow of the boat and back into the dock to tie up stern to.  Abby is notoriously bad at backing up but we had Sky piloting the dinghy, Paige on aft lines, Andrew at the helm and me handling the ball and we looked like pros!  When Abby’s ability was lacking, Sky would use the dinghy to bump her the direction we need her to go.  I used my mad mooring skills to grab the ball while on the move and Andrew snugged her up perfectly for Paige to get both stern lines to the dock hands and cleated off - a well oiled machine!

Now the countdown was on to get everything taken care of before it was time for me to fly home.  We got the salt cleaned off the boat, water tanks filled, showers for all our stinkiness and a bit of wifi fun.  

We had no idea that Guadeloupe holds a 9 day national sailing race and one of the legs was scheduled to happen right outside our marina!  Andrew thought we needed to see what all the fuss was about so I hurriedly packed a picnic lunch and we planned to use the dinghy to follow the race and have a little fun.  But instead Andrew made a few friends on the dock and got our entire family invited aboard the President of the race’s Jury Boat, a 40’ catamaran.  

 

So we had the best seats in the house, enjoyed some great hospitality and made some new friends, all with very few words spoken between our English and their French :) 

    Andrew, judge and president watching the race.

The celebrating continued back at the dock where we were surprised by the arrival of Aqua Vida.

    Sky & Kaylee couldn't wait to see each other.

    Wasting no time building forts on the bow and being silly! 
And we met the sponsors of the second place boat (in the lead for the series) and served rum all around.  

As the afternoon wound down we asked our new friends for some recommendations for local restaurants.  One friend said “just a minute” made a quick phone call and next thing we know he is scheduling our pick up at 8pm to join him for dinner at his home!  So us, the Aqua Vida crew, and 2 drivers joined our new sailing friend, his wife Peggy, daughter Noallee, and son Davie and their friends for an amazing meal at his home 

followed by some drinking, a little dancing, music playing and froozeball.  

What an amazing day!

But now back to work.  Paige joined me for a morning of 7 laundry loads.  How do we have that much dirty clothes aboard our little boat?!  We hadn't done laundry since Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda so we were well overdue.  It may sound like a chore but it was the perfect mother/daughter set up.  She was asking me about how you do laundry, what temps for what, what dryer settings for what.  She talked about living on her own and all the things she would need to call to get advice on.  She’s growing up so fast and I cherish these opportunities.  It’s a conversation she may never remember but I know it’s one I’ll never forget!  

So here we are, D-day.  We did 2 sail changes, purged anything we’ve been traveling with that needed to go home, changed the sheets, cleaned the boat, did everything but provision, to get ready for my absence.  

My fellow crew I left behind are all worried about how they will fare without me but I know they will do just fine :)

The flight home has been oddly cathartic.  I’ve spotted all the islands we have traveled through over the past 5 months, identifying them from the air without even looking them up :) Memories from each play like movies in my mind and I am overwhelmed at where we are and how far we’ve come!

    Bimini - where it all started 5 months ago.

Things learned aboard this week:

Reflection is good.

It may surprise some of you but Andrew used to be high strung :) He does everything with enthusiasm!  I hope this never changes because it makes him who he is.  But over the months we’ve been at sea he has become more patient, more communicative and much more flexible to live in a small space with :) Things that would have frustrated him to no end have began to roll off him like water.  Fuel issues again- no worries, I’ve done it all before; Daddy, I pulled the handle off the hatch again- let’s be more careful next time; I don't want to cook tonight- lets go find something local.  I’m more appreciative he’s mine everyday.

We call Paige the only adult on board because she is always responsibly cautious.  She always remembers to close the hatches in case of rain, tends the lines aboard so none drag and wrap the prop and is tense when she thinks we are heeling too far.  But we are seeing her adventurer come out!  She jumps off high cliffs, is eager to try new things and is motivated to learn the languages of places we visit.  It is so exciting to watch this new side of her already confident beauty coming out.

Sky seeks excitement and loves adventure just like her daddy.  She loves all creatures, nature and a good challenge.  But the most interesting development in her is watching her absorb the history of the places we travel.  If you ask her, she would tell you she hates history.  But ask her about the Tianos, the forts in Puerto Rico or why the different Carribean flags are designed certain ways and she will surprise you.  And any day she sees 25 baby barracuda she counts as a good day :)

So Abby and crew are headed off without me, to Dominica and beyond, while I head home to tend to some business.  I wonder what this week will hold.

    Lunch aboard Abby, French style.

29 & 30. Fish Out of Water (Falls, That Is)

27. Exploring We Will Go - Montserrat and Antigua

Happy Independence Day from the Abby Singer crew.  Hope everyone is appreciating some family time and most importantly the freedoms our independence affords us.  

