Wave over wave, Sea over bow...We are as happy as the sea will allow!

March 26 – April 26, 2008

Well it has been a week since we have once again been on our own. We have hauled up anchor once again and moved on west to a small island off the south of Puerto Rico called Isle de Aurora, but better known to the locals and on most charts as Gilligan’s Island. This island was originally named Aurora because of a slave lady at a local farm who escaped and swam out to this island, built herself somewhat of a house and lived off of the island and the ocean until her death at they say a very old age. None of her home remains and it has been renamed after the show Gilligans Island because of the sand pathways that lead all over the island, remember how the skipper used to chase Gilligan around on the paths, well that is exactly what this place is like, really cool. (Unfortunately we took no pictures here, I wish that I had gotten the kids to run down the paths all crazy like Gilligan used to in the shows) This island is a huge hang out for the locals who all come to enjoy some family time, there is a ferry that brings people back and forth all day loaded up with coolers, chairs, umbrellas, lots of food, etc. It is fun just to sit and people watch on these beaches. While at Gilligans Island we even managed to decorate Easter Eggs as Easter is just around the corner.



There are a couple of things here in Puerto Rico that we are witnessing for the first time in our trip, the first being the presence of police everywhere. On land there are police cars and ambulances everywhere and they always seem to have their lights on but not going anywhere. The kids have been forced to pull out their lifejackets and wear them in the dinghy every time we are in it they are also not allowed into the bars here as it is a part of the U.S., what an inconvenience this is…… There are also a lot of police boats out and about and they are constantly pulling over sea-doos and generally keeping an eye on everyone. We have yet to be approached or boarded, but are sure that it will happen eventually (Kevin is prepared with a couple of extra bottles of Rum, as we are told that a little gift can help out). One thing that we are getting frustrated with here is the lack of internet and computer hook-ups. I know that we have complained about it before but this place is crazy, you would think that for being part of the U.S. and also being a large island that we would be able to steal WIFI from someone, but NOPE. (For being a part of the United States, they are sure behind in the technology department.) So Kevin has resorted to spending a lot of time in the local Burger Kings as they seem to be the only place to get WiFi access.



Happy Belated Easter to all. We have picked up anchor once again and moved one last final time on the island of Puerto Rico. We are now on the far west side in a small (Sylvan Lake like town) called Boqueron, where we will stay until a weather window opens up for us that will allow us the long (24-30 hr) trip north west to the Dominican Republic. This little town is quite a neat experience in that it is a big party town on the weekends and then during the week it seems to just shut down all together. We arrived here on Easter Sunday and the town was just a hopping, there were sea-doos everywhere, police boats having speed chases with the sea-doos and the beach was packed. We once again bar-b-qued a turkey and a ham and had all the fixings, the Easter Bunny even managed to find the boat and unload way to much candy and chocolate for everyone.



The rest of the week the kids and I have spent getting back to the school books and Kevin back to the weather charts and planning an itinerary for our future passages and anchorages. In the afternoons we head into town to check things out, take a nice long walk on the beach (it seems that this is the only exercise that we have been getting lately, other than swimming) and for the boys to indulge at one of the many little ‘huts’ set up in town that sell fresh mangrove clams and oysters. Kiana and I have yet to build up the nerve to try them. With a squeeze of lime juice and a shake of hot sauce, down the hatch they go.



We have also had the fortune of meeting a couple from Toronto, Sam & Wendy, that have just sailed here from the southern Caribbean Island of Union and are planning the same trip over to the Dominican Republic that we are. Kevin has spent much time discussing weather and travel plans with Sam, which makes us feel a bit better about our long trip. They have decided that Friday, March 28 will be the best weather window to haul up anchor and sail over the second deepest trench in the World, the Puerto Rican Trench. So in the meantime we are safely anchored here till then.

We have come to a bit of a lull in our adventure in that everyone is becoming a bit more homesick and anxious about the long journeys ahead of us. While enjoying the sights and different cultures we are all sure missing home, the kids are starting to talk about the things that they miss the most, from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, to pets and bedrooms and of course sports and friends from school.

One of the things that we have been doing a lot of is reading and in one of the books that I just finished called “West of the Equator” there is a quote that I am finding very true about our situation….”Paradise is not a destination resort….it simply is…it lays to the north of us and to the south of us-it lays to the east of us and to the west of us-it lays above us and below us-it is always there, wherever we are.” I think that the we are all realizing that sure the Caribbean is a beautiful place, but there is really nothing better than being at home with your friends and family.

