Field Trips

While in St. John, Annie takes Zoe and me over to Maho Eco-lodge and artist colony to tour the pottery and glass studios. It’s fascinating to watch one of the glass blowers create a delicate glass angel fish in 15 minutes. In an island that recycles only aluminum cans, the studio’s commitment to recycling is impressive. The cooking oil that powers the furnace, the plain glass used in glassblowing and used to decorate concrete sinks and tables is all recycled. We spend sometime in the pottery studio watching several people work on pots and vases. Sadly, the operation has lost their lease and the property been purchased by an individual who plans to build a single family residence on the 32-acres. The glassblowers and potters are searching for a new venue for their studios.

Zoe is studying the history of the Americas, so we tour the Annaberg Sugar Plantation, part of the National Park system. One of the Bob and Annie’s friends is a docent that day and he explains the layout and process of production raw sugar crystals from cane. Luckily, the bake house is open, so we sample traditional “dumb” bread and passion fruit punch. The bread is similar to a scone and baked in a Dutch-oven over a concrete, charcoal stove. Miss Olivia, a local woman prepares the food. She is no nonsense and does not sugar coat the difficult conditions under which the slaves labored. After touring the rest of the ruins, we end with the garden. There another local, James, offers samples of cane and coconut. He shows us the native and tropical plants growing in the garden and when JT asks where one can buy a sugarcane plant he generously offers him a shoot and a plant to take home. For now, we’ve left Grandpa and Grandma Annie in charge of them.

For some insight to St. John’s present day agriculture, we visit Josephine’s. She has started an organic greens farm on St. John and supplies many local restaurants. A few nights we enjoy some of these mixed greens and they are so fresh they inspire me to look into the possibility of deck garden for greens when we return to Tahoe.

Another day, we hike the Reef Trail to see some petroglyphs. Their provenance remains unclear. Some experts believe they are pre-Columbian, carved by the Taino Indians, while others think slaves may have carved them. Apparently, some of the symbols resemble those found in Ghana, where most of the slaves came from. The petroglyphs are alongside a tranquil fresh-water pool and while there, JT spots a couple of deer in the forest.  Along the steep, rocky trail we see a huge golden orb spider and several large hermit crabs.  A taste of St. John history and a peek at some its present day-industries have given us an even greater appreciation for life on the islands.

Back in the U.S.

Dutch bureaucracy forces us to make the 90-mile sail from St. Martin to St. John an overnighter. After homeschooling on Monday, the girls from Daydreamer invited our kids to the beach to play with another cruising family with 2 girls (9 &11). A third family joined us, also with 2 girls (4 and 11), bringing the total to 7 girls and JT. Cruising kids form fast friendships, and they immediately take to one another, easily sharing the 1 boogie board, building a monster sand pit/castle, and body surfing. Meanwhile, the parents hang out swapping sailing stories and notes on places we’ve been. Finally, Tom realized that he hadn’t checked out and it’s already 4 pm. By 4:30, he’s in the office. The immigration folks clear him out, but the woman from customs has gone for the day and we need to pay our 7 euro before we can leave. Of course, the guy can’t accept it for her, which means we’ve missed our window for a 5 am departure. (early yes, but we don’t want to arrive in st john in the dark and pick up a mooring in a strange harbor. The kids are disappointed as they are eager to see their grandparents, but they are learning to go with the flow, and so they adjust.

Fortunately, disappointments are often soothed by silver linings. We learn about a good bakery on the Dutch side, and when Tom completes the checkout, he procures a final round of decadent croissants. Then, the kids are able to bid a proper farewell to their Daydreamer compatriots. Zoe is interested in learning about Emma’s jewelry-making business and Emma generously gives her sea glass-earrings and matching necklace. Finally, a 4pm departure ensures that Zoe and JT will sleep through most of their potential seasickness as the sea is forecast to have a decent swell in the wake of the cold front. As anticipated, they turn a little green around the gills as soon as we hit open water. After suffering for a couple hours, we dose them both with Dramamine and they drop off.

