Martinique & Dominica

Lunch time in Martinique on Grand Anse, St. Anne.

Grocery shopping in the French islands is always a treat.  Notice the baguette!

A great lunch spot in St. Pierre, Martinique.  Luckily the volcano wasn't erupting.

Beach day at St. Anne, Martinique for the girls (Maria, Dawn (Cat Tales), Lorna (Peace & Plenty) and Michele (Tarentella)

Even the guys had a beach day (Captain Steve, Al (Tarentella), Laurie (Cat Tales) and Brian (Peace & Plenty)

Maria and Dawn (Cat Tales) admiring the burned ruins from 1902 when the volcano buried St. Pierre, Martinique.  St. Pierre was once call the Paris of the Caribbean.

Just another happy hour with our sailing friends.

 Maria, Lorna (Peace & Plenty), Dawn (Cat Tales) and Captain Steve onboard Tarentella

Maria and Cindy (Sitatunga) on the hiking trail in Dominica.  You can see the steepness behind the girls!

Captain Steve and Laurie (Cat Tales) trying to figure out where they were and where the next Boa might be hiding!

Boa that Captain Steve leaped over!!!!

S/Y Aspen – February 17, 2016 – Log #139
Aspen Position: 15 degrees 34’ N  061 degrees 27’ W
Portsmouth, Dominica

Two Islands, one very French and the other:  The Nature Island of Dominica; one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean.

There is great food, French wine and cheeses and beautiful beaches throughout the flower island of Martinique.  Every morning I bring a hot baguette to Maria after my run through the bucolic countryside, as she waits patiently for my return and the start of breakfast.  What a way to begin another day in the tropics.

The hiking trails on Martinique are well marked with beachside restaurants to greet us after a long walk amongst the sparkling white sand beaches.

Sailing north to the next island brings a completely different experience.  English speaking Dominica welcomes with open arms, hoping we will stay a while and enjoy nature on its’ own terms amidst smiling local faces.

The Waioukubuli National Trail traverses the length of the island, over 100 miles, and is the longest trail system in the Caribbean.  Most of the trail is rated moderate to difficult, as we completed Segment #12 this year with our Canadian sailing friends, Dawn and Laurie (Cat Tales), Cindy and Don (Sitatunga) and Gilbert and Diana (Serenada).

During our 5 hour hike of only 6 miles we came across a Boa Constrictor, vast fields of callilou, root crops, bananas, plantains, oranges, and quite a few other tropical delicacies. 

Boa Constrictor???  Oh yes, it was a big one at about 5 feet in length.  Luckily Captain Steve was leading the group and stepped over a large log.  As his foot hit the ground, what happened to look at his tasty shoe?  Boa!

It has been quite a while since Captain Steve used his basketball jumping skills but they came into good use once again.

Mr. Boa slowly slipped away, taking no interest in our group of hikers, luckily.  Whew.

The steep ups and downs of the trail made for good laughs, once we found an establishment at the end that served refreshments.

That is just another example how we spend our time in the tropics aboard Aspen.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

Entertainment in St. Lucia

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, where Aspen is enjoying some time this winter.

Happy hour in St. Lucia with some of our sailor friends (the boats are:  Cat Tales, Stopp Knot, Little Wing, Ventoso, Golden Fleece, Sitatunga, Silk Pajamas and Vision Quest)

One of our hikes in St. Lucia went to the old fort and eventually to the top of the peak in the distance.  If you notice, it is a very hot and steep hike but the views are incredible.

Maria enjoying the views from the top of the peak, high above the fort.

Maria basking in the warm sunshine after her climb above the fort.

Steve holding a palm tree up along the shore of the Caribbean Sea.

The old fort on Pigeon Island

This cannon is a little bigger than the one at our house in Colorado!

It looks like party time in Rodney Bay with the anchored boats and airborne jet!

