Montserrat, Les Saintes, Dominica

Past few weeks have had Victoria and I island hopping down the Leeward Islands. Our trip has been relatively uneventful, weather cooperative, with many wonderful and magical sites of the islands. Each island is unique to itself, with its own personality. Montserrat was particularly incredible with its active volcano. The local population seems to take it in stride! Hiking to the top of the lookout overlooking Les Saintes was amazing. Past few days we have been in Dominica, where the terrain is the most rugged I've seen anywhere short of the Grand Canyon. Waterfalls, hot springs and cool river pools. Ferns as big as trees! And of course, the little critters abound. Next stop...Martinique.
BTW, Victoria is also keeping a blog, and you can find her blog at: www.aboardthebelami.blogspot.com

Hello all, greetings from Bel Ami Voyages. Been a while since I last communicated. Life has a way of movin on whether you are on board or not. Currently hanging on the hook at Village Cay Marina, Island of Tortola. Dave Gibson, marine electrician extrodinaire who I met while on the hard in Nanny Cay, spent the afternoon successfully trouble shooting my marine radio (ICOM 802 Single Sideband). Man’s a genius with electronics!! My crew Victoria is currently cooking up our dinner as I type this: Blackened ahi tuna, polenta with beans, and salad. OK…, with Victoria onboard, I’m not going hungry!!! We are en route to St. Martin, waiting for a good weather window to cross the Anegada Passage. Weather has been less than cooperative lately, and we have found ourselves sailing in 30 knots winds on the nose…not very pleasant. Next few days things should improve.

Lots has happened since Carnival in St. Thomas in May (see post below). Bel Ami was hauled out at Nanny Cay for refit (check out the pics above…especially the ac unit in the aft stateroom hatch!). Took all of 3 weeks, during which time I enjoyed the Nanny Cay facilities to the max, including some great open Mics at the local bar (imagine, me an accordion rock and roll star!). Made some good friends along the way, especially Johnny Wallis, who invited me up to one of the most spectacular houses on Tortola. Ah….the lives of the rich and famous! Actually just called Johnny, and he and friends are at the bar at Village Cay, so I’ll soon wrap this up and join him for a few!!!

Towards the end of my stay at Nanny Cay, spent a long weekend partying with the Aqua Action crowd at Jost Van Dyke. Diane and Sam were wonderful hosts, and Ivan’s Stress Free Bar was the place to be for that weekend.

End of May I picked up my crew Victoria, and for the past month we have been making preparations to sail south for Hurricane season. Our plan is to visit many of the islands of the Lesser Antilles on our way to Trinidad and Venezuela. In the meantime, we spent time at honeymoon bay, Leinster Bay, Cruz Bay for the steel drum concert, and took some great pictures (see slide show above).

I am also in process of creating a charter boat company so that when I return to the Virgins in the fall I will begin chartering Bel Ami…stay tuned for details. Speaking of Charters, I had my first “official” charter with very much in-love honeymooners Sam and Cody, who spent much of the day sailing with us. We dropped them off in Cruz Bay and picked them up in Reef Bay after they hiked down the Reef Bay trail. Sam and Cody, best wishes for a glorious life together!

Carnival St. Thomas!

Carnival St. Thomas!
On May 1st Captain Bob White and famous Hula Mary joined me on Bel Ami and we sailed from the east end of St. Thomas to Charlotte Amalie for Carnival. Flew the kite (cruising spinnaker) most of the way with great success (sail didn’t get fouled, nobody got hurt….). After a wonderful sail, we spent the day in town negotiating the crowds, heat, noise…but eventually ended up in Glady’s Café in the AC with closed circuit TV! Also ran into St. Thomas friends Dave, Lynne, Bert, Mis-sea, Bobby and Sherry. Later in the afternoon, we went back to Bel Ami which was anchored nearby, had a great dinner onboard complete with fantastic fireworks. Was a day to remember!

