Catch-up blog: Cruising at last!
Toasting the start of our cruising lifestyle
Here’s the first of some catch-up blogs sharing our December 2022 - June 2023 adventures in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the southeastern US after our unforeseen writing hiatus — little did we anticipate the time demands of the cruising lifestyle!
We left Grenada on December 10th, at the end of hurricane season and upon the completion of our most pressing repairs. We set sail for the beautiful island of Carriacou and spent nearly a week circumnavigating the island, honing our anchoring skills each evening (the third time was often the charm!), and sailing, snorkeling, and kiteboarding by day. Most memorable was our time anchored at tiny Sandy Island, where a water taxi from the Carriacou “mainland” picked us up to enjoy a delicious dinner at the Paradise Beach Club. Finally, we were experiencing the cruising lifestyle!
Next, there was a 26-hour upwind power-sail to Martinique, a challenging overnighter – and the first for just the two of us -- with rough seas and huge wind acceleration zones as we passed the various islands along our way. The reward was being joined in Martinique by our three kids to celebrate the holidays!
We had a fantastic time in Martinique. Our anchorages were quite varied, including: Grande Anse d’Arlet, a sea turtle preserve where we snorkeled with huge turtles and drank mojitos on the beach; Sainte Anne, a cute town with a long beach that we shared with hundreds of other anchored boats; Isle de la Petite Grenade, a quiet bay surrounded by mangroves, ideal for SUPing and an easy day-trip to kiteboarding at Le Vauclin; and Baie de Sans-Soucis (Bay of No Worries) for more excellent kiteboarding. We also had some of our best scuba dives ever at Le Rocher du Diamant (Diamond Rock) and the nearby Le Petite Sirene (Little Mermaid), enjoying the breathtaking beauty of countless varieties of fish and corals. Best of all was enjoying family time with the five of us together, laughing, sailing, sunning, playing Rummikub and cribbage, and enjoying sundowners and delicious meals. Oh! Mama’s heart was complete with her full nest!
From Martinique, we had a lovely sail to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia — made somewhat more challenging by the gamut of fishing buoys we had to dodge along the way — before continuing on to Bequia, our first stop in the Grenadines.
