Thursday, April 29, 2010
Farwell to Belize and Hello to Honduras
In keeping with our theme of butts, we did finish San Pedro with a sore butt adventure as we rode Bicycles from San Pedro to a Bay called Tranquility Bay, 16 miles as the crow flies, but we were not crows but sailors and had to tack our way up. We had to follow roads, dirt roads, sandy dunes, through the surf, through the dump and cross country. But we made it! We had company, Rhonda and Bruce as well as Jan, people staying at the condos called the Belize Yacht Club. There we had a lovely lunch a snorkel and walked the beach. And then we had to go back! While, we made that too and the next day we were all pleasantly surprised to find that we were not sore!! Although we did not ride the next day!We checked out and spent our last night in San Pedro with Steve and Monica, from Fedelis 11. Our friends from the Belize Yacht Club helped cast off our lines after some teary so longs. It is always hard to leave when you have been in a place so long. We left, slowly as we had to plough our way out to the channel. We received a round of applause, or Interlude did, as we hit open water. The passage to Roatan, a Bay Island of Honduras, known for it’s diving, was 24 hours. We motored most of the way. We had a great visit from our passage making friends, a pod of dolphins. They entertained us by doing flips, racing us and giving us a smile and a wink.Coxen Hole, our first anchorage was a great introduction to Roatan and Honduras. As we were going into anchor a yachty, named Mark on Cool Breeze, directed us in and gave us the scoop on Coxen Hole. We went ashore the next morning to clear with Customs and Immigration. Customs did not want to see us! Immigration came around 2:30pm, after he was called by the Port Captain. So we wondered around town, shopped, had lunch and drinks, then cleared in with Immigration and the Port Captain. So we have permission to stay for 90 days with no need to check in every 30 days, or at every island we visit in Honduras. Such freedom!Mark had given us the scoop on how to address people: if they are black say ‘hello’, if they are brown say ‘ola’. He was right! You can do all you basic shopping in Coxen Hole, and we did notice that wine was back to $5-10 a bottle!! Yeah!!Off to French Harbour, a bay some 5 miles east along the coast. The entrance was tricky, especially with 15 year old cruising guides. We figured we were in the right place when we saw a bunch of masts. It was great to be back in a cruising community! We went to a raft up, which is were all the dinghies raft together and share appetizers. We went to a couple of sundowner nights at coco view resort. The cruisers all got together for a pot luck on Fantasy Island. We also had a lovely massage, a Christmas present from Bruce. We ventured out by car and toured west one day and east the next. The highlight of the west end is “West End”, which is a diving village. The road is unpaved and they have voted to keep it that way. Wall to wall dive shops and restaurants. We had lunch in West Bay, on the water as usual. We then headed back before the cruise ship crowd plugged up the road.The east end is less populated, which means that the roads are worse. We had a drink out over the water in Camp Bay. We had lunch as a resort which was mostly empty, also looking over the water. While we had the car we stocked up on diesel and wine and topped up the propane.In French Harbour itself we did take some time do to a few dives. We saw 3 lion fish on Coco view’s home reef, not a good sign. We did a dive with Mark and Liesel (from Cool Breeze), and a couple of dives from Trouble, our dingy. We went to Marie’s place, a dive site recommended by Cool Breeze, and a good recommendation it was. The topography was great and we got a good picture of a seahorse.We also spent the usual cruiser time changing oil in the diesel, fixing the outboard, replacing fuse holders, polishing the stainless steel and recommissioning the water maker.Then we headed to Utila, another of the Bay Islands. Utila is another divers paradise, known for the back packer crowd, who like to party (very loud) all night and dive the next day. Also the holding is not good. So sleepless nights for us. We have done a couple of dives. The topography has been good, but the fish life seems limited. Today’s dive was made exciting by the ‘shop’ getting the mooring line caught around the shaft and propeller. We had to hail a passing boat so that we would not be thrown ashore while the dive master and a friend of the captain went down with knives to cut off the line. Oh well, shit happens!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Belize Continues
On Feb 1st Cheryl’s Cousin Bill and aunt Rhoda arrived. After picking them up in a golf cart and getting them organized on the boat we offered them a meal at the Captain and First Mate’s table on the luxury yacht Interlude. Okay they get to eat at the Captain and First Mate’s table every night!
We took them on a tour via golf cart to the north end of the island over a road which has now been named “The journey - a Belizean massage”. Bill and Karen climbed a coconut tree to harvest the fruit for a Thai dinner and a Panty Ripper.