Tom takes first watch and is treated to a huge squall. During my watch, I whittle the hours listening to an audio-book and enjoying the brilliant stars.  Aside from the lone sailboat, it’s just us and several cruise ships making the run to St. Thomas. Surprisingly, their lights track us for hours. They must drive slowly. Later, locals confirm that sometimes cruise ships make circles to delay their arrival until morning. St. John welcomes us on Valentine’s Day with bright cheery blue skies. We call ahead so when we arrive, Tom’s dad and his wife, Bob and Annie, are already on the beach. It takes us a few minutes to pull ourselves together for the trip to shore, but we are thrilled to see the grandparents and be on land.

After the long, swell-filled night, we are a bit wobbly. A week on land with a bed, showers, laundry and delicious home cooking has completely spoiled us. Bob and Annie are gracious hosts and generously lend us a car to run errands.  After 2 weeks of simple meals eeked out on a 3 burner stove (Are we having chicken? chicken? or chicken tonight?!), the kids are thrilled by Grandpa’s treats. In addition to their standard favorites which include bacon and root beer floats, on the island, the kids experience the full range of offerings including Grandpa’s home-made French bread and fresh blueberry muffins, and Annies’ strombolis and key lime bars made with fruit from their tree.  

For Christmas we gave the kids a sailing dingy. Tom shipped it to Bob and Annie, who’ve stored ing it at their house. It’s a little bit of a process to move it down to the bay, but Tom finally gets it into the water. He’s been teaching the kids to sail. At first JT is leery of capsizing, but quickly learns that capsizing in the Caribbean is fun, especially on a hot day. They both quickly grow to love sailing it. While spending a little more time in the islands south of St. Martin would have been nice, we have been so thoroughly spoiled in St. John that we are haven’t looked back.  

Where the Wind Blows

An impending cold front has led us to modify our plans. Our tentative itinerary had been to head to what our guidebook calls “islands that reach to the heavens” which include Saba, St. Kitts, St. Eustace (aka Statia) and Nevis. Since we’ve arrived, the silhouette of Saba has tempted us. At 877 meters, this tiny island is the Netherland’s highest point. Its people are a hardy, self-reliant lot who apparently won’t take “no” for an answer. When the Dutch government said an airport was impossible, they hired an outside party and built it themselves. When they asked for a road to encircle the island so they didn’t have to carrying EVERYTHING up 800 steps from the sea, the engineers said it couldn’t be done. The islanders built it themselves. But I digress. We hoped the weather would allow us to venture down to these islands, before crossing to St. John. Instead we are headed to back to St. Martin.

The first stop on our revised itinerary is Tintamarre: a mile-long uninhabited island formerly an Allied landing strip. Now it’s marine preserve that according to the guidebook offers a natural mud bath and good snorkeling. Instead we are greeted by sea turtles. Lots of them. Within 5 minutes, we’ve seen more sea turtles than during our entire time in the islands. They range from a couple hundred pounds to a juvenile probably less than a year old and are unafraid of humans. While snorkeling, we watch them nibble grass on the sea floor. We also spy a 3-foot long barracuda. The kids are so enamored that we decide to stay another day.

Our explorations on land are more mixed. Our first disappointment is a sign warning us off the mud baths, as they harbor staph.  We explore the island’s windward side and find a couple slightly crushed sea urchins, chitons and numerous snails. We also find a sponge which we later realize is home to a creature with tentacles, now expired. We save it for a later hands-on science lesson. The kids have a blast building sand castles each place we stop: atop a large lava rock, on the wide sandy beach. After lunch, we opt for one last snorkel. Unfortunately, the reef seems dead and only a few juvenile reef fish are in evidence. I do see a slug of some sort crawling along the rocks. After a very full day we set sail for Groot Baai, arriving at dusk.

Groot Baai or Great Bay is a haven for cruise ships and two are preparing to depart as we arrive. The Bay is enormous, but strangely empty. It seems like the cruisers don’t care for this spot despite its proximity to Phillipsburg, the Dutch capital. Maybe it’s the tourists, the jetskis, or the pipe that purportedly dumps raw sewage into the water which discourages swimming. We notice 3 sloops anchored in the harbor, which Tom immediately recognizes as retired 12-meter America’s Cup boats. For a fee, one can crew alongside 3 professionals on these sleek racing yachts which include Stars and Stripes and America’s First.

