Summer 2019 through April 2021

As we attempt to catch up a bit, hang on, things will jump around a bit. 

As we announced in our last blog entry over a year ago, plans change and with the announced arrival of a new grandchild Cove, and we decided to head back to New England instead of continuing into the western Caribbean or over to Europe (now with Covid we're happy we didn't). We're going to backtrack a bit and cross back over some dates......In late May 2019 we arrived back in the States at St Augustine with the goal of meeting up with Tim's dad Norm. Tim started sailing with his dad when he was a five year old and they have sailed together over the past five decades. It turned out in additional Norm's partner Mila, Tim's brothers Michael and Ted also joined in. We docked Skylark at the Marker 8 Marina and Hotel which worked out great to have the boat right outside the rooms where family were staying. Norm would stroll down the dock, knock on the side of Skylark saying "I'm here, where's the cold beer".

Newly licensed Captain Tim greets Norm at the Marker 8 Marina & Hotel. May 2019

One of Norm's wishes in his 90th year was to get to swim in the ocean. We got him to the water several times over the summer travels.   

Tim's brother Michael on the right, and if that's Norm in the middle, who is the older fellow on the left..... oops, that's Tim in the middle and Norm on left. 

A 

A daily event at the Marker 8 Marina during the outgoing tide was the masses of Hardhead Catfish that would pile up in the marina slips. Apparently the fish have a spines on their fins that are covered with a venomous slime, so handle them carefully. 

Arriving in NYC after slipping out of a pea soup fog; no fun hearing, but not seeing, fast commuter ferries moving past Skylark at 30 knots.  The passage north from St Augustine via Beaufort, NC, Norfolk, NC to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, went smoothly. 

   

Skylark anchored in "The Narrows" between Strongs Neck and Oldfield Point in Setauket/Port Jefferson on Long Island. Diane considered this one of the most lovely private anchorages we have enjoyed during our cruise. Tim spent his High School years living on Strongs Neck and sailing throughout Long Island Sound. It's always a joy to visit old stomping grounds. June 2019

We met up with Norm and Mila again in Newport, RI and they spent a night on board at a lovely gunkhole anchorage behind Gooseberry Island within an hour of Newport.

Time to get the liferaft recertified. Getting ready to pull the inflation lanyard to see what's inside. On our way Downeast to Belfast, ME we stopped into Portland to drop off our liferaft at Chase Leavett to get the raft inspected and recertified. Technically these rafts require annual recertification, but due to the cost, many sailors recertify every 5-10 years. This raft was last certified in 2013.  

Our 6-man offshore life raft inflated with all the gear that is stuffed inside: flares, flashlights, batteries, fishing gear, water packets, seasick pills, etc. It was great to see the quality of the raft construction and also the condition which looked like new even though it has been strapped on the foredeck of Skylark since 2013.  

Diane with four year old grand twins Suzy and Reed exploring a beach in Belfast Harbor, ME.
August 2019

Ok here's another time warp coming 

January 2021 DK - As I sit here on Skylark watching the turtles of varying sizes pop their heads above the waterline for a brief hello I realize it has been over a year  and a half since we have made a blog entry. Much has happened in that time, some celebratory and some not so celebratory but all surprisingly familiar to us as we age.

As most of you are aware we sailed back from the Bahamas in the spring of 2019 for the birth of baby Cove, August 21 2019. He is an absolutely joyous addition to our lives, words can not express how appreciative we are for the gift of his presence. It is so exciting to have a third grandchild in our family and to watch our capable children raise these smart ever curious offspring.  We spent a glorious month in Sheep’s Head Bay, Brooklyn, NY helping Kelsey and Bryan with the new baby, Cove. We're also grateful we have all the electronic communications to keep us connected with family and friends during our travels.

