deva in paradise

Vessel Name: Deva
Vessel Make/Model: Freya 39 sloop/cutter
Hailing Port: Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Crew: Michael and Debby Spence
About:
It has been 40 years since we started sailing DEVA. We spent 12 years circumnavigating the globe, starting in 2007. We have been sailing about 6 months of each year, then returning to Alaska and visiting our friends and family the rest. [...]
Extra:
The circumnavigation was our second long voyage together. The first one was in 1988-89 when we sailed from Alaska to Hawaii and French Polynesia. The present voyage started in the Bahamas/Caribbean in 2007, then through the Panama Canal and the South Pacific, the Mediterranean, and eventually [...]
01 August 2022 | Jolly Harbor, Antigua
26 October 2021
15 July 2019
31 July 2018
07 March 2018 | Curacao to Panama
30 January 2018
20 November 2017
28 October 2017
11 July 2017
14 May 2017
02 December 2016
08 November 2016
03 March 2016
26 January 2016
Recent Blog Posts
01 August 2022 | Jolly Harbor, Antigua

Sailing through a Pandemic

We started where we left off before the Pandemic. In the boatyard in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia.

26 October 2021

DEVA's 40th birthday

Today, the DEVA is a humble little cruiser sitting next to mostly larger and more spacious sailboats in places we visit. She does not have the cavernous interior of newer boats, is narrower and has more varnished woodwork, which hints at her vintage design.

24 May 2019

Cyclo Cruising the Canal du Midi

Cyclo-Cruising the Canal Du Midi

10 December 2018

From the Gulf of Lyon to Spain

In Cap D Agde we tied up in another very large French marina, (with over 3000 boats) adjoining an amusement park-like area with a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster. The main attraction for us was that we could tie securely about a half mile inside a labyrinth of canals, far from the swell of the Mediterranean [...]

Cyclo Cruising in Southern France

10 November 2018
We returned to Port Napoleon after 3 months away and found Deva in great condition. She was promptly launched and once in the water preparations were started to remove her mast for basic maintenance and thorough check as we want her ship shape for making the Atlantic crossing next year. Upon completion and re-stepping the mast we quickly buttoned her up and went on a self guided cycling tour along the Rhone River. This included transforming our road bikes into touring cycles equipped with saddle bags to carry everything we needed for the next 4 days

We had very strong head winds on our first day out which made the first leg of the trip to Arles rather daunting. The bike path along the river was beautiful with few other cyclists about. The first point of interest was Pont du Van Gogh the famous bridge just outside of Arles which Vincent Van Gogh did many different paintings of in the late 19th century. Van Gogh spent several of his most productive years years in Arles including his time in the local hospital after lopping off his ear. Little know facts about the world-reknown painter are that his entire art career in art lasted only 8 years, and only one of his paintings sold during his lifetime

Next up was the Roman Amphitheater and historical city walk. It was fun for us to walk the streets and think about Van Gogh and Gaugain who had cruised the streets centuries before us.

Day 2 carried us 37 miles further up along the Rhone and into the picturesque town of Avignon. We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel inside the walled city. We explored the cathedral where the Pope once lived, walked through the busy streets and back out to the famous half built bridge of Avignon. Many do not know that the Catholic headquarters was in Avignon from 1309 to 1376 where seven different Popes presided over the church. At that time Avignon was part of the Kingdom of Arles, in the Holy Roman Empire.

Our only mishap on the biking portion was after our first 32 mile day, a saddle sore appeared on Mikes left butt cheek. We had an interestingly funny time at the local pharmacy trying to explain to a non English speaking French lady that we needed powder or cream for Mike's derriere (now both cheeks due to favoring the opposite side in the saddle the following day). Debby pantomimed riding a bike then rubbed her hand together indicating friction and then pointed to her bum. Ahhh Wee, she said, and went right to the shelf and pulled out the proper ointment. Mike thought it was fun to watch the other people in the pharmacy watching Debby.

Funny thing about that word "derriere". In our country it has only one meaning: a person's backside. In France, however, it is used for many things. The back of the bus, for example, is called Le Derriere. This can be confusing for Americans when the bus driver might instruct them to seat near the rear of the bus, and they think he is saying "sit on your backside". Another word seen on signs in buses and airplanes is "Poussez", or Poussez Ici", not meaning a place for feline pets, but rather "push here" for debarking, etc. A feline pet is a "chat", silly. Another word that aroused our curiosity was told to us some time ago by a Parisian friend when we were in Raiatea. He told us that his favorite pastry is literally translated to English: "a Nuns Fart". When Debby went searching for this delicacy in a Patisserie, she asked for a "Puf de Nonne" to which the shop owner had a quizzical look on her face. After some gesturing, the shopkeeper chuckled and said "Ahhh, you mean Pet de Nonne" Alas, the French word for fart is "pet".

Our third day consisted of a return ride back to Arles. Mike was in serious pain by now and spent as much time as possible out of his saddle and coasting while standing on his pedals,

The Saturday market was a major attraction in Arles as it takes up the main street for an entire day and resembled the great bazaars we saw in Turkey. Our last morning in Arles we had fun walking along the various stands of produce, clothing, baked goods, meats, spices and olives, jams and jellies and massive amounts of lavender products. We left the market with saddle bags full and headed back through the Camargue National park to Port Napoleon. A highlight was spotting the semi feral white horses along the way. Our total distance by the time we arrived back to the boat was 127 miles over the four days..

