|
|
| Citation |
- Permanent Link:
- https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00095627/00035
Material Information
- Title:
- Caribbean Compass the Caribbean's monthly look at sea & shore
- Place of Publication:
- Bequia St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Publisher:
- Compass Pub.
- Publication Date:
- January 2010
- Copyright Date:
- 2010
- Frequency:
- Monthly
regular
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- v. : ill. ; 35 cm.
Subjects
- Subjects / Keywords:
- Boats and boating -- Caribbean Area ( lcsh )
Yachting -- Caribbean Area ( lcsh )
- Genre:
- serial ( sobekcm )
periodical ( marcgt )
- Spatial Coverage:
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- University of Florida
- Holding Location:
- University of Florida
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Compass Pub. Permission granted to University of Florida to digitize and display this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- 54085008 ( OCLC )
1605-1998 ( ISSN )
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This item has the following downloads:
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PAGE 2
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
A new electric toilet -,
designed to instantly
retro-fit your existing
manual toilet or to
give your bathroom
a modern stylish look. et
The innovative design offers both
low power and water consumption
with an integral rinse and waste
pump system.
The easySPLIT
OCB active
VHF splitter allows
a single masthead
VHF antenna to be shared
automatically between a Class B
AIS transponder and a 25 watt
VHF radio transceiver.
As an added bonus it also provides
an output to feed an FM stereo
radio.
Connections:
VHF Radio and VHF Antenna: SO-239
AIS Transponder: BNC female
FM Radio: Motorola car radio connector
(ROCNA
Budget Marine introduces
the very latest in modern |
anchor design Rocna
developed
"new
generation" |
marine
anchor.
Its features include instant setting
and superior holding power on
most seabeds, addressing the
issues which plague more
traditional types.
Rocna is an excellent choice for
any vessel from a small runabout
to a small ship.
AB’s commitment
to innovation
remains on r
the forefront ~_
in the
development and
design of Light
Aluminum Hull RIBs.
Using the same high quality and
Hypalon tubes, they offer a
less-expensive version of the
already popular Lammina series.
CARIBBEAN CHANDLERIES =
\ a
2
ANTIGUA * BONAIRE * CURACAO « GRENADA « ST. MAARTEN © ST. MARTIN ° ST. THOMAS * TORTOLA ° TRINIDAD
St. Vincen
St.Lucia St. Martin
British Virgin Islands Curacao Dominica Grenada Panama Puerto Rico St. Croix
Bequia
Antigua Barbados
t_ Trinidad and Tobago
obeqo! pue pepliuld] UaDUIA IS
Antigua Barbados Bequia
British Virgin Islands
Curacao Dominica
For those who demand the very best,
Doyle Caribbean's 5/50
DOYLE
SAILMAKERS
Y-Not, Farr 80
14.000 miles on our Hydra Net sails
40,000 miles on our canvas
Still looking good, still working hard
That's Doyle value!
S
~~ Doyle Sailmakers
Road Reef Marina
Tortola
Tel: (284) 494 2569 Fax: (284) 494 2034
E-mail: bob@doylecaribbean.com
Antigua & Barbuda
Star Marine
Jolly Harbour
Bequia
Withfield Sails and Model Boats
Port Elizabeth
Grenada
Turbulence Ltd.
Spice Island Boatyard
St. Croix, USVI
Wilsons’ Cruzan Canvas
Christiansted
St. Lucia
The Sail Loft, St. Lucia
Rodney Bay
Panama
Regency Marine
Pedro Miguel Boat Club Fajardo
UE RIT ESM EL eK P
Construction.
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50,000 miles
GUARANTEED’
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Barbados
Doyle Sailmakers
6 Crossroads
St. Philip
Tel: (246) 423 4600 Fax: (246) 423 4499
E-mail: andy@doylecaribbean.com
Curacao Dominica
Kapiteinsweg #4 Dominica Marine Center
Netherland Antilles Roseau
Puerto Rico
Atlantic Sails and Canvas
St. Vincent
Barefoot Yacht Charters
Blue Lagoon
Trinidad & Tobago
Soca Sails, Ltd.
Chaguaramas
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Wod*IAgs}oys]yorA'mam :0}0Yd
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BE A N
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The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore
www.caribbeancompass.com
JANUARY 201
Security Scene
Updates and tips
134Nd34
River Ramble
Up Guyana’s Essequibo
It’s All Happening!
Caribbean Events Calendar 2010 ..27
Sailing a Legend
Plumbelly of Bequia.
Cover photo: Mini Maxi, winriner of ARC 2009 Best Family Performance
Florida
Gulf of
Mexico
SU) a
‘Our Favorite Island’
Marie Galante chooses Grenada.. 34
They Love Lac Bay
Sea turtles dine in Bonaire... 36
Grand Bahama
—
F — = > Deuthera
ae
Wd NÂ¥A L304
DEPARTMENTS
Business Briefs
Regatta News.. reel
Destinations.. .21
Sailors’ Hikes .. 126
Meridian Passage...
Cruiser Profile
Fun Pages
Cruising Kids’ Corner
Dolly’s Deep Secrets...
The Caribbean Sky
Book Reviews
Cooking with Cruisers....44 - 46
Readers’ Forum
What’s on My Mind...
Monthly Calendar .... ze
Caribbean Marketplace......
Classified Ads ...
Advertisers’ Index..
Cartbbean Compass 1s published monthly by
Compass Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 175 BQ,
Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410
compass@vincysurf.com
www.caribbeancompass.com
Sally Erdle
sally@carlbbeancompass.com
Assistant Editor.
jsprat@vincysurf.com
Advertising & Distribution...
tom@caribbeancompass.com
Art, Design & Production
wide@caribbeancompass.com
Accounting.
debra@caribbeancompass.com
Elaine Ollivierre
-Tom Hopman
Wilfred Dederer
Debra Davis
Comper Agents by Island:
ua: Ad Sales & Distribution - Lucy Tulloch
an 68) 720-6868
peuaee lucy.com
Barbados: Distribution - Doyle Sails
Tel/Fax: (246) 423-4600
are Distribution - Budget Marine Curacao
cao@budgetmarine.com
Tet (5099) 4 77 33
Dominica: Distribution - Hubert J. Winston
Dominica Marine Center, Tel: (767) 448-2705,
info@dominicarmarinecenter.com
eee Petite Martinique:
Ad Sales tribution - Karen Maaroufl
Cell: io. er 2151 Office: (473) 444-3222
compassgrenada@hotmail.com
Martinique: Ad Sales & Distribution - Isabelle Prado Tel:
oe 596 68 69 71, Mob: + 596 (0) 696 93 26 38
isabelle. prado@wanadoo.fr
St. Lucia: Distribution - Lisa Kessell
Tel: (758) 484-0555,
kesselle@candw.le
St. Maarten/St. Barths/Guadeloupe:
Ad Sales - Stéphane nae
Mob: +590 (0 690.49 45
a endre ee e
Distribution - endahan
Tel: (599) 553 mac eee com
St. Thomas/USVI: Distribution - Bi
Tel: (340) 774 7931, eee ae
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Ad Sales - Debra Davis,
Tel: (784) 457-3527, debra@carlbbeancompass.com
Tortola/BVI: Distribution - Gladys Jones
Tel: (284) 494-2830, Fax: (284) 494-1584
Trinidad: Ad Sales & Distribution - Jack Dausend
Tel: (868) 621-0575, Cell: (868) 620-0978
Jack.Dausend@Gmail.com
Venezuela: Ad Sales & Distribution - Patty Tomasik
Tel: (58-28 1) 265-3844 Tel/Fax: (58-281) 265-2448
xanadumarine@hotmail.com
Cartbbean
ass welcomes submissions of short articles, news items, photos and drawings.
See Writers’ Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com, Send submissions to sally@caribbeancompass.com.
We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole
responsibility of the advertiser, writer or correspondent, and Compass Publishing Ltd, accepts no
| responsibility for any statements made therein. Letters and submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no liability for delayed distribution or printing quality as these services are
yy supplied by other companies.
caribbean marine
pubiehens eect ton
©2010 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved, No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication,
except short excerpts for review purposes, may be made without written permission of Compass Publishing Lid
ISSN 1605 - 1998
Photo: Tim Wright/ wiww.photoaction.com
Compass covers the Caribbean! From Cuba to Trinidad, from
Panama to Barbuda, we've got the news and views that sailors
can use. We’re the Caribbean’s monthly look at sea and shore.
The Bahamas
“The Caribbean Compass magazine is to the sailing
community in the region as the wind is to sailing: without
it there, we would all be ‘in irons’!
The Compass’s extensive coverage of all that goes on
in the islands — such as culture, Immigration and
Customs rules, conditions and events — make it a must-
read for casual and professional sailors alike.â€
— Niki Borde, Manager
Regatta Promoters Lid.
Tobago Carnival Regatta
US / British
Virgin Islands
a Agra ta
Puerto Rico x St Croke
S deetktartin / Set Maerien
ss US. s Barbuda
*
Sas _ ono
Click Google Map link below to find the Caribbean Compass near you!
http://maps google.com/maps/ms ?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8éamsa=0damsid=112776612439699037380 .000470658db37 1 bf3282d&Il=14 .54105,-65.830078 &spn=10.196461 ,14.0625&z=6&source=embed
Info
St. Croix Warning and Update
Marilyn Cook reports: There has been a major problem with yachts entering
Christiansted Harbor, St. Croix. On average, one cruising yacht a month has been
driving up onto Round Reef. Several have been lost, and all suffered damage. Just
since Thanksgiving 2009, two sailboats have gone hard aground. Please study the
chart before entering the harbor! (Edifor’s note: Nancy and Simon Scott's Cruising
Guide to the Virgin Islands 2009-2011 has a large aerial photo on page 262 that clear-
ly shows the location of Round Reef. Soace does not permit ifs reproduction here.)
Round Reef is situated right in the middle of what one would think is the channel. To
be on the safe side, | recommend entering the harbor on the left, following the green
buoys along the peninsula straight in. There is a red-over-green buoy that marks the
northeast corner of Round Reef. It is a dual channel marker. Apparently, some sailors
assume you can go either side of it. DON’T! It is marking the straight-in channel (left
channel) and also the WAPA channel that actually is a 90-degree right turn down
along the reef going west. | have been using the channel for many years and | still
get the willies coming in. It can be very confusing, as there are buoys everywhere.
Also, St. Croix’s Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has installed
20 moorings in Gallows Bay for transient yachts. They cost US$2.00 per foot per
month and are well made. You can call DPNR at (340) 244-9066.
Security Patrols in Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica
Helen Clarke reports: Portsmouth Association of Yacht Services and Security (PAYS)
would like to remind all yachts visiting Dominica to moor or anchor in the north end
of Prince Rupert Bay (between Blue Bay Restaurant and the Purple Turtle) where
security patrols are conducted nightly. Although we recognize that some visitors
prefer the seclusion of the south end, current economic conditions do not permit
our group to patrol the whole bay and although Dominica is one of the safest coun-
tries in the Caribbean, we cannot recommend that you anchor outside the
patrolled area.
Please note that we tried to patrol the south end on a regular basis but we could
not afford the additional fuel given the current revenue stream. We will monitor the
situation through the season but PAYS President, Jeff Frank, is actively visiting all
boats at the end of the day and asking them to move north.
PAYS is a registered non-profit association, established in 2007, and includes 17
members from the yacht tourism sector in Portsmouth, including tour guides, yacht
service companies, restaurants and dive centres in the community. Funding for the
night security is provided by membership fees, donations, fees from yacht moorings
in Prince Rupert Bay, fund-raising beach barbecues and other fun activities. All ser-
vices are provided by members on a voluntary basis and all proceeds are dedicat-
ed to ensuring your security and to helping develop the yachting sector in
The PAYS patrol boat, a boost to yacht security in Portsmouth, Dominica
Dominica. Please help support our program by using PAYS members for your yacht
services when coming to Dominica and joining in our fun events.
For more information contact Jeff Frank at (767) 245-0125 or Helen Clarke
at (767) 275-3020.
St. Maarten Bridge Openings
Asis customary every “high†season, the bridge into Simpson Bay Lagoon, St.
Maarten, opens six times during the day in order to handle the vessels that make
use of several marinas in the lagoon. The daily seasonal openings are: 9:00AM out-
bound, 9:30am inbound, 11:00am outbound, 11:304m inbound, 4:30em outbound and
5:30pm inbound. This schedule will run until May 2010.
Users of small craft are requested not to transit the bridge channel during bridge
opening hours. Boats docking at the BBW dock should not be maneuvering in the
channel during the bridge operational hours. Small sea craft must make use of the
port channel when passing under the bridge.
—Continued on next page
CRENAL ~n®.
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6
PAGE
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
JANUARY 2010
—Continued from previous page
Jet ski owners and rentals are requested to inform users that they must put their
waterspouts off when passing under the bridge. This prevents corrosion of the iron
structure of the bridge.
Captains and owners of vessels, after docking their vessels in the lagoon, should
immediately come to the window of the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority &
Immigration to clear in their vessel, crew and passengers and pay the necessary
bridge and harbor fees and dues. (See related story on page 9.)
&th Edition of Sailor’s Guide to Martinique Now Available
Ti’ Ponton is bilingual, French and English, and offers the most extensive directory for
sailors’ needs in Martinique. It includes the names, addresses and telephone num-
bers of more than 600 nautical services, suppliers, provisioning companies, doctors,
local restaurants, sightseeing spots
and much more. Ti’Ponton also
provides tidal information for major
coastal cities in Martinique.
Ti’Ponton is a FREE publication and
can be picked up all around the
island all year round. For the latest
marine news log on to
www. tiponton.com
For more information contact Carola
Pajari at cptioonton@wanadoo.fr
OCC Officer Appointed for Port
Antonio, Jamaica
Errol Flynn Marina’s General
Manager, Dale B. Westin, has been
appointed Honorary Port Officer by
the Ocean Cruising Club. The interna-
tional cruising organization, based in
England, designates the port officers
at key marinas worldwide in an effort
to ensure that OCC members are
afforded first-class assistance wherev-
er they may cruise. To qualify for
membership in the OCC, a prospec-
tive applicant must document they
have made an ocean passage of at least 1,000 miles point-to-point.
For more info on the OCC visit www.oceancruisingciub.org
LIAT Flies to the Grenadines
Canouan Island, home of the Grenadines base of The Moorings yacht charter
company, is now more accessible than ever. On November 20, regional airline LIAT
started operating two non-stop flights per week from San Juan, Puerto Rico. LIAT
flight 383 leaves San Juan on Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00em and arrives on
Canouan at 6:20pm. LIAT flight 384 departs Canouan on Saturdays and Sundays at
10:50am and arrives San Juan at 1:10Pem. In March 2009, LIAT began service from
Barbados to Canouan operating four flights per week.
New Underwater Sculptures in Mexico
The first phase of a new underwater project in Cancun, Mexico is now complete. The
first three sculptures were submerged in November, entitled The Archive of Lost
Dreams, Man on Fire and The Gardener of Hope. Construction of the monumental sec-
Underwater sculptures
provide new attractions
for snorkelers and div-
ers. As marine growth
colonizes the artworlcs,
they evolve
ond phase is also underway. This includes more than 400 life-size figurative works, which
when complete will form part of the world’s largest underwater art museum.
Works by the same artist, Jason de Caires Taylor, form Grenada’s popular under-
water sculpture park at Moliniere Bay.
—Continued on next page
MARCH 12-14, 2010
8â„¢ ANNUAL GRENADA ROUND-THE-ISLAND RACE
t dj
Enjay one of the Coribbean's MOST EXCITING sailing events!
3 days of fun-filled entertainment and water events
launching from Grenado's world-famous Grand Anse Beach
GRENADA
tee salirâ€
Q) apm
~ Taste of Grenada Food Festival
~ Youth Sailing Exhibition
~ Crazy Craft Bathtub Derby
~ Live Music
‘H MORE!
Wy,
}. www. AROUNDGRENADA.com
—Continued from previous page
EC Funds Shipping Study
Norman Faria reports: Can we in the islands ever get a viable Eastern Caribbean
sea transport system carrying both freight and passengers?
That question could well be answered on the completion of a 200,000-Euro
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) study funded by the European
Union. According to a release from the EU's Bridgetown, Barbados office, two main
outcomes of the study would be to get a good estimate of passenger demand and
to determine whether the shipping aspect would be sustainable over a long period.
Said the release in part: “If it Ghe service) materializes, it would enhance the export
capabilities of the islands’ agricultural output and provide alternative passenger
routes which satisfy demand between OECS member countries, as well as explore
possible pricing structures that can satisfy adequate return to operators.†It added,
against the backdrop of rising concerns about regional food security, “Whereas cer-
tain islands may have a surplus of agricultural products, lack of shipping freight lines
does not facilitate the movement of produce.â€
The study is expected to take three months.
New Dinghy Dock at Cumberland Bay, St. Vincent
One of the things cruisers say they want is more and better dinghy docks, and the
A1dys ATTYS
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It’s easier now
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Bay. The new
dinghy dock and
Recreational
Park are at
lower left in the
inset photo
development of tourism and recreational facilities at Cumberland Bay on the west
coast of St. Vincent was enhanced in November with the construction of a sturdy
new one. This will allow yachting visitors in the bay easier access to the shore, where
before dinghies had to be hauled up onto the beach. It will also facilitate visits by
sailors to the newly developed Cumberland Beach Recreational Park which, when
fully operational, will include a restaurant, laundry, showers and small shops.
The community-based project is part of a Tourism Development Project funded by
the European Union. Consultations with area residents had determined that improved
yacht services would be an asset to their livelihoods. The dock and park buildings
were built by a local construction team, and the facility will be run by the Cumberland
Valley Eco-Tourism Organization with the assistance of the National Parks Authority.
For more information contact Ernst De Freitas at (784) 495-0791.
Bequia Sunshine School’s Good Fun for a Good Cause
Lisa Hunnicutt reports: The Bequia Sunshine School is a non-profit organization for
children with special needs. The school operates solely on funds donated and those
raised by various annual charity events, including one of Bequia’s most fun and inter-
active fundraisers: The Sailors’ & Landlubbers’ Auction. The event will be held this
year at The Salty Dog, Port Elizabeth on Sunday February 14th. Not only do we solicit
donations of gently used items, gift certificates and items of interest before the
event, but we also encourage participation on the day of the event, bidding on
unique, funky and functional items. These items and others are sorted throughout the
year for use in the book sales, the auction and a jumble sale, while some remaining
clothes and shoes are further donated to charity organizations in St. Vincent.
Look for the following events in 2010: “Walking on Sunshine†fun walk, January 3rd;
Book Sales under the Almond Tree (two or three per year); Sailors’ & Landlubbers’
Auction, February 14th; Jumble Sale ¢including school crafts, book sale and bake
sale), March 20th.
Please support these events, donate items and volunteer your time. Monetary
donations can be sent to The Sunshine School, Box 9OBQ, Bequia, VCO0400, St.
Vincent & the Grenadines, or, as with material items, can be dropped off at the
school during regular school hours. Look for our Sunshine School cans at various
local businesses to drop your spare change, too!
For more information contact Camille Jacobs at (784) 457-3794
or visit www.bequiasunshineschool. org
Contributions Welcomed for Carriacou Education Fund
Melodye Pompa reports: As cruising boats are starting to move north from their sum-
mer hideaways, please remember that the Carriacou Children’s Education Fund will
gratefully accept any and all contributions: clean, used clothing for adults and chil-
dren; household goods; treasures of the bilge; handmade craft items; and, of course,
CASH. These items will be auctioned at our annual fundraising in July, directly pre-
ceding Carriacou Regatta Festival. Proceeds go to provide local needy children with
school uniforms, textbooks, lunches, and scholarships to TA Marryshow Community
College. Contributions can be left at the Carriacou Yacht Club in Tyrrel Bay.
For more information contact boatmillie@aol.com
Errata
In last month’s issue we referred readers to an ad for Grenada’s Bluewater Sailing
School, but the ad did not appear in that issue. Apparently the principals in the busi-
ness were busy welcoming a new baby — congratulations!
Welcome Aboard!
In this issue of Compass we welcome new advertisers Beyond the Islands of Bequia,
page 43; Jolly Harbour Marina of Antigua, Market Place section; Marigot Beach
Club of St. Lucia, page 24; Ocean Experts of St. Maarten, page 16; and Woodstock
Boatbuilders of Antigua, page 9. Good to have you with us!
MARINA
ave Du-FORT
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Sheltered berths, 210% LOA,
Papel attrib
dock master assistance
cusioms. ae full provisioning,
WIFI
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BUSINESS BRIEFS
New Gourmet Food Outlet in Bequia
Gourmet Food Ltd SVG has opened a new location in Bequia, conveniently locat-
ed right next to the GYE chandlery and near the dinghy docks in the northeast cor-
ner of Admiralty Bay. This is their third outlet, following the opening of a supermarket
deli café at Kingst , St. Vi it’ ise ship berth last April. The flagship st: is i
BUILD ONE OF THE MOST FUEL EFFICIENT eee nasown incent’s cruise ship berth last April. The flagship store is in
PASSENGER VESSELS IN THE WORLD The Bequia wholesale food outlet is also a supermarket, offering high quality frozen
vegetables, meat, fish and shrimp as well as canned food. And as a café, it also
offers a nice place to drink a glass of wine, beer, fruit juice, tea or coffee and
choose from a light café menu including shrimp/vegetable spring rolls, Gourmet
Burgers, french fries, potato croquettes, calamari/onion rings, fresh-baked
baguettes, garlic baguettes, sandwiches, Danish pastries, croissants and more.
Gourmet Food Ltd SVG also sees the outlet as an enhanced source of communi-
cation for their wholesale business, giving Bequia’s hotel/restaurant/bar owners and
visiting yacht chefs greater access to professional sales representatives “face to
faceâ€. Fredrik Svanberg, owner of the Gourmet food group, was at the opening and
commented, “We are very happy to expand our business in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines. It compliments our Swedish operation because we sell the same prod-
ucts in Stockholm. Bequia will now benefit from a wide choice of high quality, chef-
ready food products.â€
For more information see ad on page 44.
Early-Bird Discounts at Dockwise Yacht Transport
Catalina Bujor reports: Dockwise Yacht Transport, the only float-on/float-off yacht
transport service, is featuring a very special voyage from St. Thomas, USVI to
Newport, Rhode Island and crossing the pond to Southampton, UK; Toulon, France;
and Marmaris, Turkey aboard motor vessel Super Servant 4, which sails from the end
of May through June, 2010. They are offering attractive prices and special discounts
to those that book early.
For more information contact Nadine Massaly in Martinique at +596 596 741 507 or
Nadine@dockwise-yt.com, or see ad on page 2].
Now: Cyber Help-Desk at Sea Services, Martinique
Ciarla Decker reports: Sea Services Shipchandler at Fort de France in Martinique
now has an e-mail address dedicated to receiving your nautical questions.
Contact us at seaservices972@orange.fr and we will be glad to help!
For more information see ad on page 17.
Underwater Engineering, Corrosion Protection Services
Your bottom is our concern Reds Caribbean Limited was incorporated in 2006 in the Republic of Trinidad &
Tobago to provide underwater engineering services, which include commercial div-
ing and underwater inspections and repair; surveys and positioning; in-water marine
surveys and inspections; remote-operated vehicles; corrosion prevention; and rope
access services to the local and Caribbean-based oil, gas, petrochemicals and
marine engineering companies.
Since 2007, Reds Caribbean Limited has been certified as an In-Water Survey
Company by the USA-based American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and holds
General Membership with the Association of Diving Contractors International Inc of
Houston, Texas.
In the field of corrosion protection services, in 2008 Reds Caribbean Limited
became the authorized agents and distributor for ZINGA UK, a division of MG Duff
International Ltd. MG Duff is the manufacturer and supplier of the ZINGA range of
anti-corrosive products within the territorial areas of Trinidad & Tobago.
For more information see ad on page 10.
Cabrits Café & Dive Re-Opens in Dominica
Helen Clarke reports: We have re-opened Cabrits Café & Dive in Lagoon,
Portsmouth, Dominica as of November 14th, 2009. Situated in the north end of
Prince Rupert Bay right next to Big Papa’s, Cabrits Café & Dive offers dive and snor-
kel reservations, snorkel equipment sales and rentals, and a European coffee shop
i
c curacao right at the water's edge. Even if you are not water babies, you are still more than
MARIN E| welcome to come visit and enjoy the fabulous views of Prince Rupert Bay. And this
year we are building a jetty especially for our yachting friends!
For more information contact cabritsdive@yahoo.com
| —Continued on next page
com + GPF 4681936 99 emo cuocacnornediniersedi.nel « webele: wwe cwcoomanne.com
—Continued from previous page
St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show Faces Changes
Outgoing St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTIA) President Jeff Boyd has
announced that as of this year, the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA)
will no longer own the St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show. Ownership of the show now
comes back to St. Maarten. The MYBA was involved in the show for three years.
Boyd said he hoped there would be a show in 2010, but it would be up to the
SMMTA board of directors, and to some degree the membership, to decide the
value of the show to them and to the island. Discussion of a possible new format for
the show will reportedly begin next month. According to reports in the island’s Daily
Herald newspaper, Boyd said, “| think what we might see is a full-blown show rather
than just a charter show... It may be more of a trade show, which we feel would be
better for our members because it brings trades and more activity to St. Maarten.â€
He added that he would also like to see the date changed for the St. Maarten
show; in recent years the dates have conflicted with the Antigua Charter Yacht
Show (see story on Antigua show page 10).
For more information on the SMMTA visit www.smmta.com
Dockside Management ‘Preferred’ by IGY Marinas in St. Maarten
Dockside Management, one of the leading ships’ agents in the Caribbean, has
signed an agreement with Island Global Yachting (IGY) to be a “preferred provider®
at IGY’s marinas in St. Maarten: The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol and Simpson Bay
Marina. Based on St. Maarten, Dockside Management provides vessels with services
including banking, clearance, visa assistance, courier/freight, provisioning, parts and
repair and VIP services.
For more information contact office@docksidemanagement.net
Simpson Bay Under New Authority, Fees to Drop
As reported in the St. Maarten Daily Herald on December Ist, the Simpson Bay
Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) is now officially part of St. Maarten Harbour
Group of Companies. As a result, control of the water rights along the shore and in
the lagoon has been combined under one authority, which paves the way for uni-
form fees.
The island’s marine industry and megayacht owners have been at loggerheads
with SLAC for more than a year now over various issues, especially the bridge fees
that went into effect on January Ist, 2008 without consultation with industry stake-
holders. Industry insiders, including the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, had
warned that the fees and the way they were being applied were causing the island
to lose yachting business to other islands. There also was a notable shift of yachts
from the Dutch to the French side of St. Maarten, endangering investments made
on the Dutch side over the years.
It was announced in December that the controversial mandatory one-week “dou-
ble†fee for vessels entering and departing Simpson Bay Lagoon would be dropped
effective this month.
News from Antigua’s Woodstock Boatbuilders
Andrew Robinson reports: Woodstock Boatbuilders were part of a group of
Antiguan businesses that participated in the Monaco Boat Show last September.
The show was a great success with a good attendance and very positive feedback.
The Antigua & Barbuda stand also received a large number of visitors. Woodstock
would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism, National Parks Authority, Charter Yacht
Meeting and those businesses that supported the stand.
Marine Engineering is our newest department, but one that is growing rapidly.
Recently we have become agents for Fischer Panda and Westerbeke, suppliers of
world-class marine generators and engines. Woodstock’s head engineer recently
completed a Fischer Panda training program.
We also completely refreshed our website last year. You'll now find it easier to navi-
gate, jam-packed with information and with links to other useful sites. Have a look at
woodstockboats.com and let us know what you think!
For more information see ad on this page.
New Marina: Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts
St. Kitts will soon be home to Christophe Harbour, a new marina and luxury residen-
tial community on the island’s southeastern peninsula. Christophe Harbour’s debut
residential property offering, Sandy Bank Bay, is set along a horseshoe bay with two
reefs and a natural sand bank. Existing as a marine sanctuary, the bay will remain
free of boat moorings so that sealife can flourish and panoramic views of the
Atlantic are protected.
The Marina at Christophe Harbour will be located in what is presently the Great Salt
Pond, a 300-acre parcel that serves as the centerpiece of the 2,500-acre Christophe
Harbour resort. Whitehouse Bay, located just outside the Great Salt Pond, is a well-
protected yacht anchorage.
“St. Kitts is on the yachting “flight path’ geographically, so once the marina is up
and running, there will be no need to divert to Antigua on the way down from St.
Maarten to Barbados,†believes Kate Spencer, who has resided in St. Kitts since
1978, Her husband, Philip, is a classic-yacht designer. Some sample cruising distanc-
es from other popular destinations are: Antigua, 55 miles; St. Maarten, 65 miles; St.
Barths, 55 miles; St. Thomas, 175 miles.
The Marina at Christophe Harbour is located at 17° 14’ N and 62° 39° W. Upon its
completion, the marina will provide spacious berthing capacity and advantages
including a protected entrance and safe inner harbour; 300 slips Gwith 50 to 60 slips
accommodating vessels 85 feet to 400 feet); and a designated port-of-entry offer-
ing streamlined Customs and Immigration services.
For more information visit www.christopheharbour.com
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“Where are all the boats?†was the question on everyone’s lips in early December.
Large numbers of yachts were registered in the 48th Antigua Charter Yacht Show
but the docks seemed eerily empty...
Until, as happens every year, a steady stream of magnificent yachts appeared at
the entrance of Falmouth and English Harbours and made their graceful procession
up the channel.
It is the oldest boat show in the Caribbean, and you could feel it in the interna-
tional buzz in the bars and cafés as industry insiders caught up on news and net-
worked over cappuccinos and smoothies. Two-hundred-and-fifty professional char-
ter brokers, 93 exceptional yachts and numerous sponsors and exhibitors came from
all over the world. The most exciting thing this year was the number of new launch-
es, and not small yachts either — 55 were between 90 and 200 feet and eight over
250 feet long. Banners and bunting flew in the Christmas tradewinds from the likes
of Camper and Nicholsons, Edmiston, Fraser Yachts, Burgess, Nicholson’s Yacht
Charters and International Yacht Collection.
Following a sumptuous opening on December 7th at the Antigua Yacht Club
Evening Affair there were daily informative morning seminars with fresh breakfast in
the historic Copper & Limber Store in Nelson’s Dockyard. There was also a glamor-
ous Welcome Dinner Party, there were wine tastings and brunches, there was an
evening yacht viewing, there was the more-popular-than-ever Chefs Competition
held by the pool at the luxurious boutique hotel The Inn at English Harbour. There
were crew parties, bands, door prizes and finally the 25th Anniversary Fincham’s
Follies Variety Show for some light evening entertainment.
Some large yachts not in the show, anchored off in Falmouth Harbour as berth
space was limited this week, led to one of the funniest sights of the week: the enor-
mous Mirabella V (the largest sloop in the world, with a 292-foot mast) at anchor,
making the dwarfed J-boat Ranger (LOA 136 feet) putting up her main nearby look
quite like a little Dragon!
The Boat Show is run by the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, chaired by Paul Deeth
and co-board members Anne Marie Martin and Janetta Miller, along with the incred-
ibly dedicated management team of Sarah Sebastian and Afsaneh Franklin.
Congratulations to you all. What a good start to the season!
WHATHER ON THE WEB
Cruisers have their favorite websites for researching a number of factors that
affect their lives, not least of which is the inescapable weather. Steve Siguaw of
S/V Aspen sent this useful list of Selected Caribbean Weather Forecasts for the
Eastern Caribbean — Internet:
¢ Caribbean Offshore Waters Forecast — Wind and Waves for
the Eastern Caribbean
www.nhce.noaa.gov/text/ MIAOFFNT3.shtml
¢ Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion — Tropical Waves and ITCZ
www.nhce.noaa.gov/text/ MIATWDAT.shtml
¢ Atlantic Graphic Tropical Weather Outlook
www.nhce.noaa.gov/gtwo_atl.shtml
¢ Sailing Weather Forecasts for the Caribbean
www. passageweather.com
¢ NOAA Buoy for the Eastern Caribbean
www.ndbe.noaa.gov/station_page. php?station=41040
¢ Wind and Wave Forecasts throughout the Caribbean
www.windguru.cz/
¢ Voleanic Ash Advisory — Montserrat Activity
www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC /messages. html
¢ Wind Forecasts from QuikScat for the Caribbean
http: / /manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/quikscat/
http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/dataimages2 1 /cur/zooms/WMBas20. png
¢ Radar Image of the Eastern Caribbean
www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles / pack-public/animation/animMOSAIC2. html
Another radar weather site the Compass Crew likes is
http: / /hadar.cira.colostate.edu/ramsdis /online/RMTC_BAR_Ikm_vis.html
SELECTED CARIBBEAN SHORTWAVE
WEATHER REPORTS
UTC. AST STATION & REPORT DESCRIPTION FREQ TYPE MODE
0600 0200 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
0930 0530 = Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
1030 0630 Trinidad Femereuey Net 9Z4CP (Eric) 3855 Voice LSB/ham
1030 0630 Carib. Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham
1100 0700 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8137 Voice USB (Note 2)
1100 0700 Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net 7250 Voice Pee e (Note 3)
1100 0700 Bahamas Weather Net 4003 Voice LSB/ham
1110 0710 Puerto Rico/VI Weather Net 3930 Voice LSB/ham
1120 0720 C6AGG Carolyn Wardle Weather Net 3696 Voice LSB/ham
1130 0730 KP2G Caribbean Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham (Note 1)
1200 0800 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
1200 0800 Coconut Teleg grip A060 Voice USB
1230 0830 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8104 Voice USB (Note 2)
1300 0900 Caribbean Sea (WLO) Cc Voice USB
1330 0930 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 12350 Voice USB (Note 2)
1530 1130 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
1800 1400 Caribbean Sea (WLO) Cc Voice USB
1800 1400 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
2000 1600 Southbound II (Herb) 12359 Voice USB
2030 1630 Carib. Cocktail & Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham
2130 1730 Offshore Beret A Voice USB
2235 1835 Caribbean Emer; & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham
0000 2000 Caribbean Sea C Voice USB
0000 2000 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
0330 2330 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
* Since November 3, 2008 several radtofax charts produced by the Nattonal Hurricane Center which are broadcast from New
Orleans are based on information from different model run times. A 36-hour wind/wave chart has been added to the New Orleans
broadcast. For full details vistt wwww.nhe.noaa.gov/radtofax_transmisston_changes. shtml
Frequencies (in kHz):
A) NMN, Chesapeake, 4426, 6501, 8764, 13089, 17314.
Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later.
NMG, New Orleans, 4316, 8502, 12788.
Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later.
B) 4316, 8502, 12788, 17144.5
Cc) 4369, 8788, 13110, 17362, 22804. Gulf of Mexico, Southwest North Atlantic, then
Caribbean Sea
Note 1: An in-depth voice report followed by faxes and SSTV, except Sundays.
Note 2: Unless severe weather threatens, this net is not conducted on Sundays. When there are
active Tropical systems in the Atlantic, Caribbean Weather (Chris) runs a Net at 2300
UTC / 1900 AST, on 8137, Voice, USB. For complete schedule and changes visit
www.caribwx.com/ssb.html
Note 3: George comes on approximately 0710 with a weather synopsis, then moves to 7086 and
at 0730 gives the complete Caribbean forecast including rebroadcasting WEFX.
¢ WWV has World Marine Storm Warnings (Voice) at 8 minutes after each hour,
and Solar Flux information at 18 minutes after each hour on 2500, 5000,
10000, 15000, and 20000 AM.
¢ During hurricane activity, information can be found continuously on the
urricane Watch Net on 14325 USB/ham.
« Anyone, licensed or not, may legally operate on HAM frequencies in the event
of a life-threatening emergency.
SELECTED CRUISERS’ VHF NETS
St. Martin/Maarten 0730 VHF 14 Monday-Saturday
English Harbour 0900 VHF 68/06 Daily
Grenada 0730 VHF 68 Monday-Saturday
Chaguaramas 0800 VHF 68 Monday-Sunda
Porlamar 0800 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday
Puerto La Cruz 0745 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday
Thanks to William Mills of Toucan I, Teri Rothbauer of FREE, Dave Richardson of
Overstreet, Bill Campbell of Alcheringa II,the Pompas of Second Millennium, Steve
Siguaw of Aspen and Nick Wardle of The Bahamas for information, which was correct
to the best of our knowledge as this issue of Compass went to press.
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PAGE 12
ARIBBEAN COMPASS
os
or
2010
JANUARY |
THE CURRENT YACHT
SECURITY SITUATION
by Melodye Pompa
Because I have served as Net Controller of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net
for more than 12 years, the editor of the Caribbean Compass asked me to address
the current situation regarding crimes against yachts in the Eastern Caribbean. As
we enter another sailing season, the purpose is to give the new Class of 2010 some
tips and to remind the old timers of any significant changes of which we all should
be aware.
These comments are based on the reports that have come in to the Caribbean
Safety and Security Net (all are posted on www.safetyandsecuritynet.com), various
e-mails from many individuals, and my personal observations. In no way should
anyone take this to be a scientific study: the only way we can derive useful statistics
from this data is to have what I call yacht-days (how many yachts each day per
island). At this time, there is no other database of incident reports, despite the prom-
ises of the OECS Secretariat three years ago to create such a thing. What the data
does tell us though, like the canary in the mine, is that serious crime against yachts
is on the increase, as a percentage of total crime reported.
First the numbers:
2005, 2006 2007
total reports 121 119 Li
thefts & burglaries 105 99 56
assaults & robberies 16 20
% of total — serious crime 13.2% 16.8% 27.3%
* year to date through December 14
While the total number of reports has decreased almost annually in the past five
years, along with the so-called petty crimes, the violent crimes, involving weapons
and physical assault, have increased dramatically as a percentage of the total
reports. I attribute the decrease in total reports to a number of factors:
¢ Yachtspeople in the Eastern Caribbean are, for the most part, more attuned to
the potential of crime. Cruisers are taking measures to insure their own safety: lock-
ing the yacht and locking the dinghy, using bars in hatches and companionways in
potentially dangerous anchorages, curtailing their night-time activities away from
the yacht.
¢ Because of considerable print publicity over the past three years (e.g. in
Soundings, Cruising World, Yachting Worid, Yachting Monthly, the Los Angeles Times
and all those newspapers who picked up that story, and the Compass), more people
are now aware of the issues, especially charter guests, who previously were, at best,
naive. Some of that publicity has exaggerated and sensationalized the number of
incidents, but intelligent sailors take that as part of the decision of where to sail.
Most reports to the Security Net come by e-mail from a wide variety of yachtsmen:
Americans, Canadians, British, Dutch, German, French, Swiss, Italian, Venezuelan,
Austrian, and local folks here in the islands.
¢ Based on observations throughout the Eastern Caribbean, yachting tourism was
down by some 30 to 40 percent in the 2008-9 season over the previous season.
¢ More and more cruisers are just not reporting what they think of as petty crimes
(e.g. thefts of dinghies and outboards); they believe it’s not worth the effort and there
is little chance of their property being recovered, and they don’t want to damage the
reputation of their favorite anchorage.
The obvious point here is that we must take steps to protect ourselves because the
law enforcement authorities are hard-pressed to contain the increase in crime
against their own citizens, and they are stretched too thin to put much effort into
solving crimes against yachts. Unfortunately, the attitude of many police officers is
that their efforts are wasted because the yacht victims leave the island and are not
available for any trials, if the perpetrators are arrested. While this may be true if the
victims are charter guests, it is not true for cruisers, who may be very willing to re-
arrange their plans to attend such trials to give testimony.
The other two responses heard all too often are that the yachting victim brings it on
himself because of his dealings with and use of drugs, and that most reports of crimes
against yachts are attempts to defraud their insurance companies. The drug scenario
is more apt to be on the perpetrator’s side: the attempt to get easy cash to support his
drug habit. The spin doctors in Antigua were quick to point the finger at drug prac-
tices among the megayachts to explain the death of an Australian megayacht captain
last year, when, in fact, he was shot while chasing a purse snatcher during a walk
back to his villa following dinner. The victim could just as easily have been a Swiss
banker or a British construction worker — the incident had little to do with yachting.
The insurance fraud response, on the other hand, is just too bizarre for comment!
2008 2009 ytd*
91 65
60 43
31 20
34.1% 31.70%
On the positive side, police in Dominica, Carriacou and Grenada did arrest perpe-
trators in several crimes on those islands, and the defendants are serving time in
jail. The flip side is that the St. Vincent authorities have still not convicted anyone
responsible for the string of assaults and robberies taking place in Chateaubelair
over the past four years, and the yachting community is unaware of even any arrests
having been made in connection with those crimes. In most cases, police and coast
guard officials are prompt and courteous in taking reports but that is as far as it
goes. Four incidents closed of 63 reported is a closure rate of only six percent — not
very good.
The various marine trades associations, while talking about security issues on
their websites and in their brochures, seem concerned with yachting security only
as a function of their revenue stream, not for altruistic motives having to do with
the yachts themselves. MIASL in St. Lucia was instrumental several years ago in
obtaining and staffing a patrol boat for the Rodney Bay area; that boat is no longer
in service.
—Continued on next page
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—Continued from previous page
Their HELP billboard provides a phone number and a VHF channel for yachts to
call for help: the phone number does not work from a Digicel cell phone (we tried it
ourselves when we needed help) and no law enforcement agency responds to the
VHF call.
Dominica, via PAYS (Portsmouth Area Yacht Security), provides a patrol boat for
the north end of Prince Rupert Bay, if you don’t mind the loud music two nights a
week and can find room to anchor among all the moorings (which are in the good
anchoring spots, rather than in grass or rock). Unfortunately, this patrol boat, as
well as the late St. Lucia boat and any others which are implemented, is easy to
dA
An invaluable itinerary-planning resource for sailors in
the Caribbean is the Security Net's regularly updated.
website, www.safetyandsecuritynet.com
avoid: the bad guys just hide in the shadows until the patrol passes and then go on
with their nefarious business. Only if the patrol boat is equipped with communica-
tions gear and can respond quickly to calls for help can those potential incidents be
short-circuited.
The Dominica Marine Association, as all the others, is interested in preserving the
reputation of Dominica, and asked me last spring to delete all the old crime reports
from the Security Net website because “they are giving Dominica a bad nameâ€. This
past summer, following the two boarding/assaults in Prince Rupert Bay, I was asked
to change the descriptions to minimize the injuries to one person and downplay the
use of the gun; concurrently, their press release describing the trial of two of the
perpetrators exaggerated the sentences given.
YSATT, in response to an alleged list of six incidents within a year on the rhumb
line between Trinidad and the Hibiscus gas drilling platform, rather than pointing
out that four of the six were NOT on the rhumb line and one of the six was earlier
than the year in question, called a meeting with the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard
and other individuals, asking for protection from the rash of incidents listed.
Marinas and boatyards are not exempt from incidents of theft and burglary,
despite the promises of the management of these facilities. There are several reports
every year from so-called secure facilities, so lock the boat when you walk away, even
to the showers. In fact, there have been reports of outboards locked to the stern rail
taken by thieves, as well as break-ins to locked boats in slips, so locking up is no
guarantee. It is fairly easy for a sneaky quiet thief to approach a marina slip from
the water.
Neither the marine trades associations nor the law enforcement agencies have
been able to curtail the watercraft speeding through various anchorages, such
watercraft including jet skis, party boats, local fishing and speed boats, water
taxis, and resort launches. The Security Net is receiving an increasing number of
reports each year having to do with damage to yachts and dinghies, as well as
severe injuries to people and even several deaths. Yachtsmen should be very
aware of conditions where they anchor and not take unnecessary risks, which
include standing up in the dinghy, no matter how cool it looks, swimming too far
from the yacht, and kayaking and snorkeling except very close to shore out of the
traffic lanes.
Lastly, prior to visiting an anchorage, yachts should check the Security Net website
www.safetyandsecuritynet.com for the latest information. In many anchorages, the
crimes are consistently of a type: for example, in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, it is nearly
always theft of an outboard, with the dinghy left to drift away, tucked away on a
remote beach, or deflated and sunk. Anyone who does not lock their dinghy to the
yacht, a dock or a tree on shore while in Tyrrel Bay is setting themselves up to be a
target, and that includes the fishermen and the water taxis. These outboards are
said to be headed to the St. Vincent Grenadines, where the change in police jurisdic-
tion prevents follow-up. On the other hand, those few incidents in Dominica are
boardings to steal articles that can easily be sold: cameras, computers, watches, cell
phones, but never outboards.
Be wary of believing every blog you read on the Internet. The downside of having
such an extensive information tool is that everyone and his brother can post, claim-
ing to have the final word on the facts. Without specific information, various press
media have published wild speculations about the dangers of cruising, including in
their dire warnings incidents that occurred ten or 20 years ago. There are now MORE
rumors among the cruising community about crime than prior to the birth of the
Security Net — change is not always progress!
The websitewww.safetyandsecuritynet.com includes a long list of safety tips accu-
mulated throughout the nearly 14 years of the Net’s existence. It is not difficult to
take the necessary steps to avoid becoming the victim of a crime against yachts.
There are, of course, no guarantees, but there are no guarantees in the life we choose
to lead. There are, however, smart practices which can prevent petty to serious prob-
lems. Like brushing your teeth in the morning becomes a habit, so too should LOCK
IT OR LOSE IT!
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ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS 2009
6
When we said we were joining the ARC,
eople asked the strangest questions about what we
were going to do with the kids — as if maybe we would
leave them in the backyard with a big bowl of food!†The
Dutch yacht Elena is stern to the dock at Rodney Bay
Marina and Adam Kok laughs as his sons Mees, age
three, and Pieter, one-and-a-half, clamber around the
cockpit. The aluminum-hulled Veliger 477, with a crew
also including the boys’ mother, Leonie, and adult
crewmembers Rosa and Martin, had arrived in St.
Lucia a few hours before, as part of the Atlantic Rally
or Cruisers 2009. “It’s special being with the children
or such a long time in a small space,†says Leonie.
Adam adds, “We never considered not taking them.â€
Every year as the cruising season in Europe ends,
hundreds of yachts voyage to the Caribbean. The ARC
began 24 years ago as an Atlantic crossing-in-compa-
ny for liveaboard cruisers, with enjoyment and safety
— rather than speed — as its main considerations.
Speed soon entered the picture, with IRC Racing
Divisions racing under the auspices of the Royal
Ocean Racing Club, but the ARC’s original amateur
spirit of friendly fun remains strong.
ARC2009 departed Las Palmas in the Canary Islands
on November 22nd, 2009, and the bulk of the 212-
boat fleet arrived at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia during the
week of December 7th.
Originated by cruising yachtsman Jimmy Comell,
the ARC is now organized by World Cruising Club.
ARC2009 was sponsored by the Tourist Board of Gran
Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the St.
Lucia Tourist Board and Rolnautic, and is run in asso-
ciation with Yachting World magazine.
The Open and Racing Divisions’ competitions are, of
course, exciting. In this edition of the ARC, after a
course distance of 2,700 nautical miles and almost 12
days at sea, only 16 minutes and five seconds sepa-
rated the first two yachts to cross the finish line: the
Volvo 60 Big One and the Wally 80 Bagheera.
But while the racing divisions are popular and atten-
tion grabbing, the ARC is still emphatically the Atlantic
Rally for Cruisers. And while cruising boats them-
selves continue to evolve into something more akin to
their racing counterparts, one undeniable trait that
declares “cruiser!†is the presence of small children in
the crew. As is typical for the ARC, and unlike most
ocean races, about ten percent of 2009’s fleet were
“family†boats. They carried a total of 34 children.
The ARC organizers have made a consistent effort for
the event to be family friendly. After arrival in Rodney
ay, the St. Lucia Yacht Club hosts an annual Kids’
ay where the ARC youngsters and the SLYC junior
members enjoy fun and games together on the beach
and in the water. In the marina at Las Palmas before
he start, there was a dedicated family pontoon (“The
ids went feral,†one parent noted) and there was a
hildren’s club each morning, supervised by ARC staff.
For young Australian sailor Jesse Dransfield of the
avaria 46 Nika, a highlight was celebrating his ninth
irthday in Las Palmas three days before the ARC
tart; all the other ARC kids came and sang the equiv-
lent of “Happy Birthday†in their own languages.
esse then crossed the Atlantic with his parents,
elen and John, his grandfather Peter, his Uncle
Dean, and his siblings Zoé, age 6, and Tyler, 4.
Helen remarks, “It happened suddenly — thanks to
various circumstances we had the opportunity for a
year off. John and I grew up sailing dinghies. We had
hartered in Croatia, and recently Peter chartered this
exact boat and found out it was for sale.
—Continued on next page
GFW ere Ow
a
Top
°
Sea
Hawk
WwesT
SYSTEM“.
by Sally Erdle
Main photo: Like each new ARC arrival, within moments of completing their transatlantic passage, the Bjonness
family from Norway on the X-452 Odin is welcomed by St. Lucia Tourist Board and World Cruising staff
Inset: Rodney Bay Marina rolled out the red carpet on its new docks for the crews from 32 nations who sailed
in ARC2009
After a couple
of weelcs at
sea, Zoé, Jesse
and Tyler from
the Australian
yacht Nika
were thrilled to
meet Rodney
Bay's famous
Fruit Man
Uo kelp mea ily are k
FOR YOUR MARINE HARDWARE, AND MORE
Chain & Rope
Anchors & Fenders
Electric Wire
Marine Hoses
Bilge Pumps
Lubricants & Oils
Stainless Fasteners
Stainless Fittings
VHF Radios
Flares & Life Jackets
Snorkeling Equipment
Fishing Gear
Antifouling Paint
Paint Brushes
Epoxy Resins
Sanding Paper & Discs
Hand & Power Tools
Houseware & Cookware
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia @ Tel: (758) 452 0299 @ Fax: (758) 452 0311 @ e-mail: hardware@candw.lc
—Continued from previous page
“I was encouraged when I started reading blogs of
boats with children aboard. The stars aligned: we
bought the boat, packed up the house, took the kids
out of school... and here we are!†The family will sail
Nika back home to Australia.
The previously mentioned Kok family is on a planned
three-year circumnavigation. The toddlers already had
sailing experience back home and when the adults are
busy working ship, “they are different boys,†Adam
says; they seem to instinctively know to stay out of the
way. A day and a half into the Atlantic crossing, they
got over being seasick. Leonie says, “They had no
roblem sleeping, and it was amazing how they devel-
oped their sea legs.†Adam says, “Pieter could walk
around onboard when the boat was heeled at 30
degrees, but after we arrived he had to relearn how to
walk on the dock.â€
One of Elena's cabins is a playroom, and there are a
beanbag and an inflatable wading pool for the cockpit,
to which the children are restricted when not below-
decks. Underway, Rosa organized activities with them
such as baking. Adam says, “They basically do the
same things as at home: play, fight, enjoy life. The
scariest moments have been on land, never on the
boat. Rules on the boat are really strict.â€
Leonie stowed lots of goodies provided by the boys’
grandparents, and doled them out every couple of days
to keep the fun factor high. They also enjoyed fishing
and saw two whales. On December 5th, the family cel-
ebrated the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas; the kids set
out their shoes in the evening, hoping that in the
morning they would contain gifts. To their delight,
Sinterklaas (Martin in costume) actually appeared in
the companionway. Sinterklaas is believed to visit
Holland by steamboat, from Spain, and five minutes
after he “came aboard†the boys spotted their first
reighter — which Mees promptly identified as
Sinterklaas’s boat!
Elena's ARC crewmembers Rosa and Martin departed
the boat in St. Lucia and the Koks will continue west-
ward. Leonie says that other families wondering about
bluewater sailing with kids “should do it. The time togeth-
er as a family is so important; the children have their
arents around all the time. And for us an important part
of the ARC was to meet other boats with kids.â€
Another notable family participating in ARC2009
was aboard the Beneteau 57 Les Papillons — the crew
consisted of males from three generations of an
English family. Steve Bennett, 42, was skipper, cook
and navigator, and his crew comprised his father,
Arthur; his father-in-law, Keith; his sister’s husband,
Shane; and his sons Matt, 17, and Jack, 8. Jack was
a pier-head jumper. When his mother brought him to
Las Palmas to say good-bye, he asked if he could go
along, “to take time off school and prove to myself that
could do without TV. Now it seems strange how I
ived.†Jack says he wants to continue sailing.
Although sailing in Cruising Division, Les Papillons
crew was competitive. To stay in the best winds they
sailed 3,352 miles — 500 miles more than a similar boat
that came in behind them — and went for boat speed,
sailing more than 1,000 miles total under spinnaker.
“The boat really looked after us,†Steve said. Why this
boat? “The value for money was fantastic. I looked at five
or six other boats over 50 feet. The little things that go
wrong you can live with, but it behaves like an adult.â€
Most problems were the result of chafe: the main hal-
yard snapped and “lots†of sheets broke. Steve says,
“The key was it’s all family, although very few of us had
sailed together before. It was fun; it was very relaxed...â€
Jack interjects, “Except for... what do you call
them? Squalls.â€
Matt grins at his bother and says, “Sailing across the
Atlantic is a big achievement. It’s definitely life chang-
“
oN
| Registration now open:
St. Croix Yacht Clob
\ Hospice Regatta
Daspinre bry Ccmmpraition ~
St. Croix Yacht Club
Hospice Regatta
Teague Bay, St. Croix
U.S. Virgin Islands
Tel: (340) 773-9531 steroixycteemail.com
www.stcroixregatta.com
ing. You see that real things matter.†Arthur agrees:
“Sailing moves young folks away from bad things in life
and toward natural, good things.â€
“In busy lives back in the UK we don’t have enough
time,†Steve observes. “We've all just had two solid
weeks together. If you can do the ARC, do it. But not
just the ARC, any sailing adventure. There are highs
and lows in crossing an ocean, but you'll never meet
anybody who regrets it.â€
Keith adds, “The ARC provides real companionship,
a real brotherhood, almost like a family. There are so
many nationalities, people with so many different lev-
els of experience, but you find at the end of the day
we're all the same.â€
Above: Boat buddies. The Dutch Kok family — Leonie,
Pieter, Adam and Mees — are visited aboard Elena by
Sepke, Ward and Flor Stellamans of A Small Nest from
Beigium
Below: Keith, Jack, Matt, Steve and Arthur on Les
Papillons, celebrating a happy crossing: ‘the key was
it’s all family’
As Keith noted, not all of the fellow feeling saturating
the ARC has to do with children.
Jan Sigtsema, crew on the Jongert 2700M Ithaka,
grew up in Curacao from age two to 16, “so coming to
the Caribbean is like coming home.†After returning to
Europe for the holidays, he'll rejoin the boat to do the
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
Anders Lagerberg, who has owned boats since 1959
and sees the ARC as “a little bit organized and a lot of
fun!†says one of the main reasons he joined was the
opportunity to meet fellow sailors. Anders, sailing
Victory II, a Swedish-built Farr 56, intends to spend
Tesyined by
COMPETITION
February 19, 2010:
Registration
Cruzan Rum Welcome Party
February 20—21, 2010:
(CSA Spin/Non-Spin, One-designs,
Beach Cats, Multi-hulls, Optimists,
Heavy Cruisers
Enhanced by
COMPASSION
Raising funds and awareness
for Hospice on St, Croix.
Sailing for Others...
the season cruising the islands with various friends
aboard, haul out in Grenada for the summer, then
transit the Panama Canal the following January. A
decade ago, Anders helped a friend deliver a boat from
Trinidad to Guadeloupe; since then he has chartered
with The Moorings and Sunsail out of Grenada and St.
Maarten: “This is a bit of paradise.†Anders says he
asked his wife, Annette, to circumnavigate 30 years
ago, and when the dream began to come true it was
her idea to join the ARC. “Don’t hesitate! A big part is
the people you meet.â€
Of the ARC2009’s camaraderie, World Cruising’s
Andrew Bishop says, “It was a good bunch of partici-
pants this year in the sense that they gelled very well.
There was a very good atmosphere in the two-week
build-up to the start. And then there were steady
winds for the majority of the crossing, and breakages
were generally small and the sort of thing you'd expect
on a long passage, like chafing, so most people were
happy.†The warm welcome in St. Lucia — with rum
punch and fresh fruit presented to each arriving boat,
accompanied by a steel-pan serenade — followed by
yet more parties, added to the good vibes. Everybody
likes a fast passage, and for ARC2009 on December
9th, there were 130 boats in for the “early arrivalsâ€
Welcome Party, compared to last year’s 29.
“We're looking forward to the 25th edition next year,
which will be our 21st in St Lucia,†says Andrew. “For
the last ten years, we've had more than 200 boats per
year — quite a remarkable achievement. Because it’s
an international event, it continues to grow interna-
tionally. Although there has been a drop in entries from
the UK, others have filled the fleet. There is a continued
trend in growth from entries from former Eastern Bloc
countries such as Croatia, Russia and Poland.â€
At the gala Awards Ceremony on December 19th,
Overall Winner of the Cruising Division, the crew of
Amoress 2 from Sweden was presented with the Jimmy
Cornell Trophy, as well as the Gran Canaria Trophy for
winning Class E. Nightlife, the Sigma 41 skippered by
Tom Sperry, won the RORC Racing Division. The Arch
Marez Trophy for the crew that had best embraced the
shoreside activities of ARC2009 went to the all-female
Girls for Sail crew on Diamonds are Forever.
The younger ARC crews were recognized, too. Best
Family Performance on corrected time went to the
Chapdelaine family from France on MiniMaxi. Lani
Waldbrenner aboard Linocat, from Germany, was next
on stage as the youngest participant — at just 18
months. Many of the ARC boats submitted blogs to the
ARC website during the crossing, and a prize was
awarded to the Stellamans family of Belgium on the
Beneteau Oceanis 46 A Small Nest for a hilarious log
submitted as through the eyes of Ed the Iguana; for
the past ten years Ed the plastic toy iguana has sailed
the ARC aboard a boat with children in the crew.
Underscoring the tradition of the importance of the
family boats in the ARC, every child in ARC2009 was
invited on stage to receive a prize.
For full results visit
www, worldcruising.com/arc/results.as px
WorldARC, a circumnavigation in company, departs
St. Lucia on Janu 6th. Crossing the Atlantic from
west to east at the end of the Caribbean season, ARC
Europe starts from both Tortola (BVI) and from Florida,
calling at Bermuda and then cnuising the Azores, before
finishing in Portugal and northern Europe. The start
date is May 6th. The transatlantic ARC2010 will depart
on November 21st.
Thanks to the St. Lucia Tourist Board, Palm Haven
Hotel, IGY Rodney Bay Marina and the World Cruising
Club staff in St. Lucia for making Compass’s research
trip to St. Lucia so enjoyable. And special thanics to ail
the interviewed ARC crews for their warm hospitality.
y eS ey oe CHS
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NEWS
Bojangles IV Takes Top Honors in
20th Caribbean 1500
A week of strong northeast winds in early November
2009 propelled the 54 sailboats in the 20th Anniversary
Caribbean 1500 fleet from Hampton, Virginia to
Tortola, BVI. The boats hugged the rhumb line and
sailed on a single port tack for the entire passage.
Bojangles: ‘He could jump so high, jump so high, and
then he'd lightly touch down...’
Bojangles IV, a Gulfstar 50 ketch owned by the
Kilgour family from Toronto, Canada, took Overall
Handicap Honors. First to finish was Crazy Horse, a
Sundeer 60 owned by Bill and Rosemary Thomas of
Middletown, Maryland, who completed the passage
in six days, nine hours and 15 minutes.
The Caribbean 1500 Rally, managed by the Cruising
Rally Association, left Hampton on November 2nd
after a week of preparatory briefings, safety inspec-
tions, and gala social events, and arrived at the
Nanny Cay Resort & Marina six to ten days later with
many veteran skippers recording “personal best†pas-
sage times.
Colin and Kathleen Kilgour on Bojangles IV with
Mitchell Cage 11) and twins Gillian and Clare (age 9)
were one of eight boats with children that participat-
ed in this year’s rally.
The 2009 Caribbean 1500 fleet included participants
from 23 US states, three Canadian provinces,
Germany, the UK, and New Zealand. More than 40
percent of the boats were owned by veteran Rallliers.
The boats averaged 47.5 feet in length. Four multihulls
and a schooner joined the fleet of monohull sloops
and ketches in this year’s fleet.
The fleet sailed in two divisions: the Cruising Class, a
way to enjoy a cruise in company, or the Rally Class
to participate in the fun race. All received the same
safety, weather and communication benefits. All
Cruising Class boats were presented awardis in Tortola
that recognized their achievement of safely complet-
ing an open ocean passage of 1,500 miles.
The Rally Fleet was divided into four handicap class-
es. In the Rally Class |, Clover Ii, a Swan 56, skippered
by David Fraizer, led the pack. In Rally Class Il, Soecial
Delivery, a Taswell 58 owned by veterans Bill and
Diana Quinlan, placed first. Charlie and Jenny
McNamara, on their Catalina 470, Lady, topped Rally
Class Ill. Overall Handicap Winner Bojangles IV led
Rally Class IV, followed by Amarone, a Stevens 50
owned by Lenny Statile, and Brian and Kim Duff's One
World, the sole schooner in the fleet.
Stolen Hour received the event's Tempest Award,
emblematic of the “Spirit of the Caribbean 1500.â€
Skipper Peter VanAlstine sailed in the 1990 Caribbean
1500 with his father, Peter Sr., as skipper. This year, the
two VanAlstines sailed with roles reversed. Peter and
his wife, Christine, will cruise the Caribbean this winter
with their children Hannah and Hayden. The award for
Best Performance by a Double-Handed Crew went to
Christoph and Dagmar Hartung from Weinheim,
Germany on Flomaida I. The Brouse family (Kirk and
Elizabeth, with 11-year-old twins Wesley and Clare) on
Discovery, a Bowman 57, earned the event's Fishing
Trophy, using hand-made lures loaned to them by kids
who participated in the Caribbean 1500 in 1999.
More than 15,000 website visitors from 59 countries
monitored the progress of the boats in the rally. With
wireless transponders on each yacht, positions were
broadcast via satellite six times each day. All Ralliers
received cold champagne and a warm welcome at
Nanny Cay Resort and Marina in Tortola, where the
BVI Tourist Board and Road Town Wholesale hosted
nightly parties.
The Cruising Rally Association, founded by veteran solo
sailor and sailing event organizer Steve Black, is widely
supported by a number of leading companies, includ-
ing Davenport & Company, Nanny Cay Resort and
Marina, LLC, West Marine, Biue Water Sailing Magazine,
Switlk, OCENS, ICOM, and World Cruising Club.
For more information visit www.carib 1500.com
Trinis Dominate St. Lucia’s BMW J/24 Championship
Michael Green reports: St. Lucia Yacht Club hosted
the third BMW J/24 Invitational Championship from
Regional J/24 teams raced off The Landings in
St. Lucia
November oth through 8th, 2009 in Rodney Bay. With
teams from Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and St.
Lucia, six teams sailed 18 races over the weekend.
Hosted in the The Landings’ private marina with
teams staying in luxury apartments and two beautiful
BMWs on show, this regatta was a five-star event.
Friday night's briefing and cocktail party was held at
The Landings marina with the six Js tied alongside.
Racing started Saturday moming just offshore —
great viewing for those on the beach or aboard
Endless Summer’s large cat. Courses were 20-minute
¢ High Quality Sheltered Moorings
¢ Slips to 120’ with depth 10’
¢ Shore power 30, 50 and 100 amps
¢ All slips with fingers
¢ Showers, Laundry, Restaurant, 24 hour security
windward-leewards. After lunch the sailors sailed six
more races, with clear skies and ten knots of breeze.
Results were close among the top five, with only three
points separating Stephen Bushe’s Trinidad & Tobago
eam, Barbados, the two St. Lucian teams
and Grenada.
Sunday dawned with more perfect sailing breezes.
eam Trinidad & Tobago sailed clear of the field to
clinch victories in five of the six races; adding a sec-
ond place saw T&T finish with 21 points overall. Robbie
Yearwood’s Grenada team fought off the St. Lucia
‘eams, finishing second with 35 points, and Nick
Fosberg’s St. Lucia team was three points back in third
place overall.
Trinidad & Tobago teams have now won the last
‘© clashes in the J/24 class, achieving first and third
places in the Barbados Nationals and now a first over-
all in St. Lucia, showing great promise for the upcom-
ing 2010 CAC Games in Puerto Rico.
Thanks go to the main sponsor, BMW Prestige
Motors, along with The Landings, St. Lucia Distillers and
Peter & Company for prizes, and to the committee
boat, ff Restless, All money raised by this event goes to
he St. Lucia Yacht Club’s youth sailing program.
Thanks also to the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing
Association for information in this report. For more
information visit http://stluciayachiciub.com
Bobby Velasquez Overall Winner
in 5th Golden Rock Regatta
The Fifth Annual Golden Rock Regatta, held
November 11th through 17th, included races from St.
Maarten to Anguilla, Anguilla to St. Martin, St. Martin
to Statia, and Statia to St. Maarten. In his first appear-
ance in the event, Sir Robert “Bobby†Velasquez, rep-
resenting the St. Maarten Yacht Club and racing his
Beneteau 45 F5, L’esperance, was awarded the
Governor's Trophy by Statia Governor Hyden Gittens.
Compass correspondent Stéphane Legendre was
there, and we'll have a full report in next month's issue!
Team Tulloch Thrills at US Women’s
Match Championship
Carol Bareuther reports: The US Sailing Women’s
Match Racing Championship (USWMRC) was held in
St. Thomas, USVI this year, hosted by the St. Thomas
Yacht Club and sailed November 12th through 15th in
Cowpet Bay. It is the first time the national event was
held outside the 50 states.
Light winds worked to the benefit of US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) member Genny Tulloch (of
San Francisco, California) on the final day. Tulloch was
joined by crew Chafee Emory (of Newport, Rhode
sland), Elizabeth Hall (Chevy Chase, Maryland) and
Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami Beach, Florida).
Tulloch upset fellow USSTAG teammate, Anna
unnicliffe (Plantation, Florida), and her crew of Molly
O'Bryan Vandemoer (Redwood City, California), Liz
Bower (Rochester, New York), and Alice Manard
(Charleston, South Carolina) in the finals. Manard and
Vandemoer are both members of USSTAG. Team
unnicliffe had dominated the first three days of the
championship, losing just one match.
Shifty conditions and a breeze barely reaching six
knots set the scene for the final two matches of the
semifinals and for the four match finals. In the semifi-
nals, Tunnicliffe defeated Annie Gardner-Nelson (San
Diego, California) in three matches. Tulloch bested
USSTAG member, Katie Pilley-Lovell (New Orleans,
Louisinana), in three matches to force a Tunnicliffe-
Ulloch face off in the finals. Team Tunnicliffe had
gone 3-0 against Team Tulloch in their first three round
robin matches.
—Continued on next page
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In the finals, Tulloch won the first and third match.
Tunnicliffe won the second match, leaving her no
choice but to win the fourth match in order to stay in
the game. They were only three boat lengths from the
finish and both teams were on a beam reach for the
finish. The two teams both jibed, and Tulloch came
out of the gybe with better boat speed and held it
straight to the finish line. “We had a good time and a
Run concurrently with the US Women's Match
Championships in St. Thomas was the Radiology
Women's Regatta, in which young local sailors
Agustina Barbuto and Nikki Barnes, above,
trounced the competition
lot of fun,†says Tulloch. “We're about 30 pounds light-
er than Anna’s team and | think that helped us in the
light winds today.â€
The win for Tulloch is especially sweet after losing to
Tunnicliffe in the finals of last year’s USWMRC. “It feels
great to win this championship,†Tulloch says. “We
enjoy racing in St. Thomas. The conditions are great.â€
“This is the first time the USWMRC has been sailed
outside of the US,†says regatta director, Ruth Miller,
“and we're excited to have hosted this event and this
level of sailors.â€
The 4th annual St. Thomas Radiology Women’s
Regatta and Tennis Tournament was held concurrent-
ly with the USWMRC. St. Thomas’ Nikki Barnes and St.
John’s Agustina Barbuto won the regatta portion of
the event with a flawless string of first place finishes
over eight races. “After every race we went over
what we did wrong, figured out how to do it right and
put this into practice for the next race,†says Barnes, a
10th grade student at Antilles School. “Even though
we won each race, we were always on the move
and forming new strategies to account for the ever
changing conditions.â€
St. Croix’s Sydney Jones and Krista Siino finished in
second place, while fellow Crucian sailors, Challis Diaz
and Genevieve “Genna†Keller finished third. Twenty-
eight sailors competed in the regatta.
The 2009 US Women’s Match Racing Championship
is sponsored locally by St. Thomas Radiology
Associates, which also sponsored the 4th Annual St.
Thomas Radiology Women’s Regatta & Tennis
Tournament, and by Rolex Watch USA, Dry Creek
Vineyard, Predict Wind and Sail Proud.
At Last: Triple Jack Wins Round Tortola Race
After copping numerous line honours in the Round
Tortola Race since her arrival in the BVI in 1997, Triple
Jack finally claimed overall victory on the 40th anni-
versary of the Peg Legs’ Round Tortola Race held
November 21st, 2009.
In conditions seemingly made for this trimaran, she
circumnavigated Tortola in three hours, 33 minutes
and 27 seconds, beating closest rival Jurakan, a
Melges 32, by 42 minutes across the line. With the
wind blowing from the south-southeast (unheard of in
the event's 40-year history, according to race veteran
Peter Haycraft) the fleet was predominantly able to
sail directly to Beef Island and, once on the north side,
reach directly to Soper’s Hole. Once there, however,
fickle winds played havoc with some competitors’ fin-
ish times but not Triple Jack’s — she “rattled throughâ€
in three painless tacks.
Because of the light winds and wind direction, the
Nanny Cay-sponsored Triple Jack, a Kelsal 47, was
able to carry full main, spinnaker and half-furled
genoa almost the entire length of her northern run
along Tortola, allowing her to put time between her
and the rest of the fleet.
Peter Haycraft’s Pipe Dream was second in Racing
Class, 14 minutes behind Triole Jack on corrected time.
Last year’s winner, Dave West's Jurakan, missed sec-
ond place by one second. Guy Eldridge’s Luxury Girl
lost a whopping 22 minutes after missing her recall for
SaNd¥d Nvad
being over early; it’s never a good sign when you have
to use a spinnaker to get back to the line to restart.
Tom Mullen on Shamrock V won Cruising Class, with
Adrian Sinton’s Rascal second and Robin Tattersall’s Diva
third. A raucous prizegiving was held at Peg Legs’
Restaurant with Dick Schoonover as MC. Peg Legs’
Restaurant and Nanny Cay Marina sponsored the event.
TISA’s Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking Race
Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association in
Chaguaramas, Trinidad saw exciting dinghy racing on
November 21st at the Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking
Race. The Optimist Dinghy Class competed in four
A new National Sailing Scheme supports training for
the T&T sailors of tomorrow
afternoon races in good winds and choppy seas.
Abigail Affoo showed good speed downwind to take
the first race with this term’s ranking leader, Myles
Kaufmann, coming a close second. Three competitors
succumbed to the conditions and did not finish the
race. Race Two saw some close battles as the sailors
became accustomed to the chop; Derek Poon Tip
took the honours with Myles Kaufmann again in sec-
ond place. In Race Three, Kaufmann took first with
Kellyann Arrindell second. The fourth and final race
proved an exciting contest between Helena Coombs
and Derek Poon Tip. Coombs led the race up until the
final mark, but Poon Tip managed to catch up and
take the honours over the finish line.
A gutsy performance in the Optimist Beginner Class
by Geovannie Peters, of the sailing programme in
the town of Vessigny, saw him win all four races.
Vessigny’s Caribbean Champions in the 420 Class,
Daniel Briggs and Dekife Charles, won all four races
without contest. Wesley Scott took the honours from
Mark Peters in the Laser Radial class and Andrew
Affoo came home uncontested in the Laser
Standard class.
On the following day, the first safety-boat operator
course in a series started, under the new National
Sailing Scheme training programme. Twelve potential
dinghy instructors (eight from Chaguaramas and four
from Vessigny) learned rescue techniques for sailing
dinghies, using the sailing school safety boat fleet.
Steve Jackson and Sebastian Godsmark, experienced
sailing instructors from the UK, will be assisting with
training and coaching local students for two months.
The TTSA Sailing School Administrator thanked the
Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago (SPORTT) for
help with funding and continuing support of efforts to
gain international success through the new National
Sailing Scheme.
For more information contact Hedge Shuter at (868)
634-1216 or youthsailingschool@yahoo.com
—Continued on next page
>
i
109 rue Ernest. DEPROGE - 97200
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—Continued from previous page
48 Turn Out for ARC Flotilla 2009
Danielle DeRouck reports: The fourth annual ARC
Flotilla sailed off from Castries Harbour, St. Lucia on
November 22nd, bound for Rodney Bay Marina. The
Brig Unicorn joined the fleet and fired the cannons to
start the event.
Say ‘ARC!’ Key players from St. Lucia's public and
private sectors showed their ARC spint aboard the
Jflotilla’s mother ship, Grey Ghost
The Flotilla is held on the day the Atlantic Rally for
Cruisers (ARC) starts in the Canary Islands, bound for St.
Lucia, and is designed to raise the event's profile locally.
A total of 46 power- and sailboats registered in advance
and two more boats joined the event on the day.
Aboard many of the yachts were representatives of
the Flotilla’s sponsors. The Flotilla’s mother yacht,
Bernard Johnson’s Bertram 54, Grey Ghost, hosted St.
Lucia’s Minister of Tourism, Honorable Allen Chastanet;
Director of Tourism Lewis Louis; St. Lucia Yacht Club
(SLYC) Commodore Stephen King; Rodney Bay Marina
General Manager Adam Foster and his fiancée Alex
Prowse; and Bob Hathaway representing the Marine
Industries Association of St. Lucia (MIASL).
After arrival in the Rodney Bay Marina, all partici-
pants proceeded to H20 Restaurant to enjoy compli-
mentary drinks from the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and
Heineken, snacks sponsored by H20, and music by
the Digicel Steel Pan Band. Certificates of participa-
tion were presented.
The Flotilla is organized by SLYC and MIASL, with
assistance from the St. Lucia Tourist Board and Rodney
Bay Marina. Special thanks go to this year’s sponsors
— Digicel, Heineken, Columbian Emeralds, Travel
Concept and Blue Waters — as well as to KIKA (press
boat), Merlin Too (photo boat) and to all the partici-
pants for making this year’s Flotilla a success.
For more information visit htto://stluciayachiciub.com
The Superyacht Cup Antigua is This Month
The Superyacht Cup in Antigua has new dates at
the end of January.
“More than 15 yachts have said they plan to partici-
pate and we are confident that there will be a really
strong fleet and excellent racing,†says Patrick
Whetter, Event Organizer. The event will be held over
four days with registration on January 27th and racing
on the 28th, 29th and 30th. The “Bucket Rating†sys-
tem will be used, with two races planned for the 29th.
Perini Navi will be returning to sponsor the
Superyacht Cup Antigua and are planning to have at
least two of their fleet taking part. The Briand-
designed 38-metre sloop P2, built by Perini, has con-
firmed participation. Leading yacht insurance broker
Pantaenius, a long-term support of The Superyacht
Cup, will also continue their sponsorship of the Antigua
event. Wayfarer Marine from Maine USA is taking up
silver sponsorship of The Superyacht Cup Antigua.
For more information visit www.thesuperyachicup.com
New Trophy for Female Sailors at
Grenada Sailing Festival - and more!
Budget Marine Grenada, a long-standing sponsor of
he Grenada Sailing Festival, will present a new
Perpetual Trophy at the 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival,
which runs from January 29th to February 2nd.
The Budget Marine Trophy will be awarded to the
most outstanding female sailor participating in the
event's Port Louis Racing Series, four days of interna-
ional yacht racing. Nicholas George, Manager of
Budget Marine Grenada, explained, “The company
has long been a great supporter of the promotion and
recognition of talented female sailors, and we are very
pleased to bring this to the Grenada Sailing Festival.
he aim of the Budget Marine Perpetual Trophy is to
acknowledge and encourage sailing talent, spirit and
ambition in our many female sailors, and will not nec-
essarily go to the one who is over the finish line first.â€
The Trophy is a beautifully crafted wall-mounted
chronometer, which will be permanently displayed in
he Budget Marine Grenada Store in True Blue, and
each year the winner’s name will be added to an
engraved plaque under the chronometer, and a pic-
ure of the presentation featured in a Grenada Sailing
Festival Photo Gallery also in the store.
The 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival will offer not one,
but two weekends of great sailing action. By staging
he sailing over two weekends, the Festival will provide
more interesting and challenging racing for all partici-
pating sailors.
For the second year running, yachts taking part in
he Port Louis Racing Series will be able to dock ata
“home portâ€, Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina,
which has some 160 slips available for yachts of all
sizes. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas is offering a dis-
count on docking to all participants in the 2010 Port
Louis Racing Series. Overall, prices have been
reduced by 20 percent on previous rates, and then
he marina is offering all yachts taking part in the
Festival a further 30 percent discount on dock space.
Racing will start and finish from this base, with new,
longer courses, including an extended South Coast
Ocean Triangle. There will also be four days of parties
Grenadian style. The new look Victory Bar at Camper
& Nicholsons Port Louis Marina will be “the place to
be" for Finish Line Limes, happy hours, and a new
selection of after-race parties, including the Mount
Gay Red Cap Party and Festival Farewell Prize
Presentation Gala Dinner. True Blue Bay Resort's
Dodgy Dock is still on the calendar too: the popular
Festival venue hosts the Monday night’s party.
Sailing action continues on February éth and 7th,
when the crowd-pulling Grenada Sailing Festival
Digicel Work Boat Regatta comes to Grand Anse
Beach. There will be competition on the water
between the sailing communities of Carriacou,
Gouyave, Grand Mal, Petite Martinique, Sauteurs and
Woburn, plus live entertainment, games and activities
for the children, arts and crafts on sale, and food stalls
with traditional dishes on offer. New plans pair this
spectacular weekend of racing with the island’s
Independence Celebrations.
There is more good news for owners or skippers plan-
ning to have a pre-Festival clean or maintenance
check: Spice Island Marine Services is offering a ten-
percent discount on haul/launch, chocking and lay-
days (after the company’s standard five free days) for
yachts participating in the Festival. The offer is good
for the month of January and is non-transferable.
Contact Justin Evans at Spice Island Marine at justin@
spiceisland marine.com
The Grenada Sailing Festival Port Louis Racing Series
is part of the Southern Caribbean Regatta Circuit —
come south and sail with us! For more details check
websites www.grenadasailingfestival.com, www.sail-
week.com and www.sailingcarriacou.com
For more information on the Grenada Sailing Festival
see ad on page 5.
Competition and Compassion in St. Croix Event
Ellen Sanpere reports: The St. Croix Yacht Club
Hospice Regatta is set to start off on February 19th
with an Opti Clinic for the youngsters and a fabulous
rum party for the adults, followed by lots of great rac-
ing, February 20th and 21st.
“Inspired by Competition ~ Enhanced with
Compassion’ is the regatta’s motto,†says Julie San
Martin, regatta director. “In addition to being a great
warm-up for boats and their crews (competition), we
are sailing for a worthwhile cause, supporting hospice
services for all who need it on St. Croix (compassion).â€
The winning CSA Spinnaker-1 skipper will get his/her
weight in Cruzan Rum and an invitation to the Hospice
Regattas National Championship to be held in
Rochester, New York next June. The competition will
include up to 30 other Hospice Regatta winners from
the US and Canada.
In St. Croix, racing is for the entire family. As many as
30 eight- to 15-year-olds will compete in four Optimist
divisions after attending the Opti Clinic, back by pop-
ular demand, to improve their skills. The kids also get
Last year's CSA Spinnaker 2 start in St. Croix. From
left: Atlantic Raider, Rushin’ Rowlette, Glory Daze,
J-Walker, Cayennita and Magnificent 7
breakfast and lunches, included in the entry fee, and
the overall winner gets his or her weight in sports drink.
In addition to Opti and CSA racers, the regatta
invites all local and visiting liveaboards, cruising boats
and multihulls to race in the Buck Island Channel, and
promises at least one day of point-to-point racing,
including the challenging Christiansted town race.
One-design IC-24s and Rhodes 19s are invited to race
in the protected waters of Teague Bay, with lunch
ashore at the yacht club.
The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta is an all-
volunteer effort to raise funds and awareness for hos-
pice care on St. Croix. Over one-third of the St. Croix
population is under-insured or has no health insurance
coverage at all. One hundred percent of the funds
raised will go to support the end-of-life medical needs
of St. Croix residents, ensuring a dignified closure to
their lives regardless of their ability to pay.
—Continued on next page
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—Continued from previous page
As of November 2009, Hospice Regattas netted
more than US$ Imillion for hospice care in their com-
munities. Fiscal non-profit sponsorship, provided by the
St. Croix Foundation, offers donors 501(c) (3) tax-
deductible sponsorship options at several levels.
Acknowledging the challenges of US entry require-
ments, Customs and Border Patrol officers will be at
the yacht club on Friday to welcome visitors arriving
by boat. There is plenty of anchoring room in Teague
Bay, making for a one-stop registration, clearance
and party experience.
Some might say, the most compassionate part of the
regatta is the “enter now, pay later†provision! Food
and entertainment will be available all weekend, and
to better plan a memorable party and regatta, San
Martin asks skippers to pick a class and to register
online. “Please enter early,†she says, “No payment is
due until February 19th, and there are no penalties if
you are unable to show up for any reason.“ That said,
St. Croix offers great sailing in February, competing for
a worthy cause, and its famous Crucian hospitality:
racers are encouraged to make their plans now!
For more information see ad on page 15.
South Grenada Regatta 2010 Launched
The thriving yachting industry brings revenue to
Grenada. Wanting to celebrate the yachting commu-
nity and also attract more yachts from other islands to
Grenada, Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel held
the first South Grenada Regatta in February 2009. It
was a huge success.
Grenada’s Tourism Board Chairman, Richard
Strachan, is encouraged by strong sponsorship for the
second South Grenada Regatta, coming next month
A special reception was held on November 27th,
2009, to announce the dates of the second edition:
February 26th through 28th. At the launch, Richard
Strachan, Chairman of the Grenada Board of Tourism,
said he is encouraged by so many sponsors from the
last Regatta who are still on board; some new and sig-
nificant sponsors have also been secured.
Damon Du Bois, Marketing & Sales Manager for
Westerhall Estate Ltd, is pleased Westerhall will be sup-
porting the event for a second year, using the oppor-
tunity to promote Westerhall Plantation Rum. The SGR
Committee would like to thank all their sponsors and
supporters, especially Westerhall Estate Limited,
Netherlands Insurance, Real Value Supermarket and
Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel.
Jana Caniga, owner of Le Phare Bleu Marina and
co-founder of the SGR, explained that the Regatta
Committee discussed how to enhance the experi-
ence for participants and spectators, and decided to
shorten some courses and add a third race. The Junior
Dinghy Sailing will be held on the Saturday, and
Sunday will be for prize giving, relaxation, family and
fun. The main attraction for families is the fun Pirates’
Trail, which takes place on the Saturday and Sunday.
One significant change is the registration fee — only
USS$50 per vessel.
If you missed the South Grenada Sailing Regatta last
year, take the opportunity to find out what all the buzz
is about!
For more information see ad on page 20.
USVI’s Peil and Barnes Selected for Singapore
The Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (VIOC) select-
ed William “Will†Peil, a triathlete and 11th grader at
Country Day School on St. Croix, and Nikole *“Nikki*
Barnes, a sailor and 10th grader at Antilles School on
St. Thomas, to attend the first Singapore 2010
Friendship Camp.
Accomplished. dinghy sailor Nikki Barnes of St.
Thomas was chosen by the Virgin Islands Olympic
Commuttee to attend a special event of the Singapore
2010 Youth Olympic Games
The Camp took place from December 8th to 12,
2009 and was organized by Singapore’s Ministry of
Education in partnership with the Singapore Sports
School and the Singapore Youth Clympic Games
Organizing Committee. It is a special event of the
Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. The 15- to
17-year-old athletes from around the world who par-
ticipated in the Camp had the opportunity to partici-
pate in a wide variety of cultural and educational
activities in anticipation of the inaugural Youth
Olympic Games (YOG). The YOG will be held in
Singapore from August 14th to 26th.
Peil embarked on his sports career as a swimmer
with the St. Croix Dolphins Swim Team at age eight. He
became a triathlete in 2007, competing in his first tri-
athlon, the Try-A-Tri on St. Croix and finishing first in his
age division. Most recently, Peil placed first out of a
pack of 73 international triathletes in the 2009 St. Croix
Sprint Triathion.
Barnes began sailing at age seven at the St. Thomas
Yacht Club. She competed in the Optimist dinghy until
age 15, where her accomplishments included second-
best Girl at the 2006 US Optimist National
Championships in Florida, Top North American Girl at
the 2007 Optimist North American Championships in
Mexico, and a placing of 35th out of 255 competitors
at the 2008 Optimist World Championships in Turkey.
Barnes is currently skippering the two-man International
420 dinghy with crew Agustina Barbuto from St. John.
The VIOC, founded in 1966, has sent a team to every
Central American and Caribbean Pan American and
Olympic competition since 1966, with the exception of
the boycotted 1980 Olympics in Moscow, winning its
first Olympic medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The
VIOC represents 22 sports federations.
For more information
visit www. virginislandsolympics.com
Third Annual Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta
Fred Thomas reports: The 2010 Grenada Classic
Yacht Regatta dates have been moved forward to tie
in with plans for a Virgin Islands to Grenada Challenge
Race for yachts coming to Grenada to race. The
main event will start on March 4th with the skippers’
briefing. yacht registration and cocktail party held at
Bel Air Plantation, St. David’s Harbour, followed by
three days of racing.
All courses will be off Grenada’s southeastern coast;
the first race will start and finish from St David's Harbour.
On the Saturday the race will start off St. David's
Harbour and end at Le Phare Bleu Marina & Resort,
where boats can dock for the night. The final race will
be to True Blue Bay Resort, where boats can also dock.
Water taxis will be available for those at anchor.
After each day’s racing, there will be time to enjoy
the famous Grenadian hospitality, with great parties,
food and drink, along with local and international
bands performing each night. The awards dinner and
party will be at True Blue Bay Resort.
Register early and get a break on fees.
For more information visit
www.grenadaciassicregatia.gd
Challenge the Grenada Round-The-lsland Record!
Roger Spronk reports: At the 2009 Grenada Round-
the-lsland Race (GRIR), the trimaran Horizon Region
Guadeloupe shattered the course record by more
than an hour, crossing the finish line with an elapsed
time of three hours, 54 minutes and two seconds. This
record poses an exciting challenge and the Grenada
South Coast Yacht Club has responded by creating a
prestigious prize for any vessel that breaks it, upping
the stakes for the 2010 GRIR!
Chartered by John Bumie for Claude Thelier, Horizon
Region Guadeloupe will be back in 2010 to defend
her title and attempt to improve their 2009 time. At
present, the yacht holds several other records, includ-
ing fastest times around St. Martin, St. Bart's,
Guadeloupe and Martinique.
In addition to top-quality sailing competition, the
2010 GRIR weekend from March 12th through 14th will
bring a wide range of entertainment to Grenada’s
Grand Anse Beach. High points of the weekend will
include A Taste of Grenada food festival, the youth
sailing exhibition, and the ever-popular Crazy Craft
Bathtub Derby.
—Continued on next page
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Tel. 1-784-456-9526 / 9334/9144 Fax. 1-784-456-9238
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—Continued from previous page
The Grenada South Coast Yacht Club and 2010 Race Committee are working to
continue the GRIR’s tradition of promoting sailing excellence while also providing
events that celebrate Grenadian culture.
With bragging rights on the table, the GRIR promises to be one of the most excit-
ing sailing events of 2010!
For more information see ad on page 6.
Get Around Guadeloupe
The multilegged 2010 Round Guadeloupe Race starts at the town of Gosier and
includes legs to Saint-Louis in Marie Galante, St. Fran¢ois or Port Louis, Deshaies and
Les Saintes before returming to Gosier. The Round Guadeloupe race offers nightly
parties at each port, with Zouk music and 7 punch — a great way to discover the
Guadeloupe archipelago and its people and culture.
This year’s edition will be held from the Ist to the 5th of April. The new “high seasonâ€
dates are expected to attract more boats than the former May dates did. Forty
yachts raced around the island last year, and organizers foresee an increase in 2010.
For more information see ad on page 7.
Bequia Regatta 2010: Big J/24 Class News
Russell Corrie reports: The Bequia Easter Regatta, April Ist through 5th, promises
to be another record-breaking event and the J/24 Class hopes to contribute in
significant measure. Last year’s turnout of 13 J/24s might be exceeded by a
potential 20 teams vying for the honor of being crowned the first-ever “Southern
Caribbean J/24 Champion’ in addition to being Bequia’s overall J/24 winner.