In late October 2019 we headed back south to Hampton, VA via Edgewater, MD where we stayed a week with sailor friends Jerry and Lynne Hoot on their dock next to their 43 ft. Bristol, Albertross. Like some many friends we have met during our sailing adventures, they were kind, generous, humorous, and entertaining. We're sure many of these friendships will be lifelong. We arrived in Hampton, VA mid-October to join the Salty Dawg Rally to Antiqua wich departed the first week in November. Our Kittery ME friends and fellow sailors Rob and Sally accepted our invitation to join us on Skylark for the passage to Antigua. We arrived in Antigua salty and tired after 12 days of variable and often adverse winds feeling like we were sailing to Africa and not the Caribbean at times. We learned much from each other and certainly deepened our friendships as we were challenged by the offshore passage.  We were sad to have them leave as we had all found a comfortable daily rhythm on Skylark.

 Much to our surprise Tim’s dad Norm and his partner Mila arrived in English Harbor, Antigua three days after our arrival! We had a super time entertaining them both, highlighted by a three day cruise on Skylark. 

In February of 2020 it became evident that Norm's health was slowly failing and that a visit home was in order. We left Skylark on a mooring in Grenada where we were having canvas work completed and flew into JFK Airport, NYC. We stayed in Brooklyn for a few days visiting grandson Cove and his family, then drove to NH to see Norm and Mila. One evening Norm fell and broke his hip. Since following hip surgery he would be in rehab recovering for approximately two months, our plan was to return to Grenada to sail Skylark back to New England as quickly as possible so we could care for Norm once he got out of rehab. We returned to fly out of JFK enjoying our last day with Cove at an outdoor cafe on March 11, 2020. We were all certainly aware that the corona virus was affecting may people in a limited number of communities worldwide but we had no idea what was about to happen. The world as we knew it suddenly changed on Friday, March 13,  a day after we flew from JFK back to Grenada. 

As with everywhere else in the world, things started to get weird in Grenada; beaches were off limits and shore provisioning access restrictions were next. It was time to start our journey north. We traveled 3000 miles in 16 sailing days stopping in St Thomas in the USVIs, Ft Pierce FL, Hampton VA, and on to Newport RI. We borrowed a car and drove to Norm's home in Amherst NH and arranged for Norm to be discharged from the hospital the day after we arrived. What a wonderful gift to be with him, get him settled into his own home.  However, after two months in rehab and enduring the isolation due to Covid, he came home very frail and with short term memory loss from the surgery anesthesia. We had 10 days together as a family caring for him as he faded away. Everyone was together including his grandchildren Emily & Hannah and the great grand twins Suzy and Reed for his last hours. It was as comfortable and beautiful a departure as we could have asked. He turned 90 years old in January and had a long full life. That said, we also consider Norm a victim of Covid as he spent two months in isolation while at a rehab center where even getting regular physical therapy was difficult. We spent a few weeks in Amherst organizing his affairs and then the remaining weeks of the summer visiting family and friends in the NH Seacoast and Maine.

Since the end of the Covid pandemic seemed no where in sight, we decided the best and safest place to be was on Skylark, our home now for over two years. So off we sailed south this time to avoid the "Covid winter" in New England and join the Salty Dawg Rally once again from Hampton, VA to Antigua. This passage was a rough one with 12 days of beating close hauled into 20-35 knot easterlies. We had been planning to do this trip double handed but at the last minute picked up an third crew member, Bernie, who was planning to sail on another boat that had to drop out of the Rally due to an engine failure. Bernie was a real asset to have on board for what would have been a very difficult trip without him.

All smiles upon departure from Hampton, VA. Little did we know 12 days of beating into easterlies on port tack with the starboard rail underwater was in our future. 

Bernie brought along some simple hand lines of parachute cord to fish with and was quite successful. This Mahi Mahi made quite a nice meal.

Due to Covid and travel quarantine restrictions, cruisers tended to spend more time exploring just a few islands. For instance, this time we spent two months in Antigua where COVID cases were very low, maintaining around six daily active cases for a population of 95,000. They took the virus very seriously with fines for not wearing a mask or violating the 10PM curfew. However, the holidays resulted in an increase to over 30 active cases and the Prime Minister is considering a lock down. Since many of the other islands were either closed or have very restrictive entry requirements, we were happy to stay here as long restrictions weren't too severe. There are always chores, maintenance and repairs to keep us busy on Skylark. As Tim says “the ocean is always trying it’s hardest to break, corrode and sink a boat”, so true. 