9:00 am Friday March 28 we head out on what will be our first overnight passage of our 7 month adventure. With our new found friends about an hour ahead of us we are somewhat more confident about out trip, knowing that we will have radio contact with another and sight of another boat most of the way to the Dominican Republic. Sam and Wendy are going farther than we are, we are stopping on the East side on the DR at a town called Samana while they are continuing on down the North Coast to a town called Luperon. We will continue to Luperon once we have had the pleasure of visiting Samana (Sa-ma nah). The weather for our passage turned out to be somewhat cooperative. Days after the Schergers left us a system moved into the DR and Puerto Rico area that brought very large northern swells into the area. We had driven to the North side of Puerto Rico to see the waves and along with many locals were amazed at the size and power of these waves, many areas on the North coast were actually being flooded by these waves.

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We were able to sail approx. half of the way and motor the rest of the way, we were lucky to only see one small squall during the trip which helped to wash some of the salt off of the boat and its occupants. Sailing through the night was a very different experience with Kevin and I taking 2 hour shifts during the day and 3 hour shifts during the night. I found it somewhat easy to sleep on my off shifts, but unfortunately Kevin was unable to sleep, he found resting with one ear and eye open to be good enough. It was definitely an experience that we will both never forget.
The kids during this trip were amazing…I had anticipated a lot of “I’m bored” comments, but by letting the kids know in advance how long the trip was going to be they just seemed to settle in and find things for themselves to do. They did have high hopes of staying up all night but as soon as the sun set their eyes were close to follow.




Arriving in the Dominican Republic was an adventure in itself. We had been forwarned that the customs and immigration people would come out to our boat to fill in the paperwork and that we were to stay on board until they arrived, we were also told that the DR officials like ‘gifts’ and money and that we should make sure that we only pay for what we actually have to pay for. Sure enough not an hour after our arrival a boat pulls up with 3 gentlemen aboard, 2 uniformed officials and one translator (our new go to guy…Cheecha). On board they climb in their big black boots and official attitudes, we have all of our boat papers and passports ready to fill in all of their forms and what do they pull do but pull out a piece of previously used paper and scribble on the back all of our information. The kids got quite the kick out of this, here we thought it would be all formal and strict and in the end it was quite easy, and yes we did have to give a cash gift but they were happy with $5.00 each, now we have all of this extra Rum on board…….


Samana has been another real eye opener for our family. Our anchorage here is not the best we have seen in our travels, there is no beach and the water is not swimmable, thankfully a short walk away is a big hotel with a beach that we have frequented. Our dinghy dock here is also home to a Coast Guard boat which you would think would make us feel safe and secure, unfortunately it is quite the opposite.




Once ashore here we are bombarded with people selling things, “My friend come I have happy hour prices just for you.” “My friend cheapy cheapy just for you.” And the hardest is the kids that come up and try to shine our shoes, unfortunately we are all wearing flip flops, but I cannot let these kids walk away empty handed so we slip them a little cash anyways (the kids cannot believe how thankful they are for a one dollar bill, once again a real eye opener.) We have befriended one boy who sells peanuts, now these are not your regular peanuts, they are shelled, roasted and salted and then rolled in a piece of paper towel and the cost….cheapy cheapy 3 for $1.





We decided that it had been a long time since we had taken an official tour so off we go to find something to tour. Yup another waterfall. We had requested a tour in one of the tour trucks where you ride in the back (they were all over the place, nicely painted with comfortable seats in the back) from our tour organizer, Ralph, and sure enough that is what we received, into the back of a small beat-up truck we go with a driver who cannot speak English for our 30 minute drive to a beautiful waterfall. Our ‘tour organizer’ Ralph had Kevin pay for the trip up front and we did see him give the driver some cash, unfortunately when we arrived at the start of the tour of the waterfall there was some confusion over what we had actually paid for. With everyone speaking Spanish and only one guy with limited English, we managed to get it all worked out that we were to walk to the waterfall (horseback riding was an option) swim for awhile and return to have lunch back where we started. Our tour guide was a lady, we forget her name, who had 3 children of her own and did these tours all day long, just walking back and forth to this waterfall. With her limited English and our limited Spanish we managed to have a great walk through some farm land to another absolutely beautiful waterfall.

A pineapple growing in the wild, something I have never seen before.



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Notice the man diving into the water, he climbed up the moss wall and went behind the waterfall into a cave before diving into the water.



The guys went for a nice cool swim. Mom forgot to wear her bathing suit and Kiana had some admirers who’s whistles made her a little self conscious.