We have been busy covering many miles by land and sea this week and can't wait to share our adventures with you.  

We were sad to leave St Martin’s yumminess, but were pleased to bring a bit of it aboard with us.  

    Best vanilla yogurt ever!

And were looking forward to what the Leeward islands had to offer us.  

We sailed for 24hrs from St Martin to Montserrat.  

The sail was pretty nice even though I still can't seem to make everything stay put during passage, much more tying down and locking shut is required. 

The girls were pleasantly surprised to wake up anchored next to some of our favorite neighbors, Take Two.  After a nap and check in, we were treated to a guided tour of the island with some amazing locals, Moose & Cecil.  They spent the day showing us the beauty of their home; 

the devastation by their volcano; 

    The entire area of the picture is uninhabitable.  

    And the dirt area in the center is burying an entire city.

and the hope that exists in the hearts of their locals, to stay and rebuild and thrive even in the face of a relentless giant.  

Eruptions of the Soufriere Hills from 1997-2010 buried two-thirds of the island, including their capital city, in pyroclastic flow.  In those 10 years and multiple eruptions, they have only lost 19 lives, which seemed remarkable.  

The view from the observatory is breathtaking 

and the 15min video they showed us explained the life of their volcano but it wasn't until we saw the destruction first hand that you could imagine the lives that had once thrived in this beautiful island paradise.  

    Beachfront Hotel - reception, restaraunt & swimming pool.

The population went from 15,000 to 5,000 due to the voluntary relocation offered by the government, but those who stayed are pretty amazing.  

Moose (pictured) has rebuilt his business, Mooses Burgers & Beers, 3 times and Cecil has continued his custom leather work even though the tourist traffic is minimal these days.  

The exclusion zone covers miles of the island.  Entire towns abandoned and “left to nature”, as Moose describes it.  The capital city of Plymoth is completely buried under 15ft of ash, only the roofs of the tallest buildings are left to suggest the thriving city by the sea.  

    Photos on left taken after 1997 eruption.  Photos on right taken after 2010 eruption.

    Photo credit- theAtlantic.com

Even though the threat of another eruption never subsides, the beauty of Montserrat is undeniable.  

The greens are greener and the flowers more vibrant all because of the fertile volcanic soil.  They are a completely self-sustained island and fresh fruits grow everywhere, uncultivated.  

    Fresh mangoes, picked from the tree

We crammed every inch of fun into 24hrs before departing in the best weather window available 

to head to Antigua.  Our sail around the southern tip of Montserrat gave us a spectacular view of the Soullifere hills.  

We had a pretty rough ride to Antigua and were happy to drop the hook in a calm little anchorage after 10hrs of rocking and rolling, complete with sugar canister flying out of the cabinet and making quite the mess :)

Antigua is beautiful in an entirely different way.  It is an island rich with history but still feels a bit untouched by humanity.  The wind and rain seem to alternate on schedule here and, with rough seas, we decided the best way to see the island was to rent a vehicle and go exploring.  

Luckily Andrew has some mad skills at driving on the left side of the road and even dodge some compact car sized potholes-  I’m sure it is the constant gasping and flinching from me and the girls that make him so efficient :)  

We toured the sugar plantation at Betty’s Hope  

and the oldest working Georgian style boatyard at Nelsons

learning bunches about the history of this island that was once the home of the British Carribean fleet.

    Look carefully, one of our crew is disguised as a British sailor.

We also went to Devil’s Bridge which is not particularly historic but really cool.  

It is a rock bridge about 5’ wide and maybe 40’ long over the rocky shoreline and crashing waves.  If you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you may be get a little wet as Andrew found out for all of us :)

We are having a blast learning about the places we are visiting but I think we are all ready for some beautifully clear water and the fun that comes with it!

Things learned aboard this week

The people watching is great.  Not necessarily learned, but willing to admit :)

We have lots of little windows to peer from where people can't see you.  I may be doing my dishes when a new boat arrives at our anchorage and I have the perfect vantage point to see how they do.  If it is particularly entertaining I will alert Andrew & the girls, who are not as covert as me, and they scope it out from the cockpit.  

I am a fair weather sailor.  I don't care for the really long passages or heeling the same direction for long periods of time.  Neither of these dislikes are because they are particularly uncomfortable but mostly because they both equal large messes when we arrive at our destination.  And even though it usually only takes a few minutes to restore order, I tend to get a bit crabbier as the mess escalates  during travel.  We have another 12hr passage coming up to Guadeloupe so we will see if I can properly prepare ahead of time to keep the cabin clean and my heart happy :)

    Nelson's Dockyard 

The beautiful places just keep coming!  Can't imagine what next week will bring.         

28. How do you say in French? -Guadeloupe