Celebrating the Biden/Harris Inauguration.

On January 20, 2020 we were thrilled beyond words to be able stream the inauguration to watch Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take their oaths . Let’s have faith they will be successful in helping our nation heal after four years of lies, divisiveness and destruction. Inauguration Day was spent on Skylark in Jolly Harbor watching CNN and PBS continuously not wanting to miss any of the celebration. Tim also had FOX News on a third phone listening to alternative views of the live footage. In short time I was able to convince him to put in an ear plug and give me the synopsis as I didn’t want to spoil the relief and elation of the proud Biden/ Harris moment. Our friends from Germany, Andreas and Cordula were anchored next to us on Aphrodite hooting and hollering in support. We have had many conversations, over the years and recent months we have been cruising with them, about the similarities with their countries history. 

 We spent a number of weeks exploring the coast of Antigua and have come to agree that Cades Reef on the SW coast of the island is our favorite anchorage. Entering between Cades and Middle Reef is a bit exciting as you have waves crashing from the Caribbean Sea on starboard which allow for a calming in between the two parallel reefs. Each time we motor in to the head of the reef/anchorage bringing us closer to a fun snorkel on a wreck and closer to the reef where we can swim through a maze of coral heads and observe a host of wonderful fish, coral and anemone. Each visit finds us the only boat at the reef as the sun sets. When mid-morning arrives a flotilla of small tour boats start arriving to give the more hearty tourists an offshore snorkeling experience. They usually stay no longer than an hour so it doesn’t interfere to much with our peace and quiet. During mornings we enjoy doing yoga and TRX on the bow, sipping on a cup of tea or coffee; in the evenings having a glass of wine or rum drink with no other boats in site while watching the sun set.

We visited Barbuda, a sister island to Antigua, with our German friends on Aphrodite. Jim and Arden on Kalli joined us a couple of days later and we all shared a delicious BBQ lobster luncheon at Shack A Kai on Coco Beach. We also went on a tour to the frigate bird sanctuary, made oddly more colorful with the addition of Antiguan Facebook celebrity, Cindy, scantily clad in a sparkle string bikini! We ran into her again having lunch at Da Buzz in Codrington, more appropriately clothed. What a character! 

The Salty Dawg fleet at the English Harbor Dockyard, Antiqua.

Skylark at anchor in Deep Bay, Antigua. View from one of the many English built forts.

Turks Head cactus along the rugged Antigua south coast. This cactus bears a small red tasty fruit nestled among the spines. Most of Antigua is very arid.

There's lots of interesting hikes in the English Harbor, Antigua vicinity. This shot is from Shirley Heights with Skylark anchored in the background. 

The wind driven ocean swells are notorious for making their way into anchorages on Barbuda, and Coco Beach was not immune. Upon returning to the dinghy after our Frigate bird tour, the surf had really picked up and the breaking waves were washing into the dinghy despite having pulled it high up the beach! While dragging the dinghy to the waters edge we came up with a plan to wait for a lull in the large waves and time the entry into the water in between the smaller waves. What we didn’t discuss was how and when the four of us would enter the boat. With two of us on each side we judged what looked like a small wave, quickly dragged the dinghy into the water and jumped aboard. Unfortunately, we underestimated the size of the wave and it lifted the bow so high the dinghy flipped over throwing us from the dinghy. Andreas, Cordula and I surfaced covered with sand but Tim was nowhere to be seen. We yelled for him as we realized he was caught under the overturned dinghy. The next thing we saw was him lifting the boat as we assisted in flipping it back over. What a scary moment. No one was injured but Tim was quite sore for a number of days. The next attempt to return enter the waves was with Tim aboard the dinghy, the rest of us pushing it through the waves, and us swimming out beyond the surf until safe to board. Andreas and Cordula preferred to swim back to their boat versus being involved in another dinghy mishap. Another victim of this event was the 9.8 HP Mercury outboard which now had seawater and inches of the finest Barbudan sand inside. After numerous cleanings, carburetor rebuilds, and oil changes, it now runs pretty well, most of the time. Luckily we also have a 5 HP Nissan outboard as a back up to get us where we need to go. 

