Friday, January 30, 2009

Still moving South - June 2008


We were moving quickly down island to get to Grenada by July. We sailed from Guadeloupe to Isle des Saintes, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Bequia, Tobago Cays, Union Island, Carriacou, Isle de Ronde. We arrived in Grenada on July 14, 2008. We spent the hurricane season - almost 5 months - in Grenada.



Boat boys - Soufriere, St. Lucia



View of the Pitons from the Hummingbird Restaurant St. Lucia.


Pizza anyone?


The bar at the end of the jungle ride - Dominica
Craig sailing us out of St.. Lucia in the early morning


The harbor in Soufriere, St. Lucia with a view of the Pitons


The turtle sanctuary - Bequia




Saline Bay, Mayreau

Snorkeling - Mayreau




Righteous Robert's Rastafarian Restaurant - Robert loves to dance - as soon as we took our last bite, he had the stereo blasting and all of us on the dance floor. The Island of Mayreau only got electricity about 5 years ago.



Janti's Happy Island just off of Union Island. Janti wanted to open a bar and clean up the beach in Union Island - so he took all the conch shells left by the fishermen on the beach and built Happy Island. You can dinghy over and snorkel and he makes great rum drinks. We got pretty happy there.



Coconut drinks on Salida - Tobago Cays





The "car" - our only way to get to shore





The Tobago Cays are a few very small deserted islands with crystal clear water. There are no houses, stores, bars etc - so at night it looks like you could reach up and touch the stars. The water is beautiful. The snorkeling is fantastic.











































































































































































































































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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The New Blog - Finally

When the Salida log ended it was in May of 2007. Now it is January of 2008. Here is a quick update of our travels in the last 8 months.

We have been traveling off and on with several boats - Fred & Kathy on Makai, Steve & Anne on Fine Line, Jim & Roxanne on Dawn Dancer and Dan, Carla, Tess and Tristan on Alegria. We all are heading South down the Eastern Caribbean to Grenada where we will spend the hurricane season - July thru November. We go our own way and then meet up at the next island or the one after. We have met tons of great people on all different kinds of boats from many different countries. It is really fun after a long sail to come into a new harbour and have people you know already there. There are some pretty fun reunions.


Woodys Bar, St. John USVI


Cane Garden Bay, BVI





The dinghies await the snorkelers, Tobago Cays - see - it is not always drinking and dancing! There were about 8 of us - some of the best snorkeling ever.




Monday night football, St. Lucia


The Devils Table Restaurant, Bequia


The first meeting of the Ladies Caribbean Martini Club - St. Lucia


Steve's birthday party on Fine Line in Grenada



And haircuts by Jane from Cheetah II on Salida







From the Sunset Bar in St. Martin, you can almost reach up and touch the airplanes landing and taking off. If you are standing on the beach when a plane takes off the jet blast will knock you down.
When we left St. Martin we sailed down to Saba.

Saba, Stacia, Antigua

Craig, Fred, & Dan clear into Customs & Immigration in Saba




One of the villages perched on a hillside in Saba.

After a few days, and some Saba juice (very strong spirits) and another Saba specialty - homemade banana rum - we sailed down to St. Eustatius (Stacia) with Makai and Alegria.



Stacia is a very interesting place with alot of history. In the 1700s Stacia, was the trade capital of the Indies and a free, neutral port. In 1776 Stacia was the first country to give a salute to an American Navy (rebel) ship. This led to war between Holland & England



A guest joins our dinner table in Stacia
And then down Island to Nevis. Nevis is a very pretty island with a great bar on the sand called Sunshine's Bar & Grill - they are famous for a rum drink called a "Killer Bee" and boy does it sting.
And then on to: Antigua

A steel band and picnic- Shirley Heights, English Harbor, Antigua


The view from Shirley Heights down to the anchorage.


One of our favorite "old" bars -English Harbor