ABOUT SAILING AND MAINTAINING

Lat: 10 40.8N / Long: 061 38.2W

Strong and steady winds make sailing in the Caribbean a highly enjoyable experience. We had average wind speeds of 20 knots and were therefore able to sail fast.

Robin and Gerhard, both passionate about sailing, loved every minute of it

Martha enjoyed to look at the islands and liked to arrive at a quiet anchorage 
and do some sightseeing.

After about ten days of island hopping we reached our destination, the Marina ,Peake Yacht Services' in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. It is the only shipyard in the Caribbean where a yacht of the size of the Zefiro can be hauled out of the water. Everywhere else the travel lift is not big enough, or the marina does not have the water depth needed by Zefiro’s 13.2 foot long keel. Before we continue our trip this spring into the Pacific, Gerhard wants to have antifouling done as well as some minor repairs. We will continue our journey at the end of February.

Our current position (please click): 

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chaguaramas,+Saint+George,+Trinidad+%26+Tobago&hl=en&ll=10.686249,-61.65081&spn=0.253026,0.363579&sll=10.686249,-61.65081&sspn=0.126513,0.181789&oq=Chaguaramas,+Saint+George,+Trinidad+%26+Tobago&vpsrc=6&hnear=Chaguaramas,+St+George,+Trinidad+%26+Tobago&t=m&z=12

PLEASE ALSO SEE OUR BLOG ARCHIV WITH FURTHER REPORTS!

(at the bottom of the blog)

MUSTIQUE, CARRIACOU, SWIMMING WITH THE SEA TURTLES

Lat: 12 52.6N / Long: 061 11.5W

Lat: 12 29.0N / Long: 061 27.8W

Lat: 21 37.9N / Long: 061 21.5W

Mustique, our next stop, is quite unique among the Grenadines.

The Scottish noble Colin Tennant, under whose guidance the island began to be developed, purchased it in 1958. Princess Margaret the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, accepted his gift of a 10-acre (40,000 m²) plot of land as a wedding present in 1960, and she built a residence called Les Jolies Eaux. 

The island has been left wild. There are some nice trails and not much traffic...

The luxurious villas are discreetly tucked into the landscape

In 1989 Mustique Island was transformed from a family estate into a private 
limited company with about 100 wealthy homeowners acting as shareholders

We took a tour of the island with an 'air-conditioned' taxi

Saw colorful houses...

...and beautiful beaches

The island Carriacou is something of a contrast program to Mustique. It seems as if one meets the Caribbean as it used to be about 40 years ago. The island is a dependency of Grenada and is characterized by hilly terrain and white sand beaches.

Its surrounded by several natural harbors, many reefs and small offshore islets

The French were on the island, until Carriacou together with Grenada came into British possession in 1763. Cotton, coffee, indigo, sugar cane and cocoa were grown in plantations. Today, Carriacou has no significant revenue sources. Money probably comes from abroad, since many of the Carriacouans have immigrated to England, especially in the county town of Bedford. It is said that if you live in Carriacou, you certainly have a family member in Bedford, and if you live in Bedford, you certainly will know someone in Carriacou. Many Carriacouans also live and work in the U.S., especially in New York City. They like to spend their holidays on the island or come "back home" to go into retirement.

Colourful Carriacouans

A highlight of our sailing trip was the short stop in the Horse Shoe Bay of the Tobago Cays, where we went for a swim with the sea turtles. As clumsy and slow as these creatures move on land, so elegant and effortless do they glide through the water. Luckily they didn’t feel disturbed by us when eating the underwater grasses.

After an overnight stop at Petit St. Vincent we took course for the last leg of our journey.

ILES DE SAINTES, MARTINIQUE, ST. LUCIA

Lat: 16 18.4N / Long: 061 48.0W
Lat: 14 44.3N / Long: 061 10.6W
Lat: 13 50.6N / Long: 061 04.0W

Our friends Martha and Robin accompanied us on our next sailing lap with destination Trinidad. The first stop were the Iles des Saintes; one of many Caribbean isles discovered by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century.

The Saintes are a French oversea department. These green islets and the charming little town Petite-Anse are a less posh and sophisticated version of the celebrity - isle of St. Barth. 