Kudos to the Bequia Sailing Club’s Regatta Organizing Committee for running a
well-organized event, so competitive and so much fun, that it took the Southern
Caribbean J/24 Council just one meeting to decide that it wanted this regatta to
be the home of its Big Event every year.
Since Bequia first offered the J/24s their own class at the event in 2005, the St.
Lucians have been the dominant force at this regatta, winning in 2005, 2006, 2007
and 2008. But Barbados boat Esperanza upset the apple cart in 2009, and 2010 will
see a line-up of eager contenders for this newly minted Southern Caribbean
Championship crown.
The Trinidadians, who in 2009 won the Barbados Open, the St. Lucia Open and
Grenada Sailing Festival, will have their eyes on this prestigious accolade. The
Bajans too — as defending Bequia champions, with the largest fleet in the region
and a recent taste of the highest level of competition from the 2009 World
Championships — have every intention of taking home the goodies. Grenadian
boat Die Hard, which took honors at the South Grenada Regatta and third overall
spot in Bequia in 2009, will be looking for their first big overseas victory, while the
Lucians, who virtually owned this class for so long, and who, it is rumored, expect
legendary Mike Green to return to Bequia in 2010, will be out for revenge. Last but
not least, dark horses St. Vincent and Dominica, who have just started their own
fleets, will be crewed by some experienced sailors as well.
With the J/24s joining four other highly competitive classes in Bequia, this is one
regatta that is definitely not to be missed.
For more information visit www.begos.com/easierregatta
Too Much Fun!
Sailboat racing in the Caribbean is booming and we’ve got more Regatta News
than we can publish this month! See next month’s Compass for lots more regatta
results and details of upcoming events.
Le Phare Bleu Marina
Marina & Yachtclub
Restatirants
by Ella Rychlewski
Most people will tell you that Portsmouth’s claim to fame is being the island of
Dominica’s second largest city. So start most of the travel descriptions... only to
end a few lines later. However, this is to do this social melting pot and natural jewel
an injustice.
Portsmouth was briefly the capital of Dominica before the capital was relocated to
Roseau. The topography of the area, marshes and volcanic elevations, did not allow
or expansion. Now the bustling center of the Northern District, Portsmouth town is
ocated on the shore of a natural harbor, Prince Rupert Bay, which was a port of call
or Columbus in 1504 and today attracts yachts, ferries and cruise ships.
Most tourists and some cruisers head straight for Roseau and overlook the north
— rich in history, culture, food and natural beauty. Portsmouth is an ideal base to
discover a different part of Dominica.
Planned on a grid system, the town of Portsmouth is centered on Bay Street and
Burrough Square. Its charm lies in the fact that it is not touristy; it is a working town
where Dominicans from the area come to do to business and shop. The area’s only
hospital and fire station are also in Portsmouth. Locals come to town to run their
errands and walk down the street hailing each other, exchanging greetings.
Exuberant laughing, expansive gestures, animated arguments — the people make
this place come alive.
In town, you can find most necessities in Joe’s and Best Buy supermarkets as well
as in a few smaller food shops. On market days (Fridays and Saturdays), the market
rovides a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and fish. Along the
main street you will also find a few clothing stores, a couple of internet cafés and
most of the snackettes. These are small shacks where you can purchase snack food
throughout the day: fried chicken, bakes and sandwiches, as well as Creole plates
at lunchtime. The Creole plate is the staple diet of Dominica and includes meat or
ish, vegetables, beans and at least two types of carbs (e.g. rice, spaghetti, “fig†pie,
macaroni-and-cheese or potato salad). These are ideal places to rest, have lunch
and to watch and listen to Dominicans, many of whom will stop in for lunch. Don’t
orget your local juice; there is nothing better, after all, than fresh juice (orange,
grapefruit, tamarind, guava and the list goes on) made with fruit picked from a tree
that same morning.
Portsmouth has the advantage of offering a wide variety of activities within close
range. To the north, the beautiful Purple Turtle Beach is just outside Portsmouth,
as are several other beaches. Most yachts anchor off this beach or pick up a mooring
there. The cruise ship berth is located in nearby Cabrits National Park, which has
many short trails to explore as well as Fort Shirley, an 18th century British garrison
that is being reconstructed. Further up that side of the island, still heading north,
are Toucarie Bay, which has little-known reefs for diving, and Capuchin, another
historical site and the start of the picturesque Capuchin- Penville hiking trail. The
road back to Portsmouth from Penville, an agricultural Caribbean village with sweep-
ing views towards Marie-Galante, takes you through an active voleano crater with
bubbling sulphur springs. The French islands are never far from view in this part of
the island.
Portsmouth’s southern border is the Indian River. Locals offer boat rides up the
beautiful mangrove-framed river to the jungle bar at the end serving Kubuli, the local
beer, and its version of rum punch. A little further south is Picard, home to Ross
University medical school. For those hankering after some Western fare, you can find
everything from bagels and smoothies to pizza, several fast-food chains, as well as a
wider selection of food in the several supermarkets. The area’s hotels are also most-
ly located in this area, along the beach.
If, after those several packed days, you get bored, you can always rent a car and
venture farther afield. To the south is the Syndicate Trail where you can see the
Syndicate waterfall and hope to catch a glimpse of the indigenous and rare Sisserrou
(Amazona imperalis) and Jacquot (Amazona arausiaca) parrots. Heading east you
can cross the Kalinago territory, owned by the “Carib Indiansâ€, the Kalinago people.
They have a model village showcasing their history and lifestyle.
Portsmouth, often unjustly overlooked, offers a mix of an authentic Caribbean
experience along with all the pleasure and comforts one wants to find on vacation.
There are several clubs offering nightlife mid-week and on weekends as well as some
authentic dining experiences. And did I mention the best “cookies and cream†ice
cream I’ve ever had, to be found at Burrough Square?
Dominica is probably easier to access by boat than by air and Portsmouth offers
a perfect place to drop anchor, refuel, restock and enjoy the best of what the
Caribbean has to offer. Add to that the uniqueness of Dominica’s natural wonders
and culture and you have an unmissable stop on your Caribbean excursion.
Top left:
Purple Turtle Beach
Above: The Cabrits, seen
Jjrom Michael Douglas
Boulevard.
Right: The mouth of the
Indian River
at Portsmouth's
southern edge
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Despite a slightly negative write-up in Doyle’s about
the trip from Trinidad down to Guyana, the two boats
had spent a pleasant time getting there from
Chaguaramas, stopping off in Scotland Bay, La Vache
Bay and Grande Riviere before crossing to Charlotteville,
Tobago. A week disappeared in swimming, walks and
making a few repairs, and then we set off for Guyana,
completing the passage to Roeden Rust in three days
and six hours. We were able to sail during the hours
of darkness and motorsail during daylight; it seemed
as though the wind veered as the sun came up and
backed as it set. The sea was slight all the way down
a with only the occasional “bounce†to disturb things.
ae
Pa The much talked-about northwesterly current put in
ty 4 an occasional appearance, but never seemed to be
be | more than a knot or so against us. All in all it was
ego ge ea ss eels quite a pleasant trip. Maybe we were just lucky.
For those who just love the mad social whirl of
Chaguaramas, you'll hate Guyana. I mean, | think
mine was only the fourth boat this year to go up the
Essequibo River. The anchorages were uncrowded, if
not actually deserted, and there wasn’t a potluck,
jump-up or dominoes afternoon to be seen!
The waypoints shown in Doyle’s guide are more
than adequate to enter the Essequibo and continue
up to the town of Bartica, however on my electronic
chart system (Navionics) and on Moonshiner’s system
the boats were sometimes shown as being onshore
and the tracks between some waypoints were shown
as crossing the land. Working on the principle that it
would be sensible to “stick to the wet stuff’, a certain
amount of interpretation was required, but anybody
with an ounce of common sense should be able to
stay out of trouble.
Troutbridge has a saltwater draught of about 1.2
metres and had no trouble; Moonshiner with a saltwa-
ter draught of 2.3 metres touched the bottom a couple
of times taking the flood up to Bartica, but no harm
was done.
—Continued on next page
became aware of a voice shouting, “Troutbridge!
Hello, Troutbridge!â€
I became more awake and thought that it must be the
Guyanese Coastguard hailing. We were anchored off pay Acme
Roeden Rust, flying the yellow flag, having arrived from jj) (right) ona
Charlotteville, Tobago, the previous afternoon, October side trip to
2nd, 2009. Venturing on deck, I found the cheerful face Kaieteur Falls
of Kit Nascimento grinning up from his speedboat. “We're
on our way up to our place at Hurakabra. Give me a call
when you are 15 minutes out of Bartica and I'll arrange
for Customs and Immigration to come out to you.â€
The planning for this trip had started during the win-
ter of 2008, before I retired and left the English Channel
island of Guermsey in Troutbridge, my Broadblue 385
retirement home. I'd purchased Chris Doyle's Cruising
Guide to Trinidad and Tobago, plus Barbados and
Guyana and started wondering if there was an alterna-
tive to four and a half months in Trinidad. It appeared
that there might be. So, here 1 was with an Australian
couple aboard, Pam and Jim, whose boat was on the
hard in Trinidad, not to mention crewmate Cadey, and
another boat, Moonshiner, waiting for the tide to con-
tinue up the Essequibo River to the town of Bartica
where Customs and Immigration awaited us. It was
Doyle’s guide that had first introduced me to Kit.
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The gear-driven fresh water pump has a longer life and less to go wrong while the waste gate turbo
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—Continued from previous page
It’s worth noting that there are virtually no buoys in
the Essequibo river, a local source of information tell-
ing us that there was no money in the kitty to main-
tain them and there weren't many visiting ships or
boats to warrant making any provision to maintain
those that were still in place.
Approaching Bartica, I called Kit (692 455-3200) and
he was as good as his word, sending Dominic (Dom),
the manager o his resort, to meet us in Bartica. Dom
waited until we were safely anchored and then ferried
the officials out to us. They were both very pleasant
and the fee was US$12.50. Everybody on the yachts
was given one month in country, but I suspected that
we could have had longer if we'd asked for it. This took
lace on a Saturday afternoon, at about 1700 hours,
and there was no extra charge for working those hours
or for coming out to the boat. The Immigration depart-
ment is located in the police station at Bartica and the
mumigration officer will walk you round to Customs.
The fee for checking out is also US$12.50 and I'm
retty certain this is the only place I've visited so far
where the officers shook hands and hoped that you've
had a pleasant stay!
On the Sunday, we visited Hurakabra resort for lunch
and a chat with Kit. The standard charge at resorts on
the river seems to be US$15 per head for either lunch
or dinner and there was a reasonable charge for Dom to
ick us up and take us back to Bartica in a speedboat.
n any case, Kit had been very helpful in his e-mails
and had made no charge for sending Dom to assist with
officialdom, so we felt the least we could do was to
atronize his resort. Other boats might have to pay for
this service, or Kit may continue to send Dom to help
with clearing in; either way, he and Gem (his charming
wife) are running a business.
While at anchor off Bartica (incidentally, I suggest
you anchor a little further off the town than shown in
Doyle’s, to remain clear of the barge traffic), we were
visited by the irrepressible Joyce Davis, the lady who
owns the yacht Mood Indigo. She and her late husband,
David, had been famous among cruisers as musicians
in Trinidad. They built a house on the Essequibo a few
years ago and Joyce seems to be happy for boats to
anchor near Mood Indigo, but please remember that
hers is a private home, not a resort. She invited us to
come to her place and drop anchor, which we did, and
we invited her out to the boats for sundowners. The
following evening she reciprocated, showing us around
the grounds of her home. While there, we encountered
the third yacht in the river, Erasmus, a New Zealand
boat, and the following
day came across another
boat, Orchid.
Gem will undertake
organizing tours for vis-
iting cruisers and, with
hindsight, it might have
been better to have used
her services. There
appear to be no adver-
tising regulations in
Guyana and tour com-
panies seem to be in the
habit of offering tours at
attractive rates — then,
when you book, these
Left: A riverside scene
at Bartica
Right: We had a visitor, en
route to Trinidad.
rates are not available. Fairly typical (actual) rates
seem to be around US$250 for a return flight and
guided tour at the Kaieteur Falls and around US$600
for a five-day/four night overland trip into the interior.
Again, a word of caution: the people are very friendly
and willing to please but don’t expect the level of
equipment or comfort that you would expect “back
homeâ€. As a retired airline pilot I was content with the
local airline we used to fly to the Falls; others who went
on the overland tour were not so lucky and had a road
accident. The driver had no first-aid training and there
was no first-aid kit in the four-wheel drive vehicle and
medical help was a few hours’ drive away. So, if taking
a land tour, have a look over the vehicle first and con-
sider taking your own first-aid kit. That said, appar-
ently the trip was very worthwhile. I would regard any
river or road trip as an expedition rather than a tour
and equip accordingly.
River transport is well organized on the Essequibo. A
one-way trip from Bartica to Parika (the nearest port
on the Essequibo to Georgetown, the capital) costs
approximately US$10 per person. Although the boats
appear fairly crude, they are subject to regular govern-
ment inspection and all passengers are required to
wear flotation vests (supplied). The ride takes just over
an hour and can be great fun, if a little wet at times.
The river itself is a chocolate brown colour and when
swimming, visibility is close to zero. The current can
run at up to three knots, so a safety line off the back
of the boat is highly recommended. There appear to be
no “nasties†in the river, although in some places pira-
nhas are present (but the locals claim are never a
problem), as is the occasional anaconda. The latter
seem to stay in swamp areas and have never been
known to be a problem to swimmers.
The locals all drink bottled water, but my watermaker
just loved the fresh water and delivered at least twice its
rated flow. Nobody had any problems drinking the
watermaker product during the 19 days we were there.
We anchored off Baganara Resort for a couple of
days. They were very welcoming, although virtually
closed during the week.
Navigating up and down the river requires some care
and judicious use of the ebb and flood, but most of the
rocks seem to be accurately charted. Those with shal-
low-draught boats could have a lot of fun gunk-holing.
To summarize, the trip down was easier than we
were led to believe, and the trip back to Trinidad was
an off-wind pleasure with at least one knot of favour-
able current most of the time. It’s worth noting that
the current closer to the coast is much stronger than
further off shore. The difference in tracks down and up
was about ten nautical miles, but there was a marked
difference in the strength of the current. The return
trip took two and a half days.
The Guyanese are a friendly people and although
there is some crime on the river, we never felt threat-
ened. Bartica has a frontier town feel to it, but again
feels safe, certainly in the early evening. Maybe stag-
gering around at 3:00am wouldn't be a great idea, but
that’s true of a lot of places. We were warned that
Georgetown wasn't safe at night; indeed a group walk-
ing back from a restaurant to their hotel was told by a
local lady that it would be better to hail a taxi, but
nobody had a bad experience.
Organized tours are not particularly cheap and the
local produce, while of reasonable quality, is not cheap
either. Petrol (gas, for the Cousins) is around US$1 per
litre. Diesel prices I'm not sure of, but it is available for
visiting yachts. There are local mechanics willing to
work on boats. They are able to improvise, but if spare
parts are not available “in country†it may take up to
ten days to import them. Kit was willing to help with
this process and may or may not charge for this.
Guyana is a beautiful, fascinating country, well worth
making the effort to visit. Anybody used to one-day
inter-island passages followed by tying up in a marina
may feel a little daunted by the prospect of the trip, but
the reality (at least on this trip) was that with a little
care, planning and provisioning the trip can be unevent-
ful. I would definitely recommend going across to Tobago
from Trinidad and spending some time there before
heading south.
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ALL ASHORE...
by Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Montserrat was once a bustling island and its capital city, Plymouth, was the com-
mercial centre of the Eastern Caribbean. To those who last visited prior to 1995,
Montserrat is now totally different. Volcanic eruptions in that year covered Plymouth
with pyroclastic flows and ash. A large part of the population left the island.
With approximately two-thirds of the island declared unsafe and placed in an
exclusion zone, the 4,000 remaining inhabitants have basically had to start over. But
this should not be seen as a drawback but rather the opportunity to experience a
re-emerging island culture. Currently, the settlement of Brades serves as the main
town and houses the government offices while construction of the new capital city at
Little Bay in the north of the island proceeds. When I visited Montserrat recently the
new cultural centre and public market were already completed.
This island is commonly called the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbeanâ€. This name not
only refers to the lush green vegetation present on the island, even in some of the
areas that experienced volcanic activity, but also refers to its strong Irish heritage.
Originally inhabited by the Amerindians, in 1632 English and Irish Catholic settlers
were brought from St. Kitts, as they were not welcome in the other British colonies
because of their religion. The first evidence of Irish influence that greets visitors is
the shamrock stamp in their passport. The national flag also has the legendary Irish
figure of Erin with a harp alongside the Union Jack (as Montserrat is still a British
colony). It is also the only place in the world outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s
Day is a public holiday.
My research on the spider biodiversity in the Eastern Caribbean has taken me to
many wonderful and diverse islands. These included the Emerald Isle of the
Caribbean, which was my home for two weeks as I conducted my research. I was
assisted by one of my friends who had visited the island before. What struck us as
a great thing about Montserrat is that it is small enough to do practically everything
listed in the tourist guide, and we thought that we would try. So we got the guide
and a map of the island, and headed off exploring.
Our first stop was at Jack Boy Hill on the northeast side of the island. It has well-
maintained gardens, a picnic area and a viewing platform from which you can see
the destroyed W.H. Bramble Airport and some of the surrounding villages. There is
a telescope, which offers a better view of the area and the Soufriere Hills voleano. On
a clear day you can make out the outline of the spiky plugs that cap the opening to
the volcano.
But you can get an even better view of the voleano from the Montserrat Volcano
Observatory (MVO). The sole purpose of this facility is to monitor the volcano and wam
inhabitants of potential danger. This facility is open to the public Monday to Thursday.
Here for a fee of EC$10 (US$3.75) you can view a documentary on life before the erup-
tion and the stages of the voleano’s evolution. It is shown at quarter past every hour
from 10:15am to 3:15pm. There are also many informative posters illustrating voleanic
activity. In the recent past, visitors were allowed to talk to the scientists and go in their
work area and see the seismic recording equipment. However, this started to interfere
with the operations of the MVO and was discontinued.
Here we learned that Montserrat is no stranger to natural disasters — 95 percent
of the island was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. In 1992 a series of earth-
quakes continuing until July 1995 was the first sign that the voleano, which had
been dormant for recorded history, was active again. Magma first appeared in
November 1995. In August 1997, pyroclastic flows destroyed central Plymouth and
extended out to sea from the Tar River Valley. The heavy rains that followed washed
down the ash to form a thick mud that buried the capital city even deeper. (For more
information on the history of the voleanic eruptions visit www.montserratvolceanoob-
servatory.info)
Many people may have the idea that after the eruption Montserrat became a waste-
land. But the truth is that the lush, undeveloped northern part of the island was
untouched by the volcano. This island has a lot to offer the nature lover, including
a network of trails. The trails are of varying degrees of difficulty but all allow you to
see the wide range of flora and fauna on the island. If you are a novice, try the Oriole
Trail. More experienced hikers would want to try more
up Jack Boy Hill leading to Baker’s Hill and then on to
challenging trails like those
Katy Hill.
If you want to passively support the biodiversity of the island, visit the National
Trust in Salem where you can purchase books, T-shirts and other nature-inspired
items. They also have a beautiful garden with a collection of ornamental, fruiting and
medicinal plants. Plans are in the works to turn this garden into a national botanical
garden. The same building that houses the National Trust also houses the National
Philatelic Bureau, which has something for both the nature and stamp lover, since
many stamps feature pictures of the local and endemic wildlife such as the
Montserrat Oriole and the Rock Iguana.
There are many nightspots and restaurants. My favourite was Bingo Night
(Thursdays from 8:00pm for about an hour) at The Lime Sports Bar in Brades. Cards
can be purchased for EC$5 each and reused for the duration of the night. Sometimes
Bingo Night has a theme; for instance, the first time we went it was “Hurricane Hugo
Night†and the first person to get the numbers in the shape of each of the letters of
“Hurricane Hugo†won a game. For example, for the first game the winner was the
first to spell “Hâ€. At the end of this you returm the plastic bingo cards and can par-
ticipate in the jackpot game played on paper tickets for about EC$10 each. If there
is no winner the jackpot rolls over.
After the first week we decided that we had seen almost everything on land so we
looked into taking a boat tour around the island. We turned to the services of Troy
and Melody who operate The Green Monkey Dive Shop at Little Bay. The tour took
approximately two-and-a-half hours. Along the way we saw how the wave action
eroded the sides of the island to form sheer cliffs.
—Continued on next page
—Continued from previous page
We passed Foxes Bay, which is the bay before you reach Plymouth as you head
south and is off limits to the public. Approaching Plymouth we saw many large
homes and condominiums occupying the hillsides between Foxes Bay and Plymouth,
all of which now stand abandoned. The landscape reminded me of present-day
Chaguaramas in Trinidad.
Then we came to Plymouth, or “Modern Day Pompeii†as it is commonly referred
to. There was not much to see, as heavy rains washed ash downhill after the erup-
tions, and when it hardened it became as hard as cement. We saw buildings, but
kept in mind that what we were seeing was just the top floors of any buildings more
than two storeys tall — everything below this level is buried in rock-hard ash. It is
an eerie sight: the entire city looks frozen in time, standing in silent testimony to the
bustling commercial hub it once was. And although from a distance it looks pristine
and untouched, it is slowly deteriorating.
The large petroleum tanks near the coast enter the water as they come loose from
the mud. This poses a hazard for boat propellers, so that the area has to be navi-
gated with caution.
We were lucky that day as it was quite clear so we had a great view of the volcano
just below the plug. Troy said it was the clearest they had seen in months. But you
cannot stay in the area too long because of the constant presence of sulphuric gas,
so we turned back and headed to Rendezvous Bay. This relatively small, isolated bay
is just past Little Bay as you head north. Its calm waters make it great for snorkel-
ling, which is what we did. The bay is accessible by land but it is a long hike that
becomes steep in some parts. We returned to Rendezvous Bay later in the week to
try our hand at kayaking. Again we enlisted the services of The Green Monkey to
rent kayaking equipment.
5
i root ee
Top: Much of Montserrat's former capital, Plymouth,
has been buried in volcanic debris
Above: Out of the ashes: the island's new cultural centre at Brades
If you are new to snorkelling as I was and you want to go to a more populated
beach, Woodlands beach is a good place to start. The crowd really gathers at around
3:00PM, but during the day it is quiet and it’s great for an early morning swim. It is
one of the beaches where leatherback turtles nest. The island is also quite safe, so
you could camp on the beach and wait for the turtles to visit.
Some more adventurous persons might want to walk around in the old capital and
passes can be obtained from the local police — only when they deem it safe to enter
the area. This is for your safety since heavy rains, especially during the wet season,
can bring down mudslides.
If you want to get a safer “up close and personal†view of the destruction caused by
the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, visit Belham Valley on the safe side of the
border of the exclusion zone. This was one of the small valleys where the pyroclastic
flows came through, claiming 19 lives. Evidence that it was once a thriving commu-
nity is seen by the abandoned homes and businesses including a hotel, hair salon
and nightclub. Some electricity poles still stick up through the mud as silent indica-
tors of the location of streets and the buildings that once lined them. We went into
one of the abandoned condominiums during one of our explorations of the area.
During our visit we were fortunate to meet some interesting residents of the island
who decided to stay after the eruptions, including Shirley and Lou Spycalla. Along
with all the physical destruction, some of the country’s rich folklore was also
destroyed. Shirley told us of the legend of the mermaid of the pool at Chance’s Peak.
If you were able to take her golden comb, she would grant your wishes. This pond
is now buried under many feet of rock-hard ash.
Another colourful resident we had the great fortune to meet was Kevin West. He is
an avid photographer and the owner of Paradise Photo and Art Studio. He took many
of the photos of the eruption that are now featured on postcards from the island. He
told us how he set up his camera for hours, shooting rolls of film late into the night.
He also told us of a time he had to take his equipment and literally run out of the
path of the volcanic flow after he had waited until the very last minute to get the
perfect shot.
We were also lucky to meet one of Montserrat’s famous citizens, Alphonsus
Cassell, better known as the calypsonian “Arrowâ€, at his store, Arrow’s Manshop. His
song “Hot Hot Hot†is known worldwide.
Before we left we took a drink of the pure spring water from Runaway Ghaut (pro-
nounced gut). Contrary to its name, it is said that if you drink from this you will visit
Montserrat again. So, see you again, Emerald Isle!
Right now the best way to reach the island is either by yacht (yachts can currently
anchor only at Little Bay), or by flying from Antigua on WinAir (www, fly-winair.com)
or Fly Montserrat (www flymontserrrat.com). The ferry service between Antigua and
Montserrat is undergoing changes; for updates visit wiuw.visitmontserrat.com
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~~ Chapeau Carée
A rewarding view of Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, from the peak of Chapeau Carée
If you look around while anchored in Tyrrel Bay you will see the very pretty hill line
to the north above the mangroves, now broken by a big new Italian house perched
on top. Look to the east and you will see Chapeau Carée, the tallest hill visible from
Tyrrel Bay. Standing 290 metres above sea level, it is the second highest hill on
Carriacou. The highest hill (High North) is only a metre taller, so if you really want
to feel you have been as high as you can get on Carriacou, carry a small stepladder
with you on this hike.
Hiking to Chapeau Carée is lovely, but it can be hot, so early morning is best both
for comfort and for good light for the view over Tyrrel Bay (don’t forget your camera).
The hike takes about two to three hours round trip from the Tyrrel Bay dock. There
is an unmarked path of sorts, which is steep towards the top. It can be slippery — on
mud when wet and on fallen leaves when dry.
From the main dock, turn left in the direction of LEsterre. Turn right on the first
side road, which is good and straight, with several houses on either side. Then take
the first left-hand turn. This road bends around and climbs slowly into the hills. It
starts off paved and turns to dirt. For the most part you have a view on your left and
a hill on your right. The road follows upwards around this hill.
Continue till you come to a small junction straight ahead where the dirt road
divides in two. If you stand at this junction and look at the left hand road, you will
see a gap in the hedge into a field almost opposite where you are standing. (Long
version: turn left at the junction, walk a couple of feet and turn right through the
gap in the hedge.) Enter into the field.
Now the adventure begins. Walk up through the field, making friends with any
cows in the path, until you get to the field’s top left-hand corner, where a path goes
into a dense thicket with a small pond. This is a good resting spot; there are often
wading birds, grackles, pigeons and other birds that use this as the local watering
ase
Above: Watering holes like this are
essential for livestock and wildlife
on dry islands
Right: Trail map
hole. Plus, in the shade it is cool.
You can continue walking on either
side of the pond. If you take the right-
hand side you will come into a small
field that goes up to a ridge and you
can see your destination way above. Go
to the top left of the field and get
through one of the small openings that lead into the next field.
If you go to the left of the pond you will already be here. Follow this field upwards.
It will bring you to an open ridge. The open part is quickly over and you need to find
the path that leads up along the ridge through the trees. Follow this path all the way
to the top. If you find yourself on either side of the ridge, you are straying from the
straight and narrow. There is no trail-maintenance crew; you may have to scramble
or find your way around fallen trees.
The path is mainly in the woods, which give shade, except for one clearing where
you begin to get a good view. You emerge out of the trees at the very top of the hill.
The view of Tyrrel Bay is outstanding: the whole bay is laid out before you in minia-
ture like a brightly colored children’s book illustration. You also get great views of
Sandy Island, Union Island, the town of Hillsborough, the islands to the south
between Carriacou and Grenada, and to the east.
C AR B BEAN
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2010
Where initials are given after an event listing (e.g. AYC),
see Key to Contacts at the end of this calendar
JANUARY
1 New Year's Day. Public holiday or “recovery day†in many places. Junkanoo parade
in Abaco, Bahamas
1-3 St. Croix Christmas Festival Parades. www.stxfestival.com
2 Public holiday in Cuba (Victory of Armed Forces Day), Haiti (Founding Fathers Day), St Kitts & Nevis
(Carnival Day), St. Lucia and Grenada (Second New Year's Day)
6 Three Kings Day. Public holiday in many places
6 World ARC 2010/11 starts in St. Lucia. www.worldcruising.com/worldarc2010
8-10 French Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop, Guadeloupe. evastropic@wanadoo. fr
11 Eugenio Maria de Hostos Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico
11-17 17th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival. www.barbadosjazzfestival.com
11 - 20 St. Barts Music Festival. www.stbartsmusicfestival.org
13 - 16 Carriacou Sailing Series. www.sailingcarriacou.com
17 Women’s Cup Regatta, Martinique. Yacht Club de la Martinique. YCM
18 Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
21 Errol Barrow Day; public holiday in Barbados. Our Lady of Altagracia; public holiday
in Dominican Republic
21 - 24 St. Maarten-St. Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com
22 St. Thomas USVI Blues Festival. http: //stevesimonpresents.com
23 - 24 Around Antigua Race. AYC
23 - 24 Zion Cup Race, Guadeloupe. Centre Nautique de Basse-Terre
24 - 28 41st Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada. www.sibtgrenada.com
24 - 30 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay. www.airjamaicajazzandblues.com
25 Duarte’s Day; public holiday in Dominican Republic. G.F. Croe’s Day;
public holiday in Aruba
27 - 30 Antigua Superyacht Cup. AYC
27 - 10 Feb 15th Annual Mustique Blues Festival. www.basilsbar.com
28 - 31 Bequia Music Fest. www.begos.com/bequiamusicfest
29 - 2 Feb Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival. www.grenadasailingfestival.com
29 - 6 Feb 16th Guadeloupe International Film Festival.
www.fest2 1.com/en/festival/femi_international_cinema_festival_of_guadeloupe
30 FULL MOON
30 - 31 Budget Marine Women’s Caribbean Championships, St. Maarten. SMYC
30 - 6 Feb De Caribbean Regatta, BVI. www.myc.org
FEBRUARY
2 World Wetlands Day
4-7 Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta, Puerto Rico.
www.nauticodesanjuan.com /sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm
5 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, Jamaica. www.montegobayrace.com
6-7 Digicel Workboat Regatta, Grenada. www.grenadasailingfestival.com
6-7 Gill St Maarten Keelboat Championships, SMYC
6-16 5th La Route du Carnival rally, Martinique to Trinidad. www.transcaraibes.com
7 Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada
12-15 32nd Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and 28th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. WEYC
12-16 20th Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique. CNM
13 - 14 Budget Marine Valentines Regatta, Antigua. JHYC
13 - 14 Sentann Cup Race, Guadeloupe
13 - 15 Carnival Regatta, Martinique. CNN
14
15-16
15
17
19 - 21
19 - 21
21 - 22
22
22 - 23
22 - 26
Sunshine School Fundraising Auction, Bequia. www.bequiasunshineschool.org
Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and other places
Presidents’ Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
Ash Wednesday. Public holiday in Cayman Islands and Jamaica
St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. www.stcroixregatta.com
Tobago Carnival Regatta. www.sailweek.com
Around St. Lucia Race. SLYC
Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia
Carnival in Dominica. Public holiday
RORC Caribbean 600 Offshore Race, Antigua. caribbean600.rorc.org
22-20 March = Trinidad & Tobago Biennial Music Festival
26 - 28
27
27
27 - 28
28
MARCH
1-5
4-7
4-7
5-8
5-10
11-14
12-14
13-14
13 - 14
13 - 14
South Grenada Regatta. www.southgrenadaregatta.com
Around St. Maarten-St. Martin Multihull Regatta. www.MultiHullRegatta.com
Independence Day. Public holiday in the Dominican Republic
Around Martinique Race. CNN
FULL MOON
H. Lavity Stoutt Day. Public holiday in the BVI
BVI Kite Jam (kite boards). www.bvikitejam.com
Budget Marine Match Racing Cup, St. Maarten. SMYC
30th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. www.heinekenregatta.com
Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta. www.grenadaclassicregatta.com
13th Annual Dark and Stormy Regatta, BVI. WEYC
Caribbean Arts & Crafts Festival, Tortola, BVI. www.caribbeanartisan.net
International Women’s Day. Commonwealth Day; public holiday in some places
Baron Bliss Day; public holiday in Belize. Commonwealth Day:
public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament. http://tgft.com
8th Annual Grenada Round-the-Island Race. www.aroundgrenada.com
Banana’s Cup Race, Martinique. YCM
Antigua Annual Laser Open, AYC
Gardel Trophy, Guadeloupe. Yacht Club Saint-Francois
YaYs0s0 Gays 11M
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National Heroes Day. Public holiday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines
14
15 - 20 7th Annual ClubSwan Caribbean Rendezvous, BVI
17 St. Patrick’s Day; public holiday in Montserrat. Festival in St. Patrick’s, Grenada
18 Flag Day. Public holiday in Aruba
19 - 22 13th Annual Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament
20 Sunshine School Annual Jumble Sale, Bequia.
22 Emancipation Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico
25 - 28 St. Barths Bucket, www.bucketregattas.com
26 - 28 International Rolex Regatta, St. Thomas, USVI
29 FULL MOON
29 - 4 April BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. www.bvispringregatta.org
30 Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day. Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
30 - 22 April Transcaraibes Rally, Guadeloupe to Cuba. www.transcaraibes.com
B BEAN
CALENDAR
APRIL
1-5 Round Guadeloupe Race. www.triskellcup.com
1-5 Bequia Easter Regatta. www.begos.com/easterregatta
2 Good Friday. Public holiday in many places
5 Easter Monday. Public holiday in many places
5 Buccoo Goat, Donkey and Crab Races at Mt. Pleasant, Tobago
6 Buccoo Goat, Donkey and Crab Races at Buccoo, Tobago
6-11 Les Voiles de Saint Barth. www. lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com
15 - 20 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. www.antiguaclassics.com
22 International Earth Day
23 Guadeloupe to Antigua Race. www.sailingweek.com
24 - 30 Antigua Sailing Week. www.sailingweek.com
24 - 7 May Fireball World Championships, Barbados. www.fireball-worlds.com
28 FULL MOON. National Heroes’ Day: public holiday in Barbados
30 Queen's Day. Public holiday in Dutch islands
MAY
1 Labour Day. Public Holiday in Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Montserrat and St. Lucia
1-3 St. Lucia J/24 Open Championship. SLYC
2 The Atlantic Cup, Tortola to Bermuda, starts. www.carin1500.com
6 ARC Europe Rally, Tortola to Europe, starts.
6-9 St. Lucia Jazz Festival. www.stluciajazz.org
7-9 Anguilla Sailing Festival. www.anguillaregatta.com
13 Combat de Coques, Martinique. CNM
13 Ascension Day. Public holiday in some French and Dutch islands
13 - 16 Mount Gay Regatta, Barbados. www.sailbarbados.com
15 - 16 Captain Oliver’s Regatta, St. Maarten. www.coyc-sxm.com
21-23 Puerto Rico Vela Cup. www.puertoricovelacup.com
22 - 24 Green Island Weekend, Antigua. AYC
24 Whit Monday. Public holiday in many places
24 - 29 Ernest Hemingway International Billfish Tournament, Cuba. yachtclub@cnih.mh.cyt.cu
24 - 31 BVI Music Festival. www.bvimusicfest.net
27 FULL MOON
28 - 30 Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta, Jost Van Dyke, BVI. WEYC
29 - 30 Martinique-to-St. Lucia Race. YCM
30 Anguilla Day; Public holiday in Anguilla. Indian Arrival Day; Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
TBA Canouan Regatta. Canouan Sailing Club, tel (784) 458-8197
JUNE
3 Corpus Christi. Public holiday in many places
World Environment Day
5-6 Caribbean Laser Championship, St. Maarten. SMYC
12 St. Lucia Optimist and Laser Championship. SLYC
12 Sovereign's Birthday. Public holiday in the BVI
13 - 20 20th Annual Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival. www.jamaicaculture.org/jazz
19 Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, St Thomas, USVI
19 Labour Day. Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
19 - 20 The Saintes Regatta. CSBF
20 - 26 Errol Flynn Days, Jamaica. www.errolflynnmarina.com
21 Summer Solstice
21 Féte de la Musique, Martinique
24-26 14th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival. www.nevisblog.com/st-kitts-music-festival
26 FULL MOON
26 - 4 July HIHO Windsurfing Week, BVI. www.go-hiho.com
29 Fisherman’s Birthday (St. Peter's Day). Boat and dinghy races in many fishing communities
JULY
1 VC Bird Day; public holiday in Antigua & Barbuda
2-3 19th Annual Firecracker 500 Race, BVI. WEYC
4 Independence Day (USA). Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI. Carnival in St. John, USVI
5-6 St. Vincent Carnival. http: //discoversvg.com
9-11 Chief Minister's Cup Youth Regatta, Tortola. RBVIYC
14 Bastille Day. Public holiday in French West Indies
16 - 1 Aug Tobago Heritage Festival
20 - 21 St. Lucia Carnival. www.stlucia.org
22 - 25 USVI Lifestyle Festival, St. Thomas. www.usvimf.com
25 FULL MOON
25 - 2 Aug Carriacou Regatta Festival. www.carriacouregatta.com
28 Carriacou Children’s Education Fund Welcome Barbecue. boatmillie@aol.com
30 Carriacou Children’s Education Fund Annual Auction. boatmillie@aol.com
AUGUST
1 Emancipation Day. Public holiday in Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago
1 Emancipation Day Regatta, St. Lucia. SLYC
7 Marigot Bay Race Day, St. Lucia. SLYC
9 - 10 Grenada Carnival. www.spicemasgrenada.com
16 - 22 57th San Juan International Billfish Tournament, Puerto Rico. www.sanjuaninternational.com
24 FULL MOON
28 Great Race (powerboats) from Chaguaramas, Trinidad to Store Bay, Tobago
TBA Tour des Yoles Rondes, Martinique. www.tourdesyoles.com/www.yoles-rondes.org
OF EVENTS 2010
SEPTEMBER
6 Labor Day. Public holiday in USVI
23 FULL MOON
OCTOBER
3-9 43rd Bonaire International Sailing Regatta. www.bonaireregatta.org
22 FULL MOON
29 - 31 13th Annual Foxy’s Cat Fight, Jost Van Dyke, BVI. WEYC
29 - 31 World Creole Music Festival, Dominica. www.wemfdominica.com
TBA Triskell Cup Regatta, Guadeloupe. www.triskellcup.com
NOVEMBER
1 All Saints’ Day. Public holiday in many places
3 21st Annual Caribbean 1500, Virginia to Tortola, starts. www.carib1500.com
3 Bahamas Cruising Rally, Virginia to Abacos, starts. www.carib1500.com
6 St. Maarten Optimist Championship.
12 - 14 3rd Heineken Regatta Curacao. www.heinekenregattacuracao.com
12 - 20 20th Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. www.arubaregatta.com
21 FULL MOON
21 25th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, Canaries to St. Lucia, starts.
26 - 28 Course de l’Alliance Regatta, St. Maarten/St. Barths/Anguilla. www.coursedelalliance.com
DECEMBER
3-5 Gustav Wilmerding 20h Annual Memorial Challenge, BVI. WEYC
6-11 48th Antigua Charter Yacht Show. www.antiguayachtshow.com
12 - 21 Havana International Jazz Festival, Cuba. www.jazzcuba.com
21 FULL MOON
21 Winter Solstice
25 Christmas Day. Public holiday in many places
26 Boxing Day. Public holiday in many places
31 Nelson’s Pursuit Race, Antigua. AYC
FO
e All information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time this calendar went to press — but plans
change, so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation! Also, a public holiday may be celebrated
on the following Monday if a fixed holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
e Many thanks to all who made their schedules of events available for this calendar. This is by no means a
complete list. Stay tuned to Compass each month for news of more events as the year progresses.
e If you organize a sailing event not listed here that you'd like to see in our monthly calendars, please send
information two months before the event date(s) to sally@caribbeancompass.com.
KEY TO CONTACTS
AYC: Antigua Yacht Club, tel/fax (268) 460-1799, yachtclub@candw.ag, www.antiguayachtclub.com
CNIH: Club Nautico Intl. Hemingway (Hemingway International Yacht Club, Cuba), tel (+1 53) 724-2718,
yachtclub@cnih.mh.cyt.cu
CNN: Club Nautique Le Neptune, Martinique, tel (596) 51 73 24, fax (596) 51 73 70, info@clubnautiquele-
neptune.com, www.clubnautiqueleneptune.com
CNM: Club Nautique du Marin (Martinique). tel (596) 74 92 48, fax (596) 74 62 02, club-nautique-du-marin@
wanadoo.fr, www.clubnautiquedumarin.com
CSA: Caribbean Sailing Association. www.caribbeanracing.com
GYC: Grenada Yacht Club, tel (473) 440-6826 or 440-3050, gyc@spiceisle.com, www.grenadayachtclub.
com
JHYC: Jolly Harbour Yacht Club, Antigua. tel (268) 770-6172, miramarsailing@hotmail.com, www.jhycan-
tigua.com
RBVIYC: Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, tel (284) 494-3286, rbviyc@rbviyc.com, www.rbviye.net
SBYC: St. Barth Yacht Club, tel (590) 27 70 41, sbyc@wanadoo.fr
SCYC: St. Croix Yacht Club, tel (340) 773-9531, fax 778-8350, stcroixyc@gmail.com, www.stcroixyc.com
SLYC: St. Lucia Yacht Club, tel (758) 452-8350, secretary@stluciayachtclub.com, www.stluciayachtclub.
com
SMYC: St. Maarten Yacht Club, tel (599) 544-2075, fax (599) 544-2091, info@smyc.com, www.smyc.com
STYC: St. Thomas Yacht Club, tel (840) 775-6320, fax (340) 775-3600, info@styc.net, www.stye.net
SYR: Société des Yoles Rondes (Martinique), tel (0596) 61 48 50, fax (0596) 72 02 53, yolesrondes@wanadoo.
fr, www.yoles-rondes.org
TTSA: Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Assn., tel (868) 634-4210/4519, fax (868) 634-4376, manager@ttsailing.
org, www. ttsailing.org
WEYC: West End Yacht Club, Tortola, BVI, tel (284) 496-8685, mvh@surfbvi.com, www.weyc.net
YCM: Yacht Club de la Martinique, tel (596) 63 26 76, fax (596) 63 94 48, yemq@wanadoo.fr
Lo ssid
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK WITH DON STREET
Part One:
Tobago to Dominica
As I've often mentioned, articles and letters in yachting magazines frequently com-
plain that the harbors in the Eastern Caribbean are so full of mooring balls and other
yachts that there is no room to anchor. But I'd like to let newly arrived sailors know
that if you are willing to get off the beaten track and forgo bars and restaurants,
there are probably a hundred anchorages where you and a buddy boat or two can
enjoy anchoring in solitude.
All the anchorages mentioned are well described in various guides, so I won't give
sailing directions. Admittedly, many require eyeball navigation with someone stand-
ing on top of the bow pulpit. A few will require someone on the lower spreaders. (On
the modern yacht with internal halyards, climbing aloft is much more difficult than
in the old days when halyards were external. Fixing steps on the mast to enable a
crewmember to easily reach the lower spreaders is a worthwhile alteration.)
Let’s start from the south.
Tobago has a dozen uncrowded anchorages. Those on the north coast should not
be used in the winter due to the prevalence of the northwest groundswell, but come
summer they are fine. (If a hurricane approaches, head south to Trinidad or west to
Golfo de Cariaco.)
Grenada has an abundance of under-used anchorages. On the southwest coast,
boats that draw six feet or less can work their way well into Morne Rouge Bay.
Deeper draft boats can drop their anchors on the edge of the shelf and back off.
Grenada’s south coast has numerous anchorages; one can almost always find an
uncrowded one. If heading north up the east coast, see sailing directions on the back
of Imray Iolaire chart B32; Lascar Cove, Requin and Le Petit Trou offer good anchor-
ages where you will find no habitation and no other boats.
Grenville’s anchorage is not that hard to enter, sheltered from the sea but not the
wind, and a wonderful base from which to do shoreside explorations of the northeast
corner of Grenada. When leaving, mind your p’s and q’s. It’s possible to sail out but
advisable to motor-sail.
Frigate Island is a seldom-used anchorage
that’s one of my favorites
Uninhabited Sandy Island, on the northeast corner of Grenada, is another nice
anchorage seldom visited by yachts.
Enroute to Carriacou, in summer months when it is not blowing hard, a daytime
anchorage might be found in the lee of Les Tantes, where fishermen sometimes
camp. Corn Store Bay on the northwest corner of Isle de Ronde is a good anchorage
as long as the groundswell is not running.
Instead of crowded Tyrrel Bay, head for the southeast corner of Carriacou. In the
summer when it is not blowing too hard try the anchorage behind One Tree Rock.
There is room for one boat only and good diving on the reef to windward. To the east
of One Tree Rock, anchorage can be found west of Sandy Island and northwest of
Saline Island.
A short beat brings you to Kendeance Point, the entrance to Grand Bay where you
find five miles of sheltered water and good anchorage tight behind the reef. Continue
north past St. Hilaire Point. Boats drawing seven feet or more should proceed dead
slow or send the dinghy ahead to check depth. Anchor off the boatbuilders’ village of
Windward or tight up behind Carib Island.
Sail on north and west to anchor behind Frigate Island, a seldom-used anchorage
that’s one of my favorites. (Frigate Island is attached to Union Island by a causeway
constructed for a failed marina project.) Then, if the wind is south of east, Bloody
Bay on Union Island is wonderful, but if the wind is east or north of east forget it.
On to the windward side of Mayreau: just like the outer anchorage in the Tobago
Cays, but no other boats. The windward side of Canouan is also an excellent anchor-
age and big enough that you will never be crowded. If it is not blowing too hard, and
if you are a good eyeball navigator and can put a crewmember ON THE SPREADERS,
you will find another anchorage where you will be alone and have good diving within
easy swimming distance of the boat.
Out to windward is Baliceaux, an uninhabited island visited by fishermen and the
occasional yacht. Another easily reached, quiet anchorage is Anse Chemin on
Bequia, which is great as long as the wind is east or south of east. From Anse
Chemin or Baliceaux heading north, forget about sailing up the west lee side of St
Vincent. Check the “meridian passage of the moon†table on the back of the Imray
Iolaire chart or in Compass. Head across Bequia Channel with the first of the weather-
going tide, go to windward of St. Vincent and stand north to Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. It
should be a close reach, a fetch during the winter, or come spring, when the wind
tends to be south of east, a good fast reach.
Once checked in at Vieux Fort, sail around the corner and anchor in Anse de Sable.
Tuck up really tight behind Maria Island, as in the main bay it tends to be rolly as
the swell hooks around both sides of Maria Island.
Heading west, try Laborie. Unfortunately there are moorings, but I am told that
there is still space to anchor and the boat boys are not too pushy.
In Martinique, check in at Le Marin, then leave the crowded harbor and anchor off
Ste. Anne in clear water and plenty of room. It is a good jumping-off spot for the east
coast of Martinique, a wonderful cruising ground where you will see few if any other
cruising yachts. In this area my guide is adequate, but if you really want to gunk
hole, especially if you have a shoal-draft boat, purchase the guide by Philipe
Lacheneze Huede and Jerome Nouel. Philip is descended from Martinique’s first
white settlers and has sailed the east coast all his life, while Jerome arrived in
Martinique 30 years ago, has cruised into every gunk hole in Martinique and has
produced superb sketch charts.
There are so many anchorages on the east coast of Martinique that I will not try to
list them. Since the harbors lay on an east-west axis it means you cannot leave till
the sun is high and you should be anchoring by 1500 at the latest. At the head of
some of these harbors the rise and fall of tide at springs can reach three feet, so
check depth and state of tide before anchoring.
In Dominica there are few anchorages; none are off the beaten track.
Next month: The Saints and northward.
Se ——————
Bequia Marina
Open Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Look for the Big Blue Building.
Water, Diesel, Ice, Bottled Water and Dockage available.
The Yacht Club, Bequia Marina, Port Elizabeth, Bequia,
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
VHF 68, Telephone 784-457-3361
LULLEY'S
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Grenada
Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will make
your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don Street,
author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-lolaire charts, which shows the time
of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this and next month, will help you
calculate the tides.
Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts running
to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an hour after the
moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward. From just after the
moon's setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward; and from just after its
nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward. Times given are local.
Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons.
For more information, see “Tides and Currents†on the back of all Imray Iolaire
charts. Fair tides!
January 21 1629 9 0838
DATE TIME 22 1713 10 0928
1 0016 23 1800 ll 1016
2 0118 24 1852 12 1101
3 0216 25 1949 13 1145
4 0310 26 2050 14 1226 (new)
5 0400 27 2153 15 1307
6 0449 28 2256 16 1347
© 0537 29 2356 17 1428
8 0626 380 2454 (full) 18 1511
9 0715 31 0054 19 1557
10 0806 20 1646
ll 0858 February 21 1739
12 0950 DATE TIME 22 1836
13 1042 1 0148 23 1936
14 1131 2 0239 24 2036
IS 1219 (new) 3 0329 25 2136
16 1303 4 0419 26 2234
LZ 1346 5 0510 27 2330
18 1427 6 0607 28 0000 (full)
19 1507 7 0654
20 1547 8 0746
S/V Ambler has been home to
Stan and Cora since they left
Germany in 1981. The boat was
built in 1927 as an RNLI motor-
sailer lifeboat and remained in
service in the often-hostile waters
off the coast of the UK until 1949.
Purchased in Guernsey in 1977,
it took Stan and Cora until 1981
to refit her sufficiently to begin their cruising life. The work of refitting Ambler con-
tinued as they traveled until Ambler was brought to her current configuration in
1991. Even though she has a taller mast installed and a foresail added to make her
a cutter and her wheelhouse has been cut down to a coach roof and countless other
changes have been made, her stout, 40-foot, 16-ton hull still provides a truly sea-
worthy boat. Ambler has proven herself to be a reliable vessel throughout Stan and
Cora’s extensive travels.
They started their cruising adventure in the Mediterranean. From there they went
to the Canary Islands, then across the Atlantic to Brazil, south to Argentina and
around the Cape and up to Chile, then Easter Island, across the Pacific to Polynesia,
Australia and New Zealand. Then it was 3,000 miles across to Madagascar, around
South Africa and across the Atlantic, back to Brazil, some 25 years later. The adven-
tures and misadventures of Ambler’s voyages during those years would fill a book.
From Brazil, Stan and Cora worked their way up the South American coast and into
the Caribbean two years ago.
Stan is the cook and the engineer. Much of the refit of the boat has been done in out-
of-the-way places, requiring Stan to create needed parts and items from materials avail-
able. He is carpenter, welder, mechanic and rigger. Cora said, “It wasn’t until we got to
the Caribbean that I realized you could walk into a chandlery and buy something you
need rather than having to make it yourself.†Cora does the painting, varnishing, bot-
tom scraping, epoxy and canvas work, and generally keeps the boat shipshape.
Underway, the crew roles on Ambler are quite blurred. Whoever is on watch is the cap-
tain. Navigation has become second nature to both of them, as have most of the tasks
involved in handling the boat. Whatever needs to be done, together they can handle it.
In their travels across the planet, Stan and Cora have shared their talent and pas-
sion for music. Wherever they are, you will probably find them playing their favorite
jazz or blues pieces in some local club, often joined by local musicians. Stan does
keyboard and vocal while Cora plays the sax. Stan has played since childhood. Cora,
on the other hand, has acquired her musical skills during their travels. Their upbeat
outlook and passion for living clearly come through in their music.
When asked what their favorite places have been, they agree their all-time favorite
is Tonga. They spent five years in Tonga‘s Vava’u island group, making many friends,
including the Crown Prince, a fellow musician. Other favorites are Madagascar and
Mozambique. But they add, “Everywhere we have been, we've found the people to be
friendly to us.â€
When I asked what they like best about this cruising life, Cora spoke up. “We go
everywhere but I always have my own bed, my books, my home, wherever we are.â€
For the future, as far as they can see it, Stan and Cora will go where the wind car-
ries them, making friends and making music along the way.
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day sailing and coastal cruising until an adventurous young man from Maine
bought her and once again pointed her bow in the direction of faraway lands. Now
I am the third in a line of owners from Maine (actually I'm from Ohio but I bought
the boat while living in Maine) whom Phumbelly has carried safely across oceans.
One previous owner and friend of mine told me before I left for the first time,
“Plumbelly is the princess of every harbor she visits; she always gets the best
spot!†And I'll be darned if it hasn’t been true — from the grimiest fishing harbor
in Morocco to the most chi-chi spots in the Caribbean, she always gets the royal
treatment. She’s so small, but so proud. She just charms the socks off of every-
body! I think it’s the spirit of adventure and tradition she embodies that makes
peoples’ eyes twinkle when they take a moment to admire her.
I read once that art is an expression of humans’ love of labor, and people have
described Klaus’ relationship with Plumbeily as “a grand love affair’. In the case
of the Bequian shipwrights it was a love born out of necessity, for nothing less
than a sort of love can create a vessel seaworthy enough for whaling. In Phumbelly,
by Patrick DiLalla Klaus created a working monument to this fading tradition, a swan song that
fused his love of construction and love of the sea. She is a vessel that has turned
When I bought my boat in Maine six years ago, people told me she was built in into a legend in the waters that she plies, always popping up to the delight of
the Caribbean and was famous. They told me that she akvays comes back home, everyone who ever dreamed of just getting a boat and going.
and that she knew the way to Bermuda on her own. But
in the drive to get the boat and myself ready for a solo mV a
passage to Bermuda, I never allowed myself to think of
my vessel in such a romantic way. I preferred to call her
“tried and true†if anything, and focused on all of her
possible weaknesses.
But later, as I guided my beloved little boat back to her
birthplace after a 28th transatlantic passage, a little puff
of wind sweetened by the trees of Bequia swept across
Plumbelly's sails and she knew where we were. I smiled
and let myself believe in the magic carpet that carried
me so many miles and reveled in her amazing history.
Plumbelly came to life on the beach in Admiralty Bay
under the shade of the palm trees, near the place where
the Porthole Restaurant is now. An eccentric German
architect and ship’s captain named Klaus Alverman
wanted a small yacht to cruise the islands in, and he
set out to build it with the help of, among others,
Bequian shipwright Lauren Dewar, better known as
Lauren Joe. They built the 25-foot boat in the local
tradition, hewing carefully selected timber from around
the island into the shape of a modified two-bow fishing
boat. Her full body inspired the name as a passerby
commented, “Look like she got a big plum in de belly!â€
She was launched in 1965, and a few years later set
out to cross the Pacific Ocean. Klaus’ motivation for
leaving on such an ambitious passage is unknown to
me. Plumbelly had no engine, no electricity and no self
steering device. After four weeks of sailing sheet-to-tiller
with the bow down, Phunbelly arrived in the Pacific
islands sporting a beard of algae on her bowsprit!
While Klaus was resting in Tahiti, a big red double-
ender came gliding into the harbor with a wild-eyed
Frenchman at the helm. The man had just sailed two
times around the world, non-stop. It was the messiah
of French yachting, Bernard Moitessier. The two men
became friends and Klaus obtained a design for a sim-
ple wind vane from him. He built the wind vane in New
Zealand and it is working its magic as I write this.
Plumbelly and Klaus returned to Bequia to a hero's
welcome — the first Bequia boat to be sailed around the
world. For those in Bequia that know the story of
Plumbeily, there is a gleam of pride in their eyes when
they speak about it. This is my second time “back homeâ€
with the old girl and I've yet to meet someone over 30
who doesn’t know the name. Many remember Klaus and
called him a friend. Bequians will be pleased to know
that the boat's fame extends far beyond Bequia, the : ;
Windward Islands and even the Caribbean. In places as Small but mighty, Plumbelly of Bequia crosses oceans, turns heads,
far afield as Senegal I've had people ask me: “That's not THE Plumbelly, is it?†“Bet and keeps tradition and dreams alive
your boots it is, the one and only!†People just smile and shake their heads.
When Klaus finally stopped after 20-odd years of sailing, Plumbeily ended up in
the hands of an American science professor in Massachusetts. She was used for
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PAGE 34
Ss
OO
ARIBBEAN COMPA
(
JANUARY 2010
Falling in Love
with Grenada
by Richard. Rolland.
Hello to you all. Before telling our story, let me
give you a bit of our background.
My name is Richard and my wife is Lucie; we are
both from Montréal, Canada, retired and in our mid-
fifties. Our new home is called Marie Galante II.
It all started in 2006 at the end of a two-week
charter on a 40-foot catamaran, from Martinique to
Guadeloupe and back. We had been sailing for the
past ten years and loved to travel and to be on the
water. My wife was entitled to her retirement the
coming year and I wasn’t really sure of my future
with the takeover of the company that I was working
for. Just before leaving Martinique I asked her if she
could imagine cruising the Caribbean full time. I
already had a good idea of her answer — it was a
resounding “YES!â€
Upon our return I started right away to see how
we could manage to make this project come alive.
After studying a few scenarios, we came to one solu-
tion that was the best for us: sell everything that we
owned (the house, motorboat, car, furniture, you
name it), find the boat and go!
So, after a year and a half, we left Montréal on a
1992 Jenneau Sun Odyssey 44. We had previously
taken basic navigation and coastal navigation
courses. Before we left, we also took specialized
courses in subjects such as shortwave radio, diesel
mechanics, meteorology and first aid, and got some
additional sailing qualifications.
After sailing for two months on Lake Champlain,
south of Montréal, getting familiar with our boat
and the new equipment we put on board, we offi-
cially started this new lifestyle and adventure on
September 6th, 2007. No more schedules, no more
clock-watching, just living one day at a time and
with no idea for how long — WOW.
Our first leg was through the Champlain Canal
and down the Hudson River to New York, Cape May,
the Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk, and
the Intracoastal down to Florida.
—Continued on next page
TITEL.
Port Louis Marina — another great reason to visit Grenada
GRENADA
WEST INDIES
Grenada remains one of the most unspoilt and welcoming cruising destinations
in the Caribbean.
low, with Port Louis, visiting yachts can enjoy the security and convenience
of a beautifully appointed, fully serviced marina — located in the lagoon adjacent
to the island's capital, St George's.
Grenada’s southern location allows for yearround cruising, including the summer months,
and with an international airport just five miles away, Port Louis is the ideal base for
exploring the wondertul islands of the Grenadines.
As a Port of Entry, it's easy to clear in and out through Port Louis, and our 24-hour security,
dockside facilities and marina-wide wifi all contribute to making your stay safe and relaxed.
www. cnportlouismarina.com
Port Louis is owned and operated by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, and our friendly
and knowledgeable staff are on hand 24 hours a day to welcome yachts of all sizes
from 2O0ft to 3008.
For more information about securing a berth at Port Louis, including the opportunity
to purchase on a 30-year licence, please contact our Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator,
Danny Donelan on +1 [473] 435 7432 or email danny.donelan@enportlovismarina.com
Port Louis Marina — just one more reason to visit the ‘Spice Island’.
C. er &
Nie isons
YACHTING SINCE 1782
MARINAS
ITALY | MALTA | TURKEY | WEST INDIES
. continued from previous page
We arrived in Florida in mid-December. Now that we have all the
time in the world, we only sail in good conditions, we take time to
visit everything that may be of interest, and we are meeting new
sailors living the same dream. What more can you ask for?
From Fort Lauderdale we sailed to West End in the Bahamas and
the Abacos, Nassau, and all of the following islands. The fun part so
far was that we were always going south and it was always summer.
No more spring, fall or especially winter. Discovering so many won-
derful people and spectacular places would take wa-a-a-y too long
to describe here. After waiting for a good weather window we sailed
from the Turks & Caicos to the Dominican Republic at Luperon.
Six months had gone by so fast and we were only beginning. We
flew back home for two weeks, seeing family and friends, all wonder-
ing how we were managing. It is funny to see how people perceive,
and can’t really relate to, our new style of life. I'm sure that all of
you boaters understand what I mean.
Let’s move on — Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, St. Thomas, and
the BVI, where we stayed for three months. Then St. Martin to
Guadeloupe, stopping at most of the islands in between. Mind you,
we don’t have to stop at every island right now because we will pass
back eventually.
Lucie has family in Guadeloupe and hurricane season had start-
ed. Luckily for us her cousin was going back to Canada for seven
weeks and wanted us to take care of her house in the meantime.
Hard to refuse, wouldn't you say? We left the boat at Marina Bas-
du-Fort and enjoyed the earthling life again: pool, car, big wash-
room and no restrictions on water or showers. We took this oppor-
tunity to visit, in depth, all of Guadeloupe. It was also time to take
care of Marie Galante because she needed a good clean-up, antifoul-
ing, waxing, etcetera — you know the drill.
We had a charter booked on our boat that was scheduled for
January, so we sailed back up to the BVI. We stopped at Antigua,
which we had not visited in the past, and celebrated Christmas in
St. Martin where my daughter was. By the end of February, it was
time to head south again.
This time we stopped at Saba, which we recommend that every-
body should visit. And of course we stopped at Marie Galante; we
could not pass the island for which our boat is named. Dominica
was next and then Martinique, where we stayed for three weeks at
Grande Anse D’Arlet. We rented a car for three days to go around
the island. We slept one night at the foot of Mt. Pelée in a small bed-
and-breakfast — a real treat.
From then on, every island south of Martinique would be new to
us, with the goal being Grenada. I will spare you all the names of
the islands from Martinique to Grenada. By the end of June, we
were at St. George’s Lagoon.
Okay, back to the title of this story: falling in love with Grenada.
The first things that we noticed were the beautiful view of the city
and the Carenage from the lagoon, the warm welcome and help from
the dock master of Port Louis Marina, and the reunion with cruising
friends who were anchored close by.
We were still not sure if we would remain here for hurricane sea-
son because we had friends from two other boats going to Venezuela
and they wanted us to go with them. We still had three weeks
before their arrival and decided to stay at the marina for that time.
There you are close to everything, whether by foot or dinghy, and
the buses are right here. Talking about the buses, well, you don’t
wait for them — they are looking for you. We have traveled a lot and
find Grenada’s bus system is unique and cheap — EC$2.50 (about
one US dollar) will take you most places you want to go.
Already we felt something different about this place but were not
sure what it was. On an island tour with friends we discovered the
spice factories, plantations and, naturally, the rum distillery. I believe
that was the beginning of our love story. Raymond (Maboat), our
driver and guide, came to be a very good personal friend. The thing
about Grenadians is that they are so welcoming: without prejudice,
simple, honest and helpful. Even the street vendors do not harass
you; if you say “no, thanksâ€, they smile and wish you a good day. Now
that is special, after living with other situations elsewhere!
Every day I took a walk around the marina to see the ongoing
expansion and renovation. It’s quite interesting if you like to see
how things are built. At the beginning, the workers thought I was
an inspector but soon found out that I was more curious than any-
thing else and we became friendly.
By the time our friends arrived to continue to Venezuela, Lucie
and I had decided to stay here for hurricane season and to learn
more about Grenada, especially since Carnival was around the cor-
ner and it would be our first one. Talk about having fun — dancing,
singing and drinking — yes! We and some fellow cruisers joined
hundreds and hundreds of local people, and they made us feel so
much at ease and they were so happy that we celebrated Spice Mas
with them. It was like being a part of the family, and that’s what you
see and feel every day, everywhere on this island.
I had to go back home for two weeks, and upon my return every-
one whom I had met since our arrival greeted me with so much
warmness, saying, “welcome back!†— and I felt that it came from
the heart. It felt like we belong here. I could go on and on relating
all sorts of daily situations, but to put it simply, Grenadians are just
loving and warm people. It has been over five months now that we
are here, and the feeling is still the same, so much so that we are in
the process of exploring how to prolong our stay.
To the people of Grenada who read this, please, please, please,
don’t change; keep that mentality that makes you so fine and
unique. We love you.
For those cruisers who have not had the chance to come here yet,
don’t wait — put up the sail and come. You won't regret it.
To all the friends we made since the beginning of this adventure,
we salute you wherever you are. We will be stationed at Port Louis
Marina and hope to see you here. Safe and happy sailing!
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long the ‘Wild Side’, Bonaire’s rocky east coast,
is a magnificent lagoon known as Lac Bay. A
A Amile-long reef runs along most of its entrance,
blocking a turbulent sea fueled by constant Caribbean
tradewinds. Within the bay, however, the water chang-
es from a rich, indigo blue to an iridescent, dreamsicle
green. Violent, churning waves give way to flat water.
Depths run shallow with much of the bay only three to
six feet deep.
These conditions make Lac a perfect place for wind-
surfing, and tourists flock here by the thousands to
take on the wind in smooth seas. In fact, this is home
to the annual Dutch Antilles Windsurfing Challenge,
an international event attended by Olympic-class
windsurfers from around the globe and homegrown
competitors like Patun Saragoza and Taty Frans. But
Lac Bay is also known for something less thrilling than
high-performance windsurfing. Less thrilling, that is,
unless you are a turtle. The bay holds a bounty of
nutritious sea grass.
“Green turtles are mostly herbivores. Their bread
and butter are sea grass and algae. They maintain
grazing fields here. They like the sea grass when it’s
young and tender and just eat that and move on.†So
says Dr. Robert Van Dam, a marine biologist who, for
the past 20 years, has conducted research on turtles
throughout the Caribbean.
“Lac Bay is a special place. There’s a real pumping
action of water going on. The wind-driven water gets
pushed in and flows out a deeper channel. This high
degree of circulation is unlike other mangrove-fringed
bays in the Caribbean. Nutrients are brought in and
out frequently so the bay is very suitable for sea life.
Because of this, three hundred to five hundred turtles
use Lac on a daily basis.â€
Many of those turtles hail from other islands in the
Caribbean, but come to Lac Bay specifically to eat.
Between trips back to their origins to breed, many
spend time at Lac’s sea grass smorgasbord dining on
Thalassia testudinum, turtle grass, and Syringodium
Jiliforme, manatee grass.
“You can see that,†claims Van Dam. “If you go
snorkeling right outside of Lac, you'll see all these
turtles hanging out. This is their resting and digesting
habitat. They've been so successful in feeding in an
hour or two inside the bay that they just swim out
and bunch up together. They're all fat and happy.
They are even socializing outside the reef. The oppor-
tunity for feeding is so great at Lac. It’s just a magnet
for green turtles.â€
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Main photo: A hawisbiil turtle. The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay serves these turtles well
Inset: STCB’s Funchi Egbreghts with Red Berger. Red is among the cruiser volunteers who help with sea turtle
conservation projects in Bonaire: ‘Tt opens up a whole new world’
I took Van Dam’s advice and snorkeled just beyond
the bay’s reef on a day when the winds were low and
the waves tempered. Visibility in these waters can eas-
ily reach 100 feet. The bottom was dotted with a forest
of purple and green sea fans approaching ten feet in
height. They moved to the undulating rhythm of
incoming swells making for a dreamlike, aquatic dance
below. And then there were the turtles — layers of
them. I spotted more than 50 during my hour-long
snorkel. There were brawny, green turtles weighing
well over 100 pounds. Hawksbills were also present
with their distinctive beaks and dark-colored shells.
The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay had served
these turtles well.
—Continued on next page
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—Continued from previous page
“They came for the buffet,†says Van Dam smiling,
“and the eating’s really good. It's a nursery ground
here for Caribbean green turtles.â€
But there is trouble in paradise. The constant use of
Lac Bay by windsurfers, waders, and other recreation-
ists has begun to impact the sea grass beds, which can
be easily destroyed if frequently trodden upon. Once
eliminated, shore erosion can increase signifi-
cantly, upsetting the local habitat.
“The importance of sea grass goes beyond
turtles,†explains Mabel Nava, manager for the
not-for-profit organization, Sea Turtle
Conservation Bonaire (STCB). “These beds are
important because they retain substrate sedi-
ment. They clean the water. They also serve as a
buffer to the constant wave action. The sea grass
protects the beaches that we all enjoy at Lac.â€
To that end, STCB spearheaded an effort with
Bonaire’s national park organization, STINAPA,
the not-for-profit Progressive Environmental
Solutions and local Lac Bay beach businesses to
protect the grass. They installed “no-go zonesâ€
with floating buoys and ropes that encircle sea
grass beds in waters used frequently by swim-
mers, kayakers and windsurfers. The boundar-
ies serve as a reminder not to step inside these
vulnerable areas.
“Those beds are too shallow and too busy for
sea turtles to visit,†adds Robert Van Dam. “But
itis a great beginning to let people know that these are
special places. Sea grass is a nursery for a whole
bunch of organisms important to Lac.â€
“In the near future, we're placing ‘turn around’
buoys to protect other sea grass beds where turtles do
feed,†continues Nava. “Currently, windsurfers often
turn around in this area as they cruise Lac and step
on the grasses in the process. The buoys will warn the
windsurfers before they reach this area.â€
STCB is also involved in data collection of sea tur-
tles. Twice a year the group captures turtles in Lac
Bay. Before releasing them, the turtles are measured,
weighed, photographed, given ID tags and inspected
for general health. All this information goes into a
database and individual turtles can be tracked over
time. Van Dam, who works as a scientific advisor for
STCB, has been impressed by some of the results.
“The big ‘wow’ factor is the growth rates of these ani-
mals. During our data collection we’ve discovered that
they're growing six to eight centimeters (four to five
inches) per year. That’s the highest growth rate for
juvenile green turtles in the world.â€
Volunteers are vital for a grass-roots organization
such as STCB. In addition to the activities at Lac Bay,
helpers work on beach cleanups, water surveys, sea
turtle satellite tracking, and nest monitoring.
“We have only two paid staff, field specialist Funchi
Egbreghts and myself as manager,†explains Nava, “so
volunteers are essential for us. But I especially like
Local boys inspect a
green turtle during
data collection
working with the visiting sailors and cruisers who vol-
unteer. They are people who are familiar with the sea.
They're usually good swimmers or drive boats or do
things that are really helpful for us. And they love
turtles because they love the sea.â€
I found this to be true when I met “Red†Berger who
is in Year Five of a Caribbean cruise with her husband
Tom. They own a steel-hulled Endurance 44 ketch,
Katana, which they call home.
“They are majestic when you swim with them,â€
declares Berger. “I would never been able been able to
pick out a sea turtle so easily before. Now when I swim
from our mooring, I can easily spot a turtle. 1 know
what to look for, so that’s pretty cool. It opens up a
whole new world.â€
Red usually accompanies STCB’s Funchi Egbreghts
to survey the nesting turtles three times per week.
They search the beaches of Bonaire’s west coast and
those of offshore island, Klein Bonaire, for signs of
nesting activity. It takes about 60 days for sea turtle
eggs to hatch. When they do, STCB tries to be there in
order to get an accurate count of the hatchlings. These
numbers are added to the database, but the team, at
times, helps hatchlings reach the sea to what is the
start of a perilous beginning.
“If conditions aren't perfect, we give the hatchlings a
little help by moving obstructions, etcetera,†says
Egbreghts. “They face a lot of predators in the beginning
of their lives including shore birds, fish and crabs.â€
“It’s like being part of The Discovery Channel,â€
adds Berger. “For me, working with the turtles is
really cool, but there are other benefits. You sail
to a place and the volunteering lets you meet the
local people. Otherwise I wouldn't know Funchi
and have gone out to his farm and hung out with
his father. It’s just the right thing to do. You've
given back a little of what they've given you. If
you're a cruiser and yourre not taking advantage
of this, you don’t know what you're missing.â€
“One year we did the netting-data collection in
Lac entirely with visiting sailors as volunteers,†adds
manager Nava. “Normally the cruisers are here two
to three months, so it’s perfect. We even have cruis-
ers who returm to volunteer again and again.
January through April is a good time to contact us
since we are busy doing in-water surveys around
Bonaire. After that, we start with the nesting sea-
son. These are perfect times for sailors to plan their
visit here if they would like to volunteer.â€
Back at Lac Bay, I walk the sandy shore with
Robert Van Dam who is talking numbers. “Today,
we only have about 100,000 adult sea turtles in the
entire Caribbean Sea, whereas there were probably at
least 10 million before Columbus arrived. Can you
imagine what places like Lac must have been like?
These waters were just teeming with turtles. I expect
there could have been 3,000 to 5,000 turtles in the bay
here back then.â€
As I look out over the vast lagoon, I try to imagine
that time long ago. The water is sparkling gold in the
afternoon sun. Suddenly, I spot the silhouetted head
of a sea turtle breaking the surface for a quick breath
of air. That timely glimpse gives me hope that the
turtles will always return to feast at Lac Bay as long as
it is well preserved. I know I will always return, simply
to see them.
For more information on Sea Turtle Conservation
Bonaire visit wiww.bonairenature.com/ turtles
When not writing for Caribbean Travel & Life, Sailing
Magazine or Earth Island Journal, Patrick Holian is
often at the helm of his 14-foot catboat, Kontentu, sail-
ing the leeward coast of Bonaire.
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CARIBBEAN COMPASS
JANUARY 2010
JANUARY 2010
‘VY ARIES (21 Mar - 20 Apr)
While boat-business sails are backed, feel free to indulge
in romance, which will prove a blissful distraction as the
New Year gets underway.
TAURUS (21 Apr - 21 May)
It’s love AND lust on the breeze this month, sailor, so
enjoy it! Treat yourself well and splurge a bit as a reward
for all your recent hard work in the boatyard.
TI. GEMINI (22 May - 21 Jun)
As 2010 is launched, adverse currents in your love life
will slow forward motion on your creative cruising ambi-
tions. Don’t fret — the tide will turn in your favor during
the third week.
CANCER 66 (22 Jun - 23 Jul)
Personal relationships and onboard creativity will be in
irons this month, and you'll feel a general lack of drive.
Not a problem — lounging around on deck with a cold beer
may be just the ticket.
$2 LEO (24 Jul - 23 Aug)
Other than a lack of energy and a lackadaisical attitude.
this will be a dead calm month! Find a good “beach bookâ€
and enjoy it.
lip VIRGO (24 Aug - 23 Sep)
The Horse Latitude conditions in your life will extend till
the end of this month. You might do well to join Cancer on
deck with a coldie.
= LIBRA (24 Sep - 23 Oct)
Business and finances are slogging to windward with a
dirty bottom, and there could be some squalls in your love
life. But stay on course and you'll reach a safe haven.
Tl, SCORPIO (24 Oct - 22 Nov)
Prepare to reef! Romance, which has been smooth sail-
ing of late, may meet some rough weather in the third
week. You didn’t whistle for wind, did you?
Â¥% SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov - 21 Dec)
Get to work, sailor; the holidays are over. Any new boat
projects you are working on had best be concluded before
the end of the month.
7 CAPRICORN (22 Dec - 20 Jan)
After all the holiday excitement, arguments and misun-
derstandings could make your love life squally. Raise the
storm sails of humor and you'll sail right on through.
xx AQUARIUS (21 Jan - 19 Feb)
Sails will be slack and seas glassy until the last week.
It’s the perfect time to touch up the varnish to make your
floating love nest ready for romance to sail in during the
last week.
= PISCES (20 Feb - 20 Mar)
Happy New Year! Enjoy a month of ease. Lie on the hook
in a favorite anchorage and just enjoy life.
Crossword Solution
ACROSS 36) SEWS 13) PEAK
1) PERIGO 37) END 16) STOOL
3) PAST 39) TILLER 18) WATCH
7) FOLLOWING 41) AFTER 19) RERIG
11) IN 42) ATOLL 22) NOON
12) APPROVE 44) SIT 23) STORMY
14) CAM 46) SEEPS 24) YAWL
15) SLOWS 47) FACES 25) AFTCASTLE
17) AFTWARD 28) Li
20) IT DOWN 31) ORDERS
21) ATE 1) PELAGIC 32) LARDERS
23) SINO 2) OF 33) S
25) AFTERMOST 3) PLACED 34) SALES
26) GO 4) AO 36) SEAM
27) HALF 5) SWIMS 38) DATA
29) WITCH 6) TIN 40) ILE
0) GONERIL 8) OVERATE = 43) 0.
33) SAILS 9) GLOWING 45) IF
5) YARD 10) LOST
For what am | searching?
Why do | walk these dusty lanes?
Why do | sail this azure sea?
Long ago,
Before classes and degrees;
Before funerals of parents and loved ones;
Before jobs and mortgages and taxes;
Before all life’s absurdities;
There was a boy...
Skin brown from the August sun;
Eyes sparkling like the summer sky;
There were butterflies dancing
In the lush green hills.
There were brown trout swimming
In the bubbling stream.
There were wildflowers swaying
In the soft, warm breeze.
There was a rainbow arching
After a gentle rain.
AS | walk these dusty lanes
| sometimes hear his spirit
Woven into the laughter,
The carefree laughter of the islands.
AS | sail from one island to the next,
Sometimes, | see his eyes
As the sun’s rays sparkle
Off the rippling sea.
Before | cross the fine,
Before | join the echoes,
Before | become a memory,
I'd like to find that boy.
Yesterday,
For a moment,
| thought | saw him.
Blue eyes sparkling,
Face brown from the sun.
| blinked and he was gone,
Leaving only me in the mirror.
— John Rowland
bela-toon
The last person to see Speedy, asked him-
*..are you sure you don’t want assistance?’
â„¢,
AQOHL 'Â¥
Compass Cruising Crossword AFTER
ACROSS
1) Mediterranean lateen-rigged vessel
3) What comes 41 Across present
7) Seas coming from aft are said to be this
11) Not out
7 8 12) Confirm or give sanction to
14) Lobe on an engine shaft
15) Adirty bottom __ the boat
ll 17) Towards the stern
20) That thing
21) Consumed
23) Prefix pertaining to China
25) Farthest astern
26) _ to sea: get underway
27) ___ deck: the 41 Across part of a navel
vessel's gun deck
29) Sea_____—siketch, an Angelman design
30) King Lear’s eldest daughter
33) Jib, main, mizzen, spanker, etcetera
35) A spar crossing the mast horizontally
36) Asailmaker 33 Across
37) The transom is at the 41 Across ___ of the boat
39) Dinghy steering device
41) Subject of this puzzle
2) Circular coral island
4) Do this on a chair
6) Slow leaks
7) Compasses’ cards are their
DOWN
Wandering offshore
Cat __ nine tails
Came in, as in a regatta
__tearoa: Maori name for New Zealand
A bird flies; a fish
Substance now banned from antifouling paint
Consumed too much (two words)
n phosphorescent seas, the wateris
____ at sea: missing underway
The end of a gaff
Channel to which backstay can be set up
Set a night one on deck in a strange harbor
Do this after dismasting
22) Time to take a sextant sight
2S) Weather: famous yacht or song
24) Boat with mizzenmast set aft of the sternpost
Ad 45 25) An elevation at the stern in square-riggers
28) Symbol for lithium
31) Edicts from the captain
OOO. WN
KOiOO CCS ene
32) Melville and others wrote of the contents
of ships
33) A compass point (abbrev.)
34) The budget-minded cruiser looks for these
36) Where two deck planks meet
38) Organized information
Make a New Year’s resolution to be more green in ee eee
2010. Start by doing this special puzzle, and when fe eee ae
you're done reading this issue of Compass, pass it Crossword Solution on page 38
on or recycle it!
Word Search Puzzle by Pauline Dolinski
RESOLVE TO BE GREEN - WORD SEARCH
ACT HEAD SAIL
CARBON HOLDING SAVE
s |s Et ceEP SN RODECH CLEAN HOPE SEA
TCETORPMOEAGNAT CONSERVE ICE SHARE
CORAL LEAD SOLAR POWER
SE eee Ee ee ea ee DISPOSE NEW YEAR SPECIES
2 ee ss eee OCEAN SUSTAINABLE
DA EH UUPAODOVCREE EARTH PROTECT
R EROLONLNTLNO KEL ECOLOGY TANK
U GEONsS oO Y C K Ot! N A B ENVIRONMENT RECYCLE TRASH
BRS !tCGHBARYSTMMA EXTINCT REDUCE TRY
RESOLUTION WALK
. . 0 , i i 7 : : , : : FISH RESOLVE WATER MAKER
FUEL REUSE WATERSHED
ELMAR REGCOLOSY TTS GREEN RIVER WIND POWER
1bLLOoLYtGReEvtRAT
AwWkK C C DEH S R ET AW S
ee ae a So Word Search Puzzle solution on page 49
Ev REs NOC AN OH US
ELAINE OLLIVIERRE 2008 @
CRUISING KIDS’ CORNER
“Dragons, doux-doux? I don’t think they've really gone anywhere,â€
answered Silla’s grandmother. Silla was only six years old and the ques-
tions she asked her grandmother were hard for the old lady to answer.
Granny had been brought up in the country on a Caribbean island of
mountains and rivers where, as a child, she had never heard of dragons
or seen a TV. All that the children feared back then were the local spirits,
such as the Soucouyant and the Mage Noir, and even now, Granny kept
little bags of garlic by the doors and windows to keep out night-prowling
spirits. Granny’s own kind of
spooks she could handle, but not
the bloodthirsty vampires and
dragons that featured so dra-
matically on TV these days. Oh,
she understood why children
loved them, because as children,
she and her friends loved to be
seared by stories of evil forest
creatures just waiting to carry
them off. But dragons? She
would just have to make up a
story to satisfy Silla or the child
would never stop pestering her.
“But if dragons have never
really gone, where are they?†per-
sisted Silla.
“Well, I didn’t want to tell you
this, but all the dragons are up
there in Morne Diablo.â€
“You mean this very Morne
Diablo in this very island?†Silla
shivered as she sat on her grand-
mother’s wide and comfy lap.
“That's what I've heard, child.
And what's more, they come
down from their mountain caves
and gobble up stray animals like cats and dogs and anything they can
get their claws on. The smaller animals they eat where they find them,
the larger ones they carry off to their evil-smelling dens!â€
“Do they carry off children as well?†asked Silla, her eyes wide with
pleasurable fright.
“You never can tell, but I haven’t heard of any children who have gone
missing lately...â€
That night Silla dreamed about dragons in the mountain that loomed
over the island, and in the morning, as it was Saturday and no school,
she determined to walk as far as she could to Morne Diablo and see
for herself.
Silla didn’t get very far as the mountain was a long way off and her legs
were very small, but she looked about the worn path for any signs of
dragons having stopped for a meal.
Just as she was about to go home as her tummy was rumbling with
hunger she heard a little mewing bleat from behind a boulder. Silla
trembled with fear and would have run down the hill as fast as she could,
but her legs wouldn't obey her and she stood as if a dragon had breathed
cold fire over her.
The small bleat came again, and then a little head peeped around the
rock. It was the strangest creature that Silla had ever seen. It had a face
like a lamb, but rising from its head and running down the length of its
squat little body were claw-like spikes that rose and fell as it bleated. It
had tiny wings pressed against its sides and a tail with an arrow’s head
at the end. Every part of the little creature, including its short legs and
clawed feet, glowed on and off in all the colours of the rainbow. It had to
be a baby dragon!
And who could resist such a cute creature? Not Silla, so she had her
arms wrapped about it in an instant. She
picked it up and staggered off with it, intending
to take it home and care for it. But Silla didn’t
get very far as the baby dragon was too heavy.
So she hid it behind a bush, told it to wait there
for her, and ran home.
“Granny, Granny, I've found a baby dragon!â€
Silla gasped as she burst into the old lady's
kitchen. Granny was just putting out some
bakes and little fried fish for lunch but she
stopped and spun around to face her grand-
daughter. “What?†she demanded, forgetting all
about her story of dragons the day before.
“There are no such things as dragons!â€
“But there are, there are, you said so — and
I've found a baby dragon lost and hungry on the
path up the mountain and I have to get some
milk to take back and feed it!â€
“Now just you sit down and get hold of your-
self, young lady. For a start, what were you
doing taking that path to More Diablo when
you've been told not to?â€
“But Granny, you told me that dragons lived
in the mountain so I went to see for myself, but
it was too far.†Silla began to sob.
The old lady’s heart softened at once and she
took Silla in her arms and told her it was all
right, and after they had eaten the bakes and fish she and Silla would
take a bottle of milk and go and feed the baby dragon. Of course, Granny
believed she would find a deformed lamb, abandoned by its mother on
the path, so she would bring it home and care for it.
Silla gobbled down her lunch and fidgeted until her grandmother had
eaten. Then, taking some milk, a cup and a clean piece of cloth to let the
lamb suck from it, as Granny didn’t have a baby’s bottle with a teat, they
left the little cottage and made their way slowly up the mountain path. It
was a long, hot walk but at last Silla recognized the bush where she had
hidden the baby dragon. She raced ahead, calling out, “I’m back, little
dragon, and I've brought you some milk.†A little mewing sound reached
Granny’s ears and then a little head pushed its way out from under the
leafy bush...
Did Granny find a dragon or a lamb? Read the end of this exciting story
in next month's issue of Caribbean Compass!
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PETIT ST. VINCENT RESORT
( My name D.
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DOLLY'S DEEP
SECRETS
by Elaine Ollivierre
Last month, we looked at how the carbon atoms in the world are recycled. Now
let’s look at how the ocean plays a part in the carbon cycle.
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are caused by excess greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide (COg) in the atmosphere. The gases trap heat close to
the Earth’s surface. Global warming would be much worse if the ocean didn’t
absorb a great deal of the carbon dioxide. In fact, scientists believe that it prob-
ably absorbs around 50 percent of the carbon dioxide produced when fossil fuels
such as coal and oil are burned.
What happens to the carbon dioxide that is absorbed?
Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water than it is in warm water so
it dissolves in northern seas, sinks down and is carried on the ‘conveyor
belt’ of ocean currents to warmer water further south in the tropics. There
it comes to the surface and escapes to the atmosphere. This process may
take many years.
The ocean also contains large amounts of microscopic plant plankton (phyto-
plankton), which use up carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. When the phyto-
plankton die, they sink to the ocean floor. Some get buried in the mud of the
ocean floor. Some decay and release carbon dioxide back into the water and,
eventually, back into the air.
So, if carbon dioxide is being continually recycled between the atmosphere
and the sea, why are scientists worried?
Too much carbon dioxide in the water makes larger amounts of carbonic acid
there. Carbonic acid dissolves calcium carbonate, which is the chief building
material of coral reefs and of the shells of many marine animals. Scientists have
studied the thickness of the shells of tiny animals called foraminifera (forams).
Forams also sink to the ocean floor when they die so it is possible to compare the
thickness of the shells of new forams with the thickness of the shells of the dead
ones found on the sea bottom. The newer shells were thinner by about one-third,
almost certainly caused by a more acidic ocean.
The survival of these tiny animals is vital to the survival of all animals further
up the food chain. And no one knows how the loss of coral reefs and other marine
creatures whose shells and skeletons are destroyed by carbonic acid would affect
the future working of the carbon cycle.
Experiment to demonstrate what happens when acid meets
calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate comes in many forms, like coral, chalk, marble, and egg-
shell. To demonstrate what happens when calcium carbonate comes into contact
with acid, leave a piece of chalk or (dead) coral or eggshell in a cup of soda water.
You should see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas rising up and, eventually, your
calcium carbonate sample will waste away. If you'd like to see it happen more
quickly, use lime juice or vinegar instead of soda water.
THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!
THE SKY IN JANUARY
by Scott Welty
The Planets in January
MERCURY - You have a shot at seeing Mercury this
month. It rises the earliest (so, farthest from the rising
sun) on the 22nd at around 5:00AM. Look east-south-
east to the left of the hook in Scorpio.
VENUS - Nope. Venus will swing around the far side
of the Sun (superior conjunction) on the 11th, mean-
ing it is too darn close to the sun for the month.
EARTH - Would not return my calls.
MARS - Rising around 9:00PM at the beginning of
the month and then earlier and earlier as it moves
through Cancer.
JUPITER - An “evening star†all month setting in the
west around 7:00 to 8:00PM.
SATURN - Rising between 11:00PM and midnight all
month and sitting in Virgo.
Sky Events This Month
Ist to 5th - Quadrantids meteor shower. Look for
increase in meteor activity in the east in the early
morning hours. Meteors look to be coming from
Bootes, which rises around 2:00am.
3rd - Earth at perihelion. What? Yes, at midnight
the Earth is its closest to the Sun. Yep, that happens
in the winter. See below.
15th - New Moon
15th - Annular eclipse of the sun; nicely visible off
the coast of Somalia but if you're sailing there you
have other things to watch out for!
17th - Look for Jupiter and the pretty crescent
moon setting in the west around 7:00PM.
29th - Mars in opposition AND closest to the Earth.
This means Mars is fully illuminated by the sun like a
full moon, except it’s “full Marsâ€.
30th - Full Moon
—— ee =|
Figure One: Mars on the 29th at 10:30PM. In theory at
its brightest, but the nearness of the nearly full moon
makes a day or two later or earlier better viewing
Elliptical Orbits
Sometimes we learn stuff in school “too muchâ€.
Somewhere along your journey through junior high or
high school you probably learned that the orbits of the
planets around the sun are elliptical in shape.
