We slowly glide across the Southern Caribbean Sea. It is night, and we have just finished the first 24 hours of what should be a 58 hour passage from Grenada to Bonaire. The seas have finally calmed to a manageable 3-5 feet/6 second interval on our starboard stern and the trades are blowing a benign 15 knots. Not bad…..not bad at all.
We left Port Louis Marina in Grenada at 10pm on Tuesday night in the company of two other trawlers; one, another Selene, Renegade, with Bill and Deb and their crew aboard, and the other, a 44 Defever named Mar Azul with Bob and Elaine. This is one of those rare occasions when we have been lucky enough to have a buddy boat (or 2!) to passage with. It feels nice to have company for a change!
The first 24 hours have been good, albeit a bit boisterous through the first night and also during the day today. The weather, though, was forecast, and we chose to leave in less than perfect conditions because we knew the conditions were supposed to improve, and improve they certainly have! We also put out our fishing lines today and managed to snag 6 mahi-mahi, keeping two and releasing the rest. At one point John was filleting one, we had one in the cooler waiting to be filleted, and a double hook up on our lines. Yes, chaos pretty well ensued amidst the reeling of lines, flipping of fins, and rolling of the boat! We did manage to land one of the two for a quick measurement and release (fishing contest amongst the boats, of course!), but lost the other one. So, naturally, sautéed mahi for dinner. Yes…..overall a fine day indeed….
Successful fishing on a passage!
Now, it is my watch and an overwhelming sense of serenity and peace overcome me as I look out at the riot of stars and our buddy boats’ gleaming running lights in the distance. An amazing amount of bio-luminescent creatures glitter past us in the rush of our wake. With little traffic to occupy me and Mystic Moon purring like a contented kitten, I suppose it’s no wonder I find myself in a reflective mood looking back at the past 3 years spent circling this charming yet enigmatic sea. After all, while we still have several islands and the country of Columbia yet to explore, we are finally back on our way west for the first time in over 3000 miles, and it feels good….
In so many ways, it has been like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride; full of crazy adventures and sometimes unexpected turns. And beginning with the trip through the Canal to this moment in time, it feels like not a wasted second in between. With the Western Caribbean’s many, many native cultures and its unparalleled scuba diving, it was an incredible and exciting place to be. Whether beating for days into nasty seas for the rich reward that is the Caymans, or literally parking ourselves at anchor in Roatan for 3 months of non-stop diving, we embraced it all! We literally cannot pick out our favorite place or thing, but it is all richly woven into the tapestry that is our cruising lifestyle. And that was just the beginning of this circuitous journey.
Mystic Moon at Lighthouse Reef in Belize
Hurricane season in Guatemala at Mario’s Summer Camp for Cruisers’ ….Oh my, the varied cultural opportunities and the amazing Maya Indians and ruins, not to mention the interesting group of cruisers passing the time there! Passage through the atolls of Belize with more diving, and then onto Isla Mujeres and the incredible ride on the Gulf Stream up to Key West. Meeting up with fellow Seleners in Florida and the Bahamas….Such stunning waters and such a great group of people and good times!
Being back in the United States for a short while allowed us an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and even make some new ones. We did some much needed maintenance work and TLC on Mystic Moon, and even managed a cross-country road trip from California to Georgia, visiting good friends and family along the way. While not technically cruising, it certainly had the same flavor!
We had a great celebration upon entering San Juan Harbor.
And then, the most dreaded passage to date…..Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Leaving near the end of October, we hoped to be in San Juan by early December. We did the passage in legs, waiting in between for the best weather windows we could find. Leaving Ft. Pierce, Florida, we journeyed nonstop to Big Majors in the Exumas and waited there 5 days before running nonstop to the Turks and Caicos Islands. We stopped there and enjoyed diving and the islands for 12 days before the weather bade us on to the final passage to San Juan. Arriving at daybreak with the sun rising behind the island was a real high for us…..We did it! Just the two of us and Mystic Moon! It seems to us that these types of cruising highs are so sweet! Needless to say, great celebration ensued after we were safely ensconced in San Juan Harbor!
And then the real fun began…..The Eastern Caribbean! What can you say? Party central in the BVI’s….Languid days on the beach in Anguilla…..Drinks with the mega-yachts in St. Barts….The Heineken Regatta in St. Marteen….Long, sidewalk cafe lunches with great food and wine in the French Islands…..The stunning beauty and friendly people of Dominica….St. Lucia’s magical scenery with the Pitons, rainforests and waterfalls…..Beach barbeques and snorkeling in the Grenadines…..Spices and Rum in Grenada. Is the analogy to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride starting to make sense?
Mystic Moon among the mega-yachts.
And here I am…..Feeling wonderfully at peace and content…..
My alarm rudely rings at 0545…..ugghh….My turn to get back up for watch. John relieved me at 0200 this morning, so knowing he’s tired, I struggle up and find him in the pilothouse. All is well and the seas have calmed even more since the end of my watch. After bringing me up to speed on happenings (none, yes!) he leaves to nap and I settle in with my coffee. The sun is just starting to make its ascent behind us.
Sometimes I think about the Caribbean as a whole and try to make some generalities about it. Of course, that doesn’t work very well at all, as it covers a vast area and many, many countries, but there are a few things that can be said. First and foremost, two words…..Trade Winds. They blow relentlessly and predictably, particularly in the Eastern Caribbean. It is absolutely something to be dealt with and considered when traveling around and between the islands. For sailing vessels, it is an exhilarating ride….For power vessels, not so much. And I’ll be the first to admit that I had moments when I was really, really sick of the wind. But the good news here is that they ARE predictable and imminently doable if you don’t fight them and work with them. They also provide much needed cooling in what would otherwise be stiflingly hot conditions. Swinging at anchor in the islands, we rarely felt a desire for air conditioning.
