Blog Archives

ATLANTIC ADVENTURES

Dear Reader, the following BLOGS describe my travels in the Atlantic , mainly on my Sailing Boat "Champagne" .
Specifically in 2012/2013 I took her from Croatia to the Caribbean and back. Most of my stories reflect on that journey, describing all the pros and cons of long-distance sailing, but also entertaining the reader with historical notes, anecdotes and hear-say stories.

As most of these stories are inter-twined and connected, it makes sense to read them from the beginning.

Yours, Master Mike.

ENJOY !

'MAY THE GODS BE WITH YOU'

24/3/2013

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Position : 18°02' N and 063°05' W
Day / Time : 23.03.2013 , 20:
Mood : Don't Worry, be Happy !!

Dear Reader,
Sailing is to deal with constant change. Not that I don;t care for the bullsh.... I said yesterday.
No, not at all, but as a skipper you should always be prepared for the unforeseeable,
and dealing with it.
It's a good training for life if you are a younger person, and if you can manage a boat with crew for a while,
you can make it everywhere !
Like in New York !

Fati,Marina,Olaf,Kataryna,MM, day before departure.

The reason why we did not continue north from St Christopher towards St Barth and Stint Marteen was due to the fact that our friend Jim was coming to join us in Antigua on the 9th of March.
Having arrived there however Ian - who had been sailing with us all the way from Gibraltar - and Jim decided not to cross back over the Atlantic any more.
Well , just a change you need to deal with.
So we got Marina, a german sailor, as a new crew member, and then on Friday 15th of March Olaf from Ireland rejoined us - he had been on the boat between Malta and Gibraltar.
Just in time to celebrate St Patrick's Day.
And then luck struck again, as I met by accident another female sailor, Kataryna from Poland, who I knew from Mallorca , and who will be joining us later in the week.
So the boat was complete again in no time, and ready to leave for Europe,
and then......
the wind had changed in the meantime to North East :
meaning straight against us with waves up to 4 m high.

FORGET ABOUT IT !

1.
But as a general lecture in life
I have learnt
that out of everything bad
soon something good comes,
if you lean back for a moment, relax and review your situation.

NEVER RUSH !!!

2.
And here we are.
We were leaving nonetheless, but we got back to our original plan :
We were able to get with this wind very fast to
St Barth and Sint Marteen.
It is not exactly on the route back to Europe,
but it is only a minor diversion with the advantage
that I could train the new crew.
Great, let's go folks,
Master Mike is back in business !!!

St Barth is a cute little place .
It was used by pirates as a base to spend their fortunes here quickly.
The famous infamous and previously mentioned Captain Montbars " The Exterminator" had his base here.
He vanished in a hurricane, and most of his treasures with him.
Or are they still hidden on the island ?
Keep digging folk, keep digging !

...when dogs wear jewellery, it is time to run !

But a "Pirate Place" it still is.
People , specifically rich american tourists ( 80 % ) , come here for the shopping or to buy porperty here, as all is tax and duty free .
But be alarmed.
The prices are higher than elsewhere, so that even the rich Russians started to complain a few years ago.
Well folk, you can't have it all, but when you see the shopkeeper wearing a golden Rolex, then what do you exopect ?

People are funny.
They buy cheap land close to an airport and then complain about the noise.
They are happy about their own house value going up whilst being aghast about the steep house price increases elsewhere when they want to move on,
Politicians privatise Water and Electricity, and are surprised when prices go up, whilst these companies produce record profits for their shareholders and their managment receiving huge bonuses for achieving just that,
etc etc..

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE ?

Better not : As in "Snow White", a mirror always hurts !!!!!!

Columbus gave the island its name during his second voyage , some say after the holy St Bartolomeo, others say after his brother with the same name
( who accompanied him actually).
And again, we had that argument before,
so I go for the 'brother theory'.

Anyway, only some french settlers around 1685 had some interest in this island, and basically it stayed French ever since with the exception of a swedish interlude.

In 1784 King Louis XVI ceded the island and its 600 inhabitants to Sweden in return for some obscure trading rights in Gothenburg.
The Swedes figured out the strategic importance of a free harbour, created one in Gustavia ( named after the Swedish King Gustav III ) where all trade could come through despite the ongoing wars in the region, and they made a fine profit.
When all had settled down,
Sweden sold the island back to France in 1877.

I call that "double Jackpot",
quite unusual for Swedes,
ask the Finns !!!!

By the way, do you realise that all comical PEOPLE have as their first name "Charles" ?