Johannes Kepler figured this out and Isaac Newton
then showed that it had to be so, given what he
worked out about gravity. This is all fine but then you
see diagrams like Figure Two.
The spirit of these diagrams is fine. It shows the
“ellipticalness†of the orbit with the sun at the focus
of the ellipse. But, like a lot of astronomy things, the
scale is all out of whack. Never mind that if you draw
the ellipse on a standard sized piece of paper the size
of the Earth is less than the width of the line drawn
to represent the ellipse. It’s the ellipse itself I want to
talk about.
Figure Three is the Earth’s orbit drawn to scale. Well,
I tried anyway. At this scale the long axis of the ellipse
is 6 inches and the shorter axis is 5.999 inches! Neither
the sun nor the Earth shows up on this scale the Earth
being about 3/10,000 of an inch in diameter and the
sun being 3/1000 of an inch. We're down to individual
pixels being bigger than what we want to draw!
It’s easy to see then that our nearness to the sun
has little to do with our seasons while our tilt to the
sun has everything to do with it.
To Contemplate While Having a Glass of Wine
on Deck
The SETI project is still out there. For years now
they have been searching the sky for radio signals
from intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. For the
last ten years they've done a clever computer thing.
They take in about a kabillion bushels of data every
second as they scan the sky. There is no computer big
enough to process all that data. But, what if you gave
a kabillion home computers one bushel of data?
Summer
Figure Two, above: Typical graphic showing the ellipti-
cal earth orbit. Notice relative sizes of the orbit, the
sun and the Earth. (Graphic courtesy of University of
Tennessee - Physics Dept.)
Figure Three, at left: The Earth's orbit to scale: 6†the
long way and 5.999" the short way. Can you see
which is which?
That's what they've done. Basically they have wired
millions of home computers together via the internet
to make a giant parallel processing computer. (You
can learn more and sign up here:
http: / /setiathome.berkeley.edu/)
So, what do we do when and if a signal does come
in? What if we can tell that it’s from 100 light years
away? What if they just say, “Stop that� How will we
react as a people if we could really, really know that
someone else was out there... And they have radio but
no DJs? More wine?
Scott Welty is the author of The Why Book of Sailing,
Burford Books © 2007.
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Caribbean Books for Teens:
MACMILLAN’S ISLAND FICTION
For 40 years, Macmillan has been one of the leading publishers of school textbooks
for the Caribbean. During that time they created the Macmillan Caribbean imprint and.
have published books for and about the Caribbean in all subjects and at all levels. In
2006 they began activating plans to launch a brand-new fiction series aimed at boys
and girls aged 12 to 15, with novellas based around fantasy /science-fiction themes
and the legends and folklore of the Caribbean. The six books in the series are all
paperback, and about 200 pages. These should be of interest not only to Caribbean-
born teens, but to teen-aged expatriate residents and visitors as well.
Three of the books in the series are reviewed here. The others are Legend of the
Swan Children, by Maureen Marks-Mendonca; Escape from Silk Cotton Forest, by
Frances C. Escayg; and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, by Helen Williams. The latter
two were reviewed in the August 2009 issue of Caribbean Compass.
Time Swimmer, by Gerald Hausman
Time Swimmer is the story of a young Jamaican, Luke, who befriends an ancient
storytelling sea turtle called Odysseus.
Together they travel through Caribbean
time, righting wrongs and saving lives —
the pirate, Henry Morgan, for one; and
Cyparis, the only survivor of the Mount
Pelée volcano that killed 28,000 people in
Martinique in 1902, to name another.
The novel is full of spiders that are men
awa |B and lizards that are gods, all mixed
together in a pepperpot stew of fantastic
spice that blends fiery history with delec-
table fantasy.
To me, the greatest thing about this
book was its emphasis on Caribbean his-
tory long forgotten or, more accurate to
say, not known by many of today’s
youths. Although it is history, it isn’t bor-
ing. By using visual and sound imag-
ery, the writer gives a colourful edge to
these various historical events.
Furthermore, the writer also tries to have
the reader gain a sense of the courage,
intelligence and strength of the charac-
ters, by describing the conflict in the plot
between Luke and Odysseus and the vari-
ous gods. The gods in the novelette typi-
cally represent obstacles and signs in a
character’s life, or a helping hand achiev-
ing set goals. There isn’t much this book lacks for it is funny, imaginative and
rather innovative.
The Chalice Project, by Lisa Allen-Agostini
Twins, Ada and Evan Brijlal, eat junk food, fight at school and are normal
Trinidadian children in every way — or so it seems. Their father Steven, a genius
scientist, desperately wants to protect his children from his reckless past. Now the
future has caught up with them and Time as we know it may never be the same. A
sneaky search for the mother they long to know leads them to a Jamaican labora-
tory and mind-blowing revelations. A secret potion and the mysterious Chalice
Project are the children’s only clues to uncovering their true identities.
At the beginning, the plot was centered on genetics. Its later plot was centered on
time travelling, telepathy and various mysterious events from the time of the chil-
dren’s conception leading up to the realization that they had super-human abilities.
—Continued on next page
THE CRUISING SAILOR'S CHANDLERY SINCE 1990
AMERON ABC 3 TIN FREE SELF POLISHING ANTIFOULING PAINT
CORNER: MIRANDA & GUARAGUAO, PUERTO LA CRUZ, VENEZUELA
TEL: 58 (281) 265-3844 - E-MAIL : xanadumarine@cantv.net
—Continued from previous page
I expected The Chalice Project, as a part of the Island Fiction series, to follow the
Caribbean folklore theme of the
other books in the series, but it
doesn't. Actually the only common
aspect this book has with the oth-
ers was that its scenes were set on
a Caribbean island; other than
that, it was merely science fic-
tion. Don’t get me wrong though, it
was still a pretty good read — great
for passing the time.
Night of the Indigo,
by Michael Holgate
Marassa, a 15-year-old Jamaican
boy, is catapulted into a wondrous
world of Natural Mysticism. His
twin brother Wico is dying and no
doctor on earth can save him.
Guided by Kundo, the mystic war-
rior, Marassa transcends time and
matter into an unknown dimen-
sion, a planet called Orunda. If he
accepts his responsibility as a
Marshal or Warrior of Light he can
rescue his brother from the clutch-
es of death. But first he must
make a spine-tingling journey,
confront the challenges of mind
and spirit and meet the beautiful
and exotic princess Ayoka. As his
mystic gifts awaken, Marassa must
learn to master the very power that
threatens, before the Night of the
Indigo Moon. If he doesn’t, then
PRET Or
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the power surging within will destroy
him and all he holds dear. Can he over-
come all obstacles and prove that he is
worthy of the name Marshal?
I am going to be a little biased here
and say that I think this is the best book
of the series. The book is dramatic,
unny, mysterious, imagina-
tive, and every other adjective known to
man that could describe a well-written
novelette. A tale of unknowing faith, dif-
erent worlds, deep understanding,
ain and triumph is the root of this story
that culminates in everlasting happiness
and redemption. In gathering a personal
understanding of this novelette, one
could say it’s figurative, and if read
between the lines its true story unfolds:
the story of life.
It’s about growing up, the choices that
we are faced with, right and wrong, trials
and temptations. One could say that
becoming the Marshal is Marassa’s life’s
urpose and, in reality, everyone has to
lot his or her own course to becoming a
Marshal per se. The story also contains
near-death drama and the emotions that
go along with it. Marassa uses those feel-
ings to excel, and so it should be done,
or sorrow carries no way forward. It’s
the basics of everyday life in a compellingly beautiful story.
These books are available at bookstores or from wiww.Macmillan-caribbean.com
Cherian Gordon, a recent graduate of Bequia Community High School, is currently
residing in England.
Your Marine Store at Venezuela and the Caribbean
VieIMAG GA anes
VENEZUELAN MARINE SERVICE, C.A.
Eee
xantrex s/
» SHURHlO
Pratair Water
pent
SIMRAD ino AWLGRIP
sySTEM rece (M
—
Raymarine’ adtthe VE
STrojan. HARKEN SJOTUN ZED
© PUERTO LA CRUZ: Av, Prolongacién Paseo Colon, Sector El Paraiso, CC. Puerto Ensenada, Local #7,8 y9PB, Tels, :58-21-267.82.32
Fax: 58-281-267.81.75 Cel: 58-414-634.27,72, Estado Anzodtegui Venezuela / E-mail ventas@vemasce.com
: Av, Rall Leoni, Telf.: S8-205-264.16.46 (Master), Fax: 58-295-264.25.29 Cel: 58-414-788.21.47, Porlamar Venenuela
; efits www.vemasca.com Proximamente en Marina (Soon at Carmelo’s Marina at the beach)
“James Mitchell was one of the longest serving Leaders in modern |
democracy. This book tells you why.â€
— The At. Hon. Sir John Major, Prime Minister, United Kingdom
Aaa ma Cel gagrclihe= erie a aroha Cola cr [eB
The hours | spent with it in my,handS'were very enjoyable.â€
— The At. Hon. Jean:Chiretien, Prime Minister, Canada
“Indeed a book worth reading by all West Indians and ought to be in the
national, university and school libraries... an excellent piece of work.â€
— Judge Antho icky, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,
The Hague
“Whatever one’s political bent, this book should provide interesting reading.
Lae T Metal aT) mace mate Mtl elaar- Um c- Un) haar Uae om v=) Ue Com Wate M ole) (Cede al el
tells the story of the life of a man: the circumstances, experiences and
decisions which came together to propel him ‘beyond the islands’ and onto
the international stage.â€
— Jam Rock Magazine
Available in Bequia at Noah’s Arkade and the Bequia Bookstore, in Mustique
lM =r ee Ceo lee UM eel Pelee MeL late mL r4e] mere)
hides
f fab
Sigs
by Ross Mavis
Just Five
Ingredients
I have a new invention. It is engineered from a great
deal of research and personal experience. Every per-
son over 50 will want one. The production materials
are kind to the environment. The cost is affordable.
It is a small rubber or plastic suction cup with a
length of brightly coloured organic woollen yarn
attached to it. 1 can market various models starting
at 50 feet and running up to 200 feet in length. The
suction cup is firmly attached to any cordless phone
on board and the yarn is left to trail behind, allow-
ing you instantly to find where you last left it. Pl
make millions.
Cooking can often be an experience similar to trying
to find the cordless phone when you need it. Our
materialistic society encourages the acquisition of
more ingredients, equipment, tools and gadgets than
we could ever possibly use in one month, let alone one
day or for any single meal. Try this enlightening exper-
iment sometime. Count your collection of pots, frying
pans, baking dishes, casseroles, Dutch ovens and any
other container that you can cook in. Add to this num-
ber all the equipment, tools and gadgets, both useful
and whimsical, you have in your galley. Even without
considering all your stored ingredients, the number
will astound you.
There always is that favorite tool or utensil that you
never can find when it’s needed. I have a favorite stir-
stick carved from lignum vitae hardwood. I almost
hyperventilate if I can’t lay my hands on it when food
needs stirring. The other day I was unable to locate a
red-handled potato peeler, the only device I use for
peeling fruit and vegetables. It is fantastic. But, for the
life of me, I couldn't find it. To add embarrassment to
frustration, my wife, Willa, pulled open the drawer I
had just closed after rummaging around in search of
the peeler, and there it was. Right out in the open.
How could I have missed it? I shook my head in disbe-
lief and shuffled off, mumbling under my breath about
the Zen of soy products or something equally as blas-
phemous. Our lives are filled with too much stuff. One
truism is that we never own stuff; stuff owns us.
You can imagine my delight when I opened a gift that
Willa gave me recently. It was a food calendar from
England with a recipe for each month of the coming
year. And each recipe contains only five ingredients.
What a refreshing thought; only five ingredients to
track down in the galley! Too often we complicate our
lives by trying to make them more complex than nec-
essary. Granted, some dishes may involve several
stages of preparation and cooking and are more
involved than a simple egg, boiled in water and served
on toast. However, Willa and I have always tried to
provide recipes in our cookbooks that are not compli-
cated. Availability of ingredients and items commonly
found in today’s kitchen or galley is also a priority.
Good food can be made with five ingredients. Here is a
sample of one such recipe.
Chops and Mushrooms in Sherry and Cream
2 large pork chops
2 Cups (500 ml) small, whole mushrooms
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) sherry
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) grainy Dijon mustard
3/4 Cup (150 ml) whipping cream
sLine a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Spray light-
ly with canola oil. Lightly spray mushrooms with the
oil. Season mushrooms and chops with salt and pep-
per. Place the chops in the broiler pan and grill for
about 8 to 10 minutes until nicely browned. Turn
chops and add mushrooms to pan. Return to broiler
and cook another 7 to 8 minutes until mushrooms are
browned and chops are cooked through. Sprinkle
with sherry and stir mustard and cream into pan
juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste and
return pan under grill. Watch closely and serve when
sauce is bubbling nicely. Spoon sauce over chops and
mushrooms, serving with potatoes or rice and a green
vegetable of your choice.
This dish can also be prepared in a skillet on top of
the stove. Use medium-high heat when cooking the
chops and mushrooms. Reduce the heat slightly when
incorporating the cream. Enjoy.
If you have any cooking questions, don't hesitate to
seek advice from Ross@Innonthecove.com
ff
ood
Supermarket
& whole sale
Don't forget, we deliver daily
to the plane and ferry services
for our valued Grenadines customers
The best supplier of chilled, frozen and
canned food from all around the world
New in Bequia:
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aa
Gourmet Food is
my key to success
in the kitchen
Christian Fredriksson, Chef, Sweden
Shop 118 Kingstown
Cruiseship Terminal
St.Vincent & the Grenadines
E-mail: gourmetfood@vincysurf.com
us the nickname “Krautsâ€. I know why, and I am
not angry about that. We really do eat a lot of cab-
bage, not to mention our famous sauerkraut. In
Germany, in autumn we buy cabbage in ten-kilo bags.
The first ten kilos are gone within two weeks, then we
buy the next ten kilos, which last a bit longer.
If cabbage is available for a good price, we make
sauerkraut aboard Angelos. It needs to ferment for at
least six weeks. We have done this in Venezuela and in
the Pacific. If anyone is interested I can give the recipe,
which is as easy as the salad recipe given below.
Contact me at syangelos@web.de
The following recipes are easy to make onboard, and
they really taste nice. You should try them.
[= from Germany, and the North Americans gave
Bavarian Cabbage
1 small white cabbage (or half of a large one)
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 onion
1 heaped teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 Cups water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons flour (approximately)
1/2 Cup of water
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
7 whole cloves
1 piece of cinnamon
2 pieces of star anise
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup of water
5 Tablespoons goose fat (if available)
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head
together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about
2 to 3 mm thick.
Cut the onions into pieces.
Peel the apple, quarter it, and take out the core.
Then cut the apple into thin pieces.
Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat
it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get
LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT
STOP stirring.
Add the onions and pieces of apples, and stir quick-
ly for a short time.
Next add the red cabbage, and immediately add the
vinegar to give the cabbage its nice colour.
Add the water, salt, cloves, cinnamon and star
anise. Stir, cover the pot, reduce the heat as low as
possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes,
until tender.
In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the
lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, and stir
to thicken the mixture.
CRUISING WITH CABBAGE
by Angelika Gruener
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head
together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about 3
mm thick.
Cut the onions into pieces.
Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat
it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get
LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT
STOP stirring.
Add the onions and caraway seeds, and stir quickly.
The onions will get brown. (If they get black, the fire
was too hot — throw everything away and start
again!)
Add the cabbage, and stir till everything is mixed up
nicely, about 2 minutes.
Add salt and water, stir, put a lid on, reduce the heat
as low as possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30
minutes.
When the cabbage is tender, add the vinegar.
In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the
lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, stirring to
thicken the mixture. The quantity of flour depends on
how much liquid you have with the cabbage.
We enjoy this Bavarian Cabbage with mashed pota-
toes and two fried eggs per serving. This also tastes
very nice with some bacon.
Red Cabbage
1 small red cabbage
1 onion
1 apple
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1 to 2 Cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Both of the recipes above will taste much better if
they are prepared in the morning or a day before, and
just heated up again for dinner. But if you prepare
the cabbage a day before consuming, then keep it in
the fridge.
And what about a salad from white cabbage? Here
comes the recipe:
Krautsalat
1/2 large white cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of one lemon or lime, or 2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 onion cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of butter melted till hot, OR 5 strips
streaky bacon cut into small pieces and heated up in
a frying pan till crispy and the grease swims in the
pan, OR 1 Tablespoon good mayonnaise
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quarter head
together, and cut the cabbage in very thin strips,
about 1 to 2 mm thick.
Put the shredded cabbage with the salt in a bowl and
knead it with your fist and knuckles energetically for
about 3 to 5 minutes. If the cabbage is fresh, then its
juice will appear. Very good! Here you can exercise
boxing; it means knead hard! The better you knead,
the softer the cabbage will become.
Add the vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, and the
onion. Stir all up, and leave it for half an hour, maybe
in the fridge.
Melt the butter till it starts foaming, or fry the
streaky bacon. Pour it (the bacon pieces with all the
fat) over the salad, and stir all nicely.
Tell me how you like it!
NOLNISS9 OSHA
UNION ISCAND
WwiISIONIN
lelive
our speciality
UNION ISLAND, SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES.
VHF 08 - TEL.FAX (784) 458 8918 - capgourmet@caribsurf.com
ES ULULOn MC MUTA iri en Bo
Mulzac Square e Union Island
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Just one year after opening, our
affordable prices, high quality and
welcoming staff have made CIAO PIZZA
famous throughout the Grenadines.
Come and enjoy the best Italian pizza,
lasagne, pasta, daily fresh fish and seafood,
prepared with love by the Chef “La Mariaâ€.
Located in front of the main wharf at Clifton
PIZZA and LASAGNE to take away!
Open from 11am to 2 pm - 5pm to 10pm
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Tel: 481.3200 ¢ Fax: 481.3202
pasewoo SONY [7 BLACK DECKER
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Basil’s Bar
Mustique
Visitors to Mustique are invited to:
BASILS BAR AND RE eeu en s Bar in Mustique was named one of the World’s Ten
Best Bars in 1987 by Newsweek and ee y lives up to that tradition. Recently renovated, the new face
of Basil's Bar in Mustique is all tha sflering fresh sealed; lobster i season steals anid
the best beefburger in the Caribbean. Now equipped with WIFI, you can enjoy sunset cocktails and
catch up on the web, Basil's Baris home of the only Blues Festival in the Ceihbean. ‘The Mustique
Bluse Festival tales place Japancy 2 -Febay 10, 2010. Break sersc begins st 8 00am
Lamch 11:00am - 6pm, and Dirmer 7-30 until late, Come to Basil's for cocktails anytime and plan
to attend the Wednesday Night Jump Up and BBO. Call (784) 488-8350 or VHE 68.
t and more: o:
BASIL'S BOUTIQUE: Fabrics as bright as the sea and as light as aix.. perfect for island joy.
legant island evening and playful day wear For en men and ¢ ildzen, plus lots of T-shirts to
take home. Basil’s Boutique also offers silver and gemstone jewelry.
BASIL'S GREAT GENERAL STORE: There is nothing general about Basil's Great General
Store. Bountifully stocked with fine French wines, cheese from Europe, gourmet jams and sauces.
Imported cigars and an unusual collection of books not to be missed. Fine foods in Paradise.
Call (284) 488-8407.
ACROSS FOREVER: Imagine desorting your home pith antiques fom Blt and Tada
‘Acidas: Forever haz a-mapnificont collection of fumibune froin Asia and beyond “conteinporany
pieces, home areas eer fabulous lighting accessories and more. Shipping is easily an
all (2
efficiently arranged. Call (784) 488-8407.
Visitors to St Vincent are invited to:
BASIL BAR: ieee in Kingstown in an 18th century building named Cobblestone. Air
conitoned, yo wll enjoy cals mt delghtfal Ue stall most weloming and Un meal
some of the best on the island. Now offering full catesing services, Call (784) 457-2713.
AT BASIL'S: Newly opened full service SPA located in Villa across from Young Island, Also At
Basil’sis a collection of beautifal bamboo furniture, contemporary pecs fom Aaa and beyond
and moze. December 2009 Opening of a new coffee shop by the sea.
Call (784) 456-2602
Visit Basil’s in Mustique or St. Vincent
www. basilebar. com basils@vincysurf.com
WE SHIP AROUND THE WORLD!
Read in Next Month’s Compass:
So Much, So Little: San Blas
A Grenadines Diving Diary
Panama Canal Without Panic
... and much more!
THE SPICE LOCKER BY SHIRLEY HALL
Fennel is an herb that isn’t used much in the Caribbean because of its limited
availability, but it is worth seeking it out at specialty shops. I found mine growing at
a nursery in Aranguez, Trinidad.
Fennel is an attractive addition to my herb garden and spice shelf. It has a thick,
perennial rootstock and can grow to five feet tall (not exactly suitable for growing
aboard!), with an erect cylinder of bright green, smooth leaves. Every part of fennel is
edible and it is considered both herb and spice. The swollen leaf base, or bulb, is
eaten, and the seeds are used for flavoring. The leaves can be used as a garnish. Fennel
has a delicate aniseed flavor and is often used to season fish and broths. Fennel leaves
are used by French and Italian cooks in fish sauces and in mayonnaise. Fennel is an
ingredient of Chinese Five Spices and of some curry powders.
Fennel contains manganese, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and
IT'S WORTH
NDING FENNEL
Fennel originated around the Mediterranean, and is now grown worldwide where
climate permits. Fennel prefers hot dry, sunny conditions, yet can adapt. It was well
known to the ancient Greeks who used it as a digestive remedy; it will reduce gas
and stomach cramps. Ancients believed fennel seed helpful in eyesight, particularly
curing nearsightedness. Fennel was once used to increase breast milk. In mediaeval
times this herb was hung above doors to ward off evil spirits. Early New England
Puritans chewed the seeds during town or church meetings, and fennel seeds are
still used in India as an after-dinner breath freshener. Fennel is also thought to curb
hunger — great for dieters. It is even reputed to stimulate strength and courage, and
increase the eater’s life span.
Roasted Garlic and Fennel
3 heads garlic, peeled
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
1 bunch chives, chopped
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon oil (canola preferred) ‘a
Place peeled garlic bulbs and sliced fennel on a piece of foil and add chives, pepper,
salt, and oil. Wrap tightly and put in an ovenproof dish. Bake at 350°F for half an
hour. Seve as a spread for roti or bread.
Roasted Fennel
2 fennel bulbs, sliced.
1 to 2 Tablespoons oil (canola preferred)
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
In a bowl, stir fennel slices with oil and vinegar until they are coated. Transfer
to an ovenproof dish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 400°. Serve warm
with roasted meats or fowl, or toss with steamed vegetables such as green beans
or broccoli.
Potato and Fennel Casserole
4 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds Irish potatoes, washed clean
1 fennel bulb
pinch grated fresh nutmeg
salt to taste
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese
Slice fennel bulb and potatoes very thinly. Place half of the slices in a greased
ovenproof dish and give them a dash of nutmeg and salt, and hot pepper if you
choose. Cover with milk. Place more slices on top and cover with grated cheese.
Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes
longer to let cheese turn golden brown.
Rice and Fennel Cake
2 Cups milk
1 Cup cooked rice
2 fennel bulbs, peeled and chopped small
1/2 Cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon butter
2 to 3 Tablespoons baker's flour
In a suitable pot, scald the milk and stir in the rice
and fennel pieces. Simmer for half an hour before
stirring in the sugar. Remove from heat. Mix in one
egg at a time. Slowly stir in the flour. Spoon mixture
into a greased cake pan and bake covered at 350°F
for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
Cool before serving.
For the Gardener
Since fennel grows so tall and can survive for years,
place it where it will not shade or interfere with your
other plants. A few plants about 20 inches apart are
all that’s necessary for the average household. Plant
seeds an inch and a half deep in well-worked soil.
Fennel doesn’t require much attention or water. A
warning: fennel will cross-pollinate with dill weed, so
do not plant these two herbs close together as their flavors will be dulled. After about
four months collect the flowers before the seeds ripen. When dry, shake the seeds on
to a white cloth. Pick fresh leaves and harvest the bulbs as needed.
Backstage at Larston’s Lobsters
by Karen Kleppa
I close my eyes and melt with the taste of barbecued
lobster. It seems to just dissolve in my mouth. I'm on
the beach in the Tobago Cays. There’s a mound of
lobster in front of my friends and me. The garlic pota-
toes are heavenly. For someone that doesn’t usually
like cooked vegetables, I can’t seem to get enough of
them. Around me the palm trees whisper against the
sky and the waves softly lick the shore. An iguana
runs through the bushes a few yards from the picnic
tables. As the light fades, the candles on the tables are
lit. Can one have it any better than this? Carolyn on
Windborne III was right. When I told her where and
what I was having for dinner she said, “You lucky
person; Larston’s lobsters are to die for!†She was
right. And I ask Larston what his special ingredient is
and he smiles....
Larston and his boat Velocity H Lordag are a familiar
sight to many around the Tobago Cays and Union
Island. Having crewed a couple times across the
Atlantic on both Swedish and Belgian boats, Larston
was one of the first to start doing barbecues in the
Cays some ten years ago. What started as helping
charter skippers create something special for their
guests has caught on.
n Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet I've read that “work is
love made visibleâ€. Both Larston and all the others
who run the barbecues in the Cays have given plea-
sure to many through the years with their activities
on the beach. Last season I got to go “backstage†for
a few weeks and see what all goes into creating these
special meals.
The days start EARLY. Larston and his nephew
Glenroy are down at the harbor in Union just after the
sun comes up, cleaning their boat and getting it ready.
By 8:30 or 9:00am Vee (and for a while I) has made the
rounds of the grocery stores and fresh produce booths
to get all the vegetables, fruits, garlic, spices and
everything else we will need for the day and to make
all the dinners. Sometimes they know ahead of time
“approximately†how many dinners there will be if
people have ordered in advance. But most often they
just have to guess at it — and it’s a long way to the
closest grocery store once we have gotten to the Cays.
Then it’s off to Petite Martinique to pick up the fresh
lobsters from the fishermen Larston has fishing for
him there, then it’s over to Mayreau to pick up a huge
sack of charcoal.
When we get to the Cays we raft up with the others
who also offer barbecues but got there earlier than us,
and we wait our turn to approach the newly arriving
yachts. Especially since the Cays became a marine
park, all the people offering different services to the
visitors have devised a system of who gets to approach
whom and when.
Lunchtime. We make it right there on the water,
rafted up. Food gets passed around to the others rafted
up. This really is a day on the water (no biminis here).
By late afternoon we have visited three boats and
have orders for eight dinners. Sometimes people want
to have the meals delivered to their boat. But today
everyone wants to eat on shore. It’s time to head for
the beach and start preparing the food. The potatoes
get boiled first (over a fire), then cut and grilled.
Glenroy starts cleaning the lobsters. Vee, Larston and
I start cutting up all the vegetables. Garlic butter is
one of the main ingredients, and it takes a quite a
while to grate by hand all we will need.
There’s a special atmosphere. This evening there are
four others also preparing food and sharing the two
grills. If one person doesn’t have enough fruit, they
borrow from someone who does. Everyone is in a good
mood. It’s a happy, lively bunch making dinners for
more than 20 people. Everyone runs their own “busi-
ness†but they are all working together. Nice!
Just before sunset most of the guests have arrived
and found places at the picnic tables. It’s always a
pleasure to present the huge platters of lobsters and
hear all the oohs and aahhs. The food looks scrump-
tious and smells even better. It's heartwarming to
make things people like and appreciate. There is a fes-
tive atmosphere on the beach. No one goes away hun-
gry, that’s for sure.
Glenroy, Vee, Karen and Larston adding
the special ingredient
By the time all the guests have eaten and left, all the
dishes done, the garbage collected, the boats loaded
up with equipment, utensils, pots and pans, it’s late
and dark dark dark. The boat ride back to Union goes
under starry skies.
Ive learned what Larston’s “special ingredient†is
that makes his food so good. It’s just like The Prophet
said: work is LOVE made visible. Enjoy!
@ Jones Maritime Co.
- Jones Maritime Co.
' P
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on the widest selection and the
best prices in Grenada at our two
conveniently located supermarkets.
Whether it’s canned goods, dairy
products, meat, fresh vegetables
or fruits, toiletries, household goods,
or a fine selection of liquor and wine,
The Food Fair has it all and a lot more.
Hubbard’s
JONAS BROWNE & HUBBARD (G' da.) Ltd.
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The Carenage:
Monday - Thursday
8 am to 5:30 pm
Friday until 8:45 pm
Saturday until
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Grand Anse:
Monday - Thursday
9 am to 5:30 pm
Friday & Saturday
until 7:00 pm
Tel: (473) 444-4573
Cee PRC Pee ye San SS
Rocks don’t move — or if they do they are shown on
up-to-date Imray charts. Regarding marine
infrastructure, virtually every island puts out a free
marine trade guide every year, which is much more
up-to-date than any guide; similarly, the tourist
departments put out a free annual guide for bars,
restaurants and hotels.
With all these updates readily available,
Street's guides are timeless.
i \
Real sailors use Street's Guides for inter-island and harbor
piloting directions, plus interesting anecdotes of people,
places and history. Street’s Guides are the only ones that
describe ALL the anchorages in the Eastern Caribbean.
NEW! Street's videos, first made in 1985,
are now back as DVDs.
¢ ‘Transatlantic with Street†documents a sailing passage
from Ireland to Antigua via the Cape Verdes. 2 hours
¢ “Antigua Week ’85†is the story of the engineless yaw lolaire
racing round the buoys to celebrate her 80th birthday. 1 hour
¢ “Street on Knots’ demonstrates the essential knots and
line-handling skills every sailor should know. 1 hour
¢ "Streetwise 1 and 2†give tips that appeared in the popular video
Sailing Quarterly, plus cruises in the Grenadines, Venezuela and
southwest coast of Ireland
DVDs available at Imray, Kelvin Hughes, Armchair Sailor/
Bluewater Books, and www.street-iolaire.com.
Full information on DVDs at www.street-iolaire.com
HURRICANE TIPS! Visit www.street-iolaire.com for a wealth of
information on tracking and securing for a storm.
Street's Guides and DVDs are available
at all Island Waterworld stores and at Johnson's Hardware,
or from www.iUniverse.com and www.seabooks.com
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+ 596 596 741 670
info@caribbean-yachts.com
www.caribbean-yachits.com
Insurance
The insurance business has changed.
No longer can brokers talk of low rates.
Rather, the honest broker can only say,
“lll do my best to minimize your increase!â€
There is good insurance, there is cheap
insurance, but there is no good cheap
insurance. You never know how good
your insurance is until you have a clai
My claims settlement record
cannot be matched.
I have been connected with the marine insurance
business for 47 years. I have developed a rapport
with brokers and underwriters at Lloyds and am
able to introduce boat owners to specialist brokers
in the Lloyds market.
e-mail: streetiolaire@hotmail.com
www.street-iolaire.com
TRUE BLUE, ST. GEORGE’S,
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utboard Engines 2HP-250HP
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FAX: (473) 444 2
email: macford @caribsurf.com
Dear Compass,
MAYAG would like to thank the crew on S/V Cheetah
Hf for their kind words in the November issue of
Compass about the Royal Grenada Police Force and in
particular Detective Garcia and his team. So often only
the negative items are shared. Mindful of this, the
Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG)
sought to draw the published letter to the attention of
the relevant authorities.
MAYAG wishes to publicly thank Detective Garcia
and team for the efforts taken to follow up with com-
munication and information as he clearly managed to
turn a negative incident into a positive one. Grenada
and MAYAG know that safety and security are a prime
factor when those on yachts decide where to go, and
to have such a glowing testimony to Grenada’s law
enforcement officers is a great benefit for our indus-
try. All our marketing and promotional efforts are
worthless if our clients do not feel they can remain
safely in Grenada.
Laura Fletcher, MAYAG
Grenada
Dear Compass,
Thanks again for publishing my letter about trying to
import our dog Darwin into Antigua in your November
issue. In Grenada I got quite a few positive reactions
from other dog owners. We also appreciate the reaction
from John J. Duffy, President of the Antigua &
Barbuda Marine Association. His comments didn’t
really clarify anything, but he invited yachtspeople
who experienced problems to contact him at info@
abma.ag. Having written and sent a huge letter about
our Jolly Harbour experience to the chief of the
Antiguan agriculture department without hearing any-
thing back, we tried our luck with Mr. Duffy. We sent
a copy of the long, explanatory e-mail of our experi-
ences to him a few weeks ago.
At the moment, we are in St. Lucia, where we had
another unsatisfactory experience checking Darwin
in. Dogs are now allowed to be (temporarily?) import-
ed into St. Lucia and we did so successfully four
months ago. At that time, in Rodney Bay, a govern-
ment vet came to our boat, Irie, to inspect Darwin,
scan his microchip, check his paperwork and issue a
permit, all for the price of EC$45. All was done in a
professional manner and we didn’t regret going
through all the hassle and time to check our dog
in. Plus, we now had a good experience in St. Lucia
and we would come back.
A week ago, we hoped to go through the same pro-
cess with our dog, but in Soufriere this time, arriving
to St. Lucia from the south. We had e-mailed the gov-
emment vet in charge, Dr. King, weeks before arriving
to see whether all formalities could be done in
Soufriere and to confirm the cost. We never heard
back from her.
An hour after finishing our own formalities, Mark
went to shore again and picked up an agricultural guy
from Vieux Fort, ordered by the Customs official, and
brought him to Irie to “see†our dog. This person
looked at Darwin, glanced through his paperwork and
wrote something like “veterinary inspected and
approved†plus the date on one of the sheets and that
was it. No scanning of the microchip, no touching the
dog, no official permit. We had to pay him EC$95 —
twice as much as the amount four months ago and
without a receipt. That amount had been negotiated
down from the EC$150 he initially wanted to charge.
Since when are government fees negotiable? And how
did this amount rise so steeply in a _ few
months? Questions we asked in an e-mail to Dr. King,
who hasn’t yet gotten back to us.
So, we feel it is impossible to do this dog check-in
procedure “rightâ€, no matter how hard you try. It
would be a challenge to write an article about dog
import regulations and fees in the Caribbean with all
the contradicting information you find online and
given the mixed and non-conforming experiences we
have had. That’s probably why it never has been
done or why the little information you find is out-
dated and incorrect.
I just wanted to share this information and hope
you understand our ongoing frustrations about
legally taking our dog to the Caribbean islands. It
becomes clearer to us every time why so few other
cruisers bother.
Keep up the good work at Caribbean Compass!
Liesbet Collaert
Irie
Hi there, Compass Readers,
Just to let you know that Martinique is experiencing
the same crime problem as many of the other islands.
Please be more careful.
We were in the marina at Le Marin, Martinique, hav-
ing some last minor repairs done to our yacht under
the Lagoon warranty. One night, 27th November, at
round 2:30am, Joe said he felt the boat move, A little
later, he heard a soft cough. Someone had boarded our
boat! This is very easy if the boat is tied on a pontoon
at a marina.
Joe got up and saw a man sitting on the inside step
to our “patioâ€. He called to me to get the camera, as
there was someone on the boat. When he opened the
door to confront the man, the noise of the lock alerted
the guy, and he got up and jumped off the boat, and
just walked away (such a cheek!) When he looked
back and saw the camera (which he probably thought
was a firearm), he began to run. We could not get a
picture of him, but did report this to the marina staff,
and they in turn reported it to the police. We did give
them a fairly good description of the guy. Apparently
this was not the first time this had happened, and they
were getting closer to finding the offender.
We checked to see if anything was taken, and fortu-
nately the only thing that was actually taken and
eaten — we found the peels — were all the bananas! A
large plastic box containing our shoes is normally kept
at the entrance to the yacht, below the steps. This was
open, and the boarder had neatly lined up all Joe’s
shoes in pairs, perhaps to see which ones he wanted.
Luckily he was disturbed before he made up his mind.
This box of shoes happens to be the only thing left out
at night when we lock up. Now we bring that in too!
Two nights later, 29th November 2009, we were
anchored out in Le Marin bay, and almost the same
thing happened. Joe woke up to disturb a guy who had
swum out to us, and was trying to steal our dinghy. He
got a fright, left his wet shirt in the dinghy, and swam
away. Try as we might, we could not see him in the
dark — he must have been able to hold his breath for
an awful long time! He was not able to take the dinghy
because we had it locked to the yacht with quite a
heavy chain. We are very vigilant about keeping things
secure because there are numerous stories of this kind
of thing happening. It just sucks to have it happen to
us as well!
Joe and Mercia
Yacht Free to Be
Dear Compass Readers,
Imray is in the process of re-drawing the following
charts:
A231, 232 US and British Virgin Islands
B 26 Barbuda
E 5 Bermuda
A234 St. Croix
Please check your charts and send any corrections
and/or suggestions on improving them to me at
streetiolaire@hotmail.com.
We are particularly interested in seeing corrections
to the St. George’s, Bermuda blow-up, as we have
heard a megayacht berth has been established.
Many thanks,
Don Street
Tolaire
Dear Compass,
Thanks very much for letting us see Caribbean
Compass magazine on-line. I have been able to pass
the link to other people who otherwise wouldn’t see the
magazine.
Anne Dunlop
Freya of Clyde
Dear Compass Readers,
We want to hear from YOU!
Please include your name, boat name or shoreside
address, and a way we can contact you (preferably by
e-mail) if clarification is required.
We do not publish individual consumer complaints or
individual regatta results complaints. (Kudos are okay!)
We do not publish anonymous letters; however, your
name may be withheld from print at your request.
Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play.
Send your letters to:
sally @caribbeancompass.com
or
Compass Publishing Lid.
Readers’ Forum
Box 175BQ
Bequia VC0400
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
WHAT’S ON MY MIND
NIGHT PASSAGES
y Ann Westergard.
b
A yacht named Kersti, a monohull much like ours,
was holed and sank the other night while on a passage
rom the San Blas islands to Cartagena, Colombia. The
crew in their liferaft was safely picked up by another
yacht, Jupiter's Smile, which was sailing on a similar
course. But Kersti is gone, and with it, I'm sure, the
confidence and serenity of the crew, as well as all their
ersonal stuff.
Then, a day later, on the Northwest Caribbean Net
came the report from another vessel that had in view
a “large white ship’s mooring†measuring about 15 by
20 feet, drifting around on the rhumb line from San
Blas to Cartagena. The report was radioed in and
apparently will reach a US Coast Guard vessel in the
area, which will deal with the obstacle.
I remember one of the most frightening nights of my
ife — years ago, in our former boat, Arion, somewhere
in mid-Atlantic. We were rollicking along, headlong
into one of the darkest (but starriest) nights imagin-
able. All I could think of was a report I'd heard about
a number of refrigerated containers that had suppos-
edly been swept off the deck of a cargo ship in a storm.
was certain that the sharp corner of one was hovering
about two feet below the surface and we would be
upon it at any moment. I was miserable until sunrise,
and then, although the containers may still have been
there, I regained my balance.
I've buried those particular containers under a pile
of other things I might worry about. The other night we
were moving along the coast of mainland Honduras on
a mainly clear but moonless night. There was a rock
and a reefy area to avoid, and an isolated rain squall
whose boundaries I checked on radar. As it passed, a
persistent little blip remained just behind us, and as I
looked for it, a light went on. Apparently we had
nearly run over an unlit fishing boat, provoking him
into’showing a light. A few minutes later another light
suddenly appeared maybe a quarter mile off.
Other items for the worry list include logs washed
down rivers, and whales (although if I hit a whale I'd
consider that it had the right-of-way and I had just
drawn the wrong card).
Of course we stand watches all night, along the coast
‘Of course we stand watches
all night... But it’s impossible
to see everything’
and offshore. But it’s impossible to see everything. We
place a lot of faith in the odds that whatever danger
lurks ahead is not directly ahead on the little line we
draw across the ocean. For the men in the unlit lancha
it worked out, for Kersti, it didn’t. For us... well, it
remains to be seen. I’m expecting the best.
There is an Arab proverb to the effect that you don’t
truly own anything that you can lose at sea.
Ann Westergard and Doug Brown are cruising the
Caribbean aboard the Valiant 40 Galivant.
RESOLVE TO BE GREEN - WORD SEARCH
SOLUTION
roaomazrama
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We're on the Web!
Caribbean Compass
www.caribbeancompass.com
On-line - FREE
Simplicity.
Reliability
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Antigua
Marine Power Services
English Harbour
Ph: 268-460-1850
Fx: 268-460-1851
mps @candw.ag
Seagull Yacht Services
English Harbour
Ph: 268-460-3050
Fx: 268-460-1767
info@seagullyachtservices.com
eioe 0-1
Caribbean Diesel
Port Elizabeth
Ph/Fx: 784-457-311
Grenada
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St. David's
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Fx: 473-443-1668
info@grenadamarine.com
Martinique
Inboard Diesel Service
Port of Case Pilote
Ph: 596-596-787-196
Fx: 596-596-788-075
info @inboarddiesel.com
St Croix
St. Croix Marine
eld Uric]
Ph: 340-773-0289
Fx: 340-778-8974
St. John
Coral Bay Marine
Coral Bay
Ph: 340-776-6665
Fx: 340-776-6859
cbmarine@islands.vi
St Lucia
The Sail Loft
Rodney Bay Marina
Ph: 758-452-1222
Fx: 758-452-4333
iwwsl.ltd @candw.|e
St Maarten
Electec
Cole Bay
Ph: 599-544-2051
Fx: 599-544-3641
sales @electec.info
Lon
St Thomas
All Points Marine
Compass Point Marina
Ph: 340-775-9912
Fx: 340-779-2457
Trinidad
Diesel Technology Services
Siparta
Ph: 868-649-2487
Fx: 868-649-9091
dieseltec@ hotmail.com
Dockyard Electrics
Chaguaramas
Ph: 868-634-4272
Fx: 868-634-4933
Richard @dockyardelectrics.com
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Tortola
Cay Electronics
Road Town, Tortola
Ph: 284-494-2400
Fx: 284-494-5389
caybvi@candwbvi.net
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Ph: 284-494-2830
Fx: 284-494-1584
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ST. THOMAS YACHT SALES
Compass Point Marina, 6300 Est. Frydenhoj, Suite 28,
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802
Tel: (340) 779-1660
Fax: (340) 779-2779
yachts @islands.vi
La Creole 50’ 1978 Gulfstar
Ketch, Well maintained
classic, 3strms, $145,000
Summer Place 44’ 1985
Beneteau Idylle, Great Cruiser,
AP, AC, Genset $86,000
Sail
36’ 1980 Albin Stratus, Cruiser or 6 pack charter vessel
41’ 1980 Morgan Out Islander AC, great condition
46’ 2000 Jeanneau twin helms, 3 staterooms
49’ 1979 Transpacific Ketch, Bluewater, 3 strms, loaded
$45,000
$79,000
$179,900
$180,000
Power
26’ 1987 Whale Boat Navy Capts gig, Perkins, 4109
29’ 1994 Phoenix SF, Twin Volvos, trim tabs, outriggers
32’ 1996 Carver 325 Twin Crusaders, great condition
36'1980 Litton Trawler, Yanmar diesels, Gen Set $30,000
40’ 1999 Tiara 4000 Express, Genset, AC, Twin Cats $275,000
Call, fax or visit our website for a complete list of boats for sale
www.stthomasyachts.com
7 io
B.V.1. YACHT SALES
sae: 3 ag
$33,000
$64,500
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MULTIHULLS: 42' Beneteau 423 ‘04, Best Priced 423 119K
82’ Dufour Nautitech ‘95, 10 cab/10 hd 795K 42’Tayana‘85,Well equipped andkept 99K
46' FP Bahia ‘01, Many Updates 349K 41’ Formosa CT 41‘74,Well Equipped 110K
45’ Robertson & Caine 99, Well kept 309K 40’ Beneteau M-405°95, Grt. Price 89K
41‘ Lagoon 410'01, Great Price 215K 40°Beneteau 40 CC'97;SolarandWind 99K
41’ Lagoon 41006 Great Revenue 380K 40’ Beneteau 400'94,Cruise Equipped 87K
37’ Maxim Yachts ‘99, Strong, Fast 160K 40’ Beneteau 40 CC ‘00 Immaculate 130K
SAIL: 40’ Exe Marine C-Farer II’82,World Crsr. 39K
54’ Hylas Deck Salon,’00,Luxury Crsr_ 645K 39° Beneteau 393 2005; Well-Priced 125K
51’ Morgan / CSY Custom 88 Loaded 159K 39° Grand Soleil‘87;Very Well Equipd 129K
51’ Aluminum Van De Stadt Design’99 379K 38° Hallberg-Rassy 38287; Strong 125K
47’ Vagabond 1980, Low Low Price 139K 37’ Jeanneau Sun Ody 37.1,'95 Grt Price 54K
46' Morgan 461 ‘79, Solid,Great Price 79K 34 Jeanneau ’01;Perfect pocket crsr. 59K
45' Wauquiez MS45,’90, Pilothouse 169K 32’ Bavaria ‘03;Great Condition / Price 64K
45’ Downeaster ‘79, Rare Schooner 139K
45' Jeanneau 45.1 ‘99 Great Price! 109K POWER:
45' Jeanneau 45.2 00, Immaculate 189K 63’ Johnson Motor Yacht’91 Luxury 375K
44’ Freedom 44’ 82,Rare,Great Shape 99K 52'Jefferson Trawler’89;4cab/4hd 149K
43’ Hunter 430°97, In Antigua, Grt Price 89K 48’ Sunseeker Manhattan ‘97, 3cb/2hd 325K
43'Young Sun '79,Lots of equipment 70K 48'Tarquin Trader 485 Sig.Beautiful 269K
42’ CSY 87’ Center Ckpt,Many Upgrades 69K 46 Bertram 46.6 Sport Cruiser’81 99K
42' Halberg-Rassy HR-42E ‘84, Refit 160K 30’ Bayliner 305 ‘06, Only 80hrs 89K
42’ Albin Nimbus ‘81 Cutter 75K 26'Glacier Bay 2680;(2) Yamaha 1SOHP 69K
42’ \sland Packet 420,01 Immaculate 320K www.bvi yac htsales.com
Email:info@bviyachtsales.com Tel:284-494-3260 Fax: 284-494-3535
PICK UP!
Ahoy, Compass Readers! When in Bequia, pick up your free monthly copy of
the Caribbean Compass at any of these locations (advertisers in this issue
appear in bold):
Bequia Bookshop
Bequia Post Office
Bequia Tourism Assn.
Bequia Venture
De Reef Restaurant
Doris Fresh Food
Fernando’s Hideaway
Frangipani Hotel
Friendship Rose Office
Grenadine Sails
GYE
Lulley’s Tackle
Mac’s Pizzeria
PortHole Restaurant
Tradewinds Cruise Club
W&W Supermarket
Wallace & Co.
JANUARY 2010
] New Year’s Day. Public holiday or “recovery day†in many places.
Junkanoo parade in Abaco, Bahamas
1-3 St. Croix Christmas Festival Parades. www.shfestival.com
2 Public holiday in Cuba (Victory of Armed Forces Day), Haiti
(Founding Fathers Day), St Kitts & Nevis (Camival Day), St. Lucia and
Grenada (Second New Year’s Day)
6 Three Kings Day. Public holiday in many places
6 World ARC 2010/11 starts in St. Lucia.
www.worldcruising.com/worldarc2010
8-10 French Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop, Guadeloupe.
evastropic@wanadoo.fr
11-17 17th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival. www. barbadosjazzfestival.com
11-20 St. Barts Music Festival. www.stbartsmusicfestival.org
13 - 16 Carriacou Sailing Series. www.sailingcarriacou.com
7 Women’s Cup Regatta, Martinique. Yacht Club de la Martinique (YCM),
tel (596) 63 26 76, fax (596) 63 94 48, yemq@wanadoo.fr
18 Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
21 Errol Barrow Day; public holiday in Barbados. Our Lady of Altagracia;
public holiday in Dominican Republic
21-24 St. Maarten-St. Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com
22 St. Thomas USVI Blues Festival. http://stevesimonpresents.com
23 - 24 Around Antigua Race. Antigua Yacht Club (AYC), tel/fax (268) 460-1799,
yachtclub@candw.ag, www.antiguayachtclub.com
24 - 28 Alst Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada. www.sibtgrenada.com
24 - 30 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay.
www.diramaicajazzandblues.com
25 Duarte’s day. Public holiday in Dominican Republic
27 - 30 Antigua Superyacht Cup. AYC
27-10 Feb 15th Annual Mustique Blues Festival. www.basilsbar.com
28 - 31 Bequia Music Fest. See ad on page 13
29 - 2 Feb Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival. See ad on page 5
29-6Feb 16th Guadeloupe International Film Festival.
www fest21.com/en/festival/femi_international_cinema_festival_of_guadeloupe
30 FULL MOON
30 - 31 Budget Marine Women’s Caribbean Championships, St. Maarten.
St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC), tel (699) 544-2075, fax (599) 544-2091,
info@smyc.com, www.smyc.com
FEBRUARY
World Wetlands Day
-7 Club Néutico de San Juan International Regatta, Puerto Rico.
www.nauticodesanjuan.com /sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm
Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, Jamaica.
www.montegobayrace.com
Digicel Workboat Regatta, Grenada. See ad on page 5
Gill St Maarten Keelboat Championships, SMYC
6 5th La Route du Carmival rally, Martinique to Trinidad.
www.transcaraibes.com
Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada
12 - 15 32nd Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and
28th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. tel (284) 495-4559.
12-16 20th Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique.
www.clubnautiquedumarin.com
13-14 Budget Marine Valentines Regatta, Antigua. Jolly Harbour Yacht Cluk
QHYC), Antigua. tel (268) 770-6172, miramarsailing@hotmail.com,
www. jhycantigua.com
13-15 Carnival Regatta, Martinique. Club Nautique Le Neptune (CNN),
Martinique, tel (596) 51 73 24, fax (696) 51 73 70,
info@clubnautiqueleneptune.com
14 Sunshine School Fundraising Auction, Bequia. www.bequiasunshineschool.org
15 - 16 Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Haiti,
Puerto Rico, Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela,
and other places
15 Presidents’ Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
7 Ash Wednesday. Public holiday in Cayman Islands and Jamaica
19-21 St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. See ad on page 15
19-21 Tobago Carnival Regatta. www.sailweek.com
22 Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia
22 - 26 RORC Caribbean 600 Offshore Race, Antigua. caribbeané00.rorc.org
26 - 28 South Grenada Regatta. See ad on page 20
27 Around St. Maarten-St. Martin Multihull Regatta.
www. MultiHullRegatta.com
eo D
=NN
27 Independence Day. Public holiday in the Dominican Republic
27 - 28 Around Martinique Race (2 legs). CNN
28 FULL MOON
All information was correct to the best of our knowledge
at the time this issue of Compass went fo press — but plans change,
so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation.
if you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE in our monthly cal-
endar, please send the name and date(s) of the event and the name
and contact information of the organizing body fo
sally@caribbeancompass.com
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Direct flights to Europe & North America
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MID ATLANTIC
YACHT SERVICES
PT-9900-144 HORTA / FAIAL, AZORES
Providing all vital services to
Trans-Atlantic Yachts!
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TEL +351 292 391616 FAX +351 292 391656
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For full details see our website:
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Disposal « Security * Telephone & Fax « Mobile Phone Rental /
SIM Top Up « Laundry WiFi Intemet « Beach Bar « Nearby
Restaurants ¢ Taxi & Tour Operators * Whale Watching & Sport
Fishing « Light Engine and Boat Repair« Customs / Immigration
Clearance Information « Visa/ Master Card accepted
“makina
continued on next page ———\
Caribbean Compass Market Place
IHAL
Pacer eli eee cli a
© wooden-ware * hammocks + more unique gifts
yar me eX-X9 lea ed Mem erie)
young street st. george's grenada
just steps from the carenage
tel: (473) 440-2310 fisher@caribsurf.com
SAILMAKING, RIGGING, ELECTRONICS
Grenada Marine « Spice Island Marine
Tel/Fax (473) 439-4495
turbsail@spiceisle.com
: TechNick Ltd.
Engineering, fabrication and
+ welding. Fabrication and repairof -
* stainless steel and aluminium items. :
: Nick Williams, Manager :
jl Tel: (473) 5386-1560/435-7887 7
: S.LMLS. Boatyard, True Blue, Grenada °
: technick@spiceisle.com
Frédéric Moser
Electro-Mécanique & Réfrigération Marine
Marina du Marin, neath
mi, vietron energy Danfits MA
4iss |
Tél: +596 (0) 596 74 67 03 - Fax: +596 (0) 596 7466.63 !
GSM : ca ere ee 7989
www efrigeration-marine.com - : tikum@wanadoo fr |
MARINE CONSUMABLES
Orel rere Mane A OLE“ Pe AA eM eLL ego
Teak . Glue & Caulking . Maintenance products
RGSS +(596) 596 682 1y3:)
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fn iO) 8 eee tye
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LE MARIN, MARTINIQUE « GRENADA
www.caraibe-greement.fr cgmar@wanadoo.fr
Phone: +(596) 596 74 8033 Cell: (596) 696 27 66 05
A & C YACHT-BROKERS
DUFOUR Tonsealiaivee Jp}
DEALEE
Used and New bouts for sale
Deminiqae AMD E (6.9628, TTG
Thema: HUYGCHUES DESPOUNTES 06.96.97.26.23
Houlevard Alliere — Port de Pilon © — be Marin
o. 46,74 0 nis
Web ‘ t eveail:
www.wind-flag.com
Voiles Assistance |
Didier and Maria
LE MARIN/MARTINIQUE
| Sails & Canvas (repairs & fabrication)
| located at Carenantilles dockyard
| Open Monday to Friday 8-|2am 2-6pm
Saturday by appointment
tel/fax: (596) 596 74 88 32
e-mail: didier-el-maris@wanadoo fr
Re A ee
YACHTING ENGIMEERIMG SYSTEM
Marine Electrics
Watermakers
Installation / Repair
Zac artimer - Le Marin, Martinique FWI
Tel: + (596) 596 650 524 Fax: + (596) 596 650 053
yescaraibes@hotmail.com
Bare Restaurant @ Deli
Martinique :- ; Marin
Opening
' Happy Hour
Hours from
Every Day
from 6 - 7PM
“Manap | Bay?!
Telephone: 0596 74 60:89
WIFI Gonnection for our Guests
www.restaurant-mangobay.com
CIRExpress
COURIER SERVICES
St. Maarten/ St. Martin, collect
and deliver door to door
ST. MAARTEN
Packages Pick — up call:
+ (599) 553-3850 / + (590) 690-222473
Int. 00 1-3057042314
E-mail: ericb@megatropic.com
continued on next page ———\
Caribbean Compass Market Place
Sailmaking excellence in the caribbean 1964 Bequia Wood Cutter 25’
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| YOUR
|
BOATS FOR SALE
1975 German Frers 39ft,
2 sets racing sails,US 57.000
1981 Cape Dory 30, US
39.000, St.Lucia duty paid
2000 Catana 471, 4 cabin,
460,000 Euros
1987 Irwin 44 _ US 105.000
1992 Dehler 37 CWS,
90.000 Euros
1981 CT 54 —-US 195,000
2006 Bahia 46, Hi spec
upgrades, lots of extra
equipment with_ charter
contract, 390,000 Euros
Email Yachtsales@dsl-yachting.
com Tel (758) 452 8531
1979 HUGHES 38 Sparkman
and Stevens design.
Cruising Grenada. Ready to
go.US$32,000 ono Email
hughes38.1979@yahoo.com
YOUNG SUN 46FT VENUS 1984 KETCH
fiberdass, vgc,new engine 2007,
excellentlive aboard and cruiser.
GPS, RADAR, VHF, Auto Pilot,
EPIRB, SSB, Water Maker, Air-Con,
Solar Panels, Wind Generator &
more. Full specs ot www.free
webs.com/venus4éforsale Price
reduced for a speedy sale
US$ 169,000 ONO Lying St Lucia.
Email venus46@live.com or Tel:
56696907429
BENETEAU FIRST 456 1984
Well equipped, located in
Bequia. Mere info Email mex-
maxgrenadinesttcl@gmail.com
cochisestellendam @zonnet.nl
COCHISE, an elegant 39 ft
yacht (1991) and pleasure
to sail is for sale, Noted for
speed, ease to handle, sim-
plicity and Boat of The Year
2007 Trinidad. Cochise is
very well maintained, sailed
only by owner and brought
in from NL on containership.
Ideal boat for comfortable,
fast cruising with family/
friends, and equipped for
club racing. All J-Boats
design weaknesses taken
care of in recent years.
Extensively overhauled with
new mast and rod rigging
(2002), large sail wardrobe,
many extras incl. new
Raymarine autopilot (2007),
well-maintained Harken
winches, 2 anchors + chain,
large sun awning etc.
Interesting price of 55,000 US$
reflects ~ current location
(Caribbean) and move to
larger world cruiser. E-mail
BOATS FOR SALE IN TRINIDAD
Tel (868) 739-6449
www.crackajacksailing.com
41’ CORONADO
“MiLady Kathleenâ€
available in the Grenadines,
1973,
Now
loaded with goodies.
www.freewebs.com/
sv-mladykathleen for
details. US$56,000 E-mail:
Roland693@Yahoo.com
2003 BENETEAU OCEANIS
393, 3 Cabins/2 Heads,
Good Condition, Cruisin:
Ready. BVI’s, $115,000,
E-mail starfrute@gmail.com
Tel (952) 221-3788
HALLBERG RASSY 39 1997
New engine. Exc. condition.
St Lucia, Euros 217,000 E-mail
tabascojazz@hotmail.com
CORT WINNER “UNCLE SAMâ€
BENETEAU 10-METER Custom,
2001 rebuild, Henderson
bulb keel & rudder.
Expanded cockpit, over-
size winches, custom helm,
all new instruments.
Raytheon GPS, speedome-
ter, cockpit mounted chart
plotter, Maxi sail compas.
Completely rewired includ-
ing dual battery system &
circuit breaker panel.
Dry storage past 2 years.
US$36,000 Contact Sam Laing,
Email laingusvi@gmail.com
46’ PETERSON PERFORMANCE
CRUISER 1988 Center cock-
pit, single owner, lovingly
maintained. Sailed through-
out the Caribbean and now
located in Trinidad. Ready
for you to start cruising tomor-
row, USD 189,999 E-mail
SailingOnFree@aol.com
40 FT FISHING TRAWLER.
Fiberglass hull. 671GM Diesel.
Based in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.
ood price, negotiable.
Tel (473) 415-9323
CATANA 44 1995 Refit 2002.
Including 2 new Yanmar
4Ohp diesels w/ ST40 saildrives.
New sails, new ékw genera-
tor, new watermaker, bimini
Icatkayen@yahoo.com
MISC. FOR SALE
SELDEN RIG for VINDO 35,
deck stepped, boom,
spreaders, lights, winches
(has been changed for
upgrade) 2000 US OBO
ask for details 758 4528531
email: destsll@candwilc
SAILS AND CANVAS
EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIAL
DEALS at http://doylecarib-
bean.com/specials.htm
2 X 5d’ F/GLASS CATAMARAN
HULLS Trinidad (868) 650-1914
E-mail JanDutch @tstt.net. tt
TACKTICK _WIRELESS/SOLAR
INSTRUMENTS, Discount pric-
es: www.northemrockiesas-
sociates.com
YANMAR OUTBOARD DIESEL
36HP Tiinickad cell (868) 650-1914
EMail JanDutch@tsttnet.tt
WIND PILOT PACIFIC Pius aux-
iliary rudder, Good price.
Contact Olivier Nelly, Port de
Plaisance, Marin, Martinique
Tel +(596) 696 25 11 60
WANTED
MARINE TECHNICIAN WANTED
Respected Marine Engineerin
Co. in Grenada is seeking all
round experienced technician
for marine diesel engines, elec-
tical, electronics, watermakers,
wind generators, AC and reftig-
eration. We can assist wi
work pemit. Ideal for cruiser or
independent tech locking for
the stability of an established
company in Grenada. Please
email CV to enzomarine@spi-
ceisle.com Tel: (473) 439-2049
CAPTAIN AVAILABLE, USCG
Master 100 Tons Sail or Power,
Mate 200 Tons, Divernaster
also. Day trips, Term or delivery,
all ranks considered, Can relo-
cate from St Thomas Email
davidNwillems@yahoo.com
PROPERTY FOR SALE
CARRIACOU, ONE ACRE LOTS
and multi acre tracts. Great
views overlooking_ Southern
Grenadines and Tyrrel Bay
www.caribtrace.com
BEQUIA, UNION LEVEL
2 pieces of land for sale 23,000
sq/ft each. $4.25 US per sa/ft.
Tel 73) 404 46:
Jhiamie9? @gmail.com
E-mail
5 =a
BEQUIA, _ BELMONT Sailor's
retreat. Tradtional cottage
overlooking Admiralty Bay.
Uss295C00 Tel_ (784) 529-5972
E-mail cecrawfish@gmail.com
LAND FOR SALE
BEQUIA, SPRING ESTATE Excellent
parcel of land 25060 sq/ft.
Beautifully located rectangulor
lot on a dead end quiet road
with elec, & seaview, 5min walk
tobeach, Ready for builcing, Tel
(784) 458-3518/430-5021 Email
gardenboutique@hotmail.com
RENTALS
BEQUIA, HAMILTON 2-bed
room, partly fumished, recent-
ly refurbished house. 100 yds
from the sea. EC$1,300 per
month, utilities not included.
Tel (784) 496-9872 E-mail
Jhiamie%?@gmail.com.
LA POMPE, BEQUIA
Large 2 bedroom house and/
or Thed studio apartment.
Big verandah and _ patio,
stunning view, cool breeze.
Internet, cable TV. 2 weeks
minimum, _excellent_long-
term rates. Tel: (784) 495 1177
email: louisian@vincysurf.com
ACCOMMODATION BEQUIA
Recently completed four
ensuite air-conditioned rooms
in waterfront property avail
able for short or long term
rental. Panoramic view of
Admiralty Bay from verandah
and access to the sea from
our own jetty. Located in
quiet northwest comer of
Admiralty Bay.
Tel (784) 458-3942 E-mail
daffodil_harris@yahoo.com
BEQUIA, FRIENDSHIP
Unfurmished house, 3 beckoorn/2
baths. Tel (784) 495 3704 Email
tinamitchell83@hotmail.com
BEQUIA, PORT ELIZABETH 3
bed villa with pool. Stunnin:
views. Jeep & Internet.
Short or long-term lets.
E-mail Pearlwin] @aol.com,
5a 1e
INTERNATIONAL
INSURANCE
MEDICAL
US$5,000,000
worldwide “A“ rated cover,
4700 US hospital direct billing
network, Highest Deductible
Hospital option age 30-34: $35
monthly. www.protexplan.com
E-mail info@protexplan.com,
Tel (604) 724-7384
ISLAND VIEW at WOBURN BAY,
GRENADA gion pas bar,
testouront, jetty, WIR, snowers, ioe,
Open — dail
louncry & _morel
ae OPM, Tel (473) 443-2645 VHF 1
cola SPP)
US 50¢ per word - include name,
address and numbers in count.
Line drawings/photos accompany-
ing classifieds are US$10. Pre-paid
by the 15th of the month. No replies.
Your Classified
on the Internet
a —
( }
eek
ee ( at apy i eu Year ?( TO to all Our Ke eaders, triends CY Fartners
ADVERTISERS INDEX
ADVERTISER LOCATION — PG#_ ADVERTISER LOCATION — PG#_ ADVERTISER
A&C Yacht Brokers Martinique MP Cooper Marine USA Jolly Harbour
Admiral Yacht Insurance UK 47 — Curagao Marine Curagao Jones Maritime
Anjo Insurance Antigua 42 Diesel Outfitters St. Maarten KNJ Marine
Art & Design Antigua MP _ Diginay Martinique KP Marine
Art Fabrik Grenada MP = Dockwise Yacht Transport Martinique Lagoon Marina
B &C Fuel Dock Petite Martinique 26 Dominica Marine Center Dominica Le Phare Bleu
Barefoot Yacht Charters St. Vincent 19 Dopco Travel Grenada Le Phare Bleu Regatta
Barrow Sails & Canvas Trinidad MP Down Island Real Estate Carriacou MP _Lulley's Tackle
LOCATION PG# ADVERTISER
Antigua MP Savon De Mer
St. Croix 47 — Sea Services
Trinidad MP _ Ship's Carpenter
St. Vincent 18 Soper's Hole Marina
St. Maarten 24 — Spice Island Marine
Grenada 20 St. Croix Regatta
Grenada 20 St. Thomas Yacht Sales
Bequia 31. Supenwind
LOCATION PG#
Caribbean MP
Martinique 17
Trinidad MP
Tortola 24
Grenada
St. Croix
St. Thomas
Germany
Basil’s Bar
Bequia Marina
Bequia Music Festival
Mustique
Bequia
Bequia
46
31
13
Doyle Offshore Sails
Doyle Offshore Sails
Doyle's Guides
Tortola 3
Barbados MP
USA 42
Mango Bay
Marc One Marine
Marigot Beach Club
Marina Zar-Par
Martinique MP
Trinidad
St. Lucia
MP
24
SVG Air
SVG Tourism
Technick
Tikal Arts & Crafts
St. Vincent
St. Vincent
Grenada
Grenada
Bequia Venture
Beyond The Islands
Budget Marine
Budget Marine
BVI Yacht Sales
Camper & Nicholsons
Captain Gourmet
Caraibe Energie
Caraibe Greement Martinique
Caraibe Yachts Guadeloupe
Caribbean Marine Electrical Trinidad
Caribbean Propellers Ltd. — Trinidad
Caribbean Woods Bequia
Carriacou Silver Diving Carriacou
Ciao Pizza Union Isand
CIRExpress St. Maarten
Clippers Ship Martinique
Bequia
Caribbean
Sint Maarten
Carib Wide
Tortola
Grenada
Union Island
Martinique
Echo Marine - Jotun Special Trinidad 10
Electropics Trinidad MP
Femando's Hideaway Bequia MP
Food Fair Grenada 47
Fred Marine Guadeloupe 33
Friendship Rose Bequia an
Gourmet Foods St. Vincent 44
Grenada Around Island Grenada 6
Grenada Marine Grenada 35
Grenada Sailing Festival Grenada 5
Grenadine Island Villas Bequia MP
Grenadines Sails Bequia 26
GRPro-Clean Martinique MP
lolaire Enterprises UK 47/48
Island Water World Sint Maarten 56
Island Water World Carib Wide MP
Johnson Hardware St. Lucia 14
Dominican Rep. 16
McIntyre Bros. Ltd Grenada 48 Tilikum
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services Azores MP Townhouse Mega Store
Navimca Venezuela 41 Trade Winds Cruising
Northem Lights Generators Tortola 49 Transcaraibes
Ocean Xperts St. Maarten 43 Triskell Cup Regatta
On Deck Antigua MP Turbulence Sails
Perkins Engines Tortola 22 ~~ Turbulence Sails
Petit St. Vincent PSV 40 ‘Tyrrel Bay Yacht Haulout
Plumbelly Carib Wide MP Vemasca
Port Hole Bequia MP Voiles Assistance
Power Boats Trinidad MP Wallace & Co
Quantum Sails Tortola 25 Wallilabou Anchorage
Reds Caribbean Trinidad 10 WIND
Reef Gardens Antigua 45 Woodstock Boatbuilders Antigua
Renaissance Marina Aruba 36 Xanadu Marine Venezuela
Santa Barbara Resort Curagao 37. YES MP = Market Place LAG P to 53
Martinique
Antigua
Bequia
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Grenada
Grenada
Carriacou
Venezuela
Martinique
Bequia
St. Vincent
Martinique
e \
RAN
= A fi
SERVICE
For over 25 years, Spice Island Marine Services has been known for reliable
customer service. The most secure, insurance approved storage in the Southern
Caribbean ensures peace of mind with optional steel cradles, yacht tie-downs
throughout, and welded stands. This full service boatyard can accommodate
yachts up to 70 tons, 85 feet long, and 25 feet wide for your hauling, storage, and
repair needs. Centrally located in Prickly Bay, Grenada, near amenities and with its
on-site Budget Marine chandlery, Spice Island Marine Services will exceed
your expectations.
simsco@spiceisle.com « www.spiceislandmarine.com e 473.444.4342
OLO% AUIVANVS
oO
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>
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shop
islandwaterworld.com
what’s new? All Epifanes Topside Paints
= E Epitanes mono-urethane is an incredibey
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Epifanes polywrrtinane is a two-part polpestor
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maximum resin depth and hardiness with a long lasting
minndeike gloss.
The TRAC product line consists of safe, non-toxic
and biodegradable marine growth removers
and descalers. Dissolve and remove barmacies,
zebra mussels, calcium, rust, lime & all other
mineral deposits. Sew Clean eliminates
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wiler systems. : : “ Mono-urethane 750 mi as low as $31.30
From $29.95 per Quart and $73.95 per Galion : 3 - ; Poly-urethane 750 mi kit as low as $45.30
Rule Portable Charge N’ Flow Kit
Charge W" iow appications imcluce pumping bilge water from tight 7 AS Epoxies
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Resin Quarts from $25.60, Gallons from $75.99
Hawk Speed Propeller and Running Gear Coating Kits Hardener Pints from $18.40, half Gallons from $59.80
Hawk Speed increases the speed, fuel efficiency
and overall perlonmance of any vessel: sadboats,
commercial fishing boats, sportftsh or luxury Bio- Solv Bio-Soly is an environmentally friendly rent that can
yachts. This techmological breakthrough in foul- be sed In place of, and actually out perfoems, Acetone,
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Store prices good while stocks last and for the moath of January only.
what’s on the web?
a 10% discount for online shoppers
From now until the end of January buy anything ONLINE
al www.islandwaterworkd.com and you will automatically
be entered in our monthly dinghy and outboard prize draw.
Island
Water World
keeps you sailing! =
Pius FREE delivery to any of our online
shipping destinations!
‘Waller Bary Air Floor
St. Maarten, Cole Bay: + 599.544.5310
Bobby's Marina: + 599.543.7119
St. Lucia: + 758.452.1222 © Grenada: + 473.435.2150
Published by Compass Publishing Limited, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and printed by Trinidad Publishing Company Limited
|
| Full Text |
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PAGE 1
C M Y K C M Y K 2010
PAGE 1
C A R I B B E A N FREE C MPASS JANUARY 2010 NO. 172 The CaribbeanÂs Monthly Look at Sea & ShoreThe Young-at-Heart ARC!See story on page 14TIM WRIGHT / WWW.PHOTOACTION.COM
PAGE 2
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 2
PAGE 3
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 3
PAGE 4
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 4 Click Google Map link below to Þ nd the Caribbean Compass near you!http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112776612439699037380.000470658db371bf3282d&ll=14.54105,-65.830078& spn=10.196461,14.0625&z=6&source=embedCompass covers the Caribbean! From Cuba to Trinidad, from Panama to Barbuda, we've got the news and views that sailors can use. We're the Caribbean's monthly look at sea and shore. JANUARY 2010 € NUMBER 172www.caribbeancompass.com The CaribbeanÂs Monthly Look at Sea & ShoreSecurity SceneUpdates and tips ..................12River RambleUp GuyanaÂs Essequibo ........22ItÂs All Happening!Caribbean Events Calendar 2010 ..27Sailing a LegendPlumbelly of Bequia ...............33ÂOur Favorite IslandÂMarie Galante chooses Grenada ..34They Love Lac BaySea turtles dine in Bonaire ...36 DEPARTMENTS Business Briefs .......................8 Regatta News........................12 Destinations ...........................21 Sailors Hikes ........................26 Meridian Passage .................32 Cruiser Profile ........................32 Fun Pages.........................38, 39 Cruising Kids Corner ............40 DollyÂs Deep Secrets ............40 The Caribbean Sky ...............41 Book Reviews ........................42 Cooking with Cruisers....44 46 Readers Forum .....................48 WhatÂs on My Mind ...............49 Monthly Calendar ................50 Caribbean Marketplace......51 Classified Ads .......................54 Advertisers Index .................54Caribbean Compass welcomes submissions of short articles, news items, photos and drawings. See Writers Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com. Send submissions to sally@caribbeancompass.com. We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole responsibility of the advertiser, writer or correspondent, and Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no responsibility for any statements made therein. Letters and submissions may be edited for length and clarity. Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no liability for delayed distribution or printing quality as these services are supplied by other companies. ©2010 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication, except short excerpts for review purposes, may be made without written permission of Compass Publishing Ltd. Caribbean Compass is published monthly by Compass Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 175 BQ, Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410 compass@vincysurf.com www.caribbeancompass.comEditor...........................................Sally Erdle sally@caribbeancompass.com Assistant Editor...................Elaine Ollivierre jsprat@vincysurf.com Advertising & Distribution........Tom Hopman tom@caribbeancompass.com Art, Design & Production......Wilfred Dederer wide@caribbeancompass.com Accounting.................................Debra Davis debra@caribbeancompass.comCompass Agents by Island:Antigua: Ad Sales & Distribution Lucy Tulloch Tel (268) 720-6868 lucy@thelucy.com Barbados: Distribution Doyle Sails Tel/Fax: (246) 423-4600 Curaçao: Distribution Budget Marine Curaçao curacao@budgetmarine.com Tel: (5999) 462 77 33 Dominica: Distribution Hubert J. Winston Dominica Marine Center, Tel: (767) 448-2705, info@dominicamarinecenter.com Grenada/Carriacou/Petite Martinique: Ad Sales & Distribution Karen Maaroufi Cell: (473) 457-2151 Office: (473) 444-3222 compassgrenada@hotmail.com Martinique: Ad Sales & Distribution Isabelle Prado Tel: (0596) 596 68 69 71, Mob: + 596 (0) 696 93 26 38 isabelle.prado@wanadoo.fr St. Lucia: Distribution Lisa Kessell Tel: (758) 484-0555, kessellc@candw.lc St. Maarten/St. Barths/Guadeloupe: Ad Sales Stéphane LegendreMob: + 590 (0) 6 90 49 45 90steflegendre@wanadoo.fr Distribution Eric Bendahan Tel: (599) 553 3850, ericb@cirexpresslogistics.com St. Thomas/USVI: Distribution Bryan Lezama Tel: (340) 774 7931, blezama1@earthlink.net St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Ad Sales Debra Davis, Tel: (784) 457-3527, debra@caribbeancompass.com Tortola/BVI: Distribution Gladys Jones Tel: (284) 494-2830, Fax: (284) 494-1584 Trinidad: Ad Sales & Distribution Jack Dausend Tel: (868) 621-0575, Cell: (868) 620-0978 Jack.Dausend@Gmail.com Venezuela: Ad Sales & Distribution Patty Tomasik Tel: (58-281) 265-3844 Tel/Fax: (58-281) 265-2448 xanadumarine@hotmail.comISSN 1605 1998Cover photo: Mini Maxi , winner of ARC 2009 Best Family Performance Photo: Tim Wright/www.photoaction.com DILALLA BERNFELD ROBERT VAN DAM ÂThe Caribbean Compass magazine is to the sailing community in the region as the wind is to sailing: without it there, we would all be Âin ironsÂ! The CompassÂs extensive coverage of all that goes on in the islands „ such as culture, Immigration and Customs rules, conditions and events „ make it a mustread for casual and professional sailors alike.ÂŽ „ Niki Borde, Manager Regatta Promoters Ltd. Tobago Carnival Regatta
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 5 St. Croix Warning and Update Marilyn Cook reports: There has been a major problem with yachts entering Christiansted Harbor, St. Croix. On average, one cruising yacht a month has been driving up onto Round Reef. Several have been lost, and all suffered damage. Just since Thanksgiving 2009, two sailboats have gone hard aground. Please study the chart before entering the harbor! [ EditorÂs note: Nancy and Simon ScottÂs Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands 2009-2011 has a large aerial photo on page 262 that clearly shows the location of Round Reef. Space does not permit its reproduction here. ] Round Reef is situated right in the middle of what one would think is the channel. To be on the safe side, I recommend entering the harbor on the left, following the green buoys along the peninsula straight in. There is a red-over-green buoy that marks the northeast corner of Round Reef. It is a dual channel marker. Apparently, some sailors assume you can go either side of it. DONÂT! It is marking the straight-in channel (left channel) and also the WAPA channel that actually is a 90-degree right turn down along the reef going west. I have been using the channel for many years and I still get the willies coming in. It can be very confusing, as there are buoys everywhere. Also, St. CroixÂs Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has installed 20 moorings in Gallows Bay for transient yachts. They cost US$2.00 per foot per month and are well made. You can call DPNR at (340) 244-9066. Security Patrols in Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica Helen Clarke reports: Portsmouth Association of Yacht Services and Security (PAYS) would like to remind all yachts visiting Dominica to moor or anchor in the north end of Prince Rupert Bay (between Blue Bay Restaurant and the Purple Turtle) where security patrols are conducted nightly. Although we recognize that some visitors prefer the seclusion of the south end, current economic conditions do not permit our group to patrol the whole bay and although Dominica is one of the safest countries in the Caribbean, we cannot recommend that you anchor outside the patrolled area. Please note that we tried to patrol the south end on a regular basis but we could not afford the additional fuel given the current revenue stream. We will monitor the situation through the season but PAYS President, Jeff Frank, is actively visiting all boats at the end of the day and asking them to move north. PAYS is a registered non-profit association, established in 2007, and includes 17 members from the yacht tourism sector in Portsmouth, including tour guides, yacht service companies, restaurants and dive centres in the community. Funding for the night security is provided by membership fees, donations, fees from yacht moorings in Prince Rupert Bay, fund-raising beach barbecues and other fun activities. All services are provided by members on a voluntary basis and all proceeds are dedicated to ensuring your security and to helping develop the yachting sector in Dominica. Please help support our program by using PAYS members for your yacht services when coming to Dominica and joining in our fun events. For more information contact Jeff Frank at (767) 245-0125 or Helen Clarke at (767) 275-3020. St. Maarten Bridge Openings As is customary every ÂhighÂŽ season, the bridge into Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Maarten, opens six times during the day in order to handle the vessels that make use of several marinas in the lagoon. The daily seasonal openings are: 9:00AM outbound, 9:30AM inbound, 11:00AM outbound, 11:30AM inbound, 4:30PM outbound and 5:30PM inbound. This schedule will run until May 2010. Users of small craft are requested not to transit the bridge channel during bridge opening hours. Boats docking at the BBW dock should not be maneuvering in the channel during the bridge operational hours. Small sea craft must make use of the port channel when passing under the bridge. „Continued on next page Info & Updates The PAYS patrol boat, a boost to yacht security in Portsmouth, Dominica
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 6 „ Continued from previous page Jet ski owners and rentals are requested to inform users that they must put their waterspouts off when passing under the bridge. This prevents corrosion of the iron structure of the bridge. Captains and owners of vessels, after docking their vessels in the lagoon, should immediately come to the window of the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority & Immigration to clear in their vessel, crew and passengers and pay the necessary bridge and harbor fees and dues. [ See related story on page 9. ] 6th Edition of SailorÂs Guide to Martinique Now Available TiÂPonton is bilingual, French and English, and offers the most extensive directory for sailors needs in Martinique. It includes the names, addresses and telephone numbers of more than 600 nautical services, suppliers, provisioning companies, doctors, local restaurants, sightseeing spots and much more. TiÂPonton also provides tidal information for major coastal cities in Martinique. TiÂPonton is a FREE publication and can be picked up all around the island all year round. For the latest marine news log on to www.tiponton.com For more information contact Carola Pajari at cptiponton@wanadoo.fr OCC Officer Appointed for Port Antonio, Jamaica Errol Flynn MarinaÂs General Manager, Dale B. Westin, has been appointed Honorary Port Officer by the Ocean Cruising Club. The international cruising organization, based in England, designates the port officers at key marinas worldwide in an effort to ensure that OCC members are afforded first-class assistance wherever they may cruise. To qualify for membership in the OCC, a prospective applicant must document they have made an ocean passage of at least 1,000 miles point-to-point. For more info on the OCC visit www.oceancruisingclub.org LIAT Flies to the Grenadines Canouan Island, home of the Grenadines base of The Moorings yacht charter company, is now more accessible than ever. On November 20, regional airline LIAT started operating two non-stop flights per week from San Juan, Puerto Rico. LIAT flight 383 leaves San Juan on Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00PM and arrives on Canouan at 6:20PM. LIAT flight 384 departs Canouan on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:50AM and arrives San Juan at 1:10PM. In March 2009, LIAT began service from Barbados to Canouan operating four flights per week. New Underwater Sculptures in Mexico The first phase of a new underwater project in Cancun, Mexico is now complete. The first three sculptures were submerged in November, entitled The Archive of Lost Dreams, Man on Fire and The Gardener of Hope. Construction of the monumental second phase is also underway. This includes more than 400 life-size figurative works, which when complete will form part of the worldÂs largest underwater art museum. Works by the same artist, Jason de Caires Taylor, form GrenadaÂs popular underwater sculpture park at Moliniere Bay. „Continued on next page Underwater sculptures provide new attractions for snorkelers and divers. As marine growth colonizes the artworks, they evolve
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 7 „ Continued from previous page EC Funds Shipping Study Norman Faria reports: Can we in the islands ever get a viable Eastern Caribbean sea transport system carrying both freight and passengers? That question could well be answered on the completion of a 200,000-Euro Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) study funded by the European Union. According to a release from the EUÂs Bridgetown, Barbados office, two main outcomes of the study would be to get a good estimate of passenger demand and to determine whether the shipping aspect would be sustainable over a long period. Said the release in part: ÂIf it (the service) materializes, it would enhance the export capabilities of the islands agricultural output and provide alternative passenger routes which satisfy demand between OECS member countries, as well as explore possible pricing structures that can satisfy adequate return to operators.ÂŽ It added, against the backdrop of rising concerns about regional food security, ÂWhereas certain islands may have a surplus of agricultural products, lack of shipping freight lines does not facilitate the movement of produce.ÂŽ The study is expected to take three months. New Dinghy Dock at Cumberland Bay, St. Vincent One of the things cruisers say they want is more and better dinghy docks, and the development of tourism and recreational facilities at Cumberland Bay on the west coast of St. Vincent was enhanced in November with the construction of a sturdy new one. This will allow yachting visitors in the bay easier access to the shore, where before dinghies had to be hauled up onto the beach. It will also facilitate visits by sailors to the newly developed Cumberland Beach Recreational Park which, when fully operational, will include a restaurant, laundry, showers and small shops. The community-based project is part of a Tourism Development Project funded by the European Union. Consultations with area residents had determined that improved yacht services would be an asset to their livelihoods. The dock and park buildings were built by a local construction team, and the facility will be run by the Cumberland Valley Eco-Tourism Organization with the assistance of the National Parks Authority. For more information contact Ernst De Freitas at (784) 495-0791. Bequia Sunshine SchoolÂs Good Fun for a Good Cause Lisa Hunnicutt reports: The Bequia Sunshine School is a non-profit organization for children with special needs. The school operates solely on funds donated and those raised by various annual charity events, including one of BequiaÂs most fun and interactive fundraisers: The Sailors & Landlubbers Auction. The event will be held this year at The Salty Dog, Port Elizabeth on Sunday February 14th. Not only do we solicit donations of gently used items, gift certificates and items of interest before the event, but we also encourage participation on the day of the event, bidding on unique, funky and functional items. These items and others are sorted throughout the year for use in the book sales, the auction and a jumble sale, while some remaining clothes and shoes are further donated to charity organizations in St. Vincent. Look for the following events in 2010: ÂWalking on SunshineÂŽ fun walk, January 3rd; Book Sales under the Almond Tree (two or three per year); Sailors & Landlubbers Auction, February 14th; Jumble Sale (including school crafts, book sale and bake sale), March 20th. Please support these events, donate items and volunteer your time. Monetary donations can be sent to The Sunshine School, Box 90BQ, Bequia, VC0400, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, or, as with material items, can be dropped off at the school during regular school hours. Look for our Sunshine School cans at various local businesses to drop your spare change, too! For more information contact Camille Jacobs at (784) 457-3794 or visit www.bequiasunshineschool.org Contributions Welcomed for Carriacou Education Fund Melodye Pompa reports: As cruising boats are starting to move north from their summer hideaways, please remember that the Carriacou ChildrenÂs Education Fund will gratefully accept any and all contributions: clean, used clothing for adults and children; household goods; treasures of the bilge; handmade craft items; and, of course, CASH. These items will be auctioned at our annual fundraising in July, directly preceding Carriacou Regatta Festival. Proceeds go to provide local needy children with school uniforms, textbooks, lunches, and scholarships to TA Marryshow Community College. Contributions can be left at the Carriacou Yacht Club in Tyrrel Bay. For more information contact boatmillie@aol.com Errata In last monthÂs issue we referred readers to an ad for GrenadaÂs Bluewater Sailing School, but the ad did not appear in that issue. Apparently the principals in the business were busy welcoming a new baby „ congratulations! Welcome Aboard! In this issue of Compass we welcome new advertisers Beyond the Islands of Bequia, page 43; Jolly Harbour Marina of Antigua, Market Place section; Marigot Beach Club of St. Lucia, page 24; Ocean Experts of St. Maarten, page 16; and Woodstock Boatbuilders of Antigua, page 9. Good to have you with us! ItÂs easier now to step ashore at scenic Cumberland Bay. The new dinghy dock and Recreational Park are at lower left in the inset photo KAY WILSON / INDIGO DIVE SALLY ERDLE
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 8 BUSINESS BRIEFSNew Gourmet Food Outlet in Bequia Gourmet Food Ltd SVG has opened a new location in Bequia, conveniently located right next to the GYE chandlery and near the dinghy docks in the northeast corner of Admiralty Bay. This is their third outlet, following the opening of a supermarket deli café at Kingstown, St. VincentÂs cruise ship berth last April. The flagship store is in Calliaqua, St. Vincent. The Bequia wholesale food outlet is also a supermarket, offering high quality frozen vegetables, meat, fish and shrimp as well as canned food. And as a café, it also offers a nice place to drink a glass of wine, beer, fruit juice, tea or coffee and choose from a light café menu including shrimp/vegetable spring rolls, Gourmet Burgers, french fries, potato croquettes, calamari/onion rings, fresh-baked baguettes, garlic baguettes, sandwiches, Danish pastries, croissants and more. Gourmet Food Ltd SVG also sees the outlet as an enhanced source of communication for their wholesale business, giving BequiaÂs hotel/restaurant/bar owners and visiting yacht chefs greater access to professional sales representatives Âface to faceÂŽ. Fredrik Svanberg, owner of the Gourmet food group, was at the opening and commented, ÂWe are very happy to expand our business in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It compliments our Swedish operation because we sell the same products in Stockholm. Bequia will now benefit from a wide choice of high quality, chefready food products.ÂŽ For more information see ad on page 44. Early-Bird Discounts at Dockwise Yacht Transport Catalina Bujor reports: Dockwise Yacht Transport, the only float-on/float-off yacht transport service, is featuring a very special voyage from St. Thomas, USVI to Newport, Rhode Island and crossing the pond to Southampton, UK; Toulon, France; and Marmaris, Turkey aboard motor vessel Super Servant 4 , which sails from the end of May through June, 2010. They are offering attractive prices and special discounts to those that book early. For more information contact Nadine Massaly in Martinique at +596 596 741 507 or Nadine@dockwise-yt.com, or see ad on page 21. Now: Cyber Help-Desk at Sea Services, Martinique Ciarla Decker reports: Sea Services Shipchandler at Fort de France in Martinique now has an e-mail address dedicated to receiving your nautical questions. Contact us at seaservices972@orange.fr and we will be glad to help! For more information see ad on page 17. Underwater Engineering, Corrosion Protection Services Reds Caribbean Limited was incorporated in 2006 in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to provide underwater engineering services, which include commercial diving and underwater inspections and repair; surveys and positioning; in-water marine surveys and inspections; remote-operated vehicles; corrosion prevention; and rope access services to the local and Caribbean-based oil, gas, petrochemicals and marine engineering companies. Since 2007, Reds Caribbean Limited has been certified as an In-Water Survey Company by the USA-based American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and holds General Membership with the Association of Diving Contractors International Inc of Houston, Texas. In the field of corrosion protection services, in 2008 Reds Caribbean Limited became the authorized agents and distributor for ZINGA UK , a division of MG Duff International Ltd. MG Duff is the manufacturer and supplier of the ZINGA range of anti-corrosive products within the territorial areas of Trinidad & Tobago. For more information see ad on page 10. Cabrits Café & Dive Re-Opens in Dominica Helen Clarke reports: We have re-opened Cabrits Café & Dive in Lagoon, Portsmouth, Dominica as of November 14th, 2009. Situated in the north end of Prince Rupert Bay right next to Big PapaÂs, Cabrits Café & Dive offers dive and snorkel reservations, snorkel equipment sales and rentals, and a European coffee shop right at the waterÂs edge. Even if you are not water babies, you are still more than welcome to come visit and enjoy the fabulous views of Prince Rupert Bay. And this year we are building a jetty especially for our yachting friends! For more information contact cabritsdive@yahoo.com „Continued on next page
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DECEMBER 2009 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 9 „ Continued from previous page St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show Faces Changes Outgoing St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) President Jeff Boyd has announced that as of this year, the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA) will no longer own the St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show. Ownership of the show now comes back to St. Maarten. The MYBA was involved in the show for three years. Boyd said he hoped there would be a show in 2010, but it would be up to the SMMTA board of directors, and to some degree the membership, to decide the value of the show to them and to the island. Discussion of a possible new format for the show will reportedly begin next month. According to reports in the islandÂs Daily Herald newspaper, Boyd said, ÂI think what we might see is a full-blown show rather than just a charter showƒ It may be more of a trade show, which we feel would be better for our members because it brings trades and more activity to St. Maarten.ÂŽ He added that he would also like to see the date changed for the St. Maarten show; in recent years the dates have conflicted with the Antigua Charter Yacht Show (see story on Antigua show page 10). For more information on the SMMTA visit www.smmta.com Dockside Management ÂPreferred by IGY Marinas in St. Maarten Dockside Management, one of the leading ships agents in the Caribbean, has signed an agreement with Island Global Yachting (IGY) to be a Âpreferred providerÂŽ at IGYÂs marinas in St. Maarten: The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol and Simpson Bay Marina. Based on St. Maarten, Dockside Management provides vessels with services including banking, clearance, visa assistance, courier/freight, provisioning, parts and repair and VIP services. For more information contact office@docksidemanagement.net Simpson Bay Under New Authority, Fees to Drop As reported in the St. Maarten Daily Herald on December 1st, the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) is now officially part of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies. As a result, control of the water rights along the shore and in the lagoon has been combined under one authority, which paves the way for uniform fees. The islandÂs marine industry and megayacht owners have been at loggerheads with SLAC for more than a year now over various issues, especially the bridge fees that went into effect on January 1st, 2008 without consultation with industry stakeholders. Industry insiders, including the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, had warned that the fees and the way they were being applied were causing the island to lose yachting business to other islands. There also was a notable shift of yachts from the Dutch to the French side of St. Maarten, endangering investments made on the Dutch side over the years. It was announced in December that the controversial mandatory one-week ÂdoubleÂŽ fee for vessels entering and departing Simpson Bay Lagoon would be dropped effective this month. News from AntiguaÂs Woodstock Boatbuilders Andrew Robinson reports: Woodstock Boatbuilders were part of a group of Antiguan businesses that participated in the Monaco Boat Show last September. The show was a great success with a good attendance and very positive feedback. The Antigua & Barbuda stand also received a large number of visitors. Woodstock would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism, National Parks Authority, Charter Yacht Meeting and those businesses that supported the stand. Marine Engineering is our newest department, but one that is growing rapidly. Recently we have become agents for Fischer Panda and Westerbeke, suppliers of world-class marine generators and engines. WoodstockÂs head engineer recently completed a Fischer Panda training program. We also completely refreshed our website last year. YouÂll now find it easier to navigate, jam-packed with information and with links to other useful sites. Have a look at woodstockboats.com and let us know what you think! For more information see ad on this page. New Marina: Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts St. Kitts will soon be home to Christophe Harbour, a new marina and luxury residential community on the islandÂs southeastern peninsula. Christophe HarbourÂs debut residential property offering, Sandy Bank Bay, is set along a horseshoe bay with two reefs and a natural sand bank. Existing as a marine sanctuary, the bay will remain free of boat moorings so that sealife can flourish and panoramic views of the Atlantic are protected. The Marina at Christophe Harbour will be located in what is presently the Great Salt Pond, a 300-acre parcel that serves as the centerpiece of the 2,500-acre Christophe Harbour resort. Whitehouse Bay, located just outside the Great Salt Pond, is a wellprotected yacht anchorage. ÂSt. Kitts is on the yachting Âflight path geographically, so once the marina is up and running, there will be no need to divert to Antigua on the way down from St. Maarten to Barbados,ÂŽ believes Kate Spencer, who has resided in St. Kitts since 1978. Her husband, Philip, is a classic-yacht designer. Some sample cruising distances from other popular destinations are: Antigua, 55 miles; St. Maarten, 65 miles; St. Barths, 55 miles; St. Thomas, 175 miles. The Marina at Christophe Harbour is located at 17° 14 N and 62° 39 W. Upon its completion, the marina will provide spacious berthing capacity and advantages including a protected entrance and safe inner harbour; 300 slips (with 50 to 60 slips accommodating vessels 85 feet to 400 feet); and a designated port-of-entry offering streamlined Customs and Immigration services. For more information visit www.christopheharbour.com
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 10 W E A T H E R O N T H E W E B WEATHER ON THE WEB Cruisers have their favorite websites for researching a number of factors that affect their lives, not least of which is the inescapable weather. Steve Siguaw of S/V Aspen sent this useful list of Selected Caribbean Weather Forecasts for the Eastern Caribbean Â… Internet: € Caribbean Offshore Waters Forecast Â… Wind and Waves for the Eastern Caribbean www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAOFFNT3.shtml € Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion Â… Tropical Waves and ITCZ www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIATWDAT.shtml € Atlantic Graphic Tropical Weather Outlook www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo_atl.shtml € Sailing Weather Forecasts for the Caribbean www.passageweather.com € NOAA Buoy for the Eastern Caribbean www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41040 € Wind and Wave Forecasts throughout the Caribbean www.windguru.cz/ € Volcanic Ash Advisory Â… Montserrat Activity www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC/messages.html € Wind Forecasts from QuikScat for the Caribbean http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/quikscat/ http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/dataimages21/cur/zooms/WMBas20.png € Radar Image of the Eastern Caribbean www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles/pack-public/animation/animMOSAIC2.html Another radar weather site the Compass Crew likes is http://hadar.cira.colostate.edu/ramsdis/online/RMTC_BAR_1km_vis.html AntiguaÂ’s Charter Yacht Show the Best Yetby Lucy TullochÂWhere are all the boats?ÂŽ was the question on everyoneÂs lips in early December. Large numbers of yachts were registered in the 48th Antigua Charter Yacht Show but the docks seemed eerily empty... Until, as happens every year, a steady stream of magnificent yachts appeared at the entrance of Falmouth and English Harbours and made their graceful procession up the channel. It is the oldest boat show in the Caribbean, and you could feel it in the international buzz in the bars and cafés as industry insiders caught up on news and networked over cappuccinos and smoothies. Two-hundred-and-fifty professional charter brokers, 93 exceptional yachts and numerous sponsors and exhibitors came from all over the world. The most exciting thing this year was the number of new launches, and not small yachts either „ 55 were between 90 and 200 feet and eight over 250 feet long. Banners and bunting flew in the Christmas tradewinds from the likes of Camper and Nicholsons, Edmiston, Fraser Yachts, Burgess, NicholsonÂs Yacht Charters and International Yacht Collection. Following a sumptuous opening on December 7th at the Antigua Yacht Club Evening Affair there were daily informative morning seminars with fresh breakfast in the historic Copper & Limber Store in NelsonÂs Dockyard. There was also a glamorous Welcome Dinner Party, there were wine tastings and brunches, there was an evening yacht viewing, there was the more-popular-than-ever ChefÂs Competition held by the pool at the luxurious boutique hotel The Inn at English Harbour. There were crew parties, bands, door prizes and finally the 25th Anniversary FinchamÂs Follies Variety Show for some light evening entertainment. Some large yachts not in the show, anchored off in Falmouth Harbour as berth space was limited this week, led to one of the funniest sights of the week: the enormous Mirabella V (the largest sloop in the world, with a 292-foot mast) at anchor, making the dwarfed J-boat Ranger (LOA 136 feet) putting up her main nearby look quite like a little Dragon! The Boat Show is run by the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, chaired by Paul Deeth and co-board members Anne Marie Martin and Janetta Miller, along with the incredibly dedicated management team of Sarah Sebastian and Afsaneh Franklin. Congratulations to you all. What a good start to the season!
