From: Derek Afloat

Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2017 3:01 PM

Subject: Blog 3.2

 

Hello All,

 

Welcome to our second blog which covers our stay in Dominica and Andrew and Maits trip with us to Antigua.

There are also additional photographs taken by Mike in this blogs drop box, taken during our trip down to Dominica from Guadeloupe.

 

After saying goodbye to Peggy and Mike in Dominica, we settled down to three weeks on the Island. It was our original intention to help out at the special school for under privileged children;

unfortunately two days after our arrival they closed for their Christmas break.

So we hired a car and explored the island.

Now Wednesday night in Portsmouth (Dominica) is Reggae night. Andrew had kindly put us on a mooring buoy right on the beach.

We went to bed at our normal time of between 8 – 9 pm, only to be awakened at eleven by the whole boat resonating to the reggae beat.

At first I tried stuffing strips of rolled up kitchen roll in my ears and then tried “tuning out.”

Difficult when the base is thumping your chest.

Eventually at 4 am, the music stopped.

It was with some dread we were approaching the following Wednesday. I had a plan, we went to bed at 4 pm, woke up at 8 pm, ate supper and went to reggae night. If you can’t beat them, join them!!

What an experience, local men were dancing in lines down the beach, all away with the fairies in their own world. The aroma of ganja hanging heavy, slowly dancing to the mesmeric beat of reggae. Another Caribbean memory that will stay with us. (Also remaining in my memory is of trying to get Derek into the dinghy without falling out the other side and off the dinghy into the boat at 3 am.) LYNNS’ thoughts on reggae night!!!

 

We went hiking in the mountains with Mait and came across this amazing house that had been built by a local man, entirely with materials from the forest; water was piped from a nearby stream, bamboo was used extensively, rocks which were cleared from the plot were used for the walls. (See the pics in dropbox.)

 

Christmas came and went without much fuss and then Andrew and Mait joined us to sail back to Antigua where they would leave us and fly home.

We left Dominica with them and sailed to Guadeloupe first to pick up our new BBA (bloody big anchor.)

Guadeloupe is a province of France and as such is much more developed and has facilities that are not available on Dominica.  Andrew and Mait took the opportunity to stock up on electrical goods and clothes.

We had a great new year celebration on Guadeloupe. We were in a marina and ended up with eleven of us on Outrageous. Lovely folks from adjacent boats joined us and we drank and ate all evening. (See pics.)

We also toured the Island before setting off for Antigua.

The Guadeloupe to Antigua sail was amazing.

We sadly said goodbye to Andrew and Mait and awaited Mike and Peggy’s arrival.

 

I dont know why, but this season Out-Rageous is sailing like a dream, and brings a smile to my face when she slips into the groove, picks up her skirts and flies before the wind; a great sensation.

We are currently in Antigua, having just been joined by Mike and Peggy who are with us for the leg to St. Maarten where they will join their own boat, Peregrine.