BUT WHERE ARE THE SWEDES ?

Hi Charles !

Big Cruise Ships in Philipsburg.

No "kwatje", just Dollars ( US ) , payable via Credit Card.

And then we arrived in St Marteen, the dutch side of the island ( the other one is France ).
And if you like a crossbreed between Benidorm, Torrelmolinos, Mallorca and Playa del Ingles on Gran Canaria, then you are in the right place.
1 Million visitors on a 49 square miles island.

Forget about it !

Big and small cruise ships all over, loud music,
lager louts, you name it.
But the entry into Simpson Bay is interesting, as you have to go through a little (dutch) bridge, like the ones they have over their canals in Holland.

The only difference is that the Bridge Master does not collect a "kwatje" ( used to be 0.25 Guilders ) with the wooden dutch shoe hanging on a fishing rod.

Nevertheless Sint Marteen is the last of the Leeward Islands looking north,
and the last one we will have visited, meaning with the exception of a few like Statia ( Dutch ), Saba (Dutch ) and previously St Vincent, we have now concluded the whole journey through the Lesser Antilles.
My thoughts are already wondering to our return journey.
And it is an early crossing.
The "normal" departure time back to Europe is May / June, via the Azores. The reason is the weather.
The Azores High at that time is well established north of the Azores, keeping all the West-East-going depressions at bay and driving them north east towards Iceland, and one can sail almost up to Ireland with westerly or south-westerly winds
( In weather depressions the wind goes anti-clockwise ).

At this time of the year however it is a different picture.
The High is below the Azores, letting all the strong winds with often 50-80 knots and more
crashing over the Azores.
So there are two options for us :
Either we take on the very strong winds and head for the Azores ,
or we stay around 25 degrees North ( slightly lower than Gran Canaria )
and making east, both under engine, and sometimes under sail with south-westerly tail wind from one of these passing lows in the north.
Of course we have chosen the latter.
At least for the moment.
But that is only theory.
The actual situation can vary, and we only know when we are already on our way.
As our weather-forecaster from the Isle of Wight , "Stokey" , wrote me :
May the Gods be with you.
Thank's, that's what I call "comforting".
So we will be leaving today in the afternoon and our aim is to go straight to Gibraltar ,
weather permitting,
or via Madeira as an interim stop.

So that's it folk.
All good comes to an end at one point in time.
We have seen good and bad, and won't forget :
Memories last forever !

The crew wishes you all a happy time during our challenge,
you city dwellers, disco goers and comfort seekers,
but at the same time we hope to have wetted your appetite for some adventures,
be it in the Caribbean or elsewhere.

You will not hear from me now for some three or four weeks, the time it takes to do the crossing.
But if you have been a constant reader you should know by now how it works.
And if you don't hear from me at all any more, well, then Stockey was right :

MAY THE GODS BE WITH YOU !

Yours,
Master Mike

Returning at this time of the year needs a lot of fuel !!!!!!

SAILING CAN BE FUN !!!!!

PROVISIONING IS NOT !!!!!!!!

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"Young Guns"

14/3/2013

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Finally we have arrived in Antigua, our last station before we go back to Europe. And we have chosen to stay in the historic English Harbour, together with Falmouth Harbour the two places to be in Antigua.

Entrance English Harbour with Fort Berkely protecting it.

English Harbour, and beyond is Falmouth Harbour.

POSITION : 17°00' N , 61°45' W
DAY : Monday, 19.03.13
Time : 12:00 UTC
MOOD : NOTHING LASTS FOREVER

Named by Columbus after the church of "Santa Maria la Antigua,
and immediately abandoned by him after 1493 because of its lack of water,
the English occupied it by latest 1632.
And with the exception of a very short period it stayed like that.
It became the stronghold of the
English Leeward Isles Squadron,
and from here , also due to numerous fortifications and natural harbours,
the control of all the islands of the Lesser Antilles was secured.
Why didn't the Spanish have the same idea ?
Antigua became one of the major english naval assets in the West Indies, and three hundred years of constant English presence have left their mark.

I mean the full advantages of London Transportation combined with true gourmet English Cuisine.
What else does an Englishman need ?

When the sugar industry collapsed like on the other islands, the land was broken up into small dwellings,
producing little, such as cotton or vegetables.
But it is not much, and does not feed the local population of 70,000 like on Dominica for instance.
As a result, besides the fishing,
everything needs to be imported, and the prices are accordingly.

