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 [...]

The Grenadines

25 March 2016
The Grenadines

It's ironic that we have thoroughly loved this grouping of 10 or so islands which are just south of St. Vincent, the mother island, which we had speedily by-passed. The network of cruisers and recent cruising news and publications, in no uncertain terms, advised all not to stop there. There's been too much thievery, assaults, and even a recent murder; we made straight for Bequia.

We have found on this trip that we need to invest sufficient time ashore to be able to say how much we like an island. Our first stop here was for only two nights as we had a calm period coming which would be best for visiting the Tobago Cays. Then we returned and found so much to do and see on Bequia that, at least for me, it's in the top tier of places I've enjoyed.

We anchored in Admiralty Bay, a wide, not-too-open bay on the west side of the island and fronted by Port Elizabeth. This town is cute but very functional; there are lots of places to shop and to eat, and it's easy to catch an inexpensive taxi here. Additionally there is a flat rock and concrete path a few feet above the water's edge which circles a good part of the inner bay. Strolling on it is a delightful way of reaching a waterfront restaurant or one of two beaches on the south side of Admiralty Bay. The one problem we experienced while walking to a happy hour bar was getting soaked going to and from the dinghy dock when the wind turned northeast and pushed the waves hard against this barrier. But the water is warm; if this had happened in Camden, our outlook would have been quite a bit darker.

We met up with Roger and Margaret on Golden Fleece here and took quite a few walks, including one out to the Hawksbill Turtle sanctuary on the northeast coast and to the Whaling Museum on the south coast. Yes, the fishermen of Bequia still hunt for whales, killing two last year. They go out in their gaily-colored long boats to harpoon the whales which in this day and age sounds so anachronistic. Apparently even this may be ending as we have heard talk that there will be no more whaling. Maybe that's why the Whaling Museum was closed with no signage indicating the reason.

In between trips to Bequia we anchored in the Tobago Cays, a small group of 4 small islands protected by a wide reef. Around one of these islands is a turtle sanctuary where no moorings or use of anchors are permitted. Also forbidden is putting anything foreign into the water: we have to use our holding tanks and all food scraps must be packaged for disposal well outside of this area. This was not a hardship for a four-night stay. It might become mighty stinky down below if four nights morphed into a lot more.

The water enclosed by the reef and these cays was simply gorgeous. The marine blues turn to a lighter blue then to a turquoise as the water becomes shallower, especially over a sandy bottom. And the reefs were humming with a good variety of fish, including one 7 foot lemon shark that I came upon unexpectedly. Needless to say I backed away carefully; where I found the courage to then snap its picture I don't know.

The next islands we visited in the Grenadines chain were Mayreau, near the Cays but very sparsely populated with about 250 souls, and Union, south of Mayreau, and by Mayreau's standards, overpopulated at 2500 individuals. We enjoyed Union, mooring near a reef in Clifton Bay and watching the kite surfers whizzing by. And, most importantly, I was able to get specific medication for my ongoing walking pneumonia.

I had seen doctors in Rodney Bay (St. Lucia), and in Port Elizabeth (Bequia), and both prescribed ciprofloxacin, a fairly broad-spectrum antibiotic. I knew the pneumonia was bacterial in nature from healthcare visits before we set off, and the levofloxacin I was prescribed in late October worked great, at least for 4 months. That's the drug I needed but which is not available in the Grenadines since the need for it is so minor that it is not stocked in these small pharmacies. I contacted my InterMed doctor back home who emailed down the scrip; the pharmacist on Union ordered it that evening and it came in on the last flight the next day. We picked it up within 48 hours of our first contact with the Union Island pharmacist. Usually I would have needed a local doctor to certify that I needed this drug before the pharmacist would be involved, but she made an exception for me, and for that I am extremely grateful.

I have heard similar stories from other cruisers about kindnesses they have experienced firsthand on various Caribbean islands. I can only hope that we as visitors enjoy, appreciate, and respect these people for what they have to offer and not to judge them harshly by our materialistic standards.

Next up, Grenada.
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