We arranged a tour to the mainland to go to a Mayan ruin up a river (without a paddle) it was a great trip we got to climb up the tallest temple. The view was spectator. Once we were up we then realized we needed to go down, it didn’t look that hard when you are going up but man are those stairs step when you have to go down. Well we all made it safely; we had a great tour guide (Ronny) both at the ruins and on the river. He was very well read and knew his stuff, not only the ruins but the birds, animals and trees.
Karen flew home as her father passed away, just over a year after her mother died. Now Karen and Cheryl are both orphans.
.
We walked the beach almost everyday. My cousin went to the Blue Hole for a day while the girls stayed around the boat. Rhoda and Bill went parasailing (not enough wind to send up three) and boy did Rhoda have a grin on her face, when ever we mention it she got the grin again it was so cool.
Cheryl and her cousin went diving for a day to the 2nd atoll in Belize called Truneffe, the topography was amazing and we even saw a lionfish. A lionfish is not native to the Caribbean as is a not a good thing to have here as it kills all the fish around the reef so the dive master were trying to capture it but were unsuccessful and one of them got stung which ended our dive.
Cheryl had two days on her own when Sandra came to visit. They tried a new version of the Belizean massage, riding bikes to the north end of the island. They then rented a golf card and went south and picnicked at the end of a dock, feet dangling near the water. They had to stop at the Rasta bar, for a swig and a swing. Cheryl and Sandra continued to explore the island by foot, now Cheryl knows the name of every stone and pot hole in the ‘road’. They snorkeled off the end of the dock, to see fishes and plan Interlude’s route to deeper water.
Cheryl and Sandra met new friends around the pool and got reacquainted with Steve and Monica on Fidelis, who had gone home to watch the super bowl in their home town of New Orleans. Monica brought back beautiful fleur de lies scarves for us to celebrate the Saints win of the super bowl!
Karen got back on Thursday and Cheryl arranged a night dive/snorkel for Friday at Hol Chan. Karen and Cheryl snorkeled while Sandra, Ronda and Bruce snorkeled. It was great; the boat ride back was all about fish identification. The number of Stingray’s was amazing.
We watched the Men’s Gold medal hockey game in the lounge of the airport. The Canadians were out numbered, but we prevailed! Ronda and Bruce (American friends staying at the yacht club) sat to our right and the Alaskan boat’s crew to our left.
We circumnavigated the island with Sandra, Jenny and Burrell (Canadians who own a condo at the yacht club). We went through the canal in the mangroves dug by the Mayans in 600AD, to the north is Mexico, and to the south is Belize. We did some bird watching, spotted a manatee (or at least its nose). And snorkeled at Barracuda Alley (boy were they ever big) and at Tranquility Bay. Just to remember we are Canadian and to feel more in tune with the winter Olympics, we hugged downhill skiies while standing on the deck over looking Tranquility Bay. We had snapper on the beach cooked by our driver/naturalist/chef/dishwasher, a beautiful day.
We walked to the Lazy Croc for an amazing lunch of pulled pork, making our way back long the beach. By the time we finished our walk we were still stuffed!
Now Karen and Cheryl are making up for lost diving time! Cheryl had her 100th dive, celebrated with different types of bubbles, in a glass, Champagne. The topography and fish life is amazing, while if you like sharks, lobster, turtles and green morays.
We are now planning on going to Roatan or the Bay Islands on the next weather window. Belize allows you to stay only 90 days (from a customs perspective) so we are off to explore another county. We will probably be back to Belize in 90 days as Honduras has a 90 day rule too!!
We took them on a tour via golf cart to the north end of the island over a road which has now been named “The journey - a Belizean massage”. Bill and Karen climbed a coconut tree to harvest the fruit for a Thai dinner and a Panty Ripper.
We arranged a tour to the mainland to go to a Mayan ruin up a river (without a paddle) it was a great trip we got to climb up the tallest temple. The view was spectator. Once we were up we then realized we needed to go down, it didn’t look that hard when you are going up but man are those stairs step when you have to go down. Well we all made it safely; we had a great tour guide (Ronny) both at the ruins and on the river. He was very well read and knew his stuff, not only the ruins but the birds, animals and trees.
Karen flew home as her father passed away, just over a year after her mother died. Now Karen and Cheryl are both orphans.
.
We walked the beach almost everyday. My cousin went to the Blue Hole for a day while the girls stayed around the boat. Rhoda and Bill went parasailing (not enough wind to send up three) and boy did Rhoda have a grin on her face, when ever we mention it she got the grin again it was so cool.
Cheryl and her cousin went diving for a day to the 2nd atoll in Belize called Truneffe, the topography was amazing and we even saw a lionfish. A lionfish is not native to the Caribbean as is a not a good thing to have here as it kills all the fish around the reef so the dive master were trying to capture it but were unsuccessful and one of them got stung which ended our dive.