Historically Antigua is overrated with its connection to Lord Nelson.
as he was here or better in the area for only 3 years, from 1784 - 1787.

The Antiguans and other islanders nearby even didn't like him at the time.
as his job as a young commander of the frigate HMS Boreas was to enforce the "Navigation Act",
a non-embarcation order for every vessel that had any other flag than the english.
The background was the uprising of the american colony against its Masters.
So in order to strangle the young thoughts of 'revolution' the English tried to prevent any trade with its colony outside its own control. Of course that was not very much liked by anybody, the english traders, the american revolutioners, the islander's merchants, and the other nationalities that were sailing in these waters.

But as years have passed by, and as one of he very few tourist attractions,
besides some very beautiful beaches,
English Harbour is now 'the Lord Nelson's lair',
where the visitors get introduced into the operation of a naval station with all its facilities and back-up services, from carpentry to sailmaking to bakery to laundry, etc.
And the place has been nicely restored, one has to give credit to those private souls who initiated this in the 50's , 1950s that is !

However Nelson already at that age was some kind of a 'Young Gun',
almost a celebrity,
ambitious , often ruthless and career orientated,
which was well recognised by the female gender !!!

Sailing in these waters brought him to Nevis.
Not only did he use the island as a 'water hole' for his ships, literally speaking, no,
he married on 11.03.1787 a local "girl" just the same : The young widow Frances Herbert Nisbet,
from the Nisbet plantation.
He must have been a romantic, the old womaniser : He married her on her uncle's estate ,
the Montpellier Plantation,
under a tree .

"Fanny" Nelson, watercolour on paper, painted in 1798

What a charmer !

And a good looking one I guess :
He was just 29 years of age.

WOW !!!!!!! Lady Hamilton as a young woman !

13 years later, with battles, scars, and titles under his belt, he infamously
slept with Lady Hamilton on a voyage from Naples to Britain,
where she probably conceived their illegitimate daughter Horatia.

That did not stop her husband ,
Sir William Hamilton,
to have him staying at their house in Britain
after his marriage had broken down .
Nelson wrote to his wife Fanny :
"I love you sincerely but I cannot forget
my obligations to Lady Hamilton".
They never lived together again, whilst
Nelson with both the Hamiltons did in 1801.

This is not the first historically ever recorded "Threesome".
Neither the last , I guess !

Gosh, Sir William, quite a Gentleman, upper stiff lip, hey !
You gave a good example I guess to Mr Parker-Bowles,
previously husband to Camilla, the current wife of Price Charles.

Wow, history is exciting, even when you live in it here and now.
Because life is repetitive !
Did I say that before ?????

Anyway, if you want to be seen in Yachting, and if YOU want to see Super-Yachts,
Antigua is the place to be.
Beyond that, there are only some nice beaches to talk about.

Whether you have a Sailing Boat, or like Abramovich ( Chelsea, yeah ! ) the
Philip Stark designed "A" Super Motorvessel , it is all the same.
Boats with the value of millions of $, no expense spared.
That's it.
A financial burden, may be, but I wonder whether they actually realise it looking at their bank account.

SIZE MATTERS !

"A" like in Abramovitch.

Waiting for the owner ?

Antigua Sailing Week, created to attract these boats and celebrating the end of the Caribbean season in style at the end of April, is what makes them come here.
Before that they have been attending the Heineken regattas in St Marteen, Bequia, and others.
And the crews love it.
They are the true "owners" of these vessels,
as the real owners are never here, or for just a week or two.

The rest is cleaning, partying, cleaning, partying, etc.,
and sailing , of course.

THE NEW "YOUNG GUNS"
And all get payed of course.
A skipper with a 6 digit figure, the crew less, but all inclusive : Food, cash and health insurance.
What else does a young person need ! ? ! ?

For them it's PARADISE !

But it comes at a price. The partying takes over, and the alcohol is flowing "freely" in the evening.
The side effects are clearly visible every morning in the blurted eyes of the participants.

But it is a problem, that seemingly gets out of hand.
Help is available, but who
YOUNG GUN
would admit to have problems.

Then , from May onwards, the
time is up for them to move on anyway,
so where is the problem ?

And our time has also come up.
We will leave shortly, and the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean will be even more empty then they already are.

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!

...SOMEWHERE ON ANTIGUA, BEFORE JOLLY HARBOUR COMING FROM THE SOUTH.

