Florida to Trinidad

In November 2004, we embarked on a two year voyage in Nalani, our Tayana 37 Cutter. We sailed through the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos to the Domincan Republic. From there, we sailed to Puerto Rico and Vieques, through the Virgin Islands, and down the Eastern Caribbean Leeward and Windward Islands to Trinidad. The story of this cruise, the people we met, and our experiences, including being chased at sea by Hurricane Emily, are related in our book Squalls and Rainbows.

 

Dancing With Hurricanes

[Florida to the Dominican Republic]

Hurricane Charley builds into a Category 4 storm off Florida's west coast. He slams Punta Gorda, wrecking Karin's parents condo, tearing down electric lines, upending trees, and destroying homes and businesses. Nalani safely rides out a gusty day in her marina slip on Sarasota Bay.

Three weeks later Frances crashes into Florida's East Coast as a Category 4 storm. She destroys marinas, leaving behind wrecked and sunk boats, heaving some onto roadways like dead fish. Half the boats in our marina suffer damage and two are sunk. Nalani survives in a spider web of lines stretched across two slips.

Three days later Ivan the terrible, the then tenth strongest hurricane on record, tears up Grenada. He runs west to batter Jamaica and whips into Category 5 near Grand Cayman. Ivan turns around Cuba and roars across the Gulf towards Tampa. He turns north for Alabama and misses us. We are relieved, but shaken.

Two weeks later Category 3 Jeanne crushes Stuart, Florida and crosses the state, passing right over our new marina west of Tampa. We struggle to adust lines in 70 mph winds against a tidal surge and we take a lightening hit at the top of our mast.

Two months later we leave Bradenton, Florida on two year voyage.

We sailed down the west coast of Florida to Marathon in the keys. We then crossed the Gulf Stream and Bahamas Banks to Chubb Cay in the Berry Islands. We hurried to Georgetown and then stopped in the Turks and Caicos. From South Caicos, we sailed overnight to Luperon, Dominican Republic.

The next year we would be chased by another hurricane, this time at sea.

 

Opera and Glow Worms

[Life in the Dominican Republic]

The muddy harbor and village of Luperon are surrounded by hills, as if cupped in large hands. The hills protect Luperon from the storms of nature and people, but they also isolate it. A vast country beckons from the road out of town.

The harbor is filled with anchored boats; a few leave each day and more arrive to take their place. The harbor is a community with its own rhythms. Evenings are quiet, with many dinghies crisscrossing the harbor to visit friends, or to dine or drink in town or at a marina.

Most days we woke with the sun, as the parade of local fisherman passed by on their way to sea. Their voices shouted over the loud popping of their outboards as their wakes slapped our hull.

We settled into harbor life and enjoyed the shopping and restaurants in town. We kept up with boat maintenance, visited other boaters, and shared in the lively night life. There were emails to check, shopping to do, books to read, and naps to take. This was living afloat.

We spent a month anchored in Luperon Harbor. In Squalls and Rainbows you can read about life in the harbor, the town of Luperon, and our excursions into the country. Among other trips, we ventured to Puerto Plata, swam down a cascading waterfalls (see story by Chris of the MaggieM ), and drove the "road of smiles" up into the mountains of central Dominican Republic.

We witnessed the town Carnival, during which the stage collapsed. We paddled past glow worms and enjoyed an opera and guitar concert, sung off the stern of a sailboat.

 

 

 

 

Whales and Pitons

[Dominican Republic to St. Lucia]

We are crossing the Mona Channel, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. It is our third day at sea. I am below updating our position plot and Karin is on watch in the cockpit.

"Whale!" Karin shouts.

I scramble up the companionway. We are steaming directly at the middle of a black whale, floating lazily on the surface. The part we can see is bigger than our boat. Karin disengages the auto pilot and we cut hard right. The whale sounds leaving a pool of spinning water which we could have been under.

That night we approach Bahia de Mayaguez on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Overhead, brilliant white stars splatter across a black moonless sky. The quiet black night suddenly erupts in the loud roar of a fast powerboat. We are lit up by a powerful spotlight. We shield our eyes. Welcome to Puerto Rico.

We made landfall at Boquerón and then fought strong headwinds hopping along the southern coast of Puerto Rico. At the eastern end we crossed to Isle de Vieques and then headed to St. Thomas.

After crossing through the Virgin Islands we ran overnight to St. Kitts. We then sailed to Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and finally arrived at Rodney Bay in St. Lucia.

 

Steel Music and Shark Bake

[Chased by Hurricane Emily to Trinidad]

The night of July 10, 2005 a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic coalesces into a depression. We are at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. We could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our memories of the Florida hurricanes are strong. We decide to run south to safer waters.

We motor down the coast of St. Lucia, passing the Pitons standing guard. As we clear the lee of land, a westerly wind builds and we hoist sail. Our plan is to sail through the night to Bequia.

We decide instead to keep moving south, beyond the Grenadines to Carriacou. We want more distance from the storm path and Tyrell Bay is a more protected anchorage.

At midnight we clear St. Vincent and the wind ratchets up. We romp south on a lively sail reaching Carriacou the next morning. As we deploy the dinghy to clear customs we overhear a VHF conversation. The depression has strengthened into tropical storm Emily. Its path has been revised southward, to Carriacou.

We decide to run. Unfortunately, as we sail south Emily likewise turns south. Half way between Grenada and Trinidad, in open ocean, we lose our engine and float helplessly in a calm. Emily has turned again and is tracking directly at us.

The full story of this harrowing experience is related in Squalls and Rainbows.

 

 

Steel Music and Shark Bake

[Living in Trinidad]

We stayed four months in Chaguaramas Harbor, Trinidad, touring the island while we waited out hurricane season. The incredible sights and sounds of Trinidad are described in Squalls and Rainbows.

We watched a leatherback turtle build a nest and deposit her eggs, walked on one of the only asphalt lakes in the world, and enjoyed the robust food, including Doubles, Rotis, Callaloo soup, and Shark Bakes.

We toured the southeast coast, photographing the rarely seen Mayora area. We vistited a unique pottery factory, jungles with howler monkeys, and two Hindu temples. Then, there was the Central market in Port of Spain -- a must see for anybody interested in food.

And, of course, we listened to the steel drums of local bands.

For the story of our return trip see Returning home from Trinidad.