Bonaire and Updates

We arrived in Bonaire yesterday afternoon. We sailed from Los Roques to Aves de Barlovento in very boisterous conditions. With 22-25kts of true wind directly behind us we averaged 9.2kts of boat speed and had a new boat speed record of 13.8kts! But the seas were short and steep so we sailed with the true wind at 150 degrees and gybed back and forth down our course. The result was that our net speed for the whole trip from anchor to anchor was only 7.5kts. We anchored at Barlovento behind a large stand of trees filed with red footed Boobies. Fay got some great pictures which we'll post later.

Yesterday we sailed from Barlovento to Bonaire, with slightly less wind, only about 20-23kts. Our average yesterday was 8.6kts, but again we had to gybe down the course so our net speed was a little lower. As we rounded Lacre Point and headed up the lee side of Bonaire the seas smoothed out and we thought the wind would lighten up. Were we ever wrong. The wind increased to 25kts true, with gusts to 28, and right on the beam. With the jib rolled up a bit, and a reef in the main, we flew up the lee shore at a constant 9.5kts which is pretty much our maximum hull speed without waves to push us forward. An exhilarating ride, but we would gladly have had less wind. Dropping the sails in that much wind was not fun.

Fortunately there was a little protection at the fuel dock in the Harbour Village Marina so we had no problems docking and tying up. This morning we moved from the fuel dock to a slip. Tomorrow we leave at 5am for a short trip back to California.

There are pictures of our most recent time in Les Saintes, and an update to our planned schedule.

First bread

Just before the lobster was another first on New Morning. The first fresh baked artisan breads.

First Fay made focaccia from an Alice Waters recipe, to which she added machego cheese, basil pesto, caramelized onions and spices. That was dinner one night. Then the next day she stretched it into a pizza for lunch!

Not to be out done, I took my hand to the bread baking. First flour (white + rye), salt, water, and a pinch of yeast which fermented overnight. In the morning, a quick fold and 15 min rest, followed by shaping (I tried two) and two more hours of rising, then into the oven. We were very worried the oven wasn't up to the task, but with our baking stone in place and 45 minutes of pre-heating, it was great. The breads came out really well, easily exceeding my expectations.

Since we both love good bread (with olive oil and balsamic it's practically a meal in itself) we now know we can always have good bread. What a relief to no longer be at the mercy of the grocery store, mercado or supermarché.

Death in the afternoon

Death was expected to come swiftly. The pick was plunged quickly and decisively between the eyes, through the skull and into the brain. But not today, not this afternoon. The langousta fought back with all it's being, flipped and flopped and defied the "the most humane way to kill a lobster..." instructions in the cookbook. Fay fell back, then plunged forward again and again, stirring the contents of whatever lay behind the forehead of the langousta. To no avail; it would not die.

As it seemed weakened, she positioned the long chef's knife the length of it's body and tail. With a swift blow of the rubber hammer the knife bifurcated the langousta. But still it's twitching body tormented Fay's gentle being. Eventually, with it's body cut in half, the tail separated from the body, the legs from the body, and the antennae from the head, it ceased to move. Relief and sadness settled on the transom.

None the less, grilled and served with freshly baked bread and a bottle of La Crema chardonnay it was a tasty meal. Pictures will be posted.

These are not plastic

It's not often you see pink flamingos in the wild. Fay got some great shots of these birds, but this is a quick one to show you what we saw. There was actually a huge flock of them, but after we made one pass fairly close quite a few of them moved away.

Much better!

Today we moved from out on the eastern reef to a really nice little lagoon on Isla Carenero. The eastern reef was beautiful in a desolate sort of way, but we got tired of whipping around on the end of 200' of chain in 20kts of wind. Now we're in a tranquil lagoon with 25' of water, shielded from the wind, but plenty of breeze to keep us cool. The small island keeps out the waves and chop. Seems like a pretty nice spot.

And as a bonus, on the trip today we went by an island full of pink flamingos! Fay was in awe and shot a bunch of pictures. We'll post them when we get an internet connection. And to top it off, after the anchor was set and we were starting to settle in, a turtle swam up to the boat as if to say "welcome".

Moved on

We departed Grand Roque yesterday and motored about 8 miles to a very remote anchorage. There is no land here, just the barrier reef, and a lot of smaller shoals and coral patches. The Caribbean is breaking on the other side of the reef, giving us a constant line of white surf above the expanse of light green reef which borders the blue water in which we are anchored.

To the northeast is a wrecked ship sitting on the reef, slowly rusting and disintegrating. It's not really a warm and pleasant sight. Another lies to the southeast. To the north we can see the hills of Grand Roque, and to the west we can see the low profile of land and mangroves that fringe the inner reef which is the center piece of the archipelago, though unnavigable and a restricted area.

The reef blocks the waves and swell, but there is nothing to block the trade winds so we have a steady breeze, quite boisterous this afternoon at 18-22kts. This is basically an isolated and desolate place. This morning with just 10kts of wind it was very tranquil, but at 20+ it becomes less pleasant.