We will leave behind plenty of beautiful memories, and only a fraction captured in these blogs, but at the same time we are also looking forward to "go home".
Or , to say it bluntly,
we miss Europe and its variety of
Culture , Landscape and ( even the ) Weather.
.....EXCEPT THE ONE IN ENGLAND !

Before we leave, I will explain what happens next, so be on stand-by !

Yours ,
Master Mike

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Nightmare ? What Nightmare ?

10/3/2013

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POSITION : 16° N , 61° W
DAY/TIME: 10.03.2013, 16h LT.
MOOD : SOMBRE

...even the Iguanas stop to watch our repair attempts. On Montserrat they are regarded as a delicacy, taste is supposedly like "chicken" .

We left Guadeloupe on the 2nd of March, in a hurry and without regrets.
Not even the fact, as my 'old friend' Jan from Stockholm had to remind me of , that the island belonged once to Sweden !!!!!!!!! .....
in 1813/14 .for 15 months,
made a difference.
No traces of IKEA nor their meat balls either,
but I assume plenty of horse meat.
Ghee, it had been a frustrating long wait for the spare parts, during which we developed some electrical problems .
Whilst we used the waiting for the engine and generator service, the problems had stopped without us understanding why.
It is much worse when you don't know
why things work rather when you do know why things don't work.

Heading first south and staying overnight in Les Saintes, which we had visited previously, we got up at 3am the following morning to sail towards the
"islands that brush the clouds" :
Montserrat ( a british colony ), Nevis and St Christopher ( St Kitts ), an independent state, and Saba and Statia, part of the Dutch Antilles with some degree of independence.
All of these were discovered by Columbus in 1493, and the names given by him are part of his legacy.
As the moist air flow from the trades that is trapped by the steep and high rise of the mountains of these islands generate clouds at the top. it reminded him in one way or the other
of some mountainous and snow covered regions in Spain.

Montserrat, half dust, half real cloud !

Nevis in late afternoon.

Just a little one over St Christopher !

I guess though that he was running out of names so he called one St Christopher,
and the historians try to tell me that he named it after the "Holy Saint Christopher",
which I doubt .
I mean com'on people, let him be a little bit selfish.
Wouldn't you like to see your name on something that you had uniquely discovered ?
So my best guess is that he took the liberty and
named finally one island after
....himself.
The "Saint" is just a cover-up.
Like Alexander the Great , just a little bit more on the shy side.

Who is the guy next to Fenton ?

On an almost lighter note
I discussed this whole "discovery business" with Fenton,
a construction worker from Montserrat who has been living most of his adult life in Queens, New York,
and returns only to the island to see old friends, now that he is retired.

He said that

'how can you discover something' when there had been people ( Kalinagos ) living already.
I take his point.
Just imagine the reverse.
A fleet of say 3 ships with Kalinago warriors set sail for Europe, finally make it, and
claim shortly after arrival possession of Spain, France, UK, etc.
Laughing ?
May be , but the "principle" , you lot out there, the "principle" is the same.

Anyway, as almost an irony and of course without Columbus ever knowing is that fact that "his" one island ,

St Christopher,
became the " Mother of all Islands" of the Lesser Antilles,

from which all English and French colonist left to conquer the other islands.
Sir Thomas Warner arrived here in 1624, becoming later the first "Governor of the english West Indies" ,
and several months later the French followed them, led by the famous Norman Belain d'Esnambuc, who subsequently occupied Martinique ( and died there in 1638 ), whilst his compatriot Lienard de l'Olive did the same in Guadeloupe.
The irony of this historical chapter is that the two sides lived peacefully together,
at least for the first years.
And that for the simple fact that they had
one common enemy :
The Caribs / Kalinagos. .
To "sort them out was "relatively easy" :
In a joint operation they just butchered them , estimates range from 2000 - 4000 , in a ravine ,
some kind of holy ground,
where they had all gathered ( peacefully ? ) .

Bloody Point, to the south .

The spot is called : Bloody Point .
The "Spin Doctors" say the locals wanted to do the same to the Europeans.

Who knows the truth ? !

But again who was here first ?
I have no further comment.

Division between
the English and French returned quickly,
and after a brief retreat from the island due to the previously mentioned 'mopping-up' operation by the Spanish,
they were at each others throats again :
The French in the South, the English in the North,
one can still tell today due to the names of the villages.
It all culminated in the siege in 1782 of one of the largest still existing fortifications in the Caribbean : The Brimstone Hill Fortress.
1000 defenders drawn from the Royal Scots and East Yorkshire Regiments , local militia and even some escaped slaves locked up inside against 8000 French. After 1 month of relentless bombardment,
the English gave up :
Of course honourably !!!!!

