Dominica is quite a bit less developed than Guadeloupe. We had pre booked a mooring with ‘SeaCat’ so we waved away all the boat boys that came rushing out to meet arriving yachts. There were fewer boats here than last time we had come by, and we tied up to a mooring that was very convenient to the dingy dock. I dingied Kate over to customs, and then we walked into town to pick up our rental car. On the way we stopped by the Crazy Carrot and got a couple of the best smoothies in the Eastern Caribbean.

After procuring the car we cruised back to the mooring, and saw Alegria, another Outremer 45 tied up to a mooring next to ours. Onboard we found a pair of Steves, and we spent the evening drinking too many Baja Fogs (open a beer, take a sip, and fill the resulting void with tequila). We had seen the boat on and off throughout the season, and it was fun to finally catch up with the owner.

The next day was Hali’s arrival date, so we drove up and over all the mountains to the airport. On the way we stopped by a waterfall we had visited last time we were here, and went for a swim. The overnight rain had raised the water level, and it was much more rowdy than our previous visit. The airport is a long way from town, and on the way we saw a lot of evidence of Chinese investment, including a cable car, hydro project, and another international airport. Soon Dominica will be owned by China. Hali’s flight was on time, and we drove back over the mountains to the boat.

In the morning we prepared for an adventure day. We got our things together and made our way up to the parking near Trafalgar Falls. A short trail led to an overlook where two large waterfalls cascaded down to a rocky confluence. We scrambled up to the base of the higher of the two falls, where a hot spring emerged from the cliff and poured into its own grotto, next to the plunge pool of the main waterfall. This was a cool spot, made even better by the total lack of other people. We relaxed here for a couple hours, alternating between the hot springs and the cooler waterfall pool. What a nice place, marred only by the visibility of the cables strung across the canyon to support the new cable car. Eventually we made our way back down to the car and drove on, to Titou Gorge. Again, we were alone, as we swam up the narrow slot canyon to a small waterfall. Another very nice spot, made even better by being by ourselves.

That evening, for dinner we went to Lacau, one of the better restaurants we have found in the Eastern Caribbean. The dinner was in celebration of Hali graduating from university, which she had done a week or two prior. We had a nice evening, and caught a taxi back to the boat.

From Dominica we sailed to Martinique. On the east coast, Martinique doesn’t really have any good anchorages in the north, so we sailed quite far south, arriving at Anse Chaudiere quite late in the day. We spent the evening there, and went ashore in the morning for pastries, which were disappointing. We then set sail for Le Marin, and spent the day tacking into very confused seas. It wasn’t really all that pleasant. In La Marin there was wind, so I went foiling a few times. We went for a walk, and then ashore in town to buy supplies for our upcoming trip down the island chain. French islands have higher quality provisions, for a more reasonable cost. We also bought a sander and some other tools for our upcoming haul out.

Our next stop was Saint Lucia, and we had a screaming sail there, routinely going faster than 15 knots. We reached the anchorage in Rodney Bay in less than two hours, and dropped anchor. It was very windy, so I stayed on the boat while Kate and Hali went ashore to check in. They were back soon enough, and we sailed down to the Pitons. These are renowned, and a UNESCO site. One day we paid over 40 US dollars for the privilege of walking up one of them. They were cool, but if you were in the Sierras of California you wouldn’t even notice them among the taller and more spectacular formations. Rising as they do out of the sea, they are an interesting thing to look at, I suppose. Saint Lucia was fine. There are lots of 5 star resorts. There are lots of poor locals looking to rip you off. The ease with which people lie if they think it will get them a buck is somewhat off putting. We ate at a nice local spot that had vegetarian food, and did some alright snorkeling. Then it was time to leave.