The town is supposed to be worth a visit, so after lunch the following day we take the dingy in. Since another cruise ship has docked in port, the touts are out in force. Zoe receives many offers to braid her hair, while shops offer us a free Heineken just for looking.  The town is clean and quaint with narrow cobblestone streets and some interesting historic buildings. It offers a wide range of duty free shopping across all ends of the spectrum, so Zoe buys some souvenirs. It’s blazing, so we indulge in sno-cones. The ice is rough, cut with huge saw-like blade, but the syrups are delicious and that coupled with the cold make-up for it.

Later that afternoon we motor the 2 short miles back to Simpson Bay, where we first started. It’s the safest place to sit out the cold front. To our surprise, Daydreamer (the catamaran with the 3 girls) is still here, delayed by boat repairs. Zoe makes her first call on the VHF radio to arrange a playdate. Our experiences in Tintamarre, and the happy coincidence of reconnecting with friends has taken some of the sting off missing Saba. Despite our initial disappointment, we’ve enjoyed our detour. It’s a good lesson about the sailing life…we go where the wind takes us.

Goodbye St Barth's

After a couple glorious days in the marine parks of lsle Fourchue and Anse Columbier, we return to Gustavia in St. Barts to check out. It’s a lovely town which, by design, accepts only a few small cruise ships. The island has decided that it’s not interested in the tourism which typically accompanies these behemoths. Before our trip, we read an article which said that St. Barts became so popular with the nouveau riche during the boom years that the old money breathed a collective sigh of relief when the financial crisis of 2008 restored the island to its former level of exclusivity. Seriously.

The town did not disappoint. The main street positively gleams with colorful gingerbread architecture and a selection of top designer boutiques. We dined at an excellent pizza place and for dessert indulge in even more excellent crepes. During dinner, our conversation somehow turned into an impromptu lesson on WWII and the Cold War. (It might have started with the mega-yacht owned by the Russian oligarch.) The mature couple next to us was clearly eavesdropping, and much later while admiring the yachts, the woman stopped us to express her admiration that the kids were so clearly engaged in what we were saying. From marine life to mega yachts, we have enjoyed our interlude in St Barts.

Marine Life

In just a few short days, we’ve had amazing fortune in observing marine life. Humpbacks and other Atlantic whales migrate to the Caribbean in winter. While Zoe was driving on the sail to St. Barts, she and Tom saw a humpback whale jump about 60 feet off our starboard. It was one of those “Whoa, how amazing!!” quickly followed by “Oh sh*#!! What if it keeps coming this way” moments. While JT and I were also right there, we unfortunately missed the breech, but glimpsed the whale as it surfaced again a scant quarter mile off our stern.

 Some statics say that over 80 percent of the reefs in the Caribbean have died. To preserve their tourist lifeline, some islands have created marine parks. For a modest fee, these parks provide moorings, while prohibiting anchoring, spearfishing and jetskis. These simple changes have purportedly significantly restored fish stocks in the parks. Also, as seagrass returns to the ocean floor, grazing sea turtle sightings are increasingly common. We’ve spent a couple days in 2 different parks on St. Barts and have really enjoyed them. While snorkeling, we’ve been treated to a huge variety of colorful reef fish, and some amazing gems. On one outing, we spotted an octopus as it repositioned itself under a rock, a spiny lobster, and a large trunk fish. We’ve also had a couple of close encounters with sea turtles. The coral, while pretty, seem sparse compared with my memory of Cayman Islands 20 years ago.  The only catch is that one cannot keep anything found in a marine park, so Zoe has been disappointed by having to return perfect shells to the ocean. Our counsel that there are plenty of shells in the Caribbean seems like idle promises.

Even the regular anchorages seem to offer abundant marine life. In Gustavia at St. Barts, JT noticed a spotted ray and later was watching a juvenile angelfish eat, until it was gulped whole by a larger fish. Talk about the cycle of life.  On several occasions, we’ve spotted sea turtles popping their heads up. At dusk in Marigot, I noticed a ray leaping over a foot out of the water, like some huge hovering bat.  With such an awesome start, we are keeping our fingers crossed about what the next couple months hold.    

A French Paradise

We had warned the kids that the Caribbean is popular for many reasons, but food is not generally among them. That was before we found the French islands. Here exists not only great sailing, fine weather, white beaches, turquoise waters and interesting snorkeling, but also wonderful food. We, admittedly, are basing this solely on our experiences at the patisseries, but if they are the bellweather for the rest of the cuisine, it’s pretty amazing. Tom found a bakery at St Bart’s where he was chided for trying to buy croissants at 11, because they are “ready at 7:30”. The humidity wreaks havoc on crispy layered pastries like croissants, so they don’t lower their standards; they are sold in the morning. Tomorrow we plan to indulge in crepes, so we’ll keep you posted on the results.