The last defender !

All good comes from above !

I see the picture:
Moving out of the castle in full gear, with bag pipes and all the rest of the "Honour".
And after a year, they had it already back, in fact not only the Fortress, but all the island and islands via this "infamous" Treaty of Versailles.
What a history !!!
Almost like a Hollywood movie, just better.
Real Life ! Nothing can beat that !
Oh yes, by the way, may be this siege, this " honourable defeat " and the related " honourable deaths" could have been averted all together, if the English hadn't just one year before, flattened the dwellings on the
french island St Barthelemy ( St Barts ) and killed their occupants.
As a punishment for their support of the american revolutionors.
Who in turn had of course killed many english ( and german ) soldiers in their fight for independence.
And I could carry on and on and on.
Because it is always the same :
Everybody seems to always have a "good reason or excuse" to kill the other.
Life is repetitive, death seemingly as well.
Who can ever stop this cycle ?

Nevis ( Nuestra Senora de las Nieves = snow )
is a more quiet island.
And it has some charm and natural beauty.
Lord Nelson was here a couple of times for good reasons, but I will cover that story another day.
Like on all other islands, sugar cane plantations were the thriving economical business, but the
( nationalised ) industry was given up due to tough competition and hugh losses
( 30 Million USD per year ),
So now much of Nevis is covered with "wild" sugar cane, and only ruins remind of a better time.
Old equipment is left to rust and crumble, but names on the old steam-engines to drive the mills remain.
I took the effort and "googled" the name, and have a guess : I found it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"1838 Company founded by George Fletcher .
He established a small factory at
38 Gloucester Street, Oakley Street, Lambeth."

I LOVE THE INTERNET.
You will also find more pictures from this site on the web page : The international Steam Pages.
" At New River Estate, on the eastern side of the island (Nevis), is an 1883 G(eorge) Fletcher & Co., London & Derby, steam engine and mill.

The other forgotten "piece" in this part of the world is
Montserrat .
We approached it under engine and smelt already from far one of the only currently
active volcano in the Eastern Caribbean : Souffriere Hill.
The island is in dire straits due to its eruptions , notably in 1995, 2003 and the last one as recent as 2008.
The devastating effect it has left on the southern part of the island is also visible from the sea :
All villages and the former capital, Plymouth, in ruins and covered with ash.
The Pompeii of modern times.
No life, no trespassing, as it is an exclusion zone both on land as much as 2 miles offshore.

View from the sea : Plymouth, the former capital, cut in half BY LAVA AND ASH and deserted !

NO TRESPASSING HERE ! Police stop you, you leave your name and phone number, just in case !

During evacuation people released their live-stock. So best guess: More than 1000 'free-range' chicken roaming. Regards, KFC !

In contrast ,
Columbus had the impression of a countryside that reminded him of the
Catalan monastery of Montserrat.

In case of his "return"
( YOU NEVER KNOW ! )
I doubt he will recognise the place .

No insurance covered the disaster.
But the former manager of the Beatles ,George Martin, organised a benefiz concert in London to raise money for a new community centre. Montserrat was a centre for studio recordings, but only some names remind us of that time.

In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs......remember ?

Having visited the MVO ( Montserrat Vulcano Observatory), we learn that the dome of the volcano has increased again tremendously.
A new outbrake is evident, just a matter of time.
And it will probably claim more land than it already has.
Scary !!!!!

The island itself is calm, as only 4000 of the former 11000 inhabitants are left.
From 1630 onwards it became first the refuge of Irish settlers, the first few arriving from St.Christopher, having had some problems with the local protestants, and then in 1649 after the Irish occupation by Oliver Cromwell.
Sugar cane was introduced , so were the slaves.
But all what is left of that era are some irish names by their descendants , and the odd occurrence of
celebrating St Patrick's Day ( this week !!!!!).
Do I hear a slight irish accent with the local population ?

Anyway, here as much as elsewhere, the people are kind, open to visitors, creating some funny and very memorable situations :

Randy, CUSTOMS OFFICER !!!!!!!, Montserrat, coming from home to check us in, with gold chains, bracelet and tuned Subaru !

On the right :
George, POLICE OFFICER, Montserrat, "living" in his container, plenty of mosquitos and cockroaches !

Police and Immigration Department .....located in an unlit area in a container !!!!!

