Nomadic November

november - desember 2023
Yoga and sailing, breathing and being! Les mer
  • 45fotspor
  • 5land
  • 46dager
  • 357bilder
  • 30videoer
  • 18,1kkilometer
  • 16,9kkilometer
  • Dag 21

    Boat Repairs

    21. november 2023, Antigua og Barbuda ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Brain has started to feel really sick so we are still laying low and wearing masks whenever we are out around people. He went to the market for provisions and bought a new BBQ as the other one had a part that corroded and broke while he was cleaning it. He worked at securely attaching the new one.
    Marshall finished up the glass work and Lennox came by to do the carpets but didn’t have the correct fitting so will come tomorrow early morning. The sails were also supposed to be dropped off this afternoon but they never arrived.
    We went to immigration at 4pm and cleared customs to leave at 10am tomorrow.
    Les mer

  • Dag 22

    Night Sail

    22. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Up early with the planned departure time of 10am. The sail arrived shortly after 8am and we went to work at putting it up. We made some minor oppies that we had to backtrack on, but overall it went well. Then got it up and began putting the battens in, only to realize that the last and longest batten was missing.
    Brian went in the hunt for battens and Lennox showed up to clean the carpets. Leroy also showed up to give me a list of the songs we had spoken about earlier in the week. He had brought mint and lemongrass a few days prior (for $5).
    Rahid came to the boat shortly after Brian returned to measure the batten pocket. They will try and put something together so we can get underway as we are already checked out of the country. We took a walk to see the super yacht (Joy and another from George Town) and get some sand under our toes.
    We ended up leaving late afternoon. Putting up the anchor was a challenge as so much mud and dirt and then it got stuck half way….. Brian fixed it from below. The sunset and nighttime sail was beautiful and relaxing. Brian has it rigged so that he can steer the boat via autopilot from anywhere on the boat. We sat and chatted on the forward deck for along time. A good man!
    We docked around 10:15pm. I was concerned about anchoring in the dark but it all went fairly smooth. We then cooked the shrimp and headed to bed.
    Les mer

  • Dag 23

    Deshaies

    23. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Nice to wake up and see a new place! I jumped into the water early and swam around the boat. Brian joined and decided to start cutting away the fishing line that had gotten wrapped around the prop. He was nervous about holding his breath for so long (particularly with Covid). I had a FTHS zoom call re videos at 9:30am and then we hopped in the dinghy and headed for the village to clear costoms at a small store called Pelican. Filled out the Sail Clear on the computer and then wandered. Brian found a spot with some great color and shadows, and I went for a walk on the beach. We then went to the bakery for a croissant (pas san gluten). It was fun to listen to Brian converse with everyone in French. Most of the town, including the fish store, closed up between noon and 2pm, but we found a grocery store and bought some supplies before heading back to the boat.
    It was Thanksgiving in the US so Brains day was smattered with calls from Vincent (his friend), Greg (his brother called a day earlier), and his two kids (Ian and Marley). We returned to the water and cutting off the fishing line. By the end, I was swimming down with googles to help remove the line as he cut it. Proud of myself for not panicking under the water…. It felt pretty good!
    We were going to grill some of the skewers but I left them in the wrong freezer, so we ended up having lamb burgers with broccoli instead, a late meal. We were both exhausted, likely from constricted breath and Covid. I tried to do work but was to tired so went to bed around 8:30pm.
    It was extremely hot at night and the boat was rolling so not much sleep.
    *while at dock in Antigua we had power and used the A/C in the boat to stay cool.
    Les mer

  • Dag 24

    Pigeon Cove

    24. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Up early and worked on the computer, then hoed on the water for a quick swim to the fishing trap and back to the boat. We watched a cruise ship anchor nearby and start ferrying people to the mainland. We watched a family on a catamaran from Australia (3 kids and husband,wife). He came and said hi to Brian who was cleaning the BBQ grill of the lamb meat mess from the night before.
    We decided to move down the coast and went to Pigeon Cove. After anchoring and some food, we went snorkelling and saw several turtles and various fish. We went a long ways and lungs were tired by the time we arrive back to the boat, even though we took a break at a beach nearby. More boat chores and I did a bit more work. A Catamaran (Grand Cru) pulled in beside us, a family from Israel with three small boys. The swell were causing the boat to roll a lot so we contemplated leaving the anchorage and moving further down the coast, but ultimately decided we were both to tired. Brian wasn’t feeling well this morning and had taken a Cold and Sinus medication.
    We had a nice chat with Nicholas and Marie whose engine failed today and they are 400 miles from Saint Marten. The rain clouds rolled in on and off all evening and we were not able to use the BBQ…. So had a baked Brie and a mashup of fridge food for super.
    Stayed up for away chatting in the pilothouse — anniversary card, future plans, sailing and life…. Nice breeze blowing through, and we would doze off. Heading to bed early again …. 9:20pm and lights are about to go out!
    Les mer