Cheryl had two days on her own when Sandra came to visit. They tried a new version of the Belizean massage, riding bikes to the north end of the island. They then rented a golf card and went south and picnicked at the end of a dock, feet dangling near the water. They had to stop at the Rasta bar, for a swig and a swing. Cheryl and Sandra continued to explore the island by foot, now Cheryl knows the name of every stone and pot hole in the ‘road’. They snorkeled off the end of the dock, to see fishes and plan Interlude’s route to deeper water.
Cheryl and Sandra met new friends around the pool and got reacquainted with Steve and Monica on Fidelis, who had gone home to watch the super bowl in their home town of New Orleans. Monica brought back beautiful fleur de lies scarves for us to celebrate the Saints win of the super bowl!
Karen got back on Thursday and Cheryl arranged a night dive/snorkel for Friday at Hol Chan. Karen and Cheryl snorkeled while Sandra, Ronda and Bruce snorkeled. It was great; the boat ride back was all about fish identification. The number of Stingray’s was amazing.
We watched the Men’s Gold medal hockey game in the lounge of the airport. The Canadians were out numbered, but we prevailed! Ronda and Bruce (American friends staying at the yacht club) sat to our right and the Alaskan boat’s crew to our left.
We circumnavigated the island with Sandra, Jenny and Burrell (Canadians who own a condo at the yacht club). We went through the canal in the mangroves dug by the Mayans in 600AD, to the north is Mexico, and to the south is Belize. We did some bird watching, spotted a manatee (or at least its nose). And snorkeled at Barracuda Alley (boy were they ever big) and at Tranquility Bay. Just to remember we are Canadian and to feel more in tune with the winter Olympics, we hugged downhill skiies while standing on the deck over looking Tranquility Bay. We had snapper on the beach cooked by our driver/naturalist/chef/dishwasher, a beautiful day.
We walked to the Lazy Croc for an amazing lunch of pulled pork, making our way back long the beach. By the time we finished our walk we were still stuffed!
Now Karen and Cheryl are making up for lost diving time! Cheryl had her 100th dive, celebrated with different types of bubbles, in a glass, Champagne. The topography and fish life is amazing, while if you like sharks, lobster, turtles and green morays.
We are now planning on going to Roatan or the Bay Islands on the next weather window. Belize allows you to stay only 90 days (from a customs perspective) so we are off to explore another county. We will probably be back to Belize in 90 days as Honduras has a 90 day rule too!!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Numb Butt Passage
We finally saw a weather window for Belize, just like Santa Clause we checked once then checked it twice then again we confirmed with our meteorologist friend on Tiger Lily 2 and off we went…
Oh what a feeling or lack of a feeling.
For those who have done a passage you can relate to the numb butt passage. The forecast was for 15-20 the first day, dying to 10-15. As luck would have it we started with 10-15 and the winds did die off. We ended up motor sailing for all but 6 hours of our 3 day passage to Belize. Not something to complain about after getting beaten going to Grand Cayman! Boring is good. Two books read!
During our passage we celebrated our One year anniversary of retirement with a beer in a champagne glass with a hint of Lime.
As we saw the sun rise on our third day, Belize was in sight. We made our way through the Barrier Reef and head to the Belize Yacht Club…..after running aground 4 times we finally got on the radio and asked for assistance on what sand patch to take to the docks. An Aussi came on the radio and directed us in by saying “a little to port mate…..more to port…it will get shallow soon but no worries mate” He was not kidding it was swallow, we went aground again, so now we know exactly how much water we need to float the boat. We finally made it to the dock and did all the usual check in with customs and immigration stuff. First impression of San Pedro was we love it. They drive around in golf carts because there are very few roads and it is an easy way to get around. We walked the town in 1 hour to get the lay of the land.
We arrived in Belize on a Tues and had friends fly in (Deb and Jim) on Thursday. After meeting them at the airport in a golf cart we went off to find a dive operator to dive the Great Blue Hole the next day. So the next morning before even the sun was up the 4 of us were off to the Blue Hole a 2 hour boat ride. The blue hole 1000 feet across and 412 deep. This is the hole is famous for the stalactites around the 130 – 160 feet depth. We did see some sharks but they were not hungry that day so we were okay. After diving the Blue Hole we went off to two other dive sites that we loved, we swam in and out of among coral tunnel and met a few fishes along the way including some spotted and southern rays. We lunched on island that had red footed boobies (birds) and after an all day diving adventure we got back to the boat and crashed.
The next day was the tour of the island on our hot rod golf cart with Cheryl trying to hit every pot hole she could find. Day 3 of Deb and Jim’s visit was a lazy day at the pool and watching the football game. Their team lost but the boat beside us (Steve and Monica on Fedilis 2) their team won so good banter was had by all.