The First "Real" Sail

It wasn’t quite baptism by fire, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing either. Our trip to Marigot was a teaser, less than a couple hours of sailing. Today, we set our sights on St. Barts, a four-hour journey. The winds were healthy… in the 20-25 knot range and gusts to just over 30. The waves were slow rollers. At first the kids thought it was exciting. They lay down in JT’s cabin watching them crash into the port hull portal. They were impervious to my warnings that being below decks in such conditions is not a good idea. Finally, Zoe succumbed, followed by JT. Fortunately, neither case rose beyond the level of nausea. Zoe quelled hers with a catnap, before rallying to drive the boat once conditions calmed. JT just rode it out till we arrived at our destination.

Welcome Aboard

After less than a week, Liberator already feels like home. We arrived Saturday, February 2, on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, where we met Steve Doody, the owner of Liberator. He gave us the 30k foot overview then kindly offered to keep an eye on the boat while we provisioned at the nearby grocery store. The sticker shock was immediate and painful whether the prices were quoted in Guilder, Dollars, or Euro. A Costco- sized container of mixed greens runs $20. Say goodbye to fresh fruits and vegetables!

An hour and a chunk of cash later, we rolled our clattering grocery cart back to the marina and began tucking things away. The kids were great, but impatient to start their adventure. Hearing us say, “Not now, mom and dad are unpacking!” when they were dying to test drive the dingy, got old, pretty quick.  After an uneventful first night, we timed our departure to coincide with one of the thrice daily bridge openings. Enough stuff was settled to drive out at 11am, but as piles still lay strewn about, we anchored just outside the bride in Simpson Bay until everything was in its place.

In anticipation of rain in the forecast, the following day we set sail for Marigot, the capital of the French side. Sint Maarten/St. Martin has the distinction of being the smallest island controlled by 2 sovereign nations. Christopher Columbus, on follow-up journey to America “discovered” a number of islands in the Caribbean, including St. Martin (named after the patron saint on the day it was discovered) and St. Barts (named after his brother Bartholomew). At one point, the Spanish laid claim to St. Martin, defeating the Dutch, but later lost it to its European neighbors. The island changed hands 16 times over a 100 year period. Ironically, St. Barts was deemed worthless and Spain ignored it.

As we had entered a new country, we are required to check in again.  We’d been advised that there was a fantastic patisserie, thus we all headed to town for breakfast. The port authority pointed out 2 shops and we found one. We enjoyed some croissants and coffee with the intention of a final round of shopping before heading to the ritzy (read insanely expensive) St. Bart’s. Enroute we stumbled upon THE patisserie, Serafina, with unbelievably delicious baked goods offered at very reasonable prices. They were simply too tempting to pass up, so we indulged in a second round of breakfast.  Oddly, merchants set prices in euro, but some accept dollars at the same price. Given the exchange rate, that’s a bargain for us. Since it would be several weeks before we could do a proper provisioning we set off to fill the fridge. This time we found a warehouse-style market that we wished we known about before shopping on the Dutch side, as the prices were excellent and we happily filled all our available spaces.

The Caribbean is full of people living their dreams. And many of them, like us, drag their families along. So far we’ve met 2 cruising families. The first family was from Alaska and just embarking on their 3^rd season with 3 girls: 9, 11, and 13.  While in Simpson Bay, they saw Zoe and JT, so stopped by to introduce themselves. Later, they came back and all the kids swam, while their dad Peter shared information with us.  On the French side, we met a family who’d crossed the Atlantic in a catamaran. The hailed from L’Orient, near Brest, and were partway into a 10-month trip. The parents spoke English, but the kids, twin boys aged 9 and their daughter, 11 did not. Nonetheless, our children found common ground in jumping on the trampoline and making beaded bracelets, while we heard about their adventurous crossing. Unfortunately, neither of them is following our itinerary, but it was fun for Zoe and JT to play with other children nonetheless. Unlike the first weeks in Spain, the transition has been super smooth. We’ve not heard a single complaint about missing Tahoe, or a wish to go back home. Liberator has quickly taken that place in their minds.