S/Y Aspen – January 31, 2016 – Log #138
Aspen Position: 14 degrees 04’ N  060 degrees 56’ W
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

The sailors in the Rodney Bay, St. Lucia received a call for assistance on their VHF radios one afternoon while many of us seemed to be enjoying a lazy day on our boats, Aspen included.

It seems a Hobie Cat from Sandals Resort was headed out to sea without anyone on it.  Well, there had been two people on the Hobie Cat but now they were floating in the water some distance away, wearing their life jackets, as the unmanned Cat enjoyed a fast sail westward.

Several sailors went to retrieve the wayward Hobie Cat as another sailor rescued the two people floating in the sea, unharmed but not happy.

It seems the happy couple was sailing the Hobie Cat in the Bay when the husband/boyfriend decided it would be fun to push his wife/girlfriend overboard.  The wife/girlfriend was very quick witted and grabbed the husband/boyfriend and drug him overboard with her, leaving the stunned husband/boyfriend to ponder what idiotic thing he had just done.

It turned out no one at Sandals Resort seemed to be paying attention to the departing Hobie Cat nor the floating people.

Luckily a sailor in the anchorage was watching the activities and called for help. 

These are the antics we sailors love to watch, as long as they turn out alright.  You gotta love it.

Aspen is off to another island this week, Martinique, as the winds and waves rule our lives.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

Also, our book, Voyage Into Hell, is available at Amazon.com

Sailing Slowly North

Aspen at Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia.  We are back on the grid!

The mega-yacht Venus.  Designed by Steve Jobs of Apple fame.

The front view of Venus, a floating city.

The recycling area at Rodney Bay Marina.  Isn't it nice?  When the truck appears to haul the trash and recyclables away everything goes together into the same truck of course.  So much for that concept!

The start of the World ARC around the world voyage.  Several of our friends will be back in a couple of years when they finish!

Jeremy and his wife Janis from the sailboat Raylah who we last saw in French Polynesia in 2010 appeared in St. Lucia.  It was great to catch up with them.

Our friends Charlie and Anina from the sailboat Prism who were with us watching the start of the World ARC out in Rodney Bay.

The new party boat, the Pearl, at the dock in St. Lucia.  The previous party boat, Brig Unicorn, sank on the way to St. Vincent 2 years ago and was replaced.  Watch out when you are out sailing here!

Some of the party crowd on the Pearl in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.

This is Duco on the sailboat Briet.  He sailed on his boat with us from Panama to Australia to complete his circumnavigation.  Now he is back in the Caribbean before continuing onward.


S/Y Aspen – January 18, 2016 – Log #137
Aspen Position: 14 degrees 04’ N  060 degrees 56’ W
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

We had a really nice sail from Bequia, past the volcano on the north end of St. Vincent (notorious for nasty weather) and then alongside the Pitons on St. Lucia to our final destination of Rodney Bay on the north end of St. Lucia.

Aspen sailed well enough to pass 2 catamarans too!  If we get the wind on our beam Aspen can rock and roll just fine, thank you.

Rodney Bay is a center for sailors from all over the world and the place where Aspen and her crew finished their circumnavigation in December 2013 if you remember.  It is a great place to visit.

We are surrounded by sailors from The Caribbean, France, Germany, Poland, Israel, Holland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Australia, England, Canada and of course the USA.  It is a potpourri of nationalities to say the least.  Figuring out what anyone might be saying is quite a challenge too with the different accents.  But we all get by and the beer and rum flows nightly on the Boardwalk in the marina.

I forgot to mention that our favorite mega-yacht, Venus, is also here.  The ship is massive and lights up the entire harbor during the night with their deck lights.  If only Steve Jobs could see her now.

There was a gathering of sailors one evening onboard the Pearl, a replica pirate ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie fame.  At least 50 people enjoyed telling sea stories and the rum and beer flowed freely.  Such is the life of wayward sailors in these little latitudes during our sailing season.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

Christmas in the Caribbean

Merry Christmas from Carriacou, Caribbean!