Day 4 was a tour to the main land via local ferry arranged by this woman we meet on the road who offered a great deal. So we left for the main land at 6:15 a.m. so much for sleeping in. We were met by Denis (local taxi driver) started off by saying he had beer and rum punch for us ….a interesting way of starting a day…we opted for coffee and juice. The first stop was the Zip lines through the trees, were we had some great laughs. Karen over came her fear of heights for at least a minute or two. We only swallowed a few bugs as we smiled all the way. After getting our legs back on the ground off we went to float our butts down a river through some caves. First step is to numb your feet then comes your butt as you float down the river in an inner tube. At one point our guide would yell out “Butts up” as we would have to raise our butts or we would run aground on the rocks. After our lunch we headed off to Old Belize City were Jim and Cheryl, who did not get enough of the Zip line, tried the Zip line the Old Belize City a 450 drop. We made it back to San Pedro and crashed once again after another fun filled day.
On Deb and Jim’s last day we went off for a little snorkeling tour at the reef just by the dock and saw a ray and some great fishes. Week one of Belize summarized in a word ‘Super’.
Oh what a feeling or lack of a feeling.
For those who have done a passage you can relate to the numb butt passage. The forecast was for 15-20 the first day, dying to 10-15. As luck would have it we started with 10-15 and the winds did die off. We ended up motor sailing for all but 6 hours of our 3 day passage to Belize. Not something to complain about after getting beaten going to Grand Cayman! Boring is good. Two books read!
During our passage we celebrated our One year anniversary of retirement with a beer in a champagne glass with a hint of Lime.
As we saw the sun rise on our third day, Belize was in sight. We made our way through the Barrier Reef and head to the Belize Yacht Club…..after running aground 4 times we finally got on the radio and asked for assistance on what sand patch to take to the docks. An Aussi came on the radio and directed us in by saying “a little to port mate…..more to port…it will get shallow soon but no worries mate” He was not kidding it was swallow, we went aground again, so now we know exactly how much water we need to float the boat. We finally made it to the dock and did all the usual check in with customs and immigration stuff. First impression of San Pedro was we love it. They drive around in golf carts because there are very few roads and it is an easy way to get around. We walked the town in 1 hour to get the lay of the land.
We arrived in Belize on a Tues and had friends fly in (Deb and Jim) on Thursday. After meeting them at the airport in a golf cart we went off to find a dive operator to dive the Great Blue Hole the next day. So the next morning before even the sun was up the 4 of us were off to the Blue Hole a 2 hour boat ride. The blue hole 1000 feet across and 412 deep. This is the hole is famous for the stalactites around the 130 – 160 feet depth. We did see some sharks but they were not hungry that day so we were okay. After diving the Blue Hole we went off to two other dive sites that we loved, we swam in and out of among coral tunnel and met a few fishes along the way including some spotted and southern rays. We lunched on island that had red footed boobies (birds) and after an all day diving adventure we got back to the boat and crashed.
The next day was the tour of the island on our hot rod golf cart with Cheryl trying to hit every pot hole she could find. Day 3 of Deb and Jim’s visit was a lazy day at the pool and watching the football game. Their team lost but the boat beside us (Steve and Monica on Fedilis 2) their team won so good banter was had by all.
Day 4 was a tour to the main land via local ferry arranged by this woman we meet on the road who offered a great deal. So we left for the main land at 6:15 a.m. so much for sleeping in. We were met by Denis (local taxi driver) started off by saying he had beer and rum punch for us ….a interesting way of starting a day…we opted for coffee and juice. The first stop was the Zip lines through the trees, were we had some great laughs. Karen over came her fear of heights for at least a minute or two. We only swallowed a few bugs as we smiled all the way. After getting our legs back on the ground off we went to float our butts down a river through some caves. First step is to numb your feet then comes your butt as you float down the river in an inner tube. At one point our guide would yell out “Butts up” as we would have to raise our butts or we would run aground on the rocks. After our lunch we headed off to Old Belize City were Jim and Cheryl, who did not get enough of the Zip line, tried the Zip line the Old Belize City a 450 drop. We made it back to San Pedro and crashed once again after another fun filled day.
On Deb and Jim’s last day we went off for a little snorkeling tour at the reef just by the dock and saw a ray and some great fishes. Week one of Belize summarized in a word ‘Super’.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Passage of the Travelling Wok
After checking the weather a million times and not seeing a long enough weather window to go to Belize, it is 4.5 days sail, we opted to go to Grand Cayman a 1.5 day sail and break the Belize passage up and after the front moves thru we would continue to Belize, a further 3 days.
