April 23, 2010 St. Martin claimed us for another two weeks........the Heineken Regatta sailboat race was glorious. As I sped our dinghy around the competing boats racing between Anguilla and St. Martins, Jim shot photo after photo. We got within feet of some of the world's fastest racing yachts and did our best not to hinder their progress. Jim chose his best shots and gave a copy to the Heineken Regatta Sailing Committe. They rewarded him with a ball cap which said "PRESS" and the "30th Heineken Regatta Race". Jim was proud to wear that hat! Later on he got a t-shirt from Budget Marine after giving them pictures of their race boat in action.

A couple of days later, Emerald Seas and her crew, along with Kennedy on Far Star, were ready to leave for the island of St. Kitts. Sadly, after checking my email, I found a note from my Dad letting me know he was unwell and asking me to fly to England. I booked tickets via KLM Airlines and departed for England three days later. It was a busy week for my Dad and I but we got everything sorted the way he wished. Returning to St. Martin, plans were made to depart on March 26. On the day of departure, we woke up and Jim noticed that Kennedy's inflatable dinghy was missing. Somebody had stolen it during the night. The line was sliced. A thorough search of Simpson Lagoon by several boats turned up nothing. Apparently this is a common problem on the French side of the lagoon- if you anchor anywhere and leave your dinghy in the water overnight, be sure to chain it to the main vessel- lock it or lose it! The theft of the dinghy made us feel very down-hearted.

A great sail to St. Eustacia made for a fast trip and it wasn't long before we were anchored at Oranje Baai. In the morning we went ashore, visited with a friendly dive shop and inquired about the hike to the Quill Volcano. The owner of the shop drove us up the hill to where the trail began, saving us from hiking a few miles on hot pavement. The hike to the crater was through the trees and the shade helped keep us cool. The crater was fantastic, steep slopes all around and full of jungle- a perfect setting for Jurassic Park. We recommend this hike to anyone stopping at St. Eustacia. Later that day, back on the beach, we stopped for a cold beer. As we sat back, enjoying this well-earned beverage, Jim shot up from his seat. "There goes our dinghy!" he shouts. Sure enough, there goes our dinghy! A bunch of teens had decided that it would be fun to take it for a ride and had launched it into the surf. Jim shouted and they started to return it and then decided to continue onwards. The owner of the bar called the police and yelled at the hoodlums to get the boat back to shore. Jim raced to the beach. By the time the rest of us got to scene of the crime, the entire policeforce was present (there is only one policeman) and the dinghy, full of black volcanic sand was safe on the beach.Turns out, that the teens were "known to the police" and always doing stupid things. Back aboard Emerald Seas, dinghy winched out of the water, safe and sound, we sat back and enjoyed another cold one while making plans for the next leg of our journey.

At 7 AM the next morning we are off to St. Kitts. The wind was on our nose so we motor sailed most of the way. We anchored at the town of Basseterre for a rolly night and the next day headed for a more secluded,calm anchorage at Whitehouse Bay. Kennedy, Pete (Elyssium) and ourselves took a taxi tour of St. Kitts-highlight being the Brimstone Fort. It was our second visit there and we enjoyed the views as much as the first time! The following day Kennedy and Pete departed St.Kitts, destination Antigua. Jim and I stayed behind and sailed to Majors Bay to escape from some predicted Northerly winds and swell. It was a secluded, protected anchorage for these conditions. We talked on the radio with another sailboat named Lala and plans were made to meet at Nevis on April 10th and then depart on April 11th - destination Montserrat, home of a very active volcano.

"Good Golly, Miss Molly" writes Jim, in his cruising log, "That was a slog". Winds were very strong, 20-25 knots, and the seas were very big and sloppy. It was really awful but Emerald Seas handled everything like a trooper. I actually ENJOYED the trip and felt no fear whatsoever. I think I have run out of fear, having been scared witless so often the last couple of years. I am a sailor at last!!! Or possibly, just experiencing a moment of temporary insanity...........To top it off, the last few miles before arriving at Montserrat had the winds blowing at 35 knots and still I enjoyed the trip! We anchored at Rendezvous Bay, beautiful sandy beach in front of us and rugged cliffs to the side. In the morning we checked in and out of Montserrat and took a taxi tour of the island. We visited the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and watched a video of the 1995 eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano which destroyed their capital city. This volcano is still very active, shooting out lots of ash and steam and this year has had some dome collapses and pyroclastic flows which are high-speed avalanches of hot ash, rock fragments and gas, moving down the sides of the volcano. These reach speeds of 100-150 mph and destroy everything in their path! Montserrat has exclusion zones on the island, preventing people from entering the danger areas.