Christmas party in Carriacou with Steve, Dawn, Brian, Maria, Lorna and Laurie.

Carriacou anchorage.  Aspen is in the center of the picture with the two sails in front of the mast.

Maria enjoying being on land.

S/Y Aspen – December 23, 2015 – Log #135
Aspen Position: 12 degrees 27’ N  061 degrees 29’ W
Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, Caribbean

It’s Christmas in the Caribbean where we’ve got everything but SNOW.

Palm trees bend in 25 knots of wind while three foot waves in our anchorage pound against Aspen’s clean and well washed hull from all the rain squalls erupting overhead.  Ahhh, the tropics don’t get much better than this.

They are called Christmas Winds for a reason down in these little latitudes and that is what we now have here in Carriacou, West Indies. 

It is a festive time nonetheless.  We shelve our log book for a Merry Christmas where sailors revel on the dock and wish each other well along with a toast of rum to King Neptune.

Aspen sways on her anchor while Maria and I dance barefoot in the sand beneath the brilliant stars that brighten the night sky.  Well, Steve kind of dances but runners only pretend to know what they are doing.

Maybe it is just too much salt water on our brains, but you know, from Admiral Maria and Captain Steve:  Merry Christmas to one and all wherever you may be and we hope you have a joyous and festive holiday season.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

Also, our book, Voyage Into Hell is available at Amazon.com

Grenada; Island of the Spices

My friend Brent Weigner flew in from Wyoming to run the Grenada Marathon.  It is the 95th country he has run a marathon in.  What a runner!

Maria arriving at the Amerindian cave on Grenada.  Wow.

The north coast of Grenada at Petit Anse, looking northward.

Carib Rock art.  The boulder is approximately 10 feet high and lies along a river in the north part of Grenada.

Lunch break during our travels around Grenada with Laurie and Dawn (Cat Tales) and of course Maria.

The girls, Dawn and Maria, taking a break from boat work.

The guys, Laurie and Steve, also taking a well-deserved break from boat chores.

S/Y Aspen – December 14, 2015 – Log #134
Aspen Position: 12 degrees 02’ N  061 degrees 44’ W
St. Georges, Grenada, Caribbean

Aspen is floating, once again, in the warm turquoise waters of the southern Caribbean Sea. 

Maria and I arrived in Grenada, island of the spices, a little over a week ago from snowy and cold Colorado.  Clearing with the Customs man at the airport proved to be a non-issue for us, luckily.  The horror stories from other sailors did not bode well to easily transport our 2 large bags of parts past the watchful eyes of the tax man.

But we had a plan, of course.  Maria and I dressed as normal tourists and not as sailors, with our destination the nice upscale resort of Sandals (not really where we were going but it looked good on paper).  One look at us and hearing our intended destination the customs man could not get rid of us quickly enough.  No exorbitant duty fees were assessed nor were we hassled upon our arrival.  Success!

Seeing Aspen waiting for us on land again is always special.

The past 10 days have been a whirlwind of activity.  Aspen accumulated more dirt and mud on her usually sparkling decks than ever before.  Scrubbing, powering up the various systems, putting Aspen into the water and then motoring for 1.5 hours to a marina in St. Georges, Grenada kept us very busy.

The tropical heat caused Maria and I to move slowly until we became acclimated to living, working and sleeping in 85 degrees day in and day out.

We eventually caught up with our Canadian friends on Cat Tales, Dawn and Laurie, and shared a rum or two once again.

Maria and I desperately needed a break from all the work and rented a car to drive around the island, looking for elusive archaeological ruins and a nice place for lunch.  Of course Grenada is x-British so driving is a challenge with the cars built for English road rules and everything on the opposite side when compared with our North American driving skills.

The Cat Tales crew were persuaded to join us on our tour (Steve needed another set of eyes to help with the navigation too).

