Altair's Cruz Nuz

cruising, vb, kroozing, working on your boat in exotic locations around the Caribbean....Dudley and Becca

14 April 2011 | Falmouth Harbor, Antigua
13 April 2011 | Nelson's Dockyard...
12 April 2011 | Falmouth Harbor, Antigua!
12 April 2011 | Atlantic Ocean...heading for Antigua!
12 April 2011 | The River Salee, Guadeloupe!
11 April 2011 | Foot of the River Salee!
08 April 2011 | Downtown Point a' Pitre
07 April 2011 | The Darse, Point a' Pitre, Guadeloupe
06 April 2011 | Guadeloupe Bound
05 April 2011 | Les Saintes, Terre de Haut
03 April 2011 | Martinique, Past Dominica, The Saintes!
02 April 2011 | St. Pierre, NW Coast of Martinique...
31 March 2011 | Martinique, St. Anne...Still...
21 March 2011 | We left Le Marin for St. Anne
19 March 2011 | Rodney Bay, St. Lucia to Le Marin, Martinique!
17 March 2011 | Rodney Bay, St. Lucia!
16 March 2011 | Babaneau and Chassin Gorges
11 March 2011 | Marigot Bay, St. Lucia
09 March 2011 | Big, Lush and Flavorful...St. Lucia!
08 March 2011 | The Pitons, Petit Piton rising to 2500' and Gross Piton maxing out at

SOLD

25 October 2012 | Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Becca Butler
It's so hard to share this! It's hard to let her go! We have sold her after just a couple of days on the market!

We got the full asking price and actually got offers of more when they found out there was already a handshake. We were blessed. We've been waiting with bated breath to see if it was really true and it was. These wonderful folks, Warren and Vicky have joined our family. We are building a relationship, from a distance, but not uncomfortably far, to guide Altair to her new owners and her new owners to Altair.

We got a lot of response from the blog, where I directed people to the site I created and it was wonderful to know that people actually read my labor of love!

I deleted the post from the Google, Intuit site just now. I will keep THIS site up so that I have a reference when someone knows where my writing was published! I wrote for the broadcast industry, now this boat who is leaving our care and love, and it's time to write the book. Actually there will be many but the first is about "Learning to Love"... I needed to leave my home, my family and my friends to really learn lessons to which was I was never privy.

I have a great man, and learned how to appreciate what I have in him, not what I don't. That lesson applies throughout my entire being and life.

Stay in touch to see what taking off on a small boat, for an undetermined amount of time, to a unknown destination REALLY means!

Thank you Altair!

She's for Sale (Tartan 34C)...Goodbye Altair!

25 September 2012 | Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Becca B., First Mate, Only Mate
Check out the website, tartan34Cforsale.com or altairforsale.com, to see all the details about this amazing TARTAN! She is a beauty and waiting for you take over. She's fully loaded, and you must see her!

She is located in Miami, The Coconut Grove Sailing Club and all you have to do is call us @ 305.613.0782 or email us: chasealtair@gmail.com to ask questions, come see her and if you are seriously interested, take her for a test sail. Hopefully it is blowing like stink, cause that's how she likes it!

We're Home...Altair is Home!

28 July 2011 | Coconut Grove Sailing Club!
Becca
We don't know what we were expecting...we know we have lots to do with so many family and friends to reconnect with and hug! What's going on?

We have to clear in with customs and never did apply for the local boaters option! Hopefully that will give us the jolt we clearly need when we get a warm welcome from Customs and Immigration...Hah!

Dudley and Bec

Just have to wrap out brains around this arrival...

27 July 2011 | Key Biscayne, Florida
Becca
This skyline is what we are seeing...we just can't believe it...YET!

We'll just drop the anchor one more time before we check back into our country!

It's anti-climatic...for real!!! Where are the mountains, rain forests, breadfruit trees?

Dudley and Bec

Now this is a Welcoming Site!

27 July 2011 | Stiltsville and Miami just across the Bay.
Becca
We wanted to arrive home before hurricane season cranked up and we did by the skinny sheets of our sails.

Stiltsville is an historic site going back to the days of prohibition! The wealthy connived a brilliant plan to be just far enough offshore in these very clever, very colorful, luxurious escape pads to be free from the law.

Sailing thru the markers guiding mariners past the shallows where these monuments of the daring built their dream homes, gambling houses, party palaces on stilts is humbling. Our adventure was thrilling but pale in comparison to the stories these unique structures can tell.

It's comforting to be home and that's what these gems represent for us. We just can't help feeling emotionally split with the imaginary tug on our hearts that the Caribbean has on us with our new native and cruising friends, the magnificent flora, funny fauna, culture plus love and the welcoming arms of our friends of old and families with arms wide open.

Culture shock in store for the next month at least, no doubt.

Dudley and Bec

Our favorite catch!

27 July 2011 | Gulf Stream...
Becca
We really, absolutely stink at catching fish. The most asked question about our journey is just that: Do you catch a lot of fish? "NOT", and it's squeaked from our lips more times than we care to admit.

This sargasso beauty is a baby for sure. The real seaweed trophies have lured me and both of us actually into believing that the rod that was bending dramatically midway and the effort bringing it in securing our belief was 'the' big one...was a joke! All the beautiful, creative lures, the practice tying the knots, like the bimini twist, and the anticipation of the catch as it's crackling on the 'barbie' have not produced a fish! What does get us fish is cash...and the generosity (and or pity) of many.

So our desire to show off and show up at home with a stunning mahi mahi, wahoo or tuna was futile and this teeny, weeny specimen is our bounty! Lame.

Bec
Vessel Name: Altair
Vessel Make/Model: Tartan 34'
Hailing Port: Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Crew: Dudley Clark and Becky Butler
About: Dudley has owned this Tartan sloop and has been cruising on her since 1986. Becky joined the good sloop back in 2000 when we first started cruising together and he has been 'training' me ever since! I couldn't be happier! I've been sailing all my life, but cruising is a whole different fish!
Extra: This is the most extended cruise we've braved on this wonderful, old boat of ours which is planned to be about 2 years! We left Miami in late February of 2008 and want to get below the hurricane belt by the end of July! Ok, so it's July, 2011...we're close, but not home yet!

S/V ALTAIR

Who: Dudley Clark and Becky Butler
Port: Coconut Grove Sailing Club