The weather sites we researched forecasted we will have 3 days weather window before a cold front comes down from Canada. We only need a 1.5 days to get to Cayman so off we went.
Well what can we say….we had 8-12 foot seas, winds at 20-30 knots with gust a lot higher…..with confused seas…..The seas were not the only things confused needless to say it was rough. At one point Cheryl was down below getting a drink of water when a wave hit the side of the point (the confused wave) the wok that is normally safely stowed under the over and Cheryl not safely stowed away went flying. Newton’s law of Gravity what goes up must come down but the light one goes down first heavy second, you guessed it Wok landed first then Cheryl on top of the Wok. The Wok has a new bend in it and Cheryl is brandishing a “wok butt bruise”. There is new ancient Chinese provoke: “Wok stowed properly may someday bit you in the butt”.
Anyways we arrived safely into Cayman with a warm welcome from Port Security, Harbour Control and Customs and a ice pack for Cheryl’s butt. Sorry No Pictures
We kept checking the weather to see when we could continue our passage to Belize but those damn Canadians kept sending down cold fronts. In fact it was so cold down in Cayman we had to dig out our socks and sweats. It got down to a high of 19c dropping to 10C at night, burrrrrr…..We rented a car for couple of days and toured the island, there is a village called ‘Hell’ here but we could not find so we can honestly say we tried to find ‘Hell’ but got lost. We walk the famous 7 mile beach twice in one day Karen calls this walk her pedicure, Cheryl just calls it a long walk. We went out for some great food and one memorable night was at the Old House, the Petra Plantation this dinner was a Christmas present from Karen’s dad. Cayman is known as Cruise Ship destination with 2-3 cruise ships in a day and also for great diving and the famous Stingray City, but it was so cold we decide we would stay above the water instead…wimps.
We met up with some friends we met in Jamaica Wilfried and Annette on Sentra had dinner on Interlude and on our last day in Cayman had drinks with them in one of the many bars downtown along with all the thousand of other tourist. To describe Grand Cayman is like going to Fort Lauderdale. Unless you go under the water, then it is amazing!
The weather sites we researched forecasted we will have 3 days weather window before a cold front comes down from Canada. We only need a 1.5 days to get to Cayman so off we went.
Well what can we say….we had 8-12 foot seas, winds at 20-30 knots with gust a lot higher…..with confused seas…..The seas were not the only things confused needless to say it was rough. At one point Cheryl was down below getting a drink of water when a wave hit the side of the point (the confused wave) the wok that is normally safely stowed under the over and Cheryl not safely stowed away went flying. Newton’s law of Gravity what goes up must come down but the light one goes down first heavy second, you guessed it Wok landed first then Cheryl on top of the Wok. The Wok has a new bend in it and Cheryl is brandishing a “wok butt bruise”. There is new ancient Chinese provoke: “Wok stowed properly may someday bit you in the butt”.
Anyways we arrived safely into Cayman with a warm welcome from Port Security, Harbour Control and Customs and a ice pack for Cheryl’s butt. Sorry No Pictures
We kept checking the weather to see when we could continue our passage to Belize but those damn Canadians kept sending down cold fronts. In fact it was so cold down in Cayman we had to dig out our socks and sweats. It got down to a high of 19c dropping to 10C at night, burrrrrr…..We rented a car for couple of days and toured the island, there is a village called ‘Hell’ here but we could not find so we can honestly say we tried to find ‘Hell’ but got lost. We walk the famous 7 mile beach twice in one day Karen calls this walk her pedicure, Cheryl just calls it a long walk. We went out for some great food and one memorable night was at the Old House, the Petra Plantation this dinner was a Christmas present from Karen’s dad. Cayman is known as Cruise Ship destination with 2-3 cruise ships in a day and also for great diving and the famous Stingray City, but it was so cold we decide we would stay above the water instead…wimps.
We met up with some friends we met in Jamaica Wilfried and Annette on Sentra had dinner on Interlude and on our last day in Cayman had drinks with them in one of the many bars downtown along with all the thousand of other tourist. To describe Grand Cayman is like going to Fort Lauderdale. Unless you go under the water, then it is amazing!
Final Week in Jamaica
Christmas in the tropics, was great we spent Christmas Eve with the crew from the 138 foot Islandia and on Christmas day we enjoyed a Cornish hen dinner on Interlude. It was weird to hear Christmas carols and seeing Christmas decoration on palm trees but we will get use to it. Cheryl got her Christmas wish to go up the mast of Islandia, 125 feet up “What a View”.