We saw an X on the map that said Amerindian cave so that became a priority on our tour, at least for Captain Steve.  The muddy, slippery road we had to walk down was a nice journey to find the elusive cave.  Unfortunately the old road ended and it was time to walk on an indistinct path through the bush and next to a very wet stream.

Luckily we found a local man named Dillon who was fishing in the stream with his mother.  Dillon became our guide and led us through the jungle, climbing a muddy, steep, semblance of a path and pulling Maria up as well before encountering an opening in the towering cliff above us.

The cave magically appeared and we were successful.  The cave was an excellent place for ancient peoples to live, along with bats that whizzed past our heads in the darkness.  Fire ants seemed to like the cave floor as evidenced by Maria and myself having our feet chewed on in the darkness.  For some reason Dawn and Laurie escaped their bites, luckily.

The cave was quite large with a second opening to the sky around a corner and further inside.  It was truly a magical place to find, thanks to our guide who deserved the tip both couples gave him when we were safely back on flat land again.

Petroglyphs (Carib rock art) were explored beside streams and beaches during our journey along with a great lunch on the north coast of Grenada.  We arrived back on Aspen before it was too dark; muddy and tired from a successful tour.

This new week will see Aspen sailing north to Carriacou, a larger island 20 miles to the north of Grenada proper.  It will be nice to be under sail again with the squalls, seas and strong winds pushing us on our way.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

(Also, our book "Voyage Into Hell" is available at Amazon.com)

Voyage Into Hell - Podcasts

I agreed to do a series of interviews about our sailing book, Voyage Into Hell. The discussions are a series of podcasts but luckily there is no video, just audio! 
If you are interested in hearing them the link is:
http://athleteonfire.com/voyage-into-hell/

Sail on, sail on Aspen...

Running the Colorado Trail

The Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Yes the sky is that blue at 12,500 feet!

Trying not to fall off the rocky trail.

Maria waiting for me at a remote trailhead.  She found me this time!

Yesterday (Monday), a blizzard of golden aspen leaves swirled around me as I tried to keep from flying off the rocky trail, high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  It was the last gasp before winter’s white glow envelops the high country and what a sight it was.  100 yards further I could see blue sky again and I hadn’t fallen off the steep trail, luckily.

I was running Segment #8 of the Colorado Trail when the winds stripped aspen leaves from their branches and hurled them at me.  Segment #8?  What does that mean?

I thought it would be a fun idea to run the Colorado Trail, across the width of Colorado, east to west.

The Colorado Trail is 486 miles of trails that begin near Denver and end in the western part of the state, in Durango.  Yes it is all on trails and the elevation is pretty high, 10,000 - 13,000 feet is common during any segment.  Segment #8 only went up to 12,500 feet but it was 26 miles long, counting getting lost trying to find the beginning of the trail at Copper Mountain ski area.  Geez, there are lots of trails among the ski lifts and access roads before finally finding the correct one.

Starting near Denver at the end of September I began with Segment #1, of course, before the
powers-that-be closed that Segment because of bear problems.  There are not problems with bears attacking humans but the Denver people decided that humans posed a problem to the bears because of trying to take ‘selfies’ with a bear in the picture.  You can’t fix stupid, is what I have heard.

So it is good to be a long way from Denver now, 120 miles to be exact, according to my GPS.  But the high country running season is at a close so I will need to come back next year and finish the run.

Maria is happy the high altitude runs are finished too.  She needs to find each ending point on a trail section and meet me, before I get eaten by something or hit by lightening storms.  That is a challenge sometimes.  Without a nice GPS display as we have on the boat, sometimes Maria’s navigation skills go a bit awry and I am left waiting for her to appear.  Who would have thought the highway would be closed for 3 hours, Maria explained to me?  Hmmm, it sounds like trying to have someone work on Aspen in a 3rd world country :)

And you thought we were taking it easy this summer?

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

(The book, Voyage Into Hell by Steve Siguaw can be found at Amazon.com too.)