Lots of Sailing

Maria sailing toward Dominica

We just had to post another picture of the sail to Dominica, in the winter time with no huge seas or high winds! Now that is unusual!!!

Maria and Michele on Tarentela during a hike in Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

Panoramic view of Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

The friendly customs house at Portsmouth, Dominica

Sunset in Portsmouth, Dominica with a couple tall ships too! Yes, there was a green flash that evening.

Aspen on a mooring in Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

Le Marin, Martinique.  Where the French fleet hangs out for the winter months!

Hiking on Martinique, near Ste. Anne.

Compare Martinique hiking with Dominica.  Dominica, the nature island!

I rarely post flower or plant pictures but this one from Dominica was just too stunning.

Daniel, our boat boy, rowing up the Indian River in Portsmouth, Dominica.

The voodoo ladies house in Pirates of the Caribbean, up the Indian River.  Or at least what is left of the house after the hurricanes of 2017.

Mural in Portsmouth, Dominica.  We love the colors!

The Cabrits in Portsmouth, Dominica.  It is a peaceful fort these days, unlike during times gone by.

Captain Steve in his normal position on the boat - fixing things!

Pigeon Island and Fort Rodney; Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

Happy Hour on Tarentela, our friends from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada (boats represented were Murdina, Peace Keeper, Dakota Dream and Aspen)

The brighter side of happy hour; Michele (Tarentela), Maria (Aspen), Kitty (Peace Keeper) and Tina (Murdina)

Hiking near St. Anne, Martinique on one of Anina's (Prism) death marches.

Holiday dinner hosted by Tarentela with a lot of happy sailors!

Just one happy hour after another, or so it seems!

Flashback to a party on Dakota Dream, although the owners of Dakota Dream were back in North Dakota so we kind of commandeered their vessel.

Tarentela and Al's shirt from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (not to be confused with that other village, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

 The admiral Maria cleaning, as usual, on Aspen

S/Y Aspen – February 7, 2019 – Log #162
Aspen Position: 14 degrees 04’ N  060 degrees 57’ W
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, Caribbean

Once holidays down in these little latitudes are finished, sailors take to the wind and head north or south depending on their dreams.

Aspen sailed her crew north to Dominica and then Iles des Saintes, part of Guadeloupe.  We can’t seem to stay away from the fantastic French islands for some reason.  It isn’t because of the rum since French rum doesn’t use molasses and tastes like jet fuel, except for the lethal and tasty ti-punch.

It must be the wine, cheeses and great hiking trails to secluded beaches that attracts us.

Dominica is always our favorite anchorage and this time was no different.  The Sunday night BBQ in Portsmouth is an all-you-can-eat affair complete with rum punch (made with 151 proof rum of course).

We took the Indian River tour once again but this time used Daniel, a very knowledgeable boat boy, proud of his Dominica heritage and island’s nature.  Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed in the Indian River but Johnny Depp is long departed.  Only traces of the voodoo lady remain.  There were no sightings of Sexy Bones this year.  He is still somewhere in the bush after last years’ devastating hurricanes.

We turned Aspen’s bow south and returned to St. Lucia where our ocean shipment of much needed parts will arrive sometime this week, or so we have been told.  A ship always needs a lot of TLC so this is the time we chose to do that kind of work.

Maria also gets her women’s’ only lunches where amps and volts cannot be mentioned!

Captain Steve gets to work on Aspen and run in the forest and beaches on the north end of the island, communing with nature or just trying to stay healthy, or something like that.

Aspen’s berth/slip in Rodney Bay Marina adjoins the charter boat fleets.  That gives us a lot of entertainment, most days, watching revelers find their charter boats and eventually sail away.  We’ve never seen so much food, rum and beer put onboard a boat as we have here.  It must be party time in the islands!