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 11 GUY DEAN SELECTED CARIBBEAN SHORTWAVE WEATHER REPORTSUTC AST STATION & REPORT DESCRIPTION FREQ TYPE MODE 0600 0200 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB 0930 0530 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB 1030 0630 Trinidad Emergency Net 9Z4CP (Eric) 3855 Voice LSB/ham 1030 0630 Carib. Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham 1100 0700 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8137 Voice USB (Note 2) 1100 0700 Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net 7250 Voice LSB/ham (Note 3) 1100 0700 Bahamas Weather Net 4003 Voice LSB/ham 1110 0710 Puerto Rico/VI Weather Net 3930 Voice LSB/ham 1120 0720 C6AGG Carolyn Wardle Weather Net 3696 Voice LSB/ham 1130 0730 KP2G Caribbean Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham (Note 1) 1200 0800 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB 1200 0800 Coconut Telegraph 4060 Voice USB 1230 0830 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8104 Voice USB (Note 2) 1300 0900 Caribbean Sea (WLO) C Voice USB 1330 0930 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 12350 Voice USB (Note 2) 1530 1130 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB 1800 1400 Caribbean Sea (WLO) C Voice USB 1800 1400 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB 2000 1600 Southbound II (Herb) 12359 Voice USB 2030 1630 Carib. Cocktail & Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham 2130 1730 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB 2235 1835 Caribbean Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham 0000 2000 Caribbean Sea (WLO) C Voice USB 0000 2000 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB 0330 2330 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB* Since November 3, 2008 several radiofax charts produced by the National Hurricane Center which are broadcast from New Orleans are based on information from different model run times. A 36-hour wind/wave chart has been added to the New Orleans broadcast. For full details visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/radiofax_transmission_changes.shtmlFrequencies (in kHz): A) NMN, Chesapeake, 4426, 6501, 8764, 13089, 17314. Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later. NMG, New Orleans, 4316, 8502,12788. Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later. B) 4316, 8502, 12788, 17144.5 C) 4369, 8788, 13110, 17362, 22804. Gulf of Mexico, Southwest North Atlantic, then Caribbean Sea Note 1: An in-depth voice report followed by faxes and SSTV, except Sundays. Note 2: Unless severe weather threatens, this net is not conducted on Sundays. When there are active Tropical systems in the Atlantic, Caribbean Weather (Chris) runs a Net at 2300 UTC / 1900 AST, on 8137, Voice, USB. For complete schedule and changes visit www.caribwx.com/ssb.html Note 3: George comes on approximately 0710 with a weather synopsis, then moves to 7086 and at 0730 gives the complete Caribbean forecast including rebroadcasting WEFX. € WWV has World Marine Storm Warnings (Voice) at 8 minutes after each hour, and Solar Flux information at 18 minutes after each hour on 2500, 5000, 10000, 15000, and 20000 AM. € During hurricane activity, information can be found continuously on the Hurricane Watch Net on 14325 USB/ham. € Anyone, licensed or not, may legally operate on HAM frequencies in the event of a life-threatening emergency. SELECTED CRUISERS VHF NETS St. Martin/Maarten 0730 VHF 14 Monday-Saturday English Harbour 0900 VHF 68/06 Daily Grenada 0730 VHF 68 Monday-Saturday Chaguaramas 0800 VHF 68 Monday-Sunday Porlamar 0800 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday Puerto La Cruz 0745 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday Thanks to William Mills of Toucan I , Teri Rothbauer of FREE , Dave Richardson of Overstreet , Bill Campbell of Alcheringa II ,the Pompas of Second Millennium, Steve Siguaw of Aspen and Nick Wardle of The Bahamas for information, which was correct to the best of our knowledge as this issue of Compass went to press.
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 12 CharterYourWaytothefinestsailingintheCaribbean.The32islandsandcaysofSt.VincentandtheGrenadines ST.VINCENT,YOUNGISLAND,BEQUIA,MUSTIQUE,CANOUAN,MAYREAU,TOBAGOCAYS,UNIONISLAND,PALMISLANDANDPETITST.VINCENTVisitwww.discoversvg.com,call1-784-456-6222oremailsvgta@discoversvg.com SailtheunspoiledhabitatofSt.VincentandtheGrenadines. EnjoypristinesceneryintheCaribbeanwithtropical landscapes,aspectacularvolcanoandgreathotels. Returnhome,determinedtocomebackagainandagain... Photo:www.insandoutsofsvg.comTHE CURRENT YACHT SECURITY SITUATION by Melodye Pompa Because I have served as Net Controller of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net for more than 12 years, the editor of the Caribbean Compass asked me to address the current situation regarding crimes against yachts in the Eastern Caribbean. As we enter another sailing season, the purpose is to give the new Class of 2010 some tips and to remind the old timers of any significant changes of which we all should be aware. These comments are based on the reports that have come in to the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (all are posted on www.safetyandsecuritynet.com), various e-mails from many individuals, and my personal observations. In no way should anyone take this to be a scientific study: the only way we can derive useful statistics from this data is to have what I call yacht-days (how many yachts each day per island). At this time, there is no other database of incident reports, despite the promises of the OECS Secretariat three years ago to create such a thing. What the data does tell us though, like the canary in the mine, is that serious crime against yachts is on the increase, as a percentage of total crime reported. While the total number of reports has decreased almost annually in the past five years, along with the so-called petty crimes, the violent crimes, involving weapons and physical assault, have increased dramatically as a percentage of the total reports. I attribute the decrease in total reports to a number of factors: € Yachtspeople in the Eastern Caribbean are, for the most part, more attuned to the potential of crime. Cruisers are taking measures to insure their own safety: locking the yacht and locking the dinghy, using bars in hatches and companionways in potentially dangerous anchorages, curtailing their night-time activities away from the yacht. € Because of considerable print publicity over the past three years (e.g. in Soundings , Cruising World , Yachting World , Yachting Monthly , the Los Angeles Times and all those newspapers who picked up that story, and the Compass), more people are now aware of the issues, especially charter guests, who previously were, at best, naïve. Some of that publicity has exaggerated and sensationalized the number of incidents, but intelligent sailors take that as part of the decision of where to sail. Most reports to the Security Net come by e-mail from a wide variety of yachtsmen: Americans, Canadians, British, Dutch, German, French, Swiss, Italian, Venezuelan, Austrian, and local folks here in the islands. € Based on observations throughout the Eastern Caribbean, yachting tourism was down by some 30 to 40 percent in the 2008-9 season over the previous season. € More and more cruisers are just not reporting what they think of as petty crimes (e.g. thefts of dinghies and outboards); they believe itÂs not worth the effort and there is little chance of their property being recovered, and they donÂt want to damage the reputation of their favorite anchorage. The obvious point here is that we must take steps to protect ourselves because the law enforcement authorities are hard-pressed to contain the increase in crime against their own citizens, and they are stretched too thin to put much effort into solving crimes against yachts. Unfortunately, the attitude of many police officers is that their efforts are wasted because the yacht victims leave the island and are not available for any trials, if the perpetrators are arrested. While this may be true if the victims are charter guests, it is not true for cruisers, who may be very willing to rearrange their plans to attend such trials to give testimony. The other two responses heard all too often are that the yachting victim brings it on himself because of his dealings with and use of drugs, and that most reports of crimes against yachts are attempts to defraud their insurance companies. The drug scenario is more apt to be on the perpetratorÂs side: the attempt to get easy cash to support his drug habit. The spin doctors in Antigua were quick to point the finger at drug practices among the megayachts to explain the death of an Australian megayacht captain last year, when, in fact, he was shot while chasing a purse snatcher during a walk back to his villa following dinner. The victim could just as easily have been a Swiss banker or a British construction worker „ the incident had little to do with yachting. The insurance fraud response, on the other hand, is just too bizarre for comment! On the positive side, police in Dominica, Carriacou and Grenada did arrest perpetrators in several crimes on those islands, and the defendants are serving time in jail. The flip side is that the St. Vincent authorities have still not convicted anyone responsible for the string of assaults and robberies taking place in Chateaubelair over the past four years, and the yachting community is unaware of even any arrests having been made in connection with those crimes. In most cases, police and coast guard officials are prompt and courteous in taking reports but that is as far as it goes. Four incidents closed of 63 reported is a closure rate of only six percent „ not very good. The various marine trades associations, while talking about security issues on their websites and in their brochures, seem concerned with yachting security only as a function of their revenue stream, not for altruistic motives having to do with the yachts themselves. MIASL in St. Lucia was instrumental several years ago in obtaining and staffing a patrol boat for the Rodney Bay area; that boat is no longer in service. „Continued on next page First the numbers: 20052006200720082009 ytd* total reports121119779165 thefts & burglaries10599566043 assaults & robberies1620213120 % of total Â… serious crime13.2%16.8%27.3%34.1%31.7% * year to date through December 14
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 13 „ Continued from previous page Their HELP billboard provides a phone number and a VHF channel for yachts to call for help: the phone number does not work from a Digicel cell phone (we tried it ourselves when we needed help) and no law enforcement agency responds to the VHF call. Dominica, via PAYS (Portsmouth Area Yacht Security), provides a patrol boat for the north end of Prince Rupert Bay, if you donÂt mind the loud music two nights a week and can find room to anchor among all the moorings (which are in the good anchoring spots, rather than in grass or rock). Unfortunately, this patrol boat, as well as the late St. Lucia boat and any others which are implemented, is easy to avoid: the bad guys just hide in the shadows until the patrol passes and then go on with their nefarious business. Only if the patrol boat is equipped with communications gear and can respond quickly to calls for help can those potential incidents be short-circuited. The Dominica Marine Association, as all the others, is interested in preserving the reputation of Dominica, and asked me last spring to delete all the old crime reports from the Security Net website because Âthey are giving Dominica a bad nameÂŽ. This past summer, following the two boarding/assaults in Prince Rupert Bay, I was asked to change the descriptions to minimize the injuries to one person and downplay the use of the gun; concurrently, their press release describing the trial of two of the perpetrators exaggerated the sentences given. YSATT, in response to an alleged list of six incidents within a year on the rhumb line between Trinidad and the Hibiscus gas drilling platform, rather than pointing out that four of the six were NOT on the rhumb line and one of the six was earlier than the year in question, called a meeting with the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard and other individuals, asking for protection from the rash of incidents listed. Marinas and boatyards are not exempt from incidents of theft and burglary, despite the promises of the management of these facilities. There are several reports every year from so-called secure facilities, so lock the boat when you walk away, even to the showers. In fact, there have been reports of outboards locked to the stern rail taken by thieves, as well as break-ins to locked boats in slips, so locking up is no guarantee. It is fairly easy for a sneaky quiet thief to approach a marina slip from the water. Neither the marine trades associations nor the law enforcement agencies have been able to curtail the watercraft speeding through various anchorages, such watercraft including jet skis, party boats , local fishing and speed boats, water taxis, and resort launches. The Security Net is receiving an increasing number of reports each year having to do with damage to yachts and dinghies, as well as severe injuries to people and even several deaths. Yachtsmen should be very aware of conditions where they anchor and not take unnecessary risks, which include standing up in the dinghy, no matter how cool it looks, swimming too far from the yacht, and kayaking and snorkeling except very close to shore out of the traffic lanes. Lastly, prior to visiting an anchorage, yachts should check the Security Net website www.safetyandsecuritynet.com for the latest information. In many anchorages, the crimes are consistently of a type: for example, in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, it is nearly always theft of an outboard, with the dinghy left to drift away, tucked away on a remote beach, or deflated and sunk. Anyone who does not lock their dinghy to the yacht, a dock or a tree on shore while in Tyrrel Bay is setting themselves up to be a target, and that includes the fishermen and the water taxis. These outboards are said to be headed to the St. Vincent Grenadines, where the change in police jurisdiction prevents follow-up. On the other hand, those few incidents in Dominica are boardings to steal articles that can easily be sold: cameras, computers, watches, cell phones, but never outboards. Be wary of believing every blog you read on the Internet. The downside of having such an extensive information tool is that everyone and his brother can post, claiming to have the final word on the facts. Without specific information, various press media have published wild speculations about the dangers of cruising, including in their dire warnings incidents that occurred ten or 20 years ago. There are now MORE rumors among the cruising community about crime than prior to the birth of the Security Net „ change is not always progress! The websitewww.safetyandsecuritynet.com includes a long list of safety tips accumulated throughout the nearly 14 years of the NetÂs existence. It is not difficult to take the necessary steps to avoid becoming the victim of a crime against yachts. There are, of course, no guarantees, but there are no guarantees in the life we choose to lead. There are, however, smart practices which can prevent petty to serious problems. Like brushing your teeth in the morning becomes a habit, so too should LOCK IT OR LOSE IT! MACÂS PIZZERIA SINGLE TICKET EC$60(Fri or Sat, EC$70 at the door) 2-NIGHT TICKET EC$99 (Friday & Saturday, De Reef, Lower Bay)SUNDAY TICKET EC$20(De Reef, EC$25 door)Tickets available at: Bequia Tourism Office Phone: (784) 458 3286 Quik-Print, St. Vincent Phone: (784) 456 2217 7TH BEQ UIA MUSIC FEST Publishing Ltd. ADMIRALTY TRANSPORT LÂAUBERGE DES GRENADINES KINGSVILLE GINGERBREAD HOTELKEEGANÂS BEACH RESORT OUTHOUSE GRAPHICS INC For more info on events see our last-minute flyer!Phone: (784) 458 3286 musicfest@begos.com www.bequiatourism.com/bequiamusicfest DE REEFBequiaThe Bequia Tourism Association presents: January 28 January 31, 2010 BasilÂs BarMustique JULIE'S GUESTHOUSE Thurs 28th January Frangipani Hotel from 8.30PM (admission free) From St. Vincent: STEEL PAN CELEBRATION world-famous 13-piece ELITE Steel Pan Orchestra Fri 29th January De Reef, Lower Bay at 8.00PM: Blues Night with artistes from the MUSTIQUE BLUES FESTIVAL DANA GILLESPIE AND THE LONDON BLUES BAND Saturday 30th January Bequia Beach Hotel, from 1PM AFTERNOON BEACH JAM (admission free) De Reef, Lower Bay at 8.00PM: Barbados hottest new band NEXCYX! TOBY ARMSTRONG € MOUNT GAY BLUES BAND PAPA WINNIE € TRN BAND & GUESTS AMANDA GOODING, KYRON BAPTISTE Sun 31st January De Reef, Lower Bay from 1PM: Caribbean Blues, Blues, Rock & Jazz Jam From Bequia: TRADITIONAL STRINGBAND € COUNTRY RELATIVES Country & Western From Barbados : MOUNT GAY SURPRISE PARTY CLASH OF THE BANDS! CROSS COUNTRY RADIO THE SALTY DOG Bequia Technology Center BEQUIA EXPRESS An invaluable itinerary-planning resource for sailors in the Caribbean is the Security NetÂs regularly updated website, www.safetyandsecuritynet.com
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 14 Chain & Rope Anchors & Fenders Electric Wire Marine Hoses Bilge Pumps Lubricants & Oils Stainless Fasteners Stainless Fittings VHF Radios Flares & Life Jackets Snorkeling Equipment Fishing Gear Antifouling Paint Paint Brushes Epoxy Resins Sanding Paper & Discs Hand & Power Tools Houseware & CookwareFOR YOUR MARINE HARDWARE, AND MORE Johnson Hardware Ltd. Rodney Bay, St. Lucia Tel: (758) 452 0299 Fax: (758) 452 0311 e-mail: hardware@candw.lc ÂWhen we said we were joining the ARC, people asked the strangest questions about what we were going to do with the kids „ as if maybe we would leave them in the backyard with a big bowl of food!ÂŽ The Dutch yacht Elena is stern to the dock at Rodney Bay Marina and Adam Kok laughs as his sons Mees, age three, and Pieter, one-and-a-half, clamber around the cockpit. The aluminum-hulled Veliger 477, with a crew also including the boys mother, Leonie, and adult crewmembers Rosa and Martin, had arrived in St. Lucia a few hours before, as part of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2009. ÂItÂs special being with the children for such a long time in a small space,ÂŽ says Leonie. Adam adds, ÂWe never considered not taking them.ÂŽ Every year as the cruising season in Europe ends, hundreds of yachts voyage to the Caribbean. The ARC began 24 years ago as an Atlantic crossing-in-company for liveaboard cruisers, with enjoyment and safety „ rather than speed „ as its main considerations. Speed soon entered the picture, with IRC Racing Divisions racing under the auspices of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, but the ARCÂs original amateur spirit of friendly fun remains strong. ARC2009 departed Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on November 22nd, 2009, and the bulk of the 212boat fleet arrived at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia during the week of December 7th. Originated by cruising yachtsman Jimmy Cornell, the ARC is now organized by World Cruising Club. ARC2009 was sponsored by the Tourist Board of Gran Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the St. Lucia Tourist Board and Rolnautic, and is run in association with Yachting World magazine. The Open and Racing Divisions competitions are, of course, exciting. In this edition of the ARC, after a course distance of 2,700 nautical miles and almost 12 days at sea, only 16 minutes and five seconds separated the first two yachts to cross the finish line: the Volvo 60 Big One and the Wally 80 Bagheera . But while the racing divisions are popular and attention grabbing, the ARC is still emphatically the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. And while cruising boats themselves continue to evolve into something more akin to their racing counterparts, one undeniable trait that declares Âcruiser!ÂŽ is the presence of small children in the crew. As is typical for the ARC, and unlike most ocean races, about ten percent of 2009Âs fleet were ÂfamilyÂŽ boats. They carried a total of 34 children. The ARC organizers have made a consistent effort for the event to be family friendly. After arrival in Rodney Bay, the St. Lucia Yacht Club hosts an annual Kids Day where the ARC youngsters and the SLYC junior members enjoy fun and games together on the beach and in the water. In the marina at Las Palmas before the start, there was a dedicated family pontoon (ÂThe kids went feral,ÂŽ one parent noted) and there was a childrenÂs club each morning, supervised by ARC staff. For young Australian sailor Jesse Dransfield of the Bavaria 46 Nika , a highlight was celebrating his ninth birthday in Las Palmas three days before the ARC start; all the other ARC kids came and sang the equivalent of ÂHappy BirthdayÂŽ in their own languages. Jesse then crossed the Atlantic with his parents, Helen and John, his grandfather Peter, his Uncle Dean, and his siblings Zoë, age 6, and Tyler, 4. Helen remarks, ÂIt happened suddenly „ thanks to various circumstances we had the opportunity for a year off. John and I grew up sailing dinghies. We had chartered in Croatia, and recently Peter chartered this exact boat and found out it was for sale. „Continued on next page ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS 2009 I T  S ( S T I L L ) A ITÂS (STILL) A F A M I L Y A F F A I R ! FAMILY AFFAIR! Main photo: Like each new ARC arrival, within moments of completing their transatlantic passage, the Bjonness family from Norway on the X-452 Odin is welcomed by St. Lucia Tourist Board and World Cruising staff Inset: Rodney Bay Marina rolled out the red carpet on its new docks for the crews from 32 nations who sailed in ARC2009 After a couple of weeks at sea, Zoë, Jesse and Tyler from the Australian yacht Nika were thrilled to meet Rodney BayÂs famous Fruit Man by Sally Erdle ALL PHOTOS: SALLY ERDLE
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 15 „ Continued from previous page ÂI was encouraged when I started reading blogs of boats with children aboard. The stars aligned: we bought the boat, packed up the house, took the kids out of schoolƒ and here we are!ÂŽ The family will sail Nika back home to Australia. The previously mentioned Kok family is on a planned three-year circumnavigation. The toddlers already had sailing experience back home and when the adults are busy working ship, Âthey are different boys,ÂŽ Adam says; they seem to instinctively know to stay out of the way. A day and a half into the Atlantic crossing, they got over being seasick. Leonie says, ÂThey had no problem sleeping, and it was amazing how they developed their sea legs.ÂŽ Adam says, ÂPieter could walk around onboard when the boat was heeled at 30 degrees, but after we arrived he had to relearn how to walk on the dock.ÂŽ One of ElenaÂs cabins is a playroom, and there are a beanbag and an inflatable wading pool for the cockpit, to which the children are restricted when not belowdecks. Underway, Rosa organized activities with them such as baking. Adam says, ÂThey basically do the same things as at home: play, fight, enjoy life. The scariest moments have been on land, never on the boat. Rules on the boat are really strict.ÂŽ Leonie stowed lots of goodies provided by the boys grandparents, and doled them out every couple of days to keep the fun factor high. They also enjoyed fishing and saw two whales. On December 5th, the family celebrated the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas; the kids set out their shoes in the evening, hoping that in the morning they would contain gifts. To their delight, Sinterklaas (Martin in costume) actually appeared in the companionway. Sinterklaas is believed to visit Holland by steamboat, from Spain, and five minutes after he Âcame aboardÂŽ the boys spotted their first freighter „ which Mees promptly identified as SinterklaasÂs boat! ElenaÂs ARC crewmembers Rosa and Martin departed the boat in St. Lucia and the Koks will continue westward. Leonie says that other families wondering about bluewater sailing with kids Âshould do it. The time together as a family is so important; the children have their parents around all the time. And for us an important part of the ARC was to meet other boats with kids.ÂŽ Another notable family participating in ARC2009 was aboard the Beneteau 57 Les Papillons „ the crew consisted of males from three generations of an English family. Steve Bennett, 42, was skipper, cook and navigator, and his crew comprised his father, Arthur; his father-in-law, Keith; his sisterÂs husband, Shane; and his sons Matt, 17, and Jack, 8. Jack was a pier-head jumper. When his mother brought him to Las Palmas to say good-bye, he asked if he could go along, Âto take time off school and prove to myself that I could do without TV. Now it seems strange how I lived.ÂŽ Jack says he wants to continue sailing. Although sailing in Cruising Division, Les Papillons crew was competitive. To stay in the best winds they sailed 3,352 miles Â… 500 miles more than a similar boat that came in behind them „ and went for boat speed, sailing more than 1,000 miles total under spinnaker. ÂThe boat really looked after us,ÂŽ Steve said. Why this boat? ÂThe value for money was fantastic. I looked at five or six other boats over 50 feet. The little things that go wrong you can live with, but it behaves like an adult.ÂŽ Most problems were the result of chafe: the main halyard snapped and ÂlotsÂŽ of sheets broke. Steve says, ÂThe key was itÂs all family, although very few of us had sailed together before. It was fun; it was very relaxedƒŽ Jack interjects, ÂExcept forƒ what do you call them? Squalls.ÂŽ Matt grins at his bother and says, ÂSailing across the Atlantic is a big achievement. ItÂs definitely life changing. You see that real things matter.ÂŽ Arthur agrees: ÂSailing moves young folks away from bad things in life and toward natural, good things.ÂŽ ÂIn busy lives back in the UK we donÂt have enough time,ÂŽ Steve observes. ÂWeÂve all just had two solid weeks together. If you can do the ARC, do it. But not just the ARC, any sailing adventure. There are highs and lows in crossing an ocean, but youÂll never meet anybody who regrets it.ÂŽ Keith adds, ÂThe ARC provides real companionship, a real brotherhood, almost like a family. There are so many nationalities, people with so many different levels of experience, but you find at the end of the day weÂre all the same.ÂŽ As Keith noted, not all of the fellow feeling saturating the ARC has to do with children. Jan Sigtsema, crew on the Jongert 2700M Ithaka , grew up in Curaçao from age two to 16, Âso coming to the Caribbean is like coming home.ÂŽ After returning to Europe for the holidays, heÂll rejoin the boat to do the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Anders Lagerberg, who has owned boats since 1959 and sees the ARC as Âa little bit organized and a lot of fun!ÂŽ says one of the main reasons he joined was the opportunity to meet fellow sailors. Anders, sailing Victory II , a Swedish-built Farr 56, intends to spend the season cruising the islands with various friends aboard, haul out in Grenada for the summer, then transit the Panama Canal the following January. A decade ago, Anders helped a friend deliver a boat from Trinidad to Guadeloupe; since then he has chartered with The Moorings and Sunsail out of Grenada and St. Maarten: ÂThis is a bit of paradise.ÂŽ Anders says he asked his wife, Annette, to circumnavigate 30 years ago, and when the dream began to come true it was her idea to join the ARC. ÂDonÂt hesitate! A big part is the people you meet.ÂŽ Of the ARC2009Âs camaraderie, World CruisingÂs Andrew Bishop says, ÂIt was a good bunch of participants this year in the sense that they gelled very well. There was a very good atmosphere in the two-week build-up to the start. And then there were steady winds for the majority of the crossing, and breakages were generally small and the sort of thing youÂd expect on a long passage, like chafing, so most people were happy.ÂŽ The warm welcome in St. Lucia „ with rum punch and fresh fruit presented to each arriving boat, accompanied by a steel-pan serenade „ followed by yet more parties, added to the good vibes. Everybody likes a fast passage, and for ARC2009 on December 9th, there were 130 boats in for the Âearly arrivalsÂŽ Welcome Party, compared to last yearÂs 29. ÂWeÂre looking forward to the 25th edition next year, which will be our 21st in St Lucia,ÂŽ says Andrew. ÂFor the last ten years, weÂve had more than 200 boats per year „ quite a remarkable achievement. Because itÂs an international event, it continues to grow internationally. Although there has been a drop in entries from the UK, others have filled the fleet. There is a continued trend in growth from entries from former Eastern Bloc countries such as Croatia, Russia and Poland.ÂŽ At the gala Awards Ceremony on December 19th, Overall Winner of the Cruising Division, the crew of Amoress 2 from Sweden was presented with the Jimmy Cornell Trophy, as well as the Gran Canaria Trophy for winning Class E. Nightlife , the Sigma 41 skippered by Tom Sperry, won the RORC Racing Division. The Arch Marez Trophy for the crew that had best embraced the shoreside activities of ARC2009 went to the all-female Girls for Sail crew on Diamonds are Forever . The younger ARC crews were recognized, too. Best Family Performance on corrected time went to the Chapdelaine family from France on MiniMaxi . Lani Waldbrenner aboard Linocat , from Germany, was next on stage as the youngest participant „ at just 18 months. Many of the ARC boats submitted blogs to the ARC website during the crossing, and a prize was awarded to the Stellamans family of Belgium on the Beneteau Oceanis 46 A Small Nest for a hilarious log submitted as through the eyes of Ed the Iguana; for the past ten years Ed the plastic toy iguana has sailed the ARC aboard a boat with children in the crew. Underscoring the tradition of the importance of the family boats in the ARC, every child in ARC2009 was invited on stage to receive a prize. For full results visit www.worldcruising.com/arc/results.aspx WorldARC, a circumnavigation in company, departs St. Lucia on January 6th. Crossing the Atlantic from west to east at the end of the Caribbean season, ARC Europe starts from both Tortola (BVI) and from Florida, calling at Bermuda and then cruising the Azores, before finishing in Portugal and northern Europe. The start date is May 6th. The transatlantic ARC2010 will depart on November 21st. Thanks to the St. Lucia Tourist Board, Palm Haven Hotel, IGY Rodney Bay Marina and the World Cruising Club staff in St. Lucia for making CompassÂs research trip to St. Lucia so enjoyable. And special thanks to all the interviewed ARC crews for their warm hospitality. AsKeithnotednotallofthefellowfeelingsatura ting Above: Boat buddies. The Dutch Kok family „ Leonie, Pieter, Adam and Mees „ are visited aboard Elena by Sepke, Ward and Flor Stellamans of A Small Nest from Belgium Below: Keith, Jack, Matt, Steve and Arthur on Les Papillons , celebrating a happy crossing: Âthe key was itÂs all familyÂ
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 16 REGATTA NEWS Bojangles IV Takes Top Honors in 20th Caribbean 1500 A week of strong northeast winds in early November 2009 propelled the 54 sailboats in the 20th Anniversary Caribbean 1500 fleet from Hampton, Virginia to Tortola, BVI. The boats hugged the rhumb line and sailed on a single port tack for the entire passage. Bojangles IV , a Gulfstar 50 ketch owned by the Kilgour family from Toronto, Canada, took Overall Handicap Honors. First to finish was Crazy Horse , a Sundeer 60 owned by Bill and Rosemary Thomas of Middletown, Maryland, who completed the passage in six days, nine hours and 15 minutes. The Caribbean 1500 Rally, managed by the Cruising Rally Association, left Hampton on November 2nd after a week of preparatory briefings, safety inspections, and gala social events, and arrived at the Nanny Cay Resort & Marina six to ten days later with many veteran skippers recording Âpersonal bestÂŽ passage times. Colin and Kathleen Kilgour on Bojangles IV with Mitchell (age 11) and twins Gillian and Clare (age 9) were one of eight boats with children that participated in this yearÂs rally. The 2009 Caribbean 1500 fleet included participants from 23 US states, three Canadian provinces, Germany, the UK, and New Zealand. More than 40 percent of the boats were owned by veteran Ralliers. The boats averaged 47.5 feet in length. Four multihulls and a schooner joined the fleet of monohull sloops and ketches in this yearÂs fleet. The fleet sailed in two divisions: the Cruising Class, a way to enjoy a cruise in company, or the Rally Class to participate in the fun race. All received the same safety, weather and communication benefits. All Cruising Class boats were presented awards in Tortola that recognized their achievement of safely completing an open ocean passage of 1,500 miles. The Rally Fleet was divided into four handicap classes. In the Rally Class I, Clover III , a Swan 56, skippered by David Fraizer, led the pack. In Rally Class II, Special Delivery , a Taswell 58 owned by veterans Bill and Diana Quinlan, placed first. Charlie and Jenny McNamara, on their Catalina 470, Lady , topped Rally Class III. Overall Handicap Winner Bojangles IV led Rally Class IV, followed by Amarone , a Stevens 50 owned by Lenny Statile, and Brian and Kim DuffÂs One World, the sole schooner in the fleet. Stolen Hour received the eventÂs Tempest Award, emblematic of the ÂSpirit of the Caribbean 1500.ÂŽ Skipper Peter VanAlstine sailed in the 1990 Caribbean 1500 with his father, Peter Sr., as skipper. This year, the two VanAlstines sailed with roles reversed. Peter and his wife, Christine, will cruise the Caribbean this winter with their children Hannah and Hayden. The award for Best Performance by a Double-Handed Crew went to Christoph and Dagmar Hartung from Weinheim, Germany on Flomaida II . The Brouse family (Kirk and Elizabeth, with 11-year-old twins Wesley and Clare) on Discovery , a Bowman 57, earned the eventÂs Fishing Trophy, using hand-made lures loaned to them by kids who participated in the Caribbean 1500 in 1999. More than 15,000 website visitors from 59 countries monitored the progress of the boats in the rally. With wireless transponders on each yacht, positions were broadcast via satellite six times each day. All Ralliers received cold champagne and a warm welcome at Nanny Cay Resort and Marina in Tortola, where the BVI Tourist Board and Road Town Wholesale hosted nightly parties. The Cruising Rally Association, founded by veteran solo sailor and sailing event organizer Steve Black, is widely supported by a number of leading companies, including Davenport & Company, Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, LLC, West Marine, Blue Water Sailing Magazine , Switlik, OCENS, ICOM, and World Cruising Club. For more information visit www.carib1500.com Trinis Dominate St. LuciaÂs BMW J/24 Championship Michael Green reports: St. Lucia Yacht Club hosted the third BMW J/24 Invitational Championship from November 6th through 8th, 2009 in Rodney Bay. With teams from Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and St. Lucia, six teams sailed 18 races over the weekend. Hosted in the The Landings private marina with teams staying in luxury apartments and two beautiful BMWs on show, this regatta was a five-star event. Friday nightÂs briefing and cocktail party was held at The Landings marina with the six Js tied alongside. Racing started Saturday morning just offshore „ great viewing for those on the beach or aboard Endless SummerÂs large cat. Courses were 20-minute windward-leewards. After lunch the sailors sailed six more races, with clear skies and ten knots of breeze. Results were close among the top five, with only three points separating Stephen BusheÂs Trinidad & Tobago team, Barbados, the two St. Lucian teams and Grenada. Sunday dawned with more perfect sailing breezes. Team Trinidad & Tobago sailed clear of the field to clinch victories in five of the six races; adding a second place saw T&T finish with 21 points overall. Robbie YearwoodÂs Grenada team fought off the St. Lucia teams, finishing second with 35 points, and Nick FosbergÂs St. Lucia team was three points back in third place overall. Trinidad & Tobago teams have now won the last two clashes in the J/24 class, achieving first and third places in the Barbados Nationals and now a first overall in St. Lucia, showing great promise for the upcoming 2010 CAC Games in Puerto Rico. Thanks go to the main sponsor, BMW Prestige Motors, along with The Landings, St. Lucia Distillers and Peter & Company for prizes, and to the committee boat, II Restless . All money raised by this event goes to the St. Lucia Yacht ClubÂs youth sailing program. Thanks also to the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association for information in this report. For more information visit http://stluciayachtclub.com Bobby Velasquez Overall Winner in 5th Golden Rock Regatta The Fifth Annual Golden Rock Regatta, held November 11th through 17th, included races from St. Maarten to Anguilla, Anguilla to St. Martin, St. Martin to Statia, and Statia to St. Maarten. In his first appearance in the event, Sir Robert ÂBobbyÂŽ Velasquez, representing the St. Maarten Yacht Club and racing his Beneteau 45 F5, LÂesperance, was awarded the GovernorÂs Trophy by Statia Governor Hyden Gittens. Compass correspondent Stéphane Legendre was there, and weÂll have a full report in next monthÂs issue! Team Tulloch Thrills at US WomenÂs Match Championship Carol Bareuther reports: The US Sailing WomenÂs Match Racing Championship (USWMRC) was held in St. Thomas, USVI this year, hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht Club and sailed November 12th through 15th in Cowpet Bay. It is the first time the national event was held outside the 50 states. Light winds worked to the benefit of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) member Genny Tulloch (of San Francisco, California) on the final day. Tulloch was joined by crew Chafee Emory (of Newport, Rhode Island), Elizabeth Hall (Chevy Chase, Maryland) and Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami Beach, Florida). Tulloch upset fellow USSTAG teammate, Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Florida), and her crew of Molly OÂBryan Vandemoer (Redwood City, California), Liz Bower (Rochester, New York), and Alice Manard (Charleston, South Carolina) in the finals. Manard and Vandemoer are both members of USSTAG. Team Tunnicliffe had dominated the first three days of the championship, losing just one match. Shifty conditions and a breeze barely reaching six knots set the scene for the final two matches of the semifinals and for the four match finals. In the semifinals, Tunnicliffe defeated Annie Gardner-Nelson (San Diego, California) in three matches. Tulloch bested USSTAG member, Katie Pilley-Lovell (New Orleans, Louisinana), in three matches to force a TunnicliffeTulloch face off in the finals. Team Tunnicliffe had gone 3-0 against Team Tulloch in their first three round robin matches. „Continued on next page Bojangles: ÂHe could jump so high, jump so high, and then heÂd lightly touch downƒ Regional J/24 teams raced off The Landings in St. Lucia Tel: 809 523 5858 Visit: marinazarpar.com Contact MARINA ZARPAR VHF Channel 5 email: info@marinazarpar.com € High Quality Sheltered Moorings € Slips to 120 with depth 10 € Shore power 30, 50 and 100 amps € All slips with fingers € Showers, Laundry, Restaurant, 24 hour security € Immigration office in the marina for clearance € Free WIFI and Free Internet € Dinghy Dock € 12 miles East of Santo Domingo and 7 miles East of International Airport Marina Zar-Par The Dominican Republic's newest marina catering to the needs of cruising yachtsmen 18.25.50N 69.36.67W Ma Ma Za FREE Dominican Republic Cruising Guide at: www.dominicanrepubliccruisingguide.com
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 17 „ Continued from previous page In the finals, Tulloch won the first and third match. Tunnicliffe won the second match, leaving her no choice but to win the fourth match in order to stay in the game. They were only three boat lengths from the finish and both teams were on a beam reach for the finish. The two teams both jibed, and Tulloch came out of the gybe with better boat speed and held it straight to the finish line. ÂWe had a good time and a lot of fun,ÂŽ says Tulloch. ÂWeÂre about 30 pounds lighter than AnnaÂs team and I think that helped us in the light winds today.ÂŽ The win for Tulloch is especially sweet after losing to Tunnicliffe in the finals of last yearÂs USWMRC. ÂIt feels great to win this championship,ÂŽ Tulloch says. ÂWe enjoy racing in St. Thomas. The conditions are great.ÂŽ ÂThis is the first time the USWMRC has been sailed outside of the US,ÂŽ says regatta director, Ruth Miller, Âand weÂre excited to have hosted this event and this level of sailors.ÂŽ The 4th annual St. Thomas Radiology WomenÂs Regatta and Tennis Tournament was held concurrently with the USWMRC. St. Thomas Nikki Barnes and St. JohnÂs Agustina Barbuto won the regatta portion of the event with a flawless string of first place finishes over eight races. ÂAfter every race we went over what we did wrong, figured out how to do it right and put this into practice for the next race,ÂŽ says Barnes, a 10th grade student at Antilles School. ÂEven though we won each race, we were always on the move and forming new strategies to account for the ever changing conditions.ÂŽ St. CroixÂs Sydney Jones and Krista Siino finished in second place, while fellow Crucian sailors, Challis Diaz and Genevieve ÂGennaÂŽ Keller finished third. Twentyeight sailors competed in the regatta. The 2009 US WomenÂs Match Racing Championship is sponsored locally by St. Thomas Radiology Associates, which also sponsored the 4th Annual St. Thomas Radiology WomenÂs Regatta & Tennis Tournament, and by Rolex Watch USA, Dry Creek Vineyard, Predict Wind and Sail Proud. At Last: Triple Jack Wins Round Tortola Race After copping numerous line honours in the Round Tortola Race since her arrival in the BVI in 1997, Triple Jack finally claimed overall victory on the 40th anniversary of the Peg Legs Round Tortola Race held November 21st, 2009. In conditions seemingly made for this trimaran, she circumnavigated Tortola in three hours, 33 minutes and 27 seconds, beating closest rival Jurakan , a Melges 32, by 42 minutes across the line. With the wind blowing from the south-southeast (unheard of in the eventÂs 40-year history, according to race veteran Peter Haycraft) the fleet was predominantly able to sail directly to Beef Island and, once on the north side, reach directly to SoperÂs Hole. Once there, however, fickle winds played havoc with some competitors finish times but not Triple JackÂs „ she Ârattled throughÂŽ in three painless tacks. Because of the light winds and wind direction, the Nanny Cay-sponsored Triple Jack , a Kelsal 47, was able to carry full main, spinnaker and half-furled genoa almost the entire length of her northern run along Tortola, allowing her to put time between her and the rest of the fleet. Peter HaycraftÂs Pipe Dream was second in Racing Class, 14 minutes behind Triple Jack on corrected time. Last yearÂs winner, Dave WestÂs Jurakan, missed second place by one second. Guy EldridgeÂs Luxury Girl lost a whopping 22 minutes after missing her recall for being over early; itÂs never a good sign when you have to use a spinnaker to get back to the line to restart. Tom Mullen on Shamrock V won Cruising Class, with Adrian SintonÂs Rascal second and Robin TattersallÂs Diva third. A raucous prizegiving was held at Peg Legs Restaurant with Dick Schoonover as MC. Peg Legs Restaurant and Nanny Cay Marina sponsored the event. TTSAÂs Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking Race Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association in Chaguaramas, Trinidad saw exciting dinghy racing on November 21st at the Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking Race. The Optimist Dinghy Class competed in four afternoon races in good winds and choppy seas. Abigail Affoo showed good speed downwind to take the first race with this termÂs ranking leader, Myles Kaufmann, coming a close second. Three competitors succumbed to the conditions and did not finish the race. Race Two saw some close battles as the sailors became accustomed to the chop; Derek Poon Tip took the honours with Myles Kaufmann again in second place. In Race Three, Kaufmann took first with Kellyann Arrindell second. The fourth and final race proved an exciting contest between Helena Coombs and Derek Poon Tip. Coombs led the race up until the final mark, but Poon Tip managed to catch up and take the honours over the finish line. A gutsy performance in the Optimist Beginner Class by Geovannie Peters, of the sailing programme in the town of Vessigny, saw him win all four races. VessignyÂs Caribbean Champions in the 420 Class, Daniel Briggs and Dekife Charles, won all four races without contest. Wesley Scott took the honours from Mark Peters in the Laser Radial class and Andrew Affoo came home uncontested in the Laser Standard class. On the following day, the first safety-boat operator course in a series started, under the new National Sailing Scheme training programme. Twelve potential dinghy instructors (eight from Chaguaramas and four from Vessigny) learned rescue techniques for sailing dinghies, using the sailing school safety boat fleet. Steve Jackson and Sebastian Godsmark, experienced sailing instructors from the UK, will be assisting with training and coaching local students for two months. The TTSA Sailing School Administrator thanked the Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago (SPORTT) for help with funding and continuing support of efforts to gain international success through the new National Sailing Scheme. For more information contact Hedge Shuter at (868) 634-1216 or youthsailingschool@yahoo.com „Continued on next page A new National Sailing Scheme supports training for the T&T sailors of tomorrow Run concurrently with the US WomenÂs Match Championships in St. Thomas was the Radiology WomenÂs Regatta, in which young local sailors Agustina Barbuto and Nikki Barnes, above, trounced the competitionDEAN BARNES
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 18 „ Continued from previous page 48 Turn Out for ARC Flotilla 2009 Danielle DeRouck reports: The fourth annual ARC Flotilla sailed off from Castries Harbour, St. Lucia on November 22nd, bound for Rodney Bay Marina. The Brig Unicorn joined the fleet and fired the cannons to start the event. The Flotilla is held on the day the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) starts in the Canary Islands, bound for St. Lucia, and is designed to raise the eventÂs profile locally. A total of 46 powerand sailboats registered in advance and two more boats joined the event on the day. Aboard many of the yachts were representatives of the FlotillaÂs sponsors. The FlotillaÂs mother yacht, Bernard JohnsonÂs Bertram 54, Grey Ghost , hosted St. LuciaÂs Minister of Tourism, Honorable Allen Chastanet; Director of Tourism Lewis Louis; St. Lucia Yacht Club (SLYC) Commodore Stephen King; Rodney Bay Marina General Manager Adam Foster and his fiancée Alex Prowse; and Bob Hathaway representing the Marine Industries Association of St. Lucia (MIASL). After arrival in the Rodney Bay Marina, all participants proceeded to H2O Restaurant to enjoy complimentary drinks from the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and Heineken, snacks sponsored by H2O, and music by the Digicel Steel Pan Band. Certificates of participation were presented. The Flotilla is organized by SLYC and MIASL, with assistance from the St. Lucia Tourist Board and Rodney Bay Marina. Special thanks go to this yearÂs sponsors „ Digicel, Heineken, Columbian Emeralds, Travel Concept and Blue Waters „ as well as to KIKA (press boat), Merlin Too (photo boat) and to all the participants for making this yearÂs Flotilla a success. For more information visit http://stluciayachtclub.com The Superyacht Cup Antigua is This Month The Superyacht Cup in Antigua has new dates at the end of January. ÂMore than 15 yachts have said they plan to participate and we are confident that there will be a really strong fleet and excellent racing,ÂŽ says Patrick Whetter, Event Organizer. The event will be held over four days with registration on January 27th and racing on the 28th, 29th and 30th. The ÂBucket RatingÂŽ system will be used, with two races planned for the 29th. Perini Navi will be returning to sponsor the Superyacht Cup Antigua and are planning to have at least two of their fleet taking part. The Brianddesigned 38-metre sloop P2 , built by Perini, has confirmed participation. Leading yacht insurance broker Pantaenius, a long-term support of The Superyacht Cup, will also continue their sponsorship of the Antigua event. Wayfarer Marine from Maine USA is taking up silver sponsorship of The Superyacht Cup Antigua. For more information visit www.thesuperyachtcup.com New Trophy for Female Sailors at Grenada Sailing Festival and more! Budget Marine Grenada, a long-standing sponsor of the Grenada Sailing Festival, will present a new Perpetual Trophy at the 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival, which runs from January 29th to February 2nd. The Budget Marine Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding female sailor participating in the eventÂs Port Louis Racing Series, four days of international yacht racing. Nicholas George, Manager of Budget Marine Grenada, explained, ÂThe company has long been a great supporter of the promotion and recognition of talented female sailors, and we are very pleased to bring this to the Grenada Sailing Festival. The aim of the Budget Marine Perpetual Trophy is to acknowledge and encourage sailing talent, spirit and ambition in our many female sailors, and will not necessarily go to the one who is over the finish line first.ÂŽ The Trophy is a beautifully crafted wall-mounted chronometer, which will be permanently displayed in the Budget Marine Grenada Store in True Blue, and each year the winnerÂs name will be added to an engraved plaque under the chronometer, and a picture of the presentation featured in a Grenada Sailing Festival Photo Gallery also in the store. The 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival will offer not one, but two weekends of great sailing action. By staging the sailing over two weekends, the Festival will provide more interesting and challenging racing for all participating sailors. For the second year running, yachts taking part in the Port Louis Racing Series will be able to dock at a Âhome portÂŽ, Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, which has some 160 slips available for yachts of all sizes. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas is offering a discount on docking to all participants in the 2010 Port Louis Racing Series. Overall, prices have been reduced by 20 percent on previous rates, and then the marina is offering all yachts taking part in the Festival a further 30 percent discount on dock space. Racing will start and finish from this base, with new, longer courses, including an extended South Coast Ocean Triangle. There will also be four days of parties Grenadian style. The new look Victory Bar at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina will be Âthe place to beÂŽ for Finish Line Limes, happy hours, and a new selection of after-race parties, including the Mount Gay Red Cap Party and Festival Farewell Prize Presentation Gala Dinner. True Blue Bay ResortÂs Dodgy Dock is still on the calendar too: the popular Festival venue hosts the Monday nightÂs party. Sailing action continues on February 6th and 7th, when the crowd-pulling Grenada Sailing Festival Digicel Work Boat Regatta comes to Grand Anse Beach. There will be competition on the water between the sailing communities of Carriacou, Gouyave, Grand Mal, Petite Martinique, Sauteurs and Woburn, plus live entertainment, games and activities for the children, arts and crafts on sale, and food stalls with traditional dishes on offer. New plans pair this spectacular weekend of racing with the islandÂs Independence Celebrations. There is more good news for owners or skippers planning to have a pre-Festival clean or maintenance check: Spice Island Marine Services is offering a tenpercent discount on haul/launch, chocking and laydays (after the companyÂs standard five free days) for yachts participating in the Festival. The offer is good for the month of January and is non-transferable. Contact Justin Evans at Spice Island Marine at justin@ spiceisland marine.com The Grenada Sailing Festival Port Louis Racing Series is part of the Southern Caribbean Regatta Circuit „ come south and sail with us! For more details check websites www.grenadasailingfestival.com, www.sailweek.com and www.sailingcarriacou.com For more information on the Grenada Sailing Festival see ad on page 5. Competition and Compassion in St. Croix Event Ellen Sanpere reports: The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta is set to start off on February 19th with an Opti Clinic for the youngsters and a fabulous rum party for the adults, followed by lots of great racing, February 20th and 21st. ÂÂInspired by Competition ~ Enhanced with Compassion is the regattaÂs motto,ÂŽ says Julie San Martin, regatta director. ÂIn addition to being a great warm-up for boats and their crews (competition), we are sailing for a worthwhile cause, supporting hospice services for all who need it on St. Croix (compassion).ÂŽ The winning CSA Spinnaker-1 skipper will get his/her weight in Cruzan Rum and an invitation to the Hospice Regattas National Championship to be held in Rochester, New York next June. The competition will include up to 30 other Hospice Regatta winners from the US and Canada. In St. Croix, racing is for the entire family. As many as 30 eightto 15-year-olds will compete in four Optimist divisions after attending the Opti Clinic, back by popular demand, to improve their skills. The kids also get breakfast and lunches, included in the entry fee, and the overall winner gets his or her weight in sports drink. In addition to Opti and CSA racers, the regatta invites all local and visiting liveaboards, cruising boats and multihulls to race in the Buck Island Channel, and promises at least one day of point-to-point racing, including the challenging Christiansted town race. One-design IC-24s and Rhodes 19s are invited to race in the protected waters of Teague Bay, with lunch ashore at the yacht club. The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta is an allvolunteer effort to raise funds and awareness for hospice care on St. Croix. Over one-third of the St. Croix population is under-insured or has no health insurance coverage at all. One hundred percent of the funds raised will go to support the end-of-life medical needs of St. Croix residents, ensuring a dignified closure to their lives regardless of their ability to pay. „Continued on next page Say ÂARC! Key players from St. LuciaÂs public and private sectors showed their ARC spirit aboard the flotillaÂs mother ship, Grey Ghost Last yearÂs CSA Spinnaker 2 start in St. Croix. From left: Atlantic Raider, Rushin Rowlette, Glory Daze, J-Walker, Cayennita and Magnificent 7 ROB JONES
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 19 BAREBOAT CHARTERS FULLY CREWED CHARTERS ASA SAILING SCHOOL PO Box 39, Blue Lagoon, St Vincent, West Indies Tel. 1-784-456-9526 / 9334 / 9144 Fax. 1-784-456-9238 barebum@vincysurf.com www.barefootyachts .com Barefoot Yacht Charters & Marine Centre € Doyle Sail Loft & Canvas Shop € Raymarine Electronics € Refrigeration Work € Mechanical & Electrical Repairs € Fibreglass Repairs € Laundry € Vehicle Rentals € Showers € Air Travel € Ice & Water € Diesel & Propane € Moorings € Island Tours € Surftech Surf Shop € Hotel Reservations € Quiksilver Surf Wear € Restaurant & Bar € Boutique € On-site Accommodation € Wi-Fi / Internet Café € Book Exchange Since 1984 „ Continued from previous page As of November 2009, Hospice Regattas netted more than US$1million for hospice care in their communities. Fiscal non-profit sponsorship, provided by the St. Croix Foundation, offers donors 501(c) (3) taxdeductible sponsorship options at several levels. Acknowledging the challenges of US entry requirements, Customs and Border Patrol officers will be at the yacht club on Friday to welcome visitors arriving by boat. There is plenty of anchoring room in Teague Bay, making for a one-stop registration, clearance and party experience. Some might say, the most compassionate part of the regatta is the Âenter now, pay laterÂŽ provision! Food and entertainment will be available all weekend, and to better plan a memorable party and regatta, San Martin asks skippers to pick a class and to register online. ÂPlease enter early,ÂŽ she says, ÂNo payment is due until February 19th, and there are no penalties if you are unable to show up for any reason.ÂŽ That said, St. Croix offers great sailing in February, competing for a worthy cause, and its famous Crucian hospitality: racers are encouraged to make their plans now! For more information see ad on page 15. South Grenada Regatta 2010 Launched The thriving yachting industry brings revenue to Grenada. Wanting to celebrate the yachting community and also attract more yachts from other islands to Grenada, Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel held the first South Grenada Regatta in February 2009. It was a huge success. A special reception was held on November 27th, 2009, to announce the dates of the second edition: February 26th through 28th. At the launch, Richard Strachan, Chairman of the Grenada Board of Tourism, said he is encouraged by so many sponsors from the last Regatta who are still on board; some new and significant sponsors have also been secured. Damon Du Bois, Marketing & Sales Manager for Westerhall Estate Ltd, is pleased Westerhall will be supporting the event for a second year, using the opportunity to promote Westerhall Plantation Rum. The SGR Committee would like to thank all their sponsors and supporters, especially Westerhall Estate Limited, Netherlands Insurance, Real Value Supermarket and Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel. Jana Caniga, owner of Le Phare Bleu Marina and co-founder of the SGR, explained that the Regatta Committee discussed how to enhance the experience for participants and spectators, and decided to shorten some courses and add a third race. The Junior Dinghy Sailing will be held on the Saturday, and Sunday will be for prize giving, relaxation, family and fun. The main attraction for families is the fun Pirates Trail, which takes place on the Saturday and Sunday. One significant change is the registration fee „ only US$50 per vessel. If you missed the South Grenada Sailing Regatta last year, take the opportunity to find out what all the buzz is about! For more information see ad on page 20. USVIÂs Peil and Barnes Selected for Singapore The Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (VIOC) selected William ÂWillÂŽ Peil, a triathlete and 11th grader at Country Day School on St. Croix, and Nikole ÂNikkiÂŽ Barnes, a sailor and 10th grader at Antilles School on St. Thomas, to attend the first Singapore 2010 Friendship Camp. The Camp took place from December 8th to 12, 2009 and was organized by SingaporeÂs Ministry of Education in partnership with the Singapore Sports School and the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee. It is a special event of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. The 15to 17-year-old athletes from around the world who participated in the Camp had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of cultural and educational activities in anticipation of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The YOG will be held in Singapore from August 14th to 26th. Peil embarked on his sports career as a swimmer with the St. Croix Dolphins Swim Team at age eight. He became a triathlete in 2007, competing in his first triathlon, the Try-A-Tri on St. Croix and finishing first in his age division. Most recently, Peil placed first out of a pack of 73 international triathletes in the 2009 St. Croix Sprint Triathlon. Barnes began sailing at age seven at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. She competed in the Optimist dinghy until age 15, where her accomplishments included secondbest Girl at the 2006 US Optimist National Championships in Florida, Top North American Girl at the 2007 Optimist North American Championships in Mexico, and a placing of 35th out of 255 competitors at the 2008 Optimist World Championships in Turkey. Barnes is currently skippering the two-man International 420 dinghy with crew Agustina Barbuto from St. John. The VIOC, founded in 1966, has sent a team to every Central American and Caribbean Pan American and Olympic competition since 1966, with the exception of the boycotted 1980 Olympics in Moscow, winning its first Olympic medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The VIOC represents 22 sports federations. For more information visit www.virginislandsolympics.com Third Annual Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta Fred Thomas reports: The 2010 Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta dates have been moved forward to tie in with plans for a Virgin Islands to Grenada Challenge Race for yachts coming to Grenada to race. The main event will start on March 4th with the skippers briefing, yacht registration and cocktail party held at Bel Air Plantation, St. DavidÂs Harbour, followed by three days of racing. All courses will be off GrenadaÂs southeastern coast; the first race will start and finish from St DavidÂs Harbour. On the Saturday the race will start off St. DavidÂs Harbour and end at Le Phare Bleu Marina & Resort, where boats can dock for the night. The final race will be to True Blue Bay Resort, where boats can also dock. Water taxis will be available for those at anchor. After each dayÂs racing, there will be time to enjoy the famous Grenadian hospitality, with great parties, food and drink, along with local and international bands performing each night. The awards dinner and party will be at True Blue Bay Resort. Register early and get a break on fees. For more information visit www.grenadaclassicregatta.gd Challenge the Grenada Round-The-Island Record! Roger Spronk reports: At the 2009 Grenada Roundthe-Island Race (GRIR), the trimaran Horizon Region Guadeloupe shattered the course record by more than an hour, crossing the finish line with an elapsed time of three hours, 54 minutes and two seconds. This record poses an exciting challenge and the Grenada South Coast Yacht Club has responded by creating a prestigious prize for any vessel that breaks it, upping the stakes for the 2010 GRIR! Chartered by John Burnie for Claude Thelier, Horizon Region Guadeloupe will be back in 2010 to defend her title and attempt to improve their 2009 time. At present, the yacht holds several other records, including fastest times around St. Martin, St. BartÂs, Guadeloupe and Martinique. In addition to top-quality sailing competition, the 2010 GRIR weekend from March 12th through 14th will bring a wide range of entertainment to GrenadaÂs Grand Anse Beach. High points of the weekend will include A Taste of Grenada food festival, the youth sailing exhibition, and the ever-popular Crazy Craft Bathtub Derby. „Continued on next page Accomplished dinghy sailor Nikki Barnes of St. Thomas was chosen by the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee to attend a special event of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games GrenadaÂs Tourism Board Chairman, Richard Strachan, is encouraged by strong sponsorship for the second South Grenada Regatta, coming next month
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 20 JOIN AN EXCITING WEEKEND WITH Three races a long the south coast of grenada (FREE BERTHING FOR RACING BOATS) AND thatÂs not all! WWW.SOUTHGRENADAREGATTA.COM SOUTH GRENADA REGATTa 201026. -28. Feb WALLILABOU ANCHORAGEWALLILABOU BAY HOTEL VHF Ch 16 & 68(range limited by the hills) ... PORT OF ENTRY MOORING FACILITIES WATER, ICE, SHOWERS CARIBEE BATIK BOUTIQUE BAR AND RESTAURANT TOURS ARRANGED CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED HAPPY HOUR 5-6 P.O. Box 851, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, West Indies. Tel: (784) 458-7270 Fax: (784) 457-9917 E-mail: wallanch@vincysurf.com Marina & Yachtclub60 slips for boats up to 120 feet and 15 draft Customs & Immigration 230/110V (50/60Hz), Water, Webcam, Wi-Fi Showers, Lounge, Pool, Restaurants, Bar Fuel & Gasoline Minimarket, Car Rental, Laundry Hurricane Moorings Restaurants “ne dining on a unique, historical lighthouse ship breakfast, lunch and dinner served all day at the Pool-Bar Restaurant Le Phare Bleu MarinaVHF CH 16 phone 473 444 2400 contact@lepharebleu.com www.lepharebleu.com Petite Calivigny Bay, St. GeorgeÂs, Grenada W.I., POS 12°00Â11N / 61°43Â29W „ Continued from previous page The Grenada South Coast Yacht Club and 2010 Race Committee are working to continue the GRIRÂs tradition of promoting sailing excellence while also providing events that celebrate Grenadian culture. With bragging rights on the table, the GRIR promises to be one of the most exciting sailing events of 2010! For more information see ad on page 6. Get Around Guadeloupe The multi-legged 2010 Round Guadeloupe Race starts at the town of Gosier and includes legs to Saint-Louis in Marie Galante, St. François or Port Louis, Deshaies and Les Saintes before returning to Gosier. The Round Guadeloupe race offers nightly parties at each port, with Zouk music and ti punch „ a great way to discover the Guadeloupe archipelago and its people and culture. This yearÂs edition will be held from the 1st to the 5th of April. The new Âhigh seasonÂŽ dates are expected to attract more boats than the former May dates did. Forty yachts raced around the island last year, and organizers foresee an increase in 2010. For more information see ad on page 7. Bequia Regatta 2010: Big J/24 Class News Russell Corrie reports: The Bequia Easter Regatta, April 1st through 5th, promises to be another record-breaking event and the J/24 Class hopes to contribute in significant measure. Last yearÂs turnout of 13 J/24s might be exceeded by a potential 20 teams vying for the honor of being crowned the first-ever ÂSouthern Caribbean J/24 ChampionÂŽ in addition to being BequiaÂs overall J/24 winner. Kudos to the Bequia Sailing ClubÂs Regatta Organizing Committee for running a well-organized event, so competitive and so much fun, that it took the Southern Caribbean J/24 Council just one meeting to decide that it wanted this regatta to be the home of its Big Event every year. Since Bequia first offered the J/24s their own class at the event in 2005, the St. Lucians have been the dominant force at this regatta, winning in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. But Barbados boat Esperanza upset the apple cart in 2009, and 2010 will see a line-up of eager contenders for this newly minted Southern Caribbean Championship crown. The Trinidadians, who in 2009 won the Barbados Open, the St. Lucia Open and Grenada Sailing Festival, will have their eyes on this prestigious accolade. The Bajans too „ as defending Bequia champions, with the largest fleet in the region and a recent taste of the highest level of competition from the 2009 World Championships „ have every intention of taking home the goodies. Grenadian boat Die Hard, which took honors at the South Grenada Regatta and third overall spot in Bequia in 2009, will be looking for their first big overseas victory, while the Lucians, who virtually owned this class for so long, and who, it is rumored, expect legendary Mike Green to return to Bequia in 2010, will be out for revenge. Last but not least, dark horses St. Vincent and Dominica, who have just started their own fleets, will be crewed by some experienced sailors as well. With the J/24s joining four other highly competitive classes in Bequia, this is one regatta that is definitely not to be missed. For more information visit www.begos.com/easterregatta Too Much Fun! Sailboat racing in the Caribbean is booming and weÂve got more Regatta News than we can publish this month! See next monthÂs Compass for lots more regatta results and details of upcoming events. DONÂT LEAVE PORT WITHOUT IT
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 21 € SAFEST WAY TO SHIP € PREMIER SERVICE FOR ANY YACHT € RELIABLE, FREQUENT SCHEDULES € UNIQUE DESTINATIONS € COMPETITIVE RATES Yacht at Rest , M in d at E ase WWW.YACHT-TRANSPORT.COM € 1 888 SHIP DYTFEBRUARY/MARCH, 2010 VOYAGES PORT EVERGLADES ST. THOMAS MARTINIQUE TOULON MAY/JUNE, 2010 VOYAGES ST. THOMAS FREEPORT NEWPORT SOUTHAMPTON TOULON MARMARIS DYT USA : Tel. +1 954 525 8707 € E-mail: dyt.usa@dockwise-yt.com DYT Martinique : Tel. +596 596 741 507 € E-mail: nadine@dockwise-yt.com DYT Newport : Tel. +1 401 439 6377 € E-mail: ann@dockwise-yt.com PHotos by Onne van der Wal by Ella RychlewskiMost people will tell you that PortsmouthÂs claim to fame is being the island of DominicaÂs second largest city. So start most of the travel descriptionsƒ only to end a few lines later. However, this is to do this social melting pot and natural jewel an injustice. Portsmouth was briefly the capital of Dominica before the capital was relocated to Roseau. The topography of the area, marshes and volcanic elevations, did not allow for expansion. Now the bustling center of the Northern District, Portsmouth town is located on the shore of a natural harbor, Prince Rupert Bay, which was a port of call for Columbus in 1504 and today attracts yachts, ferries and cruise ships. Most tourists and some cruisers head straight for Roseau and overlook the north „ rich in history, culture, food and natural beauty. Portsmouth is an ideal base to discover a different part of Dominica. Planned on a grid system, the town of Portsmouth is centered on Bay Street and Burrough Square. Its charm lies in the fact that it is not touristy; it is a working town where Dominicans from the area come to do to business and shop. The areaÂs only hospital and fire station are also in Portsmouth. Locals come to town to run their errands and walk down the street hailing each other, exchanging greetings. Exuberant laughing, expansive gestures, animated arguments „ the people make this place come alive. In town, you can find most necessities in JoeÂs and Best Buy supermarkets as well as in a few smaller food shops. On market days (Fridays and Saturdays), the market provides a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and fish. Along the main street you will also find a few clothing stores, a couple of internet cafés and most of the snackettes. These are small shacks where you can purchase snack food throughout the day: fried chicken, bakes and sandwiches, as well as Creole plates at lunchtime. The Creole plate is the staple diet of Dominica and includes meat or fish, vegetables, beans and at least two types of carbs (e.g. rice, spaghetti, ÂfigÂŽ pie, macaroni-and-cheese or potato salad). These are ideal places to rest, have lunch and to watch and listen to Dominicans, many of whom will stop in for lunch. DonÂt forget your local juice; there is nothing better, after all, than fresh juice (orange, grapefruit, tamarind, guava and the list goes on) made with fruit picked from a tree that same morning. Portsmouth has the advantage of offering a wide variety of activities within close range. To the north, the beautiful Purple Turtle Beach is just outside Portsmouth, as are several other beaches. Most yachts anchor off this beach or pick up a mooring there. The cruise ship berth is located in nearby Cabrits National Park, which has many short trails to explore as well as Fort Shirley, an 18th century British garrison that is being reconstructed. Further up that side of the island, still heading north, are Toucarie Bay, which has little-known reefs for diving, and Capuchin, another historical site and the start of the picturesque CapuchinPenville hiking trail. The road back to Portsmouth from Penville, an agricultural Caribbean village with sweeping views towards Marie-Galante, takes you through an active volcano crater with bubbling sulphur springs. The French islands are never far from view in this part of the island. PortsmouthÂs southern border is the Indian River. Locals offer boat rides up the beautiful mangrove-framed river to the jungle bar at the end serving Kubuli, the local beer, and its version of rum punch. A little further south is Picard, home to Ross University medical school. For those hankering after some Western fare, you can find everything from bagels and smoothies to pizza, several fast-food chains, as well as a wider selection of food in the several supermarkets. The areaÂs hotels are also mostly located in this area, along the beach. If, after those several packed days, you get bored, you can always rent a car and venture farther afield. To the south is the Syndicate Trail where you can see the Syndicate waterfall and hope to catch a glimpse of the indigenous and rare Sisserrou ( Amazona imperalis ) and Jacquot ( Amazona arausiaca ) parrots. Heading east you can cross the Kalinago territory, owned by the ÂCarib IndiansÂŽ, the Kalinago people. They have a model village showcasing their history and lifestyle. Portsmouth, often unjustly overlooked, offers a mix of an authentic Caribbean experience along with all the pleasure and comforts one wants to find on vacation. There are several clubs offering nightlife mid-week and on weekends as well as some authentic dining experiences. And did I mention the best Âcookies and creamÂŽ ice cream IÂve ever had, to be found at Burrough Square? Dominica is probably easier to access by boat than by air and Portsmouth offers a perfect place to drop anchor, refuel, restock and enjoy the best of what the Caribbean has to offer. Add to that the uniqueness of DominicaÂs natural wonders and culture and you have an unmissable stop on your Caribbean excursion. Portsmouth, a Caribbean Jewel Top left: Purple Turtle Beach Above: The Cabrits, seen from Michael Douglas Boulevard Right: The mouth of the Indian River at PortsmouthÂs southern edge DESTINATIONS
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 22 Sabre M225Ti The Perkins Sabre M225Ti is designed to replace the Perkins M200 and M235 and provides more than 22% additional available horsepower in the same package.This large capacity 6 liter engine comes in a compact package and only takes out 225 hp. By comparison, our nearest competition takes that out of a 4 liter engine. Running at a low 2500 rpm versus the competition's 3300 rpm or higher, the M225Ti will have a longer life (minimum 12,000 hour TBO) and quieter operation. The gear-driven fresh water pump has a longer life and less to go wrong while the waste gate turbo charger gives better performance at lower rpms. An integral plate-type oil cooler combines fewer hoses with longer life and better efficiency. With Perkins' outstanding marinization, excess hoses and belts have been engineered away and everything has easy access for stress-free maintenance.22% more (sea) horses www.partsandpower.comCall Parts & Power for your nearest dealer: (284) 494 2830 M92B M135 M225Ti I became aware of a voice shouting, ÂTroutbridge! Hello, Troutbridge!ÂŽ I became more awake and thought that it must be the Guyanese Coastguard hailing. We were anchored off Roeden Rust, flying the yellow flag, having arrived from Charlotteville, Tobago, the previous afternoon, October 2nd, 2009. Venturing on deck, I found the cheerful face of Kit Nascimento grinning up from his speedboat. ÂWeÂre on our way up to our place at Hurakabra. Give me a call when you are 15 minutes out of Bartica and IÂll arrange for Customs and Immigration to come out to you.ÂŽ The planning for this trip had started during the winter of 2008, before I retired and left the English Channel island of Guernsey in Troutbridge , my Broadblue 385 retirement home. IÂd purchased Chris DoyleÂs Cruising Guide to Trinidad and Tobago, plus Barbados and Guyana and started wondering if there was an alternative to four and a half months in Trinidad. It appeared that there might be. So, here I was with an Australian couple aboard, Pam and Jim, whose boat was on the hard in Trinidad, not to mention crewmate Cadey, and another boat, Moonshiner , waiting for the tide to continue up the Essequibo River to the town of Bartica where Customs and Immigration awaited us. It was DoyleÂs guide that had first introduced me to Kit. Despite a slightly negative write-up in DoyleÂs about the trip from Trinidad down to Guyana, the two boats had spent a pleasant time getting there from Chaguaramas, stopping off in Scotland Bay, La Vache Bay and Grande Riviere before crossing to Charlotteville, Tobago. A week disappeared in swimming, walks and making a few repairs, and then we set off for Guyana, completing the passage to Roeden Rust in three days and six hours. We were able to sail during the hours of darkness and motorsail during daylight; it seemed as though the wind veered as the sun came up and backed as it set. The sea was slight all the way down with only the occasional ÂbounceÂŽ to disturb things. The much talked-about northwesterly current put in an occasional appearance, but never seemed to be more than a knot or so against us. All in all it was quite a pleasant trip. Maybe we were just lucky. For those who just love the mad social whirl of Chaguaramas, youÂll hate Guyana. I mean, I think mine was only the fourth boat this year to go up the Essequibo River. The anchorages were uncrowded, if not actually deserted, and there wasnÂt a potluck, jump-up or dominoes afternoon to be seen! The waypoints shown in DoyleÂs guide are more than adequate to enter the Essequibo and continue up to the town of Bartica, however on my electronic chart system (Navionics) and on MoonshinerÂs system the boats were sometimes shown as being onshore and the tracks between some waypoints were shown as crossing the land. Working on the principle that it would be sensible to Âstick to the wet stuffÂŽ, a certain amount of interpretation was required, but anybody with an ounce of common sense should be able to stay out of trouble. Troutbridge has a saltwater draught of about 1.2 metres and had no trouble; Moonshiner with a saltwater draught of 2.3 metres touched the bottom a couple of times taking the flood up to Bartica, but no harm was done. „Continued on next page DESTINATIONS U P T H E UP THE E S S E Q U I B O ESSEQUIBO by Peter Bernfeld Cadey (above) and Pam and Jim (right) on a side trip to Kaieteur Falls
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 23 „ Continued from previous page ItÂs worth noting that there are virtually no buoys in the Essequibo river, a local source of information telling us that there was no money in the kitty to maintain them and there werenÂt many visiting ships or boats to warrant making any provision to maintain those that were still in place. Approaching Bartica, I called Kit (592 455-3200) and he was as good as his word, sending Dominic (Dom), the manager of his resort, to meet us in Bartica. Dom waited until we were safely anchored and then ferried the officials out to us. They were both very pleasant and the fee was US$12.50. Everybody on the yachts was given one month in country, but I suspected that we could have had longer if weÂd asked for it. This took place on a Saturday afternoon, at about 1700 hours, and there was no extra charge for working those hours or for coming out to the boat. The Immigration department is located in the police station at Bartica and the Immigration officer will walk you round to Customs. The fee for checking out is also US$12.50 and IÂm pretty certain this is the only place IÂve visited so far where the officers shook hands and hoped that youÂve had a pleasant stay! On the Sunday, we visited Hurakabra resort for lunch and a chat with Kit. The standard charge at resorts on the river seems to be US$15 per head for either lunch or dinner and there was a reasonable charge for Dom to pick us up and take us back to Bartica in a speedboat. In any case, Kit had been very helpful in his e-mails and had made no charge for sending Dom to assist with officialdom, so we felt the least we could do was to patronize his resort. Other boats might have to pay for this service, or Kit may continue to send Dom to help with clearing in; either way, he and Gem (his charming wife) are running a business. While at anchor off Bartica (incidentally, I suggest you anchor a little further off the town than shown in DoyleÂs, to remain clear of the barge traffic), we were visited by the irrepressible Joyce Davis, the lady who owns the yacht Mood Indigo . She and her late husband, David, had been famous among cruisers as musicians in Trinidad. They built a house on the Essequibo a few years ago and Joyce seems to be happy for boats to anchor near Mood Indigo , but please remember that hers is a private home, not a resort. She invited us to come to her place and drop anchor, which we did, and we invited her out to the boats for sundowners. The following evening she reciprocated, showing us around the grounds of her home. While there, we encountered the third yacht in the river, Erasmus , a New Zealand boat, and the following day came across another boat, Orchid . Gem will undertake organizing tours for visiting cruisers and, with hindsight, it might have been better to have used her services. There appear to be no advertising regulations in Guyana and tour companies seem to be in the habit of offering tours at attractive rates „ then, when you book, these rates are not available. Fairly typical (actual) rates seem to be around US$250 for a return flight and guided tour at the Kaieteur Falls and around US$600 for a five-day/four night overland trip into the interior. Again, a word of caution: the people are very friendly and willing to please but donÂt expect the level of equipment or comfort that you would expect Âback homeÂŽ. As a retired airline pilot I was content with the local airline we used to fly to the Falls; others who went on the overland tour were not so lucky and had a road accident. The driver had no first-aid training and there was no first-aid kit in the four-wheel drive vehicle and medical help was a few hours drive away. So, if taking a land tour, have a look over the vehicle first and consider taking your own first-aid kit. That said, apparently the trip was very worthwhile. I would regard any river or road trip as an expedition rather than a tour and equip accordingly. River transport is well organized on the Essequibo. A one-way trip from Bartica to Parika (the nearest port on the Essequibo to Georgetown, the capital) costs approximately US$10 per person. Although the boats appear fairly crude, they are subject to regular government inspection and all passengers are required to wear flotation vests (supplied). The ride takes just over an hour and can be great fun, if a little wet at times. The river itself is a chocolate brown colour and when swimming, visibility is close to zero. The current can run at up to three knots, so a safety line off the back of the boat is highly recommended. There appear to be no ÂnastiesÂŽ in the river, although in some places piranhas are present (but the locals claim are never a problem), as is the occasional anaconda. The latter seem to stay in swamp areas and have never been known to be a problem to swimmers. The locals all drink bottled water, but my watermaker just loved the fresh water and delivered at least twice its rated flow. Nobody had any problems drinking the watermaker product during the 19 days we were there. We anchored off Baganara Resort for a couple of days. They were very welcoming, although virtually closed during the week. Navigating up and down the river requires some care and judicious use of the ebb and flood, but most of the rocks seem to be accurately charted. Those with shallow-draught boats could have a lot of fun gunk-holing. To summarize, the trip down was easier than we were led to believe, and the trip back to Trinidad was an off-wind pleasure with at least one knot of favourable current most of the time. ItÂs worth noting that the current closer to the coast is much stronger than further off shore. The difference in tracks down and up was about ten nautical miles, but there was a marked difference in the strength of the current. The return trip took two and a half days. The Guyanese are a friendly people and although there is some crime on the river, we never felt threatened. Bartica has a frontier town feel to it, but again feels safe, certainly in the early evening. Maybe staggering around at 3:00AM wouldnÂt be a great idea, but thatÂs true of a lot of places. We were warned that Georgetown wasnÂt safe at night; indeed a group walking back from a restaurant to their hotel was told by a local lady that it would be better to hail a taxi, but nobody had a bad experience. Organized tours are not particularly cheap and the local produce, while of reasonable quality, is not cheap either. Petrol (gas, for the Cousins) is around US$1 per litre. Diesel prices IÂm not sure of, but it is available for visiting yachts. There are local mechanics willing to work on boats. They are able to improvise, but if spare parts are not available Âin countryÂŽ it may take up to ten days to import them. Kit was willing to help with this process and may or may not charge for this. Guyana is a beautiful, fascinating country, well worth making the effort to visit. Anybody used to one-day inter-island passages followed by tying up in a marina may feel a little daunted by the prospect of the trip, but the reality (at least on this trip) was that with a little care, planning and provisioning the trip can be uneventful. I would definitely recommend going across to Tobago from Trinidad and spending some time there before heading south. Left: A riverside scene at Bartica Right: We had a visitor, en route to Trinidad
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 24 MARIGOT BAY St. LuciaDoolittleÂs RestaurantSuccessfully serving you for 45 years with Caribe, French and International cuisine at the most Beautiful Bay in the Caribbean. (Ask Mr. Michener) Feel free to anchor up, NO CHARGE! Call us on Channel (16) to reserve your table, we will then pick you up and return you to your yacht.info@marigotbeachclub.com / www.marigotdiveresort.com Montserrat „ A Buried Treasureby Jo-Anne Nina SewlalMontserrat was once a bustling island and its capital city, Plymouth, was the commercial centre of the Eastern Caribbean. To those who last visited prior to 1995, Montserrat is now totally different. Volcanic eruptions in that year covered Plymouth with pyroclastic flows and ash. A large part of the population left the island. With approximately two-thirds of the island declared unsafe and placed in an exclusion zone, the 4,000 remaining inhabitants have basically had to start over. But this should not be seen as a drawback but rather the opportunity to experience a re-emerging island culture. Currently, the settlement of Brades serves as the main town and houses the government offices while construction of the new capital city at Little Bay in the north of the island proceeds. When I visited Montserrat recently the new cultural centre and public market were already completed. This island is commonly called the ÂEmerald Isle of the CaribbeanÂŽ. This name not only refers to the lush green vegetation present on the island, even in some of the areas that experienced volcanic activity, but also refers to its strong Irish heritage. Originally inhabited by the Amerindians, in 1632 English and Irish Catholic settlers were brought from St. Kitts, as they were not welcome in the other British colonies because of their religion. The first evidence of Irish influence that greets visitors is the shamrock stamp in their passport. The national flag also has the legendary Irish figure of Erin with a harp alongside the Union Jack (as Montserrat is still a British colony). It is also the only place in the world outside of Ireland where St. PatrickÂs Day is a public holiday. My research on the spider biodiversity in the Eastern Caribbean has taken me to many wonderful and diverse islands. These included the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, which was my home for two weeks as I conducted my research. I was assisted by one of my friends who had visited the island before. What struck us as a great thing about Montserrat is that it is small enough to do practically everything listed in the tourist guide, and we thought that we would try. So we got the guide and a map of the island, and headed off exploring. Our first stop was at Jack Boy Hill on the northeast side of the island. It has wellmaintained gardens, a picnic area and a viewing platform from which you can see the destroyed W.H. Bramble Airport and some of the surrounding villages. There is a telescope, which offers a better view of the area and the Soufriere Hills volcano. On a clear day you can make out the outline of the spiky plugs that cap the opening to the volcano. But you can get an even better view of the volcano from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO). The sole purpose of this facility is to monitor the volcano and warn inhabitants of potential danger. This facility is open to the public Monday to Thursday. Here for a fee of EC$10 (US$3.75) you can view a documentary on life before the eruption and the stages of the volcanoÂs evolution. It is shown at quarter past every hour from 10:15AM to 3:15PM. There are also many informative posters illustrating volcanic activity. In the recent past, visitors were allowed to talk to the scientists and go in their work area and see the seismic recording equipment. However, this started to interfere with the operations of the MVO and was discontinued. Here we learned that Montserrat is no stranger to natural disasters „ 95 percent of the island was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. In 1992 a series of earthquakes continuing until July 1995 was the first sign that the volcano, which had been dormant for recorded history, was active again. Magma first appeared in November 1995. In August 1997, pyroclastic flows destroyed central Plymouth and extended out to sea from the Tar River Valley. The heavy rains that followed washed down the ash to form a thick mud that buried the capital city even deeper. (For more information on the history of the volcanic eruptions visit www.montserratvolcanoobservatory.info) Many people may have the idea that after the eruption Montserrat became a wasteland. But the truth is that the lush, undeveloped northern part of the island was untouched by the volcano. This island has a lot to offer the nature lover, including a network of trails. The trails are of varying degrees of difficulty but all allow you to see the wide range of flora and fauna on the island. If you are a novice, try the Oriole Trail. More experienced hikers would want to try more challenging trails like those up Jack Boy Hill leading to BakerÂs Hill and then on to Katy Hill. If you want to passively support the biodiversity of the island, visit the National Trust in Salem where you can purchase books, T-shirts and other nature-inspired items. They also have a beautiful garden with a collection of ornamental, fruiting and medicinal plants. Plans are in the works to turn this garden into a national botanical garden. The same building that houses the National Trust also houses the National Philatelic Bureau, which has something for both the nature and stamp lover, since many stamps feature pictures of the local and endemic wildlife such as the Montserrat Oriole and the Rock Iguana. There are many nightspots and restaurants. My favourite was Bingo Night (Thursdays from 8:00PM for about an hour) at The Lime Sports Bar in Brades. Cards can be purchased for EC$5 each and reused for the duration of the night. Sometimes Bingo Night has a theme; for instance, the first time we went it was ÂHurricane Hugo NightÂŽ and the first person to get the numbers in the shape of each of the letters of ÂHurricane HugoÂŽ won a game. For example, for the first game the winner was the first to spell ÂHÂŽ. At the end of this you return the plastic bingo cards and can participate in the jackpot game played on paper tickets for about EC$10 each. If there is no winner the jackpot rolls over. After the first week we decided that we had seen almost everything on land so we looked into taking a boat tour around the island. We turned to the services of Troy and Melody who operate The Green Monkey Dive Shop at Little Bay. The tour took approximately two-and-a-half hours. Along the way we saw how the wave action eroded the sides of the island to form sheer cliffs. „Continued on next page ALL ASHOREƒ
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 25 SAIL DESIGN GROUP Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI l t. 284 494 1124 l e. kwrigley@quantumsails.com Located near the entrance of Nanny CayClean, renewable fuel free with every sailLargest loft in the BVI Full sales and service loft Convenient location New canvas and canvas repair Pick up and drop off www.quantumsails.com „ Continued from previous page We passed Foxes Bay, which is the bay before you reach Plymouth as you head south and is off limits to the public. Approaching Plymouth we saw many large homes and condominiums occupying the hillsides between Foxes Bay and Plymouth, all of which now stand abandoned. The landscape reminded me of present-day Chaguaramas in Trinidad. Then we came to Plymouth, or ÂModern Day PompeiiÂŽ as it is commonly referred to. There was not much to see, as heavy rains washed ash downhill after the eruptions, and when it hardened it became as hard as cement. We saw buildings, but kept in mind that what we were seeing was just the top floors of any buildings more than two storeys tall „ everything below this level is buried in rock-hard ash. It is an eerie sight: the entire city looks frozen in time, standing in silent testimony to the bustling commercial hub it once was. And although from a distance it looks pristine and untouched, it is slowly deteriorating. The large petroleum tanks near the coast enter the water as they come loose from the mud. This poses a hazard for boat propellers, so that the area has to be navigated with caution. We were lucky that day as it was quite clear so we had a great view of the volcano just below the plug. Troy said it was the clearest they had seen in months. But you cannot stay in the area too long because of the constant presence of sulphuric gas, so we turned back and headed to Rendezvous Bay. This relatively small, isolated bay is just past Little Bay as you head north. Its calm waters make it great for snorkelling, which is what we did. The bay is accessible by land but it is a long hike that becomes steep in some parts. We returned to Rendezvous Bay later in the week to try our hand at kayaking. Again we enlisted the services of The Green Monkey to rent kayaking equipment. If you are new to snorkelling as I was and you want to go to a more populated beach, Woodlands beach is a good place to start. The crowd really gathers at around 3:00PM, but during the day it is quiet and itÂs great for an early morning swim. It is one of the beaches where leatherback turtles nest. The island is also quite safe, so you could camp on the beach and wait for the turtles to visit. Some more adventurous persons might want to walk around in the old capital and passes can be obtained from the local police „ only when they deem it safe to enter the area. This is for your safety since heavy rains, especially during the wet season, can bring down mudslides. If you want to get a safer Âup close and personalÂŽ view of the destruction caused by the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, visit Belham Valley on the safe side of the border of the exclusion zone. This was one of the small valleys where the pyroclastic flows came through, claiming 19 lives. Evidence that it was once a thriving community is seen by the abandoned homes and businesses including a hotel, hair salon and nightclub. Some electricity poles still stick up through the mud as silent indicators of the location of streets and the buildings that once lined them. We went into one of the abandoned condominiums during one of our explorations of the area. During our visit we were fortunate to meet some interesting residents of the island who decided to stay after the eruptions, including Shirley and Lou Spycalla. Along with all the physical destruction, some of the countryÂs rich folklore was also destroyed. Shirley told us of the legend of the mermaid of the pool at ChanceÂs Peak. If you were able to take her golden comb, she would grant your wishes. This pond is now buried under many feet of rock-hard ash. Another colourful resident we had the great fortune to meet was Kevin West. He is an avid photographer and the owner of Paradise Photo and Art Studio. He took many of the photos of the eruption that are now featured on postcards from the island. He told us how he set up his camera for hours, shooting rolls of film late into the night. He also told us of a time he had to take his equipment and literally run out of the path of the volcanic flow after he had waited until the very last minute to get the perfect shot. We were also lucky to meet one of MontserratÂs famous citizens, Alphonsus Cassell, better known as the calypsonian ÂArrowÂŽ, at his store, ArrowÂs Manshop. His song ÂHot Hot HotÂŽ is known worldwide. Before we left we took a drink of the pure spring water from Runaway Ghaut (pronounced gut). Contrary to its name, it is said that if you drink from this you will visit Montserrat again. So, see you again, Emerald Isle! Right now the best way to reach the island is either by yacht (yachts can currently anchor only at Little Bay), or by flying from Antigua on WinAir (www.fly-winair.com) or Fly Montserrat (www.flymontserrrat.com). The ferry service between Antigua and Montserrat is undergoing changes; for updates visit www.visitmontserrat.com Top: Much of MontserratÂs former capital, Plymouth, has been buried in volcanic debris Above: Out of the ashes: the islandÂs new cultural centre at Brades
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 26 G R E GRE N N A D I N E S ADINES S S A A I I L S & C A N V A S LS & CANVAS B E Q U I A BEQUIA Come in and see us for all your SAILS & CANVAS needs including CUSTOM-MADE stainless steel BIMINI & DODGER frames at competitive pricesLocated opposite G.Y.E. (northern side of Admiralty Bay) Tel (784) 457-3507 / 457-3527 (evenings) e-mail: gsails@vincysurf.com VHF Ch16/68 REPRESENTATIVE B & C FUELS ENTERPRISE Petite Martinique The best fuel dock in the Grenadines for: FUEL € OIL € WATER € ICE Cheapest prices in the Grenadines Unobstructed dock in calm water 16-18 feet of water alongside Suitable for Large Power Yachts Easily approached from Carriacou, Union I., Palm I. & PSV Contact: Glenn Clement or Reynold Belmar Tel/Fax: (473) 443-9110 email: golfsierra@hotmail.com TYRREL BAY YACHT HAULOUT CARRIACOU New environmentally friendly haulout 50-ton hoist, 18ft beam, 8ft draft Water Do it yourself or labour available Mini Marina Chandlery VHF: 16 tbyh@usa.net Tel/Fax: 473.443.8175 If you look around while anchored in Tyrrel Bay you will see the very pretty hill line to the north above the mangroves, now broken by a big new Italian house perched on top. Look to the east and you will see Chapeau Carée, the tallest hill visible from Tyrrel Bay. Standing 290 metres above sea level, it is the second highest hill on Carriacou. The highest hill (High North) is only a metre taller, so if you really want to feel you have been as high as you can get on Carriacou, carry a small stepladder with you on this hike. Hiking to Chapeau Carée is lovely, but it can be hot, so early morning is best both for comfort and for good light for the view over Tyrrel Bay (donÂt forget your camera). The hike takes about two to three hours round trip from the Tyrrel Bay dock. There is an unmarked path of sorts, which is steep towards the top. It can be slippery „ on mud when wet and on fallen leaves when dry. From the main dock, turn left in the direction of LÂEsterre. Turn right on the first side road, which is good and straight, with several houses on either side. Then take the first left-hand turn. This road bends around and climbs slowly into the hills. It starts off paved and turns to dirt. For the most part you have a view on your left and a hill on your right. The road follows upwards around this hill. Continue till you come to a small junction straight ahead where the dirt road divides in two. If you stand at this junction and look at the left hand road, you will see a gap in the hedge into a field almost opposite where you are standing. (Long version: turn left at the junction, walk a couple of feet and turn right through the gap in the hedge.) Enter into the field. Now the adventure begins. Walk up through the field, making friends with any cows in the path, until you get to the fieldÂs top left-hand corner, where a path goes into a dense thicket with a small pond. This is a good resting spot; there are often wading birds, grackles, pigeons and other birds that use this as the local watering hole. Plus, in the shade it is cool. You can continue walking on either side of the pond. If you take the righthand side you will come into a small field that goes up to a ridge and you can see your destination way above. Go to the top left of the field and get through one of the small openings that lead into the next field. If you go to the left of the pond you will already be here. Follow this field upwards. It will bring you to an open ridge. The open part is quickly over and you need to find the path that leads up along the ridge through the trees. Follow this path all the way to the top. If you find yourself on either side of the ridge, you are straying from the straight and narrow. There is no trail-maintenance crew; you may have to scramble or find your way around fallen trees. The path is mainly in the woods, which give shade, except for one clearing where you begin to get a good view. You emerge out of the trees at the very top of the hill. The view of Tyrrel Bay is outstanding: the whole bay is laid out before you in miniature like a brightly colored childrenÂs book illustration. You also get great views of Sandy Island, Union Island, the town of Hillsborough, the islands to the south between Carriacou and Grenada, and to the east. CarriacouÂs Chapeau Carée S A I L O R S  H I K E S B Y C H R I S D O Y L E SAILORS HIKES BY CHRIS DOYLE Above: Watering holes like this are essential for livestock and wildlife on dry islands Right: Trail map A rewarding view of Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, from the peak of Chapeau Carée
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 27 Please download our Calendar of Events 2010 January March 2010
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 28 Please download our Calendar of Events 2010 April December 2010
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 29 Please download our Calendar of Events 2010 April December 2010
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 30 Please download our Calendar of Events 2010 January March 2010