Turks and Caicos to Culebra (Spanish Virgin Islands)

Its been about 1 year since Bel Ami sailed into Ensenada Honda, the well protected anchorage on the Island of Culebra. Things haven't changed too much since last here! Ha!!! Victoria from Toronto joined Phil and I onboard on April 4th, flying into Provo in the Turks and Caicos. The three of us sailed Bel Ami southeast 185 miles to Samana Bay on the northeastern end of the Dominican Republic. This was a 2 nite passage that saw winds gusting up to 30 knots and heavy seas which pounded Bel Ami unmercilessly. Finally reaching Samana Bay was a welcome respite from the weather. We found good internet access in the local Chinese restaurant up on the hill overlooking the bay, ate Dominican Chop Suey (making sure there were lots of dogs and cats around the neighborhood...come to think of it, there were lots of dogs but no cats...!) as we continued to monitor the weather, waiting for the weather to allow us further passage east. After about a week of waiting, Phil decided not to wait any longer and flew back to Wisconsin. A couple days later we got our weather window and Victoria and I shoved off 4 AM Wed morning the 14th of April with a favorable (albeit rough) forecast calling for northerly winds 15-25 knots, and sailed about 240 nautical miles bound for St. Thomas, crossing the Mona Passage and the northern coast of Puerto Rico. Bel Ami flew like a freight train. We hoped to arrive in St. Thomas by Thursday evening, but decided to divert to Culebra to arrive at safe anchorage before dark. And so here we are, enjoying and exploring Culebra while we wait another few days for good weather to sail on to the US and British Virgin Islands. Victoria flies back to Toronto on April 25 from St. Thomas, and Bel Ami is due to get hauled out for bottom job and insurance survey. Never a dull moment!!

Phil and Patty in the Bahamas to Turks and Caicos

Oh, what a time it was...
Phil, Patty and I converged back to the Bahamas in Georgetown on March 23. Phil flew in from Wisconsin, Patty from New York, and me from Florida. Said goodbye to Georgetown bound for St. Thomas via Turks and Caicos. We did some island hopping to Long Island, Conception Island, back to Long Island/Clarencetown, then 30 hours overnight to Provo. Patty, who had never been at sea before, was a real trooper!! On the way caught a Mahi as well as a Big Eyed Tuna, so we ate VERY WELL!! Patty flew to Toronto on April 1st for her Dad's 70th b-day, and we pick up new crew from Toronto (Victoria) tomorrow, who plans to be onboard for 3 weeks. Phil's time onboard is indefinite at this point--might be turning him into a real sailor!! Although 80 degree temps in Madison are beckoning him. Last nite Phil and I watched Master and Commander on the big screen (53 inch by 37 inch) and pigged out on pop corn. Weather is here, wish you were beautiful (huh???!!!)--

To Bimini and Back

Finally made it to Bimini to visit friends from Wisconsin Layne and Joan. Friend Larry Stange left his wife Kitty on their boat Saildreamer in Marathon and decided at the last minute to fly over to Bimini and join me for several weeks. In Bimini we had an absolute blast making new friends, including Dave Keppert who was visiting Layne and Joan as well as the owners of a great bar restaurant hotel The Thirsty Turtle, Brent and Jo-an ( who was dancing on the bar at the Beach Bar for Kareoke!). Then Larry and I sailed Bel Ami back to Nassau on a full moon over the banks--was very cool. Boat sailed like a freight train and we made it in record time. In Nassau I showed Larry around Paradise Island and the Atlantis resort, and bribed a couple of cuties to take a picture with Larry. Larry also ate conch salad despite the fact that it is so healthy for you. Ended the day with me posing with some cutie posters. Great fun all and all. Tomorrow we head south to the Exumas.

Bahamian National Police Marching Band!!

The night before weighing anchor to Nassau, we went ashore for the Georgetown x-mass tree lighting ceremonies. The highlight of the evening was the Bahamas National Police Force Marching Band. Made me want to pick up the glocenspeil and start hammering away on the keys again!! They were terrific! Also great were some of the young Bahamian youth dancers. Made me remember the times when I chaperoned the Kanopy Youth ensemble to Wales with Kristi. Much of the local population of Great Exuma Island turned out for this auspicious occasion. Topped the evening off by trying some of the local chicken soup, otherwise known as Sousa. Delicious!!! Unfortunately, was a very wet dingy ride back across Elizabeth Harbor to Bel Ami. Oh well, thats whats its all about!