'The Girls from Ipanema ?? Oh no, the nurses from St.Christopher !!

And this is my 'best' : Chantal, SECURITY OFFICER, Montserrat, with her " MOSQUITO KILLING MACHINE" !! No chance, guys, she is going to get married in December .

Taking it all in, we realise that we have moved more into let's say
"americanised territory",
specifically in St Christopher.
You can tell by the people you meet and hear speaking.
By that I mean the visitors not the locals,
although some of the latter already use more the
" Hey Buddy, what's up"
rather than the curtious Good Morning Sir or Madam. But that only comes with the business I guess.
Nevertheless whilst still very friendly to the incoming boaties, the atmosphere of Caribeaness , if you understand what I am trying to say, is missing, lost for ever I assume. It is some kind of "up-market" touch, you can tell by the houses and the cars.

Sunshine's Beach Bar. Lot of flags and celebrity pictures.

It is more like Barbados, like the BVI's, american and british money in some hotel chains, larger estates, big buildings, proper villas.
Still some small dwellings and huts in between, but less and less..
Even on Nevis 2 Rolls Royce do exist.
That says it all.
You can tell even from the national flags of the sailing boats.
Here more american, in the south much more mixed with british, scandinavians, germans, italians, spanish, polish, croatian, etc.
Nothing bad , just different, noticeably different.
Much less poverty here, and also more infrastructure, catering for the tourists, spas and top restaurant.
When you see a picture of Bill Clinton with the owner of Sunshine's Beach Restaurant, Nevis, hanging there together with a collection of other celebrities, then it might be a cool place, but mainly lost in commercialism.
Of course , being a cigar smoker myself,
I am convinced that "Ole Bill" made good use 'as always' of his cigars,
but that is beyond the point.
Nothing wrong with all the celebrities visiting here,
just different, noticeably different.
Also the Superyachts have suddenly arived, both Motor- and Sailing Vessels.. Another sign of the more elitism that shows somehow its face through the dust of mild poverty.
Is it good, is it better for the islands ?
I don't know, just different, noticeably different.

The big cruising vessels on St Kitts
(as the americans call St Christopher )
spit their 1000 guests out
like the volcano on Montserrat the ash.

And they don't need to walk far, let's say 100m.
The Duty Free Shopping Mall ( american style ) is waiting.
The indian merchants are selling the jewellery,
the locals the bric and brac.
All in US Dollars !!!!!

Some might even be able to walk 200m, then they arrive at a square that is supposedly copying "Piccadilly Circus " .
Have a laugh, I can only cry .
Have they ever seen the real thing ?
Even Disney World does a better copy !

Then the casinos and one-arm-bandits are already waiting, and their obese customers sit in front for hours, drinking ,eating and loosing their last pension money.... I assume.

And just next door is the model caribbean village,
just to show, what the
'average american'
thought the Caribbean is all about.
( clean, disease free, beautiful ! )

The music is playing, and the musicians are of the same age as the cruising passengers.

The locals are so comercial they even colour their hair for the tourists in caribbean style,
everything nice and clean and free wifi orientated.

America is great, and their people are welcomed,
at least during the day.
In the evening everything goes quiet again until the next vessel in the morning arrives.

Off the vessel, and into the shopping mall !

The "Piccadilly Circus" of the Caribbean ???

Pensioners playing for...pensioners. Sweet !

"TRINNi", the americanised Carib image for the american tourists. I promised him a contract for Disney World, Florida.

It is a Caribbean Nightmare...at least for me.
I wish we had never left the South.
But then it might be better further north, St Marteen, or BVs ?
But unfortunately we will not know anymore on this trip.
Time is running out.
Only Antigua left, and there we will prepare the boat for our return to Europe.

Another Nightmare !

I rather prefer the first to the second.

Yours
Master Mike

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​ATLANTIC ADVENTURES

'MAY THE GODS BE WITH YOU'

Position : 18°02' N and 063°05' WDay / Time : 23.03.2013 , 20:Mood : Don't Worry, be Happy !!

"Young Guns"

Nightmare ? What Nightmare ?

POSITION : 16° N , 61° WDAY/TIME: 10.03.2013, 16h LT.MOOD : SOMBRE

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ATLANTIC ADVENTURES

Position : 18°02' N and 063°05' W
Day / Time : 23.03.2013 , 20:
Mood : Don't Worry, be Happy !!

POSITION : 16° N , 61° W
DAY/TIME: 10.03.2013, 16h LT.
MOOD : SOMBRE