Finally!

Vessel Name: Katahdin
Vessel Make/Model: Cambria 44
Hailing Port: Cape Elizabeth, ME
Crew: Larry and Cathy Clough
About: We have been cruising Maine waters for 30 years on a Pearson 26, an Ericson 34, and now a Cambria 44
Extra: On our first journey south we left Maine in early September of 2011 to travel to the Caribbean and back over 9+months. Now we've begun our second trip, taking it at a bit more leisurely pace.
18 May 2016
25 March 2016
09 March 2016
21 February 2016
26 January 2016
05 January 2016
18 December 2015 | Jolly Harbor, Antigua
06 December 2015
21 November 2015
17 November 2015
13 November 2015
19 June 2012 | Portland Harbor
16 June 2012 | Provincetown, MA
12 June 2012 | Great Salt Pond, Block Island, RI
Recent Blog Posts
25 May 2016

Hashes, Hikes, and Hauling

Hashes, Hikes, and Hauling

18 May 2016

Grenada

At the end of March we sailed along the east coast of Grenada from Carriacou to the bays at its southern end. Since we were not sailing in the lee of the island we took a precautionary seasickness pill, Stugeron, which is not available in the US but which, as a non-prescriptive medication, can be purchased [...]

06 May 2016

Carriacou, Grenada's Grenadine Island

I'd like to fire myself as a blog writer. I have no excuse for waiting a month before writing about one of the most enjoyable islands we've been to. In my defense I'd say that to start writing about Grenada and its islands is to acknowledge that the incredible sailing adventure we've experienced would [...]

25 March 2016

The Grenadines

The Grenadines

09 March 2016

St. Lucia

St. Lucia

21 February 2016

Martinique Sud, and a Sample of our Daily Life aboard Katahdin

Today is February 21st. We left St. Pierre on the 8th and meandered our way down Martinique’s west coast to St. Anne at the southeast tip of the island. Along the way we overnighted in 3 anses (anse is a Creole word for bay), with decent snorkeling and hiking, 2 nights in the yachting center for [...]

Impressions

05 April 2012 | Man-O-War Cay, Abacos, the Bahamas
Cathy/very unsettled
It's been over three weeks since we made the crossing from Luperon in the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas by way of the Turks and Caicos, and we've realized that this part of the trip is quite different from what we've experienced since arriving in Tortola on November 22. And, in fact, there is even a distinct flavor to each of the two main parts of the Bahamas.

First of all, during our journey from Tortola to Martinique and back, we were accustomed to being able to count on the weather being basically the same every day - sunny, highs in the low 80's, with moderate winds from the east/northeast. Once in a great while a front would make its presence felt by throwing out winds from the north or the south, but never the west, with accompanying rain showers or squalls. You knew when you woke up each morning that you could count on putting on a swimsuit and jumping off the boat, or walking ashore without an umbrella. It didn't become boring, but weather definitely took a back seat to the planned activities.

When we swam in the Caribbean waters, it was always on the leeward side of the islands, protected from the swells because that's where the best anchorages are. In fact, because there were not that many harbors on the protected side of these islands, these harbors usually sported more than just a few retail buildings, and offered restaurants and in many places shops catering to the tourist crowd.

Many of these islands are also quite large. We could spend weeks if we wanted in exploring different corners of Guadeloupe, for example. During the 5 days we spent in Deshaies and the 3 in The Saintes we just brushed the surface of what was available for exploring and enjoying. We missed out on much of the hiking; there are trails up to the summit of a smoldering volcano, or delving into a rain forest, for example. With just a few months allocated to the Leeward Islands we had to be selective, knowing that we can return and pick up where we left off.

In many of the anchorages there were few boats flying the Stars and Stripes. Instead, French and German flags were common, as well as Canadian and a smattering of flags from Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Great Britain. It was great to be part of an international community though at times it was difficult to feel comfortable in traversing the language and cultural barriers. We were mostly on our own, making our own decisions as to when to do crossings, or where to explore on each island. We had our guide books and met some great people once we were on land.