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 31 Icom VHF Garmin GPS Accessories Leatherman Penn Reels Penn Parts Penn Service & Repair Phone: 784 458 3360 wallco@vincysurf.comSome people call us the Âmost interesting shop in the Caribbean.ÂŽ Wander around. You will find things you have been seeking for ages. We offer a wide range of hardware as well as necessary accessories and spares. Looking for a table hinge, a hatch spring, or a ladder? Come to us and get the right screws with it one time. Want to catch fish? Get a simple hand line with a lure just right for the speed of your boat, or go for a rod and reel to help you win the next fishing tournament. We take pride in sharing our expertise with you because we want YOU to succeed. Diving or snorkeling? We have it all: suits, tanks, belts, masks, fins and snorkels. We even have prescription lenses for the masks. Electronics, marine electronics, 12 & 24 volts, inverters, lights, sockets, navigation, charts, guides, marine hardware, blocks, cleats, SS fasteners, rope, Spectra, pumps, hoses, complete diving, snorkeling and fishing gear.The ONLY Duty Free Chandlery in Bequia Hablamos Español Nous parlons Français Wir sprechen Deutsch SlllhÂi i h h h h h ihCibb ÂŽ We moved to former Salty Dog next to Porthole Bequia Marina Open Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Look for the Big Blue Building . Water, Diesel, Ice, Bottled Water and Dockage available. The Yacht Club, Bequia Marina, Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines VHF 68, Telephone 784-457-3361 LULLEYÂS TACKLE SHOP FISHING & DIVING GEAR DUTY FREETEL: (784) 458-3420 FAX: (784) 458-3797 EMAIL: lulley@vincysurf.comOur stock, quality, price, know-how and fishing experience is unsurpassedVisit us for all your needsFRONT STREET BEQUIA WEST INDIESSERVING FISHERMEN AND YACHTSPEOPLE SINCE 1950Penn & Diawa Rods & Reels Mustad Hooks Anglers Lures Rigged & Unrigged Leaders Fresh Bait Foul Weather Gear Snorkeling & Diving Gear Courtesy Flags Collectable KnivesYOUR #1 CHOICE IN FISHING GEARWire, Floats, Nets, Twines, RopesPart One: Tobago to Dominica As IÂve often mentioned, articles and letters in yachting magazines frequently complain that the harbors in the Eastern Caribbean are so full of mooring balls and other yachts that there is no room to anchor. But IÂd like to let newly arrived sailors know that if you are willing to get off the beaten track and forgo bars and restaurants, there are probably a hundred anchorages where you and a buddy boat or two can enjoy anchoring in solitude. All the anchorages mentioned are well described in various guides, so I wonÂt give sailing directions. Admittedly, many require eyeball navigation with someone standing on top of the bow pulpit. A few will require someone on the lower spreaders. (On the modern yacht with internal halyards, climbing aloft is much more difficult than in the old days when halyards were external. Fixing steps on the mast to enable a crewmember to easily reach the lower spreaders is a worthwhile alteration.) LetÂs start from the south. Tobago has a dozen uncrowded anchorages. Those on the north coast should not be used in the winter due to the prevalence of the northwest groundswell, but come summer they are fine. (If a hurricane approaches, head south to Trinidad or west to Golfo de Cariaco.) Grenada has an abundance of under-used anchorages. On the southwest coast, boats that draw six feet or less can work their way well into Morne Rouge Bay. Deeper draft boats can drop their anchors on the edge of the shelf and back off. GrenadaÂs south coast has numerous anchorages; one can almost always find an uncrowded one. If heading north up the east coast, see sailing directions on the back of Imray Iolaire chart B32; Lascar Cove, Requin and Le Petit Trou offer good anchorages where you will find no habitation and no other boats. GrenvilleÂs anchorage is not that hard to enter, sheltered from the sea but not the wind, and a wonderful base from which to do shoreside explorations of the northeast corner of Grenada. When leaving, mind your pÂs and qÂs. ItÂs possible to sail out but advisable to motor-sail. Uninhabited Sandy Island, on the northeast corner of Grenada, is another nice anchorage seldom visited by yachts. Enroute to Carriacou, in summer months when it is not blowing hard, a daytime anchorage might be found in the lee of Les Tantes, where fishermen sometimes camp. Corn Store Bay on the northwest corner of Isle de Ronde is a good anchorage as long as the groundswell is not running. Instead of crowded Tyrrel Bay, head for the southeast corner of Carriacou. In the summer when it is not blowing too hard try the anchorage behind One Tree Rock. There is room for one boat only and good diving on the reef to windward. To the east of One Tree Rock, anchorage can be found west of Sandy Island and northwest of Saline Island. A short beat brings you to Kendeance Point, the entrance to Grand Bay where you find five miles of sheltered water and good anchorage tight behind the reef. Continue north past St. Hilaire Point. Boats drawing seven feet or more should proceed dead slow or send the dinghy ahead to check depth. Anchor off the boatbuilders village of Windward or tight up behind Carib Island. Sail on north and west to anchor behind Frigate Island, a seldom-used anchorage thatÂs one of my favorites. (Frigate Island is attached to Union Island by a causeway constructed for a failed marina project.) Then, if the wind is south of east, Bloody Bay on Union Island is wonderful, but if the wind is east or north of east forget it. On to the windward side of Mayreau: just like the outer anchorage in the Tobago Cays, but no other boats. The windward side of Canouan is also an excellent anchorage and big enough that you will never be crowded. If it is not blowing too hard, and if you are a good eyeball navigator and can put a crewmember ON THE SPREADERS, you will find another anchorage where you will be alone and have good diving within easy swimming distance of the boat. Out to windward is Baliceaux, an uninhabited island visited by fishermen and the occasional yacht. Another easily reached, quiet anchorage is Anse Chemin on Bequia, which is great as long as the wind is east or south of east. From Anse Chemin or Baliceaux heading north, forget about sailing up the west lee side of St Vincent. Check the Âmeridian passage of the moonÂŽ table on the back of the Imray Iolaire chart or in Compass . Head across Bequia Channel with the first of the weathergoing tide, go to windward of St. Vincent and stand north to Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. It should be a close reach, a fetch during the winter, or come spring, when the wind tends to be south of east, a good fast reach. Once checked in at Vieux Fort, sail around the corner and anchor in Anse de Sable. Tuck up really tight behind Maria Island, as in the main bay it tends to be rolly as the swell hooks around both sides of Maria Island. Heading west, try Laborie. Unfortunately there are moorings, but I am told that there is still space to anchor and the boat boys are not too pushy. In Martinique, check in at Le Marin, then leave the crowded harbor and anchor off Ste. Anne in clear water and plenty of room. It is a good jumping-off spot for the east coast of Martinique, a wonderful cruising ground where you will see few if any other cruising yachts. In this area my guide is adequate, but if you really want to gunk hole, especially if you have a shoal-draft boat, purchase the guide by Philipe Lacheneze Huede and Jerome Nouel. Philip is descended from MartiniqueÂs first white settlers and has sailed the east coast all his life, while Jerome arrived in Martinique 30 years ago, has cruised into every gunk hole in Martinique and has produced superb sketch charts. There are so many anchorages on the east coast of Martinique that I will not try to list them. Since the harbors lay on an east-west axis it means you cannot leave till the sun is high and you should be anchoring by 1500 at the latest. At the head of some of these harbors the rise and fall of tide at springs can reach three feet, so check depth and state of tide before anchoring. In Dominica there are few anchorages; none are off the beaten track. Next month: The Saints and northward. OFF THE BEATEN TRACK WITH DON STREET Unin habi ted Sand yIs land on the nor thea stc orne rof Gre nada is ano ther nic e Frigate Island is a seldom-used anchorage thatÂs one of my favorites
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 32 GrenadaCrossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don Street, author of StreetÂs Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this and next month, will help you calculate the tides. Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward. From just after the moonÂs setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward; and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward. Times given are local. Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons. For more information, see ÂTides and CurrentsÂŽ on the back of all Imray Iolaire charts. Fair tides! January DATE TIME 1 0016 2 0118 3 0216 4 0310 5 0400 6 0449 7 0537 8 0626 9 0715 10 0806 11 0858 12 0950 13 1042 14 1131 15 1219 (new) 16 1303 17 1346 18 1427 19 1507 20 1547 21 1629 22 1713 23 1800 24 1852 25 1949 26 2050 27 2153 28 2256 29 2356 30 2454 (full) 31 0054 February DATE TIME 1 0148 2 0239 3 0329 4 0419 5 0510 6 0607 7 0654 8 0746 9 0838 10 0928 11 1016 12 1101 13 1145 14 1226 (new) 15 1307 16 1347 17 1428 18 1511 19 1557 20 1646 21 1739 22 1836 23 1936 24 2036 25 2136 26 2234 27 2330 28 0000 (full) MERIDIAN PASSAGE OF THE MOONJANUARY & FEBRUARY 2010 CRUISER PROFILES BY JOHN ROWLAND S/V Ambler has been home to Stan and Cora since they left Germany in 1981. The boat was built in 1927 as an RNLI motorsailer lifeboat and remained in service in the often-hostile waters off the coast of the UK until 1949. Purchased in Guernsey in 1977, it took Stan and Cora until 1981 to refit her sufficiently to begin their cruising life. The work of refitting Ambler continued as they traveled until Ambler was brought to her current configuration in 1991. Even though she has a taller mast installed and a foresail added to make her a cutter and her wheelhouse has been cut down to a coach roof and countless other changes have been made, her stout, 40-foot, 16-ton hull still provides a truly seaworthy boat. Ambler has proven herself to be a reliable vessel throughout Stan and CoraÂs extensive travels. They started their cruising adventure in the Mediterranean. From there they went to the Canary Islands, then across the Atlantic to Brazil, south to Argentina and around the Cape and up to Chile, then Easter Island, across the Pacific to Polynesia, Australia and New Zealand. Then it was 3,000 miles across to Madagascar, around South Africa and across the Atlantic, back to Brazil, some 25 years later. The adventures and misadventures of AmblerÂs voyages during those years would fill a book. From Brazil, Stan and Cora worked their way up the South American coast and into the Caribbean two years ago. Stan is the cook and the engineer. Much of the refit of the boat has been done in outof-the-way places, requiring Stan to create needed parts and items from materials available. He is carpenter, welder, mechanic and rigger. Cora said, ÂIt wasnÂt until we got to the Caribbean that I realized you could walk into a chandlery and buy something you need rather than having to make it yourself.ÂŽ Cora does the painting, varnishing, bottom scraping, epoxy and canvas work, and generally keeps the boat shipshape. Underway, the crew roles on Ambler are quite blurred. Whoever is on watch is the captain. Navigation has become second nature to both of them, as have most of the tasks involved in handling the boat. Whatever needs to be done, together they can handle it. In their travels across the planet, Stan and Cora have shared their talent and passion for music. Wherever they are, you will probably find them playing their favorite jazz or blues pieces in some local club, often joined by local musicians. Stan does keyboard and vocal while Cora plays the sax. Stan has played since childhood. Cora, on the other hand, has acquired her musical skills during their travels. Their upbeat outlook and passion for living clearly come through in their music. When asked what their favorite places have been, they agree their all-time favorite is Tonga. They spent five years in TongaÂs VavaÂu island group, making many friends, including the Crown Prince, a fellow musician. Other favorites are Madagascar and Mozambique. But they add, ÂEverywhere we have been, weÂve found the people to be friendly to us.ÂŽ When I asked what they like best about this cruising life, Cora spoke up. ÂWe go everywhere but I always have my own bed, my books, my home, wherever we are.ÂŽ For the future, as far as they can see it, Stan and Cora will go where the wind carries them, making friends and making music along the way. S t a n Stan a n d C o r a and Cora o n on A m b l e r Ambler
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 33 Marina Pointe-à -Pitre 97110 Phone: +590 590 907 137 Fax: +590 590 908 651 E-mail: fredmarine@wanadoo.frSERVICES Mechanics and Electricity Boat Maintenance Engine diagnosis Breakdown service 24/7 Haulout and hull sand blasting Equipment for rent Technical shop GOODS Genuine parts Yanmar & Tohatsu Basic spare parts (filters, impellers, belts)Filtration FLEETGUARD Anodes,Shaft bearings Electric parts, batteries Primers and Antifouling International Various lubricants FOR RENT High pressure cleaners 150/250bars Electrical tools Diverse hand tools Vacuum cleaner for water ScaffoldingTOHATSU LEAVE YOUR BOAT IN SKILLED HANDSMARINE MECHANICS (ALL MAKES) HAUL OUT 24h BREAKDOWN SERVICE € SALES € REPAIRS € MAINTENANCE FRED MARINE Guadeloupe F.W.I. When I bought my boat in Maine six years ago, people told me she was built in the Caribbean and was famous. They told me that she always comes back home, and that she knew the way to Bermuda on her own. But in the drive to get the boat and myself ready for a solo passage to Bermuda, I never allowed myself to think of my vessel in such a romantic way. I preferred to call her Âtried and trueÂŽ if anything, and focused on all of her possible weaknesses. But later, as I guided my beloved little boat back to her birthplace after a 28th transatlantic passage, a little puff of wind sweetened by the trees of Bequia swept across PlumbellyÂs sails and she knew where we were. I smiled and let myself believe in the magic carpet that carried me so many miles and reveled in her amazing history. Plumbelly came to life on the beach in Admiralty Bay under the shade of the palm trees, near the place where the Porthole Restaurant is now. An eccentric German architect and shipÂs captain named Klaus Alverman wanted a small yacht to cruise the islands in, and he set out to build it with the help of, among others, Bequian shipwright Lauren Dewar, better known as Lauren Joe. They built the 25-foot boat in the local tradition, hewing carefully selected timber from around the island into the shape of a modified two-bow fishing boat. Her full body inspired the name as a passerby commented, ÂLook like she got a big plum in de belly!ÂŽ She was launched in 1965, and a few years later set out to cross the Pacific Ocean. Klaus motivation for leaving on such an ambitious passage is unknown to me. Plumbelly had no engine, no electricity and no selfsteering device. After four weeks of sailing sheet-to-tiller with the bow down, Plumbelly arrived in the Pacific islands sporting a beard of algae on her bowsprit! While Klaus was resting in Tahiti, a big red doubleender came gliding into the harbor with a wild-eyed Frenchman at the helm. The man had just sailed two times around the world, non-stop. It was the messiah of French yachting, Bernard Moitessier. The two men became friends and Klaus obtained a design for a simple wind vane from him. He built the wind vane in New Zealand and it is working its magic as I write this. Plumbelly and Klaus returned to Bequia to a heroÂs welcome „ the first Bequia boat to be sailed around the world. For those in Bequia that know the story of Plumbelly , there is a gleam of pride in their eyes when they speak about it. This is my second time Âback homeÂŽ with the old girl and IÂve yet to meet someone over 30 who doesnÂt know the name. Many remember Klaus and called him a friend. Bequians will be pleased to know that the boatÂs fame extends far beyond Bequia, the Windward Islands and even the Caribbean. In places as far afield as Senegal IÂve had people ask me: ÂThatÂs not THE Plumbelly , is it?ÂŽ ÂBet your boots it is, the one and only!ÂŽ People just smile and shake their heads. When Klaus finally stopped after 20-odd years of sailing, Plumbelly ended up in the hands of an American science professor in Massachusetts. She was used for day sailing and coastal cruising until an adventurous young man from Maine bought her and once again pointed her bow in the direction of faraway lands. Now I am the third in a line of owners from Maine (actually IÂm from Ohio but I bought the boat while living in Maine) whom Plumbelly has carried safely across oceans. One previous owner and friend of mine told me before I left for the first time,  Plumbelly is the princess of every harbor she visits; she always gets the best spot!ÂŽ And IÂll be darned if it hasnÂt been true „ from the grimiest fishing harbor in Morocco to the most chi-chi spots in the Caribbean, she always gets the royal treatment. SheÂs so small, but so proud. She just charms the socks off of everybody! I think itÂs the spirit of adventure and tradition she embodies that makes peoples eyes twinkle when they take a moment to admire her. I read once that art is an expression of humans love of labor, and people have described Klaus relationship with Plumbelly as Âa grand love affairÂŽ. In the case of the Bequian shipwrights it was a love born out of necessity, for nothing less than a sort of love can create a vessel seaworthy enough for whaling. In Plumbelly , Klaus created a working monument to this fading tradition, a swan song that fused his love of construction and love of the sea. She is a vessel that has turned into a legend in the waters that she plies, always popping up to the delight of everyone who ever dreamed of just getting a boat and going. SAILING A L E G E N D A LEGEND by Patrick DiLalla Small but mighty, Plumbelly of Bequia crosses oceans, turns heads, and keeps tradition and dreams alive
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 34 Port Louis Marina Â… another great reason to visit Grenada ITALY | MALTA | TURKEY | WEST INDIES Grenada remains one of the most unspoilt and welcoming cruising destinations in the Caribbean. Now, with Port Louis, visiting yachts can enjoy the security and convenience of a beautifully appointed, fully serviced marina Â… located in the lagoon adjacent to the islandÂs capital, St GeorgeÂs. GrenadaÂs southern location allows for year-round cruising, including the summer months, and with an international airport just “ve miles away, Port Louis is the ideal base for exploring the wonderful islands of the Grenadines. As a Port of Entry, itÂs easy to clear in and out through Port Louis, and our 24-hour security, dockside facilities and marina-wide wi-“ all contribute to making your stay safe and relaxed. Port Louis is owned and operated by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, and our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand 24 hours a day to welcome yachts of all sizes from 20ft to 300ft. For more information about securing a berth at Port Louis, including the opportunity to purchase on a 30-year licence, please contact our Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator, Danny Donelan on +1 (473) 435 7432 or email danny.donelan@cnportlouismarina.com Port Louis Marina Â… just one more reason to visit the ÂSpice IslandÂ. www.cnportlouismarina.com Falling in Love with Grenada by Richard RollandHello to you all. Before telling our story, let me give you a bit of our background. My name is Richard and my wife is Lucie; we are both from Montréal, Canada, retired and in our midfifties. Our new home is called Marie Galante II . It all started in 2006 at the end of a two-week charter on a 40-foot catamaran, from Martinique to Guadeloupe and back. We had been sailing for the past ten years and loved to travel and to be on the water. My wife was entitled to her retirement the coming year and I wasnÂt really sure of my future with the takeover of the company that I was working for. Just before leaving Martinique I asked her if she could imagine cruising the Caribbean full time. I already had a good idea of her answer „ it was a resounding ÂYES!ÂŽ Upon our return I started right away to see how we could manage to make this project come alive. After studying a few scenarios, we came to one solution that was the best for us: sell everything that we owned (the house, motorboat, car, furniture, you name it), find the boat and go! So, after a year and a half, we left Montréal on a 1992 Jenneau Sun Odyssey 44. We had previously taken basic navigation and coastal navigation courses. Before we left, we also took specialized courses in subjects such as shortwave radio, diesel mechanics, meteorology and first aid, and got some additional sailing qualifications. After sailing for two months on Lake Champlain, south of Montréal, getting familiar with our boat and the new equipment we put on board, we officially started this new lifestyle and adventure on September 6th, 2007. No more schedules, no more clock-watching, just living one day at a time and with no idea for how long „ WOW. Our first leg was through the Champlain Canal and down the Hudson River to New York, Cape May, the Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk, and the Intracoastal down to Florida. „Continued on next page Picturesque St. GeorgeÂs, the capital of our favorite island so far Inset: Richard and Lucie
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 35 ƒcontinued from previous page We arrived in Florida in mid-December. Now that we have all the time in the world, we only sail in good conditions, we take time to visit everything that may be of interest, and we are meeting new sailors living the same dream. What more can you ask for? From Fort Lauderdale we sailed to West End in the Bahamas and the Abacos, Nassau, and all of the following islands. The fun part so far was that we were always going south and it was always summer. No more spring, fall or especially winter. Discovering so many wonderful people and spectacular places would take wa-a-a-y too long to describe here. After waiting for a good weather window we sailed from the Turks & Caicos to the Dominican Republic at Luperon. Six months had gone by so fast and we were only beginning. We flew back home for two weeks, seeing family and friends, all wondering how we were managing. It is funny to see how people perceive, and canÂt really relate to, our new style of life. IÂm sure that all of you boaters understand what I mean. LetÂs move on „ Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, St. Thomas, and the BVI, where we stayed for three months. Then St. Martin to Guadeloupe, stopping at most of the islands in between. Mind you, we donÂt have to stop at every island right now because we will pass back eventually. Lucie has family in Guadeloupe and hurricane season had started. Luckily for us her cousin was going back to Canada for seven weeks and wanted us to take care of her house in the meantime. Hard to refuse, wouldnÂt you say? We left the boat at Marina Basdu-Fort and enjoyed the earthling life again: pool, car, big washroom and no restrictions on water or showers. We took this opportunity to visit, in depth, all of Guadeloupe. It was also time to take care of Marie Galante because she needed a good clean-up, antifouling, waxing, etcetera „ you know the drill. We had a charter booked on our boat that was scheduled for January, so we sailed back up to the BVI. We stopped at Antigua, which we had not visited in the past, and celebrated Christmas in St. Martin where my daughter was. By the end of February, it was time to head south again. This time we stopped at Saba, which we recommend that everybody should visit. And of course we stopped at Marie Galante; we could not pass the island for which our boat is named. Dominica was next and then Martinique, where we stayed for three weeks at Grande Anse DÂArlet. We rented a car for three days to go around the island. We slept one night at the foot of Mt. Pelée in a small bedand-breakfast „ a real treat. From then on, every island south of Martinique would be new to us, with the goal being Grenada. I will spare you all the names of the islands from Martinique to Grenada. By the end of June, we were at St. GeorgeÂs Lagoon. Okay, back to the title of this story: falling in love with Grenada. The first things that we noticed were the beautiful view of the city and the Carenage from the lagoon, the warm welcome and help from the dock master of Port Louis Marina, and the reunion with cruising friends who were anchored close by. We were still not sure if we would remain here for hurricane season because we had friends from two other boats going to Venezuela and they wanted us to go with them. We still had three weeks before their arrival and decided to stay at the marina for that time. There you are close to everything, whether by foot or dinghy, and the buses are right here. Talking about the buses, well, you donÂt wait for them „ they are looking for you. We have traveled a lot and find GrenadaÂs bus system is unique and cheap „ EC$2.50 (about one US dollar) will take you most places you want to go. Already we felt something different about this place but were not sure what it was. On an island tour with friends we discovered the spice factories, plantations and, naturally, the rum distillery. I believe that was the beginning of our love story. Raymond (Maboat), our driver and guide, came to be a very good personal friend. The thing about Grenadians is that they are so welcoming: without prejudice, simple, honest and helpful. Even the street vendors do not harass you; if you say Âno, thanksÂŽ, they smile and wish you a good day. Now that is special, after living with other situations elsewhere! Every day I took a walk around the marina to see the ongoing expansion and renovation. ItÂs quite interesting if you like to see how things are built. At the beginning, the workers thought I was an inspector but soon found out that I was more curious than anything else and we became friendly. By the time our friends arrived to continue to Venezuela, Lucie and I had decided to stay here for hurricane season and to learn more about Grenada, especially since Carnival was around the corner and it would be our first one. Talk about having fun „ dancing, singing and drinking „ yes! We and some fellow cruisers joined hundreds and hundreds of local people, and they made us feel so much at ease and they were so happy that we celebrated Spice Mas with them. It was like being a part of the family, and thatÂs what you see and feel every day, everywhere on this island. I had to go back home for two weeks, and upon my return everyone whom I had met since our arrival greeted me with so much warmness, saying, Âwelcome back!ÂŽ „ and I felt that it came from the heart. It felt like we belong here. I could go on and on relating all sorts of daily situations, but to put it simply, Grenadians are just loving and warm people. It has been over five months now that we are here, and the feeling is still the same, so much so that we are in the process of exploring how to prolong our stay. To the people of Grenada who read this, please, please, please, donÂt change; keep that mentality that makes you so fine and unique. We love you. For those cruisers who have not had the chance to come here yet, donÂt wait „ put up the sail and come. You wonÂt regret it. To all the friends we made since the beginning of this adventure, we salute you wherever you are. We will be stationed at Port Louis Marina and hope to see you here. Safe and happy sailing!
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 36 Along the ÂWild SideÂ, BonaireÂs rocky east coast, is a magnificent lagoon known as Lac Bay. A mile-long reef runs along most of its entrance, blocking a turbulent sea fueled by constant Caribbean tradewinds. Within the bay, however, the water changes from a rich, indigo blue to an iridescent, dreamsicle green. Violent, churning waves give way to flat water. Depths run shallow with much of the bay only three to six feet deep. These conditions make Lac a perfect place for windsurfing, and tourists flock here by the thousands to take on the wind in smooth seas. In fact, this is home to the annual Dutch Antilles Windsurfing Challenge, an international event attended by Olympic-class windsurfers from around the globe and homegrown competitors like Patun Saragoza and Taty Frans. But Lac Bay is also known for something less thrilling than high-performance windsurfing. Less thrilling, that is, unless you are a turtle. The bay holds a bounty of nutritious sea grass. ÂGreen turtles are mostly herbivores. Their bread and butter are sea grass and algae. They maintain grazing fields here. They like the sea grass when itÂs young and tender and just eat that and move on.ÂŽ So says Dr. Robert Van Dam, a marine biologist who, for the past 20 years, has conducted research on turtles throughout the Caribbean. ÂLac Bay is a special place. ThereÂs a real pumping action of water going on. The wind-driven water gets pushed in and flows out a deeper channel. This high degree of circulation is unlike other mangrove-fringed bays in the Caribbean. Nutrients are brought in and out frequently so the bay is very suitable for sea life. Because of this, three hundred to five hundred turtles use Lac on a daily basis.ÂŽ Many of those turtles hail from other islands in the Caribbean, but come to Lac Bay specifically to eat. Between trips back to their origins to breed, many spend time at LacÂs sea grass smorgasbord dining on Thalassia testudinum , turtle grass, and Syringodium filiforme , manatee grass. ÂYou can see that,ÂŽ claims Van Dam. ÂIf you go snorkeling right outside of Lac, youÂll see all these turtles hanging out. This is their resting and digesting habitat. TheyÂve been so successful in feeding in an hour or two inside the bay that they just swim out and bunch up together. TheyÂre all fat and happy. They are even socializing outside the reef. The opportunity for feeding is so great at Lac. ItÂs just a magnet for green turtles.ÂŽ I took Van DamÂs advice and snorkeled just beyond the bayÂs reef on a day when the winds were low and the waves tempered. Visibility in these waters can easily reach 100 feet. The bottom was dotted with a forest of purple and green sea fans approaching ten feet in height. They moved to the undulating rhythm of incoming swells making for a dreamlike, aquatic dance below. And then there were the turtles „ layers of them. I spotted more than 50 during my hour-long snorkel. There were brawny, green turtles weighing well over 100 pounds. Hawksbills were also present with their distinctive beaks and dark-colored shells. The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay had served these turtles well. „Continued on next page Main photo: A hawksbill turtle. The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay serves these turtles well Inset: STCBÂs Funchi Egbreghts with Red Berger. Red is among the cruiser volunteers who help with sea turtle conservation projects in Bonaire: ÂIt opens up a whole new world TURTLES IN PARADISEby Patrick Holian PATRICK HOLIAN KEVIN FAVREAU
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 37 „ Continued from previous page ÂThey came for the buffet,ÂŽ says Van Dam smiling, Âand the eatingÂs really good. ItÂs a nursery ground here for Caribbean green turtles.ÂŽ But there is trouble in paradise. The constant use of Lac Bay by windsurfers, waders, and other recreationists has begun to impact the sea grass beds, which can be easily destroyed if frequently trodden upon. Once eliminated, shore erosion can increase significantly, upsetting the local habitat. ÂThe importance of sea grass goes beyond turtles,ÂŽ explains Mabel Nava, manager for the not-for-profit organization, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB). ÂThese beds are important because they retain substrate sediment. They clean the water. They also serve as a buffer to the constant wave action. The sea grass protects the beaches that we all enjoy at Lac.ÂŽ To that end, STCB spearheaded an effort with BonaireÂs national park organization, STINAPA, the not-for-profit Progressive Environmental Solutions and local Lac Bay beach businesses to protect the grass. They installed Âno-go zonesÂŽ with floating buoys and ropes that encircle sea grass beds in waters used frequently by swimmers, kayakers and windsurfers. The boundaries serve as a reminder not to step inside these vulnerable areas. ÂThose beds are too shallow and too busy for sea turtles to visit,ÂŽ adds Robert Van Dam. ÂBut it is a great beginning to let people know that these are special places. Sea grass is a nursery for a whole bunch of organisms important to Lac.ÂŽ ÂIn the near future, weÂre placing Âturn around buoys to protect other sea grass beds where turtles do feed,ÂŽ continues Nava. ÂCurrently, windsurfers often turn around in this area as they cruise Lac and step on the grasses in the process. The buoys will warn the windsurfers before they reach this area.ÂŽ STCB is also involved in data collection of sea turtles. Twice a year the group captures turtles in Lac Bay. Before releasing them, the turtles are measured, weighed, photographed, given ID tags and inspected for general health. All this information goes into a database and individual turtles can be tracked over time. Van Dam, who works as a scientific advisor for STCB, has been impressed by some of the results. ÂThe big Âwow factor is the growth rates of these animals. During our data collection weÂve discovered that theyÂre growing six to eight centimeters (four to five inches) per year. ThatÂs the highest growth rate for juvenile green turtles in the world.ÂŽ Volunteers are vital for a grass-roots organization such as STCB. In addition to the activities at Lac Bay, helpers work on beach cleanups, water surveys, sea turtle satellite tracking, and nest monitoring. ÂWe have only two paid staff, field specialist Funchi Egbreghts and myself as manager,ÂŽ explains Nava, Âso volunteers are essential for us. But I especially like working with the visiting sailors and cruisers who volunteer. They are people who are familiar with the sea. TheyÂre usually good swimmers or drive boats or do things that are really helpful for us. And they love turtles because they love the sea.ÂŽ I found this to be true when I met ÂRedÂŽ Berger who is in Year Five of a Caribbean cruise with her husband Tom. They own a steel-hulled Endurance 44 ketch, Katana , which they call home. ÂThey are majestic when you swim with them,ÂŽ declares Berger. ÂI would never been able been able to pick out a sea turtle so easily before. Now when I swim from our mooring, I can easily spot a turtle. I know what to look for, so thatÂs pretty cool. It opens up a whole new world.ÂŽ Red usually accompanies STCBÂs Funchi Egbreghts to survey the nesting turtles three times per week. They search the beaches of BonaireÂs west coast and those of offshore island, Klein Bonaire, for signs of nesting activity. It takes about 60 days for sea turtle eggs to hatch. When they do, STCB tries to be there in order to get an accurate count of the hatchlings. These numbers are added to the database, but the team, at times, helps hatchlings reach the sea to what is the start of a perilous beginning. ÂIf conditions arenÂt perfect, we give the hatchlings a little help by moving obstructions, etcetera,ÂŽ says Egbreghts. ÂThey face a lot of predators in the beginning of their lives including shore birds, fish and crabs.ÂŽ ÂItÂs like being part of The Discovery Channel,ÂŽ adds Berger. ÂFor me, working with the turtles is really cool, but there are other benefits. You sail to a place and the volunteering lets you meet the local people. Otherwise I wouldnÂt know Funchi and have gone out to his farm and hung out with his father. ItÂs just the right thing to do. YouÂve given back a little of what theyÂve given you. If youÂre a cruiser and youÂre not taking advantage of this, you donÂt know what youÂre missing.ÂŽ ÂOne year we did the netting-data collection in Lac entirely with visiting sailors as volunteers,ÂŽ adds manager Nava. ÂNormally the cruisers are here two to three months, so itÂs perfect. We even have cruisers who return to volunteer again and again. January through April is a good time to contact us since we are busy doing in-water surveys around Bonaire. After that, we start with the nesting season. These are perfect times for sailors to plan their visit here if they would like to volunteer.ÂŽ Back at Lac Bay, I walk the sandy shore with Robert Van Dam who is talking numbers. ÂToday, we only have about 100,000 adult sea turtles in the entire Caribbean Sea, whereas there were probably at least 10 million before Columbus arrived. Can you imagine what places like Lac must have been like? These waters were just teeming with turtles. I expect there could have been 3,000 to 5,000 turtles in the bay here back then.ÂŽ As I look out over the vast lagoon, I try to imagine that time long ago. The water is sparkling gold in the afternoon sun. Suddenly, I spot the silhouetted head of a sea turtle breaking the surface for a quick breath of air. That timely glimpse gives me hope that the turtles will always return to feast at Lac Bay as long as it is well preserved. I know I will always return, simply to see them. For more information on Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire visit www.bonairenature.com/turtles When not writing for Caribbean Travel & Life, Sailing Magazine or Earth Island Journal , Patrick Holian is often at the helm of his 14-foot catboat, Kontentu , sailing the leeward coast of Bonaire. Local boys inspect a green turtle during data collectionPATRICK HOLIAN
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 38 JANUARY 2010 ARIES (21 Mar 20 Apr) While boat-business sails are backed, feel free to indulge in romance, which will prove a blissful distraction as the New Year gets underway. TAURUS (21 Apr 21 May) ItÂs love AND lust on the breeze this month, sailor, so enjoy it! Treat yourself well and splurge a bit as a reward for all your recent hard work in the boatyard. GEMINI (22 May 21 Jun) As 2010 is launched, adverse currents in your love life will slow forward motion on your creative cruising ambitions. DonÂt fret „ the tide will turn in your favor during the third week. CANCER (22 Jun 23 Jul) Personal relationships and onboard creativity will be in irons this month, and youÂll feel a general lack of drive. Not a problem „ lounging around on deck with a cold beer may be just the ticket. LEO (24 Jul 23 Aug) Other than a lack of energy and a lackadaisical attitude, this will be a dead calm month! Find a good Âbeach bookÂŽ and enjoy it. VIRGO (24 Aug 23 Sep) The Horse Latitude conditions in your life will extend till the end of this month. You might do well to join Cancer on deck with a coldie. LIBRA (24 Sep 23 Oct) Business and finances are slogging to windward with a dirty bottom, and there could be some squalls in your love life. But stay on course and youÂll reach a safe haven. SCORPIO (24 Oct 22 Nov) Prepare to reef! Romance, which has been smooth sailing of late, may meet some rough weather in the third week. You didnÂt whistle for wind, did you? SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov 21 Dec) Get to work, sailor; the holidays are over. Any new boat projects you are working on had best be concluded before the end of the month. CAPRICORN (22 Dec 20 Jan) After all the holiday excitement, arguments and misunderstandings could make your love life squally. Raise the storm sails of humor and youÂll sail right on through. AQUARIUS (21 Jan 19 Feb) Sails will be slack and seas glassy until the last week. ItÂs the perfect time to touch up the varnish to make your floating love nest ready for romance to sail in during the last week. PISCES (20 Feb 20 Mar) Happy New Year! Enjoy a month of ease. Lie on the hook in a favorite anchorage and just enjoy life. Crossword Solution ACROSS 1) PERIGO 3) PAST 7) FOLLOWING 11) IN 12) APPROVE 14) CAM 15) SLOWS 17) AFTWARD 20) IT 21) ATE 23) SINO 25) AFTERMOST26) GO 27) HALF 29) WITCH 30) GONERIL 33) SAILS 35) YARD 36) SEWS 37) END 39) TILLER 41) AFTER 42) ATOLL 44) SIT 46) SEEPS 47) FACES DOWN 1) PELAGIC 2) OF 3) PLACED 4) AO 5) SWIMS 6) TIN 8) OVER ATE 9) GLOWING 10) LOST 13) PEAK 16) STOOL 18) WATCH 19) RERIG 22) NOON 23) STORMY 24) YAWL 25) AFTCASTLE 28) LI 31) ORDERS 32) LARDERS 33) SW 34) SALES 36) SEAM 38) DATA 40) ILE 43) OS 45) IF WHY? For what am I searching? Why do I walk these dusty lanes? Why do I sail this azure sea? Long ago, Before classes and degrees; Before funerals of parents and loved ones; Before jobs and mortgages and taxes; Before all lifeÂs absurdities; There was a boyƒ Skin brown from the August sun; Eyes sparkling like the summer sky; There were butterflies dancing In the lush green hills. There were brown trout swimming In the bubbling stream. There were wildflowers swaying In the soft, warm breeze. There was a rainbow arching After a gentle rain. As I walk these dusty lanes I sometimes hear his spirit Woven into the laughter, The carefree laughter of the islands. As I sail from one island to the next, Sometimes, I see his eyes As the sunÂs rays sparkle Off the rippling sea. Before I cross the line, Before I join the echoes, Before I become a memory, IÂd like to find that boy. Yesterday, For a moment, I thought I saw him. Blue eyes sparkling, Face brown from the sun. I blinked and he was gone, Leaving only me in the mirror.„ John Rowlandbela-toon I s l a n d Island P o e t s Poets A. THODY
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 39 Word Search Puzzle solution on page 49 Word Search Puzzle by Pauline Dolinski Compass Cruising Crossword ÂAFTER ACROSS1) Mediterranean lateen-rigged vessel 3) What comes 41 Across present 7) Seas coming from aft are said to be this 11) Not out 12) Confirm or give sanction to 14) Lobe on an engine shaft 15) A dirty bottom _____ the boat 17) Towards the stern 20) That thing 21) Consumed 23) Prefix pertaining to China 25) Farthest astern 26) __ to sea: get underway 27) ____ deck: the 41 Across part of a navel vesselÂs gun deck 29) Sea _____ ketch, an Angelman design 30) King LearÂs eldest daughter 33) Jib, main, mizzen, spanker, etcetera 35) A spar crossing the mast horizontally 36) A sailmaker ____ 33 Across 37) The transom is at the 41 Across ___ of the boat 39) Dinghy steering device 41) Subject of this puzzle 42) Circular coral island 44) Do this on a chair 46) Slow leaks 47) Compasses cards are their ______ DOWN1) Wandering offshore 2) Cat __ nine tails 3) Came in, as in a regatta 4) __tearoa: Maori name for New Zealand 5) A bird flies; a fish _____ 6) Substance now banned from antifouling paint 8) Consumed too much (two words) 9) In phosphorescent seas, the water is _______ 10) ____ at sea: missing underway 13) The end of a gaff 16) Channel to which backstay can be set up 18) Set a night one on deck in a strange harbor 19) Do this after dismasting 22) Time to take a sextant sight 23) ______ Weather: famous yacht or song 24) Boat with mizzenmast set aft of the sternpost 25) An elevation at the stern in square-riggers 28) Symbol for lithium 31) Edicts from the captain 32) Melville and others wrote of the contents of ships _______ 33) A compass point (abbrev.) 34) The budget-minded cruiser looks for these 36) Where two deck planks meet 38) Organized information 40) ____-à -Vache is a small island in 33 Down Haiti 43) Operating system (abbrev.) 45) Â__ pigs had wingsƒŽ WdShPlbPliDliki Make a New YearÂs resolution to be more green in 2010. Start by doing this special puzzle, and when youÂre done reading this issue of Compass, pass it on or recycle it! © Caribbean Compass 2010 Crossword Solution on page 38
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 40 ELAINE OLLIVIERRE 2008 © PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PETIT ST. VINCENT RESORT Last month, we looked at how the carbon atoms in the world are recycled. Now letÂs look at how the ocean plays a part in the carbon cycle. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are caused by excess greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere. The gases trap heat close to the EarthÂs surface. Global warming would be much worse if the ocean didnÂt absorb a great deal of the carbon dioxide. In fact, scientists believe that it probably absorbs around 50 percent of the carbon dioxide produced when fossil fuels such as coal and oil are burned. What happens to the carbon dioxide that is absorbed? Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water than it is in warm water so it dissolves in northern seas, sinks down and is carried on the Âconveyor belt of ocean currents to warmer water further south in the tropics. There it comes to the surface and escapes to the atmosphere. This process may take many years. The ocean also contains large amounts of microscopic plant plankton ( phytoplankton ), which use up carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. When the phytoplankton die, they sink to the ocean floor. Some get buried in the mud of the ocean floor. Some decay and release carbon dioxide back into the water and, eventually, back into the air. So, if carbon dioxide is being continually recycled between the atmosphere and the sea, why are scientists worried? Too much carbon dioxide in the water makes larger amounts of carbonic acid there. Carbonic acid dissolves calcium carbonate, which is the chief building material of coral reefs and of the shells of many marine animals. Scientists have studied the thickness of the shells of tiny animals called foraminifera (forams). Forams also sink to the ocean floor when they die so it is possible to compare the thickness of the shells of new forams with the thickness of the shells of the dead ones found on the sea bottom. The newer shells were thinner by about one-third, almost certainly caused by a more acidic ocean. The survival of these tiny animals is vital to the survival of all animals further up the food chain. And no one knows how the loss of coral reefs and other marine creatures whose shells and skeletons are destroyed by carbonic acid would affect the future working of the carbon cycle. Experiment to demonstrate what happens when acid meets calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate comes in many forms, like coral, chalk, marble, and eggshell. To demonstrate what happens when calcium carbonate comes into contact with acid, leave a piece of chalk or (dead) coral or eggshell in a cup of soda water. You should see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas rising up and, eventually, your calcium carbonate sample will waste away. If youÂd like to see it happen more quickly, use lime juice or vinegar instead of soda water. by Elaine OllivierreHello! My name is Dollyand my home is in the sea.DOLLYÂS DEEP SECRETSÂDragons, doux-doux ? I donÂt think theyÂve really gone anywhere,ÂŽ answered SillaÂs grandmother. Silla was only six years old and the questions she asked her grandmother were hard for the old lady to answer. Granny had been brought up in the country on a Caribbean island of mountains and rivers where, as a child, she had never heard of dragons or seen a TV. All that the children feared back then were the local spirits, such as the Soucouyant and the Mage Noir, and even now, Granny kept little bags of garlic by the doors and windows to keep out night-prowling spirits. GrannyÂs own kind of spooks she could handle, but not the bloodthirsty vampires and dragons that featured so dramatically on TV these days. Oh, she understood why children loved them, because as children, she and her friends loved to be scared by stories of evil forest creatures just waiting to carry them off. But dragons? She would just have to make up a story to satisfy Silla or the child would never stop pestering her. ÂBut if dragons have never really gone, where are they?ÂŽ persisted Silla. ÂWell, I didnÂt want to tell you this, but all the dragons are up there in Morne Diablo.ÂŽ ÂYou mean this very Morne Diablo in this very island?ÂŽ Silla shivered as she sat on her grandmotherÂs wide and comfy lap. ÂThatÂs what IÂve heard, child. And whatÂs more, they come down from their mountain caves and gobble up stray animals like cats and dogs and anything they can get their claws on. The smaller animals they eat where they find them, the larger ones they carry off to their evil-smelling dens!ÂŽ ÂDo they carry off children as well?ÂŽ asked Silla, her eyes wide with pleasurable fright. ÂYou never can tell, but I havenÂt heard of any children who have gone missing latelyƒŽ That night Silla dreamed about dragons in the mountain that loomed over the island, and in the morning, as it was Saturday and no school, she determined to walk as far as she could to Morne Diablo and see for herself. Silla didnÂt get very far as the mountain was a long way off and her legs were very small, but she looked about the worn path for any signs of dragons having stopped for a meal. Just as she was about to go home as her tummy was rumbling with hunger she heard a little mewing bleat from behind a boulder. Silla trembled with fear and would have run down the hill as fast as she could, but her legs wouldnÂt obey her and she stood as if a dragon had breathed cold fire over her. The small bleat came again, and then a little head peeped around the rock. It was the strangest creature that Silla had ever seen. It had a face like a lamb, but rising from its head and running down the length of its squat little body were claw-like spikes that rose and fell as it bleated. It had tiny wings pressed against its sides and a tail with an arrowÂs head at the end. Every part of the little creature, including its short legs and clawed feet, glowed on and off in all the colours of the rainbow. It had to be a baby dragon! And who could resist such a cute creature? Not Silla, so she had her arms wrapped about it in an instant. She picked it up and staggered off with it, intending to take it home and care for it. But Silla didnÂt get very far as the baby dragon was too heavy. So she hid it behind a bush, told it to wait there for her, and ran home. ÂGranny, Granny, IÂve found a baby dragon!ÂŽ Silla gasped as she burst into the old ladyÂs kitchen. Granny was just putting out some bakes and little fried fish for lunch but she stopped and spun around to face her granddaughter. ÂWhat?ÂŽ she demanded, forgetting all about her story of dragons the day before. ÂThere are no such things as dragons!ÂŽ ÂBut there are, there are, you said so „ and IÂve found a baby dragon lost and hungry on the path up the mountain and I have to get some milk to take back and feed it!ÂŽ ÂNow just you sit down and get hold of yourself, young lady. For a start, what were you doing taking that path to Morne Diablo when youÂve been told not to?ÂŽ ÂBut Granny, you told me that dragons lived in the mountain so I went to see for myself, but it was too far.ÂŽ Silla began to sob. The old ladyÂs heart softened at once and she took Silla in her arms and told her it was all right, and after they had eaten the bakes and fish she and Silla would take a bottle of milk and go and feed the baby dragon. Of course, Granny believed she would find a deformed lamb, abandoned by its mother on the path, so she would bring it home and care for it. Silla gobbled down her lunch and fidgeted until her grandmother had eaten. Then, taking some milk, a cup and a clean piece of cloth to let the lamb suck from it, as Granny didnÂt have a babyÂs bottle with a teat, they left the little cottage and made their way slowly up the mountain path. It was a long, hot walk but at last Silla recognized the bush where she had hidden the baby dragon. She raced ahead, calling out, ÂIÂm back, little dragon, and IÂve brought you some milk.ÂŽ A little mewing sound reached GrannyÂs ears and then a little head pushed its way out from under the leafy bushƒ Did Granny find a dragon or a lamb? Read the end of this exciting story in next monthÂs issue of Caribbean Compass! CRUISING KIDS CORNER Where Have All the Dragons Gone? Part Oneby Lee Kessell
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 41 The Planets in January MERCURY You have a shot at seeing Mercury this month. It rises the earliest (so, farthest from the rising sun) on the 22nd at around 5:00AM. Look east-southeast to the left of the hook in Scorpio. VENUS Nope. Venus will swing around the far side of the Sun (superior conjunction) on the 11th, meaning it is too darn close to the sun for the month. EARTH Would not return my calls. MARS Rising around 9:00PM at the beginning of the month and then earlier and earlier as it moves through Cancer. JUPITER An Âevening starÂŽ all month setting in the west around 7:00 to 8:00PM. SATURN Rising between 11:00PM and midnight all month and sitting in Virgo. Sky Events This Month 1st to 5th Quadrantids meteor shower. Look for increase in meteor activity in the east in the early morning hours. Meteors look to be coming from Bootes, which rises around 2:00AM. 3rd Earth at perihelion. What? Yes, at midnight the Earth is its closest to the Sun. Yep, that happens in the winter. See below. 15th New Moon 15th Annular eclipse of the sun; nicely visible off the coast of Somalia but if youÂre sailing there you have other things to watch out for! 17th Look for Jupiter and the pretty crescent moon setting in the west around 7:00PM. 29th Mars in opposition AND closest to the Earth. This means Mars is fully illuminated by the sun like a full moon, except itÂs Âfull MarsÂŽ. 30th Full Moon Elliptical Orbits Sometimes we learn stuff in school Âtoo muchÂŽ. Somewhere along your journey through junior high or high school you probably learned that the orbits of the planets around the sun are elliptical in shape. Johannes Kepler figured this out and Isaac Newton then showed that it had to be so, given what he worked out about gravity. This is all fine but then you see diagrams like Figure Two. The spirit of these diagrams is fine. It shows the ÂellipticalnessÂŽ of the orbit with the sun at the focus of the ellipse. But, like a lot of astronomy things, the scale is all out of whack. Never mind that if you draw the ellipse on a standard sized piece of paper the size of the Earth is less than the width of the line drawn to represent the ellipse. ItÂs the ellipse itself I want to talk about. Figure Three is the EarthÂs orbit drawn to scale. Well, I tried anyway. At this scale the long axis of the ellipse is 6 inches and the shorter axis is 5.999 inches! Neither the sun nor the Earth shows up on this scale the Earth being about 3/10,000 of an inch in diameter and the sun being 3/1000 of an inch. WeÂre down to individual pixels being bigger than what we want to draw! ItÂs easy to see then that our nearness to the sun has little to do with our seasons while our tilt to the sun has everything to do with it. To Contemplate While Having a Glass of Wine on Deck The SETI project is still out there. For years now they have been searching the sky for radio signals from intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. For the last ten years theyÂve done a clever computer thing. They take in about a kabillion bushels of data every second as they scan the sky. There is no computer big enough to process all that data. But, what if you gave a kabillion home computers one bushel of data? ThatÂs what theyÂve done. Basically they have wired millions of home computers together via the internet to make a giant parallel processing computer. (You can learn more and sign up here: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/) So, what do we do when and if a signal does come in? What if we can tell that itÂs from 100 light years away? What if they just say, ÂStop thatÂŽ? How will we react as a people if we could really, really know that someone else was out thereƒ And they have radio but no DJs? More wine? Scott Welty is the author of The Why Book of Sailing, Burford Books © 2007. THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!The Sky in January by Scott Welty Figure Two, above: Typical graphic showing the elliptical earth orbit. Notice relative sizes of the orbit, the sun and the Earth. (Graphic courtesy of University of Tennessee Physics Dept.) Figure Three, at left: The EarthÂs orbit to scale: 6ÂŽ the long way and 5.999ÂŽ the short way. Can you see which is which? Figure One: Mars on the 29th at 10:30PM. In theory at its brightest, but the nearness of the nearly full moon makes a day or two later or earlier better viewing
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 42 CREW VACANCIES!email: crew@tradewindscruiseclub.comTradeWinds Cruise Club operate a fleet of catamarans across six destinations in the Caribbean. We are the fastest growing charter company, operating TERM CHARTERS, all inclusive, 7 days. We are looking for crew, mainly teams in the form of a Captain and a Chef/Hostess. We prefer couples that are married OR have been living together for at least a year. The nature of the job is such that the better the understanding and teamwork between Captain and Chef the more successful your charters will be. Requirements: Captain with a Skipper's licence. Chef/Hostess with a basic understanding of cooking. Dive master/ instructor for either the Captain and/or Chef is a plus. We offer full training onsite in the Caribbean. This is a FUN job with great earning potential. If you are willing to work hard and have a positive disposition to life this could be your DREAM job. Anyone with an interest is welcome to apply. If you would like more information about this job or send your CV to us, please use this email address: crew@tradewindscruiseclub.comor by mail to: Bequia Marina, P.O.Box 194BQ, Port Elizabeth, Bequia, St Vincent & the Grenadines Tel. St Vincent +784 457 3407 Tel. St Maarten +599 5510550 THE CRUISING SAILOR`S CHANDLERY SINCE 1990 AMERON ABC 3 TIN FREE SELF POLISHING ANTIFOULING PAINT CORNER: MIRANDA C O R N E R : M I R A N D A& GUARAGUAO, PUERTO LA CRUZ, VENEZUELA & G U A R A G U A O , P U E R T O L A C R U Z , V E N E Z U E L A TEL: 58 (281) 265-3844 E-MAIL : xanadumarine@cantv.net T E L : 5 8 ( 2 8 1 ) 2 6 5 3 8 4 4 E M A I L : x a n a d u m a r i n e @ c a n t v . n e t Caribbean Books for Teens: MACMILLANÂS ISLAND FICTION For 40 years, Macmillan has been one of the leading publishers of school textbooks for the Caribbean. During that time they created the Macmillan Caribbean imprint and have published books for and about the Caribbean in all subjects and at all levels. In 2006 they began activating plans to launch a brand-new fiction series aimed at boys and girls aged 12 to 15, with novellas based around fantasy/science-fiction themes and the legends and folklore of the Caribbean. The six books in the series are all paperback, and about 200 pages. These should be of interest not only to Caribbeanborn teens, but to teen-aged expatriate residents and visitors as well. Three of the books in the series are reviewed here. The others are Legend of the Swan Children , by Maureen Marks-Mendonca; Escape from Silk Cotton Forest , by Frances C. Escayg; and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom , by Helen Williams. The latter two were reviewed in the August 2009 issue of Caribbean Compass . Time Swimmer , by Gerald Hausman Time Swimmer is the story of a young Jamaican, Luke, who befriends an ancient storytelling sea turtle called Odysseus. Together they travel through Caribbean time, righting wrongs and saving lives „ the pirate, Henry Morgan, for one; and Cyparis, the only survivor of the Mount Pelée volcano that killed 28,000 people in Martinique in 1902, to name another. The novel is full of spiders that are men and lizards that are gods, all mixed together in a pepperpot stew of fantastic spice that blends fiery history with delectable fantasy. To me, the greatest thing about this book was its emphasis on Caribbean history long forgotten or, more accurate to say, not known by many of todayÂs youths. Although it is history, it isnÂt boring. By using visual and sound imagery, the writer gives a colourful edge to these various historical events. Furthermore, the writer also tries to have the reader gain a sense of the courage, intelligence and strength of the characters, by describing the conflict in the plot between Luke and Odysseus and the various gods. The gods in the novelette typically represent obstacles and signs in a characterÂs life, or a helping hand achieving set goals. There isnÂt much this book lacks for it is funny, imaginative and rather innovative. The Chalice Project , by Lisa Allen-Agostini Twins, Ada and Evan Brijlal, eat junk food, fight at school and are normal Trinidadian children in every way „ or so it seems. Their father Steven, a genius scientist, desperately wants to protect his children from his reckless past. Now the future has caught up with them and Time as we know it may never be the same. A sneaky search for the mother they long to know leads them to a Jamaican laboratory and mind-blowing revelations. A secret potion and the mysterious Chalice Project are the childrenÂs only clues to uncovering their true identities. At the beginning, the plot was centered on genetics. Its later plot was centered on time travelling, telepathy and various mysterious events from the time of the childrenÂs conception leading up to the realization that they had super-human abilities. „Continued on next page BOOK REVIEWS BY CHERIAN GORDON
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 43 B B E Y O N D EYOND T T H E HE I I S L A N D S SLANDS ÂJames Mitchell was one of the longest serving Leaders in modern democracy. This book tells you why.ÂŽ „ The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major, Prime Minister, United Kingdom ÂExtremely well written, very informative and very easy to read. The hours I spent with it in my hands were very enjoyable.ÂŽ „ The Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien, Prime Minister, Canada ÂIndeed a book worth reading by all West Indians and ought to be in the national, university and school librariesƒ an excellent piece of work.ÂŽ „ Judge Anthony Lucky, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, The Hague ÂWhatever oneÂs political bent, this book should provide interesting reading. It gives an insight into the human family man as well as the politician. It simply tells the story of the life of a man: the circumstances, experiences and decisions which came together to propel him Âbeyond the islands and onto the international stage.ÂŽ „ Jam Rock Magazine Available in Bequia at NoahÂs Arkade and the Bequia Bookstore, in Mustique at BasilÂs General Store, or on the Internet at amazon.co.uk and amazon.com „ Continued from previous page I expected The Chalice Project, as a part of the Island Fiction series, to follow the Caribbean folklore theme of the other books in the series, but it doesnÂt. Actually the only common aspect this book has with the others was that its scenes were set on a Caribbean island; other than that, it was merely science fiction. DonÂt get me wrong though, it was still a pretty good read „ great for passing the time. Night of the Indigo , by Michael Holgate Marassa, a 15-year-old Jamaican boy, is catapulted into a wondrous world of Natural Mysticism. His twin brother Wico is dying and no doctor on earth can save him. Guided by Kundo, the mystic warrior, Marassa transcends time and matter into an unknown dimension, a planet called Orunda. If he accepts his responsibility as a Marshal or Warrior of Light he can rescue his brother from the clutches of death. But first he must make a spine-tingling journey, confront the challenges of mind and spirit and meet the beautiful and exotic princess Ayoka. As his mystic gifts awaken, Marassa must learn to master the very power that threatens, before the Night of the Indigo Moon. If he doesnÂt, then the power surging within will destroy him and all he holds dear. Can he overcome all obstacles and prove that he is worthy of the name Marshal? I am going to be a little biased here and say that I think this is the best book of the series. The book is dramatic, funny, mysterious, imaginative, and every other adjective known to man that could describe a well-written novelette. A tale of unknowing faith, different worlds, deep understanding, pain and triumph is the root of this story that culminates in everlasting happiness and redemption. In gathering a personal understanding of this novelette, one could say itÂs figurative, and if read between the lines its true story unfolds: the story of life. ItÂs about growing up, the choices that we are faced with, right and wrong, trials and temptations. One could say that becoming the Marshal is MarassaÂs lifeÂs purpose and, in reality, everyone has to plot his or her own course to becoming a Marshal per se . The story also contains near-death drama and the emotions that go along with it. Marassa uses those feelings to excel, and so it should be done, for sorrow carries no way forward. ItÂs the basics of everyday life in a compellingly beautiful story. These books are available at bookstores or from www.Macmillan-caribbean.com Cherian Gordon, a recent graduate of Bequia Community High School, is currently residing in England.
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 44 Gourmet Food is my key to success in the kitchenChristian Fredriksson, Chef, Sweden Supermarket & whole sale VISIT OUR NEW OUTLET!Calliaqua St.Vincent & the Grenadines E-mail: gourmetfood@vincysurf.com Shop 118 Kingstown Cruiseship Terminal The best supplier of chilled, frozen and canned food from all around the worldCALL 456 2987 TO PLACE YOUR ORDER! Don't forget, we deliver daily to the plane and ferry services for our valued Grenadines customers New in Bequia: Ocar (Next to GYE) Just Five IngredientsI have a new invention. It is engineered from a great deal of research and personal experience. Every person over 50 will want one. The production materials are kind to the environment. The cost is affordable. It is a small rubber or plastic suction cup with a length of brightly coloured organic woollen yarn attached to it. I can market various models starting at 50 feet and running up to 200 feet in length. The suction cup is firmly attached to any cordless phone on board and the yarn is left to trail behind, allowing you instantly to find where you last left it. IÂll make millions. Cooking can often be an experience similar to trying to find the cordless phone when you need it. Our materialistic society encourages the acquisition of more ingredients, equipment, tools and gadgets than we could ever possibly use in one month, let alone one day or for any single meal. Try this enlightening experiment sometime. Count your collection of pots, frying pans, baking dishes, casseroles, Dutch ovens and any other container that you can cook in. Add to this number all the equipment, tools and gadgets, both useful and whimsical, you have in your galley. Even without considering all your stored ingredients, the number will astound you. There always is that favorite tool or utensil that you never can find when itÂs needed. I have a favorite stirstick carved from lignum vitae hardwood. I almost hyperventilate if I canÂt lay my hands on it when food needs stirring. The other day I was unable to locate a red-handled potato peeler, the only device I use for peeling fruit and vegetables. It is fantastic. But, for the life of me, I couldnÂt find it. To add embarrassment to frustration, my wife, Willa, pulled open the drawer I had just closed after rummaging around in search of the peeler, and there it was. Right out in the open. How could I have missed it? I shook my head in disbelief and shuffled off, mumbling under my breath about the Zen of soy products or something equally as blasphemous. Our lives are filled with too much stuff. One truism is that we never own stuff; stuff owns us. You can imagine my delight when I opened a gift that Willa gave me recently. It was a food calendar from England with a recipe for each month of the coming year. And each recipe contains only five ingredients. What a refreshing thought; only five ingredients to track down in the galley! Too often we complicate our lives by trying to make them more complex than necessary. Granted, some dishes may involve several stages of preparation and cooking and are more involved than a simple egg, boiled in water and served on toast. However, Willa and I have always tried to provide recipes in our cookbooks that are not complicated. Availability of ingredients and items commonly found in todayÂs kitchen or galley is also a priority. Good food can be made with five ingredients. Here is a sample of one such recipe. Chops and Mushrooms in Sherry and Cream 2 large pork chops 2 Cups (500 ml) small, whole mushrooms 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) sherry 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) grainy Dijon mustard 3/4 Cup (150 ml) whipping cream sLine a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with canola oil. Lightly spray mushrooms with the oil. Season mushrooms and chops with salt and pepper. Place the chops in the broiler pan and grill for about 8 to 10 minutes until nicely browned. Turn chops and add mushrooms to pan. Return to broiler and cook another 7 to 8 minutes until mushrooms are browned and chops are cooked through. Sprinkle with sherry and stir mustard and cream into pan juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste and return pan under grill. Watch closely and serve when sauce is bubbling nicely. Spoon sauce over chops and mushrooms, serving with potatoes or rice and a green vegetable of your choice. This dish can also be prepared in a skillet on top of the stove. Use medium-high heat when cooking the chops and mushrooms. Reduce the heat slightly when incorporating the cream. Enjoy. If you have any cooking questions, donÂt hesitate to seek advice from Ross@Innonthecove.com by Ross Mavis
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 45 C I A O P I Z Z A CIAO PIZZA P I Z Z E R I A R E S T A U R A N T PIZZERIA RESTAURANTMulzac Square € Union IslandSt. Vincent & the Grenadines B I G S U C C E S S ! ! ! BIG SUCCESS!!!Just one year after opening, our affordable prices, high quality and welcoming staff have made CIAO PIZZA famous throughout the Grenadines. Come and enjoy the best Italian pizza, lasagne, pasta, daily fresh fish and seafood, prepared with love by the Chef ÂLa MariaÂŽ. Located in front of the main wharf at Clifton PIZZA and LASAGNE to take away! Open from 11am to 2 pm Â… 5pm to 10pm T e l : ( 7 8 4 ) 4 3 0 8 6 3 0 Tel: (784) 430 8630 I am from Germany, and the North Americans gave us the nickname ÂKrautsÂŽ. I know why, and I am not angry about that. We really do eat a lot of cabbage, not to mention our famous sauerkraut. In Germany, in autumn we buy cabbage in ten-kilo bags. The first ten kilos are gone within two weeks, then we buy the next ten kilos, which last a bit longer. If cabbage is available for a good price, we make sauerkraut aboard Angelos . It needs to ferment for at least six weeks. We have done this in Venezuela and in the Pacific. If anyone is interested I can give the recipe, which is as easy as the salad recipe given below. Contact me at syangelos@web.de The following recipes are easy to make onboard, and they really taste nice. You should try them. Bavarian Cabbage 1 small white cabbage (or half of a large one) 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1 onion 1 heaped teaspoon caraway seeds 1 teaspoon salt 1 to 2 Cups water 2 Tablespoons vinegar 2 teaspoons flour (approximately) 1/2 Cup of water Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about 3 mm thick. Cut the onions into pieces. Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT STOP stirring. Add the onions and caraway seeds, and stir quickly. The onions will get brown. (If they get black, the fire was too hot „ throw everything away and start again!) Add the cabbage, and stir till everything is mixed up nicely, about 2 minutes. Add salt and water, stir, put a lid on, reduce the heat as low as possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. When the cabbage is tender, add the vinegar. In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, stirring to thicken the mixture. The quantity of flour depends on how much liquid you have with the cabbage. We enjoy this Bavarian Cabbage with mashed potatoes and two fried eggs per serving. This also tastes very nice with some bacon. Red Cabbage 1 small red cabbage 1 onion 1 apple 5 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon sugar 3 Tablespoons vinegar 1 to 2 Cups water 1 teaspoon salt 7 whole cloves 1 piece of cinnamon 2 pieces of star anise 2 teaspoons flour 1/2 cup of water 5 Tablespoons goose fat (if available) Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about 2 to 3 mm thick. Cut the onions into pieces. Peel the apple, quarter it, and take out the core. Then cut the apple into thin pieces. Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT STOP stirring. Add the onions and pieces of apples, and stir quickly for a short time. Next add the red cabbage, and immediately add the vinegar to give the cabbage its nice colour. Add the water, salt, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Stir, cover the pot, reduce the heat as low as possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, and stir to thicken the mixture. Both of the recipes above will taste much better if they are prepared in the morning or a day before, and just heated up again for dinner. But if you prepare the cabbage a day before consuming, then keep it in the fridge. And what about a salad from white cabbage? Here comes the recipe: Krautsalat 1/2 large white cabbage 1 teaspoon salt Juice of one lemon or lime, or 2 Tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 onion cut into small pieces 2 tablespoons of butter melted till hot, OR 5 strips streaky bacon cut into small pieces and heated up in a frying pan till crispy and the grease swims in the pan, OR 1 Tablespoon good mayonnaise Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quarter head together, and cut the cabbage in very thin strips, about 1 to 2 mm thick. Put the shredded cabbage with the salt in a bowl and knead it with your fist and knuckles energetically for about 3 to 5 minutes. If the cabbage is fresh, then its juice will appear. Very good! Here you can exercise boxing; it means knead hard! The better you knead, the softer the cabbage will become. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, and the onion. Stir all up, and leave it for half an hour, maybe in the fridge. Melt the butter till it starts foaming, or fry the streaky bacon. Pour it (the bacon pieces with all the fat) over the salad, and stir all nicely. Tell me how you like it! CRUISING WITH CABBAGE by Angelika GruenerMARGO EGGINTON
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 46 BasilÂs Bar Mustique WE SHIP AROUND THE WORLD! Visit BasilÂ’s in Mustique or St. Vincentwww.basilsbar.com basils@vincysurf.comVisitors to Mustique are invited to:BASILÂ’S BAR AND RESTAURANT: BasilÂ’s Bar in Mustique was named one of the WorldÂ’s Ten Best Bars in 1987 by Newsweek and today lives up to that tradition. Recently renovated, the new face of BasilÂ’s Bar in Mustique is all that and more: offering fresh seafood, lobster in season, steaks and the best beefburger in the Caribbean. Now equipped with WIFI, you can enjoy sunset cocktails and catch up on the web. BasilÂ’s Bar is home of the only Blues Festival in the Caribbean. The Mustique Blues Festival takes place January 27 February 10, 2010. Breakfast service begins at 8:00am. Lunch 11:00am 6pm, and Dinner 7:30 until late. Come to BasilÂ’s for cocktails anytime and plan to attend the Wednesday Night Jump Up and BBQ. Call (784) 488-8350 or VHF 68. BASILÂ’S BOUTIQUE : Fabrics as bright as the sea and as light as air... perfect for island joy. Elegant island evening and playful day wear. For women, men and children, plus lots of T-shirts to take home. BasilÂ’s Boutique also offers silver and gemstone jewelry. BASILÂ’S GREAT GENERAL STORE: There is nothing general about Basil's Great General Store. Bountifully stocked with fine French wines, cheese from Europe, gourmet jams and sauces. Imported cigars and an unusual collection of books not to be missed. Fine foods in Paradise. Call (784) 488-8407. ACROSS FOREVER: Imagine decorating your home with antiques from Bali and India. Across Forever has a magnificent collection of furniture from Asia and beyond, contemporary pieces, home furnishings, fabulous lighting accessories and more. Shipping is easily and efficiently arranged. Call (784) 488-8407.Visitors to St Vincent are invited to:BASILÂ’S BAR: Located in Kingstown in an 18th century building named Cobblestone. Air conditioned, you will enjoy cocktails most delightful, the staff most welcoming and the meals are some of the best on the island. Now offering full catering services. Call (784) 457-2713. AT BASILÂ’S: Newly opened full service SPA located in Villa across from Young Island. Also At BasilÂ’s is a collection of beautiful bamboo furniture, contemporary pieces from Asia and beyond, and more. December 2009 Opening of a new coffee shop by the sea. Call (784) 456-2602 Read in Next MonthÂs Compass : So Much, So Little: San Blas A Grenadines Diving Diary Panama Canal Without Panicƒ and much more! Fennel is an herb that isnÂt used much in the Caribbean because of its limited availability, but it is worth seeking it out at specialty shops. I found mine growing at a nursery in Aranguez, Trinidad. Fennel is an attractive addition to my herb garden and spice shelf. It has a thick, perennial rootstock and can grow to five feet tall (not exactly suitable for growing aboard!), with an erect cylinder of bright green, smooth leaves. Every part of fennel is edible and it is considered both herb and spice. The swollen leaf base, or bulb, is eaten, and the seeds are used for flavoring. The leaves can be used as a garnish. Fennel has a delicate aniseed flavor and is often used to season fish and broths. Fennel leaves are used by French and Italian cooks in fish sauces and in mayonnaise. Fennel is an ingredient of Chinese Five Spices and of some curry powders. Fennel contains manganese, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin C. Fennel originated around the Mediterranean, and is now grown worldwide where climate permits. Fennel prefers hot dry, sunny conditions, yet can adapt. It was well known to the ancient Greeks who used it as a digestive remedy; it will reduce gas and stomach cramps. Ancients believed fennel seed helpful in eyesight, particularly curing nearsightedness. Fennel was once used to increase breast milk. In mediaeval times this herb was hung above doors to ward off evil spirits. Early New England Puritans chewed the seeds during town or church meetings, and fennel seeds are still used in India as an after-dinner breath freshener. Fennel is also thought to curb hunger „ great for dieters. It is even reputed to stimulate strength and courage, and increase the eaterÂs life span. Roasted Garlic and Fennel 3 heads garlic, peeled 2 fennel bulbs, sliced 1 bunch chives, chopped 1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional) pinch of salt 1 Tablespoon oil (canola preferred) Place peeled garlic bulbs and sliced fennel on a piece of foil and add chives, pepper, salt, and oil. Wrap tightly and put in an ovenproof dish. Bake at 350°F for half an hour. Seve as a spread for roti or bread. Roasted Fennel 2 fennel bulbs, sliced 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil (canola preferred) 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar In a bowl, stir fennel slices with oil and vinegar until they are coated. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 400°. Serve warm with roasted meats or fowl, or toss with steamed vegetables such as green beans or broccoli. Potato and Fennel Casserole 4 Tablespoons butter 2 pounds Irish potatoes, washed clean 1 fennel bulb pinch grated fresh nutmeg salt to taste 1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional) 1 Cup milk 1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese Slice fennel bulb and potatoes very thinly. Place half of the slices in a greased ovenproof dish and give them a dash of nutmeg and salt, and hot pepper if you choose. Cover with milk. Place more slices on top and cover with grated cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer to let cheese turn golden brown. Rice and Fennel Cake 2 Cups milk 1 Cup cooked rice 2 fennel bulbs, peeled and chopped small 1/2 Cup brown sugar 4 eggs 1 Tablespoon butter 2 to 3 Tablespoons bakerÂs flour In a suitable pot, scald the milk and stir in the rice and fennel pieces. Simmer for half an hour before stirring in the sugar. Remove from heat. Mix in one egg at a time. Slowly stir in the flour. Spoon mixture into a greased cake pan and bake covered at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Cool before serving. For the Gardener Since fennel grows so tall and can survive for years, place it where it will not shade or interfere with your other plants. A few plants about 20 inches apart are all thatÂs necessary for the average household. Plant seeds an inch and a half deep in well-worked soil. Fennel doesnÂt require much attention or water. A warning: fennel will cross-pollinate with dill weed, so do not plant these two herbs close together as their flavors will be dulled. After about four months collect the flowers before the seeds ripen. When dry, shake the seeds on to a white cloth. Pick fresh leaves and harvest the bulbs as needed. THE SPICE LOCKER BY SHIRLEY HALLItÂs Worth Finding Fennel
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 47 Real sailors use StreetÂs Guides for inter-island and harbor piloting directions, plus interesting anecdotes of people, places and history. StreetÂs Guides are the only ones that describe ALL the anchorages in the Eastern Caribbean.NEW! StreetÂs videos, first made in 1985, are now back as DVDs. € ÂTransatlantic with StreetÂŽ documents a sailing passage from Ireland to Antigua via the Cape Verdes. 2 hours € ÂAntigua Week Â85ÂŽ is the story of the engineless yawl Iolaire racing round the buoys to celebrate her 80th birthday. 1 hour € ÂStreet on KnotsÂŽ demonstrates the essential knots and line-handling skills every sailor should know. 1 hour € ÂStreetwise 1 and 2ÂŽ give tips that appeared in the popular video Sailing Quarterly, plus cruises in the Grenadines, Venezuela and southwest coast of Ireland DVDs available at Imray, Kelvin Hughes, Armchair Sailor/ Bluewater Books, and www.street-iolaire.com. Full information on DVDs at www.street-iolaire.com HURRICANE TIPS! Visit www.street-iolaire.com for a wealth of information on tracking and securing for a storm.StreetÂs Guides and DVDs are available at all Island Waterworld stores and at Johnson's Hardware, or from www.iUniverse.com and www.seabooks.com GOOD GUIDES ARE TIMELESSRocks donÂt move „ or if they do they are shown on up-to-date Imray charts. Regarding marine infrastructure, virtually every island puts out a free marine trade guide every year, which is much more up-to-date than any guide; similarly, the tourist departments put out a free annual guide for bars, restaurants and hotels. With all these updates readily available, StreetÂs guides are timeless. Stock Upon the widest selection and the best prices in Grenada at our two conveniently located supermarkets. Whether itÂs canned goods, dairy products, meat, fresh vegetables or fruits, toiletries, household goods, or a fine selection of liquor and wine, The Food Fair has it all and a lot more.HubbardÂsJONAS BROWNE & HUBBARD (GÂda.) Ltd. The Carenage: Monday Thursday 8 am to 5:30 pm Friday until 8:45 pm Saturday until 1:00 pm Tel: (473) 440-2588 Grand Anse: Monday Thursday 9 am to 5:30 pm Friday & Saturday until 7:00 pm Tel: (473) 444-4573 REMEMBER to tell our advertisers you saw their ad in Compass! Backstage at LarstonÂs Lobsters by Karen KleppaI close my eyes and melt with the taste of barbecued lobster. It seems to just dissolve in my mouth. IÂm on the beach in the Tobago Cays. ThereÂs a mound of lobster in front of my friends and me. The garlic potatoes are heavenly. For someone that doesnÂt usually like cooked vegetables, I canÂt seem to get enough of them. Around me the palm trees whisper against the sky and the waves softly lick the shore. An iguana runs through the bushes a few yards from the picnic tables. As the light fades, the candles on the tables are lit. Can one have it any better than this? Carolyn on Windborne III was right. When I told her where and what I was having for dinner she said, ÂYou lucky person; LarstonÂs lobsters are to die for!ÂŽ She was right. And I ask Larston what his special ingredient is and he smilesƒ. Larston and his boat Velocity II Lørdag are a familiar sight to many around the Tobago Cays and Union Island. Having crewed a couple times across the Atlantic on both Swedish and Belgian boats, Larston was one of the first to start doing barbecues in the Cays some ten years ago. What started as helping charter skippers create something special for their guests has caught on. In Kahlil GibranÂs The Prophet IÂve read that Âwork is love made visibleÂŽ. Both Larston and all the others who run the barbecues in the Cays have given pleasure to many through the years with their activities on the beach. Last season I got to go ÂbackstageÂŽ for a few weeks and see what all goes into creating these special meals. The days start EARLY. Larston and his nephew Glenroy are down at the harbor in Union just after the sun comes up, cleaning their boat and getting it ready. By 8:30 or 9:00AM Vee (and for a while I) has made the rounds of the grocery stores and fresh produce booths to get all the vegetables, fruits, garlic, spices and everything else we will need for the day and to make all the dinners. Sometimes they know ahead of time ÂapproximatelyÂŽ how many dinners there will be if people have ordered in advance. But most often they just have to guess at it „ and itÂs a long way to the closest grocery store once we have gotten to the Cays. Then itÂs off to Petite Martinique to pick up the fresh lobsters from the fishermen Larston has fishing for him there, then itÂs over to Mayreau to pick up a huge sack of charcoal. When we get to the Cays we raft up with the others who also offer barbecues but got there earlier than us, and we wait our turn to approach the newly arriving yachts. Especially since the Cays became a marine park, all the people offering different services to the visitors have devised a system of who gets to approach whom and when. Lunchtime. We make it right there on the water, rafted up. Food gets passed around to the others rafted up. This really is a day on the water (no biminis here). By late afternoon we have visited three boats and have orders for eight dinners. Sometimes people want to have the meals delivered to their boat. But today everyone wants to eat on shore. ItÂs time to head for the beach and start preparing the food. The potatoes get boiled first (over a fire), then cut and grilled. Glenroy starts cleaning the lobsters. Vee, Larston and I start cutting up all the vegetables. Garlic butter is one of the main ingredients, and it takes a quite a while to grate by hand all we will need. ThereÂs a special atmosphere. This evening there are four others also preparing food and sharing the two grills. If one person doesnÂt have enough fruit, they borrow from someone who does. Everyone is in a good mood. ItÂs a happy, lively bunch making dinners for more than 20 people. Everyone runs their own ÂbusinessÂŽ but they are all working together. Nice! Just before sunset most of the guests have arrived and found places at the picnic tables. ItÂs always a pleasure to present the huge platters of lobsters and hear all the oohs and aahhs . The food looks scrumptious and smells even better. ItÂs heartwarming to make things people like and appreciate. There is a festive atmosphere on the beach. No one goes away hungry, thatÂs for sure. By the time all the guests have eaten and left, all the dishes done, the garbage collected, the boats loaded up with equipment, utensils, pots and pans, itÂs late and dark dark dark. The boat ride back to Union goes under starry skies. IÂve learned what LarstonÂs Âspecial ingredientÂŽ is that makes his food so good. ItÂs just like The Prophet said: work is LOVE made visible. Enjoy! Glenroy, Vee, Karen and Larston adding the special ingredient
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 48 Dear Compass , MAYAG would like to thank the crew on S/V Cheetah II for their kind words in the November issue of Compass about the Royal Grenada Police Force and in particular Detective Garcia and his team. So often only the negative items are shared. Mindful of this, the Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG) sought to draw the published letter to the attention of the relevant authorities. MAYAG wishes to publicly thank Detective Garcia and team for the efforts taken to follow up with communication and information as he clearly managed to turn a negative incident into a positive one. Grenada and MAYAG know that safety and security are a prime factor when those on yachts decide where to go, and to have such a glowing testimony to GrenadaÂs law enforcement officers is a great benefit for our industry. All our marketing and promotional efforts are worthless if our clients do not feel they can remain safely in Grenada. Laura Fletcher, MAYAG Grenada Dear Compass , Thanks again for publishing my letter about trying to import our dog Darwin into Antigua in your November issue. In Grenada I got quite a few positive reactions from other dog owners. We also appreciate the reaction from John J. Duffy, President of the Antigua & Barbuda Marine Association. His comments didnÂt really clarify anything, but he invited yachtspeople who experienced problems to contact him at info@ abma.ag. Having written and sent a huge letter about our Jolly Harbour experience to the chief of the Antiguan agriculture department without hearing anything back, we tried our luck with Mr. Duffy. We sent a copy of the long, explanatory e-mail of our experiences to him a few weeks ago. At the moment, we are in St. Lucia, where we had another unsatisfactory experience checking Darwin in. Dogs are now allowed to be (temporarily?) imported into St. Lucia and we did so successfully four months ago. At that time, in Rodney Bay, a government vet came to our boat, Irie , to inspect Darwin, scan his microchip, check his paperwork and issue a permit, all for the price of EC$45. All was done in a professional manner and we didnÂt regret going through all the hassle and time to check our dog in. Plus, we now had a good experience in St. Lucia and we would come back. A week ago, we hoped to go through the same process with our dog, but in Soufriere this time, arriving to St. Lucia from the south. We had e-mailed the government vet in charge, Dr. King, weeks before arriving to see whether all formalities could be done in Soufriere and to confirm the cost. We never heard back from her. An hour after finishing our own formalities, Mark went to shore again and picked up an agricultural guy from Vieux Fort, ordered by the Customs official, and brought him to Irie to ÂseeÂŽ our dog. This person looked at Darwin, glanced through his paperwork and wrote something like Âveterinary inspected and approvedÂŽ plus the date on one of the sheets and that was it. No scanning of the microchip, no touching the dog, no official permit. We had to pay him EC$95 „ twice as much as the amount four months ago and without a receipt. That amount had been negotiated down from the EC$150 he initially wanted to charge. Since when are government fees negotiable? And how did this amount rise so steeply in a few months? Questions we asked in an e-mail to Dr. King, who hasnÂt yet gotten back to us. So, we feel it is impossible to do this dog check-in procedure ÂrightÂŽ, no matter how hard you try. It would be a challenge to write an article about dog import regulations and fees in the Caribbean with all the contradicting information you find online and given the mixed and non-conforming experiences we have had. ThatÂs probably why it never has been done or why the little information you find is outdated and incorrect. I just wanted to share this information and hope you understand our ongoing frustrations about legally taking our dog to the Caribbean islands. It becomes clearer to us every time why so few other cruisers bother. Keep up the good work at Caribbean Compass ! Liesbet Collaert Irie Hi there, Compass Readers, Just to let you know that Martinique is experiencing the same crime problem as many of the other islands. Please be more careful. We were in the marina at Le Marin, Martinique, having some last minor repairs done to our yacht under the Lagoon warranty. One night, 27th November, at round 2:30AM, Joe said he felt the boat move. A little later, he heard a soft cough. Someone had boarded our boat! This is very easy if the boat is tied on a pontoon at a marina. Joe got up and saw a man sitting on the inside step to our ÂpatioÂŽ. He called to me to get the camera, as there was someone on the boat. When he opened the door to confront the man, the noise of the lock alerted the guy, and he got up and jumped off the boat, and just walked away (such a cheek!). When he looked back and saw the camera (which he probably thought was a firearm), he began to run. We could not get a picture of him, but did report this to the marina staff, and they in turn reported it to the police. We did give them a fairly good description of the guy. Apparently this was not the first time this had happened, and they were getting closer to finding the offender. We checked to see if anything was taken, and fortunately the only thing that was actually taken and eaten „ we found the peels „ were all the bananas! A large plastic box containing our shoes is normally kept at the entrance to the yacht, below the steps. This was open, and the boarder had neatly lined up all JoeÂs shoes in pairs, perhaps to see which ones he wanted. Luckily he was disturbed before he made up his mind. This box of shoes happens to be the only thing left out at night when we lock up. Now we bring that in too! Two nights later, 29th November 2009, we were anchored out in Le Marin bay, and almost the same thing happened. Joe woke up to disturb a guy who had swum out to us, and was trying to steal our dinghy. He got a fright, left his wet shirt in the dinghy, and swam away. Try as we might, we could not see him in the dark „ he must have been able to hold his breath for an awful long time! He was not able to take the dinghy because we had it locked to the yacht with quite a heavy chain. We are very vigilant about keeping things secure because there are numerous stories of this kind of thing happening. It just sucks to have it happen to us as well! Joe and Mercia Yacht Free to Be Dear Compass Readers, Imray is in the process of re-drawing the following charts: A 231, 232 US and British Virgin Islands B 26 Barbuda E 5 Bermuda A 234 St. Croix Please check your charts and send any corrections and/or suggestions on improving them to me at streetiolaire@hotmail.com. We are particularly interested in seeing corrections to the St. GeorgeÂs, Bermuda blow-up, as we have heard a megayacht berth has been established. Many thanks, Don Street Iolaire Dear Compass , Thanks very much for letting us see Caribbean Compass magazine on-line. I have been able to pass the link to other people who otherwise wouldnÂt see the magazine. Anne Dunlop Freya of Clyde Dear Compass Readers, We want to hear from YOU! Please include your name, boat name or shoreside address, and a way we can contact you (preferably by e-mail) if clarification is required. We do not publish individual consumer complaints or individual regatta results complaints. (Kudos are okay!) We do not publish anonymous letters; however, your name may be withheld from print at your request. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play. Send your letters to: sally@caribbeancompass.com or Compass Publishing Ltd. Readers Forum Box 175BQ Bequia VC0400 St. Vincent & the Grenadines R E A D E R S ' READERS' F O R U M FORUM Marine Insurance The insurance business has changed. No longer can brokers talk of low rates. Rather, the honest broker can only say, ÂIÂll do my best to minimize your increase!ÂŽ There is good insurance, there is cheap insurance, but there is no good cheap insurance. You never know how good your insurance is until you have a claim. My claims settlement record cannot be matched.I have been connected with the marine insurance business for 47 years. I have developed a rapport with brokers and underwriters at Lloyds and am able to introduce boat owners to specialist brokers in the Lloyds market.e-mail: streetiolaire@hotmail.com www.street-iolaire.com YAMAHAParts Repairs Service Outboard Engines 2HP-250HP Duty-Free Engines for Yachts McIntyre Bros. Ltd.TRUE BLUE, ST. GEORGEÂS, GRENADA W.I. PHONE: (473) 444 3944/1555 FAX: (473) 444 2899 email: macford@caribsurf.com TOURS & CRUISES CAR & JEEP RENTAL
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 49 Simplicity. Reliability. Long life.Antigua Marine Power Services English Harbour Ph: 268-460-1850 Fx: 268-460-1851 mps@candw.ag Seagull Yacht Services English Harbour Ph: 268-460-3050 Fx: 268-460-1767 info@seagullyachtservices.com Bequia Caribbean Diesel Port Elizabeth Ph/Fx: 784-457-311 Grenada Grenada Marine St. David's Ph: 473-443-1667 Fx: 473-443-1668 info@grenadamarine.com Martinique Inboard Diesel Service Port of Case Pilote Ph: 596-596-787-196 Fx: 596-596-788-075 info@inboarddiesel.com St Croix St. Croix Marine Christiansted Ph: 340-773-0289 Fx: 340-778-8974 St. John Coral Bay Marine Coral Bay Ph: 340-776-6665 Fx: 340-776-6859 cbmarine@islands.vi St Lucia The Sail Loft Rodney Bay Marina Ph: 758-452-1222 Fx: 758-452-4333 iwwsl.ltd@candw.lc St Maarten Electec Cole Bay Ph: 599-544-2051 Fx: 599-544-3641 sales@electec.info St Thomas All Points Marine Compass Point Marina Ph: 340-775-9912 Fx: 340-779-2457 Trinidad Diesel Technology Services Siparta Ph: 868-649-2487 Fx: 868-649-9091 dieseltec@hotmail.com Dockyard Electrics Chaguaramas Ph: 868-634-4272 Fx: 868-634-4933 Richard@dockyardelectrics.com Tortola Cay Electronics Road Town, Tortola Ph: 284-494-2400 Fx: 284-494-5389 caybvi@candwbvi.net Marine Maintenance Services Road Town, Tortola Ph: 284-494-3494 Fx: 284-494-8491 timdabbs@surfbvi.com Parts & Power Road Town, Tortola Ph: 284-494-2830 Fx: 284-494-1584 partspwr@surfbvi.com A yacht named Kersti , a monohull much like ours, was holed and sank the other night while on a passage from the San Blas islands to Cartagena, Colombia. The crew in their liferaft was safely picked up by another yacht, JupiterÂs Smile , which was sailing on a similar course. But Kersti is gone, and with it, IÂm sure, the confidence and serenity of the crew, as well as all their personal stuff. Then, a day later, on the Northwest Caribbean Net came the report from another vessel that had in view a Âlarge white shipÂs mooringÂŽ measuring about 15 by 20 feet, drifting around on the rhumb line from San Blas to Cartagena. The report was radioed in and apparently will reach a US Coast Guard vessel in the area, which will deal with the obstacle. I remember one of the most frightening nights of my life „ years ago, in our former boat, Arion , somewhere in mid-Atlantic. We were rollicking along, headlong into one of the darkest (but starriest) nights imaginable. All I could think of was a report IÂd heard about a number of refrigerated containers that had supposedly been swept off the deck of a cargo ship in a storm. I was certain that the sharp corner of one was hovering about two feet below the surface and we would be upon it at any moment. I was miserable until sunrise, and then, although the containers may still have been there, I regained my balance. IÂve buried those particular containers under a pile of other things I might worry about. The other night we were moving along the coast of mainland Honduras on a mainly clear but moonless night. There was a rock and a reefy area to avoid, and an isolated rain squall whose boundaries I checked on radar. As it passed, a persistent little blip remained just behind us, and as I looked for it, a light went on. Apparently we had nearly run over an unlit fishing boat, provoking him into showing a light. A few minutes later another light suddenly appeared maybe a quarter mile off. Other items for the worry list include logs washed down rivers, and whales (although if I hit a whale IÂd consider that it had the right-of-way and I had just drawn the wrong card). Of course we stand watches all night, along the coast and offshore. But itÂs impossible to see everything. We place a lot of faith in the odds that whatever danger lurks ahead is not directly ahead on the little line we draw across the ocean. For the men in the unlit lancha it worked out, for Kersti , it didnÂt. For usƒ well, it remains to be seen. IÂm expecting the best. There is an Arab proverb to the effect that you donÂt truly own anything that you can lose at sea. Ann Westergard and Doug Brown are cruising the Caribbean aboard the Valiant 40 Galivant. WHATÂS ON MY MIND ÂOf course we stand watches all nightƒ But itÂs impossible to see everythingÂNIGHT PASSAGES by Ann Westergard WeÂre on the Web!Caribbean Compasswww.caribbeancompass.com On-line FREE
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 50 CALENDARJANUARY 2010 1 New YearÂs Day. Public holiday or Ârecovery dayÂŽ in many places. Junkanoo parade in Abaco, Bahamas 1 Â… 3 St. Croix Christmas Festival Parades. www.stxfestival.com 2 Public holiday in Cuba (Victory of Armed Forces Day), Haiti (Founding Fathers Day), St Kitts & Nevis (Carnival Day), St. Lucia and Grenada (Second New YearÂs Day) 6 Three Kings Day. Public holiday in many places 6 World ARC 2010/11 starts in St. Lucia. www.worldcruising.com/worldarc2010 8 Â… 10 French Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop, Guadeloupe. evastropic@wanadoo.fr 11 Â… 17 17th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival. www.barbadosjazzfestival.com 11 Â… 20 St. Barts Music Festival. www.stbartsmusicfestival.org 13 Â… 16 Carriacou Sailing Series. www.sailingcarriacou.com 17 WomenÂs Cup Regatta, Martinique. Yacht Club de la Martinique (YCM), tel (596) 63 26 76, fax (596) 63 94 48, ycmq@wanadoo.fr 18 Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI 21 Errol Barrow Day; public holiday in Barbados. Our Lady of Altagracia; public holiday in Dominican Republic 21 Â… 24 St. Maarten-St. Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com 22 St. Thomas USVI Blues Festival. http://stevesimonpresents.com 23 Â… 24 Around Antigua Race. Antigua Yacht Club (AYC), tel/fax (268) 460-1799, yachtclub@candw.ag, www.antiguayachtclub.com 24 Â… 28 41st Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada. www.sibtgrenada.com 24 Â… 30 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay. www.airjamaicajazzandblues.com 25 DuarteÂs day. Public holiday in Dominican Republic 27 Â… 30 Antigua Superyacht Cup. AYC 27 Â… 10 Feb 15th Annual Mustique Blues Festival. www.basilsbar.com 28 Â… 31 Bequia Music Fest. See ad on page 13 29 Â… 2 Feb Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival. See ad on page 5 29 Â… 6 Feb 16th Guadeloupe International Film Festival. www.fest21.com/en/festival/femi_international_cinema_festival_of_guadeloupe 30 FULL MOON 30 Â… 31 Budget Marine WomenÂs Caribbean Championships, St. Maarten. St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC), tel (599) 544-2075, fax (599) 544-2091, info@smyc.com, www.smyc.com FEBRUARY World Wetlands Day 2 4 7 Club Náutico de San Juan International Regatta, Puerto Rico. www.nauticodesanjuan.com /sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm 5 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, Jamaica. www.montegobayrace.com 6 Â… 7 Digicel Workboat Regatta, Grenada. See ad on page 5 6 Â… 7 Gill St Maarten Keelboat Championships, SMYC 6 16 5th La Route du Carnival rally, Martinique to Trinidad. www.transcaraibes.com 7 Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada 12 15 32nd Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and 28th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. tel (284) 495-4559. 12 16 20th Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique. www.clubnautiquedumarin.com 13 Â…14 Budget Marine Valentines Regatta, Antigua. Jolly Harbour Yacht Club (JHYC), Antigua. tel (268) 770-6172, miramarsailing@hotmail.com, www.jhycantigua.com 13 Â… 15 Carnival Regatta, Martinique. Club Nautique Le Neptune (CNN), Martinique, tel (596) 51 73 24, fax (596) 51 73 70, info@clubnautiqueleneptune.com 14 Sunshine School Fundraising Auction, Bequia. www.bequiasunshineschool.org 15 16 Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and other places 15 Presidents Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI 17 Ash Wednesday. Public holiday in Cayman Islands and Jamaica 19 Â… 21 St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. See ad on page 15 19 Â… 21 Tobago Carnival Regatta. www.sailweek.com 22 Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia 22 Â… 26 RORC Caribbean 600 Offshore Race, Antigua. caribbean600.rorc.org 26 Â… 28 South Grenada Regatta. See ad on page 20 27 Around St. Maarten-St. Martin Multihull Regatta. www.MultiHullRegatta.com 27 Independence Day. Public holiday in the Dominican Republic 27 Â… 28 Around Martinique Race (2 legs). CNN 28 FULL MOONAll information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time this issue of Compass went to press „ but plans change, so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation. If you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE in our monthly calendar, please send the name and date(s) of the event and the name and contact information of the organizing body to sally@caribbeancompass.com FREE Caribbean Compass On-line FREEwww.caribbeancompass.com ST. THOMAS YACHT SALESCompass Point Marina, 6300 Est. Frydenhoj, Suite 28, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802 Tel: (340) 779-1660 Fax: (340) 779-2779 yachts@islands.vi Sail36 1980 Albin Stratus, Cruiser or 6 pack charter vessel $45,000 41 1980 Morgan Out Islander AC, great condition $79,000 46 2000 Jeanneau twin helms, 3 staterooms $179,900 49 1979 Transpacific Ketch, Bluewater, 3 strms, loaded $180,000Power26 1987 Whale Boat Navy Capts gig, Perkins, 4109 $33,000 29 1994 Phoenix SF, Twin Volvos, trim tabs, outriggers $64,500 32 1996 Carver 325 Twin Crusaders, great condition $59,900 36Â1980 Litton Trawler, Yanmar diesels, Gen Set $30,000 40 1999 Tiara 4000 Express, Genset, AC, Twin Cats $275,000Call, fax or visit our website for a complete list of boats for sale www.stthomasyachts.com La Creole 50 1978 Gulfstar Ketch. Well maintained classic, 3 strms, $145,000 Summer Place 44 1985 Beneteau Idylle, Great Cruiser, AP, AC, Genset $86,000PICK UP! Ahoy, Compass Readers! When in Bequia, pick up your free monthly copy of the Caribbean Compass at any of these locations (advertisers in this issue appear in bold ): Bequia Bookshop Bequia Post Office Bequia Tourism Assn. Bequia Venture De Reef Restaurant Doris Fresh Food FernandoÂs Hideaway Frangipani Hotel Friendship Rose Office Grenadine Sails GYE LulleyÂs Tackle MacÂs Pizzeria PortHole Restaurant Tradewinds Cruise Club W&W Supermarket Wallace & Co.