Lunch which was a typical DR meal was chicken, macaroni salad, rice, beans, some sort of fried potato like things, and of course a pop and a beer to top it off, absolutely delicious. After lunch was done we heard the ice cream truck come down the road so the kids ran out and sure enough they each bought a homemade vanilla ice cream from a gentleman on a motorbike with a cooler strapped on the back once again delicious.



We happened to be in the DR while elections were taking place and they sure let you know about it. Trucks such as these drive around with music and ‘sales pitches’ blaring from the speakers in the back. The only reason that we can think of as to why they do this is so that the many, many people on motorbikes and mopeds can also hear their sales pitches.




Filling up on water in the DR proves to be a bit of a task as we are warned that the water here is a bit risky.




The DR also brings about a new catch with the customs and immigration rules, when we leave this anchorage we are forced to ‘check out’ and get what is called a ‘dispachio’ from the officials here in Samana and then to check in again at the next anchorage. A money making scheme is what other cruisers tell us that it is, but nonetheless we are forced to do it. So after being stuck in Samana a week because the weather was out of control, Kevin and the boys head into the offices to get our dispachio, once again no problems only another eye opener at the way these people still live. The lady who made up our dispachio did it on a typewriter, something that our kids have never seen, and it was not even an electric typewriter…YIKES




So exactly 7 days after arriving in Samana we attempt to head North, another long overnight passage, along the coast of the DR to the next anchorage called Luperon. Well that is exactly what it was, was an attempt. We, for the first time on our trip, had to head back after a couple of hours motoring because the water was so rough and uncooperative. Heading north into the northerly swells was just too much for our little boat to handle, or better yet, for Kevin and I to handle. I have long since come to appreciate the power that the ocean has, but I don’t think that I have ever been so scared and helpless in my life. It felt as though we were in a movie and our boat was the size of a hot wheels car placed on the side of a mountain of a wave, not sure if you can picture that or not, but it was not something that I ever want to experience again. So back we go to Samana for another couple of beach days until the swells settle down a bit.

6:00 am and out we go again to attempt the passage to Luperon, yup the swells are still huge but we manage to get through the rough seas on the east side of the DR, it takes 3 hours but we are now moving with the wind and the waves along the north coast and all is a bit more smooth. Our estimated time of arrival is 6:00 am, it should take us 24 hours to get there, a little more if the wind and waves die down and we are forced to motor. Well the wind does no such thing and finally at about 1:00 am we are forced to take down our jib (it is the sail up front and it is the only one we had up, because we are moving with the wind coming from behind us we put the jib up to catch the wind and pull us along) and shut off both engines and simply drift with the waves as we are almost in Luperon and the sun will not be up until 6. For those who understand knots, we were still travelling over 6 knots with no sail and no engines. This causes a problem in that the entrance into the anchorage/harbor at Luperon is a tricky one and a very shallow one that cannot be managed in the dark it also has no buoys or lights to mark the entrance. Will still arrive early at approx 3 am and are forced to circle around outside the entrance of the harbor until the sun comes up.




What a night, Kevin and I are exhausted, the kids on the other hand have slept all night and are eager to get off the boat and explore the town of Luperon. Kevin is just laying down for a quick nap when new neighbors, Doug and Paula (S/V Exuma Grouper) from Eastern Canada, stop by to welcome us to Luperon. What a great welcome it was and what great neighbors to have, they told us all we needed to know and even took us on a tour of the town. They have been living down here on their catamaran for a couple of years now and plan to build a house and move down permanently. Luperon turned out to be quite a surprise after Samana in that it is not a touristy town at all, it is simply a small town on the island of the DR. There are no people looking to sell you anything for cheapy cheapy, there are simply people going about their daily, slow paced island lives. We can sure see the attraction to the many Canadians calling this harbor home.

Unfortunately we knew our time here was limited as we had spent so much time in Samana due to the weather. So we enjoyed as much as we could in the time that we had with our new found friends.

Doug and Paula showed us their favorite little lunch spot where we ate two days in a row, as the owner cooked up the best tasting Burritos we have ever had. (That and the fact that lunch cost us about $3 a person including drinks)




We also took a taxi into the town of Puerto Plata where we stocked up on groceries, we have heard that in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos things get a bit pricey. On the trip we found a little furry friend that really was very harmless. YUCK.




Kevin had to go and fill up the propane tank, I think that he enjoyed the ride just a little.



On our final night there we went up to the Marina to enjoy the weekly games night with the other cruisers and live aboards and gave the kids a chance to swim in the pool there. Fun was had by all.