Along with that would be the unique short and steep waves that the trades and bathymetry of the sea create. We do not exaggerate here! Six to eight foot waves are the norm, and very rarely does the interval exceed 8 seconds, more usually 5 to 6 seconds. It makes for a very uncomfortable seaway. Fortunately, you can use the lee of the islands to your advantage, and plan your inter-island travel with good weather days. Most passages between islands are day hops (exceptions are mostly in the Western Caribbean), so it’s not as bad as it sounds! It is good to work with the prevailing winds and current if you can, but to do a circle you’re going to be bashing at some point…..it truly is uphill both ways!
A dinghy raft-up in Roatan…with just another amazing sunset.
As the morning progresses and everyone comes back to life, there is much chatter back and forth on the VHF about the favorable current we’ve had thus far and our arrival time in Bonaire. We really do not want to arrive before daylight. The Current GRIBS predict a counter current ahead of us to slow us down, but there’s enough concern that we all decide to slow down even more. The two Selenes decide now is a great time to exercise our wing engines and the Defever shuts down one of his two engines, and we carry on. John puts our fishing lines back in the water.
In spite of the wind and seas, there’s just something about the Caribbean that is not found anywhere else. It’s de islands, mon. It’s crystal clear water, beautiful white beaches, and Caribbean Blue. It’s reggae, steel pan, Calypso, Bele, Zouk, and Tambu. It’s jerk chicken, lobster, conch, creole cuisine, grouper, crayfish, salt cod fritters, and pepperpot stew. It’s Rum as a food group. And, Limin’ is not a myth….It’s an artform.
It’s truly a unique region, and yet every island is unique to itself. They are all different in their own way and have individual customs and cultures. We found the history of each island fascinating and the evolution of their individual cultures interesting. One thing we did find in common, however, was that every islander was fiercely proud of his own island and was more than happy to share it with us.
Kuna indian ladies helping me dress Kuna style!
It’s just after 1500 and it seems to be a common lull time on all the boats. All is quiet, and the seas are astonishingly calm…..As calm as I think I’ve ever seen them in the Caribe, with the exception of off the coast of Panama en route to San Andreas when Ida was forming. John has laid back down to get some rest. The fishing’s been so-so…..One mahi caught on Mystic Moon, but no bigger than the ones we have, so sent back to Mother Ocean for another day. The boat rocks gently as the 3 – 4 foot swell picks up her stern and moves up under her bow. The pilot house is hot, sultry almost, but with a cold glass of tea in hand not unbearable. We have not seen another single boat since daybreak and are lying about 30 nm north of Los Roques, one of the Venezuelan Isands.
We have learned so much during our time here in the Caribbean…..So much about the sea, the weather, diving, our boat and about ourselves, too. We’ve learned to navigate reef systems and “read” the water. We’ve learned uncomfortable seas do not mean dangerous seas. We’ve learned the joy and pleasure of passagemaking. We’ve gained confidence and yes, maybe even a little maturity in this thing they call the cruising lifestyle. We’ve learned to trust and have faith, and to live in the moment. We’ve learned to let go and laugh like children again. And I think the spirit of the Caribbean is infectious. All-in-all, time wisely and happily well spent.
2200 again already and I’m back on watch. It is another gorgeous night with what seems like even more bio-luminescence than the night before. It was a wonderful afternoon, in spite of the lack of fish. The event of the afternoon was a solitary tanker passing us within a couple of miles. We both read and napped from time to time, and just before supper were visited by a pod of spinner dolphin. Funny how we never get tired of that stuff! As of now, we should be arriving in Bonaire in good time tomorrow morning.
Exciting diving in the Turks & Caicos.
0100 and the moon is finally rising, casting an ever so soft glow, slightly illuminating the horizon in the distance. I see Renegade’s navigation lights a couple of miles ahead of us and Mar Azul’s about a mile off our starboard beam. We’re maintaining 6.4 kts, which gets us to the anchorage shortly after daybreak. It’ll be good to get to Bonaire and start exploring, but sometimes, and tonight is one of those times, I feel a pang of disappointment at the thought that a fine passage is coming to an end and the world will pull us back into its clutches. It is magical out here…….
0330 and I gradually come to a semi consciousness…..John relieved me at 0200, and I had immediately fallen into a dead sleep in our bed below. The last hour of my watch, the seas had been gradually picking up, and along with it, our roll was back. I notice now that we’re rolling pretty darn good and am thankful I’m in my bed. I hear the sea slap the side of the hull, think to myself that we must be getting close to the windward side of Bonaire and its southern tip and drift back off, rolling with the motion of the boat.
Mystic Moon arriving safe in Bonaire.
0515 and I startle awake. The engine is still purring but all is quiet and Mystic is steady as a rock. I realize we must have made the leeside of Bonaire. I scramble up, pull on clothes and meet John in the Pilothouse. Bonaire sits off to our starboard side as the dawn breaks peacefully over her. We’re here…….
Yes, it does feel good to be heading west……And it also feels good to be here. I feel a rush of excitement as I wonder what this tiny speck of land in the middle of the Southern Caribbean will offer us. The past three years have been full of magical moments and wonderful experiences. The future in Panama and beyond promises to be full of even different adventures and challenges. But in the meantime, for now, we’ll stay here in Bonaire and perhaps get to know her and her people a little bit…..Who knows what magical moments and adventures await us here.