We swam out towards the reef and the water was noticeably cooler than in the east Caribbean. Despite the fact that we sailed at least a couple hundred miles south, the water and air are both about 2-3 degrees cooler. OK, the air is still 81 and the water is still 80, but it's definitely cooler. Unfortunately our our swimming navigation was poor and we were not swimming to the closest point of the reef. We started to feel awfully small as the boat became more and more distant so we turned back. We did find a small school of Caribbean reef squid under the boat, same cute little squid we saw last spring in Les Saintes.

I think tomorrow we'll move to the western side of the archipelago and try to find something more protected.

Venezuelan shake down

Today we attempted to check in to Los Roques. Although not an official port of entry for Venezuela, the Doyle cruising guide and Noonsite both advised that it was possible to stay for 14 days by visiting several government offices and paying some fees. The fees would come to about $130 and be paid to the Los Roque authority to help with the preservation of the area as a marine park.

However, when we went to the Guarda Costa office to check in, we were told we could only stay for two days. After some further discussion they explained that it might be possible to stay for a week and that they would come by the boat in a few hours. True to their word, they did come by the boat a few hours later and advise us that for $500USD they could grant us a "special" permit to stay for 7 days. We declined to purchase the "special permit" so they told us we had to leave by Friday.

Arrived in Los Roques

We had a fast and uneventful passage to Los Roques. We departed Les Saintes at 9:30am on Saturday and had the anchor secured (second location) at noon on Monday. It was 385 miles in just over two days, anchor to anchor.

We anchored off Grand Roques (check the Where's New Morning page). We'll inflate the dingy, go ashore and check in tomorrow, then move to a nicer anchorage. Right now it's burgers, beers, and more sleep.

Bouncy night

The north swell returned and last night was a bouncy and mostly sleepless night. We're up early, preparing for departure to Los Roques. We'll sleep better underway than we did last night.

Les Saintes

After a pretty idyllic three weeks, we're getting ready to leave Les Saintes (click on the picture for a slightly larger version).  On Monday, with Vivian's help, Fay was able to check in and check out so now we're legal.  Christian and Joesian departed yesterday, Liz and Ed departed today and Jean-Marc and Vivian will depart Saturday.

Today, with the help of Jean-Marc's hookah, I scrubbed the waterline to get rid of the grass growing on the shady side.  Fay also used it to clean the hair off the shaft and prop, then verified the prop was opening and closing easily. We're stowing everything and generally cleaning up.  Tomorrow we'll top up the batteries and the water tanks.

Saturday we'll depart for Los Roques, about 380 miles, roughly southwest.  With E or ESE trades it should be a pretty quick trip.  We're expecting a two day passage, plus or minus a few hours, so we should be settled in there on Monday.

We'll miss the fresh baguettes, pastries and friends we've enjoyed here.  Les Saintes is a pretty sweet spot!

Birthday madness

Last night we had dinner with Ed and Liz from Massachusetts on their Swan 441, and we were joined by a French couple, Jean-Marc and Vivian. We had all had drinks and dinner a couple of times before and continued the conversations learning about each other, where everyone had sailed, boat gear, etc.

But in the course of the conversations we learned that Liz, Vivian and I, all shared the same birthday - October 10th! And this is a big year because our birthdays will be on 10/10/10. What are the chances of three people out of six at a social gathering having the same birthday?

And then the remaining three all have birthdays on national holidays or celebrations. Jean-Marc on Halloween, Ed on Hero's Day (Antigua) and Fay on Bastille Day. It was birthday madness night.

Happy New Year

We started the day with a nice walk over the island to plage de pampierre. We've spent a month here and never knew about this beach. Ed and Liz from Gypsea had told us about it and it was really delightful. We did a little snorkeling (not great visibility), had a picnic lunch and snoozed in the shade on the sand. After a refreshing shower we shared a bottle of Chilean chardonnay with Jean-Marc and Vivian from Jeanvi and reviewed the anchoring practices of the many boats that have filled the anchorage in the last couple of days. Vivian personally dives on many of the anchors and gave us the news that our anchor was buried deeply.

Earlier in the day Fay had purchased some mahi-mahi right out of the boat and asked them to filet it on the spot. She grilled the mahi-mahi, and also grilled some fresh endive garnished with 12yr old balsamic. Add a side of rice and a glass of Laurent-Perrier champagne and voilà, New Years Eve dinner a là New Morning!

Just before dinner we watched the blue moon (2nd full moon in the month) rise over the village. Truth be told, we didn't make it to midnight, but we were awakened at midnight by lots of noise, including a full fireworks show which was a total surprise. Though as Fay watched piece of a burning missile arc over the bimini, the thought of burned sails crossed her mind!

About 3am the boat started rocking and the wind started blowing as some weather moved in and through our anchorage. We've been bobbing and rolling all morning, but it's supposed to calm down this afternoon. Say hello to 2010!