We heard lots of reasons why all of the kids wanted to stay, but unfortunately we were forced to move right along as we were presented with a good weather window for our next 14 hour journey north to the Turks and Caicos Islands. We are also starting to feel as though we had better get moving if we actually plan on getting home at the end of May.

We left the DR at 3:00 am on a Thursday morning (dates are a bit fuzzy) and arrived to Big Sand Cay in the Turks & Caicos. Well what a sight to behold, something that we have yet to see to date and we were sure that we had pretty much seen everything (you know……same #$%^ different island) but we were absolutely amazed at the water color here. As the lady in the immigrations office puts it “‘Turquise’ is the color.” I only wish that our pictures could do it justice. Because it is so shallow and sandy here the color of the water really stands out.
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Sandy Cay is just like is says…Sandy and absolutely beautiful.
We have the privilege of welcoming another guest on board One Life, and it seems as though she will be our last guest (unless we can talk Grandma and Grandpa into coming down for another week).

Jennifer Sibbald, our friend, neighbor and babysitter from back home has come to join us for a week of relaxation, sun and sand. Well, being on board with a family of six may not be the most relaxing but we can sure guarantee the sun and sand part. To get to and from the airport and to tour the island a bit we rent a van to get us all around. First things first, we are off to the Conch farm. The island of Providenciales, better know as Provo, is the home to the worlds only Conch Farm, and since Kevin’s favorite appetizer down here is Conch Fritters we had better take a visit and see exactly what we are eating.





Well what a place and what an eye opener for us all. They have millions of conch here and only supply about 5% of the world’s meat supply, the rest still comes from the local fishermen that are out there day in and day out diving down for them. Up until now we have seen hundreds of conch down at the bottom of the ocean and the kids are constantly picking them up to see if anyone is home and usually there is, but unfortunately they are a shy creature and never come out to visit. Well here at the Conch Farm they have a couple of trained conch, Jerry and Sally, who love to come out for a visit and once again YUCK. I wonder if Kevin will still eat Conch after this little tour.

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We also had the pleasure of eating at a little local restaurant and trying Grits for the first time, for those of you that have not had the pleasure, they are just like porridge and then are topped with many different things. We tried the corned beef topping which kind of tasted like chili but was delicious none the less.




We spent much time driving around in our rental car as it brings about a lot of independence that we don’t usually have, we also spent some time on the beautiful beaches on the north side of the island where all of the all-inclusive hotels are. Provo is a beautiful island that in a few years will be covered in houses and hotels, it is currently an island under construction as everywhere you look there is something begin built.




Another must to see on the island of Provo is “THE HOLE”. Now The Hole is simply what its name implies, a hole in the ground in the middle of a subdivision. Now this hole is about 30 meters deep and does not look as though it caved in but that it has simply always been there. I was a very nervous mom while we were there trying to keep everyone far enough back. Once again as per Caribbean tradition there are no signs other than “The Hole” and of course no guard rails or ropes to help out those that do fall in. There were lots of ideas flowing while driving away as what to rename ‘THE HOLE’ for example: Satan’s Bellybutton, Devil’s Mouth, The BIG Hole, etc. The boys also wanted to come back another day with some ropes from the boat and climb down and really check it out. J Mom says NO!!







While Jen was on board we found a great anchorage in a deserted Marina called Cooper Jack Marina, where a lot of work and money was put in to dredge out and frame in the Marina. Rumor has it that the owners ran out of money and are looking for buyers (Hmmmmm…). Much time was spent swimming around the boat and of course finding different ways to entertain ourselves. With Jen’s help the kids set up a waterslide off the back of the boat and once again lots of fun was had by all.
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Even though Provo is one of the more expensive islands, it would not have been the same had we not done some souvenir shopping and sightseeing. Jen was able to get great gifts for all and also witness the ‘gift shop’ scene where every store seems to carry the same things.



Once again a week goes by to quickly and before we knew it we were taking Jennifer back to the Provo airport. Thanks Jen for a great week and for all of your fabulous pictures.


I would first like to say WoW what a wonderful family! I had such a great week being a guest of One Life. It was so much more than I expected, I loved all the exploring, the games, the swimming, and of course the shopping and just being a part of your amazing one of a kind experience. Thank you so much for all your hospitality. I had such a blast.
Jennifer

We were really hoping to do some Scuba diving in the Turks & Caicos, but unfortunately companies here are like the ones back home and have been hit hard by the rising gas prices (and simply because it is the T&C and everything is expensive here) and therefore the cost to run a boat is just crazy and their diving prices are out of this world. We are going to have to wait to the Bahamas for another time to dive.