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 51 THIS COULD BE YOUR MARKET PLACE AD Book it now: tom@caribbeancompass.comor contact your local island agent UNIQUE IN DOMINICA Roseau & Portsmouth Tel: 767-448-2705 Fax: 767-448-7701Dockmaster Tel: 767-275-2851 VHF: 16info@dominicamarinecenter.com www.dominicamarinecenter.com The Dominica Marine Center is the home of the Dominica Yacht Club and your center for: € Yacht Mooring Anchorage € Grocery Store & Provisioning € Bakery (SukieÂs Bread Company) € Water at dock € Fuel (Unleaded / Diesel) € Ice € Yacht Chandlery agents Budget Marine /Sea Choice Products Mercury Marine / Yanmar Marine € LP Gas (propane) refills € Showers & Toilets (WC) € Garbage Disposal € Security € Telephone & Fax € Mobile Phone Rental / SIM Top Up € Laundry WiFi Internet € Beach Bar € Nearby Restaurants € Taxi & Tour Operators € Whale Watching & Sport Fishing € Light Engine and Boat Repair € Customs / Immigration Clearance Information € Visa / Master Card accepted Caribbean Compass Market Place continued on next page PORTHOLE RESTAURANT & BAR& Shoreline Mini-MarketA friendly atmosphere where you can sit and meet people.Admiralty Bay, Bequia Noelina & Lennox Taylor welcome you! VHF CH68 Phone (784) 458-3458 We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner MID ATLANTIC YACHT SERVICESPT-9900-144 HORTA / FAIAL, AZORESProviding all vital services to Trans-Atlantic Yachts! Incl. Chandlery, Charts, Pilots, Rigging EU-VAT (14%) importation Duty free fuel (+10.000lt)TEL +351 292 391616 FAX +351 292 391656 mays@mail.telepac.pt www.midatlanticyachtservices.com CARRIACOU REAL ESTATELand and houses for sale For full details see our website: www.islandvillas.com or contact Carolyn Alexander atDown Island Ltd e-mail: islander@caribsurf.comTel: (473) 443 8182 Fax: (473) 443 8290We also handle Villa Rentals & Property Management on Carriacou BEQUIA VENTURE CO. LTDappointed agents in St. Vincent & the Grenadines for Primer, Epoxy, Top Coat, Antifouling, ThinnersPORT ELIZABETH, BEQUIA Tel: 784 458 3319 € Fax: 784 458 3000 Email: bequiaventure@vincysurf.com € SPRAY PAINTS € ROLLERS € BRUSHES € TOOLS €€ CLEANING SUPPLIES €€ NAILS € HOSE CLAMPS €€ FILLERS € STAINLESS FASTENERS € ADHESIVES €
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 52 Packages Pick – up call: + (599) 553-3 8 50 / + (590) 690-222473 Int. 001-3057042314 E-mail: ericb@megatropic.com CIRExpress COURIER SERVICES St. Maarten/ St. Martin, collect and deliver door to door Caribbean Compass Market Place continued on next page Voiles AssistanceDidier and MariaLE MARIN/MARTINIQUESails & Canvas (repairs & fabrication) located at Carenantilles dockyardOpen Monday to Friday 8-12am 2-6pm Saturday by appointment tel/fax: (596) 596 74 88 32 e-mail: didier-et-maria@wanadoo.fr LE MARIN, MARTINIQUE € GRENADAwww.caraibe-greement.fr cgmar@wanadoo.frPhone: +(596) 596 74 8033 Cell: (596) 696 27 66 05 R I G G I N GS H I P C H A N D L E R clippers-ship@wanadoo.frTel: (0) 596 71 41 61 Fax: (0) 596 71 77 Shipchandler, Artimer Le Marin, Martinique Marine Electrics WatermakersInstallation / Repair Zac artimer Le Marin, Martinique FWITel: + (596) 596 650 524 Fax: + (596) 596 650 053 yescaraibes@hotmail.com tel: (473) 440-2310 fisher@caribsurf.com  rare exotic arts + crafts  jewelry  wooden-ware  hammocks + more unique gifts for your boat, home + friendsyoung street st. george's grenada just steps from the carenage SAILMAKING, RIGGING, ELECTRONICS Grenada Marine € Spice Island Marine Tel/Fax (473) 439-4495 turbsail@spiceisle.com Happy Hour Every Day from 6 7PMOpening Hours from 7AM 11PM Martinique Marin B a r € R e s t a u r a n t € D e l i Bar € Restaurant € Deli T e l e p h o n e : 0 5 9 6 7 4 6 0 8 9 Telephone: 0596 74 60 89 W I F I C o n n e c t i o n f o r o u r G u e s t s WIFI Connection for our Guests w w w . r e s t a u r a n t m a n g o b a y . c o m www.restaurant-mangobay.comTechNick Ltd.Engineering, fabrication and welding. Fabrication and repair of stainless steel and aluminium items. Nick Williams, Manager Tel: (473) 536-1560/435-7887 S.I.M.S. Boatyard, True Blue, Grenada technick@spiceisle.com
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JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 53 Caribbean Compass Market Place REMEMBER to tell our advertisers you saw their ad in Compass! www.savondemer.comT 95 4 41 4 -9 9 9 9 Dealers welcome to register The Ultimate Choice for sailors, boaters, swimmers, divers, fishermen and campers. SAVE your FRESH water, shampoo and body wash with . Counteracts the drying effects of salt and sun on your hair and skin. ORDER ONLINE or at DEALER ORDER ONLINE or at DEALER Biodegradable pH-7 Neutral Biodegradable pH-7 Neutral THIS COULD BE YOUR MARKET PLACE AD Book it now: tom@caribbeancompass.comor contact your local island agent 1964 Bequia Wood Cutter 25Â P L U M B E L L Y PLUMBELLY D a v i d J o n e s Y a c h t B r o k e r a g e David Jones Yacht Brokerage C l a s s i c W o o d e n B o a t s Classic Wooden Boats 2 0 7 2 3 6 7 0 4 8 207-236-7048 c l a s s i c s @ m i d c o a s t . c o m classics@midcoast.com w w w . d a v i d j o n e s c l a s s i c s . c o m www.davidjonesclassics.com Many Atlantic crossings. Plumbelly is well cared for and in very good condition. $20,000
PAGE 54
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 54 CLASSIFIEDS BOATS FOR SALE 1975 German Frers 39ft, 2 sets racing sails,US 57.000 1981 Cape Dory 30, US 39.000, St.Lucia duty paid 2000 Catana 471, 4 cabin, 460.000 Euros 1987 Irwin 44 US 105.000 1992 Dehler 37 CWS, 90.000 Euros 1981 CT 54 US 195.000 2006 Bahia 46, Hi spec upgrades, lots of extra equipment with charter contract, 390.000 EurosE-mail Yachtsales@dsl-yachting. com Tel (758) 452 8531 1979 HUGHES 38 Sparkman and Stevens design. Cruising Grenada. Ready to go.US$32,000 ono E-mail hughes38.1979@yahoo.com YOUNG SUN 46FT VENUS 1984 KETCHfiberglass, vgc, new engine 2007, excellent live aboard and cruiser. GPS, RADAR, VHF, Auto Pilot, EPIRB, SSB, Water Maker, Air-Con, Solar Panels, Wind Generator & more. Full specs at www.freewebs.com/venus46forsale Price reduced for a speedy sale US$169,000 ONO Lying St Lucia. E-mail venus46@live.com or Tel: 596-696-907429 BENETEAU FIRST 456 1984 Well equipped, located in Bequia. More info E-mail maximaxgrenadinesltd@gmail.com COCHISE , an elegant 39 ft yacht (1991) and pleasure to sail is for sale. Noted for speed, ease to handle, simplicity and Boat of The Year 2007 Trinidad. Cochise is very well maintained, sailed only by owner and brought in from NL on containership. Ideal boat for comfortable, fast cruising with family/ friends, and equipped for club racing. All J-Boats design weaknesses taken care of in recent years. Extensively overhauled with new mast and rod rigging (2002), large sail wardrobe, many extras incl. new Raymarine autopilot (2007), well-maintained Harken winches, 2 anchors + chain, large sun awning etc. Interesting price of 55,000 US$ reflects current location (Caribbean) and move to larger world cruiser. E-mail cochisestellendam@zonnet.nl BOATS FOR SALE IN TRINIDAD Tel (868) 739-6449 www.crackajacksailing.com 41' CORONADO 1973, ÂM'Lady KathleenÂŽ Now available in the Grenadines, loaded with goodies. www.freewebs.com/ sv-mladykathleen for details. US$56,000 E-mail: Roland693@Yahoo.com 2003 BENETEAU OCEANIS 393, 3 Cabins/2 Heads, Good Condition, Cruising Ready. BVIÂs, $115,000, E-mail starfrute@gmail.com Tel (952) 221-3788 HALLBERG RASSY 39 1997 New engine. Exc. condition. St Lucia. Euros 217,000 E-mail tabascojazz@hotmail.com CORT WINNER ÂUNCLE SAMÂŽ BENETEAU 10-METER Custom, 2001 rebuild, Henderson bulb keel & rudder. Expanded cockpit, oversize winches, custom helm, all new instruments. Raytheon GPS, speedometer, cockpit mounted chart plotter, Maxi sail compass. Completely rewired including dual battery system & circuit breaker panel. Dry storage past 2 years. US$36,000 Contact Sam Laing, E-mail laingusvi@gmail.com 46 PETERSON PERFORMANCE CRUISER 1988 Center cockpit, single owner, lovingly maintained. Sailed throughout the Caribbean and now located in Trinidad. Ready for you to start cruising tomorrow. USD 189,999 E-mail SailingOnFree@aol.com 40 FT FISHING TRAWLER. Fiberglass hull. 671GM Diesel. Based in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou. Good price, negotiable. Tel (473) 415-9323 CATANA 44 1995 Refit 2002. Including 2 new Yanmar 40hp diesels w/ ST40 saildrives. New sails, new 6kw generator, new watermaker, bimini top, cockpit table, 12' Carib dinghy w/30hp Yamaha. Lying Grenada. US$222,000 Tel (473) 4598854 E-mail lcatkayen@yahoo.com MISC. FOR SALE SELDEN RIG for VINDÖ 35, deck stepped, boom, spreaders, lights, winches (has been changed for upgrade) 2000 US OBO ask for details 758 4528531 e-mail: destsll@candw.lc SAILS AND CANVAS EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIAL DEALS at http://doylecaribbean.com/specials.htm 2 X 54 F/GLASS CATAMARAN HULLS Trinidad (868) 650-1914 E-mail JanDutch@tstt.net.tt TACKTICK WIRELESS/SOLAR INSTRUMENTS , Discount prices: www.northernrockiesassociates.com YANMAR OUTBOARD DIESEL 36HP Trinidad cell (868) 650-1914 E-Mail JanDutch@tstt.net.tt WIND PILOT PACIFIC Plus auxiliary rudder, Good price. Contact Olivier Nelly, Port de Plaisance, Marin, Martinique Tel +(596) 696 25 11 60 WANTED MARINE TECHNICIAN WANTED Respected Marine Engineering Co. in Grenada is seeking all round experienced technician for marine diesel engines, electrical, electronics, watermakers, wind generators, AC and refrigeration. We can assist with work permit. Ideal for cruiser or independent tech looking for the stability of an established company in Grenada. Please email CV to enzamarine@spiceisle.com Tel: (473) 439-2049 CAPTAIN AVAILABLE , USCG Master 100 Tons Sail or Power, Mate 200 Tons, Divemaster also. Day trips, Term or delivery, all ranks considered. Can relocate from St. Thomas E-mail davidNwillems@yahoo.com PROPERTY FOR SALE CARRIACOU, ONE ACRE LOTS and multi acre tracts. Great views overlooking Southern Grenadines and Tyrrel Bay www.caribtrace.com BEQUIA, UNION LEVEL 2 pieces of land for sale 23,000 sq/ft each. $4.25 US per sq/ft. Tel (473) 404 4630 E-mail Jhjamie99 @gmail.com BEQUIA, BELMONT SailorÂs retreat. Tradtional cottage overlooking Admiralty Bay. US$225,000 Tel (784) 529-5972 E-mail cccrawfish@gmail.com LAND FOR SALE BEQUIA, SPRING ESTATE Excellent parcel of land 25,060 sq/ft. Beautifully located rectangular lot on a dead end quiet road with elec. & sea view, 5 min walk to beach. Ready for building. Tel (784) 458-3518/430-5021 E-mail gardenboutique@hotmail.com RENTALS BEQUIA, HAMILTON 2-bed room, partly furnished, recently refurbished house. 100 yds from the sea. EC$1,300 per month, utilities not included. Tel (784) 496-9872 E-mail Jhjamie99@gmail.com. LA POMPE, BEQUIA Large 2 bedroom house and/ or 1 bed studio apartment. Big verandah and patio, stunning view, cool breeze. Internet, cable TV. 2 weeks minimum, excellent longterm rates. Tel: (784) 495 1177 email: louisjan@vincysurf.com ACCOMMODATION BEQUIA Recently completed four ensuite air-conditioned rooms in waterfront property available for short or long term rental. Panoramic view of Admiralty Bay from verandah and access to the sea from our own jetty. Located in quiet northwest corner of Admiralty Bay. Tel (784) 458-3942 E-mail daffodil_harris@yahoo.com BEQUIA, FRIENDSHIP Unfurnished house, 3 bedroom/2 baths. Tel (784) 495 3704 E-mail tinamitchell83@hotmail.com BEQUIA, PORT ELIZABETH 3 bed villa with pool. Stunning views. Jeep & Internet. Short or long-term lets. E-mail Pearlwin1@aol.com. SERVICES INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL INSURANCE US$5,000,000 worldwide ÂAÂŽ rated cover, 4700 US hospital direct billing network. Highest Deductible Hospital option age 30-34: $35 monthly. www.protexplan.com E-mail info@protexplan.com, Tel (604) 724-7384 ISLAND VIEW at WOBURN BAY, GRENADA offering sports bar, restaurant, jetty, WiFi, showers, ice, laundry & more! Open daily 10AMÂ…10PM. Tel (473) 443-2645 VHF 16 CLASSIFIED ADS US 50¢ per word Â… include name, address and numbers in count. Line drawings/photos accompanying classifieds are US$10. Pre-paid by the 15th of the month. No replies. A&C Yacht Brokers Martinique MP Admiral Yacht Insurance UK 47 Anjo Insurance Antigua 42 Art & Design Antigua MP Art Fabrik Grenada MP B & C Fuel Dock Petite Martinique 26 Barefoot Yacht Charters St. Vincent 19 Barrow Sails & Canvas Trinidad MP BasilÂs Bar Mustique 46 Bequia Marina Bequia 31 Bequia Music Festival Bequia 13 Bequia Venture Bequia MP Beyond The Islands Caribbean 43 Budget Marine Sint Maarten 2 Budget Marine Carib Wide MP BVI Yacht Sales Tortola 50 Camper & Nicholsons Grenada 34 Captain Gourmet Union Island 45 Caraibe Energie Martinique 23 Caraibe Greement Martinique MP Caraibe Yachts Guadeloupe 48 Caribbean Marine Electrical Trinidad MP Caribbean Propellers Ltd. Trinidad MP Caribbean Woods Bequia MP Carriacou Silver Diving Carriacou MP Ciao Pizza Union Isand 45 CIRExpress St. Maarten MP Clippers Ship Martinique MP Cooper Marine USA 8 Curaçao Marine Curaçao 8 Diesel Outfitters St. Maarten 32 Diginav Martinique 25 Dockwise Yacht Transport Martinique 21 Dominica Marine Center Dominica MP Dopco Travel Grenada 32 Down Island Real Estate Carriacou MP Doyle Offshore Sails Tortola 3 Doyle Offshore Sails Barbados MP Doyle's Guides USA 42 Echo Marine Jotun Special Trinidad 10 Electropics Trinidad MP Fernando's Hideaway Bequia MP Food Fair Grenada 47 Fred Marine Guadeloupe 33 Friendship Rose Bequia 11 Gourmet Foods St. Vincent 44 Grenada Around Island Grenada 6 Grenada Marine Grenada 35 Grenada Sailing Festival Grenada 5 Grenadine Island Villas Bequia MP Grenadines Sails Bequia 26 GRPro-Clean Martinique MP Iolaire Enterprises UK 47/48 Island Water World Sint Maarten 56 Island Water World Carib Wide MP Johnson Hardware St. Lucia 14 Jolly Harbour Antigua MP Jones Maritime St. Croix 47 KNJ Marine Trinidad MP KP Marine St. Vincent 18 Lagoon Marina St. Maarten 24 Le Phare Bleu Grenada 20 Le Phare Bleu Regatta Grenada 20 Lulley's Tackle Bequia 31 Mango Bay Martinique MP Marc One Marine Trinidad MP Marigot Beach Club St. Lucia 24 Marina Zar-Par Dominican Rep. 16 McIntyre Bros. Ltd Grenada 48 Mid Atlantic Yacht Services Azores MP Navimca Venezuela 41 Northern Lights Generators Tortola 49 Ocean Xperts St. Maarten 43 On Deck Antigua MP Perkins Engines Tortola 22 Petit St. Vincent PSV 40 Plumbelly Carib Wide MP Port Hole Bequia MP Power Boats Trinidad MP Quantum Sails Tortola 25 Reds Caribbean Trinidad 10 Reef Gardens Antigua 45 Renaissance Marina Aruba 36 Santa Barbara Resort Curaçao 37 Savon De Mer Caribbean MP Sea Services Martinique 17 Ship's Carpenter Trinidad MP Soper's Hole Marina Tortola 24 Spice Island Marine Grenada 55 St. Croix Regatta St. Croix 15 St. Thomas Yacht Sales St. Thomas 50 Superwind Germany 25 SVG Air St. Vincent 41 SVG Tourism St. Vincent 12 Technick Grenada MP Tikal Arts & Crafts Grenada MP Tilikum Martinique MP Townhouse Mega Store Antigua 46 Trade Winds Cruising Bequia 42 Transcaraibes Guadeloupe MP Triskell Cup Regatta Guadeloupe 7 Turbulence Sails Grenada 35 Turbulence Sails Grenada MP Tyrrel Bay Yacht Haulout Carriacou 26 Vemasca Venezuela 43 Voiles Assistance Martinique MP Wallace & Co Bequia 31 Wallilabou Anchorage St. Vincent 20 WIND Martinique MP Woodstock Boatbuilders Antigua 9 Xanadu Marine Venezuela 42 YES Martinique MP ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER LOCATION PG# ADVERTISER LOCATION PG# ADVERTISER LOCATION PG# ADVERTISER LOCATION PG# MP = Market Place pages 51 to 53 Your Classi“ ed on the Internetwww.caribbeancompass.com A Happy New Year 2010 to all our Readers, Friends & Partners
PAGE 55
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 55
PAGE 56
Published by Compass Publishing Limited, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and printed by Trinidad Publishing Company Limited
PAGE 2
JANUARY 2010 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
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The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore
www.caribbeancompass.com
JANUARY 201
Security Scene
Updates and tips
134Nd34
River Ramble
Up Guyana’s Essequibo
It’s All Happening!
Caribbean Events Calendar 2010 ..27
Sailing a Legend
Plumbelly of Bequia.
Cover photo: Mini Maxi, winriner of ARC 2009 Best Family Performance
Florida
Gulf of
Mexico
SU) a
‘Our Favorite Island’
Marie Galante chooses Grenada.. 34
They Love Lac Bay
Sea turtles dine in Bonaire... 36
Grand Bahama
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Wd NÂ¥A L304
DEPARTMENTS
Business Briefs
Regatta News.. reel
Destinations.. .21
Sailors’ Hikes .. 126
Meridian Passage...
Cruiser Profile
Fun Pages
Cruising Kids’ Corner
Dolly’s Deep Secrets...
The Caribbean Sky
Book Reviews
Cooking with Cruisers....44 - 46
Readers’ Forum
What’s on My Mind...
Monthly Calendar .... ze
Caribbean Marketplace......
Classified Ads ...
Advertisers’ Index..
Cartbbean Compass 1s published monthly by
Compass Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 175 BQ,
Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410
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Comper Agents by Island:
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Barbados: Distribution - Doyle Sails
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are Distribution - Budget Marine Curacao
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Tet (5099) 4 77 33
Dominica: Distribution - Hubert J. Winston
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eee Petite Martinique:
Ad Sales tribution - Karen Maaroufl
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Cartbbean
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See Writers’ Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com, Send submissions to sally@caribbeancompass.com.
We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole
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Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts no liability for delayed distribution or printing quality as these services are
yy supplied by other companies.
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pubiehens eect ton
©2010 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved, No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication,
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ISSN 1605 - 1998
Photo: Tim Wright/ wiww.photoaction.com
Compass covers the Caribbean! From Cuba to Trinidad, from
Panama to Barbuda, we've got the news and views that sailors
can use. We’re the Caribbean’s monthly look at sea and shore.
The Bahamas
“The Caribbean Compass magazine is to the sailing
community in the region as the wind is to sailing: without
it there, we would all be ‘in irons’!
The Compass’s extensive coverage of all that goes on
in the islands — such as culture, Immigration and
Customs rules, conditions and events — make it a must-
read for casual and professional sailors alike.â€
— Niki Borde, Manager
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Info
St. Croix Warning and Update
Marilyn Cook reports: There has been a major problem with yachts entering
Christiansted Harbor, St. Croix. On average, one cruising yacht a month has been
driving up onto Round Reef. Several have been lost, and all suffered damage. Just
since Thanksgiving 2009, two sailboats have gone hard aground. Please study the
chart before entering the harbor! (Edifor’s note: Nancy and Simon Scott's Cruising
Guide to the Virgin Islands 2009-2011 has a large aerial photo on page 262 that clear-
ly shows the location of Round Reef. Soace does not permit ifs reproduction here.)
Round Reef is situated right in the middle of what one would think is the channel. To
be on the safe side, | recommend entering the harbor on the left, following the green
buoys along the peninsula straight in. There is a red-over-green buoy that marks the
northeast corner of Round Reef. It is a dual channel marker. Apparently, some sailors
assume you can go either side of it. DON’T! It is marking the straight-in channel (left
channel) and also the WAPA channel that actually is a 90-degree right turn down
along the reef going west. | have been using the channel for many years and | still
get the willies coming in. It can be very confusing, as there are buoys everywhere.
Also, St. Croix’s Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has installed
20 moorings in Gallows Bay for transient yachts. They cost US$2.00 per foot per
month and are well made. You can call DPNR at (340) 244-9066.
Security Patrols in Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica
Helen Clarke reports: Portsmouth Association of Yacht Services and Security (PAYS)
would like to remind all yachts visiting Dominica to moor or anchor in the north end
of Prince Rupert Bay (between Blue Bay Restaurant and the Purple Turtle) where
security patrols are conducted nightly. Although we recognize that some visitors
prefer the seclusion of the south end, current economic conditions do not permit
our group to patrol the whole bay and although Dominica is one of the safest coun-
tries in the Caribbean, we cannot recommend that you anchor outside the
patrolled area.
Please note that we tried to patrol the south end on a regular basis but we could
not afford the additional fuel given the current revenue stream. We will monitor the
situation through the season but PAYS President, Jeff Frank, is actively visiting all
boats at the end of the day and asking them to move north.
PAYS is a registered non-profit association, established in 2007, and includes 17
members from the yacht tourism sector in Portsmouth, including tour guides, yacht
service companies, restaurants and dive centres in the community. Funding for the
night security is provided by membership fees, donations, fees from yacht moorings
in Prince Rupert Bay, fund-raising beach barbecues and other fun activities. All ser-
vices are provided by members on a voluntary basis and all proceeds are dedicat-
ed to ensuring your security and to helping develop the yachting sector in
The PAYS patrol boat, a boost to yacht security in Portsmouth, Dominica
Dominica. Please help support our program by using PAYS members for your yacht
services when coming to Dominica and joining in our fun events.
For more information contact Jeff Frank at (767) 245-0125 or Helen Clarke
at (767) 275-3020.
St. Maarten Bridge Openings
Asis customary every “high†season, the bridge into Simpson Bay Lagoon, St.
Maarten, opens six times during the day in order to handle the vessels that make
use of several marinas in the lagoon. The daily seasonal openings are: 9:00AM out-
bound, 9:30am inbound, 11:00am outbound, 11:304m inbound, 4:30em outbound and
5:30pm inbound. This schedule will run until May 2010.
Users of small craft are requested not to transit the bridge channel during bridge
opening hours. Boats docking at the BBW dock should not be maneuvering in the
channel during the bridge operational hours. Small sea craft must make use of the
port channel when passing under the bridge.
—Continued on next page
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PAGE
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
JANUARY 2010
—Continued from previous page
Jet ski owners and rentals are requested to inform users that they must put their
waterspouts off when passing under the bridge. This prevents corrosion of the iron
structure of the bridge.
Captains and owners of vessels, after docking their vessels in the lagoon, should
immediately come to the window of the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority &
Immigration to clear in their vessel, crew and passengers and pay the necessary
bridge and harbor fees and dues. (See related story on page 9.)
&th Edition of Sailor’s Guide to Martinique Now Available
Ti’ Ponton is bilingual, French and English, and offers the most extensive directory for
sailors’ needs in Martinique. It includes the names, addresses and telephone num-
bers of more than 600 nautical services, suppliers, provisioning companies, doctors,
local restaurants, sightseeing spots
and much more. Ti’Ponton also
provides tidal information for major
coastal cities in Martinique.
Ti’Ponton is a FREE publication and
can be picked up all around the
island all year round. For the latest
marine news log on to
www. tiponton.com
For more information contact Carola
Pajari at cptioonton@wanadoo.fr
OCC Officer Appointed for Port
Antonio, Jamaica
Errol Flynn Marina’s General
Manager, Dale B. Westin, has been
appointed Honorary Port Officer by
the Ocean Cruising Club. The interna-
tional cruising organization, based in
England, designates the port officers
at key marinas worldwide in an effort
to ensure that OCC members are
afforded first-class assistance wherev-
er they may cruise. To qualify for
membership in the OCC, a prospec-
tive applicant must document they
have made an ocean passage of at least 1,000 miles point-to-point.
For more info on the OCC visit www.oceancruisingciub.org
LIAT Flies to the Grenadines
Canouan Island, home of the Grenadines base of The Moorings yacht charter
company, is now more accessible than ever. On November 20, regional airline LIAT
started operating two non-stop flights per week from San Juan, Puerto Rico. LIAT
flight 383 leaves San Juan on Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00em and arrives on
Canouan at 6:20pm. LIAT flight 384 departs Canouan on Saturdays and Sundays at
10:50am and arrives San Juan at 1:10Pem. In March 2009, LIAT began service from
Barbados to Canouan operating four flights per week.
New Underwater Sculptures in Mexico
The first phase of a new underwater project in Cancun, Mexico is now complete. The
first three sculptures were submerged in November, entitled The Archive of Lost
Dreams, Man on Fire and The Gardener of Hope. Construction of the monumental sec-
Underwater sculptures
provide new attractions
for snorkelers and div-
ers. As marine growth
colonizes the artworlcs,
they evolve
ond phase is also underway. This includes more than 400 life-size figurative works, which
when complete will form part of the world’s largest underwater art museum.
Works by the same artist, Jason de Caires Taylor, form Grenada’s popular under-
water sculpture park at Moliniere Bay.
—Continued on next page
MARCH 12-14, 2010
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t dj
Enjay one of the Coribbean's MOST EXCITING sailing events!
3 days of fun-filled entertainment and water events
launching from Grenado's world-famous Grand Anse Beach
GRENADA
tee salirâ€
Q) apm
~ Taste of Grenada Food Festival
~ Youth Sailing Exhibition
~ Crazy Craft Bathtub Derby
~ Live Music
‘H MORE!
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—Continued from previous page
EC Funds Shipping Study
Norman Faria reports: Can we in the islands ever get a viable Eastern Caribbean
sea transport system carrying both freight and passengers?
That question could well be answered on the completion of a 200,000-Euro
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) study funded by the European
Union. According to a release from the EU's Bridgetown, Barbados office, two main
outcomes of the study would be to get a good estimate of passenger demand and
to determine whether the shipping aspect would be sustainable over a long period.
Said the release in part: “If it Ghe service) materializes, it would enhance the export
capabilities of the islands’ agricultural output and provide alternative passenger
routes which satisfy demand between OECS member countries, as well as explore
possible pricing structures that can satisfy adequate return to operators.†It added,
against the backdrop of rising concerns about regional food security, “Whereas cer-
tain islands may have a surplus of agricultural products, lack of shipping freight lines
does not facilitate the movement of produce.â€
The study is expected to take three months.
New Dinghy Dock at Cumberland Bay, St. Vincent
One of the things cruisers say they want is more and better dinghy docks, and the
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development of tourism and recreational facilities at Cumberland Bay on the west
coast of St. Vincent was enhanced in November with the construction of a sturdy
new one. This will allow yachting visitors in the bay easier access to the shore, where
before dinghies had to be hauled up onto the beach. It will also facilitate visits by
sailors to the newly developed Cumberland Beach Recreational Park which, when
fully operational, will include a restaurant, laundry, showers and small shops.
The community-based project is part of a Tourism Development Project funded by
the European Union. Consultations with area residents had determined that improved
yacht services would be an asset to their livelihoods. The dock and park buildings
were built by a local construction team, and the facility will be run by the Cumberland
Valley Eco-Tourism Organization with the assistance of the National Parks Authority.
For more information contact Ernst De Freitas at (784) 495-0791.
Bequia Sunshine School’s Good Fun for a Good Cause
Lisa Hunnicutt reports: The Bequia Sunshine School is a non-profit organization for
children with special needs. The school operates solely on funds donated and those
raised by various annual charity events, including one of Bequia’s most fun and inter-
active fundraisers: The Sailors’ & Landlubbers’ Auction. The event will be held this
year at The Salty Dog, Port Elizabeth on Sunday February 14th. Not only do we solicit
donations of gently used items, gift certificates and items of interest before the
event, but we also encourage participation on the day of the event, bidding on
unique, funky and functional items. These items and others are sorted throughout the
year for use in the book sales, the auction and a jumble sale, while some remaining
clothes and shoes are further donated to charity organizations in St. Vincent.
Look for the following events in 2010: “Walking on Sunshine†fun walk, January 3rd;
Book Sales under the Almond Tree (two or three per year); Sailors’ & Landlubbers’
Auction, February 14th; Jumble Sale ¢including school crafts, book sale and bake
sale), March 20th.
Please support these events, donate items and volunteer your time. Monetary
donations can be sent to The Sunshine School, Box 9OBQ, Bequia, VCO0400, St.
Vincent & the Grenadines, or, as with material items, can be dropped off at the
school during regular school hours. Look for our Sunshine School cans at various
local businesses to drop your spare change, too!
For more information contact Camille Jacobs at (784) 457-3794
or visit www.bequiasunshineschool. org
Contributions Welcomed for Carriacou Education Fund
Melodye Pompa reports: As cruising boats are starting to move north from their sum-
mer hideaways, please remember that the Carriacou Children’s Education Fund will
gratefully accept any and all contributions: clean, used clothing for adults and chil-
dren; household goods; treasures of the bilge; handmade craft items; and, of course,
CASH. These items will be auctioned at our annual fundraising in July, directly pre-
ceding Carriacou Regatta Festival. Proceeds go to provide local needy children with
school uniforms, textbooks, lunches, and scholarships to TA Marryshow Community
College. Contributions can be left at the Carriacou Yacht Club in Tyrrel Bay.
For more information contact boatmillie@aol.com
Errata
In last month’s issue we referred readers to an ad for Grenada’s Bluewater Sailing
School, but the ad did not appear in that issue. Apparently the principals in the busi-
ness were busy welcoming a new baby — congratulations!
Welcome Aboard!
In this issue of Compass we welcome new advertisers Beyond the Islands of Bequia,
page 43; Jolly Harbour Marina of Antigua, Market Place section; Marigot Beach
Club of St. Lucia, page 24; Ocean Experts of St. Maarten, page 16; and Woodstock
Boatbuilders of Antigua, page 9. Good to have you with us!
MARINA
ave Du-FORT
Leste te
Sheltered berths, 210% LOA,
Papel attrib
dock master assistance
cusioms. ae full provisioning,
WIFI
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canbbean-
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BUSINESS BRIEFS
New Gourmet Food Outlet in Bequia
Gourmet Food Ltd SVG has opened a new location in Bequia, conveniently locat-
ed right next to the GYE chandlery and near the dinghy docks in the northeast cor-
ner of Admiralty Bay. This is their third outlet, following the opening of a supermarket
deli café at Kingst , St. Vi it’ ise ship berth last April. The flagship st: is i
BUILD ONE OF THE MOST FUEL EFFICIENT eee nasown incent’s cruise ship berth last April. The flagship store is in
PASSENGER VESSELS IN THE WORLD The Bequia wholesale food outlet is also a supermarket, offering high quality frozen
vegetables, meat, fish and shrimp as well as canned food. And as a café, it also
offers a nice place to drink a glass of wine, beer, fruit juice, tea or coffee and
choose from a light café menu including shrimp/vegetable spring rolls, Gourmet
Burgers, french fries, potato croquettes, calamari/onion rings, fresh-baked
baguettes, garlic baguettes, sandwiches, Danish pastries, croissants and more.
Gourmet Food Ltd SVG also sees the outlet as an enhanced source of communi-
cation for their wholesale business, giving Bequia’s hotel/restaurant/bar owners and
visiting yacht chefs greater access to professional sales representatives “face to
faceâ€. Fredrik Svanberg, owner of the Gourmet food group, was at the opening and
commented, “We are very happy to expand our business in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines. It compliments our Swedish operation because we sell the same prod-
ucts in Stockholm. Bequia will now benefit from a wide choice of high quality, chef-
ready food products.â€
For more information see ad on page 44.
Early-Bird Discounts at Dockwise Yacht Transport
Catalina Bujor reports: Dockwise Yacht Transport, the only float-on/float-off yacht
transport service, is featuring a very special voyage from St. Thomas, USVI to
Newport, Rhode Island and crossing the pond to Southampton, UK; Toulon, France;
and Marmaris, Turkey aboard motor vessel Super Servant 4, which sails from the end
of May through June, 2010. They are offering attractive prices and special discounts
to those that book early.
For more information contact Nadine Massaly in Martinique at +596 596 741 507 or
Nadine@dockwise-yt.com, or see ad on page 2].
Now: Cyber Help-Desk at Sea Services, Martinique
Ciarla Decker reports: Sea Services Shipchandler at Fort de France in Martinique
now has an e-mail address dedicated to receiving your nautical questions.
Contact us at seaservices972@orange.fr and we will be glad to help!
For more information see ad on page 17.
Underwater Engineering, Corrosion Protection Services
Your bottom is our concern Reds Caribbean Limited was incorporated in 2006 in the Republic of Trinidad &
Tobago to provide underwater engineering services, which include commercial div-
ing and underwater inspections and repair; surveys and positioning; in-water marine
surveys and inspections; remote-operated vehicles; corrosion prevention; and rope
access services to the local and Caribbean-based oil, gas, petrochemicals and
marine engineering companies.
Since 2007, Reds Caribbean Limited has been certified as an In-Water Survey
Company by the USA-based American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and holds
General Membership with the Association of Diving Contractors International Inc of
Houston, Texas.
In the field of corrosion protection services, in 2008 Reds Caribbean Limited
became the authorized agents and distributor for ZINGA UK, a division of MG Duff
International Ltd. MG Duff is the manufacturer and supplier of the ZINGA range of
anti-corrosive products within the territorial areas of Trinidad & Tobago.
For more information see ad on page 10.
Cabrits Café & Dive Re-Opens in Dominica
Helen Clarke reports: We have re-opened Cabrits Café & Dive in Lagoon,
Portsmouth, Dominica as of November 14th, 2009. Situated in the north end of
Prince Rupert Bay right next to Big Papa’s, Cabrits Café & Dive offers dive and snor-
kel reservations, snorkel equipment sales and rentals, and a European coffee shop
i
c curacao right at the water's edge. Even if you are not water babies, you are still more than
MARIN E| welcome to come visit and enjoy the fabulous views of Prince Rupert Bay. And this
year we are building a jetty especially for our yachting friends!
For more information contact cabritsdive@yahoo.com
| —Continued on next page
com + GPF 4681936 99 emo cuocacnornediniersedi.nel « webele: wwe cwcoomanne.com
—Continued from previous page
St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show Faces Changes
Outgoing St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTIA) President Jeff Boyd has
announced that as of this year, the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA)
will no longer own the St. Maarten Charter Yacht Show. Ownership of the show now
comes back to St. Maarten. The MYBA was involved in the show for three years.
Boyd said he hoped there would be a show in 2010, but it would be up to the
SMMTA board of directors, and to some degree the membership, to decide the
value of the show to them and to the island. Discussion of a possible new format for
the show will reportedly begin next month. According to reports in the island’s Daily
Herald newspaper, Boyd said, “| think what we might see is a full-blown show rather
than just a charter show... It may be more of a trade show, which we feel would be
better for our members because it brings trades and more activity to St. Maarten.â€
He added that he would also like to see the date changed for the St. Maarten
show; in recent years the dates have conflicted with the Antigua Charter Yacht
Show (see story on Antigua show page 10).
For more information on the SMMTA visit www.smmta.com
Dockside Management ‘Preferred’ by IGY Marinas in St. Maarten
Dockside Management, one of the leading ships’ agents in the Caribbean, has
signed an agreement with Island Global Yachting (IGY) to be a “preferred provider®
at IGY’s marinas in St. Maarten: The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol and Simpson Bay
Marina. Based on St. Maarten, Dockside Management provides vessels with services
including banking, clearance, visa assistance, courier/freight, provisioning, parts and
repair and VIP services.
For more information contact office@docksidemanagement.net
Simpson Bay Under New Authority, Fees to Drop
As reported in the St. Maarten Daily Herald on December Ist, the Simpson Bay
Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) is now officially part of St. Maarten Harbour
Group of Companies. As a result, control of the water rights along the shore and in
the lagoon has been combined under one authority, which paves the way for uni-
form fees.
The island’s marine industry and megayacht owners have been at loggerheads
with SLAC for more than a year now over various issues, especially the bridge fees
that went into effect on January Ist, 2008 without consultation with industry stake-
holders. Industry insiders, including the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, had
warned that the fees and the way they were being applied were causing the island
to lose yachting business to other islands. There also was a notable shift of yachts
from the Dutch to the French side of St. Maarten, endangering investments made
on the Dutch side over the years.
It was announced in December that the controversial mandatory one-week “dou-
ble†fee for vessels entering and departing Simpson Bay Lagoon would be dropped
effective this month.
News from Antigua’s Woodstock Boatbuilders
Andrew Robinson reports: Woodstock Boatbuilders were part of a group of
Antiguan businesses that participated in the Monaco Boat Show last September.
The show was a great success with a good attendance and very positive feedback.
The Antigua & Barbuda stand also received a large number of visitors. Woodstock
would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism, National Parks Authority, Charter Yacht
Meeting and those businesses that supported the stand.
Marine Engineering is our newest department, but one that is growing rapidly.
Recently we have become agents for Fischer Panda and Westerbeke, suppliers of
world-class marine generators and engines. Woodstock’s head engineer recently
completed a Fischer Panda training program.
We also completely refreshed our website last year. You'll now find it easier to navi-
gate, jam-packed with information and with links to other useful sites. Have a look at
woodstockboats.com and let us know what you think!
For more information see ad on this page.
New Marina: Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts
St. Kitts will soon be home to Christophe Harbour, a new marina and luxury residen-
tial community on the island’s southeastern peninsula. Christophe Harbour’s debut
residential property offering, Sandy Bank Bay, is set along a horseshoe bay with two
reefs and a natural sand bank. Existing as a marine sanctuary, the bay will remain
free of boat moorings so that sealife can flourish and panoramic views of the
Atlantic are protected.
The Marina at Christophe Harbour will be located in what is presently the Great Salt
Pond, a 300-acre parcel that serves as the centerpiece of the 2,500-acre Christophe
Harbour resort. Whitehouse Bay, located just outside the Great Salt Pond, is a well-
protected yacht anchorage.
“St. Kitts is on the yachting “flight path’ geographically, so once the marina is up
and running, there will be no need to divert to Antigua on the way down from St.
Maarten to Barbados,†believes Kate Spencer, who has resided in St. Kitts since
1978, Her husband, Philip, is a classic-yacht designer. Some sample cruising distanc-
es from other popular destinations are: Antigua, 55 miles; St. Maarten, 65 miles; St.
Barths, 55 miles; St. Thomas, 175 miles.
The Marina at Christophe Harbour is located at 17° 14’ N and 62° 39° W. Upon its
completion, the marina will provide spacious berthing capacity and advantages
including a protected entrance and safe inner harbour; 300 slips Gwith 50 to 60 slips
accommodating vessels 85 feet to 400 feet); and a designated port-of-entry offer-
ing streamlined Customs and Immigration services.
For more information visit www.christopheharbour.com
SOME would say this doesn’t look like WOOD...
But we at Woodstock Boatbuilders know that boats
are made up of a lot more than wood & composites &
metal...
And your job list might involve Engineering, Metal
Fabrication, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning
er WESTERBEKE | 3
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uel GRIP
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ts eT Mere RLM eM se
for you.
Oh, and of course we also do beautiful Joinery.
ere ye mR eee el et a led
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FOR THE BEST IN VESSEL PROTECTION
ABOVE AND BELOW WATER
SOouUesh
oe
ee
cecuartan Classic
Anlige in & Chir Ter’ Gach’
Show the Bast Vi
by Lucy Tulloch
“Where are all the boats?†was the question on everyone’s lips in early December.
Large numbers of yachts were registered in the 48th Antigua Charter Yacht Show
but the docks seemed eerily empty...
Until, as happens every year, a steady stream of magnificent yachts appeared at
the entrance of Falmouth and English Harbours and made their graceful procession
up the channel.
It is the oldest boat show in the Caribbean, and you could feel it in the interna-
tional buzz in the bars and cafés as industry insiders caught up on news and net-
worked over cappuccinos and smoothies. Two-hundred-and-fifty professional char-
ter brokers, 93 exceptional yachts and numerous sponsors and exhibitors came from
all over the world. The most exciting thing this year was the number of new launch-
es, and not small yachts either — 55 were between 90 and 200 feet and eight over
250 feet long. Banners and bunting flew in the Christmas tradewinds from the likes
of Camper and Nicholsons, Edmiston, Fraser Yachts, Burgess, Nicholson’s Yacht
Charters and International Yacht Collection.
Following a sumptuous opening on December 7th at the Antigua Yacht Club
Evening Affair there were daily informative morning seminars with fresh breakfast in
the historic Copper & Limber Store in Nelson’s Dockyard. There was also a glamor-
ous Welcome Dinner Party, there were wine tastings and brunches, there was an
evening yacht viewing, there was the more-popular-than-ever Chefs Competition
held by the pool at the luxurious boutique hotel The Inn at English Harbour. There
were crew parties, bands, door prizes and finally the 25th Anniversary Fincham’s
Follies Variety Show for some light evening entertainment.
Some large yachts not in the show, anchored off in Falmouth Harbour as berth
space was limited this week, led to one of the funniest sights of the week: the enor-
mous Mirabella V (the largest sloop in the world, with a 292-foot mast) at anchor,
making the dwarfed J-boat Ranger (LOA 136 feet) putting up her main nearby look
quite like a little Dragon!
The Boat Show is run by the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, chaired by Paul Deeth
and co-board members Anne Marie Martin and Janetta Miller, along with the incred-
ibly dedicated management team of Sarah Sebastian and Afsaneh Franklin.
Congratulations to you all. What a good start to the season!
WHATHER ON THE WEB
Cruisers have their favorite websites for researching a number of factors that
affect their lives, not least of which is the inescapable weather. Steve Siguaw of
S/V Aspen sent this useful list of Selected Caribbean Weather Forecasts for the
Eastern Caribbean — Internet:
¢ Caribbean Offshore Waters Forecast — Wind and Waves for
the Eastern Caribbean
www.nhce.noaa.gov/text/ MIAOFFNT3.shtml
¢ Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion — Tropical Waves and ITCZ
www.nhce.noaa.gov/text/ MIATWDAT.shtml
¢ Atlantic Graphic Tropical Weather Outlook
www.nhce.noaa.gov/gtwo_atl.shtml
¢ Sailing Weather Forecasts for the Caribbean
www. passageweather.com
¢ NOAA Buoy for the Eastern Caribbean
www.ndbe.noaa.gov/station_page. php?station=41040
¢ Wind and Wave Forecasts throughout the Caribbean
www.windguru.cz/
¢ Voleanic Ash Advisory — Montserrat Activity
www.ssd.noaa.gov/VAAC /messages. html
¢ Wind Forecasts from QuikScat for the Caribbean
http: / /manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/quikscat/
http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/dataimages2 1 /cur/zooms/WMBas20. png
¢ Radar Image of the Eastern Caribbean
www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles / pack-public/animation/animMOSAIC2. html
Another radar weather site the Compass Crew likes is
http: / /hadar.cira.colostate.edu/ramsdis /online/RMTC_BAR_Ikm_vis.html
SELECTED CARIBBEAN SHORTWAVE
WEATHER REPORTS
UTC. AST STATION & REPORT DESCRIPTION FREQ TYPE MODE
0600 0200 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
0930 0530 = Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
1030 0630 Trinidad Femereuey Net 9Z4CP (Eric) 3855 Voice LSB/ham
1030 0630 Carib. Emergency & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham
1100 0700 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8137 Voice USB (Note 2)
1100 0700 Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net 7250 Voice Pee e (Note 3)
1100 0700 Bahamas Weather Net 4003 Voice LSB/ham
1110 0710 Puerto Rico/VI Weather Net 3930 Voice LSB/ham
1120 0720 C6AGG Carolyn Wardle Weather Net 3696 Voice LSB/ham
1130 0730 KP2G Caribbean Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham (Note 1)
1200 0800 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
1200 0800 Coconut Teleg grip A060 Voice USB
1230 0830 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 8104 Voice USB (Note 2)
1300 0900 Caribbean Sea (WLO) Cc Voice USB
1330 0930 Caribbean Weather (Chris) 12350 Voice USB (Note 2)
1530 1130 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
1800 1400 Caribbean Sea (WLO) Cc Voice USB
1800 1400 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
2000 1600 Southbound II (Herb) 12359 Voice USB
2030 1630 Carib. Cocktail & Weather Net (George) 7086 Voice LSB/ham
2130 1730 Offshore Beret A Voice USB
2235 1835 Caribbean Emer; & Weather Net 3815 Voice LSB/ham
0000 2000 Caribbean Sea C Voice USB
0000 2000 NMG Broadcast B Wefax* USB
0330 2330 Offshore Forecast A Voice USB
* Since November 3, 2008 several radtofax charts produced by the Nattonal Hurricane Center which are broadcast from New
Orleans are based on information from different model run times. A 36-hour wind/wave chart has been added to the New Orleans
broadcast. For full details vistt wwww.nhe.noaa.gov/radtofax_transmisston_changes. shtml
Frequencies (in kHz):
A) NMN, Chesapeake, 4426, 6501, 8764, 13089, 17314.
Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later.
NMG, New Orleans, 4316, 8502, 12788.
Caribbean Sea approximately 25 minutes later.
B) 4316, 8502, 12788, 17144.5
Cc) 4369, 8788, 13110, 17362, 22804. Gulf of Mexico, Southwest North Atlantic, then
Caribbean Sea
Note 1: An in-depth voice report followed by faxes and SSTV, except Sundays.
Note 2: Unless severe weather threatens, this net is not conducted on Sundays. When there are
active Tropical systems in the Atlantic, Caribbean Weather (Chris) runs a Net at 2300
UTC / 1900 AST, on 8137, Voice, USB. For complete schedule and changes visit
www.caribwx.com/ssb.html
Note 3: George comes on approximately 0710 with a weather synopsis, then moves to 7086 and
at 0730 gives the complete Caribbean forecast including rebroadcasting WEFX.
¢ WWV has World Marine Storm Warnings (Voice) at 8 minutes after each hour,
and Solar Flux information at 18 minutes after each hour on 2500, 5000,
10000, 15000, and 20000 AM.
¢ During hurricane activity, information can be found continuously on the
urricane Watch Net on 14325 USB/ham.
« Anyone, licensed or not, may legally operate on HAM frequencies in the event
of a life-threatening emergency.
SELECTED CRUISERS’ VHF NETS
St. Martin/Maarten 0730 VHF 14 Monday-Saturday
English Harbour 0900 VHF 68/06 Daily
Grenada 0730 VHF 68 Monday-Saturday
Chaguaramas 0800 VHF 68 Monday-Sunda
Porlamar 0800 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday
Puerto La Cruz 0745 VHF 72 Monday-Saturday
Thanks to William Mills of Toucan I, Teri Rothbauer of FREE, Dave Richardson of
Overstreet, Bill Campbell of Alcheringa II,the Pompas of Second Millennium, Steve
Siguaw of Aspen and Nick Wardle of The Bahamas for information, which was correct
to the best of our knowledge as this issue of Compass went to press.
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PAGE 12
ARIBBEAN COMPASS
os
or
2010
JANUARY |
THE CURRENT YACHT
SECURITY SITUATION
by Melodye Pompa
Because I have served as Net Controller of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net
for more than 12 years, the editor of the Caribbean Compass asked me to address
the current situation regarding crimes against yachts in the Eastern Caribbean. As
we enter another sailing season, the purpose is to give the new Class of 2010 some
tips and to remind the old timers of any significant changes of which we all should
be aware.
These comments are based on the reports that have come in to the Caribbean
Safety and Security Net (all are posted on www.safetyandsecuritynet.com), various
e-mails from many individuals, and my personal observations. In no way should
anyone take this to be a scientific study: the only way we can derive useful statistics
from this data is to have what I call yacht-days (how many yachts each day per
island). At this time, there is no other database of incident reports, despite the prom-
ises of the OECS Secretariat three years ago to create such a thing. What the data
does tell us though, like the canary in the mine, is that serious crime against yachts
is on the increase, as a percentage of total crime reported.
First the numbers:
2005, 2006 2007
total reports 121 119 Li
thefts & burglaries 105 99 56
assaults & robberies 16 20
% of total — serious crime 13.2% 16.8% 27.3%
* year to date through December 14
While the total number of reports has decreased almost annually in the past five
years, along with the so-called petty crimes, the violent crimes, involving weapons
and physical assault, have increased dramatically as a percentage of the total
reports. I attribute the decrease in total reports to a number of factors:
¢ Yachtspeople in the Eastern Caribbean are, for the most part, more attuned to
the potential of crime. Cruisers are taking measures to insure their own safety: lock-
ing the yacht and locking the dinghy, using bars in hatches and companionways in
potentially dangerous anchorages, curtailing their night-time activities away from
the yacht.
¢ Because of considerable print publicity over the past three years (e.g. in
Soundings, Cruising World, Yachting Worid, Yachting Monthly, the Los Angeles Times
and all those newspapers who picked up that story, and the Compass), more people
are now aware of the issues, especially charter guests, who previously were, at best,
naive. Some of that publicity has exaggerated and sensationalized the number of
incidents, but intelligent sailors take that as part of the decision of where to sail.
Most reports to the Security Net come by e-mail from a wide variety of yachtsmen:
Americans, Canadians, British, Dutch, German, French, Swiss, Italian, Venezuelan,
Austrian, and local folks here in the islands.
¢ Based on observations throughout the Eastern Caribbean, yachting tourism was
down by some 30 to 40 percent in the 2008-9 season over the previous season.
¢ More and more cruisers are just not reporting what they think of as petty crimes
(e.g. thefts of dinghies and outboards); they believe it’s not worth the effort and there
is little chance of their property being recovered, and they don’t want to damage the
reputation of their favorite anchorage.
The obvious point here is that we must take steps to protect ourselves because the
law enforcement authorities are hard-pressed to contain the increase in crime
against their own citizens, and they are stretched too thin to put much effort into
solving crimes against yachts. Unfortunately, the attitude of many police officers is
that their efforts are wasted because the yacht victims leave the island and are not
available for any trials, if the perpetrators are arrested. While this may be true if the
victims are charter guests, it is not true for cruisers, who may be very willing to re-
arrange their plans to attend such trials to give testimony.
The other two responses heard all too often are that the yachting victim brings it on
himself because of his dealings with and use of drugs, and that most reports of crimes
against yachts are attempts to defraud their insurance companies. The drug scenario
is more apt to be on the perpetrator’s side: the attempt to get easy cash to support his
drug habit. The spin doctors in Antigua were quick to point the finger at drug prac-
tices among the megayachts to explain the death of an Australian megayacht captain
last year, when, in fact, he was shot while chasing a purse snatcher during a walk
back to his villa following dinner. The victim could just as easily have been a Swiss
banker or a British construction worker — the incident had little to do with yachting.
The insurance fraud response, on the other hand, is just too bizarre for comment!
2008 2009 ytd*
91 65
60 43
31 20
34.1% 31.70%
On the positive side, police in Dominica, Carriacou and Grenada did arrest perpe-
trators in several crimes on those islands, and the defendants are serving time in
jail. The flip side is that the St. Vincent authorities have still not convicted anyone
responsible for the string of assaults and robberies taking place in Chateaubelair
over the past four years, and the yachting community is unaware of even any arrests
having been made in connection with those crimes. In most cases, police and coast
guard officials are prompt and courteous in taking reports but that is as far as it
goes. Four incidents closed of 63 reported is a closure rate of only six percent — not
very good.
The various marine trades associations, while talking about security issues on
their websites and in their brochures, seem concerned with yachting security only
as a function of their revenue stream, not for altruistic motives having to do with
the yachts themselves. MIASL in St. Lucia was instrumental several years ago in
obtaining and staffing a patrol boat for the Rodney Bay area; that boat is no longer
in service.
—Continued on next page
_—— = eo
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Photo: wavw.insandoutsofsyg.com
—Continued from previous page
Their HELP billboard provides a phone number and a VHF channel for yachts to
call for help: the phone number does not work from a Digicel cell phone (we tried it
ourselves when we needed help) and no law enforcement agency responds to the
VHF call.
Dominica, via PAYS (Portsmouth Area Yacht Security), provides a patrol boat for
the north end of Prince Rupert Bay, if you don’t mind the loud music two nights a
week and can find room to anchor among all the moorings (which are in the good
anchoring spots, rather than in grass or rock). Unfortunately, this patrol boat, as
well as the late St. Lucia boat and any others which are implemented, is easy to
dA
An invaluable itinerary-planning resource for sailors in
the Caribbean is the Security Net's regularly updated.
website, www.safetyandsecuritynet.com
avoid: the bad guys just hide in the shadows until the patrol passes and then go on
with their nefarious business. Only if the patrol boat is equipped with communica-
tions gear and can respond quickly to calls for help can those potential incidents be
short-circuited.
The Dominica Marine Association, as all the others, is interested in preserving the
reputation of Dominica, and asked me last spring to delete all the old crime reports
from the Security Net website because “they are giving Dominica a bad nameâ€. This
past summer, following the two boarding/assaults in Prince Rupert Bay, I was asked
to change the descriptions to minimize the injuries to one person and downplay the
use of the gun; concurrently, their press release describing the trial of two of the
perpetrators exaggerated the sentences given.
YSATT, in response to an alleged list of six incidents within a year on the rhumb
line between Trinidad and the Hibiscus gas drilling platform, rather than pointing
out that four of the six were NOT on the rhumb line and one of the six was earlier
than the year in question, called a meeting with the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard
and other individuals, asking for protection from the rash of incidents listed.
Marinas and boatyards are not exempt from incidents of theft and burglary,
despite the promises of the management of these facilities. There are several reports
every year from so-called secure facilities, so lock the boat when you walk away, even
to the showers. In fact, there have been reports of outboards locked to the stern rail
taken by thieves, as well as break-ins to locked boats in slips, so locking up is no
guarantee. It is fairly easy for a sneaky quiet thief to approach a marina slip from
the water.
Neither the marine trades associations nor the law enforcement agencies have
been able to curtail the watercraft speeding through various anchorages, such
watercraft including jet skis, party boats, local fishing and speed boats, water
taxis, and resort launches. The Security Net is receiving an increasing number of
reports each year having to do with damage to yachts and dinghies, as well as
severe injuries to people and even several deaths. Yachtsmen should be very
aware of conditions where they anchor and not take unnecessary risks, which
include standing up in the dinghy, no matter how cool it looks, swimming too far
from the yacht, and kayaking and snorkeling except very close to shore out of the
traffic lanes.
Lastly, prior to visiting an anchorage, yachts should check the Security Net website
www.safetyandsecuritynet.com for the latest information. In many anchorages, the
crimes are consistently of a type: for example, in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, it is nearly
always theft of an outboard, with the dinghy left to drift away, tucked away on a
remote beach, or deflated and sunk. Anyone who does not lock their dinghy to the
yacht, a dock or a tree on shore while in Tyrrel Bay is setting themselves up to be a
target, and that includes the fishermen and the water taxis. These outboards are
said to be headed to the St. Vincent Grenadines, where the change in police jurisdic-
tion prevents follow-up. On the other hand, those few incidents in Dominica are
boardings to steal articles that can easily be sold: cameras, computers, watches, cell
phones, but never outboards.
Be wary of believing every blog you read on the Internet. The downside of having
such an extensive information tool is that everyone and his brother can post, claim-
ing to have the final word on the facts. Without specific information, various press
media have published wild speculations about the dangers of cruising, including in
their dire warnings incidents that occurred ten or 20 years ago. There are now MORE
rumors among the cruising community about crime than prior to the birth of the
Security Net — change is not always progress!
The websitewww.safetyandsecuritynet.com includes a long list of safety tips accu-
mulated throughout the nearly 14 years of the Net’s existence. It is not difficult to
take the necessary steps to avoid becoming the victim of a crime against yachts.
There are, of course, no guarantees, but there are no guarantees in the life we choose
to lead. There are, however, smart practices which can prevent petty to serious prob-
lems. Like brushing your teeth in the morning becomes a habit, so too should LOCK
IT OR LOSE IT!
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ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS 2009
6
When we said we were joining the ARC,
eople asked the strangest questions about what we
were going to do with the kids — as if maybe we would
leave them in the backyard with a big bowl of food!†The
Dutch yacht Elena is stern to the dock at Rodney Bay
Marina and Adam Kok laughs as his sons Mees, age
three, and Pieter, one-and-a-half, clamber around the
cockpit. The aluminum-hulled Veliger 477, with a crew
also including the boys’ mother, Leonie, and adult
crewmembers Rosa and Martin, had arrived in St.
Lucia a few hours before, as part of the Atlantic Rally
or Cruisers 2009. “It’s special being with the children
or such a long time in a small space,†says Leonie.
Adam adds, “We never considered not taking them.â€
Every year as the cruising season in Europe ends,
hundreds of yachts voyage to the Caribbean. The ARC
began 24 years ago as an Atlantic crossing-in-compa-
ny for liveaboard cruisers, with enjoyment and safety
— rather than speed — as its main considerations.
Speed soon entered the picture, with IRC Racing
Divisions racing under the auspices of the Royal
Ocean Racing Club, but the ARC’s original amateur
spirit of friendly fun remains strong.
ARC2009 departed Las Palmas in the Canary Islands
on November 22nd, 2009, and the bulk of the 212-
boat fleet arrived at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia during the
week of December 7th.
Originated by cruising yachtsman Jimmy Comell,
the ARC is now organized by World Cruising Club.
ARC2009 was sponsored by the Tourist Board of Gran
Canaria, the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the St.
Lucia Tourist Board and Rolnautic, and is run in asso-
ciation with Yachting World magazine.
The Open and Racing Divisions’ competitions are, of
course, exciting. In this edition of the ARC, after a
course distance of 2,700 nautical miles and almost 12
days at sea, only 16 minutes and five seconds sepa-
rated the first two yachts to cross the finish line: the
Volvo 60 Big One and the Wally 80 Bagheera.
But while the racing divisions are popular and atten-
tion grabbing, the ARC is still emphatically the Atlantic
Rally for Cruisers. And while cruising boats them-
selves continue to evolve into something more akin to
their racing counterparts, one undeniable trait that
declares “cruiser!†is the presence of small children in
the crew. As is typical for the ARC, and unlike most
ocean races, about ten percent of 2009’s fleet were
“family†boats. They carried a total of 34 children.
The ARC organizers have made a consistent effort for
the event to be family friendly. After arrival in Rodney
ay, the St. Lucia Yacht Club hosts an annual Kids’
ay where the ARC youngsters and the SLYC junior
members enjoy fun and games together on the beach
and in the water. In the marina at Las Palmas before
he start, there was a dedicated family pontoon (“The
ids went feral,†one parent noted) and there was a
hildren’s club each morning, supervised by ARC staff.
For young Australian sailor Jesse Dransfield of the
avaria 46 Nika, a highlight was celebrating his ninth
irthday in Las Palmas three days before the ARC
tart; all the other ARC kids came and sang the equiv-
lent of “Happy Birthday†in their own languages.
esse then crossed the Atlantic with his parents,
elen and John, his grandfather Peter, his Uncle
Dean, and his siblings Zoé, age 6, and Tyler, 4.
Helen remarks, “It happened suddenly — thanks to
various circumstances we had the opportunity for a
year off. John and I grew up sailing dinghies. We had
hartered in Croatia, and recently Peter chartered this
exact boat and found out it was for sale.
—Continued on next page
GFW ere Ow
a
Top
°
Sea
Hawk
WwesT
SYSTEM“.
by Sally Erdle
Main photo: Like each new ARC arrival, within moments of completing their transatlantic passage, the Bjonness
family from Norway on the X-452 Odin is welcomed by St. Lucia Tourist Board and World Cruising staff
Inset: Rodney Bay Marina rolled out the red carpet on its new docks for the crews from 32 nations who sailed
in ARC2009
After a couple
of weelcs at
sea, Zoé, Jesse
and Tyler from
the Australian
yacht Nika
were thrilled to
meet Rodney
Bay's famous
Fruit Man
Uo kelp mea ily are k
FOR YOUR MARINE HARDWARE, AND MORE
Chain & Rope
Anchors & Fenders
Electric Wire
Marine Hoses
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VHF Radios
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Snorkeling Equipment
Fishing Gear
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Sanding Paper & Discs
Hand & Power Tools
Houseware & Cookware
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia @ Tel: (758) 452 0299 @ Fax: (758) 452 0311 @ e-mail: hardware@candw.lc
—Continued from previous page
“I was encouraged when I started reading blogs of
boats with children aboard. The stars aligned: we
bought the boat, packed up the house, took the kids
out of school... and here we are!†The family will sail
Nika back home to Australia.
The previously mentioned Kok family is on a planned
three-year circumnavigation. The toddlers already had
sailing experience back home and when the adults are
busy working ship, “they are different boys,†Adam
says; they seem to instinctively know to stay out of the
way. A day and a half into the Atlantic crossing, they
got over being seasick. Leonie says, “They had no
roblem sleeping, and it was amazing how they devel-
oped their sea legs.†Adam says, “Pieter could walk
around onboard when the boat was heeled at 30
degrees, but after we arrived he had to relearn how to
walk on the dock.â€
One of Elena's cabins is a playroom, and there are a
beanbag and an inflatable wading pool for the cockpit,
to which the children are restricted when not below-
decks. Underway, Rosa organized activities with them
such as baking. Adam says, “They basically do the
same things as at home: play, fight, enjoy life. The
scariest moments have been on land, never on the
boat. Rules on the boat are really strict.â€
Leonie stowed lots of goodies provided by the boys’
grandparents, and doled them out every couple of days
to keep the fun factor high. They also enjoyed fishing
and saw two whales. On December 5th, the family cel-
ebrated the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas; the kids set
out their shoes in the evening, hoping that in the
morning they would contain gifts. To their delight,
Sinterklaas (Martin in costume) actually appeared in
the companionway. Sinterklaas is believed to visit
Holland by steamboat, from Spain, and five minutes
after he “came aboard†the boys spotted their first
reighter — which Mees promptly identified as
Sinterklaas’s boat!
Elena's ARC crewmembers Rosa and Martin departed
the boat in St. Lucia and the Koks will continue west-
ward. Leonie says that other families wondering about
bluewater sailing with kids “should do it. The time togeth-
er as a family is so important; the children have their
arents around all the time. And for us an important part
of the ARC was to meet other boats with kids.â€
Another notable family participating in ARC2009
was aboard the Beneteau 57 Les Papillons — the crew
consisted of males from three generations of an
English family. Steve Bennett, 42, was skipper, cook
and navigator, and his crew comprised his father,
Arthur; his father-in-law, Keith; his sister’s husband,
Shane; and his sons Matt, 17, and Jack, 8. Jack was
a pier-head jumper. When his mother brought him to
Las Palmas to say good-bye, he asked if he could go
along, “to take time off school and prove to myself that
could do without TV. Now it seems strange how I
ived.†Jack says he wants to continue sailing.
Although sailing in Cruising Division, Les Papillons
crew was competitive. To stay in the best winds they
sailed 3,352 miles — 500 miles more than a similar boat
that came in behind them — and went for boat speed,
sailing more than 1,000 miles total under spinnaker.
“The boat really looked after us,†Steve said. Why this
boat? “The value for money was fantastic. I looked at five
or six other boats over 50 feet. The little things that go
wrong you can live with, but it behaves like an adult.â€
Most problems were the result of chafe: the main hal-
yard snapped and “lots†of sheets broke. Steve says,
“The key was it’s all family, although very few of us had
sailed together before. It was fun; it was very relaxed...â€
Jack interjects, “Except for... what do you call
them? Squalls.â€
Matt grins at his bother and says, “Sailing across the
Atlantic is a big achievement. It’s definitely life chang-
“
oN
| Registration now open:
St. Croix Yacht Clob
\ Hospice Regatta
Daspinre bry Ccmmpraition ~
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Teague Bay, St. Croix
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Tel: (340) 773-9531 steroixycteemail.com
www.stcroixregatta.com
ing. You see that real things matter.†Arthur agrees:
“Sailing moves young folks away from bad things in life
and toward natural, good things.â€
“In busy lives back in the UK we don’t have enough
time,†Steve observes. “We've all just had two solid
weeks together. If you can do the ARC, do it. But not
just the ARC, any sailing adventure. There are highs
and lows in crossing an ocean, but you'll never meet
anybody who regrets it.â€
Keith adds, “The ARC provides real companionship,
a real brotherhood, almost like a family. There are so
many nationalities, people with so many different lev-
els of experience, but you find at the end of the day
we're all the same.â€
Above: Boat buddies. The Dutch Kok family — Leonie,
Pieter, Adam and Mees — are visited aboard Elena by
Sepke, Ward and Flor Stellamans of A Small Nest from
Beigium
Below: Keith, Jack, Matt, Steve and Arthur on Les
Papillons, celebrating a happy crossing: ‘the key was
it’s all family’
As Keith noted, not all of the fellow feeling saturating
the ARC has to do with children.
Jan Sigtsema, crew on the Jongert 2700M Ithaka,
grew up in Curacao from age two to 16, “so coming to
the Caribbean is like coming home.†After returning to
Europe for the holidays, he'll rejoin the boat to do the
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
Anders Lagerberg, who has owned boats since 1959
and sees the ARC as “a little bit organized and a lot of
fun!†says one of the main reasons he joined was the
opportunity to meet fellow sailors. Anders, sailing
Victory II, a Swedish-built Farr 56, intends to spend
Tesyined by
COMPETITION
February 19, 2010:
Registration
Cruzan Rum Welcome Party
February 20—21, 2010:
(CSA Spin/Non-Spin, One-designs,
Beach Cats, Multi-hulls, Optimists,
Heavy Cruisers
Enhanced by
COMPASSION
Raising funds and awareness
for Hospice on St, Croix.
Sailing for Others...
the season cruising the islands with various friends
aboard, haul out in Grenada for the summer, then
transit the Panama Canal the following January. A
decade ago, Anders helped a friend deliver a boat from
Trinidad to Guadeloupe; since then he has chartered
with The Moorings and Sunsail out of Grenada and St.
Maarten: “This is a bit of paradise.†Anders says he
asked his wife, Annette, to circumnavigate 30 years
ago, and when the dream began to come true it was
her idea to join the ARC. “Don’t hesitate! A big part is
the people you meet.â€
Of the ARC2009’s camaraderie, World Cruising’s
Andrew Bishop says, “It was a good bunch of partici-
pants this year in the sense that they gelled very well.
There was a very good atmosphere in the two-week
build-up to the start. And then there were steady
winds for the majority of the crossing, and breakages
were generally small and the sort of thing you'd expect
on a long passage, like chafing, so most people were
happy.†The warm welcome in St. Lucia — with rum
punch and fresh fruit presented to each arriving boat,
accompanied by a steel-pan serenade — followed by
yet more parties, added to the good vibes. Everybody
likes a fast passage, and for ARC2009 on December
9th, there were 130 boats in for the “early arrivalsâ€
Welcome Party, compared to last year’s 29.
“We're looking forward to the 25th edition next year,
which will be our 21st in St Lucia,†says Andrew. “For
the last ten years, we've had more than 200 boats per
year — quite a remarkable achievement. Because it’s
an international event, it continues to grow interna-
tionally. Although there has been a drop in entries from
the UK, others have filled the fleet. There is a continued
trend in growth from entries from former Eastern Bloc
countries such as Croatia, Russia and Poland.â€
At the gala Awards Ceremony on December 19th,
Overall Winner of the Cruising Division, the crew of
Amoress 2 from Sweden was presented with the Jimmy
Cornell Trophy, as well as the Gran Canaria Trophy for
winning Class E. Nightlife, the Sigma 41 skippered by
Tom Sperry, won the RORC Racing Division. The Arch
Marez Trophy for the crew that had best embraced the
shoreside activities of ARC2009 went to the all-female
Girls for Sail crew on Diamonds are Forever.
The younger ARC crews were recognized, too. Best
Family Performance on corrected time went to the
Chapdelaine family from France on MiniMaxi. Lani
Waldbrenner aboard Linocat, from Germany, was next
on stage as the youngest participant — at just 18
months. Many of the ARC boats submitted blogs to the
ARC website during the crossing, and a prize was
awarded to the Stellamans family of Belgium on the
Beneteau Oceanis 46 A Small Nest for a hilarious log
submitted as through the eyes of Ed the Iguana; for
the past ten years Ed the plastic toy iguana has sailed
the ARC aboard a boat with children in the crew.
Underscoring the tradition of the importance of the
family boats in the ARC, every child in ARC2009 was
invited on stage to receive a prize.
For full results visit
www, worldcruising.com/arc/results.as px
WorldARC, a circumnavigation in company, departs
St. Lucia on Janu 6th. Crossing the Atlantic from
west to east at the end of the Caribbean season, ARC
Europe starts from both Tortola (BVI) and from Florida,
calling at Bermuda and then cnuising the Azores, before
finishing in Portugal and northern Europe. The start
date is May 6th. The transatlantic ARC2010 will depart
on November 21st.
Thanks to the St. Lucia Tourist Board, Palm Haven
Hotel, IGY Rodney Bay Marina and the World Cruising
Club staff in St. Lucia for making Compass’s research
trip to St. Lucia so enjoyable. And special thanics to ail
the interviewed ARC crews for their warm hospitality.
y eS ey oe CHS
3 SCoxcra ©
‘Serre Perermure ilar:
| ec a A progect 6
tw Me ret, Feeeetatiom
NEWS
Bojangles IV Takes Top Honors in
20th Caribbean 1500
A week of strong northeast winds in early November
2009 propelled the 54 sailboats in the 20th Anniversary
Caribbean 1500 fleet from Hampton, Virginia to
Tortola, BVI. The boats hugged the rhumb line and
sailed on a single port tack for the entire passage.
Bojangles: ‘He could jump so high, jump so high, and
then he'd lightly touch down...’
Bojangles IV, a Gulfstar 50 ketch owned by the
Kilgour family from Toronto, Canada, took Overall
Handicap Honors. First to finish was Crazy Horse, a
Sundeer 60 owned by Bill and Rosemary Thomas of
Middletown, Maryland, who completed the passage
in six days, nine hours and 15 minutes.
The Caribbean 1500 Rally, managed by the Cruising
Rally Association, left Hampton on November 2nd
after a week of preparatory briefings, safety inspec-
tions, and gala social events, and arrived at the
Nanny Cay Resort & Marina six to ten days later with
many veteran skippers recording “personal best†pas-
sage times.
Colin and Kathleen Kilgour on Bojangles IV with
Mitchell Cage 11) and twins Gillian and Clare (age 9)
were one of eight boats with children that participat-
ed in this year’s rally.
The 2009 Caribbean 1500 fleet included participants
from 23 US states, three Canadian provinces,
Germany, the UK, and New Zealand. More than 40
percent of the boats were owned by veteran Rallliers.
The boats averaged 47.5 feet in length. Four multihulls
and a schooner joined the fleet of monohull sloops
and ketches in this year’s fleet.
The fleet sailed in two divisions: the Cruising Class, a
way to enjoy a cruise in company, or the Rally Class
to participate in the fun race. All received the same
safety, weather and communication benefits. All
Cruising Class boats were presented awardis in Tortola
that recognized their achievement of safely complet-
ing an open ocean passage of 1,500 miles.
The Rally Fleet was divided into four handicap class-
es. In the Rally Class |, Clover Ii, a Swan 56, skippered
by David Fraizer, led the pack. In Rally Class Il, Soecial
Delivery, a Taswell 58 owned by veterans Bill and
Diana Quinlan, placed first. Charlie and Jenny
McNamara, on their Catalina 470, Lady, topped Rally
Class Ill. Overall Handicap Winner Bojangles IV led
Rally Class IV, followed by Amarone, a Stevens 50
owned by Lenny Statile, and Brian and Kim Duff's One
World, the sole schooner in the fleet.
Stolen Hour received the event's Tempest Award,
emblematic of the “Spirit of the Caribbean 1500.â€
Skipper Peter VanAlstine sailed in the 1990 Caribbean
1500 with his father, Peter Sr., as skipper. This year, the
two VanAlstines sailed with roles reversed. Peter and
his wife, Christine, will cruise the Caribbean this winter
with their children Hannah and Hayden. The award for
Best Performance by a Double-Handed Crew went to
Christoph and Dagmar Hartung from Weinheim,
Germany on Flomaida I. The Brouse family (Kirk and
Elizabeth, with 11-year-old twins Wesley and Clare) on
Discovery, a Bowman 57, earned the event's Fishing
Trophy, using hand-made lures loaned to them by kids
who participated in the Caribbean 1500 in 1999.