A meet up of cruising friends in Barbuda: Andreas and Cordula (SV Aphrodite) and Jim and Arden (SV Kalli)

Male Frigate Birds showing off their red pouches as a mating ritual on Barbuda.   

Once back in Antigua we began planning our departure as the COVID case count was gradually rising which was not a surprise as the island was host to many US and more UK tourists during the holiday season who partied cheek to cheek in the local bars. 

Kalli paved the way, a few days ahead to Dominica and as it turns out a beautiful home built aluminum Helacious was planning the same departure, so they joined Aphrodite and Skylark departing at 1600 with a planned arrival in Dominica the next morning at 0800. We had a super passage until three hours out as we were beginning to see the mountains of Dominica. The winds picked up to a steady 25 with gusts to 30, and it began pouring rain. Visibility was poor and of course the autohelm stopped working! We felt fortunate that we only had three hours of hand steering as the conditions were rough. Brian on Helacious saw gusts in the high 30’s. We have to guess the wind speed as our anemometer has still not been fixed since it died months earlier during our passage to Antigua.  A few days after arrival in Dominica we took the time to recalibrate the autohelm gyro compass which resulted in the autohelm behaving again, at least for a while.....

Prior to departure from Antigua we were required to receive formal government approval for admittance into Dominica and plan to quarantine for 8 days following a PCR test upon arrival. We all picked up a mooring and launched our dinghies to go to the Government Dock where we were met by Customs and government health officials who would conduct the Day 1 Covid PCR testing. Upon arrival everyone was masked and kept a minimum of 6 feet distance. One by one we all had quite an uncomfortable experience with testing which was deep sinus and esophageal swabs. We proceeded back to our boats where we were required to quarantine until Day 5 testing. Skylark has an ongoing list of chores so we actually looked forward to completing some of them during our quarantine time. Each evening at 5:30 the four boats would get on the VHF for virtual cocktail hour which was quite entertaining. One evening Helacious was late as we watched Brian totally outfitted and welding on his stern arch!  The things we boaters accomplish on our boats are amazing! We were allowed to swim around the boat but the Coast Guard watched us all closely to ensure we kept our distance from each other even in the water. The repeat test on Day 5 was not nearly as painful.

Everyone in Quarantine was required to wear an orange wristband. "Welcome, now get back on your boat and stay there for a week"

Covid humor, "No Mask No Rum" . No idea why he held up a bottle of Red Label?

Getting out of “Q" was anticlimactic as a notification arrived in an email in the middle of the afternoon on Day 7. We ended up staying on the mooring that night and went on to land the next morning for celebration. One of the first people we met in Portsmouth, Dominica was Keisha a local entrepreneurial woman who will help with just about anything any one might need on the island. She was recommended to us by our friends Lori and Brian on Never Forever. She has taken our group on many fabulous adventures through the island. 

Keisha preparing chicken rotis for local cruisers. 

Cocoa pods being cracked open at Pointe Baptiste Chocolate Factory.

A large bread fruit tree in a backyard om Portsmouth, Dominica. There's a saying in Dominica that no one goes hungry because all sorts of  fruits and vegetables are abundant for picking throughout the island.
 

On the way to the Boiling Lake, our guide known as Sea Cat, applies a hot sulfur mud facial to Diane in the Valley of Desolation. Following the facials, Sea Cat provided hard boiled eggs just boiled in a boiling water fumarole.  

A hike to the Boiling Lake provides an awesome view of one of the islands volcanic features. Periodically the lake stops boiling tempting daring locals to go for a swim! While we were in the Caribbean La Soufriere erupted on St. Vincent 100 miles to the South, devastating the north end of the island and displacing 20,000 residents.     