Petite-Anse, Iles des Saintes

We loved the colorful houses and were very intrigued by the tasty French menu descriptions outside of the various bistros and restaurants

The next island on our way south was Martinique, also a French oversea department; financed not only by the French government but also by the European Union, like most of the Lee- and Windward Islands in the 18th Century it was the center of many fierce battles between the French and the British. The latter had an unusual idea as they equipped the 176-meter high rock "Rocher du Diamond" with officers, soldiers and guns and - unique in the history of naval forces – gave it the status of a warship. For two years "HMS Diamond Rock in the service of her Majesty'' was unconquerable for the French. A famous daughter of the island was Josephine who later went down in history as the wife of Napoleon I and Empress of France.

Martinique with Rocher du Diamant on the right

St. Lucia was our next stop. It is very mountainous, with white sand beaches and tropical rainforests. How well this island is organized from a touristic point of view, was demonstrated to us by the highly entrepreneurial Woody. He spent a year in Stuttgart, Germany but then had to leave the country quickly as he was found cheating his girlfriend with her cousin ... Jaahh Maahhn!

Woody, with Mother's Blessing

Woody organized a spectacular sightseeing tour for us; the fishing village of Soufriere serving as the embarkation to the natural beauties and attractions of the island

These not only include the botanical garden with its
bright flowers and waterfalls..

 ...but also the only drive-in-volcano in the world with a length of 7.5 miles 

Like Martinique, St. Lucia and almost all of the other islands of the Lee- and Windward Group are of volcanic origin. During the last eruption in Martinique in 1902 the lava flow brought death within minutes to 30,000 people also burying 16 ships lying in the harbor. St. Lucia’s volcano is "dormant'' since more than 200 years. Although the sulfur springs of the St. Lucia’s volcano with their barren, bubbling pools and huge spurts of foul smelling steam look like a scene straight from hell, we were reassured by our guide that the bubbles and the steam are a good sign: only when they stop do we need to quickly leave, because then there is something highly dangerous happening in the depth of the earth....

The Diamond Mineral Baths, another tourist attraction, are fed by a sulfuric waterfall and are supposed to be very good for the health, especially against skin diseases – but you have to accept that your skin will smell of sulfur for some time.

Diamond Baths

... we decided against the healthy bath and enjoyed a beautiful sunset overlooking the bay of Soufriere with delicious cocktails in the Ladera Hotel Resort

Our next anchorage was Bequia, also the famous Sea Cloud enjoyed the stay

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

Lat: 18 30.0N / Long: 064 22.3W

We spent New Year’s Eve in Virgin Gorda, which belongs to the British Virgin Islands. The renowned Costa Smeralda Yacht Club in Porto Cervo, Sardinia has built a sister marina that will be inaugurated in a few days. The location is perfect, as the Oil Nut Bay is very sheltered and beautifully surrounded by other green islands. One of them being Necker Island, privately owned by billionaire Richard Branson.

We love the calm and the crystal blue water. The area is also great for snorkeling – with many beautiful coral riffs and colourful fish.

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Marina Virgin Gorda

View from the clubhouse at daytime

View from the clubhouse at night time

Zefiro at the YCCS Marina Virgin Gorda

The next lap of our journey will take us south all the way to Trinidad Tobago in about 600 nm of distance. On our way we will stop to visit some of the Leeward Islands, which we didn’t see on our previous trip down in 2008 – at that time with old Zefiro, the Solaris 76footer.

Gerhard (who is taking this picture) and Regine as well as Team Zefiro 
wish you a happy and healthy New Year 2012

Our current location (please click):

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Virgin+Gorda,+British+Virgin+Islands&hl=en&ll=18.497192,-64.347696&spn=0.061047,0.090895&sll=41.133333,9.533333&sspn=0.096969,0.181789&vpsrc=6&hnear=Virgin+Gorda&t=m&z=14&iwloc=lyrftr:m,9085640118414685999,18.499552,-64.35791

PLEASE ALSO SEE OUR BLOG ARCHIV WITH FURTHER REPORTS!

(at the bottom of the blog)