More than 15,000 website visitors from 59 countries
monitored the progress of the boats in the rally. With
wireless transponders on each yacht, positions were
broadcast via satellite six times each day. All Ralliers
received cold champagne and a warm welcome at
Nanny Cay Resort and Marina in Tortola, where the
BVI Tourist Board and Road Town Wholesale hosted
nightly parties.
The Cruising Rally Association, founded by veteran solo
sailor and sailing event organizer Steve Black, is widely
supported by a number of leading companies, includ-
ing Davenport & Company, Nanny Cay Resort and
Marina, LLC, West Marine, Biue Water Sailing Magazine,
Switlk, OCENS, ICOM, and World Cruising Club.
For more information visit www.carib 1500.com
Trinis Dominate St. Lucia’s BMW J/24 Championship
Michael Green reports: St. Lucia Yacht Club hosted
the third BMW J/24 Invitational Championship from
Regional J/24 teams raced off The Landings in
St. Lucia
November oth through 8th, 2009 in Rodney Bay. With
teams from Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and St.
Lucia, six teams sailed 18 races over the weekend.
Hosted in the The Landings’ private marina with
teams staying in luxury apartments and two beautiful
BMWs on show, this regatta was a five-star event.
Friday night's briefing and cocktail party was held at
The Landings marina with the six Js tied alongside.
Racing started Saturday moming just offshore —
great viewing for those on the beach or aboard
Endless Summer’s large cat. Courses were 20-minute
¢ High Quality Sheltered Moorings
¢ Slips to 120’ with depth 10’
¢ Shore power 30, 50 and 100 amps
¢ All slips with fingers
¢ Showers, Laundry, Restaurant, 24 hour security
windward-leewards. After lunch the sailors sailed six
more races, with clear skies and ten knots of breeze.
Results were close among the top five, with only three
points separating Stephen Bushe’s Trinidad & Tobago
eam, Barbados, the two St. Lucian teams
and Grenada.
Sunday dawned with more perfect sailing breezes.
eam Trinidad & Tobago sailed clear of the field to
clinch victories in five of the six races; adding a sec-
ond place saw T&T finish with 21 points overall. Robbie
Yearwood’s Grenada team fought off the St. Lucia
‘eams, finishing second with 35 points, and Nick
Fosberg’s St. Lucia team was three points back in third
place overall.
Trinidad & Tobago teams have now won the last
‘© clashes in the J/24 class, achieving first and third
places in the Barbados Nationals and now a first over-
all in St. Lucia, showing great promise for the upcom-
ing 2010 CAC Games in Puerto Rico.
Thanks go to the main sponsor, BMW Prestige
Motors, along with The Landings, St. Lucia Distillers and
Peter & Company for prizes, and to the committee
boat, ff Restless, All money raised by this event goes to
he St. Lucia Yacht Club’s youth sailing program.
Thanks also to the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing
Association for information in this report. For more
information visit http://stluciayachiciub.com
Bobby Velasquez Overall Winner
in 5th Golden Rock Regatta
The Fifth Annual Golden Rock Regatta, held
November 11th through 17th, included races from St.
Maarten to Anguilla, Anguilla to St. Martin, St. Martin
to Statia, and Statia to St. Maarten. In his first appear-
ance in the event, Sir Robert “Bobby†Velasquez, rep-
resenting the St. Maarten Yacht Club and racing his
Beneteau 45 F5, L’esperance, was awarded the
Governor's Trophy by Statia Governor Hyden Gittens.
Compass correspondent Stéphane Legendre was
there, and we'll have a full report in next month's issue!
Team Tulloch Thrills at US Women’s
Match Championship
Carol Bareuther reports: The US Sailing Women’s
Match Racing Championship (USWMRC) was held in
St. Thomas, USVI this year, hosted by the St. Thomas
Yacht Club and sailed November 12th through 15th in
Cowpet Bay. It is the first time the national event was
held outside the 50 states.
Light winds worked to the benefit of US Sailing Team
AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) member Genny Tulloch (of
San Francisco, California) on the final day. Tulloch was
joined by crew Chafee Emory (of Newport, Rhode
sland), Elizabeth Hall (Chevy Chase, Maryland) and
Elizabeth Kratzig (Miami Beach, Florida).
Tulloch upset fellow USSTAG teammate, Anna
unnicliffe (Plantation, Florida), and her crew of Molly
O'Bryan Vandemoer (Redwood City, California), Liz
Bower (Rochester, New York), and Alice Manard
(Charleston, South Carolina) in the finals. Manard and
Vandemoer are both members of USSTAG. Team
unnicliffe had dominated the first three days of the
championship, losing just one match.
Shifty conditions and a breeze barely reaching six
knots set the scene for the final two matches of the
semifinals and for the four match finals. In the semifi-
nals, Tunnicliffe defeated Annie Gardner-Nelson (San
Diego, California) in three matches. Tulloch bested
USSTAG member, Katie Pilley-Lovell (New Orleans,
Louisinana), in three matches to force a Tunnicliffe-
Ulloch face off in the finals. Team Tunnicliffe had
gone 3-0 against Team Tulloch in their first three round
robin matches.
—Continued on next page
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In the finals, Tulloch won the first and third match.
Tunnicliffe won the second match, leaving her no
choice but to win the fourth match in order to stay in
the game. They were only three boat lengths from the
finish and both teams were on a beam reach for the
finish. The two teams both jibed, and Tulloch came
out of the gybe with better boat speed and held it
straight to the finish line. “We had a good time and a
Run concurrently with the US Women's Match
Championships in St. Thomas was the Radiology
Women's Regatta, in which young local sailors
Agustina Barbuto and Nikki Barnes, above,
trounced the competition
lot of fun,†says Tulloch. “We're about 30 pounds light-
er than Anna’s team and | think that helped us in the
light winds today.â€
The win for Tulloch is especially sweet after losing to
Tunnicliffe in the finals of last year’s USWMRC. “It feels
great to win this championship,†Tulloch says. “We
enjoy racing in St. Thomas. The conditions are great.â€
“This is the first time the USWMRC has been sailed
outside of the US,†says regatta director, Ruth Miller,
“and we're excited to have hosted this event and this
level of sailors.â€
The 4th annual St. Thomas Radiology Women’s
Regatta and Tennis Tournament was held concurrent-
ly with the USWMRC. St. Thomas’ Nikki Barnes and St.
John’s Agustina Barbuto won the regatta portion of
the event with a flawless string of first place finishes
over eight races. “After every race we went over
what we did wrong, figured out how to do it right and
put this into practice for the next race,†says Barnes, a
10th grade student at Antilles School. “Even though
we won each race, we were always on the move
and forming new strategies to account for the ever
changing conditions.â€
St. Croix’s Sydney Jones and Krista Siino finished in
second place, while fellow Crucian sailors, Challis Diaz
and Genevieve “Genna†Keller finished third. Twenty-
eight sailors competed in the regatta.
The 2009 US Women’s Match Racing Championship
is sponsored locally by St. Thomas Radiology
Associates, which also sponsored the 4th Annual St.
Thomas Radiology Women’s Regatta & Tennis
Tournament, and by Rolex Watch USA, Dry Creek
Vineyard, Predict Wind and Sail Proud.
At Last: Triple Jack Wins Round Tortola Race
After copping numerous line honours in the Round
Tortola Race since her arrival in the BVI in 1997, Triple
Jack finally claimed overall victory on the 40th anni-
versary of the Peg Legs’ Round Tortola Race held
November 21st, 2009.
In conditions seemingly made for this trimaran, she
circumnavigated Tortola in three hours, 33 minutes
and 27 seconds, beating closest rival Jurakan, a
Melges 32, by 42 minutes across the line. With the
wind blowing from the south-southeast (unheard of in
the event's 40-year history, according to race veteran
Peter Haycraft) the fleet was predominantly able to
sail directly to Beef Island and, once on the north side,
reach directly to Soper’s Hole. Once there, however,
fickle winds played havoc with some competitors’ fin-
ish times but not Triple Jack’s — she “rattled throughâ€
in three painless tacks.
Because of the light winds and wind direction, the
Nanny Cay-sponsored Triple Jack, a Kelsal 47, was
able to carry full main, spinnaker and half-furled
genoa almost the entire length of her northern run
along Tortola, allowing her to put time between her
and the rest of the fleet.
Peter Haycraft’s Pipe Dream was second in Racing
Class, 14 minutes behind Triole Jack on corrected time.
Last year’s winner, Dave West's Jurakan, missed sec-
ond place by one second. Guy Eldridge’s Luxury Girl
lost a whopping 22 minutes after missing her recall for
SaNd¥d Nvad
being over early; it’s never a good sign when you have
to use a spinnaker to get back to the line to restart.
Tom Mullen on Shamrock V won Cruising Class, with
Adrian Sinton’s Rascal second and Robin Tattersall’s Diva
third. A raucous prizegiving was held at Peg Legs’
Restaurant with Dick Schoonover as MC. Peg Legs’
Restaurant and Nanny Cay Marina sponsored the event.
TISA’s Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking Race
Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association in
Chaguaramas, Trinidad saw exciting dinghy racing on
November 21st at the Budget Marine Dinghy Ranking
Race. The Optimist Dinghy Class competed in four
A new National Sailing Scheme supports training for
the T&T sailors of tomorrow
afternoon races in good winds and choppy seas.
Abigail Affoo showed good speed downwind to take
the first race with this term’s ranking leader, Myles
Kaufmann, coming a close second. Three competitors
succumbed to the conditions and did not finish the
race. Race Two saw some close battles as the sailors
became accustomed to the chop; Derek Poon Tip
took the honours with Myles Kaufmann again in sec-
ond place. In Race Three, Kaufmann took first with
Kellyann Arrindell second. The fourth and final race
proved an exciting contest between Helena Coombs
and Derek Poon Tip. Coombs led the race up until the
final mark, but Poon Tip managed to catch up and
take the honours over the finish line.
A gutsy performance in the Optimist Beginner Class
by Geovannie Peters, of the sailing programme in
the town of Vessigny, saw him win all four races.
Vessigny’s Caribbean Champions in the 420 Class,
Daniel Briggs and Dekife Charles, won all four races
without contest. Wesley Scott took the honours from
Mark Peters in the Laser Radial class and Andrew
Affoo came home uncontested in the Laser
Standard class.
On the following day, the first safety-boat operator
course in a series started, under the new National
Sailing Scheme training programme. Twelve potential
dinghy instructors (eight from Chaguaramas and four
from Vessigny) learned rescue techniques for sailing
dinghies, using the sailing school safety boat fleet.
Steve Jackson and Sebastian Godsmark, experienced
sailing instructors from the UK, will be assisting with
training and coaching local students for two months.
The TTSA Sailing School Administrator thanked the
Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago (SPORTT) for
help with funding and continuing support of efforts to
gain international success through the new National
Sailing Scheme.
For more information contact Hedge Shuter at (868)
634-1216 or youthsailingschool@yahoo.com
—Continued on next page
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48 Turn Out for ARC Flotilla 2009
Danielle DeRouck reports: The fourth annual ARC
Flotilla sailed off from Castries Harbour, St. Lucia on
November 22nd, bound for Rodney Bay Marina. The
Brig Unicorn joined the fleet and fired the cannons to
start the event.
Say ‘ARC!’ Key players from St. Lucia's public and
private sectors showed their ARC spint aboard the
Jflotilla’s mother ship, Grey Ghost
The Flotilla is held on the day the Atlantic Rally for
Cruisers (ARC) starts in the Canary Islands, bound for St.
Lucia, and is designed to raise the event's profile locally.
A total of 46 power- and sailboats registered in advance
and two more boats joined the event on the day.
Aboard many of the yachts were representatives of
the Flotilla’s sponsors. The Flotilla’s mother yacht,
Bernard Johnson’s Bertram 54, Grey Ghost, hosted St.
Lucia’s Minister of Tourism, Honorable Allen Chastanet;
Director of Tourism Lewis Louis; St. Lucia Yacht Club
(SLYC) Commodore Stephen King; Rodney Bay Marina
General Manager Adam Foster and his fiancée Alex
Prowse; and Bob Hathaway representing the Marine
Industries Association of St. Lucia (MIASL).
After arrival in the Rodney Bay Marina, all partici-
pants proceeded to H20 Restaurant to enjoy compli-
mentary drinks from the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and
Heineken, snacks sponsored by H20, and music by
the Digicel Steel Pan Band. Certificates of participa-
tion were presented.
The Flotilla is organized by SLYC and MIASL, with
assistance from the St. Lucia Tourist Board and Rodney
Bay Marina. Special thanks go to this year’s sponsors
— Digicel, Heineken, Columbian Emeralds, Travel
Concept and Blue Waters — as well as to KIKA (press
boat), Merlin Too (photo boat) and to all the partici-
pants for making this year’s Flotilla a success.
For more information visit htto://stluciayachiciub.com
The Superyacht Cup Antigua is This Month
The Superyacht Cup in Antigua has new dates at
the end of January.
“More than 15 yachts have said they plan to partici-
pate and we are confident that there will be a really
strong fleet and excellent racing,†says Patrick
Whetter, Event Organizer. The event will be held over
four days with registration on January 27th and racing
on the 28th, 29th and 30th. The “Bucket Rating†sys-
tem will be used, with two races planned for the 29th.
Perini Navi will be returning to sponsor the
Superyacht Cup Antigua and are planning to have at
least two of their fleet taking part. The Briand-
designed 38-metre sloop P2, built by Perini, has con-
firmed participation. Leading yacht insurance broker
Pantaenius, a long-term support of The Superyacht
Cup, will also continue their sponsorship of the Antigua
event. Wayfarer Marine from Maine USA is taking up
silver sponsorship of The Superyacht Cup Antigua.
For more information visit www.thesuperyachicup.com
New Trophy for Female Sailors at
Grenada Sailing Festival - and more!
Budget Marine Grenada, a long-standing sponsor of
he Grenada Sailing Festival, will present a new
Perpetual Trophy at the 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival,
which runs from January 29th to February 2nd.
The Budget Marine Trophy will be awarded to the
most outstanding female sailor participating in the
event's Port Louis Racing Series, four days of interna-
ional yacht racing. Nicholas George, Manager of
Budget Marine Grenada, explained, “The company
has long been a great supporter of the promotion and
recognition of talented female sailors, and we are very
pleased to bring this to the Grenada Sailing Festival.
he aim of the Budget Marine Perpetual Trophy is to
acknowledge and encourage sailing talent, spirit and
ambition in our many female sailors, and will not nec-
essarily go to the one who is over the finish line first.â€
The Trophy is a beautifully crafted wall-mounted
chronometer, which will be permanently displayed in
he Budget Marine Grenada Store in True Blue, and
each year the winner’s name will be added to an
engraved plaque under the chronometer, and a pic-
ure of the presentation featured in a Grenada Sailing
Festival Photo Gallery also in the store.
The 2010 Grenada Sailing Festival will offer not one,
but two weekends of great sailing action. By staging
he sailing over two weekends, the Festival will provide
more interesting and challenging racing for all partici-
pating sailors.
For the second year running, yachts taking part in
he Port Louis Racing Series will be able to dock ata
“home portâ€, Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina,
which has some 160 slips available for yachts of all
sizes. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas is offering a dis-
count on docking to all participants in the 2010 Port
Louis Racing Series. Overall, prices have been
reduced by 20 percent on previous rates, and then
he marina is offering all yachts taking part in the
Festival a further 30 percent discount on dock space.
Racing will start and finish from this base, with new,
longer courses, including an extended South Coast
Ocean Triangle. There will also be four days of parties
Grenadian style. The new look Victory Bar at Camper
& Nicholsons Port Louis Marina will be “the place to
be" for Finish Line Limes, happy hours, and a new
selection of after-race parties, including the Mount
Gay Red Cap Party and Festival Farewell Prize
Presentation Gala Dinner. True Blue Bay Resort's
Dodgy Dock is still on the calendar too: the popular
Festival venue hosts the Monday night’s party.
Sailing action continues on February éth and 7th,
when the crowd-pulling Grenada Sailing Festival
Digicel Work Boat Regatta comes to Grand Anse
Beach. There will be competition on the water
between the sailing communities of Carriacou,
Gouyave, Grand Mal, Petite Martinique, Sauteurs and
Woburn, plus live entertainment, games and activities
for the children, arts and crafts on sale, and food stalls
with traditional dishes on offer. New plans pair this
spectacular weekend of racing with the island’s
Independence Celebrations.
There is more good news for owners or skippers plan-
ning to have a pre-Festival clean or maintenance
check: Spice Island Marine Services is offering a ten-
percent discount on haul/launch, chocking and lay-
days (after the company’s standard five free days) for
yachts participating in the Festival. The offer is good
for the month of January and is non-transferable.
Contact Justin Evans at Spice Island Marine at justin@
spiceisland marine.com
The Grenada Sailing Festival Port Louis Racing Series
is part of the Southern Caribbean Regatta Circuit —
come south and sail with us! For more details check
websites www.grenadasailingfestival.com, www.sail-
week.com and www.sailingcarriacou.com
For more information on the Grenada Sailing Festival
see ad on page 5.
Competition and Compassion in St. Croix Event
Ellen Sanpere reports: The St. Croix Yacht Club
Hospice Regatta is set to start off on February 19th
with an Opti Clinic for the youngsters and a fabulous
rum party for the adults, followed by lots of great rac-
ing, February 20th and 21st.
“Inspired by Competition ~ Enhanced with
Compassion’ is the regatta’s motto,†says Julie San
Martin, regatta director. “In addition to being a great
warm-up for boats and their crews (competition), we
are sailing for a worthwhile cause, supporting hospice
services for all who need it on St. Croix (compassion).â€
The winning CSA Spinnaker-1 skipper will get his/her
weight in Cruzan Rum and an invitation to the Hospice
Regattas National Championship to be held in
Rochester, New York next June. The competition will
include up to 30 other Hospice Regatta winners from
the US and Canada.
In St. Croix, racing is for the entire family. As many as
30 eight- to 15-year-olds will compete in four Optimist
divisions after attending the Opti Clinic, back by pop-
ular demand, to improve their skills. The kids also get
Last year's CSA Spinnaker 2 start in St. Croix. From
left: Atlantic Raider, Rushin’ Rowlette, Glory Daze,
J-Walker, Cayennita and Magnificent 7
breakfast and lunches, included in the entry fee, and
the overall winner gets his or her weight in sports drink.
In addition to Opti and CSA racers, the regatta
invites all local and visiting liveaboards, cruising boats
and multihulls to race in the Buck Island Channel, and
promises at least one day of point-to-point racing,
including the challenging Christiansted town race.
One-design IC-24s and Rhodes 19s are invited to race
in the protected waters of Teague Bay, with lunch
ashore at the yacht club.
The St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta is an all-
volunteer effort to raise funds and awareness for hos-
pice care on St. Croix. Over one-third of the St. Croix
population is under-insured or has no health insurance
coverage at all. One hundred percent of the funds
raised will go to support the end-of-life medical needs
of St. Croix residents, ensuring a dignified closure to
their lives regardless of their ability to pay.
—Continued on next page
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As of November 2009, Hospice Regattas netted
more than US$ Imillion for hospice care in their com-
munities. Fiscal non-profit sponsorship, provided by the
St. Croix Foundation, offers donors 501(c) (3) tax-
deductible sponsorship options at several levels.
Acknowledging the challenges of US entry require-
ments, Customs and Border Patrol officers will be at
the yacht club on Friday to welcome visitors arriving
by boat. There is plenty of anchoring room in Teague
Bay, making for a one-stop registration, clearance
and party experience.
Some might say, the most compassionate part of the
regatta is the “enter now, pay later†provision! Food
and entertainment will be available all weekend, and
to better plan a memorable party and regatta, San
Martin asks skippers to pick a class and to register
online. “Please enter early,†she says, “No payment is
due until February 19th, and there are no penalties if
you are unable to show up for any reason.“ That said,
St. Croix offers great sailing in February, competing for
a worthy cause, and its famous Crucian hospitality:
racers are encouraged to make their plans now!
For more information see ad on page 15.
South Grenada Regatta 2010 Launched
The thriving yachting industry brings revenue to
Grenada. Wanting to celebrate the yachting commu-
nity and also attract more yachts from other islands to
Grenada, Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel held
the first South Grenada Regatta in February 2009. It
was a huge success.
Grenada’s Tourism Board Chairman, Richard
Strachan, is encouraged by strong sponsorship for the
second South Grenada Regatta, coming next month
A special reception was held on November 27th,
2009, to announce the dates of the second edition:
February 26th through 28th. At the launch, Richard
Strachan, Chairman of the Grenada Board of Tourism,
said he is encouraged by so many sponsors from the
last Regatta who are still on board; some new and sig-
nificant sponsors have also been secured.
Damon Du Bois, Marketing & Sales Manager for
Westerhall Estate Ltd, is pleased Westerhall will be sup-
porting the event for a second year, using the oppor-
tunity to promote Westerhall Plantation Rum. The SGR
Committee would like to thank all their sponsors and
supporters, especially Westerhall Estate Limited,
Netherlands Insurance, Real Value Supermarket and
Le Phare Bleu Marina & Boutique Hotel.
Jana Caniga, owner of Le Phare Bleu Marina and
co-founder of the SGR, explained that the Regatta
Committee discussed how to enhance the experi-
ence for participants and spectators, and decided to
shorten some courses and add a third race. The Junior
Dinghy Sailing will be held on the Saturday, and
Sunday will be for prize giving, relaxation, family and
fun. The main attraction for families is the fun Pirates’
Trail, which takes place on the Saturday and Sunday.
One significant change is the registration fee — only
USS$50 per vessel.
If you missed the South Grenada Sailing Regatta last
year, take the opportunity to find out what all the buzz
is about!
For more information see ad on page 20.
USVI’s Peil and Barnes Selected for Singapore
The Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (VIOC) select-
ed William “Will†Peil, a triathlete and 11th grader at
Country Day School on St. Croix, and Nikole *“Nikki*
Barnes, a sailor and 10th grader at Antilles School on
St. Thomas, to attend the first Singapore 2010
Friendship Camp.
Accomplished. dinghy sailor Nikki Barnes of St.
Thomas was chosen by the Virgin Islands Olympic
Commuttee to attend a special event of the Singapore
2010 Youth Olympic Games
The Camp took place from December 8th to 12,
2009 and was organized by Singapore’s Ministry of
Education in partnership with the Singapore Sports
School and the Singapore Youth Clympic Games
Organizing Committee. It is a special event of the
Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. The 15- to
17-year-old athletes from around the world who par-
ticipated in the Camp had the opportunity to partici-
pate in a wide variety of cultural and educational
activities in anticipation of the inaugural Youth
Olympic Games (YOG). The YOG will be held in
Singapore from August 14th to 26th.
Peil embarked on his sports career as a swimmer
with the St. Croix Dolphins Swim Team at age eight. He
became a triathlete in 2007, competing in his first tri-
athlon, the Try-A-Tri on St. Croix and finishing first in his
age division. Most recently, Peil placed first out of a
pack of 73 international triathletes in the 2009 St. Croix
Sprint Triathion.
Barnes began sailing at age seven at the St. Thomas
Yacht Club. She competed in the Optimist dinghy until
age 15, where her accomplishments included second-
best Girl at the 2006 US Optimist National
Championships in Florida, Top North American Girl at
the 2007 Optimist North American Championships in
Mexico, and a placing of 35th out of 255 competitors
at the 2008 Optimist World Championships in Turkey.
Barnes is currently skippering the two-man International
420 dinghy with crew Agustina Barbuto from St. John.
The VIOC, founded in 1966, has sent a team to every
Central American and Caribbean Pan American and
Olympic competition since 1966, with the exception of
the boycotted 1980 Olympics in Moscow, winning its
first Olympic medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The
VIOC represents 22 sports federations.
For more information
visit www. virginislandsolympics.com
Third Annual Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta
Fred Thomas reports: The 2010 Grenada Classic
Yacht Regatta dates have been moved forward to tie
in with plans for a Virgin Islands to Grenada Challenge
Race for yachts coming to Grenada to race. The
main event will start on March 4th with the skippers’
briefing. yacht registration and cocktail party held at
Bel Air Plantation, St. David’s Harbour, followed by
three days of racing.
All courses will be off Grenada’s southeastern coast;
the first race will start and finish from St David's Harbour.
On the Saturday the race will start off St. David's
Harbour and end at Le Phare Bleu Marina & Resort,
where boats can dock for the night. The final race will
be to True Blue Bay Resort, where boats can also dock.
Water taxis will be available for those at anchor.
After each day’s racing, there will be time to enjoy
the famous Grenadian hospitality, with great parties,
food and drink, along with local and international
bands performing each night. The awards dinner and
party will be at True Blue Bay Resort.
Register early and get a break on fees.
For more information visit
www.grenadaciassicregatia.gd
Challenge the Grenada Round-The-lsland Record!
Roger Spronk reports: At the 2009 Grenada Round-
the-lsland Race (GRIR), the trimaran Horizon Region
Guadeloupe shattered the course record by more
than an hour, crossing the finish line with an elapsed
time of three hours, 54 minutes and two seconds. This
record poses an exciting challenge and the Grenada
South Coast Yacht Club has responded by creating a
prestigious prize for any vessel that breaks it, upping
the stakes for the 2010 GRIR!
Chartered by John Bumie for Claude Thelier, Horizon
Region Guadeloupe will be back in 2010 to defend
her title and attempt to improve their 2009 time. At
present, the yacht holds several other records, includ-
ing fastest times around St. Martin, St. Bart's,
Guadeloupe and Martinique.
In addition to top-quality sailing competition, the
2010 GRIR weekend from March 12th through 14th will
bring a wide range of entertainment to Grenada’s
Grand Anse Beach. High points of the weekend will
include A Taste of Grenada food festival, the youth
sailing exhibition, and the ever-popular Crazy Craft
Bathtub Derby.
—Continued on next page
BAREBOAT CHARTERS - FULLY CREWED CHARTERS - ASA SAILING SCHOOL
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¢ Vehicle Rentals ° Showers ¢ Air Travel
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e Island Tours e Surftech Surf Shop ¢ Hotel Reservations
¢ Quiksilver Surf Wear e Restaurant & Bar ¢ Boutique
¢ On-site Accommodation e Wi-Fi / Internet Café ¢ Book Exchange
PO Box 39, Blue Lagoon, St Vincent, West Indies
Tel. 1-784-456-9526 / 9334/9144 Fax. 1-784-456-9238
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—Continued from previous page
The Grenada South Coast Yacht Club and 2010 Race Committee are working to
continue the GRIR’s tradition of promoting sailing excellence while also providing
events that celebrate Grenadian culture.
With bragging rights on the table, the GRIR promises to be one of the most excit-
ing sailing events of 2010!
For more information see ad on page 6.
Get Around Guadeloupe
The multilegged 2010 Round Guadeloupe Race starts at the town of Gosier and
includes legs to Saint-Louis in Marie Galante, St. Fran¢ois or Port Louis, Deshaies and
Les Saintes before returming to Gosier. The Round Guadeloupe race offers nightly
parties at each port, with Zouk music and 7 punch — a great way to discover the
Guadeloupe archipelago and its people and culture.
This year’s edition will be held from the Ist to the 5th of April. The new “high seasonâ€
dates are expected to attract more boats than the former May dates did. Forty
yachts raced around the island last year, and organizers foresee an increase in 2010.
For more information see ad on page 7.
Bequia Regatta 2010: Big J/24 Class News
Russell Corrie reports: The Bequia Easter Regatta, April Ist through 5th, promises
to be another record-breaking event and the J/24 Class hopes to contribute in
significant measure. Last year’s turnout of 13 J/24s might be exceeded by a
potential 20 teams vying for the honor of being crowned the first-ever “Southern
Caribbean J/24 Champion’ in addition to being Bequia’s overall J/24 winner.
Kudos to the Bequia Sailing Club’s Regatta Organizing Committee for running a
well-organized event, so competitive and so much fun, that it took the Southern
Caribbean J/24 Council just one meeting to decide that it wanted this regatta to
be the home of its Big Event every year.
Since Bequia first offered the J/24s their own class at the event in 2005, the St.
Lucians have been the dominant force at this regatta, winning in 2005, 2006, 2007
and 2008. But Barbados boat Esperanza upset the apple cart in 2009, and 2010 will
see a line-up of eager contenders for this newly minted Southern Caribbean
Championship crown.
The Trinidadians, who in 2009 won the Barbados Open, the St. Lucia Open and
Grenada Sailing Festival, will have their eyes on this prestigious accolade. The
Bajans too — as defending Bequia champions, with the largest fleet in the region
and a recent taste of the highest level of competition from the 2009 World
Championships — have every intention of taking home the goodies. Grenadian
boat Die Hard, which took honors at the South Grenada Regatta and third overall
spot in Bequia in 2009, will be looking for their first big overseas victory, while the
Lucians, who virtually owned this class for so long, and who, it is rumored, expect
legendary Mike Green to return to Bequia in 2010, will be out for revenge. Last but
not least, dark horses St. Vincent and Dominica, who have just started their own
fleets, will be crewed by some experienced sailors as well.
With the J/24s joining four other highly competitive classes in Bequia, this is one
regatta that is definitely not to be missed.
For more information visit www.begos.com/easierregatta
Too Much Fun!
Sailboat racing in the Caribbean is booming and we’ve got more Regatta News
than we can publish this month! See next month’s Compass for lots more regatta
results and details of upcoming events.
Le Phare Bleu Marina
Marina & Yachtclub
Restatirants
by Ella Rychlewski
Most people will tell you that Portsmouth’s claim to fame is being the island of
Dominica’s second largest city. So start most of the travel descriptions... only to
end a few lines later. However, this is to do this social melting pot and natural jewel
an injustice.
Portsmouth was briefly the capital of Dominica before the capital was relocated to
Roseau. The topography of the area, marshes and volcanic elevations, did not allow
or expansion. Now the bustling center of the Northern District, Portsmouth town is
ocated on the shore of a natural harbor, Prince Rupert Bay, which was a port of call
or Columbus in 1504 and today attracts yachts, ferries and cruise ships.
Most tourists and some cruisers head straight for Roseau and overlook the north
— rich in history, culture, food and natural beauty. Portsmouth is an ideal base to
discover a different part of Dominica.
Planned on a grid system, the town of Portsmouth is centered on Bay Street and
Burrough Square. Its charm lies in the fact that it is not touristy; it is a working town
where Dominicans from the area come to do to business and shop. The area’s only
hospital and fire station are also in Portsmouth. Locals come to town to run their
errands and walk down the street hailing each other, exchanging greetings.
Exuberant laughing, expansive gestures, animated arguments — the people make
this place come alive.
In town, you can find most necessities in Joe’s and Best Buy supermarkets as well
as in a few smaller food shops. On market days (Fridays and Saturdays), the market
rovides a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and fish. Along the
main street you will also find a few clothing stores, a couple of internet cafés and
most of the snackettes. These are small shacks where you can purchase snack food
throughout the day: fried chicken, bakes and sandwiches, as well as Creole plates
at lunchtime. The Creole plate is the staple diet of Dominica and includes meat or
ish, vegetables, beans and at least two types of carbs (e.g. rice, spaghetti, “fig†pie,
macaroni-and-cheese or potato salad). These are ideal places to rest, have lunch
and to watch and listen to Dominicans, many of whom will stop in for lunch. Don’t
orget your local juice; there is nothing better, after all, than fresh juice (orange,
grapefruit, tamarind, guava and the list goes on) made with fruit picked from a tree
that same morning.
Portsmouth has the advantage of offering a wide variety of activities within close
range. To the north, the beautiful Purple Turtle Beach is just outside Portsmouth,
as are several other beaches. Most yachts anchor off this beach or pick up a mooring
there. The cruise ship berth is located in nearby Cabrits National Park, which has
many short trails to explore as well as Fort Shirley, an 18th century British garrison
that is being reconstructed. Further up that side of the island, still heading north,
are Toucarie Bay, which has little-known reefs for diving, and Capuchin, another
historical site and the start of the picturesque Capuchin- Penville hiking trail. The
road back to Portsmouth from Penville, an agricultural Caribbean village with sweep-
ing views towards Marie-Galante, takes you through an active voleano crater with
bubbling sulphur springs. The French islands are never far from view in this part of
the island.
Portsmouth’s southern border is the Indian River. Locals offer boat rides up the
beautiful mangrove-framed river to the jungle bar at the end serving Kubuli, the local
beer, and its version of rum punch. A little further south is Picard, home to Ross
University medical school. For those hankering after some Western fare, you can find
everything from bagels and smoothies to pizza, several fast-food chains, as well as a
wider selection of food in the several supermarkets. The area’s hotels are also most-
ly located in this area, along the beach.
If, after those several packed days, you get bored, you can always rent a car and
venture farther afield. To the south is the Syndicate Trail where you can see the
Syndicate waterfall and hope to catch a glimpse of the indigenous and rare Sisserrou
(Amazona imperalis) and Jacquot (Amazona arausiaca) parrots. Heading east you
can cross the Kalinago territory, owned by the “Carib Indiansâ€, the Kalinago people.
They have a model village showcasing their history and lifestyle.
Portsmouth, often unjustly overlooked, offers a mix of an authentic Caribbean
experience along with all the pleasure and comforts one wants to find on vacation.
There are several clubs offering nightlife mid-week and on weekends as well as some
authentic dining experiences. And did I mention the best “cookies and cream†ice
cream I’ve ever had, to be found at Burrough Square?
Dominica is probably easier to access by boat than by air and Portsmouth offers
a perfect place to drop anchor, refuel, restock and enjoy the best of what the
Caribbean has to offer. Add to that the uniqueness of Dominica’s natural wonders
and culture and you have an unmissable stop on your Caribbean excursion.
Top left:
Purple Turtle Beach
Above: The Cabrits, seen
Jjrom Michael Douglas
Boulevard.
Right: The mouth of the
Indian River
at Portsmouth's
southern edge
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Despite a slightly negative write-up in Doyle’s about
the trip from Trinidad down to Guyana, the two boats
had spent a pleasant time getting there from
Chaguaramas, stopping off in Scotland Bay, La Vache
Bay and Grande Riviere before crossing to Charlotteville,
Tobago. A week disappeared in swimming, walks and
making a few repairs, and then we set off for Guyana,
completing the passage to Roeden Rust in three days
and six hours. We were able to sail during the hours
of darkness and motorsail during daylight; it seemed
as though the wind veered as the sun came up and
backed as it set. The sea was slight all the way down
a with only the occasional “bounce†to disturb things.
ae
Pa The much talked-about northwesterly current put in
ty 4 an occasional appearance, but never seemed to be
be | more than a knot or so against us. All in all it was
ego ge ea ss eels quite a pleasant trip. Maybe we were just lucky.
For those who just love the mad social whirl of
Chaguaramas, you'll hate Guyana. I mean, | think
mine was only the fourth boat this year to go up the
Essequibo River. The anchorages were uncrowded, if
not actually deserted, and there wasn’t a potluck,
jump-up or dominoes afternoon to be seen!
The waypoints shown in Doyle’s guide are more
than adequate to enter the Essequibo and continue
up to the town of Bartica, however on my electronic
chart system (Navionics) and on Moonshiner’s system
the boats were sometimes shown as being onshore
and the tracks between some waypoints were shown
as crossing the land. Working on the principle that it
would be sensible to “stick to the wet stuff’, a certain
amount of interpretation was required, but anybody
with an ounce of common sense should be able to
stay out of trouble.
Troutbridge has a saltwater draught of about 1.2
metres and had no trouble; Moonshiner with a saltwa-
ter draught of 2.3 metres touched the bottom a couple
of times taking the flood up to Bartica, but no harm
was done.
—Continued on next page
became aware of a voice shouting, “Troutbridge!
Hello, Troutbridge!â€
I became more awake and thought that it must be the
Guyanese Coastguard hailing. We were anchored off pay Acme
Roeden Rust, flying the yellow flag, having arrived from jj) (right) ona
Charlotteville, Tobago, the previous afternoon, October side trip to
2nd, 2009. Venturing on deck, I found the cheerful face Kaieteur Falls
of Kit Nascimento grinning up from his speedboat. “We're
on our way up to our place at Hurakabra. Give me a call
when you are 15 minutes out of Bartica and I'll arrange
for Customs and Immigration to come out to you.â€
The planning for this trip had started during the win-
ter of 2008, before I retired and left the English Channel
island of Guermsey in Troutbridge, my Broadblue 385
retirement home. I'd purchased Chris Doyle's Cruising
Guide to Trinidad and Tobago, plus Barbados and
Guyana and started wondering if there was an alterna-
tive to four and a half months in Trinidad. It appeared
that there might be. So, here 1 was with an Australian
couple aboard, Pam and Jim, whose boat was on the
hard in Trinidad, not to mention crewmate Cadey, and
another boat, Moonshiner, waiting for the tide to con-
tinue up the Essequibo River to the town of Bartica
where Customs and Immigration awaited us. It was
Doyle’s guide that had first introduced me to Kit.
2% more (sea)
The Perkins Sabre M225Ti is designed to replace the Perkins
M200 and M235 and provides more than 22% additional available
horsepower in the same package.
This large capacity 6 liter engine comes in a compact package and only takes out 225 hp.
By comparison, our nearest competition takes that out of a 4 liter engine. Running at a low 2500 rpm
versus the competition’s 3300 rpm or higher, the M225Ti will have a longer life (minimum 12,000 hour
TBO) and quieter operation.
The gear-driven fresh water pump has a longer life and less to go wrong while the waste gate turbo
charger gives better performance at lower rpms. An integral plate-type oil cooler combines fewer hoses
with longer life and better efficiency.
With Perkins’ outstanding marinization, excess hoses and belts have been engineered away and
everything has easy access for stress-free maintenance.
Call Parts & Power for your nearest dealer: (284) 494 2830
ww www.partsandpower.com
—Continued from previous page
It’s worth noting that there are virtually no buoys in
the Essequibo river, a local source of information tell-
ing us that there was no money in the kitty to main-
tain them and there weren't many visiting ships or
boats to warrant making any provision to maintain
those that were still in place.
Approaching Bartica, I called Kit (692 455-3200) and
he was as good as his word, sending Dominic (Dom),
the manager o his resort, to meet us in Bartica. Dom
waited until we were safely anchored and then ferried
the officials out to us. They were both very pleasant
and the fee was US$12.50. Everybody on the yachts
was given one month in country, but I suspected that
we could have had longer if we'd asked for it. This took
lace on a Saturday afternoon, at about 1700 hours,
and there was no extra charge for working those hours
or for coming out to the boat. The Immigration depart-
ment is located in the police station at Bartica and the
mumigration officer will walk you round to Customs.
The fee for checking out is also US$12.50 and I'm
retty certain this is the only place I've visited so far
where the officers shook hands and hoped that you've
had a pleasant stay!
On the Sunday, we visited Hurakabra resort for lunch
and a chat with Kit. The standard charge at resorts on
the river seems to be US$15 per head for either lunch
or dinner and there was a reasonable charge for Dom to
ick us up and take us back to Bartica in a speedboat.
n any case, Kit had been very helpful in his e-mails
and had made no charge for sending Dom to assist with
officialdom, so we felt the least we could do was to
atronize his resort. Other boats might have to pay for
this service, or Kit may continue to send Dom to help
with clearing in; either way, he and Gem (his charming
wife) are running a business.
While at anchor off Bartica (incidentally, I suggest
you anchor a little further off the town than shown in
Doyle’s, to remain clear of the barge traffic), we were
visited by the irrepressible Joyce Davis, the lady who
owns the yacht Mood Indigo. She and her late husband,
David, had been famous among cruisers as musicians
in Trinidad. They built a house on the Essequibo a few
years ago and Joyce seems to be happy for boats to
anchor near Mood Indigo, but please remember that
hers is a private home, not a resort. She invited us to
come to her place and drop anchor, which we did, and
we invited her out to the boats for sundowners. The
following evening she reciprocated, showing us around
the grounds of her home. While there, we encountered
the third yacht in the river, Erasmus, a New Zealand
boat, and the following
day came across another
boat, Orchid.
Gem will undertake
organizing tours for vis-
iting cruisers and, with
hindsight, it might have
been better to have used
her services. There
appear to be no adver-
tising regulations in
Guyana and tour com-
panies seem to be in the
habit of offering tours at
attractive rates — then,
when you book, these
Left: A riverside scene
at Bartica
Right: We had a visitor, en
route to Trinidad.
rates are not available. Fairly typical (actual) rates
seem to be around US$250 for a return flight and
guided tour at the Kaieteur Falls and around US$600
for a five-day/four night overland trip into the interior.
Again, a word of caution: the people are very friendly
and willing to please but don’t expect the level of
equipment or comfort that you would expect “back
homeâ€. As a retired airline pilot I was content with the
local airline we used to fly to the Falls; others who went
on the overland tour were not so lucky and had a road
accident. The driver had no first-aid training and there
was no first-aid kit in the four-wheel drive vehicle and
medical help was a few hours’ drive away. So, if taking
a land tour, have a look over the vehicle first and con-
sider taking your own first-aid kit. That said, appar-
ently the trip was very worthwhile. I would regard any
river or road trip as an expedition rather than a tour
and equip accordingly.
River transport is well organized on the Essequibo. A
one-way trip from Bartica to Parika (the nearest port
on the Essequibo to Georgetown, the capital) costs
approximately US$10 per person. Although the boats
appear fairly crude, they are subject to regular govern-
ment inspection and all passengers are required to
wear flotation vests (supplied). The ride takes just over
an hour and can be great fun, if a little wet at times.
The river itself is a chocolate brown colour and when
swimming, visibility is close to zero. The current can
run at up to three knots, so a safety line off the back
of the boat is highly recommended. There appear to be
no “nasties†in the river, although in some places pira-
nhas are present (but the locals claim are never a
problem), as is the occasional anaconda. The latter
seem to stay in swamp areas and have never been
known to be a problem to swimmers.
The locals all drink bottled water, but my watermaker
just loved the fresh water and delivered at least twice its
rated flow. Nobody had any problems drinking the
watermaker product during the 19 days we were there.
We anchored off Baganara Resort for a couple of
days. They were very welcoming, although virtually
closed during the week.
Navigating up and down the river requires some care
and judicious use of the ebb and flood, but most of the
rocks seem to be accurately charted. Those with shal-
low-draught boats could have a lot of fun gunk-holing.
To summarize, the trip down was easier than we
were led to believe, and the trip back to Trinidad was
an off-wind pleasure with at least one knot of favour-
able current most of the time. It’s worth noting that
the current closer to the coast is much stronger than
further off shore. The difference in tracks down and up
was about ten nautical miles, but there was a marked
difference in the strength of the current. The return
trip took two and a half days.
The Guyanese are a friendly people and although
there is some crime on the river, we never felt threat-
ened. Bartica has a frontier town feel to it, but again
feels safe, certainly in the early evening. Maybe stag-
gering around at 3:00am wouldn't be a great idea, but
that’s true of a lot of places. We were warned that
Georgetown wasn't safe at night; indeed a group walk-
ing back from a restaurant to their hotel was told by a
local lady that it would be better to hail a taxi, but
nobody had a bad experience.
Organized tours are not particularly cheap and the
local produce, while of reasonable quality, is not cheap
either. Petrol (gas, for the Cousins) is around US$1 per
litre. Diesel prices I'm not sure of, but it is available for
visiting yachts. There are local mechanics willing to
work on boats. They are able to improvise, but if spare
parts are not available “in country†it may take up to
ten days to import them. Kit was willing to help with
this process and may or may not charge for this.
Guyana is a beautiful, fascinating country, well worth
making the effort to visit. Anybody used to one-day
inter-island passages followed by tying up in a marina
may feel a little daunted by the prospect of the trip, but
the reality (at least on this trip) was that with a little
care, planning and provisioning the trip can be unevent-
ful. I would definitely recommend going across to Tobago
from Trinidad and spending some time there before
heading south.
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by Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Montserrat was once a bustling island and its capital city, Plymouth, was the com-
mercial centre of the Eastern Caribbean. To those who last visited prior to 1995,
Montserrat is now totally different. Volcanic eruptions in that year covered Plymouth
with pyroclastic flows and ash. A large part of the population left the island.
With approximately two-thirds of the island declared unsafe and placed in an
exclusion zone, the 4,000 remaining inhabitants have basically had to start over. But
this should not be seen as a drawback but rather the opportunity to experience a
re-emerging island culture. Currently, the settlement of Brades serves as the main
town and houses the government offices while construction of the new capital city at
Little Bay in the north of the island proceeds. When I visited Montserrat recently the
new cultural centre and public market were already completed.
This island is commonly called the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbeanâ€. This name not
only refers to the lush green vegetation present on the island, even in some of the
areas that experienced volcanic activity, but also refers to its strong Irish heritage.
Originally inhabited by the Amerindians, in 1632 English and Irish Catholic settlers
were brought from St. Kitts, as they were not welcome in the other British colonies
because of their religion. The first evidence of Irish influence that greets visitors is
the shamrock stamp in their passport. The national flag also has the legendary Irish
figure of Erin with a harp alongside the Union Jack (as Montserrat is still a British
colony). It is also the only place in the world outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s
Day is a public holiday.
My research on the spider biodiversity in the Eastern Caribbean has taken me to
many wonderful and diverse islands. These included the Emerald Isle of the
Caribbean, which was my home for two weeks as I conducted my research. I was
assisted by one of my friends who had visited the island before. What struck us as
a great thing about Montserrat is that it is small enough to do practically everything
listed in the tourist guide, and we thought that we would try. So we got the guide
and a map of the island, and headed off exploring.
Our first stop was at Jack Boy Hill on the northeast side of the island. It has well-
maintained gardens, a picnic area and a viewing platform from which you can see
the destroyed W.H. Bramble Airport and some of the surrounding villages. There is
a telescope, which offers a better view of the area and the Soufriere Hills voleano. On
a clear day you can make out the outline of the spiky plugs that cap the opening to
the volcano.
But you can get an even better view of the voleano from the Montserrat Volcano
Observatory (MVO). The sole purpose of this facility is to monitor the volcano and wam
inhabitants of potential danger. This facility is open to the public Monday to Thursday.
Here for a fee of EC$10 (US$3.75) you can view a documentary on life before the erup-
tion and the stages of the voleano’s evolution. It is shown at quarter past every hour
from 10:15am to 3:15pm. There are also many informative posters illustrating voleanic
activity. In the recent past, visitors were allowed to talk to the scientists and go in their
work area and see the seismic recording equipment. However, this started to interfere
with the operations of the MVO and was discontinued.
Here we learned that Montserrat is no stranger to natural disasters — 95 percent
of the island was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. In 1992 a series of earth-
quakes continuing until July 1995 was the first sign that the voleano, which had
been dormant for recorded history, was active again. Magma first appeared in
November 1995. In August 1997, pyroclastic flows destroyed central Plymouth and
extended out to sea from the Tar River Valley. The heavy rains that followed washed
down the ash to form a thick mud that buried the capital city even deeper. (For more
information on the history of the voleanic eruptions visit www.montserratvolceanoob-
servatory.info)
Many people may have the idea that after the eruption Montserrat became a waste-
land. But the truth is that the lush, undeveloped northern part of the island was
untouched by the volcano. This island has a lot to offer the nature lover, including
a network of trails. The trails are of varying degrees of difficulty but all allow you to
see the wide range of flora and fauna on the island. If you are a novice, try the Oriole
Trail. More experienced hikers would want to try more
up Jack Boy Hill leading to Baker’s Hill and then on to
challenging trails like those
Katy Hill.
If you want to passively support the biodiversity of the island, visit the National
Trust in Salem where you can purchase books, T-shirts and other nature-inspired
items. They also have a beautiful garden with a collection of ornamental, fruiting and
medicinal plants. Plans are in the works to turn this garden into a national botanical
garden. The same building that houses the National Trust also houses the National
Philatelic Bureau, which has something for both the nature and stamp lover, since
many stamps feature pictures of the local and endemic wildlife such as the
Montserrat Oriole and the Rock Iguana.
There are many nightspots and restaurants. My favourite was Bingo Night
(Thursdays from 8:00pm for about an hour) at The Lime Sports Bar in Brades. Cards
can be purchased for EC$5 each and reused for the duration of the night. Sometimes
Bingo Night has a theme; for instance, the first time we went it was “Hurricane Hugo
Night†and the first person to get the numbers in the shape of each of the letters of
“Hurricane Hugo†won a game. For example, for the first game the winner was the
first to spell “Hâ€. At the end of this you returm the plastic bingo cards and can par-
ticipate in the jackpot game played on paper tickets for about EC$10 each. If there
is no winner the jackpot rolls over.
After the first week we decided that we had seen almost everything on land so we
looked into taking a boat tour around the island. We turned to the services of Troy
and Melody who operate The Green Monkey Dive Shop at Little Bay. The tour took
approximately two-and-a-half hours. Along the way we saw how the wave action
eroded the sides of the island to form sheer cliffs.
—Continued on next page
—Continued from previous page
We passed Foxes Bay, which is the bay before you reach Plymouth as you head
south and is off limits to the public. Approaching Plymouth we saw many large
homes and condominiums occupying the hillsides between Foxes Bay and Plymouth,
all of which now stand abandoned. The landscape reminded me of present-day
Chaguaramas in Trinidad.
Then we came to Plymouth, or “Modern Day Pompeii†as it is commonly referred
to. There was not much to see, as heavy rains washed ash downhill after the erup-
tions, and when it hardened it became as hard as cement. We saw buildings, but
kept in mind that what we were seeing was just the top floors of any buildings more
than two storeys tall — everything below this level is buried in rock-hard ash. It is
an eerie sight: the entire city looks frozen in time, standing in silent testimony to the
bustling commercial hub it once was. And although from a distance it looks pristine
and untouched, it is slowly deteriorating.
The large petroleum tanks near the coast enter the water as they come loose from
the mud. This poses a hazard for boat propellers, so that the area has to be navi-
gated with caution.
We were lucky that day as it was quite clear so we had a great view of the volcano
just below the plug. Troy said it was the clearest they had seen in months. But you
cannot stay in the area too long because of the constant presence of sulphuric gas,
so we turned back and headed to Rendezvous Bay. This relatively small, isolated bay
is just past Little Bay as you head north. Its calm waters make it great for snorkel-
ling, which is what we did. The bay is accessible by land but it is a long hike that
becomes steep in some parts. We returned to Rendezvous Bay later in the week to
try our hand at kayaking. Again we enlisted the services of The Green Monkey to
rent kayaking equipment.
5
i root ee
Top: Much of Montserrat's former capital, Plymouth,
has been buried in volcanic debris
Above: Out of the ashes: the island's new cultural centre at Brades
If you are new to snorkelling as I was and you want to go to a more populated
beach, Woodlands beach is a good place to start. The crowd really gathers at around
3:00PM, but during the day it is quiet and it’s great for an early morning swim. It is
one of the beaches where leatherback turtles nest. The island is also quite safe, so
you could camp on the beach and wait for the turtles to visit.
Some more adventurous persons might want to walk around in the old capital and
passes can be obtained from the local police — only when they deem it safe to enter
the area. This is for your safety since heavy rains, especially during the wet season,
can bring down mudslides.
If you want to get a safer “up close and personal†view of the destruction caused by
the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, visit Belham Valley on the safe side of the
border of the exclusion zone. This was one of the small valleys where the pyroclastic
flows came through, claiming 19 lives. Evidence that it was once a thriving commu-
nity is seen by the abandoned homes and businesses including a hotel, hair salon
and nightclub. Some electricity poles still stick up through the mud as silent indica-
tors of the location of streets and the buildings that once lined them. We went into
one of the abandoned condominiums during one of our explorations of the area.
During our visit we were fortunate to meet some interesting residents of the island
who decided to stay after the eruptions, including Shirley and Lou Spycalla. Along
with all the physical destruction, some of the country’s rich folklore was also
destroyed. Shirley told us of the legend of the mermaid of the pool at Chance’s Peak.
If you were able to take her golden comb, she would grant your wishes. This pond
is now buried under many feet of rock-hard ash.
Another colourful resident we had the great fortune to meet was Kevin West. He is
an avid photographer and the owner of Paradise Photo and Art Studio. He took many
of the photos of the eruption that are now featured on postcards from the island. He
told us how he set up his camera for hours, shooting rolls of film late into the night.
He also told us of a time he had to take his equipment and literally run out of the
path of the volcanic flow after he had waited until the very last minute to get the
perfect shot.
We were also lucky to meet one of Montserrat’s famous citizens, Alphonsus
Cassell, better known as the calypsonian “Arrowâ€, at his store, Arrow’s Manshop. His
song “Hot Hot Hot†is known worldwide.
Before we left we took a drink of the pure spring water from Runaway Ghaut (pro-
nounced gut). Contrary to its name, it is said that if you drink from this you will visit
Montserrat again. So, see you again, Emerald Isle!
Right now the best way to reach the island is either by yacht (yachts can currently
anchor only at Little Bay), or by flying from Antigua on WinAir (www, fly-winair.com)
or Fly Montserrat (www flymontserrrat.com). The ferry service between Antigua and
Montserrat is undergoing changes; for updates visit wiuw.visitmontserrat.com
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~~ Chapeau Carée
A rewarding view of Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, from the peak of Chapeau Carée
If you look around while anchored in Tyrrel Bay you will see the very pretty hill line
to the north above the mangroves, now broken by a big new Italian house perched
on top. Look to the east and you will see Chapeau Carée, the tallest hill visible from
Tyrrel Bay. Standing 290 metres above sea level, it is the second highest hill on
Carriacou. The highest hill (High North) is only a metre taller, so if you really want
to feel you have been as high as you can get on Carriacou, carry a small stepladder
with you on this hike.
Hiking to Chapeau Carée is lovely, but it can be hot, so early morning is best both
for comfort and for good light for the view over Tyrrel Bay (don’t forget your camera).
The hike takes about two to three hours round trip from the Tyrrel Bay dock. There
is an unmarked path of sorts, which is steep towards the top. It can be slippery — on
mud when wet and on fallen leaves when dry.
From the main dock, turn left in the direction of LEsterre. Turn right on the first
side road, which is good and straight, with several houses on either side. Then take
the first left-hand turn. This road bends around and climbs slowly into the hills. It
starts off paved and turns to dirt. For the most part you have a view on your left and
a hill on your right. The road follows upwards around this hill.
Continue till you come to a small junction straight ahead where the dirt road
divides in two. If you stand at this junction and look at the left hand road, you will
see a gap in the hedge into a field almost opposite where you are standing. (Long
version: turn left at the junction, walk a couple of feet and turn right through the
gap in the hedge.) Enter into the field.
Now the adventure begins. Walk up through the field, making friends with any
cows in the path, until you get to the field’s top left-hand corner, where a path goes
into a dense thicket with a small pond. This is a good resting spot; there are often
wading birds, grackles, pigeons and other birds that use this as the local watering
ase
Above: Watering holes like this are
essential for livestock and wildlife
on dry islands
Right: Trail map
hole. Plus, in the shade it is cool.
You can continue walking on either
side of the pond. If you take the right-
hand side you will come into a small
field that goes up to a ridge and you
can see your destination way above. Go
to the top left of the field and get
through one of the small openings that lead into the next field.
If you go to the left of the pond you will already be here. Follow this field upwards.
It will bring you to an open ridge. The open part is quickly over and you need to find
the path that leads up along the ridge through the trees. Follow this path all the way
to the top. If you find yourself on either side of the ridge, you are straying from the
straight and narrow. There is no trail-maintenance crew; you may have to scramble
or find your way around fallen trees.
The path is mainly in the woods, which give shade, except for one clearing where
you begin to get a good view. You emerge out of the trees at the very top of the hill.
The view of Tyrrel Bay is outstanding: the whole bay is laid out before you in minia-
ture like a brightly colored children’s book illustration. You also get great views of
Sandy Island, Union Island, the town of Hillsborough, the islands to the south
between Carriacou and Grenada, and to the east.
C AR B BEAN
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2010
Where initials are given after an event listing (e.g. AYC),
see Key to Contacts at the end of this calendar
JANUARY
1 New Year's Day. Public holiday or “recovery day†in many places. Junkanoo parade
in Abaco, Bahamas
1-3 St. Croix Christmas Festival Parades. www.stxfestival.com
2 Public holiday in Cuba (Victory of Armed Forces Day), Haiti (Founding Fathers Day), St Kitts & Nevis
(Carnival Day), St. Lucia and Grenada (Second New Year's Day)
6 Three Kings Day. Public holiday in many places
6 World ARC 2010/11 starts in St. Lucia. www.worldcruising.com/worldarc2010
8-10 French Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop, Guadeloupe. evastropic@wanadoo. fr
11 Eugenio Maria de Hostos Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico
11-17 17th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival. www.barbadosjazzfestival.com
11 - 20 St. Barts Music Festival. www.stbartsmusicfestival.org
13 - 16 Carriacou Sailing Series. www.sailingcarriacou.com
17 Women’s Cup Regatta, Martinique. Yacht Club de la Martinique. YCM
18 Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
21 Errol Barrow Day; public holiday in Barbados. Our Lady of Altagracia; public holiday
in Dominican Republic
21 - 24 St. Maarten-St. Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com
22 St. Thomas USVI Blues Festival. http: //stevesimonpresents.com
23 - 24 Around Antigua Race. AYC
23 - 24 Zion Cup Race, Guadeloupe. Centre Nautique de Basse-Terre
24 - 28 41st Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada. www.sibtgrenada.com
24 - 30 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay. www.airjamaicajazzandblues.com
25 Duarte’s Day; public holiday in Dominican Republic. G.F. Croe’s Day;
public holiday in Aruba
27 - 30 Antigua Superyacht Cup. AYC
27 - 10 Feb 15th Annual Mustique Blues Festival. www.basilsbar.com
28 - 31 Bequia Music Fest. www.begos.com/bequiamusicfest
29 - 2 Feb Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival. www.grenadasailingfestival.com
29 - 6 Feb 16th Guadeloupe International Film Festival.
www.fest2 1.com/en/festival/femi_international_cinema_festival_of_guadeloupe
30 FULL MOON
30 - 31 Budget Marine Women’s Caribbean Championships, St. Maarten. SMYC
30 - 6 Feb De Caribbean Regatta, BVI. www.myc.org
FEBRUARY
2 World Wetlands Day
4-7 Club Nautico de San Juan International Regatta, Puerto Rico.
www.nauticodesanjuan.com /sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm
5 Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, Jamaica. www.montegobayrace.com
6-7 Digicel Workboat Regatta, Grenada. www.grenadasailingfestival.com
6-7 Gill St Maarten Keelboat Championships, SMYC
6-16 5th La Route du Carnival rally, Martinique to Trinidad. www.transcaraibes.com
7 Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada
12-15 32nd Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and 28th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. WEYC
12-16 20th Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique. CNM
13 - 14 Budget Marine Valentines Regatta, Antigua. JHYC
13 - 14 Sentann Cup Race, Guadeloupe
13 - 15 Carnival Regatta, Martinique. CNN
14
15-16
15
17
19 - 21
19 - 21
21 - 22
22
22 - 23
22 - 26
Sunshine School Fundraising Auction, Bequia. www.bequiasunshineschool.org
Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and other places
Presidents’ Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
Ash Wednesday. Public holiday in Cayman Islands and Jamaica
St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. www.stcroixregatta.com
Tobago Carnival Regatta. www.sailweek.com
Around St. Lucia Race. SLYC
Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia
Carnival in Dominica. Public holiday
RORC Caribbean 600 Offshore Race, Antigua. caribbean600.rorc.org
22-20 March = Trinidad & Tobago Biennial Music Festival
26 - 28
27
27
27 - 28
28
MARCH
1-5
4-7
4-7
5-8
5-10
11-14
12-14
13-14
13 - 14
13 - 14
South Grenada Regatta. www.southgrenadaregatta.com
Around St. Maarten-St. Martin Multihull Regatta. www.MultiHullRegatta.com
Independence Day. Public holiday in the Dominican Republic
Around Martinique Race. CNN
FULL MOON
H. Lavity Stoutt Day. Public holiday in the BVI
BVI Kite Jam (kite boards). www.bvikitejam.com
Budget Marine Match Racing Cup, St. Maarten. SMYC
30th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. www.heinekenregatta.com
Grenada Classic Yacht Regatta. www.grenadaclassicregatta.com
13th Annual Dark and Stormy Regatta, BVI. WEYC
Caribbean Arts & Crafts Festival, Tortola, BVI. www.caribbeanartisan.net
International Women’s Day. Commonwealth Day; public holiday in some places
Baron Bliss Day; public holiday in Belize. Commonwealth Day:
public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament. http://tgft.com
8th Annual Grenada Round-the-Island Race. www.aroundgrenada.com
Banana’s Cup Race, Martinique. YCM
Antigua Annual Laser Open, AYC
Gardel Trophy, Guadeloupe. Yacht Club Saint-Francois
YaYs0s0 Gays 11M
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National Heroes Day. Public holiday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines
14
15 - 20 7th Annual ClubSwan Caribbean Rendezvous, BVI
17 St. Patrick’s Day; public holiday in Montserrat. Festival in St. Patrick’s, Grenada
18 Flag Day. Public holiday in Aruba
19 - 22 13th Annual Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament
20 Sunshine School Annual Jumble Sale, Bequia.
22 Emancipation Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico
25 - 28 St. Barths Bucket, www.bucketregattas.com
26 - 28 International Rolex Regatta, St. Thomas, USVI
29 FULL MOON
29 - 4 April BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival. www.bvispringregatta.org
30 Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day. Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
30 - 22 April Transcaraibes Rally, Guadeloupe to Cuba. www.transcaraibes.com
B BEAN
CALENDAR
APRIL
1-5 Round Guadeloupe Race. www.triskellcup.com
1-5 Bequia Easter Regatta. www.begos.com/easterregatta
2 Good Friday. Public holiday in many places
5 Easter Monday. Public holiday in many places
5 Buccoo Goat, Donkey and Crab Races at Mt. Pleasant, Tobago
6 Buccoo Goat, Donkey and Crab Races at Buccoo, Tobago
6-11 Les Voiles de Saint Barth. www. lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com
15 - 20 Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. www.antiguaclassics.com
22 International Earth Day
23 Guadeloupe to Antigua Race. www.sailingweek.com
24 - 30 Antigua Sailing Week. www.sailingweek.com
24 - 7 May Fireball World Championships, Barbados. www.fireball-worlds.com
28 FULL MOON. National Heroes’ Day: public holiday in Barbados
30 Queen's Day. Public holiday in Dutch islands
MAY
1 Labour Day. Public Holiday in Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Montserrat and St. Lucia
1-3 St. Lucia J/24 Open Championship. SLYC
2 The Atlantic Cup, Tortola to Bermuda, starts. www.carin1500.com
6 ARC Europe Rally, Tortola to Europe, starts.
6-9 St. Lucia Jazz Festival. www.stluciajazz.org
7-9 Anguilla Sailing Festival. www.anguillaregatta.com
13 Combat de Coques, Martinique. CNM
13 Ascension Day. Public holiday in some French and Dutch islands
13 - 16 Mount Gay Regatta, Barbados. www.sailbarbados.com
15 - 16 Captain Oliver’s Regatta, St. Maarten. www.coyc-sxm.com
21-23 Puerto Rico Vela Cup. www.puertoricovelacup.com
22 - 24 Green Island Weekend, Antigua. AYC
24 Whit Monday. Public holiday in many places
24 - 29 Ernest Hemingway International Billfish Tournament, Cuba. yachtclub@cnih.mh.cyt.cu
24 - 31 BVI Music Festival. www.bvimusicfest.net
27 FULL MOON
28 - 30 Foxy’s Wooden Boat Regatta, Jost Van Dyke, BVI. WEYC
29 - 30 Martinique-to-St. Lucia Race. YCM
30 Anguilla Day; Public holiday in Anguilla. Indian Arrival Day; Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
TBA Canouan Regatta. Canouan Sailing Club, tel (784) 458-8197
JUNE
3 Corpus Christi. Public holiday in many places
World Environment Day
5-6 Caribbean Laser Championship, St. Maarten. SMYC
12 St. Lucia Optimist and Laser Championship. SLYC
12 Sovereign's Birthday. Public holiday in the BVI
13 - 20 20th Annual Jamaica Ocho Rios International Jazz Festival. www.jamaicaculture.org/jazz
19 Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, St Thomas, USVI
19 Labour Day. Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago
19 - 20 The Saintes Regatta. CSBF
20 - 26 Errol Flynn Days, Jamaica. www.errolflynnmarina.com
21 Summer Solstice
21 Féte de la Musique, Martinique
24-26 14th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival. www.nevisblog.com/st-kitts-music-festival
26 FULL MOON
26 - 4 July HIHO Windsurfing Week, BVI. www.go-hiho.com
29 Fisherman’s Birthday (St. Peter's Day). Boat and dinghy races in many fishing communities
JULY
1 VC Bird Day; public holiday in Antigua & Barbuda
2-3 19th Annual Firecracker 500 Race, BVI. WEYC
4 Independence Day (USA). Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI. Carnival in St. John, USVI
5-6 St. Vincent Carnival. http: //discoversvg.com
9-11 Chief Minister's Cup Youth Regatta, Tortola. RBVIYC
14 Bastille Day. Public holiday in French West Indies
16 - 1 Aug Tobago Heritage Festival
20 - 21 St. Lucia Carnival. www.stlucia.org
22 - 25 USVI Lifestyle Festival, St. Thomas. www.usvimf.com
25 FULL MOON
25 - 2 Aug Carriacou Regatta Festival. www.carriacouregatta.com
28 Carriacou Children’s Education Fund Welcome Barbecue. boatmillie@aol.com
30 Carriacou Children’s Education Fund Annual Auction. boatmillie@aol.com
AUGUST
1 Emancipation Day. Public holiday in Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago
1 Emancipation Day Regatta, St. Lucia. SLYC
7 Marigot Bay Race Day, St. Lucia. SLYC
9 - 10 Grenada Carnival. www.spicemasgrenada.com
16 - 22 57th San Juan International Billfish Tournament, Puerto Rico. www.sanjuaninternational.com
24 FULL MOON
28 Great Race (powerboats) from Chaguaramas, Trinidad to Store Bay, Tobago
TBA Tour des Yoles Rondes, Martinique. www.tourdesyoles.com/www.yoles-rondes.org
OF EVENTS 2010
SEPTEMBER
6 Labor Day. Public holiday in USVI
23 FULL MOON
OCTOBER
3-9 43rd Bonaire International Sailing Regatta. www.bonaireregatta.org
22 FULL MOON
29 - 31 13th Annual Foxy’s Cat Fight, Jost Van Dyke, BVI. WEYC
29 - 31 World Creole Music Festival, Dominica. www.wemfdominica.com
TBA Triskell Cup Regatta, Guadeloupe. www.triskellcup.com
NOVEMBER
1 All Saints’ Day. Public holiday in many places
3 21st Annual Caribbean 1500, Virginia to Tortola, starts. www.carib1500.com
3 Bahamas Cruising Rally, Virginia to Abacos, starts. www.carib1500.com
6 St. Maarten Optimist Championship.
12 - 14 3rd Heineken Regatta Curacao. www.heinekenregattacuracao.com
12 - 20 20th Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. www.arubaregatta.com
21 FULL MOON
21 25th Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, Canaries to St. Lucia, starts.
26 - 28 Course de l’Alliance Regatta, St. Maarten/St. Barths/Anguilla. www.coursedelalliance.com
DECEMBER
3-5 Gustav Wilmerding 20h Annual Memorial Challenge, BVI. WEYC
6-11 48th Antigua Charter Yacht Show. www.antiguayachtshow.com
12 - 21 Havana International Jazz Festival, Cuba. www.jazzcuba.com
21 FULL MOON
21 Winter Solstice
25 Christmas Day. Public holiday in many places
26 Boxing Day. Public holiday in many places
31 Nelson’s Pursuit Race, Antigua. AYC
FO
e All information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time this calendar went to press — but plans
change, so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation! Also, a public holiday may be celebrated
on the following Monday if a fixed holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
e Many thanks to all who made their schedules of events available for this calendar. This is by no means a
complete list. Stay tuned to Compass each month for news of more events as the year progresses.
e If you organize a sailing event not listed here that you'd like to see in our monthly calendars, please send
information two months before the event date(s) to sally@caribbeancompass.com.
KEY TO CONTACTS
AYC: Antigua Yacht Club, tel/fax (268) 460-1799, yachtclub@candw.ag, www.antiguayachtclub.com
CNIH: Club Nautico Intl. Hemingway (Hemingway International Yacht Club, Cuba), tel (+1 53) 724-2718,
yachtclub@cnih.mh.cyt.cu
CNN: Club Nautique Le Neptune, Martinique, tel (596) 51 73 24, fax (596) 51 73 70, info@clubnautiquele-
neptune.com, www.clubnautiqueleneptune.com
CNM: Club Nautique du Marin (Martinique). tel (596) 74 92 48, fax (596) 74 62 02, club-nautique-du-marin@
wanadoo.fr, www.clubnautiquedumarin.com
CSA: Caribbean Sailing Association. www.caribbeanracing.com
GYC: Grenada Yacht Club, tel (473) 440-6826 or 440-3050, gyc@spiceisle.com, www.grenadayachtclub.
com
JHYC: Jolly Harbour Yacht Club, Antigua. tel (268) 770-6172, miramarsailing@hotmail.com, www.jhycan-
tigua.com
RBVIYC: Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, tel (284) 494-3286, rbviyc@rbviyc.com, www.rbviye.net
SBYC: St. Barth Yacht Club, tel (590) 27 70 41, sbyc@wanadoo.fr
SCYC: St. Croix Yacht Club, tel (340) 773-9531, fax 778-8350, stcroixyc@gmail.com, www.stcroixyc.com
SLYC: St. Lucia Yacht Club, tel (758) 452-8350, secretary@stluciayachtclub.com, www.stluciayachtclub.
com
SMYC: St. Maarten Yacht Club, tel (599) 544-2075, fax (599) 544-2091, info@smyc.com, www.smyc.com
STYC: St. Thomas Yacht Club, tel (840) 775-6320, fax (340) 775-3600, info@styc.net, www.stye.net
SYR: Société des Yoles Rondes (Martinique), tel (0596) 61 48 50, fax (0596) 72 02 53, yolesrondes@wanadoo.
fr, www.yoles-rondes.org
TTSA: Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Assn., tel (868) 634-4210/4519, fax (868) 634-4376, manager@ttsailing.
org, www. ttsailing.org
WEYC: West End Yacht Club, Tortola, BVI, tel (284) 496-8685, mvh@surfbvi.com, www.weyc.net
YCM: Yacht Club de la Martinique, tel (596) 63 26 76, fax (596) 63 94 48, yemq@wanadoo.fr
Lo ssid
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK WITH DON STREET
Part One:
Tobago to Dominica
As I've often mentioned, articles and letters in yachting magazines frequently com-
plain that the harbors in the Eastern Caribbean are so full of mooring balls and other
yachts that there is no room to anchor. But I'd like to let newly arrived sailors know
that if you are willing to get off the beaten track and forgo bars and restaurants,
there are probably a hundred anchorages where you and a buddy boat or two can
enjoy anchoring in solitude.
All the anchorages mentioned are well described in various guides, so I won't give
sailing directions. Admittedly, many require eyeball navigation with someone stand-
ing on top of the bow pulpit. A few will require someone on the lower spreaders. (On
the modern yacht with internal halyards, climbing aloft is much more difficult than
in the old days when halyards were external. Fixing steps on the mast to enable a
crewmember to easily reach the lower spreaders is a worthwhile alteration.)
Let’s start from the south.
Tobago has a dozen uncrowded anchorages. Those on the north coast should not
be used in the winter due to the prevalence of the northwest groundswell, but come
summer they are fine. (If a hurricane approaches, head south to Trinidad or west to
Golfo de Cariaco.)
Grenada has an abundance of under-used anchorages. On the southwest coast,
boats that draw six feet or less can work their way well into Morne Rouge Bay.
Deeper draft boats can drop their anchors on the edge of the shelf and back off.
Grenada’s south coast has numerous anchorages; one can almost always find an
uncrowded one. If heading north up the east coast, see sailing directions on the back
of Imray Iolaire chart B32; Lascar Cove, Requin and Le Petit Trou offer good anchor-
ages where you will find no habitation and no other boats.
Grenville’s anchorage is not that hard to enter, sheltered from the sea but not the
wind, and a wonderful base from which to do shoreside explorations of the northeast
corner of Grenada. When leaving, mind your p’s and q’s. It’s possible to sail out but
advisable to motor-sail.
Frigate Island is a seldom-used anchorage
that’s one of my favorites
Uninhabited Sandy Island, on the northeast corner of Grenada, is another nice
anchorage seldom visited by yachts.
Enroute to Carriacou, in summer months when it is not blowing hard, a daytime
anchorage might be found in the lee of Les Tantes, where fishermen sometimes
camp. Corn Store Bay on the northwest corner of Isle de Ronde is a good anchorage
as long as the groundswell is not running.
Instead of crowded Tyrrel Bay, head for the southeast corner of Carriacou. In the
summer when it is not blowing too hard try the anchorage behind One Tree Rock.
There is room for one boat only and good diving on the reef to windward. To the east
of One Tree Rock, anchorage can be found west of Sandy Island and northwest of
Saline Island.
A short beat brings you to Kendeance Point, the entrance to Grand Bay where you
find five miles of sheltered water and good anchorage tight behind the reef. Continue
north past St. Hilaire Point. Boats drawing seven feet or more should proceed dead
slow or send the dinghy ahead to check depth. Anchor off the boatbuilders’ village of
Windward or tight up behind Carib Island.
Sail on north and west to anchor behind Frigate Island, a seldom-used anchorage
that’s one of my favorites. (Frigate Island is attached to Union Island by a causeway
constructed for a failed marina project.) Then, if the wind is south of east, Bloody
Bay on Union Island is wonderful, but if the wind is east or north of east forget it.
On to the windward side of Mayreau: just like the outer anchorage in the Tobago
Cays, but no other boats. The windward side of Canouan is also an excellent anchor-
age and big enough that you will never be crowded. If it is not blowing too hard, and
if you are a good eyeball navigator and can put a crewmember ON THE SPREADERS,
you will find another anchorage where you will be alone and have good diving within
easy swimming distance of the boat.
Out to windward is Baliceaux, an uninhabited island visited by fishermen and the
occasional yacht. Another easily reached, quiet anchorage is Anse Chemin on
Bequia, which is great as long as the wind is east or south of east. From Anse
Chemin or Baliceaux heading north, forget about sailing up the west lee side of St
Vincent. Check the “meridian passage of the moon†table on the back of the Imray
Iolaire chart or in Compass. Head across Bequia Channel with the first of the weather-
going tide, go to windward of St. Vincent and stand north to Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. It
should be a close reach, a fetch during the winter, or come spring, when the wind
tends to be south of east, a good fast reach.
Once checked in at Vieux Fort, sail around the corner and anchor in Anse de Sable.
Tuck up really tight behind Maria Island, as in the main bay it tends to be rolly as
the swell hooks around both sides of Maria Island.
Heading west, try Laborie. Unfortunately there are moorings, but I am told that
there is still space to anchor and the boat boys are not too pushy.
In Martinique, check in at Le Marin, then leave the crowded harbor and anchor off
Ste. Anne in clear water and plenty of room. It is a good jumping-off spot for the east
coast of Martinique, a wonderful cruising ground where you will see few if any other
cruising yachts. In this area my guide is adequate, but if you really want to gunk
hole, especially if you have a shoal-draft boat, purchase the guide by Philipe
Lacheneze Huede and Jerome Nouel. Philip is descended from Martinique’s first
white settlers and has sailed the east coast all his life, while Jerome arrived in
Martinique 30 years ago, has cruised into every gunk hole in Martinique and has
produced superb sketch charts.
There are so many anchorages on the east coast of Martinique that I will not try to
list them. Since the harbors lay on an east-west axis it means you cannot leave till
the sun is high and you should be anchoring by 1500 at the latest. At the head of
some of these harbors the rise and fall of tide at springs can reach three feet, so
check depth and state of tide before anchoring.
In Dominica there are few anchorages; none are off the beaten track.
Next month: The Saints and northward.
Se ——————
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Grenada
Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will make
your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don Street,
author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-lolaire charts, which shows the time
of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this and next month, will help you
calculate the tides.
Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts running
to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an hour after the
moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward. From just after the
moon's setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward; and from just after its
nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward. Times given are local.
Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons.
For more information, see “Tides and Currents†on the back of all Imray Iolaire
charts. Fair tides!
January 21 1629 9 0838
DATE TIME 22 1713 10 0928
1 0016 23 1800 ll 1016
2 0118 24 1852 12 1101
3 0216 25 1949 13 1145
4 0310 26 2050 14 1226 (new)
5 0400 27 2153 15 1307
6 0449 28 2256 16 1347
© 0537 29 2356 17 1428
8 0626 380 2454 (full) 18 1511
9 0715 31 0054 19 1557
10 0806 20 1646
ll 0858 February 21 1739
12 0950 DATE TIME 22 1836
13 1042 1 0148 23 1936
14 1131 2 0239 24 2036
IS 1219 (new) 3 0329 25 2136
16 1303 4 0419 26 2234
LZ 1346 5 0510 27 2330
18 1427 6 0607 28 0000 (full)
19 1507 7 0654
20 1547 8 0746
S/V Ambler has been home to
Stan and Cora since they left
Germany in 1981. The boat was
built in 1927 as an RNLI motor-
sailer lifeboat and remained in
service in the often-hostile waters
off the coast of the UK until 1949.
Purchased in Guernsey in 1977,
it took Stan and Cora until 1981
to refit her sufficiently to begin their cruising life. The work of refitting Ambler con-
tinued as they traveled until Ambler was brought to her current configuration in
1991. Even though she has a taller mast installed and a foresail added to make her
a cutter and her wheelhouse has been cut down to a coach roof and countless other
changes have been made, her stout, 40-foot, 16-ton hull still provides a truly sea-
worthy boat. Ambler has proven herself to be a reliable vessel throughout Stan and
Cora’s extensive travels.
They started their cruising adventure in the Mediterranean. From there they went
to the Canary Islands, then across the Atlantic to Brazil, south to Argentina and
around the Cape and up to Chile, then Easter Island, across the Pacific to Polynesia,
Australia and New Zealand. Then it was 3,000 miles across to Madagascar, around
South Africa and across the Atlantic, back to Brazil, some 25 years later. The adven-
tures and misadventures of Ambler’s voyages during those years would fill a book.
From Brazil, Stan and Cora worked their way up the South American coast and into
the Caribbean two years ago.
Stan is the cook and the engineer. Much of the refit of the boat has been done in out-
of-the-way places, requiring Stan to create needed parts and items from materials avail-
able. He is carpenter, welder, mechanic and rigger. Cora said, “It wasn’t until we got to
the Caribbean that I realized you could walk into a chandlery and buy something you
need rather than having to make it yourself.†Cora does the painting, varnishing, bot-
tom scraping, epoxy and canvas work, and generally keeps the boat shipshape.
Underway, the crew roles on Ambler are quite blurred. Whoever is on watch is the cap-
tain. Navigation has become second nature to both of them, as have most of the tasks
involved in handling the boat. Whatever needs to be done, together they can handle it.
In their travels across the planet, Stan and Cora have shared their talent and pas-
sion for music. Wherever they are, you will probably find them playing their favorite
jazz or blues pieces in some local club, often joined by local musicians. Stan does
keyboard and vocal while Cora plays the sax. Stan has played since childhood. Cora,
on the other hand, has acquired her musical skills during their travels. Their upbeat
outlook and passion for living clearly come through in their music.
When asked what their favorite places have been, they agree their all-time favorite
is Tonga. They spent five years in Tonga‘s Vava’u island group, making many friends,
including the Crown Prince, a fellow musician. Other favorites are Madagascar and
Mozambique. But they add, “Everywhere we have been, we've found the people to be
friendly to us.â€
When I asked what they like best about this cruising life, Cora spoke up. “We go
everywhere but I always have my own bed, my books, my home, wherever we are.â€
For the future, as far as they can see it, Stan and Cora will go where the wind car-
ries them, making friends and making music along the way.
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day sailing and coastal cruising until an adventurous young man from Maine
bought her and once again pointed her bow in the direction of faraway lands. Now
I am the third in a line of owners from Maine (actually I'm from Ohio but I bought
the boat while living in Maine) whom Phumbelly has carried safely across oceans.
One previous owner and friend of mine told me before I left for the first time,
“Plumbelly is the princess of every harbor she visits; she always gets the best
spot!†And I'll be darned if it hasn’t been true — from the grimiest fishing harbor
in Morocco to the most chi-chi spots in the Caribbean, she always gets the royal
treatment. She’s so small, but so proud. She just charms the socks off of every-
body! I think it’s the spirit of adventure and tradition she embodies that makes
peoples’ eyes twinkle when they take a moment to admire her.
I read once that art is an expression of humans’ love of labor, and people have
described Klaus’ relationship with Plumbeily as “a grand love affair’. In the case
of the Bequian shipwrights it was a love born out of necessity, for nothing less
than a sort of love can create a vessel seaworthy enough for whaling. In Phumbelly,
by Patrick DiLalla Klaus created a working monument to this fading tradition, a swan song that
fused his love of construction and love of the sea. She is a vessel that has turned
When I bought my boat in Maine six years ago, people told me she was built in into a legend in the waters that she plies, always popping up to the delight of
the Caribbean and was famous. They told me that she akvays comes back home, everyone who ever dreamed of just getting a boat and going.
and that she knew the way to Bermuda on her own. But
in the drive to get the boat and myself ready for a solo mV a
passage to Bermuda, I never allowed myself to think of
my vessel in such a romantic way. I preferred to call her
“tried and true†if anything, and focused on all of her
possible weaknesses.
But later, as I guided my beloved little boat back to her
birthplace after a 28th transatlantic passage, a little puff
of wind sweetened by the trees of Bequia swept across
Plumbelly's sails and she knew where we were. I smiled
and let myself believe in the magic carpet that carried
me so many miles and reveled in her amazing history.
Plumbelly came to life on the beach in Admiralty Bay
under the shade of the palm trees, near the place where
the Porthole Restaurant is now. An eccentric German
architect and ship’s captain named Klaus Alverman
wanted a small yacht to cruise the islands in, and he
set out to build it with the help of, among others,
Bequian shipwright Lauren Dewar, better known as
Lauren Joe. They built the 25-foot boat in the local
tradition, hewing carefully selected timber from around
the island into the shape of a modified two-bow fishing
boat. Her full body inspired the name as a passerby
commented, “Look like she got a big plum in de belly!â€
She was launched in 1965, and a few years later set
out to cross the Pacific Ocean. Klaus’ motivation for
leaving on such an ambitious passage is unknown to
me. Plumbelly had no engine, no electricity and no self
steering device. After four weeks of sailing sheet-to-tiller
with the bow down, Phunbelly arrived in the Pacific
islands sporting a beard of algae on her bowsprit!
While Klaus was resting in Tahiti, a big red double-
ender came gliding into the harbor with a wild-eyed
Frenchman at the helm. The man had just sailed two
times around the world, non-stop. It was the messiah
of French yachting, Bernard Moitessier. The two men
became friends and Klaus obtained a design for a sim-
ple wind vane from him. He built the wind vane in New
Zealand and it is working its magic as I write this.
Plumbelly and Klaus returned to Bequia to a hero's
welcome — the first Bequia boat to be sailed around the
world. For those in Bequia that know the story of
Plumbeily, there is a gleam of pride in their eyes when
they speak about it. This is my second time “back homeâ€
with the old girl and I've yet to meet someone over 30
who doesn’t know the name. Many remember Klaus and
called him a friend. Bequians will be pleased to know
that the boat's fame extends far beyond Bequia, the : ;
Windward Islands and even the Caribbean. In places as Small but mighty, Plumbelly of Bequia crosses oceans, turns heads,
far afield as Senegal I've had people ask me: “That's not THE Plumbelly, is it?†“Bet and keeps tradition and dreams alive
your boots it is, the one and only!†People just smile and shake their heads.
When Klaus finally stopped after 20-odd years of sailing, Plumbeily ended up in
the hands of an American science professor in Massachusetts. She was used for
c
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LEAVE YOUR BOAT IN SKILLED HANDS
PAGE 34
Ss
OO
ARIBBEAN COMPA
(
JANUARY 2010
Falling in Love
with Grenada
by Richard. Rolland.
Hello to you all. Before telling our story, let me
give you a bit of our background.
My name is Richard and my wife is Lucie; we are
both from Montréal, Canada, retired and in our mid-
fifties. Our new home is called Marie Galante II.
It all started in 2006 at the end of a two-week
charter on a 40-foot catamaran, from Martinique to
Guadeloupe and back. We had been sailing for the
past ten years and loved to travel and to be on the
water. My wife was entitled to her retirement the
coming year and I wasn’t really sure of my future
with the takeover of the company that I was working
for. Just before leaving Martinique I asked her if she
could imagine cruising the Caribbean full time. I
already had a good idea of her answer — it was a
resounding “YES!â€
Upon our return I started right away to see how
we could manage to make this project come alive.
After studying a few scenarios, we came to one solu-
tion that was the best for us: sell everything that we
owned (the house, motorboat, car, furniture, you
name it), find the boat and go!
So, after a year and a half, we left Montréal on a
1992 Jenneau Sun Odyssey 44. We had previously
taken basic navigation and coastal navigation
courses. Before we left, we also took specialized
courses in subjects such as shortwave radio, diesel
mechanics, meteorology and first aid, and got some
additional sailing qualifications.
After sailing for two months on Lake Champlain,
south of Montréal, getting familiar with our boat
and the new equipment we put on board, we offi-
cially started this new lifestyle and adventure on
September 6th, 2007. No more schedules, no more
clock-watching, just living one day at a time and
with no idea for how long — WOW.
Our first leg was through the Champlain Canal
and down the Hudson River to New York, Cape May,
the Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk, and
the Intracoastal down to Florida.
—Continued on next page
TITEL.
Port Louis Marina — another great reason to visit Grenada
GRENADA
WEST INDIES
Grenada remains one of the most unspoilt and welcoming cruising destinations
in the Caribbean.
low, with Port Louis, visiting yachts can enjoy the security and convenience
of a beautifully appointed, fully serviced marina — located in the lagoon adjacent
to the island's capital, St George's.
Grenada’s southern location allows for yearround cruising, including the summer months,
and with an international airport just five miles away, Port Louis is the ideal base for
exploring the wondertul islands of the Grenadines.
As a Port of Entry, it's easy to clear in and out through Port Louis, and our 24-hour security,
dockside facilities and marina-wide wifi all contribute to making your stay safe and relaxed.
www. cnportlouismarina.com
Port Louis is owned and operated by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, and our friendly
and knowledgeable staff are on hand 24 hours a day to welcome yachts of all sizes
from 2O0ft to 3008.
For more information about securing a berth at Port Louis, including the opportunity
to purchase on a 30-year licence, please contact our Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator,
Danny Donelan on +1 [473] 435 7432 or email danny.donelan@enportlovismarina.com
Port Louis Marina — just one more reason to visit the ‘Spice Island’.
C. er &
Nie isons
YACHTING SINCE 1782
MARINAS
ITALY | MALTA | TURKEY | WEST INDIES
. continued from previous page
We arrived in Florida in mid-December. Now that we have all the
time in the world, we only sail in good conditions, we take time to
visit everything that may be of interest, and we are meeting new
sailors living the same dream. What more can you ask for?
From Fort Lauderdale we sailed to West End in the Bahamas and
the Abacos, Nassau, and all of the following islands. The fun part so
far was that we were always going south and it was always summer.
No more spring, fall or especially winter. Discovering so many won-
derful people and spectacular places would take wa-a-a-y too long
to describe here. After waiting for a good weather window we sailed
from the Turks & Caicos to the Dominican Republic at Luperon.
Six months had gone by so fast and we were only beginning. We
flew back home for two weeks, seeing family and friends, all wonder-
ing how we were managing. It is funny to see how people perceive,
and can’t really relate to, our new style of life. I'm sure that all of
you boaters understand what I mean.
Let’s move on — Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, St. Thomas, and
the BVI, where we stayed for three months. Then St. Martin to
Guadeloupe, stopping at most of the islands in between. Mind you,
we don’t have to stop at every island right now because we will pass
back eventually.
Lucie has family in Guadeloupe and hurricane season had start-
ed. Luckily for us her cousin was going back to Canada for seven
weeks and wanted us to take care of her house in the meantime.
Hard to refuse, wouldn't you say? We left the boat at Marina Bas-
du-Fort and enjoyed the earthling life again: pool, car, big wash-
room and no restrictions on water or showers. We took this oppor-
tunity to visit, in depth, all of Guadeloupe. It was also time to take
care of Marie Galante because she needed a good clean-up, antifoul-
ing, waxing, etcetera — you know the drill.