Dominica was an incredible adventure which continued to amaze us at every turn. This is an island for active visitors. We seemed to make it our goal to see as many waterfalls as possible and do as much hiking as our sea legs would tolerate. We shared these adventures with Aphrodite, Kalli and Helacious. Sometimes two couples rented a car to explore even less traveled areas. At other times we hired Keisha to drive us all in her van that in ordinarily times would hold 16 passengers.  We enjoyed hikes to Cold Sulfur Springs, Middleham Falls and Titu Baths where we spent the night with Cordula and Andreas. The natural hot sulfur spring baths were particularly enjoyable going from the hottest to cooler then into a claw tooth porcelain tub for two all under the starlit night. The next morning after a sound nights sleep in our simple but comfortable accommodations,  enjoyed another hot spring bath before feasting on a Dominican breakfast of salted cod, fried plantains, eggs, cacao tea and bakes. The ultimate island hike was the Boiling Lake. For this most difficult hike on the island we hired a guide, SeaCat. He drove from his home in Roseau an hour and a half to pick us up in Portsmouth at 0600. The hike was totally awesome complete with sulfur mud facials in the Desolation Valley and eggs cooked in the boiling fumarole waters. We also hiked various portions of the Waitakubuli Trail which runs continuously from the south end of the island to the north end. It was on one of these hikes that was finally inspired actually Tim to buy a machete, versus just talk about it. You never know when a machete might come in handy in the Seacoast of Maine. 

Unlike Antigua only 100 miles to the north, Dominica is primarily tropical forests. Bird of Paradise flowers abound. 

A most fascinating 10 foot tall mural at a bush bar near the Indian River in Portsmouth, Dominica.
 

There are dozens of vegetables available in the outdoor markets and store. However, most tend to be similar to potatoes with a variety of slightly different consistencies and tastes. 

Yummy pumpkin from the local market. Unlike the Bahamas where there is a scarcity of locally grown fruits, there is an abundance in the Eastern Caribbean islands   

Hiking a portion of the Waitakubuli Trail.

We spent a night at the Ti Kwen Glo Cho hot springs. There were multiple pools and tubs of varying sizes and temperature to relax in. 

Passion Flower blossom.

The Bahamas boasts 365 islands, Antigua 365 beaches, and Dominica 365 waterfalls! 

A common sight through the islands is a fully completed and lived in first floor, and a partially completed second floor, often with just rebar sticking up. The second floor apparently gets slowly worked on over the years as finances allow. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our travels throughout Dominica with our sailor friends but it was time to move on to Sint Maartin and say goodbye to our pandemic pod. With the fridge on Skylark filled with Keisha's delicious chicken rotis and a large fillet of blue marlin purchased from the roadside fish market in Roseau, we headed north.

Evidence of Hurricane Maria which devastated Dominica in September 2017, abounds throughout the island including wrecked boats, still abandoned damaged buildings, and much of the tropical forests which had the upper canopy stripped off. That said, the vegetation and the residents are making a remarkable recovery. Unfortunately, a medical school which generated significant jobs and financial income for the island, never returned after the hurricane.

May 22, 2021 - Sailed one overnight to reach the less traveled Dutch island of Statia. We had read wonderful things about this tiny island with a population of about 2000. We spent several days hiking; one a super hike up the Mazinga Trail to the tallest volcanic caldera on the island with breathtaking 360 views including Saba, St Kitts, Nevis and St Barts. Tim join a scuba dive excursion to the Charles Brown, a cable laying ship lying at a depth of 110 feet. There were no cases of Covid on the island so during our visit the islanders were able to resume their monthly outdoor Friday night food and live music festival about a mile from the anchorage. No one was wearing masks except for us cruisers while we stood in line for home cooked local food. We stopped by a local Inn and rum bar on walk home where a group of five, including the bartender finished their poker game before serving us a nightcap!

We had to move along to St. Maarten as we had a date with a metal fabrication shop, FKG, to repair our stern arch which had numerous weld failures after years of heavy sailing. The plan was also to meet Lori and Brian on Never Forever for a couple of weeks of island touring and fun. It was super nice to see them after a year apart and we now had playmates with which to explore both the French and Dutch sides of the island. Between us we had three bikes and rented a car for much of our visit. The most fabulous place that we frequented regularly was the French grocery CarreFour, a chain store found around the world. I have never seen such a variety of French cheeses and pate's in my life. Lucky for me Lori was the expert on cheeses having lived in Paris for a few years. Clearly the French take their food very seriously and supply all their island with everything any mainland French folk could ever desire. Meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, super $5 wines, delectable pates and of course cheeses upon various cheeses to choose from daily! 