Sunday April 20, 2008
Happy 14th Birthday to Kiana. And this is the fourth and final birthday that we will be celebrating onboard One Life. Kiana is very anxious to get home and study up to take her learners license. God help us all.


Monday the 21st saw us leaving the T&C and heading for the Bahamas, the last stretch of our journey. The trip over to the Bahamas was the most calm trip that we have yet to experience. The water was as clear as glass and there was no wind to speak of. With no wind and both engines running at full speed, by mid afternoon the crew of One Life was cooking, the captain was ordered to stop the boat and let the crew take a much needed dip. For those that have not seen pictures of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas may not know how they lie in the ocean. The T&C islands are on a bit of a shelf where one minute the sea depth is 20 meters and the next minute is over 3500 meters(10,000ft). Well, where we decided to take a swim was in the really deep water and it was a bit of an adrenaline rush for us all. With no land to see in sight, the water an unbelievable blue color, god only knows what swimming underneath of us, but so clear and pristine, we all hop in rather cautiously. How small we all felt out in this big blue sea.

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Arriving in the Bahamas brings along with it a bunch of mixed emotions from all of us. We have officially booked our airline tickets home for the end of May and as we are all really missing home and the family that is there, we also know that we only have 4 weeks left, and yes, how fast this adventure has moved along.

Checking into customs and immigrations here in the Bahamas was the last time we will be checking into a foreign country on our trip, next check in will be home sweet home, CANADA.
Bahamas like the T&C has the most beautiful water color we have had the pleasure of seeing, once again due to the water depths. The first island to visit here is called Mayaguana. It is a small island with what we have seen a big heart. We came to shore to check in and simply to take a look around and we ended up in a local’s house having lunch. She is hoping to open a restaurant in the near future, but in the mean time makes meals and people simply come and pick up their meals at lunch and supper. Some stay and eat in her small living room, others take the food and leave. The lunch was none other than fried chicken and French fries. Absolutely delicious.
With the waters crystal clear we are always anxious to hop in at every new anchorage that we arrive at and Mayaguana is no exception. From the boat we can see to the bottom and everything that swims under us. We think that this girl is eating a mango seed that was left over from the Captains breakfast.




It still amazes me how much time is spent by the kids and their catch and release program. They will definitely be able to give both of their grandfathers some fishing lessons once back on Canadian waters.



Speaking about fishing, when clearing into customs here in the Bahamas, everyone is forced to purchase a fishing license, and as we have realized it is for good reason. We have been here for 8 days and have already caught 1 unknown fish (Kiana tried her hardest to find it in the books), 3 barracuda (when we reeled two of them in only their heads were left, I guess the sharks figured they were hungrier than us), 1 rainbow runner and finally what Cole has been waiting 6 months for, 2 Dorado (or Mahi,Mahi or Dolphin, they go by a few different names).










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The Dorado is a real handful to bring and proved to be a long overdue upper body workout for the captain.



Even though we are in the Bahamas and this is the last leg of our trip, we still have many miles to cover. To make up the many miles, we have been sailing most mornings and enjoying the islands and beaches in the afternoons. The kids have become quite accustomed to the many hours at sea, and although we hear “I’m bored..” and “What can I do..” on most passages, they are mainly very good at amusing themselves and each other. They play board games, read books, draw pictures, make menus and serve lunch, play with play dough, use their 30 minutes on the Nintendo DS, help mom and dad drive, watch for sea life, fish, and if nothing else there is always napping.





Something that I had never stopped to think seriously about before this trip (even though I did know that Spring is my favorite season) was our 4 distinct seasons back in Canada. They are something that most of us have lived with our whole lives and are just another part of life in Canada. Well down here it is hot, humid and green year round. There is no feeling of things dying and then coming back to life that we are fortunate to experience back home. I have truly missed the good feelings that spring brings to everyone. Going outside for the first time without all of the winter clothing (the kids were talking about this), lighting that first campfire of the season, cleaning up the yard after the long winter, going down to the river and watching the last pieces of ice float by, the kids out in the paddle boat helping the lake melt a bit quicker, and opening the windows again to let some fresh outside air in the house. There really is something to be said for Canadian seasons.

And, yes I know, this is all easy for me to say, while I am down here in the sun and you are all back home watching the weather channel to see if you will be getting yet another spring snow storm. (Sucks to be you guys….)