We had a charter booked on our boat that was scheduled for
January, so we sailed back up to the BVI. We stopped at Antigua,
which we had not visited in the past, and celebrated Christmas in
St. Martin where my daughter was. By the end of February, it was
time to head south again.
This time we stopped at Saba, which we recommend that every-
body should visit. And of course we stopped at Marie Galante; we
could not pass the island for which our boat is named. Dominica
was next and then Martinique, where we stayed for three weeks at
Grande Anse D’Arlet. We rented a car for three days to go around
the island. We slept one night at the foot of Mt. Pelée in a small bed-
and-breakfast — a real treat.
From then on, every island south of Martinique would be new to
us, with the goal being Grenada. I will spare you all the names of
the islands from Martinique to Grenada. By the end of June, we
were at St. George’s Lagoon.
Okay, back to the title of this story: falling in love with Grenada.
The first things that we noticed were the beautiful view of the city
and the Carenage from the lagoon, the warm welcome and help from
the dock master of Port Louis Marina, and the reunion with cruising
friends who were anchored close by.
We were still not sure if we would remain here for hurricane sea-
son because we had friends from two other boats going to Venezuela
and they wanted us to go with them. We still had three weeks
before their arrival and decided to stay at the marina for that time.
There you are close to everything, whether by foot or dinghy, and
the buses are right here. Talking about the buses, well, you don’t
wait for them — they are looking for you. We have traveled a lot and
find Grenada’s bus system is unique and cheap — EC$2.50 (about
one US dollar) will take you most places you want to go.
Already we felt something different about this place but were not
sure what it was. On an island tour with friends we discovered the
spice factories, plantations and, naturally, the rum distillery. I believe
that was the beginning of our love story. Raymond (Maboat), our
driver and guide, came to be a very good personal friend. The thing
about Grenadians is that they are so welcoming: without prejudice,
simple, honest and helpful. Even the street vendors do not harass
you; if you say “no, thanksâ€, they smile and wish you a good day. Now
that is special, after living with other situations elsewhere!
Every day I took a walk around the marina to see the ongoing
expansion and renovation. It’s quite interesting if you like to see
how things are built. At the beginning, the workers thought I was
an inspector but soon found out that I was more curious than any-
thing else and we became friendly.
By the time our friends arrived to continue to Venezuela, Lucie
and I had decided to stay here for hurricane season and to learn
more about Grenada, especially since Carnival was around the cor-
ner and it would be our first one. Talk about having fun — dancing,
singing and drinking — yes! We and some fellow cruisers joined
hundreds and hundreds of local people, and they made us feel so
much at ease and they were so happy that we celebrated Spice Mas
with them. It was like being a part of the family, and that’s what you
see and feel every day, everywhere on this island.
I had to go back home for two weeks, and upon my return every-
one whom I had met since our arrival greeted me with so much
warmness, saying, “welcome back!†— and I felt that it came from
the heart. It felt like we belong here. I could go on and on relating
all sorts of daily situations, but to put it simply, Grenadians are just
loving and warm people. It has been over five months now that we
are here, and the feeling is still the same, so much so that we are in
the process of exploring how to prolong our stay.
To the people of Grenada who read this, please, please, please,
don’t change; keep that mentality that makes you so fine and
unique. We love you.
For those cruisers who have not had the chance to come here yet,
don’t wait — put up the sail and come. You won't regret it.
To all the friends we made since the beginning of this adventure,
we salute you wherever you are. We will be stationed at Port Louis
Marina and hope to see you here. Safe and happy sailing!
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long the ‘Wild Side’, Bonaire’s rocky east coast,
is a magnificent lagoon known as Lac Bay. A
A Amile-long reef runs along most of its entrance,
blocking a turbulent sea fueled by constant Caribbean
tradewinds. Within the bay, however, the water chang-
es from a rich, indigo blue to an iridescent, dreamsicle
green. Violent, churning waves give way to flat water.
Depths run shallow with much of the bay only three to
six feet deep.
These conditions make Lac a perfect place for wind-
surfing, and tourists flock here by the thousands to
take on the wind in smooth seas. In fact, this is home
to the annual Dutch Antilles Windsurfing Challenge,
an international event attended by Olympic-class
windsurfers from around the globe and homegrown
competitors like Patun Saragoza and Taty Frans. But
Lac Bay is also known for something less thrilling than
high-performance windsurfing. Less thrilling, that is,
unless you are a turtle. The bay holds a bounty of
nutritious sea grass.
“Green turtles are mostly herbivores. Their bread
and butter are sea grass and algae. They maintain
grazing fields here. They like the sea grass when it’s
young and tender and just eat that and move on.†So
says Dr. Robert Van Dam, a marine biologist who, for
the past 20 years, has conducted research on turtles
throughout the Caribbean.
“Lac Bay is a special place. There’s a real pumping
action of water going on. The wind-driven water gets
pushed in and flows out a deeper channel. This high
degree of circulation is unlike other mangrove-fringed
bays in the Caribbean. Nutrients are brought in and
out frequently so the bay is very suitable for sea life.
Because of this, three hundred to five hundred turtles
use Lac on a daily basis.â€
Many of those turtles hail from other islands in the
Caribbean, but come to Lac Bay specifically to eat.
Between trips back to their origins to breed, many
spend time at Lac’s sea grass smorgasbord dining on
Thalassia testudinum, turtle grass, and Syringodium
Jiliforme, manatee grass.
“You can see that,†claims Van Dam. “If you go
snorkeling right outside of Lac, you'll see all these
turtles hanging out. This is their resting and digesting
habitat. They've been so successful in feeding in an
hour or two inside the bay that they just swim out
and bunch up together. They're all fat and happy.
They are even socializing outside the reef. The oppor-
tunity for feeding is so great at Lac. It’s just a magnet
for green turtles.â€
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Main photo: A hawisbiil turtle. The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay serves these turtles well
Inset: STCB’s Funchi Egbreghts with Red Berger. Red is among the cruiser volunteers who help with sea turtle
conservation projects in Bonaire: ‘Tt opens up a whole new world’
I took Van Dam’s advice and snorkeled just beyond
the bay’s reef on a day when the winds were low and
the waves tempered. Visibility in these waters can eas-
ily reach 100 feet. The bottom was dotted with a forest
of purple and green sea fans approaching ten feet in
height. They moved to the undulating rhythm of
incoming swells making for a dreamlike, aquatic dance
below. And then there were the turtles — layers of
them. I spotted more than 50 during my hour-long
snorkel. There were brawny, green turtles weighing
well over 100 pounds. Hawksbills were also present
with their distinctive beaks and dark-colored shells.
The nutrient-laden sea grass of Lac Bay had served
these turtles well.
—Continued on next page
. 12°31°01.50°H | 7O°%2'15.00°u
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—Continued from previous page
“They came for the buffet,†says Van Dam smiling,
“and the eating’s really good. It's a nursery ground
here for Caribbean green turtles.â€
But there is trouble in paradise. The constant use of
Lac Bay by windsurfers, waders, and other recreation-
ists has begun to impact the sea grass beds, which can
be easily destroyed if frequently trodden upon. Once
eliminated, shore erosion can increase signifi-
cantly, upsetting the local habitat.
“The importance of sea grass goes beyond
turtles,†explains Mabel Nava, manager for the
not-for-profit organization, Sea Turtle
Conservation Bonaire (STCB). “These beds are
important because they retain substrate sedi-
ment. They clean the water. They also serve as a
buffer to the constant wave action. The sea grass
protects the beaches that we all enjoy at Lac.â€
To that end, STCB spearheaded an effort with
Bonaire’s national park organization, STINAPA,
the not-for-profit Progressive Environmental
Solutions and local Lac Bay beach businesses to
protect the grass. They installed “no-go zonesâ€
with floating buoys and ropes that encircle sea
grass beds in waters used frequently by swim-
mers, kayakers and windsurfers. The boundar-
ies serve as a reminder not to step inside these
vulnerable areas.
“Those beds are too shallow and too busy for
sea turtles to visit,†adds Robert Van Dam. “But
itis a great beginning to let people know that these are
special places. Sea grass is a nursery for a whole
bunch of organisms important to Lac.â€
“In the near future, we're placing ‘turn around’
buoys to protect other sea grass beds where turtles do
feed,†continues Nava. “Currently, windsurfers often
turn around in this area as they cruise Lac and step
on the grasses in the process. The buoys will warn the
windsurfers before they reach this area.â€
STCB is also involved in data collection of sea tur-
tles. Twice a year the group captures turtles in Lac
Bay. Before releasing them, the turtles are measured,
weighed, photographed, given ID tags and inspected
for general health. All this information goes into a
database and individual turtles can be tracked over
time. Van Dam, who works as a scientific advisor for
STCB, has been impressed by some of the results.
“The big ‘wow’ factor is the growth rates of these ani-
mals. During our data collection we’ve discovered that
they're growing six to eight centimeters (four to five
inches) per year. That’s the highest growth rate for
juvenile green turtles in the world.â€
Volunteers are vital for a grass-roots organization
such as STCB. In addition to the activities at Lac Bay,
helpers work on beach cleanups, water surveys, sea
turtle satellite tracking, and nest monitoring.
“We have only two paid staff, field specialist Funchi
Egbreghts and myself as manager,†explains Nava, “so
volunteers are essential for us. But I especially like
Local boys inspect a
green turtle during
data collection
working with the visiting sailors and cruisers who vol-
unteer. They are people who are familiar with the sea.
They're usually good swimmers or drive boats or do
things that are really helpful for us. And they love
turtles because they love the sea.â€
I found this to be true when I met “Red†Berger who
is in Year Five of a Caribbean cruise with her husband
Tom. They own a steel-hulled Endurance 44 ketch,
Katana, which they call home.
“They are majestic when you swim with them,â€
declares Berger. “I would never been able been able to
pick out a sea turtle so easily before. Now when I swim
from our mooring, I can easily spot a turtle. 1 know
what to look for, so that’s pretty cool. It opens up a
whole new world.â€
Red usually accompanies STCB’s Funchi Egbreghts
to survey the nesting turtles three times per week.
They search the beaches of Bonaire’s west coast and
those of offshore island, Klein Bonaire, for signs of
nesting activity. It takes about 60 days for sea turtle
eggs to hatch. When they do, STCB tries to be there in
order to get an accurate count of the hatchlings. These
numbers are added to the database, but the team, at
times, helps hatchlings reach the sea to what is the
start of a perilous beginning.
“If conditions aren't perfect, we give the hatchlings a
little help by moving obstructions, etcetera,†says
Egbreghts. “They face a lot of predators in the beginning
of their lives including shore birds, fish and crabs.â€
“It’s like being part of The Discovery Channel,â€
adds Berger. “For me, working with the turtles is
really cool, but there are other benefits. You sail
to a place and the volunteering lets you meet the
local people. Otherwise I wouldn't know Funchi
and have gone out to his farm and hung out with
his father. It’s just the right thing to do. You've
given back a little of what they've given you. If
you're a cruiser and yourre not taking advantage
of this, you don’t know what you're missing.â€
“One year we did the netting-data collection in
Lac entirely with visiting sailors as volunteers,†adds
manager Nava. “Normally the cruisers are here two
to three months, so it’s perfect. We even have cruis-
ers who returm to volunteer again and again.
January through April is a good time to contact us
since we are busy doing in-water surveys around
Bonaire. After that, we start with the nesting sea-
son. These are perfect times for sailors to plan their
visit here if they would like to volunteer.â€
Back at Lac Bay, I walk the sandy shore with
Robert Van Dam who is talking numbers. “Today,
we only have about 100,000 adult sea turtles in the
entire Caribbean Sea, whereas there were probably at
least 10 million before Columbus arrived. Can you
imagine what places like Lac must have been like?
These waters were just teeming with turtles. I expect
there could have been 3,000 to 5,000 turtles in the bay
here back then.â€
As I look out over the vast lagoon, I try to imagine
that time long ago. The water is sparkling gold in the
afternoon sun. Suddenly, I spot the silhouetted head
of a sea turtle breaking the surface for a quick breath
of air. That timely glimpse gives me hope that the
turtles will always return to feast at Lac Bay as long as
it is well preserved. I know I will always return, simply
to see them.
For more information on Sea Turtle Conservation
Bonaire visit wiww.bonairenature.com/ turtles
When not writing for Caribbean Travel & Life, Sailing
Magazine or Earth Island Journal, Patrick Holian is
often at the helm of his 14-foot catboat, Kontentu, sail-
ing the leeward coast of Bonaire.
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CARIBBEAN COMPASS
JANUARY 2010
JANUARY 2010
‘VY ARIES (21 Mar - 20 Apr)
While boat-business sails are backed, feel free to indulge
in romance, which will prove a blissful distraction as the
New Year gets underway.
TAURUS (21 Apr - 21 May)
It’s love AND lust on the breeze this month, sailor, so
enjoy it! Treat yourself well and splurge a bit as a reward
for all your recent hard work in the boatyard.
TI. GEMINI (22 May - 21 Jun)
As 2010 is launched, adverse currents in your love life
will slow forward motion on your creative cruising ambi-
tions. Don’t fret — the tide will turn in your favor during
the third week.
CANCER 66 (22 Jun - 23 Jul)
Personal relationships and onboard creativity will be in
irons this month, and you'll feel a general lack of drive.
Not a problem — lounging around on deck with a cold beer
may be just the ticket.
$2 LEO (24 Jul - 23 Aug)
Other than a lack of energy and a lackadaisical attitude.
this will be a dead calm month! Find a good “beach bookâ€
and enjoy it.
lip VIRGO (24 Aug - 23 Sep)
The Horse Latitude conditions in your life will extend till
the end of this month. You might do well to join Cancer on
deck with a coldie.
= LIBRA (24 Sep - 23 Oct)
Business and finances are slogging to windward with a
dirty bottom, and there could be some squalls in your love
life. But stay on course and you'll reach a safe haven.
Tl, SCORPIO (24 Oct - 22 Nov)
Prepare to reef! Romance, which has been smooth sail-
ing of late, may meet some rough weather in the third
week. You didn’t whistle for wind, did you?
Â¥% SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov - 21 Dec)
Get to work, sailor; the holidays are over. Any new boat
projects you are working on had best be concluded before
the end of the month.
7 CAPRICORN (22 Dec - 20 Jan)
After all the holiday excitement, arguments and misun-
derstandings could make your love life squally. Raise the
storm sails of humor and you'll sail right on through.
xx AQUARIUS (21 Jan - 19 Feb)
Sails will be slack and seas glassy until the last week.
It’s the perfect time to touch up the varnish to make your
floating love nest ready for romance to sail in during the
last week.
= PISCES (20 Feb - 20 Mar)
Happy New Year! Enjoy a month of ease. Lie on the hook
in a favorite anchorage and just enjoy life.
Crossword Solution
ACROSS 36) SEWS 13) PEAK
1) PERIGO 37) END 16) STOOL
3) PAST 39) TILLER 18) WATCH
7) FOLLOWING 41) AFTER 19) RERIG
11) IN 42) ATOLL 22) NOON
12) APPROVE 44) SIT 23) STORMY
14) CAM 46) SEEPS 24) YAWL
15) SLOWS 47) FACES 25) AFTCASTLE
17) AFTWARD 28) Li
20) IT DOWN 31) ORDERS
21) ATE 1) PELAGIC 32) LARDERS
23) SINO 2) OF 33) S
25) AFTERMOST 3) PLACED 34) SALES
26) GO 4) AO 36) SEAM
27) HALF 5) SWIMS 38) DATA
29) WITCH 6) TIN 40) ILE
0) GONERIL 8) OVERATE = 43) 0.
33) SAILS 9) GLOWING 45) IF
5) YARD 10) LOST
For what am | searching?
Why do | walk these dusty lanes?
Why do | sail this azure sea?
Long ago,
Before classes and degrees;
Before funerals of parents and loved ones;
Before jobs and mortgages and taxes;
Before all life’s absurdities;
There was a boy...
Skin brown from the August sun;
Eyes sparkling like the summer sky;
There were butterflies dancing
In the lush green hills.
There were brown trout swimming
In the bubbling stream.
There were wildflowers swaying
In the soft, warm breeze.
There was a rainbow arching
After a gentle rain.
AS | walk these dusty lanes
| sometimes hear his spirit
Woven into the laughter,
The carefree laughter of the islands.
AS | sail from one island to the next,
Sometimes, | see his eyes
As the sun’s rays sparkle
Off the rippling sea.
Before | cross the fine,
Before | join the echoes,
Before | become a memory,
I'd like to find that boy.
Yesterday,
For a moment,
| thought | saw him.
Blue eyes sparkling,
Face brown from the sun.
| blinked and he was gone,
Leaving only me in the mirror.
— John Rowland
bela-toon
The last person to see Speedy, asked him-
*..are you sure you don’t want assistance?’
â„¢,
AQOHL 'Â¥
Compass Cruising Crossword AFTER
ACROSS
1) Mediterranean lateen-rigged vessel
3) What comes 41 Across present
7) Seas coming from aft are said to be this
11) Not out
7 8 12) Confirm or give sanction to
14) Lobe on an engine shaft
15) Adirty bottom __ the boat
ll 17) Towards the stern
20) That thing
21) Consumed
23) Prefix pertaining to China
25) Farthest astern
26) _ to sea: get underway
27) ___ deck: the 41 Across part of a navel
vessel's gun deck
29) Sea_____—siketch, an Angelman design
30) King Lear’s eldest daughter
33) Jib, main, mizzen, spanker, etcetera
35) A spar crossing the mast horizontally
36) Asailmaker 33 Across
37) The transom is at the 41 Across ___ of the boat
39) Dinghy steering device
41) Subject of this puzzle
2) Circular coral island
4) Do this on a chair
6) Slow leaks
7) Compasses’ cards are their
DOWN
Wandering offshore
Cat __ nine tails
Came in, as in a regatta
__tearoa: Maori name for New Zealand
A bird flies; a fish
Substance now banned from antifouling paint
Consumed too much (two words)
n phosphorescent seas, the wateris
____ at sea: missing underway
The end of a gaff
Channel to which backstay can be set up
Set a night one on deck in a strange harbor
Do this after dismasting
22) Time to take a sextant sight
2S) Weather: famous yacht or song
24) Boat with mizzenmast set aft of the sternpost
Ad 45 25) An elevation at the stern in square-riggers
28) Symbol for lithium
31) Edicts from the captain
OOO. WN
KOiOO CCS ene
32) Melville and others wrote of the contents
of ships
33) A compass point (abbrev.)
34) The budget-minded cruiser looks for these
36) Where two deck planks meet
38) Organized information
Make a New Year’s resolution to be more green in ee eee
2010. Start by doing this special puzzle, and when fe eee ae
you're done reading this issue of Compass, pass it Crossword Solution on page 38
on or recycle it!
Word Search Puzzle by Pauline Dolinski
RESOLVE TO BE GREEN - WORD SEARCH
ACT HEAD SAIL
CARBON HOLDING SAVE
s |s Et ceEP SN RODECH CLEAN HOPE SEA
TCETORPMOEAGNAT CONSERVE ICE SHARE
CORAL LEAD SOLAR POWER
SE eee Ee ee ea ee DISPOSE NEW YEAR SPECIES
2 ee ss eee OCEAN SUSTAINABLE
DA EH UUPAODOVCREE EARTH PROTECT
R EROLONLNTLNO KEL ECOLOGY TANK
U GEONsS oO Y C K Ot! N A B ENVIRONMENT RECYCLE TRASH
BRS !tCGHBARYSTMMA EXTINCT REDUCE TRY
RESOLUTION WALK
. . 0 , i i 7 : : , : : FISH RESOLVE WATER MAKER
FUEL REUSE WATERSHED
ELMAR REGCOLOSY TTS GREEN RIVER WIND POWER
1bLLOoLYtGReEvtRAT
AwWkK C C DEH S R ET AW S
ee ae a So Word Search Puzzle solution on page 49
Ev REs NOC AN OH US
ELAINE OLLIVIERRE 2008 @
CRUISING KIDS’ CORNER
“Dragons, doux-doux? I don’t think they've really gone anywhere,â€
answered Silla’s grandmother. Silla was only six years old and the ques-
tions she asked her grandmother were hard for the old lady to answer.
Granny had been brought up in the country on a Caribbean island of
mountains and rivers where, as a child, she had never heard of dragons
or seen a TV. All that the children feared back then were the local spirits,
such as the Soucouyant and the Mage Noir, and even now, Granny kept
little bags of garlic by the doors and windows to keep out night-prowling
spirits. Granny’s own kind of
spooks she could handle, but not
the bloodthirsty vampires and
dragons that featured so dra-
matically on TV these days. Oh,
she understood why children
loved them, because as children,
she and her friends loved to be
seared by stories of evil forest
creatures just waiting to carry
them off. But dragons? She
would just have to make up a
story to satisfy Silla or the child
would never stop pestering her.
“But if dragons have never
really gone, where are they?†per-
sisted Silla.
“Well, I didn’t want to tell you
this, but all the dragons are up
there in Morne Diablo.â€
“You mean this very Morne
Diablo in this very island?†Silla
shivered as she sat on her grand-
mother’s wide and comfy lap.
“That's what I've heard, child.
And what's more, they come
down from their mountain caves
and gobble up stray animals like cats and dogs and anything they can
get their claws on. The smaller animals they eat where they find them,
the larger ones they carry off to their evil-smelling dens!â€
“Do they carry off children as well?†asked Silla, her eyes wide with
pleasurable fright.
“You never can tell, but I haven’t heard of any children who have gone
missing lately...â€
That night Silla dreamed about dragons in the mountain that loomed
over the island, and in the morning, as it was Saturday and no school,
she determined to walk as far as she could to Morne Diablo and see
for herself.
Silla didn’t get very far as the mountain was a long way off and her legs
were very small, but she looked about the worn path for any signs of
dragons having stopped for a meal.
Just as she was about to go home as her tummy was rumbling with
hunger she heard a little mewing bleat from behind a boulder. Silla
trembled with fear and would have run down the hill as fast as she could,
but her legs wouldn't obey her and she stood as if a dragon had breathed
cold fire over her.
The small bleat came again, and then a little head peeped around the
rock. It was the strangest creature that Silla had ever seen. It had a face
like a lamb, but rising from its head and running down the length of its
squat little body were claw-like spikes that rose and fell as it bleated. It
had tiny wings pressed against its sides and a tail with an arrow’s head
at the end. Every part of the little creature, including its short legs and
clawed feet, glowed on and off in all the colours of the rainbow. It had to
be a baby dragon!
And who could resist such a cute creature? Not Silla, so she had her
arms wrapped about it in an instant. She
picked it up and staggered off with it, intending
to take it home and care for it. But Silla didn’t
get very far as the baby dragon was too heavy.
So she hid it behind a bush, told it to wait there
for her, and ran home.
“Granny, Granny, I've found a baby dragon!â€
Silla gasped as she burst into the old lady's
kitchen. Granny was just putting out some
bakes and little fried fish for lunch but she
stopped and spun around to face her grand-
daughter. “What?†she demanded, forgetting all
about her story of dragons the day before.
“There are no such things as dragons!â€
“But there are, there are, you said so — and
I've found a baby dragon lost and hungry on the
path up the mountain and I have to get some
milk to take back and feed it!â€
“Now just you sit down and get hold of your-
self, young lady. For a start, what were you
doing taking that path to More Diablo when
you've been told not to?â€
“But Granny, you told me that dragons lived
in the mountain so I went to see for myself, but
it was too far.†Silla began to sob.
The old lady’s heart softened at once and she
took Silla in her arms and told her it was all
right, and after they had eaten the bakes and fish she and Silla would
take a bottle of milk and go and feed the baby dragon. Of course, Granny
believed she would find a deformed lamb, abandoned by its mother on
the path, so she would bring it home and care for it.
Silla gobbled down her lunch and fidgeted until her grandmother had
eaten. Then, taking some milk, a cup and a clean piece of cloth to let the
lamb suck from it, as Granny didn’t have a baby’s bottle with a teat, they
left the little cottage and made their way slowly up the mountain path. It
was a long, hot walk but at last Silla recognized the bush where she had
hidden the baby dragon. She raced ahead, calling out, “I’m back, little
dragon, and I've brought you some milk.†A little mewing sound reached
Granny’s ears and then a little head pushed its way out from under the
leafy bush...
Did Granny find a dragon or a lamb? Read the end of this exciting story
in next month's issue of Caribbean Compass!
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PETIT ST. VINCENT RESORT
( My name D.
Hell rn? © Lig
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nye nt hame (6 te the Mg
DOLLY'S DEEP
SECRETS
by Elaine Ollivierre
Last month, we looked at how the carbon atoms in the world are recycled. Now
let’s look at how the ocean plays a part in the carbon cycle.
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are caused by excess greenhouse
gases like carbon dioxide (COg) in the atmosphere. The gases trap heat close to
the Earth’s surface. Global warming would be much worse if the ocean didn’t
absorb a great deal of the carbon dioxide. In fact, scientists believe that it prob-
ably absorbs around 50 percent of the carbon dioxide produced when fossil fuels
such as coal and oil are burned.
What happens to the carbon dioxide that is absorbed?
Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water than it is in warm water so
it dissolves in northern seas, sinks down and is carried on the ‘conveyor
belt’ of ocean currents to warmer water further south in the tropics. There
it comes to the surface and escapes to the atmosphere. This process may
take many years.
The ocean also contains large amounts of microscopic plant plankton (phyto-
plankton), which use up carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. When the phyto-
plankton die, they sink to the ocean floor. Some get buried in the mud of the
ocean floor. Some decay and release carbon dioxide back into the water and,
eventually, back into the air.
So, if carbon dioxide is being continually recycled between the atmosphere
and the sea, why are scientists worried?
Too much carbon dioxide in the water makes larger amounts of carbonic acid
there. Carbonic acid dissolves calcium carbonate, which is the chief building
material of coral reefs and of the shells of many marine animals. Scientists have
studied the thickness of the shells of tiny animals called foraminifera (forams).
Forams also sink to the ocean floor when they die so it is possible to compare the
thickness of the shells of new forams with the thickness of the shells of the dead
ones found on the sea bottom. The newer shells were thinner by about one-third,
almost certainly caused by a more acidic ocean.
The survival of these tiny animals is vital to the survival of all animals further
up the food chain. And no one knows how the loss of coral reefs and other marine
creatures whose shells and skeletons are destroyed by carbonic acid would affect
the future working of the carbon cycle.
Experiment to demonstrate what happens when acid meets
calcium carbonate.
Calcium carbonate comes in many forms, like coral, chalk, marble, and egg-
shell. To demonstrate what happens when calcium carbonate comes into contact
with acid, leave a piece of chalk or (dead) coral or eggshell in a cup of soda water.
You should see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas rising up and, eventually, your
calcium carbonate sample will waste away. If you'd like to see it happen more
quickly, use lime juice or vinegar instead of soda water.
THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!
THE SKY IN JANUARY
by Scott Welty
The Planets in January
MERCURY - You have a shot at seeing Mercury this
month. It rises the earliest (so, farthest from the rising
sun) on the 22nd at around 5:00AM. Look east-south-
east to the left of the hook in Scorpio.
VENUS - Nope. Venus will swing around the far side
of the Sun (superior conjunction) on the 11th, mean-
ing it is too darn close to the sun for the month.
EARTH - Would not return my calls.
MARS - Rising around 9:00PM at the beginning of
the month and then earlier and earlier as it moves
through Cancer.
JUPITER - An “evening star†all month setting in the
west around 7:00 to 8:00PM.
SATURN - Rising between 11:00PM and midnight all
month and sitting in Virgo.
Sky Events This Month
Ist to 5th - Quadrantids meteor shower. Look for
increase in meteor activity in the east in the early
morning hours. Meteors look to be coming from
Bootes, which rises around 2:00am.
3rd - Earth at perihelion. What? Yes, at midnight
the Earth is its closest to the Sun. Yep, that happens
in the winter. See below.
15th - New Moon
15th - Annular eclipse of the sun; nicely visible off
the coast of Somalia but if you're sailing there you
have other things to watch out for!
17th - Look for Jupiter and the pretty crescent
moon setting in the west around 7:00PM.
29th - Mars in opposition AND closest to the Earth.
This means Mars is fully illuminated by the sun like a
full moon, except it’s “full Marsâ€.
30th - Full Moon
—— ee =|
Figure One: Mars on the 29th at 10:30PM. In theory at
its brightest, but the nearness of the nearly full moon
makes a day or two later or earlier better viewing
Elliptical Orbits
Sometimes we learn stuff in school “too muchâ€.
Somewhere along your journey through junior high or
high school you probably learned that the orbits of the
planets around the sun are elliptical in shape.
Johannes Kepler figured this out and Isaac Newton
then showed that it had to be so, given what he
worked out about gravity. This is all fine but then you
see diagrams like Figure Two.
The spirit of these diagrams is fine. It shows the
“ellipticalness†of the orbit with the sun at the focus
of the ellipse. But, like a lot of astronomy things, the
scale is all out of whack. Never mind that if you draw
the ellipse on a standard sized piece of paper the size
of the Earth is less than the width of the line drawn
to represent the ellipse. It’s the ellipse itself I want to
talk about.
Figure Three is the Earth’s orbit drawn to scale. Well,
I tried anyway. At this scale the long axis of the ellipse
is 6 inches and the shorter axis is 5.999 inches! Neither
the sun nor the Earth shows up on this scale the Earth
being about 3/10,000 of an inch in diameter and the
sun being 3/1000 of an inch. We're down to individual
pixels being bigger than what we want to draw!
It’s easy to see then that our nearness to the sun
has little to do with our seasons while our tilt to the
sun has everything to do with it.
To Contemplate While Having a Glass of Wine
on Deck
The SETI project is still out there. For years now
they have been searching the sky for radio signals
from intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. For the
last ten years they've done a clever computer thing.
They take in about a kabillion bushels of data every
second as they scan the sky. There is no computer big
enough to process all that data. But, what if you gave
a kabillion home computers one bushel of data?
Summer
Figure Two, above: Typical graphic showing the ellipti-
cal earth orbit. Notice relative sizes of the orbit, the
sun and the Earth. (Graphic courtesy of University of
Tennessee - Physics Dept.)
Figure Three, at left: The Earth's orbit to scale: 6†the
long way and 5.999" the short way. Can you see
which is which?
That's what they've done. Basically they have wired
millions of home computers together via the internet
to make a giant parallel processing computer. (You
can learn more and sign up here:
http: / /setiathome.berkeley.edu/)
So, what do we do when and if a signal does come
in? What if we can tell that it’s from 100 light years
away? What if they just say, “Stop that� How will we
react as a people if we could really, really know that
someone else was out there... And they have radio but
no DJs? More wine?
Scott Welty is the author of The Why Book of Sailing,
Burford Books © 2007.
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Caribbean Books for Teens:
MACMILLAN’S ISLAND FICTION
For 40 years, Macmillan has been one of the leading publishers of school textbooks
for the Caribbean. During that time they created the Macmillan Caribbean imprint and.
have published books for and about the Caribbean in all subjects and at all levels. In
2006 they began activating plans to launch a brand-new fiction series aimed at boys
and girls aged 12 to 15, with novellas based around fantasy /science-fiction themes
and the legends and folklore of the Caribbean. The six books in the series are all
paperback, and about 200 pages. These should be of interest not only to Caribbean-
born teens, but to teen-aged expatriate residents and visitors as well.
Three of the books in the series are reviewed here. The others are Legend of the
Swan Children, by Maureen Marks-Mendonca; Escape from Silk Cotton Forest, by
Frances C. Escayg; and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, by Helen Williams. The latter
two were reviewed in the August 2009 issue of Caribbean Compass.
Time Swimmer, by Gerald Hausman
Time Swimmer is the story of a young Jamaican, Luke, who befriends an ancient
storytelling sea turtle called Odysseus.
Together they travel through Caribbean
time, righting wrongs and saving lives —
the pirate, Henry Morgan, for one; and
Cyparis, the only survivor of the Mount
Pelée volcano that killed 28,000 people in
Martinique in 1902, to name another.
The novel is full of spiders that are men
awa |B and lizards that are gods, all mixed
together in a pepperpot stew of fantastic
spice that blends fiery history with delec-
table fantasy.
To me, the greatest thing about this
book was its emphasis on Caribbean his-
tory long forgotten or, more accurate to
say, not known by many of today’s
youths. Although it is history, it isn’t bor-
ing. By using visual and sound imag-
ery, the writer gives a colourful edge to
these various historical events.
Furthermore, the writer also tries to have
the reader gain a sense of the courage,
intelligence and strength of the charac-
ters, by describing the conflict in the plot
between Luke and Odysseus and the vari-
ous gods. The gods in the novelette typi-
cally represent obstacles and signs in a
character’s life, or a helping hand achiev-
ing set goals. There isn’t much this book lacks for it is funny, imaginative and
rather innovative.
The Chalice Project, by Lisa Allen-Agostini
Twins, Ada and Evan Brijlal, eat junk food, fight at school and are normal
Trinidadian children in every way — or so it seems. Their father Steven, a genius
scientist, desperately wants to protect his children from his reckless past. Now the
future has caught up with them and Time as we know it may never be the same. A
sneaky search for the mother they long to know leads them to a Jamaican labora-
tory and mind-blowing revelations. A secret potion and the mysterious Chalice
Project are the children’s only clues to uncovering their true identities.
At the beginning, the plot was centered on genetics. Its later plot was centered on
time travelling, telepathy and various mysterious events from the time of the chil-
dren’s conception leading up to the realization that they had super-human abilities.
—Continued on next page
THE CRUISING SAILOR'S CHANDLERY SINCE 1990
AMERON ABC 3 TIN FREE SELF POLISHING ANTIFOULING PAINT
CORNER: MIRANDA & GUARAGUAO, PUERTO LA CRUZ, VENEZUELA
TEL: 58 (281) 265-3844 - E-MAIL : xanadumarine@cantv.net
—Continued from previous page
I expected The Chalice Project, as a part of the Island Fiction series, to follow the
Caribbean folklore theme of the
other books in the series, but it
doesn't. Actually the only common
aspect this book has with the oth-
ers was that its scenes were set on
a Caribbean island; other than
that, it was merely science fic-
tion. Don’t get me wrong though, it
was still a pretty good read — great
for passing the time.
Night of the Indigo,
by Michael Holgate
Marassa, a 15-year-old Jamaican
boy, is catapulted into a wondrous
world of Natural Mysticism. His
twin brother Wico is dying and no
doctor on earth can save him.
Guided by Kundo, the mystic war-
rior, Marassa transcends time and
matter into an unknown dimen-
sion, a planet called Orunda. If he
accepts his responsibility as a
Marshal or Warrior of Light he can
rescue his brother from the clutch-
es of death. But first he must
make a spine-tingling journey,
confront the challenges of mind
and spirit and meet the beautiful
and exotic princess Ayoka. As his
mystic gifts awaken, Marassa must
learn to master the very power that
threatens, before the Night of the
Indigo Moon. If he doesn’t, then
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the power surging within will destroy
him and all he holds dear. Can he over-
come all obstacles and prove that he is
worthy of the name Marshal?
I am going to be a little biased here
and say that I think this is the best book
of the series. The book is dramatic,
unny, mysterious, imagina-
tive, and every other adjective known to
man that could describe a well-written
novelette. A tale of unknowing faith, dif-
erent worlds, deep understanding,
ain and triumph is the root of this story
that culminates in everlasting happiness
and redemption. In gathering a personal
understanding of this novelette, one
could say it’s figurative, and if read
between the lines its true story unfolds:
the story of life.
It’s about growing up, the choices that
we are faced with, right and wrong, trials
and temptations. One could say that
becoming the Marshal is Marassa’s life’s
urpose and, in reality, everyone has to
lot his or her own course to becoming a
Marshal per se. The story also contains
near-death drama and the emotions that
go along with it. Marassa uses those feel-
ings to excel, and so it should be done,
or sorrow carries no way forward. It’s
the basics of everyday life in a compellingly beautiful story.
These books are available at bookstores or from wiww.Macmillan-caribbean.com
Cherian Gordon, a recent graduate of Bequia Community High School, is currently
residing in England.
Your Marine Store at Venezuela and the Caribbean
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Fax: 58-281-267.81.75 Cel: 58-414-634.27,72, Estado Anzodtegui Venezuela / E-mail ventas@vemasce.com
: Av, Rall Leoni, Telf.: S8-205-264.16.46 (Master), Fax: 58-295-264.25.29 Cel: 58-414-788.21.47, Porlamar Venenuela
; efits www.vemasca.com Proximamente en Marina (Soon at Carmelo’s Marina at the beach)
“James Mitchell was one of the longest serving Leaders in modern |
democracy. This book tells you why.â€
— The At. Hon. Sir John Major, Prime Minister, United Kingdom
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The hours | spent with it in my,handS'were very enjoyable.â€
— The At. Hon. Jean:Chiretien, Prime Minister, Canada
“Indeed a book worth reading by all West Indians and ought to be in the
national, university and school libraries... an excellent piece of work.â€
— Judge Antho icky, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,
The Hague
“Whatever one’s political bent, this book should provide interesting reading.
Lae T Metal aT) mace mate Mtl elaar- Um c- Un) haar Uae om v=) Ue Com Wate M ole) (Cede al el
tells the story of the life of a man: the circumstances, experiences and
decisions which came together to propel him ‘beyond the islands’ and onto
the international stage.â€
— Jam Rock Magazine
Available in Bequia at Noah’s Arkade and the Bequia Bookstore, in Mustique
lM =r ee Ceo lee UM eel Pelee MeL late mL r4e] mere)
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by Ross Mavis
Just Five
Ingredients
I have a new invention. It is engineered from a great
deal of research and personal experience. Every per-
son over 50 will want one. The production materials
are kind to the environment. The cost is affordable.
It is a small rubber or plastic suction cup with a
length of brightly coloured organic woollen yarn
attached to it. 1 can market various models starting
at 50 feet and running up to 200 feet in length. The
suction cup is firmly attached to any cordless phone
on board and the yarn is left to trail behind, allow-
ing you instantly to find where you last left it. Pl
make millions.
Cooking can often be an experience similar to trying
to find the cordless phone when you need it. Our
materialistic society encourages the acquisition of
more ingredients, equipment, tools and gadgets than
we could ever possibly use in one month, let alone one
day or for any single meal. Try this enlightening exper-
iment sometime. Count your collection of pots, frying
pans, baking dishes, casseroles, Dutch ovens and any
other container that you can cook in. Add to this num-
ber all the equipment, tools and gadgets, both useful
and whimsical, you have in your galley. Even without
considering all your stored ingredients, the number
will astound you.
There always is that favorite tool or utensil that you
never can find when it’s needed. I have a favorite stir-
stick carved from lignum vitae hardwood. I almost
hyperventilate if I can’t lay my hands on it when food
needs stirring. The other day I was unable to locate a
red-handled potato peeler, the only device I use for
peeling fruit and vegetables. It is fantastic. But, for the
life of me, I couldn't find it. To add embarrassment to
frustration, my wife, Willa, pulled open the drawer I
had just closed after rummaging around in search of
the peeler, and there it was. Right out in the open.
How could I have missed it? I shook my head in disbe-
lief and shuffled off, mumbling under my breath about
the Zen of soy products or something equally as blas-
phemous. Our lives are filled with too much stuff. One
truism is that we never own stuff; stuff owns us.
You can imagine my delight when I opened a gift that
Willa gave me recently. It was a food calendar from
England with a recipe for each month of the coming
year. And each recipe contains only five ingredients.
What a refreshing thought; only five ingredients to
track down in the galley! Too often we complicate our
lives by trying to make them more complex than nec-
essary. Granted, some dishes may involve several
stages of preparation and cooking and are more
involved than a simple egg, boiled in water and served
on toast. However, Willa and I have always tried to
provide recipes in our cookbooks that are not compli-
cated. Availability of ingredients and items commonly
found in today’s kitchen or galley is also a priority.
Good food can be made with five ingredients. Here is a
sample of one such recipe.
Chops and Mushrooms in Sherry and Cream
2 large pork chops
2 Cups (500 ml) small, whole mushrooms
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) sherry
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) grainy Dijon mustard
3/4 Cup (150 ml) whipping cream
sLine a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Spray light-
ly with canola oil. Lightly spray mushrooms with the
oil. Season mushrooms and chops with salt and pep-
per. Place the chops in the broiler pan and grill for
about 8 to 10 minutes until nicely browned. Turn
chops and add mushrooms to pan. Return to broiler
and cook another 7 to 8 minutes until mushrooms are
browned and chops are cooked through. Sprinkle
with sherry and stir mustard and cream into pan
juices. Season with salt and pepper to taste and
return pan under grill. Watch closely and serve when
sauce is bubbling nicely. Spoon sauce over chops and
mushrooms, serving with potatoes or rice and a green
vegetable of your choice.
This dish can also be prepared in a skillet on top of
the stove. Use medium-high heat when cooking the
chops and mushrooms. Reduce the heat slightly when
incorporating the cream. Enjoy.
If you have any cooking questions, don't hesitate to
seek advice from Ross@Innonthecove.com
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us the nickname “Krautsâ€. I know why, and I am
not angry about that. We really do eat a lot of cab-
bage, not to mention our famous sauerkraut. In
Germany, in autumn we buy cabbage in ten-kilo bags.
The first ten kilos are gone within two weeks, then we
buy the next ten kilos, which last a bit longer.
If cabbage is available for a good price, we make
sauerkraut aboard Angelos. It needs to ferment for at
least six weeks. We have done this in Venezuela and in
the Pacific. If anyone is interested I can give the recipe,
which is as easy as the salad recipe given below.
Contact me at syangelos@web.de
The following recipes are easy to make onboard, and
they really taste nice. You should try them.
[= from Germany, and the North Americans gave
Bavarian Cabbage
1 small white cabbage (or half of a large one)
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 onion
1 heaped teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 Cups water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons flour (approximately)
1/2 Cup of water
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
7 whole cloves
1 piece of cinnamon
2 pieces of star anise
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup of water
5 Tablespoons goose fat (if available)
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head
together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about
2 to 3 mm thick.
Cut the onions into pieces.
Peel the apple, quarter it, and take out the core.
Then cut the apple into thin pieces.
Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat
it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get
LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT
STOP stirring.
Add the onions and pieces of apples, and stir quick-
ly for a short time.
Next add the red cabbage, and immediately add the
vinegar to give the cabbage its nice colour.
Add the water, salt, cloves, cinnamon and star
anise. Stir, cover the pot, reduce the heat as low as
possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes,
until tender.
In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the
lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, and stir
to thicken the mixture.
CRUISING WITH CABBAGE
by Angelika Gruener
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quartered head
together, and cut the cabbage in small strips, about 3
mm thick.
Cut the onions into pieces.
Put the oil in a large pot with the sugar and heat
it, stirring until the sugar melts and starts to get
LIGHT brown. Now reduce the heat and DO NOT
STOP stirring.
Add the onions and caraway seeds, and stir quickly.
The onions will get brown. (If they get black, the fire
was too hot — throw everything away and start
again!)
Add the cabbage, and stir till everything is mixed up
nicely, about 2 minutes.
Add salt and water, stir, put a lid on, reduce the heat
as low as possible, and let simmer for about 20 to 30
minutes.
When the cabbage is tender, add the vinegar.
In a cup, mix the flour with the water till all the
lumps are gone. Then add it to the cabbage, stirring to
thicken the mixture. The quantity of flour depends on
how much liquid you have with the cabbage.
We enjoy this Bavarian Cabbage with mashed pota-
toes and two fried eggs per serving. This also tastes
very nice with some bacon.
Red Cabbage
1 small red cabbage
1 onion
1 apple
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1 to 2 Cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Both of the recipes above will taste much better if
they are prepared in the morning or a day before, and
just heated up again for dinner. But if you prepare
the cabbage a day before consuming, then keep it in
the fridge.
And what about a salad from white cabbage? Here
comes the recipe:
Krautsalat
1/2 large white cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of one lemon or lime, or 2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 onion cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of butter melted till hot, OR 5 strips
streaky bacon cut into small pieces and heated up in
a frying pan till crispy and the grease swims in the
pan, OR 1 Tablespoon good mayonnaise
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, take off the
dirty leaves from the outside, leave the quarter head
together, and cut the cabbage in very thin strips,
about 1 to 2 mm thick.
Put the shredded cabbage with the salt in a bowl and
knead it with your fist and knuckles energetically for
about 3 to 5 minutes. If the cabbage is fresh, then its
juice will appear. Very good! Here you can exercise
boxing; it means knead hard! The better you knead,
the softer the cabbage will become.
Add the vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, and the
onion. Stir all up, and leave it for half an hour, maybe
in the fridge.
Melt the butter till it starts foaming, or fry the
streaky bacon. Pour it (the bacon pieces with all the
fat) over the salad, and stir all nicely.
Tell me how you like it!
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Basil’s Bar
Mustique
Visitors to Mustique are invited to:
BASILS BAR AND RE eeu en s Bar in Mustique was named one of the World’s Ten
Best Bars in 1987 by Newsweek and ee y lives up to that tradition. Recently renovated, the new face
of Basil's Bar in Mustique is all tha sflering fresh sealed; lobster i season steals anid
the best beefburger in the Caribbean. Now equipped with WIFI, you can enjoy sunset cocktails and
catch up on the web, Basil's Baris home of the only Blues Festival in the Ceihbean. ‘The Mustique
Bluse Festival tales place Japancy 2 -Febay 10, 2010. Break sersc begins st 8 00am
Lamch 11:00am - 6pm, and Dirmer 7-30 until late, Come to Basil's for cocktails anytime and plan
to attend the Wednesday Night Jump Up and BBO. Call (784) 488-8350 or VHE 68.
t and more: o:
BASIL'S BOUTIQUE: Fabrics as bright as the sea and as light as aix.. perfect for island joy.
legant island evening and playful day wear For en men and ¢ ildzen, plus lots of T-shirts to
take home. Basil’s Boutique also offers silver and gemstone jewelry.
BASIL'S GREAT GENERAL STORE: There is nothing general about Basil's Great General
Store. Bountifully stocked with fine French wines, cheese from Europe, gourmet jams and sauces.
Imported cigars and an unusual collection of books not to be missed. Fine foods in Paradise.
Call (284) 488-8407.
ACROSS FOREVER: Imagine desorting your home pith antiques fom Blt and Tada
‘Acidas: Forever haz a-mapnificont collection of fumibune froin Asia and beyond “conteinporany
pieces, home areas eer fabulous lighting accessories and more. Shipping is easily an
all (2
efficiently arranged. Call (784) 488-8407.
Visitors to St Vincent are invited to:
BASIL BAR: ieee in Kingstown in an 18th century building named Cobblestone. Air
conitoned, yo wll enjoy cals mt delghtfal Ue stall most weloming and Un meal
some of the best on the island. Now offering full catesing services, Call (784) 457-2713.
AT BASIL'S: Newly opened full service SPA located in Villa across from Young Island, Also At
Basil’sis a collection of beautifal bamboo furniture, contemporary pecs fom Aaa and beyond
and moze. December 2009 Opening of a new coffee shop by the sea.
Call (784) 456-2602
Visit Basil’s in Mustique or St. Vincent
www. basilebar. com basils@vincysurf.com
WE SHIP AROUND THE WORLD!
Read in Next Month’s Compass:
So Much, So Little: San Blas
A Grenadines Diving Diary
Panama Canal Without Panic
... and much more!
THE SPICE LOCKER BY SHIRLEY HALL
Fennel is an herb that isn’t used much in the Caribbean because of its limited
availability, but it is worth seeking it out at specialty shops. I found mine growing at
a nursery in Aranguez, Trinidad.
Fennel is an attractive addition to my herb garden and spice shelf. It has a thick,
perennial rootstock and can grow to five feet tall (not exactly suitable for growing
aboard!), with an erect cylinder of bright green, smooth leaves. Every part of fennel is
edible and it is considered both herb and spice. The swollen leaf base, or bulb, is
eaten, and the seeds are used for flavoring. The leaves can be used as a garnish. Fennel
has a delicate aniseed flavor and is often used to season fish and broths. Fennel leaves
are used by French and Italian cooks in fish sauces and in mayonnaise. Fennel is an
ingredient of Chinese Five Spices and of some curry powders.
Fennel contains manganese, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and
IT'S WORTH
NDING FENNEL
Fennel originated around the Mediterranean, and is now grown worldwide where
climate permits. Fennel prefers hot dry, sunny conditions, yet can adapt. It was well
known to the ancient Greeks who used it as a digestive remedy; it will reduce gas
and stomach cramps. Ancients believed fennel seed helpful in eyesight, particularly
curing nearsightedness. Fennel was once used to increase breast milk. In mediaeval
times this herb was hung above doors to ward off evil spirits. Early New England
Puritans chewed the seeds during town or church meetings, and fennel seeds are
still used in India as an after-dinner breath freshener. Fennel is also thought to curb
hunger — great for dieters. It is even reputed to stimulate strength and courage, and
increase the eater’s life span.
Roasted Garlic and Fennel
3 heads garlic, peeled
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
1 bunch chives, chopped
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon oil (canola preferred) ‘a
Place peeled garlic bulbs and sliced fennel on a piece of foil and add chives, pepper,
salt, and oil. Wrap tightly and put in an ovenproof dish. Bake at 350°F for half an
hour. Seve as a spread for roti or bread.
Roasted Fennel
2 fennel bulbs, sliced.
1 to 2 Tablespoons oil (canola preferred)
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
In a bowl, stir fennel slices with oil and vinegar until they are coated. Transfer
to an ovenproof dish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 400°. Serve warm
with roasted meats or fowl, or toss with steamed vegetables such as green beans
or broccoli.
Potato and Fennel Casserole
4 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds Irish potatoes, washed clean
1 fennel bulb
pinch grated fresh nutmeg
salt to taste
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup grated cheddar cheese
Slice fennel bulb and potatoes very thinly. Place half of the slices in a greased
ovenproof dish and give them a dash of nutmeg and salt, and hot pepper if you
choose. Cover with milk. Place more slices on top and cover with grated cheese.
Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes
longer to let cheese turn golden brown.
Rice and Fennel Cake
2 Cups milk
1 Cup cooked rice
2 fennel bulbs, peeled and chopped small
1/2 Cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon butter
2 to 3 Tablespoons baker's flour
In a suitable pot, scald the milk and stir in the rice
and fennel pieces. Simmer for half an hour before
stirring in the sugar. Remove from heat. Mix in one
egg at a time. Slowly stir in the flour. Spoon mixture
into a greased cake pan and bake covered at 350°F
for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
Cool before serving.
For the Gardener
Since fennel grows so tall and can survive for years,
place it where it will not shade or interfere with your
other plants. A few plants about 20 inches apart are
all that’s necessary for the average household. Plant
seeds an inch and a half deep in well-worked soil.
Fennel doesn’t require much attention or water. A
warning: fennel will cross-pollinate with dill weed, so
do not plant these two herbs close together as their flavors will be dulled. After about
four months collect the flowers before the seeds ripen. When dry, shake the seeds on
to a white cloth. Pick fresh leaves and harvest the bulbs as needed.
Backstage at Larston’s Lobsters
by Karen Kleppa
I close my eyes and melt with the taste of barbecued
lobster. It seems to just dissolve in my mouth. I'm on
the beach in the Tobago Cays. There’s a mound of
lobster in front of my friends and me. The garlic pota-
toes are heavenly. For someone that doesn’t usually
like cooked vegetables, I can’t seem to get enough of
them. Around me the palm trees whisper against the
sky and the waves softly lick the shore. An iguana
runs through the bushes a few yards from the picnic
tables. As the light fades, the candles on the tables are
lit. Can one have it any better than this? Carolyn on
Windborne III was right. When I told her where and
what I was having for dinner she said, “You lucky
person; Larston’s lobsters are to die for!†She was
right. And I ask Larston what his special ingredient is
and he smiles....
Larston and his boat Velocity H Lordag are a familiar
sight to many around the Tobago Cays and Union
Island. Having crewed a couple times across the
Atlantic on both Swedish and Belgian boats, Larston
was one of the first to start doing barbecues in the
Cays some ten years ago. What started as helping
charter skippers create something special for their
guests has caught on.
n Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet I've read that “work is
love made visibleâ€. Both Larston and all the others
who run the barbecues in the Cays have given plea-
sure to many through the years with their activities
on the beach. Last season I got to go “backstage†for
a few weeks and see what all goes into creating these
special meals.
The days start EARLY. Larston and his nephew
Glenroy are down at the harbor in Union just after the
sun comes up, cleaning their boat and getting it ready.
By 8:30 or 9:00am Vee (and for a while I) has made the
rounds of the grocery stores and fresh produce booths
to get all the vegetables, fruits, garlic, spices and
everything else we will need for the day and to make
all the dinners. Sometimes they know ahead of time
“approximately†how many dinners there will be if
people have ordered in advance. But most often they
just have to guess at it — and it’s a long way to the
closest grocery store once we have gotten to the Cays.
Then it’s off to Petite Martinique to pick up the fresh
lobsters from the fishermen Larston has fishing for
him there, then it’s over to Mayreau to pick up a huge
sack of charcoal.
When we get to the Cays we raft up with the others
who also offer barbecues but got there earlier than us,
and we wait our turn to approach the newly arriving
yachts. Especially since the Cays became a marine
park, all the people offering different services to the
visitors have devised a system of who gets to approach
whom and when.
Lunchtime. We make it right there on the water,
rafted up. Food gets passed around to the others rafted
up. This really is a day on the water (no biminis here).
By late afternoon we have visited three boats and
have orders for eight dinners. Sometimes people want
to have the meals delivered to their boat. But today
everyone wants to eat on shore. It’s time to head for
the beach and start preparing the food. The potatoes
get boiled first (over a fire), then cut and grilled.
Glenroy starts cleaning the lobsters. Vee, Larston and
I start cutting up all the vegetables. Garlic butter is
one of the main ingredients, and it takes a quite a
while to grate by hand all we will need.
There’s a special atmosphere. This evening there are
four others also preparing food and sharing the two
grills. If one person doesn’t have enough fruit, they
borrow from someone who does. Everyone is in a good
mood. It’s a happy, lively bunch making dinners for
more than 20 people. Everyone runs their own “busi-
ness†but they are all working together. Nice!
Just before sunset most of the guests have arrived
and found places at the picnic tables. It’s always a
pleasure to present the huge platters of lobsters and
hear all the oohs and aahhs. The food looks scrump-
tious and smells even better. It's heartwarming to
make things people like and appreciate. There is a fes-
tive atmosphere on the beach. No one goes away hun-
gry, that’s for sure.
Glenroy, Vee, Karen and Larston adding
the special ingredient
By the time all the guests have eaten and left, all the
dishes done, the garbage collected, the boats loaded
up with equipment, utensils, pots and pans, it’s late
and dark dark dark. The boat ride back to Union goes
under starry skies.
Ive learned what Larston’s “special ingredient†is
that makes his food so good. It’s just like The Prophet
said: work is LOVE made visible. Enjoy!
@ Jones Maritime Co.
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Whether it’s canned goods, dairy
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or a fine selection of liquor and wine,
The Food Fair has it all and a lot more.
Hubbard’s
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The Carenage:
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Tel: (473) 440-2588
Grand Anse:
Monday - Thursday
9 am to 5:30 pm
Friday & Saturday
until 7:00 pm
Tel: (473) 444-4573
Cee PRC Pee ye San SS
Rocks don’t move — or if they do they are shown on
up-to-date Imray charts. Regarding marine
infrastructure, virtually every island puts out a free
marine trade guide every year, which is much more
up-to-date than any guide; similarly, the tourist
departments put out a free annual guide for bars,
restaurants and hotels.
With all these updates readily available,
Street's guides are timeless.
i \
Real sailors use Street's Guides for inter-island and harbor
piloting directions, plus interesting anecdotes of people,
places and history. Street’s Guides are the only ones that
describe ALL the anchorages in the Eastern Caribbean.
NEW! Street's videos, first made in 1985,
are now back as DVDs.
¢ ‘Transatlantic with Street†documents a sailing passage
from Ireland to Antigua via the Cape Verdes. 2 hours
¢ “Antigua Week ’85†is the story of the engineless yaw lolaire
racing round the buoys to celebrate her 80th birthday. 1 hour
¢ “Street on Knots’ demonstrates the essential knots and
line-handling skills every sailor should know. 1 hour
¢ "Streetwise 1 and 2†give tips that appeared in the popular video
Sailing Quarterly, plus cruises in the Grenadines, Venezuela and
southwest coast of Ireland
DVDs available at Imray, Kelvin Hughes, Armchair Sailor/
Bluewater Books, and www.street-iolaire.com.
Full information on DVDs at www.street-iolaire.com
HURRICANE TIPS! Visit www.street-iolaire.com for a wealth of
information on tracking and securing for a storm.
Street's Guides and DVDs are available
at all Island Waterworld stores and at Johnson's Hardware,
or from www.iUniverse.com and www.seabooks.com
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Dear Compass,
MAYAG would like to thank the crew on S/V Cheetah
Hf for their kind words in the November issue of
Compass about the Royal Grenada Police Force and in
particular Detective Garcia and his team. So often only
the negative items are shared. Mindful of this, the
Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada (MAYAG)
sought to draw the published letter to the attention of
the relevant authorities.
MAYAG wishes to publicly thank Detective Garcia
and team for the efforts taken to follow up with com-
munication and information as he clearly managed to
turn a negative incident into a positive one. Grenada
and MAYAG know that safety and security are a prime
factor when those on yachts decide where to go, and
to have such a glowing testimony to Grenada’s law
enforcement officers is a great benefit for our indus-
try. All our marketing and promotional efforts are
worthless if our clients do not feel they can remain
safely in Grenada.
Laura Fletcher, MAYAG
Grenada
Dear Compass,
Thanks again for publishing my letter about trying to
import our dog Darwin into Antigua in your November
issue. In Grenada I got quite a few positive reactions
from other dog owners. We also appreciate the reaction
from John J. Duffy, President of the Antigua &
Barbuda Marine Association. His comments didn’t
really clarify anything, but he invited yachtspeople
who experienced problems to contact him at info@
abma.ag. Having written and sent a huge letter about
our Jolly Harbour experience to the chief of the
Antiguan agriculture department without hearing any-
thing back, we tried our luck with Mr. Duffy. We sent
a copy of the long, explanatory e-mail of our experi-
ences to him a few weeks ago.
At the moment, we are in St. Lucia, where we had
another unsatisfactory experience checking Darwin
in. Dogs are now allowed to be (temporarily?) import-
ed into St. Lucia and we did so successfully four
months ago. At that time, in Rodney Bay, a govern-
ment vet came to our boat, Irie, to inspect Darwin,
scan his microchip, check his paperwork and issue a
permit, all for the price of EC$45. All was done in a
professional manner and we didn’t regret going
through all the hassle and time to check our dog
in. Plus, we now had a good experience in St. Lucia
and we would come back.
A week ago, we hoped to go through the same pro-
cess with our dog, but in Soufriere this time, arriving
to St. Lucia from the south. We had e-mailed the gov-
emment vet in charge, Dr. King, weeks before arriving
to see whether all formalities could be done in
Soufriere and to confirm the cost. We never heard
back from her.
An hour after finishing our own formalities, Mark
went to shore again and picked up an agricultural guy
from Vieux Fort, ordered by the Customs official, and
brought him to Irie to “see†our dog. This person
looked at Darwin, glanced through his paperwork and
wrote something like “veterinary inspected and
approved†plus the date on one of the sheets and that
was it. No scanning of the microchip, no touching the
dog, no official permit. We had to pay him EC$95 —
twice as much as the amount four months ago and
without a receipt. That amount had been negotiated
down from the EC$150 he initially wanted to charge.
Since when are government fees negotiable? And how
did this amount rise so steeply in a _ few
months? Questions we asked in an e-mail to Dr. King,
who hasn’t yet gotten back to us.
So, we feel it is impossible to do this dog check-in
procedure “rightâ€, no matter how hard you try. It
would be a challenge to write an article about dog
import regulations and fees in the Caribbean with all
the contradicting information you find online and
given the mixed and non-conforming experiences we
have had. That’s probably why it never has been
done or why the little information you find is out-
dated and incorrect.
I just wanted to share this information and hope
you understand our ongoing frustrations about
legally taking our dog to the Caribbean islands. It
becomes clearer to us every time why so few other
cruisers bother.
Keep up the good work at Caribbean Compass!
Liesbet Collaert
Irie
Hi there, Compass Readers,
Just to let you know that Martinique is experiencing
the same crime problem as many of the other islands.
Please be more careful.
We were in the marina at Le Marin, Martinique, hav-
ing some last minor repairs done to our yacht under
the Lagoon warranty. One night, 27th November, at
round 2:30am, Joe said he felt the boat move, A little
later, he heard a soft cough. Someone had boarded our
boat! This is very easy if the boat is tied on a pontoon
at a marina.
Joe got up and saw a man sitting on the inside step
to our “patioâ€. He called to me to get the camera, as
there was someone on the boat. When he opened the
door to confront the man, the noise of the lock alerted
the guy, and he got up and jumped off the boat, and
just walked away (such a cheek!) When he looked
back and saw the camera (which he probably thought
was a firearm), he began to run. We could not get a
picture of him, but did report this to the marina staff,
and they in turn reported it to the police. We did give
them a fairly good description of the guy. Apparently
this was not the first time this had happened, and they
were getting closer to finding the offender.
We checked to see if anything was taken, and fortu-
nately the only thing that was actually taken and
eaten — we found the peels — were all the bananas! A
large plastic box containing our shoes is normally kept
at the entrance to the yacht, below the steps. This was
open, and the boarder had neatly lined up all Joe’s
shoes in pairs, perhaps to see which ones he wanted.
Luckily he was disturbed before he made up his mind.
This box of shoes happens to be the only thing left out
at night when we lock up. Now we bring that in too!
Two nights later, 29th November 2009, we were
anchored out in Le Marin bay, and almost the same
thing happened. Joe woke up to disturb a guy who had
swum out to us, and was trying to steal our dinghy. He
got a fright, left his wet shirt in the dinghy, and swam
away. Try as we might, we could not see him in the
dark — he must have been able to hold his breath for
an awful long time! He was not able to take the dinghy
because we had it locked to the yacht with quite a
heavy chain. We are very vigilant about keeping things
secure because there are numerous stories of this kind
of thing happening. It just sucks to have it happen to
us as well!
Joe and Mercia
Yacht Free to Be
Dear Compass Readers,
Imray is in the process of re-drawing the following
charts:
A231, 232 US and British Virgin Islands
B 26 Barbuda
E 5 Bermuda
A234 St. Croix
Please check your charts and send any corrections
and/or suggestions on improving them to me at
streetiolaire@hotmail.com.
We are particularly interested in seeing corrections
to the St. George’s, Bermuda blow-up, as we have
heard a megayacht berth has been established.
Many thanks,
Don Street
Tolaire
Dear Compass,
Thanks very much for letting us see Caribbean
Compass magazine on-line. I have been able to pass
the link to other people who otherwise wouldn’t see the
magazine.
Anne Dunlop
Freya of Clyde
Dear Compass Readers,
We want to hear from YOU!
Please include your name, boat name or shoreside
address, and a way we can contact you (preferably by
e-mail) if clarification is required.
We do not publish individual consumer complaints or
individual regatta results complaints. (Kudos are okay!)
We do not publish anonymous letters; however, your
name may be withheld from print at your request.
Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play.
Send your letters to:
sally @caribbeancompass.com
or
Compass Publishing Lid.
Readers’ Forum
Box 175BQ
Bequia VC0400
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
WHAT’S ON MY MIND
NIGHT PASSAGES
y Ann Westergard.
b
A yacht named Kersti, a monohull much like ours,
was holed and sank the other night while on a passage
rom the San Blas islands to Cartagena, Colombia. The
crew in their liferaft was safely picked up by another
yacht, Jupiter's Smile, which was sailing on a similar
course. But Kersti is gone, and with it, I'm sure, the
confidence and serenity of the crew, as well as all their
ersonal stuff.
Then, a day later, on the Northwest Caribbean Net
came the report from another vessel that had in view
a “large white ship’s mooring†measuring about 15 by
20 feet, drifting around on the rhumb line from San
Blas to Cartagena. The report was radioed in and
apparently will reach a US Coast Guard vessel in the
area, which will deal with the obstacle.
I remember one of the most frightening nights of my
ife — years ago, in our former boat, Arion, somewhere
in mid-Atlantic. We were rollicking along, headlong
into one of the darkest (but starriest) nights imagin-
able. All I could think of was a report I'd heard about
a number of refrigerated containers that had suppos-
edly been swept off the deck of a cargo ship in a storm.
was certain that the sharp corner of one was hovering
about two feet below the surface and we would be
upon it at any moment. I was miserable until sunrise,
and then, although the containers may still have been
there, I regained my balance.
I've buried those particular containers under a pile
of other things I might worry about. The other night we
were moving along the coast of mainland Honduras on
a mainly clear but moonless night. There was a rock
and a reefy area to avoid, and an isolated rain squall
whose boundaries I checked on radar. As it passed, a
persistent little blip remained just behind us, and as I
looked for it, a light went on. Apparently we had
nearly run over an unlit fishing boat, provoking him
into’showing a light. A few minutes later another light
suddenly appeared maybe a quarter mile off.
Other items for the worry list include logs washed
down rivers, and whales (although if I hit a whale I'd
consider that it had the right-of-way and I had just
drawn the wrong card).
Of course we stand watches all night, along the coast
‘Of course we stand watches
all night... But it’s impossible
to see everything’
and offshore. But it’s impossible to see everything. We
place a lot of faith in the odds that whatever danger
lurks ahead is not directly ahead on the little line we
draw across the ocean. For the men in the unlit lancha
it worked out, for Kersti, it didn’t. For us... well, it
remains to be seen. I’m expecting the best.
There is an Arab proverb to the effect that you don’t
truly own anything that you can lose at sea.
Ann Westergard and Doug Brown are cruising the
Caribbean aboard the Valiant 40 Galivant.
RESOLVE TO BE GREEN - WORD SEARCH
SOLUTION
roaomazrama
owowmoHa rP-2POr
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We're on the Web!
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St Croix
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St Lucia
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Ph: 758-452-1222
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St Maarten
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St Thomas
All Points Marine
Compass Point Marina
Ph: 340-775-9912
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Trinidad
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Siparta
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Fx: 868-649-9091
dieseltec@ hotmail.com
Dockyard Electrics
Chaguaramas
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Tortola
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ST. THOMAS YACHT SALES
Compass Point Marina, 6300 Est. Frydenhoj, Suite 28,
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802
Tel: (340) 779-1660
Fax: (340) 779-2779
yachts @islands.vi
La Creole 50’ 1978 Gulfstar
Ketch, Well maintained
classic, 3strms, $145,000
Summer Place 44’ 1985
Beneteau Idylle, Great Cruiser,
AP, AC, Genset $86,000
Sail
36’ 1980 Albin Stratus, Cruiser or 6 pack charter vessel
41’ 1980 Morgan Out Islander AC, great condition
46’ 2000 Jeanneau twin helms, 3 staterooms
49’ 1979 Transpacific Ketch, Bluewater, 3 strms, loaded
$45,000
$79,000
$179,900
$180,000
Power
26’ 1987 Whale Boat Navy Capts gig, Perkins, 4109
29’ 1994 Phoenix SF, Twin Volvos, trim tabs, outriggers
32’ 1996 Carver 325 Twin Crusaders, great condition
36'1980 Litton Trawler, Yanmar diesels, Gen Set $30,000
40’ 1999 Tiara 4000 Express, Genset, AC, Twin Cats $275,000
Call, fax or visit our website for a complete list of boats for sale
www.stthomasyachts.com
7 io
B.V.1. YACHT SALES
sae: 3 ag
$33,000
$64,500
$59,900
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MULTIHULLS: 42' Beneteau 423 ‘04, Best Priced 423 119K
82’ Dufour Nautitech ‘95, 10 cab/10 hd 795K 42’Tayana‘85,Well equipped andkept 99K
46' FP Bahia ‘01, Many Updates 349K 41’ Formosa CT 41‘74,Well Equipped 110K
45’ Robertson & Caine 99, Well kept 309K 40’ Beneteau M-405°95, Grt. Price 89K
41‘ Lagoon 410'01, Great Price 215K 40°Beneteau 40 CC'97;SolarandWind 99K
41’ Lagoon 41006 Great Revenue 380K 40’ Beneteau 400'94,Cruise Equipped 87K
37’ Maxim Yachts ‘99, Strong, Fast 160K 40’ Beneteau 40 CC ‘00 Immaculate 130K
SAIL: 40’ Exe Marine C-Farer II’82,World Crsr. 39K
54’ Hylas Deck Salon,’00,Luxury Crsr_ 645K 39° Beneteau 393 2005; Well-Priced 125K
51’ Morgan / CSY Custom 88 Loaded 159K 39° Grand Soleil‘87;Very Well Equipd 129K
51’ Aluminum Van De Stadt Design’99 379K 38° Hallberg-Rassy 38287; Strong 125K
47’ Vagabond 1980, Low Low Price 139K 37’ Jeanneau Sun Ody 37.1,'95 Grt Price 54K
46' Morgan 461 ‘79, Solid,Great Price 79K 34 Jeanneau ’01;Perfect pocket crsr. 59K
45' Wauquiez MS45,’90, Pilothouse 169K 32’ Bavaria ‘03;Great Condition / Price 64K
45’ Downeaster ‘79, Rare Schooner 139K
45' Jeanneau 45.1 ‘99 Great Price! 109K POWER:
45' Jeanneau 45.2 00, Immaculate 189K 63’ Johnson Motor Yacht’91 Luxury 375K
44’ Freedom 44’ 82,Rare,Great Shape 99K 52'Jefferson Trawler’89;4cab/4hd 149K
43’ Hunter 430°97, In Antigua, Grt Price 89K 48’ Sunseeker Manhattan ‘97, 3cb/2hd 325K
43'Young Sun '79,Lots of equipment 70K 48'Tarquin Trader 485 Sig.Beautiful 269K
42’ CSY 87’ Center Ckpt,Many Upgrades 69K 46 Bertram 46.6 Sport Cruiser’81 99K
42' Halberg-Rassy HR-42E ‘84, Refit 160K 30’ Bayliner 305 ‘06, Only 80hrs 89K
42’ Albin Nimbus ‘81 Cutter 75K 26'Glacier Bay 2680;(2) Yamaha 1SOHP 69K
42’ \sland Packet 420,01 Immaculate 320K www.bvi yac htsales.com
Email:info@bviyachtsales.com Tel:284-494-3260 Fax: 284-494-3535
PICK UP!
Ahoy, Compass Readers! When in Bequia, pick up your free monthly copy of
the Caribbean Compass at any of these locations (advertisers in this issue
appear in bold):
Bequia Bookshop
Bequia Post Office
Bequia Tourism Assn.
Bequia Venture
De Reef Restaurant
Doris Fresh Food
Fernando’s Hideaway
Frangipani Hotel
Friendship Rose Office
Grenadine Sails
GYE
Lulley’s Tackle
Mac’s Pizzeria
PortHole Restaurant
Tradewinds Cruise Club
W&W Supermarket
Wallace & Co.
JANUARY 2010
] New Year’s Day. Public holiday or “recovery day†in many places.
Junkanoo parade in Abaco, Bahamas
1-3 St. Croix Christmas Festival Parades. www.shfestival.com
2 Public holiday in Cuba (Victory of Armed Forces Day), Haiti
(Founding Fathers Day), St Kitts & Nevis (Camival Day), St. Lucia and
Grenada (Second New Year’s Day)
6 Three Kings Day. Public holiday in many places
6 World ARC 2010/11 starts in St. Lucia.
www.worldcruising.com/worldarc2010
8-10 French Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop, Guadeloupe.
evastropic@wanadoo.fr
11-17 17th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival. www. barbadosjazzfestival.com
11-20 St. Barts Music Festival. www.stbartsmusicfestival.org
13 - 16 Carriacou Sailing Series. www.sailingcarriacou.com
7 Women’s Cup Regatta, Martinique. Yacht Club de la Martinique (YCM),
tel (596) 63 26 76, fax (596) 63 94 48, yemq@wanadoo.fr
18 Martin Luther King Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
21 Errol Barrow Day; public holiday in Barbados. Our Lady of Altagracia;
public holiday in Dominican Republic
21-24 St. Maarten-St. Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. www.ClassicRegatta.com
22 St. Thomas USVI Blues Festival. http://stevesimonpresents.com
23 - 24 Around Antigua Race. Antigua Yacht Club (AYC), tel/fax (268) 460-1799,
yachtclub@candw.ag, www.antiguayachtclub.com
24 - 28 Alst Spice Island Billfish Tournament, Grenada. www.sibtgrenada.com
24 - 30 Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Montego Bay.
www.diramaicajazzandblues.com
25 Duarte’s day. Public holiday in Dominican Republic
27 - 30 Antigua Superyacht Cup. AYC
27-10 Feb 15th Annual Mustique Blues Festival. www.basilsbar.com
28 - 31 Bequia Music Fest. See ad on page 13
29 - 2 Feb Port Louis Grenada Sailing Festival. See ad on page 5
29-6Feb 16th Guadeloupe International Film Festival.
www fest21.com/en/festival/femi_international_cinema_festival_of_guadeloupe
30 FULL MOON
30 - 31 Budget Marine Women’s Caribbean Championships, St. Maarten.
St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC), tel (699) 544-2075, fax (599) 544-2091,
info@smyc.com, www.smyc.com
FEBRUARY
World Wetlands Day
-7 Club Néutico de San Juan International Regatta, Puerto Rico.
www.nauticodesanjuan.com /sailingprogram/regatta_int.htm
Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race, Jamaica.
www.montegobayrace.com
Digicel Workboat Regatta, Grenada. See ad on page 5
Gill St Maarten Keelboat Championships, SMYC
6 5th La Route du Carmival rally, Martinique to Trinidad.
www.transcaraibes.com
Independence Day. Public holiday in Grenada
12 - 15 32nd Annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean and
28th Annual Classic Yacht Regatta, Tortola. tel (284) 495-4559.
12-16 20th Semaine Nautique Schoelcher, Martinique.
www.clubnautiquedumarin.com
13-14 Budget Marine Valentines Regatta, Antigua. Jolly Harbour Yacht Cluk
QHYC), Antigua. tel (268) 770-6172, miramarsailing@hotmail.com,
www. jhycantigua.com
13-15 Carnival Regatta, Martinique. Club Nautique Le Neptune (CNN),
Martinique, tel (596) 51 73 24, fax (696) 51 73 70,
info@clubnautiqueleneptune.com
14 Sunshine School Fundraising Auction, Bequia. www.bequiasunshineschool.org
15 - 16 Carnival Monday and Tuesday in most Dutch and French islands, Haiti,
Puerto Rico, Dominica, Carriacou, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela,
and other places
15 Presidents’ Day. Public holiday in Puerto Rico and USVI
7 Ash Wednesday. Public holiday in Cayman Islands and Jamaica
19-21 St. Croix Yacht Club Hospice Regatta. See ad on page 15
19-21 Tobago Carnival Regatta. www.sailweek.com
22 Independence Day. Public holiday in St. Lucia
22 - 26 RORC Caribbean 600 Offshore Race, Antigua. caribbeané00.rorc.org
26 - 28 South Grenada Regatta. See ad on page 20
27 Around St. Maarten-St. Martin Multihull Regatta.
www. MultiHullRegatta.com
eo D
=NN
27 Independence Day. Public holiday in the Dominican Republic
27 - 28 Around Martinique Race (2 legs). CNN
28 FULL MOON
All information was correct to the best of our knowledge
at the time this issue of Compass went fo press — but plans change,
so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation.
if you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE in our monthly cal-
endar, please send the name and date(s) of the event and the name
and contact information of the organizing body fo
sally@caribbeancompass.com
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i contact your local island agent |
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Land and houses for sale
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SAILMAKING, RIGGING, ELECTRONICS
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| YOUR
|
BOATS FOR SALE
1975 German Frers 39ft,
2 sets racing sails,US 57.000
1981 Cape Dory 30, US
39.000, St.Lucia duty paid
2000 Catana 471, 4 cabin,
460,000 Euros
1987 Irwin 44 _ US 105.000
1992 Dehler 37 CWS,
90.000 Euros
1981 CT 54 —-US 195,000
2006 Bahia 46, Hi spec
upgrades, lots of extra
equipment with_ charter
contract, 390,000 Euros
Email Yachtsales@dsl-yachting.
com Tel (758) 452 8531
1979 HUGHES 38 Sparkman
and Stevens design.
Cruising Grenada. Ready to
go.US$32,000 ono Email
hughes38.1979@yahoo.com
YOUNG SUN 46FT VENUS 1984 KETCH
fiberdass, vgc,new engine 2007,
excellentlive aboard and cruiser.
GPS, RADAR, VHF, Auto Pilot,
EPIRB, SSB, Water Maker, Air-Con,
Solar Panels, Wind Generator &
more. Full specs ot www.free
webs.com/venus4éforsale Price
reduced for a speedy sale
US$ 169,000 ONO Lying St Lucia.
Email venus46@live.com or Tel:
56696907429
BENETEAU FIRST 456 1984
Well equipped, located in
Bequia. Mere info Email mex-
maxgrenadinesttcl@gmail.com
cochisestellendam @zonnet.nl
COCHISE, an elegant 39 ft
yacht (1991) and pleasure
to sail is for sale, Noted for
speed, ease to handle, sim-
plicity and Boat of The Year
2007 Trinidad. Cochise is
very well maintained, sailed
only by owner and brought
in from NL on containership.
Ideal boat for comfortable,
fast cruising with family/
friends, and equipped for
club racing. All J-Boats
design weaknesses taken
care of in recent years.
Extensively overhauled with
new mast and rod rigging
(2002), large sail wardrobe,
many extras incl. new
Raymarine autopilot (2007),
well-maintained Harken
winches, 2 anchors + chain,
large sun awning etc.
Interesting price of 55,000 US$
reflects ~ current location
(Caribbean) and move to
larger world cruiser. E-mail
BOATS FOR SALE IN TRINIDAD
Tel (868) 739-6449
www.crackajacksailing.com
41’ CORONADO
“MiLady Kathleenâ€
available in the Grenadines,
1973,
Now
loaded with goodies.
www.freewebs.com/
sv-mladykathleen for
details. US$56,000 E-mail:
Roland693@Yahoo.com
2003 BENETEAU OCEANIS
393, 3 Cabins/2 Heads,
Good Condition, Cruisin:
Ready. BVI’s, $115,000,
E-mail starfrute@gmail.com
Tel (952) 221-3788
HALLBERG RASSY 39 1997
New engine. Exc. condition.
St Lucia, Euros 217,000 E-mail
tabascojazz@hotmail.com
CORT WINNER “UNCLE SAMâ€
BENETEAU 10-METER Custom,
2001 rebuild, Henderson
bulb keel & rudder.
Expanded cockpit, over-
size winches, custom helm,
all new instruments.
Raytheon GPS, speedome-
ter, cockpit mounted chart
plotter, Maxi sail compas.
Completely rewired includ-
ing dual battery system &
circuit breaker panel.
Dry storage past 2 years.
US$36,000 Contact Sam Laing,
Email laingusvi@gmail.com
46’ PETERSON PERFORMANCE
CRUISER 1988 Center cock-
pit, single owner, lovingly
maintained. Sailed through-
out the Caribbean and now
located in Trinidad. Ready
for you to start cruising tomor-
row, USD 189,999 E-mail
SailingOnFree@aol.com
40 FT FISHING TRAWLER.
Fiberglass hull. 671GM Diesel.
Based in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.
ood price, negotiable.
Tel (473) 415-9323
CATANA 44 1995 Refit 2002.
Including 2 new Yanmar
4Ohp diesels w/ ST40 saildrives.
New sails, new ékw genera-
tor, new watermaker, bimini
Icatkayen@yahoo.com
MISC. FOR SALE
SELDEN RIG for VINDO 35,
deck stepped, boom,
spreaders, lights, winches
(has been changed for
upgrade) 2000 US OBO
ask for details 758 4528531
email: destsll@candwilc
SAILS AND CANVAS
EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIAL
DEALS at http://doylecarib-
bean.com/specials.htm
2 X 5d’ F/GLASS CATAMARAN
HULLS Trinidad (868) 650-1914
E-mail JanDutch @tstt.net. tt
TACKTICK _WIRELESS/SOLAR
INSTRUMENTS, Discount pric-
es: www.northemrockiesas-
sociates.com
YANMAR OUTBOARD DIESEL
36HP Tiinickad cell (868) 650-1914
EMail JanDutch@tsttnet.tt
WIND PILOT PACIFIC Pius aux-
iliary rudder, Good price.
Contact Olivier Nelly, Port de
Plaisance, Marin, Martinique
Tel +(596) 696 25 11 60
WANTED
MARINE TECHNICIAN WANTED
Respected Marine Engineerin
Co. in Grenada is seeking all
round experienced technician
for marine diesel engines, elec-
tical, electronics, watermakers,
wind generators, AC and reftig-
eration. We can assist wi
work pemit. Ideal for cruiser or
independent tech locking for
the stability of an established
company in Grenada. Please
email CV to enzomarine@spi-
ceisle.com Tel: (473) 439-2049
CAPTAIN AVAILABLE, USCG
Master 100 Tons Sail or Power,
Mate 200 Tons, Divernaster
also. Day trips, Term or delivery,
all ranks considered, Can relo-
cate from St Thomas Email
davidNwillems@yahoo.com
PROPERTY FOR SALE
CARRIACOU, ONE ACRE LOTS
and multi acre tracts. Great
views overlooking_ Southern
Grenadines and Tyrrel Bay
www.caribtrace.com
BEQUIA, UNION LEVEL
2 pieces of land for sale 23,000
sq/ft each. $4.25 US per sa/ft.
Tel 73) 404 46:
Jhiamie9? @gmail.com
E-mail
5 =a
BEQUIA, _ BELMONT Sailor's
retreat. Tradtional cottage
overlooking Admiralty Bay.
Uss295C00 Tel_ (784) 529-5972
E-mail cecrawfish@gmail.com
LAND FOR SALE
BEQUIA, SPRING ESTATE Excellent
parcel of land 25060 sq/ft.
Beautifully located rectangulor
lot on a dead end quiet road
with elec, & seaview, 5min walk
tobeach, Ready for builcing, Tel
(784) 458-3518/430-5021 Email
gardenboutique@hotmail.com
RENTALS
BEQUIA, HAMILTON 2-bed
room, partly fumished, recent-
ly refurbished house. 100 yds
from the sea. EC$1,300 per
month, utilities not included.
Tel (784) 496-9872 E-mail
Jhiamie%?@gmail.com.
LA POMPE, BEQUIA
Large 2 bedroom house and/
or Thed studio apartment.
Big verandah and _ patio,
stunning view, cool breeze.
Internet, cable TV. 2 weeks
minimum, _excellent_long-
term rates. Tel: (784) 495 1177
email: louisian@vincysurf.com
ACCOMMODATION BEQUIA
Recently completed four
ensuite air-conditioned rooms
in waterfront property avail
able for short or long term
rental. Panoramic view of
Admiralty Bay from verandah
and access to the sea from
our own jetty. Located in
quiet northwest comer of
Admiralty Bay.
Tel (784) 458-3942 E-mail
daffodil_harris@yahoo.com
BEQUIA, FRIENDSHIP
Unfurmished house, 3 beckoorn/2
baths. Tel (784) 495 3704 Email
tinamitchell83@hotmail.com
BEQUIA, PORT ELIZABETH 3
bed villa with pool. Stunnin:
views. Jeep & Internet.
Short or long-term lets.
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worldwide “A“ rated cover,
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network, Highest Deductible
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ADVERTISERS INDEX
ADVERTISER LOCATION — PG#_ ADVERTISER LOCATION — PG#_ ADVERTISER
A&C Yacht Brokers Martinique MP Cooper Marine USA Jolly Harbour
Admiral Yacht Insurance UK 47 — Curagao Marine Curagao Jones Maritime
Anjo Insurance Antigua 42 Diesel Outfitters St. Maarten KNJ Marine
Art & Design Antigua MP _ Diginay Martinique KP Marine
Art Fabrik Grenada MP = Dockwise Yacht Transport Martinique Lagoon Marina
B &C Fuel Dock Petite Martinique 26 Dominica Marine Center Dominica Le Phare Bleu
Barefoot Yacht Charters St. Vincent 19 Dopco Travel Grenada Le Phare Bleu Regatta
Barrow Sails & Canvas Trinidad MP Down Island Real Estate Carriacou MP _Lulley's Tackle
LOCATION PG# ADVERTISER
Antigua MP Savon De Mer
St. Croix 47 — Sea Services
Trinidad MP _ Ship's Carpenter
St. Vincent 18 Soper's Hole Marina
St. Maarten 24 — Spice Island Marine
Grenada 20 St. Croix Regatta
Grenada 20 St. Thomas Yacht Sales
Bequia 31. Supenwind
LOCATION PG#
Caribbean MP
Martinique 17
Trinidad MP
Tortola 24
Grenada
St. Croix
St. Thomas
Germany
Basil’s Bar
Bequia Marina
Bequia Music Festival
Mustique
Bequia
Bequia
46
31
13
Doyle Offshore Sails
Doyle Offshore Sails
Doyle's Guides
Tortola 3
Barbados MP
USA 42
Mango Bay
Marc One Marine
Marigot Beach Club
Marina Zar-Par
Martinique MP
Trinidad
St. Lucia
MP
24
SVG Air
SVG Tourism
Technick
Tikal Arts & Crafts
St. Vincent
St. Vincent
Grenada
Grenada
Bequia Venture
Beyond The Islands
Budget Marine
Budget Marine
BVI Yacht Sales
Camper & Nicholsons
Captain Gourmet
Caraibe Energie
Caraibe Greement Martinique
Caraibe Yachts Guadeloupe
Caribbean Marine Electrical Trinidad
Caribbean Propellers Ltd. — Trinidad
Caribbean Woods Bequia
Carriacou Silver Diving Carriacou
Ciao Pizza Union Isand
CIRExpress St. Maarten
Clippers Ship Martinique
Bequia
Caribbean
Sint Maarten
Carib Wide
Tortola
Grenada
Union Island
Martinique
Echo Marine - Jotun Special Trinidad 10
Electropics Trinidad MP
Femando's Hideaway Bequia MP
Food Fair Grenada 47
Fred Marine Guadeloupe 33
Friendship Rose Bequia an
Gourmet Foods St. Vincent 44
Grenada Around Island Grenada 6
Grenada Marine Grenada 35
Grenada Sailing Festival Grenada 5
Grenadine Island Villas Bequia MP
Grenadines Sails Bequia 26
GRPro-Clean Martinique MP
lolaire Enterprises UK 47/48
Island Water World Sint Maarten 56
Island Water World Carib Wide MP
Johnson Hardware St. Lucia 14
Dominican Rep. 16
McIntyre Bros. Ltd Grenada 48 Tilikum
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services Azores MP Townhouse Mega Store
Navimca Venezuela 41 Trade Winds Cruising
Northem Lights Generators Tortola 49 Transcaraibes
Ocean Xperts St. Maarten 43 Triskell Cup Regatta
On Deck Antigua MP Turbulence Sails
Perkins Engines Tortola 22 ~~ Turbulence Sails
Petit St. Vincent PSV 40 ‘Tyrrel Bay Yacht Haulout
Plumbelly Carib Wide MP Vemasca
Port Hole Bequia MP Voiles Assistance
Power Boats Trinidad MP Wallace & Co
Quantum Sails Tortola 25 Wallilabou Anchorage
Reds Caribbean Trinidad 10 WIND
Reef Gardens Antigua 45 Woodstock Boatbuilders Antigua
Renaissance Marina Aruba 36 Xanadu Marine Venezuela
Santa Barbara Resort Curagao 37. YES MP = Market Place LAG P to 53
Martinique
Antigua
Bequia
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Grenada
Grenada
Carriacou
Venezuela
Martinique
Bequia
St. Vincent
Martinique
e \
RAN
= A fi
SERVICE
For over 25 years, Spice Island Marine Services has been known for reliable
customer service. The most secure, insurance approved storage in the Southern
Caribbean ensures peace of mind with optional steel cradles, yacht tie-downs
throughout, and welded stands. This full service boatyard can accommodate
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on-site Budget Marine chandlery, Spice Island Marine Services will exceed
your expectations.
simsco@spiceisle.com « www.spiceislandmarine.com e 473.444.4342
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shop
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From now until the end of January buy anything ONLINE
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Island
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Pius FREE delivery to any of our online
shipping destinations!
‘Waller Bary Air Floor
St. Maarten, Cole Bay: + 599.544.5310
Bobby's Marina: + 599.543.7119
St. Lucia: + 758.452.1222 © Grenada: + 473.435.2150
Published by Compass Publishing Limited, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and printed by Trinidad Publishing Company Limited
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