Georgetown to Staniel Cay

The time has finally come to depart Georgetown Bahamas to head to Nassau to meet friends and family for x-mass and New Years. The morning of our departure I checked the main engine coolant, which seemed to be overly filled and brackish colored. Hadn’t flushed the cooling system in forever, so it was time to flush and refill. That brought us back into town for a trip to get the coolant, where we had to hitchhike in the back of a picktruck to get to the store. Back to the boat, I finished the job, and then Casey and Stephanie sailed by on their way down island. We set sailed by mid afternoon, and overnighted at Black Cay. Had a fabulous dinner of steaks and potatoe pancakes, ymmmmmm. Then sailed the next day to Staniel Cay. Went to the SC marina last nite, and the dingy area was filled with friendly sharks and sting rays. Bad weather has been expected, so we are now holed up in the Thunderball Cove on a very secure mooring ball to wait out the weather. It is starting to blow pretty hard, but still very sunny skies. Very Happy to be here!! In the process this morning of baking some French bread. My rye bread attempt came out like a brick! Oh well…

Claudia from Romania!

On Monday, Dec 7 I was joined by crewmember Claudia who hails from Vancouver (by way of Ireland/Guam/Japan/Romania). Claudia is a consummate sailor with an incredible passion for living a life on the oceans of the world. She was enthralled by finding a couple conch shells on the beach, as the photo shows. Later in the week friend Bob Cronin had a “party from India” for a few friends (see previous blog). The food was fabulous as was the entertainment: 4 beautiful belly dancers. The ladies had practiced their routine for about a month prior to the party, and led by Louisa, they put on quite a show. Not to be outdone, the men then quickly organized their own belly dance of sorts, the results of which Michele went all out!! (or just about all undressed!!) A wonderful time was had by all. Crewmember Claudia has become a wonderful friend and companion and will remain onboard through the Christmas and New Years season, after which she will be making further passages on the oceans of her life. She came up with the great idea of throwing an open boat party for my birthday tomorrow (Monday, Dec 14—I turn 59!!), and we spent the better part of the day creating invites and distributing them by dingy to all the cruising boats in the harbor. I get to play accordion to my hearts content! Afterwards, we will be weighing anchor, and will sail from Georgetown bound to Nassau for their great x-mass Junkanoo celebration.

Bob's India Party

Has been a most interesting week. Friend Claudia (from Romania by way of Ireland, Japan, and Victoria BC) came aboard as crew, and will be sailing on Bel Ami for the next month or so. We were invited to a great party the other nite, and as you can see for yourself in the pictures below, a good time was had by all. Several of the guys decided for an impromptu response to the ladies belly dancing. As you can imagine, the guys won the show!!

Sam and Diane's Wedding

The highlight of my trip to St. Thomas was Sam and Diane's wedding. They were married by Rick the Pirate. When they got to the part of the wedding ceremony where Rick the pirate asked if anyone objected to this marriage, Rick quickly pulled out his Blunderbuss pistol and threated to shoot anyone who spoke up! Also included in the pictures below is a big Wahoo that was caught by a local fellow. He keeps his boat in front of Sam and Diane's diveshop. I guess the fish reminded me a little of Sam, now that he has been hook, line and sinkered!!

Meeting up with St. Thomas friends

Gayle, Sarah and Joe picked me up at the airport, and we drove into town and had dinner at Betsey'. Met Larry and Brie and their newborn Jack, who is going to be a great sailor like his Dad and grand-dad. Nice picture of Jollymon at the mooring near the cruise ship dock.

Staying on the Jonny Boat

While in St. Thomas working and attending Sam and Diane's wedding, my good buddy Gerard graciously opened his home to me. His home is in the Mangroves of the Lagoon, not far from where I used to keep the Bel Ami. His faithful companion, Mary Ann, is a large poodle who I got to be friends with. Not to mention Gerard's cat, who I fed from time to time. Being in the Mangroves was quite an experience, what with all the no-see-ums, misquitos and palmetto bugs (GIANT roaches). But, alas, I adapted, and a good time was had by all.