After checking the weather we made our way down to Montego Bay with Interlude where we stayed for a couple of days repaired another diesel tank leak (on our brand new tank) and toured around the town a bit. Montego Bay is not a touristy as Ocho Rios. Cheryl’s cousin and his Wife (Bill and Laurie) where at a Sandals resort and we got to meet up with them for a ½ day before they flew home to the cold. The four of us snuck into a Sandals resort in Montego Bay (okay Bill and Laurie used there pass we snuck) for an afternoon of all you can drink and eat. After that we took them to the boat for a quick tour. It was great fun.
It was New Years Eve and rather then going out we spent a quite night on Interlude. Since we are true cruisers or we are getting old now (we like that former) we stayed up to celebrate New Years till of 9 p.m. we figure it is News Year day some where in the world. We woke up at midnight to the sound of fireworks going off, then back to sleep! After doing some final shopping off we went with Interlude to Negril the western most part of Jamaica.
After checking the weather we made our way down to Montego Bay with Interlude where we stayed for a couple of days repaired another diesel tank leak (on our brand new tank) and toured around the town a bit. Montego Bay is not a touristy as Ocho Rios. Cheryl’s cousin and his Wife (Bill and Laurie) where at a Sandals resort and we got to meet up with them for a ½ day before they flew home to the cold. The four of us snuck into a Sandals resort in Montego Bay (okay Bill and Laurie used there pass we snuck) for an afternoon of all you can drink and eat. After that we took them to the boat for a quick tour. It was great fun.
It was New Years Eve and rather then going out we spent a quite night on Interlude. Since we are true cruisers or we are getting old now (we like that former) we stayed up to celebrate New Years till of 9 p.m. we figure it is News Year day some where in the world. We woke up at midnight to the sound of fireworks going off, then back to sleep! After doing some final shopping off we went with Interlude to Negril the western most part of Jamaica.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Week 2 and 3 in Jamaica
Well we have been touring. We visited the Bob Marley mausoleum and his birth place, well the cost was $15.00 US, and we would like to say the highlight of the tour was the rock that Bob Marley sat on, thought and composed some of his songs. We of course were offered some ganja because at Bob Marley’s place it legal (sure).
We also went to Ocho Rios a tourist town where cruise ships come in. Every second person asked Karen if she would like her hair braided and Cheryl was only asked once, the rest asked Cheryl if they could roll a joint for her. Go figure. It was wall to wall vendors peddling their wares or services. Needless to say we were underwhelmed and very happy to get back to the quite of our little marina.
After some boat work we went touring again. Along with another boat we rented a car and toured the Blue Mountains, they are famous for their coffee. Well the day began very early with a lovely drive up the north coast of Jamaica then we turn inland on an old road that went from the north shore to Kingston on the south shore. The road we heard was washed out by hurricane Dennis. The plan was to go as far as we could go then find a way back to our boat. Well they were right about the road it was old, windy, very narrow (don’t forget we are heading up into the mountains, 7200 ft). In some place there was very little of the road left or a boulder in the road. In fact in one section we had to go through a private coffee plantation to continue our trip.
Since we were going across their property we had a little tour, we learned how they pick and roast the coffee. Of course we had to try some and buy some. So could now say we say how Blue Mountain is made coffee. Cheryl was given a baby coffee plant to grow so in 18 months we can see if we have coffee. Yah right.
After leaving what we thought was the rough part of the road we ventured towards home. Well the cows and goat did not even use the road. At one point we had to get out of the car and push it up the hill. On the map the road showed a lot of switch backs and lots of turns, that was an understatement. At every fork in the road we would stop and ask, usually a guy with a machete, which road to “whatever” and with a smile and probably a snicker they would point to the road. We did see some amazing views. We went across river where women were washing their clothes, under bridges and over boulders. By the way we were driving a Toyota Corolla. Well we finally were reward with a semi paved road and a breathtaking view of Kingston (the capital of Jamaica). As we ventured towards Kingston, Anick (French boat that we rented the car with noticed a resort/spa which was on her must see list, so we went in. The place was called Strawberry Hill, well it was spectacular, and you had the view of Kingston and the Blue Mountains. The rich and famous go here for a get away but they let us in anyways.
Finally we found a road that was paved and made our way home and to bed early but it was a great day and the Jamaican people along the way and the view made the trip very special.
We journeyed into Kingston for some provisioning with Islandia’s chef, a 138 foot boat that is here every year. Sue took us to an amazing supermarket were we found all the little things we wanted and more at very reasonable prices. This time the food bill was more than the wine bill! We are working on correcting that oversight!