Well, here in the Bahamas it's another world, one populated mostly by Americans on their moderately-sized monohulls or trawlers. We've left the mega-yachts behind in St. Martin and St. Barts, we're glad to say. There is a defined sense of a cruising community throughout the Bahamas as evidenced by the nets broadcasted each morning on the VHF radio. Individuals from various communities that host a sizeable group of cruisers would announce at a set hour each morning what the weather report is, the state of the sea at the cuts, the activities on land, and then the listeners could add, for example, that they are selling an extra portable generator are looking for a 5 gallon water jug. It's people helping people, and it's predicated on the fact that a lot of these cruisers are spending much of the winter months within the Bahamas, or even within one of its harbors.

Then there is the difference in the weather. We are currently at a mooring in Man-O-War Cay (what a great name!) in the Abacos at more than 26 degrees north latitude. The furthest south we made it was to the southern tip of Martinique at approximately 13 degrees north latitude. Obviously we are further from the equator here and a lot closer to that big weather maker, the North American continent. Weather and its concerns have jumped from the back seat to the driver's seat. We don't go anywhere now without having first taken into account the weather. The wind can clock around quickly and come roaring back with the arrival of a new front, so we are very conscious of being in a protected place at night.

Because these islands are mostly very small, some not even a mile long, and are all quite narrow, the tidal water surges in the cuts between these cays. In the lower Caribbean a one foot to a foot and a half tide was the norm. Here it is at least three feet and there is a huge volume of water flowing into and out of the Bahamian Banks twice a day. Yes, we can swim off the back of our boat but the strength of the current makes it less pleasurable. Little did we think that to enjoy snorkeling in the Bahamas we would have to be aware of when slack tide is every day - that's not our idea of a relaxed vacation.

The upside of the Bahamas has to be, in Larry's words, how "civilized" they are, especially in these northern cays called the Abacos. These are communities that have lots of Americans buzzing around in their golf carts, bringing their children to the local schools while holding a coffee mug in one hand, the same scene happening back home in a different vehicle. We're not disappointed how Americanized some of these cays have become, just surprised. Of course, we are only visiting the more picturesque islands so perhaps what we see is not representative of the Bahamas as a whole. Definitely in the Exumas the native Bahamian culture is the predominant one and that was what we expected and appreciated.

There is also a profound visual difference between the lower Bahamas, the Exumas, and these Abaco cays. The Exumas have smaller communities, far less retail, and look dryer and rougher. The Abacos are much more populated and are green throughout which, being my favorite color, I particularly enjoy. There are real trees and not just bushes, though not very tall, and we've even spied grass on a few occasions. Flowering shrubs abound; the overall feeling is a lushness, a fertileness that was missing from the Exumas. For only about 50 miles that separate the two sections there is quite a visual difference.

Because of the number of cruising Americans, it has been very easy to meet up and buddy-boat with some of them. We've made friends throughout this stretch, and it's fun to meet up with them in different locations. Often we share a cocktail hour, eating (and drinking) enough to qualify for a dinner for which the cook is very grateful. Part of this socialness means we are eating out more, which makes the cook even happier. The guessing game for us now is what percentage of the canned goods that we brought with us when we left Hampton, VA will be with us when we return to Maine. Hopefully not more than 50%, or our summer weekends on the boat in Casco Bay will involve using the can opener more than ever.