Back to Wisconsin, BRRRRRRR!

Back to Wisconsin for work the last week of October, and it was COLD!! BRRRRRR!! Below are some pictures of what the weather was doing when I got to my car on a Friday afternoon in Eau Claire. Driving back to Madison that day was like being in a Blizzard! Give me the tropics, PLEASE!!

Endings and Beginnings

My Mom died the other day. Doing what she loved to do, shopping! And with her passing goes a woman with incredible spirit, love and affection. We will all miss her, especially her cooking. 83 years young, Mom never knew how to stop going. Despite lots of pain and discomforts as she got older, she persevered and always got the job done. Her most recent accomplishment: Senior Volunteer of the Year Award near her summer home in the Catskills. Mom, I miss you very, very much. We all do.

Conception Island, Bahamas

This past week Gayle and I sailed from Georgetown to Conception Island. Conception Island is a remote place about a days sail from Georgetown. It is a Bahamas national park, and therefore relatively pristine. As you will see from the pictures below, there were plenty of "groceries" to be had, including a 20 pound Nassau Grouper that was the biggest fish we have speared on the trip. The freezer on the boat is packed with fish we have shot, and we are enjoying it immensely. We are now back in Georgetown hunkered down for some windy weather, and keeping a careful eye out for storms.

Change of Plans

They say the only thing you can count on is change. Well, we have had a change of plans. We've enjoyed the Bahamas so much that we have decided not to sail up to New England this summer, but rather stay in the Bahamas. As I write this I am in New York visiting my family, and Gayle is in Massachusetts attending her family reunion. We decided to fly up rather than sail up. Bel Ami is tucked in nicely in a hurricane hole on a mooring in Georgetown. We spend our days sailing and exploring. There is so much to see and do: swimming, diving, spearfishing, conch gathering, hiking, playing with the dolphins, swimming with pigs (yes!), scrabble, watching movies. Gayle's friend Mike, who has lived in the Bahamas on his sailboat Silent Flight for years, has been serving as a wonderful activity guide. Currently our plan is to remain in the Bahamas until after hurricane season, and then sail the boat back to the Virgin Islands to reconnect with family and friends down there.

Voyaging through the Bahamas

Greetings to all!
We are finally voyaging through the Bahamas, en route to New England for the summer. Actually, as I am writing this Gayle and I are overnighting near the Miami airport en route back to St. Thomas for a week of work for me. I have already made one work week trip back to Wisconsin end of May and will probably return for another Wisconsin work week early in August. Our voyage thus far has been fabulous and without serious mishap. We left St. Thomas beginning of May, and have sailed as far north as Cat Island in the "Far Out" Bahamas. The boat is currently on a mooring in a small "hurricane hole" near Georgetown, Great Exuma Island while we travel back to St. Thomas. Enjoy the pics!!!

Time to Shove Off!

The time has finally come to leave St. Thomas. At the end of March Admiral Gayle and I (aka Davey can eat it!) plan to shove off. First stop Puerto Rico, then Turks and Cacos, Bahamas, Bermuda, with the goal of sailing past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River in July to visit friends and family. After that, who knows!! Been busy with final preparations: solar panels, wind generator, chart plotter, satellite internet/email/phone, dingy, anchors and ground tackle, screens, new cruising foresail, new chain counter, cabin fans, paper charts and guides, spare parts... whew, thats enough! Gayle is ready to throw all my issues of Practical Sailor away! Stay tuned...

Phil's Playmates on Bel Ami!

In January Phil and friends Brenna and Andrea came sailing on Bel Ami. Admiral Gayle and myself (Captain Doctor Accordian Guy Dave) had ourselves a fine time hosting Phil and his lovelies. We feasted like royalty, having almost all meals on board, and danced our socks off at the Willie T and Foxies. Phil and I dived the Wreck of the Rhone, and we all snorkled incessantly everywhere we could. Ferocious looking barracuda intimidated the girls all along the way, but the girls managed to survive without a bite.