Toward the end of this month, Aspen and her crew should be repaired, rested and ready to head south to the Grenadines, among rainbows and clouds on the horizon.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

PS - You can track our voyages using this: https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/SYAspen
Also, our book, Voyage Into Hell, is available at Amazon.com

New Year in Martinique

 Happy Hour in Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia with sailing friends (Michele-Tarentela, Cindy-Sitatunga, Captain Steve-Aspen, Skip-Peace Keeper, John-Stop Knott, Al-Tarentela, Dan-Sitatunga, Fred-Dakota Dream, Admiral Maria-Aspen and Kitty-Peace Keeper)

 Christmas Eve celebrations on Dakota Dream with sailor friends - Hmmm, there seem to be lots of parties in the tropics for some reason!

 Aspen at anchor in Ste. Anne, Martinique waiting for the New Year!  Yes, this is a drone shot.

Soufriere volcano on St. Lucia - also known as the drive in volcano since you can drive right into the caldera.  Yes, it is a dormant volcano that will erupt again in the future.  Wonder when that will be! 

Drone picture of Rodney Bay, St. Lucia and all the anchored sailboats

Bubbling sulfur springs at the Soufriere volcano on St. Lucia. Maria is with Skip and Kitty from Peace Keeper.  The boiling sulfur mud is supposed to be good for you?!?

Pigeon Island, St. Lucia with anchored boats in the background.  This was another drone picture where Captain Steve nearly lost the drone because of a slight mis-calculation of how far he could fly away and return safely when flying into the gusty trade winds!  Luckily everything turned out ok with 5% battery life remaining.

Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia.  A very nice place to spend time when not sailing!

New Year's Eve celebration with sailor friends on Dakota Dream in Ste. Anne, Martinique.  Shown are Mike (Jack Fish-Orange shirt), Sandy-Dakota Dream, Michele-Tarentela, Captain Steve-Aspen, Dan-Sitatunga, Charlie-Prism, Anina-Prism, Cindy-Sitatunga, Admiral Maria-Aspen and Fred-Dakota Dream.

Sunrise on New Year's Day, Ste. Anne Martinique with the ever-present rainbows Martinique is famous for.  Yes, it rains a lot in Martinique!


S/Y Aspen – January 1, 2019 – Log #161
Aspen Position: 14 degrees 25’ N  060 degrees 53’ W
Ste. Anne, Martinique, Caribbean

Holidays in the Caribbean are a whirlwind of activities.  Fireworks light the night sky as restaurants cater to the sailing crowd.  Then there are the beach pot lucks and land based buffets to keep everyone well fed and happy.

In the French islands the holiday store closings are brief and not nearly as extensive as the x-British islands.  That is a good thing because boats always need much needed parts to keep them working, especially around the holiday season when boats have a tendency to break at the most inopportune times.

Boat hopping for Christmas cheer, rum and meals is the order of the day, instead of sailing during this time of year.  Of course during the day there are hikes with cafe stops along the way for everyone to enjoy. 

Now it is time to rest and recuperate before sailing off to the next destination among the rainbows and clouds on the horizon.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

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

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

S/Y Aspen – December 20, 2018 – Log #160

Aspen Position: 14 degrees 25’ N  060 degrees 53’ W

Saint Anne, Martinique, Caribbean

We’ve steered our course to be in Martinique for the Christmas season, with a few other sailor friends.  Sandy beaches, bright sunshine along with a good dose of sailor’s tales to keep us entertained ‘neath the starry night sky.

Ah yes, our thoughts are also with our family and friends so far away during these holidays as we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

Steve and Maria

You can follow out track using this site: https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/SYAspen

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

Sweet Bequia Once Again

 We're sailing on the Catamaran Dakota Dream with our friend Fred Johnson to Molinere Beauséjour Marine underwater park near St. Georges, Grenada to do some snorkeling.  Maria notices a catamaran sails a bit differently than Aspen.

Suiting up for some nice snorkeling at Molinere Beauséjour Marine park, Grenada with Fred.

About 25 feet down we tried to make new friends.

This is the famous ring of underwater statutes at Molinere Beauséjour Marine park near St. Georges, Grenada.