The picture below details the shoals surrounding the entrance from Abaco Sound into Hopetown harbor.
Comments
Katahdin's Photos - Main
We spent most of the last month of our cruise in Mt. Hartman Bay on the southern coast of Grenada. There is a wonderful community of cruisers in this and nearby bays, and we found plenty to do and new friends to make. What we particularly enjoyed were the hashes and hikes we did each week. Do ready the blog of the same name if you want to discover what a hash is.
19 Photos
Created 25 May 2016
Grenada is, if not our favorite, at least in the top three. It is a large island, the people are fantastic, and there is so much to see and do that we were too busy to consider posting a blog. But, now that we're back in Maine, we have no more excuses.
11 Photos
Created 6 May 2016
Petite St. Vincent (PSV) is part of its namesake, while Petite Martinique belongs to Grenada. They are both considered part of the Grenadine archipelago and are separated by perhaps 1/2 a mile. In fact, they are so far off the normal route that a boat can travel from one to another without having to clear customs on another island.
9 Photos
Created 6 May 2016
Carriacou is one of the Grenadine islands; St. Vincent owns most of them but not this one or Petite Martinique. It is an interesting island, hilly with a shipbuilding heritage. We especially liked it because of the large number of cruisers who anchor for a while in Tyrell bay on the southwestern coast.
9 Photos
Created 6 May 2016
The Grenadines are a group of tiny to small islands just south of St Vincent and just north of Grenada. With a few exceptions they are wonderfully welcoming and quite beautiful, though, because there has been a consistent drought throughout the past 10 or so months, there's not much greenery.
17 Photos
Created 25 March 2016
From Rodney Bay to the Pitons, and nothing in between.
9 Photos
Created 9 March 2016
On the way to our current anchorage at St. Anne at the bottom of Martinique we visited 3 other delightful bays along the way. We've been doing our usual hiking and swimming activities, but this blog also reveals what a "typical" day for us is like.
15 Photos
Created 21 February 2016
During our first visit to St. Pierre we didn't go far afield. This time we did and have a new appreciation for this area.
13 Photos
Created 21 February 2016
We had a fabulous time on this island, one of the poorest in the Caribbean. It has been blessed with fantastic beauty and we did our best to take it all in.
21 Photos
Created 7 February 2016
After visiting the Pigeon islands and La Soufriere we were looking for places not so popular, and we found them.
21 Photos
Created 26 January 2016
The photos are from two distinctive and well-known locations on this island. First, from the Jacques Cousteau underwater preserve at Isles des Pigeons on the west coast, and then from the hike up to the tallest mountain on the island, La Soufriere, a still semi-active volcano at almost a mile height.
16 Photos
Created 16 January 2016
The photos are from two distinctive and well-known locations on this island. First, from the Jacques Cousteau underwater preserve at Isles des Pigeons on the west coast, and then from the hike up to the tallest mountain on the island, La Soufriere, a still semi-active volcano at almost a mile height.
6 Photos
Created 16 January 2016
We spent most of the past few weeks in English Harbor which was an idyllic spot to celebrate the holidays with our family
20 Photos
Created 5 January 2016
These were our last stops in the Virgin Islands where we spent a whole month. It's a great place, and lots of people know that as there are lots of other sailors such as ourselves.
13 Photos
Created 18 December 2015
We're spending a few weeks lazily navigating around the numerous islands here, looking for great snorkeling and sunsets.
12 Photos
Created 6 December 2015
7 Photos
Created 21 November 2015
Katahdin ended up here after being a "passenger" on a freighter. We joined her on 11/15/15.
5 Photos
Created 17 November 2015
Katahdin makes her way south to St. Thomas, piggy-backing atop a freighter.
2 Photos
Created 13 November 2015
We arrived in Fernandina Beach on 4/11, and hope to be back in Maine sometime in the latter part of June.
1 Photo | 9 Sub-Albums
Created 12 April 2012
We expect to meander slowly northward through the Bahamas before we cross the Gulf Stream again.
1 Photo | 13 Sub-Albums
Created 17 March 2012
We overnighted to Luperon from Gilligan's Island in Puerto Rico, and spent a wonderful 5 days, having adventures out of the town.
26 Photos
Created 17 March 2012
We took our time in the Spanish Virgin Islands, but sped along the southern coast of Puerto Rico
1 Photo | 1 Sub-Album
Created 1 March 2012
We took our time traveling from Portland into the Chesapeake, enjoying some beautiful stops along the way
1 Photo | 8 Sub-Albums
Created 8 February 2012
Martinique is quite beautiful, and we've enjoyed our stay here. However, we will start heading back north in the next day or so.
20 Photos
Created 7 February 2012
These include Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barts, down to Guadaloupe and Dominica.
1 Photo | 12 Sub-Albums
Created 18 December 2011
We arrived in Nanny Cay in the BVI on November 21, and will travel around the BVI and the US VI over the next month.
1 Photo | 7 Sub-Albums
Created 21 November 2011
The rudder leakage issue shadowed our first two weeks in Virginia; after the repairs, even the sunsets were more spectacular.
1 Photo | 2 Sub-Albums
Created 8 November 2011
An album of many of the places we visited through Chesapeake Bay on our way to Virginia
1 Photo | 7 Sub-Albums
Created 18 October 2011