We had dinner with the dock master/head of operations of Errol Flynn Marina, along with Frank and Sue on Islandia. Great food and lots of laughs. 15 minutes after we arrived back at the boat a squall came through. Interlude was just fine. However, Islandia managed to loose her anchor and had to leave the dock in the middle of the squall! Some fine boat handling by Frank and helping hands from two of the boats on the dock allowed them to get off the dock, avoid the other boats and set anchor in the harbour. More than enough excitement for the night! (By the way during the squall we were freezing, hot tea was the order of the night.)
We also went to Ocho Rios a tourist town where cruise ships come in. Every second person asked Karen if she would like her hair braided and Cheryl was only asked once, the rest asked Cheryl if they could roll a joint for her. Go figure. It was wall to wall vendors peddling their wares or services. Needless to say we were underwhelmed and very happy to get back to the quite of our little marina.
After some boat work we went touring again. Along with another boat we rented a car and toured the Blue Mountains, they are famous for their coffee. Well the day began very early with a lovely drive up the north coast of Jamaica then we turn inland on an old road that went from the north shore to Kingston on the south shore. The road we heard was washed out by hurricane Dennis. The plan was to go as far as we could go then find a way back to our boat. Well they were right about the road it was old, windy, very narrow (don’t forget we are heading up into the mountains, 7200 ft). In some place there was very little of the road left or a boulder in the road. In fact in one section we had to go through a private coffee plantation to continue our trip.
Since we were going across their property we had a little tour, we learned how they pick and roast the coffee. Of course we had to try some and buy some. So could now say we say how Blue Mountain is made coffee. Cheryl was given a baby coffee plant to grow so in 18 months we can see if we have coffee. Yah right.
After leaving what we thought was the rough part of the road we ventured towards home. Well the cows and goat did not even use the road. At one point we had to get out of the car and push it up the hill. On the map the road showed a lot of switch backs and lots of turns, that was an understatement. At every fork in the road we would stop and ask, usually a guy with a machete, which road to “whatever” and with a smile and probably a snicker they would point to the road. We did see some amazing views. We went across river where women were washing their clothes, under bridges and over boulders. By the way we were driving a Toyota Corolla. Well we finally were reward with a semi paved road and a breathtaking view of Kingston (the capital of Jamaica). As we ventured towards Kingston, Anick (French boat that we rented the car with noticed a resort/spa which was on her must see list, so we went in. The place was called Strawberry Hill, well it was spectacular, and you had the view of Kingston and the Blue Mountains. The rich and famous go here for a get away but they let us in anyways.
Finally we found a road that was paved and made our way home and to bed early but it was a great day and the Jamaican people along the way and the view made the trip very special.
We journeyed into Kingston for some provisioning with Islandia’s chef, a 138 foot boat that is here every year. Sue took us to an amazing supermarket were we found all the little things we wanted and more at very reasonable prices. This time the food bill was more than the wine bill! We are working on correcting that oversight!
We had dinner with the dock master/head of operations of Errol Flynn Marina, along with Frank and Sue on Islandia. Great food and lots of laughs. 15 minutes after we arrived back at the boat a squall came through. Interlude was just fine. However, Islandia managed to loose her anchor and had to leave the dock in the middle of the squall! Some fine boat handling by Frank and helping hands from two of the boats on the dock allowed them to get off the dock, avoid the other boats and set anchor in the harbour. More than enough excitement for the night! (By the way during the squall we were freezing, hot tea was the order of the night.)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bonaire and Jamaica Man
Bonaire is described as “Divers Paradise” and it lives up to its name. Bonaire is a marine park there seems to be abundance of fish it is like they want to get there picture taken or just want to come up and say hi. We spent most of our days under water but occasionally we did come up for air and went to this windsurfing beach for the day and sat and read a book and watched the beginners windsurfers make some amazing landings.
After one of our dives our rental truck got broken into and our wallets, cell phone and Cheryl’s shorts were stolen. The robbers had smashed the passenger window. The rental car agency had warned us to keep our windows open but we did not listen. We were not the only one broken into that day, there was a least 3 others. Busy robbers. The good news on the last day before we left Cheryl went into the police station and someone had found our stuff minus the money, Karen’s cell phone and most important Cheryl’s shorts. Cheryl’s short are the ones with the zipper legs, she still has the legs but no shorts to attach too. It has been suggested that Cheryl should wear the legs with suspenders. We will let you know how that fashion statement takes off down here. It would be cool, but she may get sunburn.
Our friend Dan from Canada who sailed down from Cuba to Aruba with us in 2003 came down to sail up from Bonaire to Jamaica. After a quick tour of Bonaire with Dan we did our final food shopping and food prep. And a last trip to Casa Blanca, a restaurant offering an Argentinean beef grill, which provides many days of very tasty left overs.
