Time for a break from work @sabbatical51 - Tumblr Blog

Slide show of some good pics from my trip

Slide show

19.2.2018 - Travelling back home

Hi there, that’s about it for now. I made it back home in one day. Quite a trip. Grenada - Barbados - Toronto - Ottawa. Takes about 17 hours door to door, but everything went well and I enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the Caribbean clouds. Will definitely continue my sailing adventures.

18. February 2018 – back to Grenada

Another uneventful day on the water ended with a sunset arrival in St. Georges, Grenada. We had to stop in Argyle to clear Customs once more. What a pain … while our captain was dealing with the immigration authorities of Grenada, the remaining crew went for a last splash in the Caribbean sea and then we enjoyed a swelly ride back to Grenada. All in all it was a pleasant adventure with many new experiences. I kinda like it and will definitely

17. February 2018 – Bequia Island to Union Island

We installed our fixed main sail this morning, which is not an easy task. But our crew with its complimentary skill set figured it all out and we were ready to go shortly before noon. Some of the ladies on board used that time to explore the beautiful shoreline of Bequia. We sailed south downwind toward Union Island, were we stayed a few days back. Here we had to check out from the Grenadines again. We spent the evening in a beautiful restaurant on a private beach, all dressed up (more or less) as Pirates of the Caribbean’s. This was a lovely evening with a very gifted musician entertaining the crowd.

February 16th, 2018 – from Tobago Keys to Bequia island

We left our 2 nights anchorage this morning with moderate winds and headed toward Bequia Island, which is about 20 km north of the Tobago Keys. Seems like a short distance, but with a sailboat one cannot always go straight to a destination, but has to follow a course supported by the current wind direction. So, we sailed about 5 hours straight at pleasant conditions and arrived at Bequia in the early afternoon. Our main sail ripped today, not because of strong winds, but probably because of “old age”. So, we had to take down the main sail, and a sail maker is currently repairing it. Bequia turns out to be a very pretty little island in the Grenadines. It is quite busy here as well, mostly from sailors anchoring in the bay. All in all a pleasant day with 2 more to come back south to Grenada. This should be a slightly different experience, because we will be sailing downwind or with the wind in our back.

15. February 2018 – on day in a truly beautiful spot on our planet

Today was resting day and we stayed put at our anchorage at the Tobago Keys. A few people explored some of the surrounding islands and I went snorkelling and hiking a little bit. I encountered numerous green turtles and found a nice little coral reef with lot’s of tropical fish. I also had some time for myself and enjoyed the solitude of a small beach.. And at this point I realized how beautiful it actually is here. The water color, white capped waves in the distance, the little islands all around and the sailboats anchored like a little village. I was touched by the sheer beauty of it all. And this made my day and perhaps the entire sailing trip. I am grateful to be able to make such experiences. My spirits were up (perhaps also, because this was the first time in 5 days that I had a few hours for myself) and I spent the afternoon preparing dinner for our boat crew of 10. I promised to make German style food (potato salad, brezels and Bratwurst). Everything turned out well and I got a lot of praise for my efforts and the food was well received. The day ended with interesting conversations and good vibes. Although I sense that a few people are counting the days and are definitely struggling a bit. Living on a rather small sailboat with 9 other strangers is not as easy as it sounds. We have very limited space and water and this creates some discomfort. Not everyone’s thing. I also look forward to being at home again, but I also truly enjoy every minute of this trip with all it’s pros and cons. It’s the experience that matters and I am surrounded by very kind and respectful Canadians (most are actually from Europe but adopted the Canadian friendliness). So 3 more days of sailing ahead (I look very much forward to that too)

14.2.2018 - Valentine’s Day Caribbean Style

We departed from our dock in Clifton early (without breakfast) intending to just motor one our to a beautiful bay at a neighbour island. We arrived there at 9 am, but could barely find an anchor spot and it was windy. Eventually we found a suitable spot for anchoring, and caught up on our breakfast. Some people went ashore and I stayed on the boot, because I like the unique perspective from a boot. After a few hours we continued motor-sailing towards Tobago Keys and arrived there around 3 pm. What a place that is. A group of uninhabited islands surrounded by a giant coral reef with turquoise waters all around. Don’t get me wrong, uninhabited does not mean no people. We are among at least 50 other sailboats anchored here with about 500+ people roaming around in ding’s or on the islands themselves. So, its a remote and beautiful place, but still busy with people. We used the remaining afternoon to snorkel and I met a few giant green turtles, which are grazing right below our boat. Quite remarkable! For the evening our “boss” had organized a group dinner on the beach and we had delicious fish and lobster from local waters. Yes, even if these islands are not occupied, there are restaurants here (tents and picnic tables) to cater for the sailor crowd. We met a few 20 year old boys from Sweden and Denmark, who just crossed the Atlantic in a 26 foot (8.5 Meter long) sailboat. Can you imagine that? Two of them want to continue through the Panama canal and circumnavigate the world. I was impressed with that level of confidence and determination at such a young age. The day ended windy and wet (the dingy ride back to the boat in a good swell was like an unwanted saltwater shower).

13.February 2018 - kinda stuck between 2 countries

Today was not as fun as yesterday. Why? Because we lost almost 6 hours dealing with customs and immigration a) when leaving Grenada and b) when entering St. Vincent & The Grenadines. Everything here works at Caribbean time. This was confounded perhaps because today is Carnival here on some islands. Anyhow, interesting to observe and experience, because sailors also have to enter and leave countries and follow the local rules. When a sailboat enters a marina in another country, only the captain is allowed to leave the vessel with a crew list and passports of all crew members. Only after everyone got cleared and all dues have been paid, people can leave the ship. Until then the vessel needs to raise a yellow quarantine flag, which shows that it is in state of quarantine. We are cleared now in The Grenadines after having motored (instead of sailing) from our last anchorage. We had to go as fast and straight as possible, because the customs office here closes sometimes in the afternoon and if one arrives afterwards, it could mean loosing another half next day in waiting lines. Now we are on Union Island in a Marina in Clifton. The upside is that I have unexpected internet. The downside is that we lost perhaps a day or so in our final destination - the Tobago Keys. Anyhow, all good so far. The weather is good, albeit a bit chilly right now. I could almost wear a sweater! The wind is blowing hard, even in the evenings and we got brushed by a few heavy showers today. Hopefully tomorrow will be another true sailing day with a dream destination - Tobago Keys.

12.2.2018 - Grenada to Carriacou -- 8 fun and a bit uncomfortable hours

We got up early and got the boat ready for departure by 7:30am. After all the other 5 boats of the flotilla had departed, it was our turn to leave harbour. Everybody was excited and eager to go. The wind was strong and we got a good speed (about 7-8 knots), which is about 13-15 km/hours. When we reached open water without protection from the island Grenada, the sea got quite bumpy and most of the crews felt sea sick. Even the experienced sailors on our boat admitted that we were sailing in somewhat extreme conditions, at least something they had not experienced before. Well, that was reassuring for me, because it was my first day on a sailboat on the big water J.Â I was allowed to take the helm (steer the boat) for a while and that was super fun. This task forces you into the moment and everything seems to disappear. Riding a sailboat in 30 knot (50 km/hour) wind with 3-5 meter swells is super fun - most of the time at least. It’s a bit like surfing and finding the balance between all competing forces. It’s also the best remedy against sea sickness if you can stand up. We sailed about 80 km and made it to the island of Carriacou at about 4:30 pm. All the other boats made it too safely. Lots of showers on the first night anchored and strong wind gusts rocking the boat. We enjoyed our first home cooked dinner on the boat and went to bed rather early.

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Time for a break from work