A busy Saturday market in St. Georges, Grenada

Maria walking the harbour with the fishing fleet in St. Georges, Grenada

Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.  The sailors have arrived for the season!

Wonder if this burro on Carriacou would like to do some burro racing, Colorado style?

That is Aspen we are headed toward

Port Louis Marina, St. Georges, Grenada.  Aspen is at the red arrow.

The view from Mac's Pizza on Sweet Bequia, St. Vincent/Grenadines

Mac's famous lobster pizza, Bequia, SVG

 Taking the ferry from Bequia to the mainland, St. Vincent

Our friends on Peace Keeper, Kitty and Skip, traveled on the ferry with us to St. Vincent

Aspen in Admiralty Bay, Bequia, SVG.  Aspen is in the center of the picture.

Ottley Hall boatyard, St. Vincent.  This is the leeward coast of St. Vincent.

 Maria exploring Fort Charlotte overlooking Kingstown, St. Vincent

Another petroglyph on St. Vincent.  Notice the nice lady keeping the dog under control for us!  Our taxi is the white van in the background.

Maria enjoying a mid-morning snack of salt fish and breadfruit in St. Vincent.  That is a popular local dish.

Layou petroglyph, St. Vincent

 "Cleaning crew" on St. Vincent.  The locals are cleaning up many areas before the Christmas holidays.

 Kingstown, St. Vincent market street.  There is so much shopping here!

 Layou petroglyph and the stream where the rock resides

The intrepid explorer, Steve, checking out the Layou petroglyph

S/Y Aspen – December 1, 2018 – Log #159
Aspen Position: 13 degrees 00’ N  061 degrees 14’ W
Bequia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Caribbean

Dropping our dock lines at Port Louis Marina, Grenada is always a thrill.  That means we are out sailing again!

After a brisk sail north, we stopped in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou so Admiral Maria could visit the small fish market to find conch (lambi). 

At a cost of less than $2 a conch it is a great deal, especially since the conch are fresh, cleaned and ready to cook.

Cracked conch is how Maria prepared the lambi and we had a veritable feast.  First you viciously beat the conch meat to tenderize it followed by soaking the lambi in lime sauce.  Maria then coats the lambi with an egg and Bread crumb mixture before frying it. 

The Bahamas is known for their conch but down here in the southern Caribbean, conch is also a staple of many local diets.  It is fantastic to say the least!

Captain Steve also wanted to get a haircut and that always keeps Maria entertained, watching the local barber cut Steve’s “kind of hair”.

Landfall in sweet Bequia was next on our journey after leaving Carriacou.  Mac’s pizza is still THE place to have lobster pizza.  Every mouthful of pizza contains a big piece of local langusta (lobster).

Bequia is known for their model boat building, a place to have sail or canvas work done for the boat and the best vibe in the southern Caribbean.  Laid back is a good word for the anchorage in Admirality Bay, Bequia. 

Sailor friends of ours are scattered throughout the anchorage and catching up with them is a great way to watch the days float by. 

Bequia is also a great place to hike and explore with distant islands visible in the far distance, white sand beaches to bury our toes and an occasional tropical rum drink to quench our thirst.

The Bequia Express ferry took us to the mainland, Kingstown St. Vincent with a 1 hour ferry ride.  We usually don’t take Aspen to the mainland because of “security issues” and the ferry makes the trip with a lot less effort against the nasty seas and winds.

Why did we want to visit the mainland?  To see rocks of course!  Well, actually ancient petroglyphs from Amerindian (Kalinago) times.

St. Vincent is not a tourist island.  There is so much potential for tourism but the locals just don’t seem to embrace having lots of foreigners invading their island. 

As we walked through the crowded Friday market, no one gave us a second look, even though it was obvious we were not one of them.  That was a pleasant surprise, to be treated just like everyone else and not singled out for special treatment.

The petroglyphs were spectacular and well worth the visit too, even though the St. Vincent culture made our visit very special.

Sail on, sail on Aspen…

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