Hedonism

10 April 2022
12 September 2021 | Maupiti
14 August 2021
21 February 2021 | Toau Atoll
09 February 2020
28 January 2020
23 January 2019 | Rotoava
06 January 2019 | Fakarava
28 October 2018
14 October 2018 | Papeete, Tahiti
19 August 2018 | 16 06.30'S:142 22.78'W, Rarioa, French Polynesia
30 July 2018 | 16 06.30'S:142 22.78'W, Nuku Hiva

New Years in Barbuda

09 January 2015 | 17 32.819'N:61 44.746'W, Antigua - Barbuda
Bob
N17.32.819; W 61.44.746 January 9, 2015 New Years in Barbuda We traveled home for a week over Christmas. I went to Thunder Bay to visit RyanÂ's family and Laurie went to Ottawa. I traveled to Ottawa on Christmas day and we then returned to Antigua on December 28th. It was great to see everyone! Atari is walking now and Sheldon and Payton are doing great as well. The BIG BONUS is; they are all coming down to visit us on the boat in March. It will be great to have them here! Once we got back to the boat we provisioned and completed a few boat chores and then set sail for Low Bay Â- Barbuda on New YearÂ's Eve arriving around 5 PM. Only perhaps 4 other boats here with the nearest over a mile away. We walked the beach and visited the Frigate Bird sanctuary. That was amazing! I didnÂ't realize that their life span is over 30 years! They have one egg each year and then the male leaves. Apparently they go as far as the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific but return here each year. There are an estimated 22,000 of them here in Barbuda. The males have a bright red throat that they bloat up when they are available as a Â"mateÂ". Once they mate they deflateÂ.... I will be posting pictures once we get to WIFI but that will probably be almost 2 weeks. One day I left Laurie to read on the boat and went ashore to do an extended walk on the beach. This place still amazes me. The sand is pinkish from the numerous shell fragments not to mention, the seas are constantly changing the shoreline. Talking with our guide that took us to the sanctuary, Jala, 2 weeks ago the north swell came in and washed much of the sand away to the point there was a 5 foot ledge along the shore and little sand. 7 days later, the sand has washed back inÂ... On the 5th we decided to try the north shore at Cedar Tree point in behind the reefs for protection but once we got in close the water visibility was poor (silt from the breakers) and we could not Â"readÂ" the water. Maps are only a reference here, you have to have the sun overhead and be able to see the bottom as the bottom is constantly changing. (Where did that sand go that I mentioned above???) We looked at each other and simultaneously said no, we need to turn around. So we ended up about 200 yards from where we started out; 3 hours earlier. On Tuesday hired a water taxi to come and get us (on the lagoon side, we take our dingy to shore and meet them) and take us into Codrington, the only town on the island. We walked around, grabbed some BBQÂ'd chicken from a vendor (delicious!!!), visited Customs who confirmed that we can check out here, and picked up some provisions at the local market. The people here do not get many visitors so everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. We had one guy drive up to us and ask if we were looking for the Customs office. How did he know??? Well, yes we are and he gave directions, just around the corner with the black pickup truck in front. We shared the small roads with a little vehicle traffic, lots of foot traffic and goats, lots of goats. At night the horses and donkeys also come in and roam the streets! Everyone has a fence around their yards to keep them out of their gardens! On Wednesday we raised anchor and sailed to our current anchorage in Gravenor Bay between Cocoa and Spanish points on the south side of the island. It is just as beautiful! We are anchored in about 11 feet of crystal clear water with reefs all around us. Again, you have to Â"eyeballÂ" navigate in here as there are many reefs that are not charted. Right around us there are about 4 not marked. We wanted to come in here when Shawnda was down but didnÂ't make it. I regret that as she would have loved it. I went snorkeling around the reefs immediately adjacent to us and it is some of the best I have ever seen. The water was completely clear (no north swells to stir it up) and the fish were unbelievable. Conchs and rays were also abundant! (Sheldon and Payton: be sure to bring your mask and fins!!!!) Yesterday I pulled out the Scuba gear and cleaned the bottom of the boat. The hull was fine but I needed to clean all of the bare metal from growth including the prop and shaft, keel coolers for the refrigeration and engine water intake. I was surprised to find that a zinc on the shaft strut was eroded as I had just installed a new one in June before we launched, the first time since we got the boat. (the zinc is a Â"sacrificial anodeÂ" that will erode due to stray electrical currents vs. having more important parts erode such as the prop!) We had a spare so I changed it out as well. I suspect that there may have been stray electrical currents in Jolly Harbour marina as we did notice high voltage readings when plugged in there but we will monitor the zinc more closely. Will be adding another to our spares inventoryÂ.... Just as I came up from all of this I noticed a local fisher returning from being out all day. I jumped into the dingy and sped over to talk to him as he was unloading his boat and came back with four 2 ½ to 3 pound live lobsters. Guess what we had last night? And tonight? After cleaning them on the transom we bagged and froze some for future dinners. So, we are hanging around here for almost a week, primarily due to the weather forecast over the next few days. They are calling for 12 to 14 foot east seas with a second swell from the north of up to 10 feet that is being driven from way up north of Florida. That along with several squally days (high wind and showers) starting Sunday. We are completely protected where we are with reefs on all quadrants. We might move a bit more east to be closer to shore today although that is only a half mile from here but is called White Bay.
Comments
Vessel Name: Hedonism
Vessel Make/Model: Outbound '46
Hailing Port: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Crew: Bob and Laurie Mackie
About: Retired
Extra:
He-don-ism (hí:d'nįzəm) n. the doctrine that pleasure is the highest good and that moral duty is fulfilled through the pursuit of pleasure. After sailing Superior and Northern Lake Huron for the past 9 years, it's time to cut the ties and explore further. We left Barkers Island Marina on [...]
Home Page: http://hedonism1.ca/
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