The only anchorage in Statia is an open road anchorage. If a blow from the north or west comes along it can become very uncomfortable or even hazardous.  

Now that's a good looking Gin n Tonic at a dockside bar on Statia! Diane is also looking very happy after an overnight passage.  

Over the decade of heavy sailing since the aluminum stern arch and integrated stern rail were installed by the previous owner, the welds on the railing based pads mounted to the deck were failing. It was clearly time to do some major repair and beef up the stern railing. We had heard very good reports about FKG, a metal fabrication shop on Sint Maartin. So into the Lagoon we go for what turned out to be nearly three weeks at the dock. Preparing the arch for removal was quite a project which required removing the solar panels, disconnecting all the multiple antenna cables, dropping the D-400 Wind Generator, and removing electrical wiring. 

One of the easiest boarder crossings between two countries around going from the Dutch side to the French side, just some flags. The monument promotes the fact that the border has always been open throughout history due to the cooperation of islanders. However, there has definately been some economic friction as the Dutch side has historically received far more economic support from the home country than the more bureaucratic French side. 

We made it a point to find the best croissant and baguette on the island. Of course they each came from a different bakery so whenever we would be out and about we would frequent our favorite brasserie and pick up whatever we were hungry for. Thank goodness we were able to workout on the bow most mornings, bike and hike as we certainly ate like the French with abandon! We went to some good restaurants, the best being Ocean 82, but I must admit meals on Never Forever were as delicious, interesting and presented as beautifully as any restaurant in the Caribbean. Lori happens to be the Captain of their Hanse 415 as well as a adventuresome gourmet cook. We were also fortunate to get both of our Phizer Covid vaccines on Sint Maarten since we were there nearly six weeks. 

We are proud to show off our vaccinated arms with Arden from SV Kalli. Come folks, it's not about you, it's about our community. Everyone should get vaccinated. Also, it's only a mask; put the damn thing on when indoors in close proximity to others. 

A hike to one of the many beaches on the north shore of St Martin on the French side. Note the brown Sargassum seaweed in the water and on the beach. The proliferation of Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean has  become a major problem along Caribbean shorelines facing the Atlantic. The Sargassum piles up on the shore, decomposes and release hydrogen sulfide gas which can become a health hazard if inhaled. Some waterfront communities have had to close down commercial businesses due to the noxious gas.    

Finally,  in case you thought cruising on a sailboat is all fun and games.......a few maintenance and repair photos:

Never a good sign when the Racor diesel fuel filter is half full of water (the brownish layer on the bottom)!!

The water removed from one of our two diesel fuel tanks. Marine diesel is dyed red, the water yucky brown. We have had a problem with seawater getting in through the fuel tank vents which apparently can become submerged in heavy seas. The problem has been solved by moving the fuel vents to a vented lazarette compartment. 

Winches need to periodically be cleaned, oiled and greased

A bolt ready to fail that holds the radar pole in place. The radar pole installation was a very bad design and has since been replaced by a more robust pole and connection to the deck. 

Our 1-inch diameter anchor chain snubber rope which parted with the sound like a gunshot, in an anchorage with a heavy ocean swell. The snubber hooks onto the chain to take the tension off the windlass and provides a bit of stretch when the boat pulls on the anchor rode.

This is a view of the side of the anchor chain windlass. The pointed stainless steel piece is a chain stripper which broke off the windlass housing. The stripper is critical to preventing the chain from accidentally wrapping around the windlass gypsy wheel. Tim designed a better stripper and had FKG fabricate and install it on the windlass.  

In was now early May 2021 and with the stern arch expertly repaired and reinforced with a beefier stern rail, time to continue our journey back to the States.  Fortunately this year the Bahamas were open as of May 1st to cruisers who had been fully vaccinated, so our trip home could include a wonderful romp through the beautiful Bahamian waters.  Coming up next, shortly........we promise....