We left at 8:30 am for a 4 ½ day sail up to Jamaica. Our neighbour (Wendy from Canada) on the mooring ball beside us came over before we left to say “see you down island somewhere” and gave us sushi and California spring rolls for our lunch that day. It was an amazing treat. The fist night was a little bouncy to sleep so none of us slept but by the second night we all got into the groove of the boat and the watches. We where visited by dolphins and a very occasional ship pasted us but mostly it was just us and the beautiful sea. It rained twice for about 20 minutes and the winds slowly died down along with the seas which gave us the opportunity to fly our new sail which is a large downwind sail. At one point we saw 10.2 knot on the GPS. Our boat top speed is 8 knots. We where flying.
On the last morning we slowly started to see the Blue Mountains of Jamaica peek up in the horizon. After leaving Bonaire a very dry island where only cactus grow, to see the beautiful lush island of Jamaica is quite a contrast. As we pulled up to slip at Earl Flynn marina in Port Antonia we were greeted with “Welcome to Jamaica Man”. The people here are very friendly and helpful. After washing down the boat and getting through all the doctor, custom and immigration paper work we went exploring the town of Port Antonia. Before long we had arranged a site seeing tour to go down the Rio Grande river on a banana raft.
After a full night sleep without any boat movement we went off to the Rio Grande with our guide Captain Rebbo and our taxi driver David. The trip was amazing, we learned that the raft where originally and are still used to ship bananas down the river but it was Earl Flynn who started the trend of taking people down the river. For him it was an opportunity to take his lady friends down the river for a romantic boat ride. After watching Captain Rebbo’s technique of pole and steering us down the river, Karen asked if she could give it a try. Well we all got a try on poling our way down the river, even through some very small rapids.
So now we are just planning which bay we are going to visit next in Jamaica and of course go and explore the Blue Mountains and buy some of their famous coffee.
After one of our dives our rental truck got broken into and our wallets, cell phone and Cheryl’s shorts were stolen. The robbers had smashed the passenger window. The rental car agency had warned us to keep our windows open but we did not listen. We were not the only one broken into that day, there was a least 3 others. Busy robbers. The good news on the last day before we left Cheryl went into the police station and someone had found our stuff minus the money, Karen’s cell phone and most important Cheryl’s shorts. Cheryl’s short are the ones with the zipper legs, she still has the legs but no shorts to attach too. It has been suggested that Cheryl should wear the legs with suspenders. We will let you know how that fashion statement takes off down here. It would be cool, but she may get sunburn.
Our friend Dan from Canada who sailed down from Cuba to Aruba with us in 2003 came down to sail up from Bonaire to Jamaica. After a quick tour of Bonaire with Dan we did our final food shopping and food prep. And a last trip to Casa Blanca, a restaurant offering an Argentinean beef grill, which provides many days of very tasty left overs.
We left at 8:30 am for a 4 ½ day sail up to Jamaica. Our neighbour (Wendy from Canada) on the mooring ball beside us came over before we left to say “see you down island somewhere” and gave us sushi and California spring rolls for our lunch that day. It was an amazing treat. The fist night was a little bouncy to sleep so none of us slept but by the second night we all got into the groove of the boat and the watches. We where visited by dolphins and a very occasional ship pasted us but mostly it was just us and the beautiful sea. It rained twice for about 20 minutes and the winds slowly died down along with the seas which gave us the opportunity to fly our new sail which is a large downwind sail. At one point we saw 10.2 knot on the GPS. Our boat top speed is 8 knots. We where flying.
On the last morning we slowly started to see the Blue Mountains of Jamaica peek up in the horizon. After leaving Bonaire a very dry island where only cactus grow, to see the beautiful lush island of Jamaica is quite a contrast. As we pulled up to slip at Earl Flynn marina in Port Antonia we were greeted with “Welcome to Jamaica Man”. The people here are very friendly and helpful. After washing down the boat and getting through all the doctor, custom and immigration paper work we went exploring the town of Port Antonia. Before long we had arranged a site seeing tour to go down the Rio Grande river on a banana raft.
After a full night sleep without any boat movement we went off to the Rio Grande with our guide Captain Rebbo and our taxi driver David. The trip was amazing, we learned that the raft where originally and are still used to ship bananas down the river but it was Earl Flynn who started the trend of taking people down the river. For him it was an opportunity to take his lady friends down the river for a romantic boat ride. After watching Captain Rebbo’s technique of pole and steering us down the river, Karen asked if she could give it a try. Well we all got a try on poling our way down the river, even through some very small rapids.
So now we are just planning which bay we are going to visit next in Jamaica and of course go and explore the Blue Mountains and buy some of their famous coffee.
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