We had 2 days to recuperate, pack up and head to the airport as we hurried back to the States for the birth of our first grandchild. Goldie Roux was born on October 12. We stayed 2 weeks to help with baby, mom and dad. A special time for all of us.

We arrived back at he harbor after two days of flying to find things somewhat calm. That night however, a southerly storm rolled through bringing winds of 40 knots through the night, with rain and hailstones. Fortunately we have gotten accustomed to the fickle Med weather and had extra lines rigged. All we had to do was hold on, keep the heater going, and stay snug in our cabin. The cabin always feels particularly cozy when we can hear the wind raging outside and the rain beating against the deck, knowing we are in a safe harbor...

The next day we walked into Port Saint Louis, about 2 miles each way, to shop for a few grocery items... all the way keeping ourselves covered head to toe to ward off the very aggressive tiger mosquitoes that always are worst after a rain. We got a few laughs at ourselves, swatting at the little monsters, and doing a little dance on the way. We have never been anywhere where the mosquitoes, or moustiques as they are called in France were so nasty, stinging through layers of clothing...

Finally we got underway and sailed all day out of the Rhone River delta area towards Port Camargue.
The marina managers there proudly told us that their marina is the largest one in Europe, with about 5000 slips. We soon learned that it was still in moustique territory, so we wandered around town in bright sunshine wearing our foul weather gear.... One of our tasks in Port Camargue was to take fuel at the automated fueling station. Debby got a few giggles out of Mike when he was pumping fuel, and tried to swat a mosquito with the hand that was holding the hose. Needless to say diesel fuel went flying everywhere. Deb said, "seriously Mike, all this mess because of a bug?"

Our stay in Port Camargue was brief, mainly because the Fall weather windows are short and we did not want to get stuck there longer than necessary. As we headed South to cross the Gulf of Lyon, we were greeted with a magnificent view of the snow clad Pyrenees in the distance. Some 70 miles away, they mark the border with Spain, where we are hoping to be in a few days.




Comments
Deva's Photos - Main
Over two years passed as DEVA was confined to to sailing only short passages in the Caribbean.
81 Photos
Created 1 August 2022
a short history of our boat
13 Photos
Created 26 October 2021
Sailing from Europe to the Caribbean, across the Atlantic
68 Photos
Created 8 January 2020
95 Photos
Created 21 July 2019
98 Photos
Created 24 May 2019
122 Photos
Created 10 December 2018
we launched our bikes from the boat in Port Napoleon
40 Photos
Created 10 November 2018
106 Photos
Created 31 July 2018
On our way back to the USA from Europe, we sailed on the beautiful 4 masted bark Sea Cloud
35 Photos
Created 7 March 2018
65 Photos
Created 30 January 2018
95 Photos
Created 20 November 2017
65 Photos
Created 28 October 2017
51 Photos
Created 11 July 2017
170 Photos
Created 14 May 2017
76 Photos
Created 22 April 2017
73 Photos
Created 2 December 2016
19 Photos
Created 8 November 2016
287 Photos
Created 3 March 2016
115 Photos
Created 17 January 2016
90 Photos
Created 11 December 2015
127 Photos
Created 19 November 2015
60 Photos
Created 17 November 2015
36 Photos
Created 26 October 2015
41 Photos
Created 5 May 2015
30 Photos
Created 19 April 2015
28 Photos
Created 19 April 2015
40 Photos
Created 8 March 2015
21 Photos
Created 15 November 2014
16 Photos
Created 15 November 2014
117 Photos
Created 26 April 2014
119 Photos
Created 12 April 2014
68 Photos
Created 11 April 2014
68 Photos
Created 7 March 2014
28 Photos
Created 7 March 2014
38 Photos
Created 8 February 2014
17 Photos
Created 6 February 2014
42 Photos
Created 16 January 2014
22 Photos
Created 15 January 2014
25 Photos
Created 31 December 2013
3 Photos
Created 22 December 2013
43 Photos
Created 13 December 2013
55 Photos
Created 3 December 2013
27 Photos
Created 13 November 2013
Sailing up inside the Great Barrier Reef
19 Photos
Created 23 October 2013
69 Photos
Created 7 April 2013
16 Photos
Created 16 March 2013
27 Photos
Created 2 March 2013
24 Photos
Created 14 February 2013
49 Photos
Created 13 February 2013
9 Photos
Created 25 January 2013
74 Photos
Created 23 January 2013
5 Photos
Created 23 January 2013
41 Photos
Created 23 January 2013
we just returned from 6 months in the USA
2 Photos
Created 6 November 2012
some images form our first days in australia
10 Photos
Created 24 May 2012
32 Photos
Created 1 May 2012
January and February 2012 in New Zealand
23 Photos
Created 5 February 2012
more new zealand
14 Photos
Created 7 January 2012
we couldn't fit all the pics into one album!
20 Photos
Created 30 November 2011
2009-11
122 Photos
Created 27 October 2011
Dec 2010 to present
123 Photos
Created 24 October 2011
about Deva
9 Photos
Created 17 October 2009
Our voyage from the Panama canal to the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and Society Islands
64 Photos
Created 4 October 2009

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Photo Albums
01 August 2022
81 Photos
26 October 2021
13 Photos