  • Dag 25

    Les Saintes Passage

    25. november 2023, Guadeloupe

    Up early and enjoyed the regularity of reading and writing. Then went for a swim over to the Grand Cru boat (Instagram: https://instagram.com/follow_the_5un) and told them we had photos we wanted to share. Rinsed off and then Adi came over and I sent the pictures and we chatted for awhile.
    Then lifted anchor to head down the coast and over to Terre de Haut. It was a 4hr sail, and we had about 2hours of 24-28knots of wind, furled the jib and rode the full main across the windy straight. We tried to anchor a couple times in Ilet á Cabrit but the moorings were taken and the anchor would not set property. We ended up hooking a fishing trap when lifting anchor a second time, which complicated matters. We then went to another anchorage and it has a lot of roll! After tidying up we headed to town for a stroll and to do a pastel (but he didn’t end up doing so). We walked around the village and some of the local stores, stopped at all three markets and bought a few things (no gf). Then back to the boat to do a few more chores. Washed down the deck to get rid of the crud from the anchor and the wash down bucket dropped twice, so I jumped in to fetch it. We had skewers of mahi-mahi and red snapper for super and we made gf cookies (not good) and croissants in trying to use up food stores. We sat on the foredeck for awhile gazing at the full moon and chatting. Again, both really tired and found the pillow before 9pm.
    Les mer

  • Dag 26

    Terre-de-Haut

    26. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Up caffeine and writing. A cruise ship pulled in and anchored nearby. Then chat with Brian that seemed to sour the vibe. The anchorage is rolling and Brian had a rough nights sleep with leg cramps. He wanted to move but I had a conference call and had asked to stay put for today as I desperately needed to work all day.
    I suggested he leave an do a pastel in town to get away from the rolling. He left and I had board meeting.
    We needed to do laundry and the wash machine broke, further exasperating the mood. He worked on it for a few hours with no fix. He then discovered that the new solar panel was busted due to the fishing line getting caught in the wind turbine during the trip.
    I was completely unproductive during the day as the negative energy permeated the boat. Finally I shut the computer down and went about making supper. We chatted for awhile in the evening and watched two catamarans anchor close to us and then Brian decided to break his habit of sheet music and decided to free play….. it was beautiful and he moved around the boat playing. Tomorrow will be a better day!
    Les mer

  • Dag 27

    Terre-de-Bas

    27. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Up early and watched the sunrise and the moon set…. Such a beautiful morning! The catamarans left and disappeared to wait her side of the moon. A big and very productive writing in the morning which made me realize that I ask far more questions then I answer. Now is the time to start to find the answers. I have been in struggle mode for so long and now it’s time to turn to solution mode. It inspired me for work, and for the first time in a couple weeks, I actually had energy. I worked for 5-6 hours straight, and Brian went back into town… got some groceries, did a pastel and came back.
    While working at the computer I heard a splash and saw he had jumped in the water. The lid closed and I quickly followed. A great way to close the day. We then decided to move the boat to Terre-de-Bas to both find gas and reduce the rolling. It was only 3miles away.
    We motored over and anchored in a small but beautiful bay with two other boats. We then took the dingy to the beach and proceeded to walk through the village (eating pistachios).
    Afterwards we arrived back to the boat for food and sleep. We had planned to swim again under the moonlight but it was a cloudy night.
    Les mer

  • Dag 29

    Pastel, Poetry and Panties

    29. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We snorkelled and saw amazing coral and lots of fish and eels, even a black underwater spider with yellow dots. Brian did a pastel of the beautiful spot we are at, I chatted with Kim (alway great to get an honest perspective).
    I have been able to work 2-4 hours per day and explore the rest of the day.
    Since the washing machine was broke, we needed to do laundry by hand. So we spent much of the two days hand washing clothes, sheets, towels. We lost a towel in the morning, and Brian dove to get it. The water is so clear that he could see it…. A fun find!
    In the evening we decided to watch (start it) Romeo and Juliet. I had never seen it (we watched it over three days).
    Les mer

  • Dag 30

    Slave Days

    30. november 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    We explored the island today! We went to the sugar pottery where they used to have 100 slaves working the sugar cane. Brian was going to do a pastel but the light wasn’t right. We took a walk through the town and found some food at a small grocery store… always fun to explore. We also spent an hour trying to pry open a coconut we had bought weeks earlier. We had drank the water from it yesterday and ate it today.Les mer

  • Dag 31

    Puttering

    1. desember 2023, Guadeloupe ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    We have started thinking about heading back as my flight is less then a week away. Brian still has a bit of a cough and we are both exhausted a lot….. the remnants of Covid. I decided to extend my visit by a week so that I could see Ashlynn via Montreal. I worked for a few hours and then we headed back to the Pottery ruins to do a pastel. On our way back to the boat, there was a boat (Seaductress) with a Canadian flag so we stopped by and chatted. We invited them over for drink (from Brockville). Liczy and Randy came over around 6 and stayed till 9pm. We had a charcuterie board and they brought tapenade and persimmon. It was nice to spend time with other people.Les mer