The next day we made a brave attempt to sail to Guadaloupe where we would reconnect with our friend Kennedy. What a horrible day we had! The squalls and rain never ceased. Winds were moderate and the seas were rough.Wet and miserable conditions, no visibility and winds in the wrong direction make for a long 42 miles to Guadaloupe. Lala called on the VHF and suggested changing the destination to Antigua, only 20 miles away. Good idea! We switched course, and rolled, and pounded another wet and miserable 20 miles. On the way we contacted Kennedy, in the hopes that he had opted to stay in Antigua that day rather than face a squally trip to Guadaloupe. Not so, he was out there, suffering his own wet, miserable passage to Guadaloupe.......Eventually we arrived in Antigua, anchored in Five Islands Harbour, had some hot soup and dryed out. We spent two nights in Antigua before leaving for Guadaloupe on our own. Our friends on Lala had decided to stay at Antigua for a few extra days.

The motor trip to Guadaloupe was boring as hell compared to our last few passages. There was no wind and it was hot and muggy. The seas were high but spaced far apart and glassy smooth. Our attempt at fishing was unsuccessful. We were consoled by the arrival of some pilot whales and later on by the antics of dozens of dolphins. At 3 PM, we entered the anchorage at Deshaies, Guadaloupe. Reunited with our friend on Far Star, we spent a few days exploring Deshais, visiting the Botanical Gardens and renting a car so we could tour the island. We visited the National Park and hiked along a stream, travelled through lots of farmland and coastal villages. Highlight of the day was Pointe des Chateaux, located at the southeast corner of Guadaloupe, . This was a rugged area, surf pounding in on the many beaches and great views of the surrounding islands. During our time at Deshaies we had Jean Paul Levert, JPS Rigging, come and replace our starboard rear shroud which had started to unravel (fail) during our recent rough passages. When we get to Grenada, we plan on having all our rigging replaced during hurricane season.

Next day we headed to Pigeon Island, home of the Jacque Cousteau Underwater Park. On previous passages we were unable to stop for one reason or another and this time we were determined to dive here. We loaded up our dinghy with dive gear and underwater cameras and headed over to the northwest corner of Pigeon Island. Underwater we found lots of healthy coral, schools of fish and interesting topography. The dive was excellent. After the dive we headed over to the other side of the island, hoping to find the statue of Jacque Cousteau. Within 5 minutes of starting the dive, Jim found the statue and we took turns posing with it. The entire experience was very special to us. Jacque Cousteau's books and underwater films of decades ago inspired so many, ourselves included, to become scuba divers.

Isle de Saintes was the next day's destination. Following a great sail in 10-15 knot winds and light seas we anchored near the village of Grand Bourg. These islands count as one of our favourite places in the Caribbean. The town is small, the anchorages beautiful and there are lots of places to explore. According to Doyle's Cruising Guide, we could get haircuts at Ludo Coiff's Hair Salon. Apparently having a haircut here would save us the trouble of having to fly to Paris, Fance for a stylish cut. Sounds good to us, we both need haircuts. Unfortunately, the place was closed till April 30th. Not too much of a problem. Jim has cut my hair in the past and done an excellent job. He has even coloured it a few times (brave man that he is.....not to mention, what a brave soul I am). Jim volunteers to cut my hair, but only if I reciprocate. I agree. As Jim cuts my hair, I do my best to build up the confidence needed to tackle his haircut. I have never cut anyone else's hair before except my own and that was a butcher job on my bangs when I was a little girl. Following that traumatic experience, I vowed never to cut hair again. Until today.............Its Jim's turn and he takes his seat on the upside down bucket and passes me the comb and scissors. I remind myself that our friend Barb, on Wind Whisperer, had no problem cutting Jim's hair. If she can do it, so can I. Besides, Jim has forgiving, curly hair, and I can hide all the glasses in the boat so he can't see himself afterwards. Reminding Jim that he can wear a hat in a worst case scenerio and that I am very talented at chopping vegetables, I proceed. Voila! A little bit here, a little bit there, a bit more here and a bit more there, a few oooops, trim around the ears, trim around the horns and a nice shave around the back of his neck and all in all, the haircut looked very acceptable!

So, that's all for this blog. Tomorrow we set sail for Dominica. Life is good.