Back to Saint Vincent. This time we stopped only for a minute at Chateaubelair, checking in quickly. The same folks were out on their paddle boards trying to extract something from the sailors. We sailed on, hoping to get into a cool anchorage we had found the last time we were here, but it was too wavy. With the sun falling lower in the sky we raised sail once again and blasted off towards Bequia. Although the anchorage was super crowded, we found a spot near the beach. At first we were too close to some other boats, but I’ve developed a technique where I dive down, grab the anchor, and walk it along the ocean floor to the exact spot where I want it. This works well in crowded anchorages, or anchorages with mixed holding. With the anchor in a good spot, and dug in well, we put out a tiny amount of chain and settled in. We were only there for two nights.

Bequia is a cruiser hub. There are tons of boats coming and going, and others just staying, living in the bay seasonally, or perhaps all year. There are some nice conveniences, such as good smoothies and American style food. The smoothies we had daily. The water is nice enough for swimming, particularly on the outer edges of the bay, and provisioning is available for a price.

Soon it was Hali’s last day, and we sailed back north to Saint Vincent, beating several catamarans that were under motor, which was gratifying. Pulling into the anchorage I was surprised to see that the little wave at the entrance to the channel was breaking. I quickly pulled out a board, slotted in some fins, and had Kate deliver me to the peak. After flailing around for a bit, I found the spot to sit, and spent an hour catching a bunch of fun small waves. That is always a nice surprise in the Caribbean.

Today was the passenger swap, and Kate took Hali to the airport. The taxi driver was quite a guy, and had a large Mahi in a bucket reclining on the front seat of the van. After Hali had been dropped off, Kate collected Frank, her dad, and returned to the boat. We loaded him and all his stuff aboard and headed back to Bequia, as the south end of Saint Vincent is not the greatest spot to spend the night.

We anchored again, in our same spot in Bequia Bay, and settled in. The next day brought another great day of sailing. The wind was at a fantastic angle and strength, and we flew towards Tobago Cays, hitting 17 knots on a reach. We spent a night or two on Tobago Cays, and I got some fun foiling in. I was better this time around, and riding waves coming in on the outer reef was fun this time, as opposed to terrifying. When it came time to leave I decided to try for a downwinder. Kate sailed the boat on her own, and I foiled between Tobago Keys and Chatham Bay, 12 miles downwind. That was great fun, aside from the sargassum which got me a couple times. Downwinding is so far the best part of foiling, as you can ride the bumps out in the ocean, and connect from one to another. It’s fine with a wing, but I am looking forward to being able to use a parawing instead, which can be folded up when you are on waves.

We spent some time at Chatham, and ate at the fancy restaurant there. Then we sailed back up to Frigate Island and spent a night. We foiled some more, as this is one of the best spots in the Grenadines for wind sports. We had a few good sessions, and had our friends from Nava over for dinner and poker. They brought the dinner, which was delicious soup and home made sourdough bread. Getting some sourdough starter became more of a priority for me.

Sailing down past Carriacou and some of the other Grenadian Grenadines, we stopped at Ronde Island for one night. It was an excellent deserted island with clear water, and I resolved to come back to visit again.

Our last day of sailing with Frank was a long day down the eastern side of Grenada. After a lively couple hours to windward, we turned down the coast and the wind began to die. Overcoming our laziness, we got out the gennaker and cruised down wind into our anchorage at Calivigny Island. The island itself is private and can be rented for a mere 1 million dollars per week. We decided to anchor off its leeward beach instead.

Kate took her dad to the airport, and we settled in to wait for our haul out date in a few weeks. We filled our time with foiling, and walking around on land near the anchorage. Nava showed up, and we hung out with them, renting a car for two days and exploring the island some. We visited Crayfish Bay Chocolate, and spent some money there. Their chocolate is made from beans they grow on the land they make the chocolate on, and we enjoyed the company of the slightly eccentric proprietor. We drove around the eastern side of the island and visited the Rivers Rum distillery. Their product was a bit too strong for me. We also made a couple stops at Spice Island Coffee Roasters, and I rediscovered a taste for good coffee. In between we hiked to a few waterfalls. It is always a religious experience to get into some fresh water.

There was a beach party with Electric Passage, a couple who travel around on their ketch with a full DJ outfit. They put on a pretty good potluck and party. We went home relatively early, but had a great time. The wind in our anchorage was pretty constant, and strong. This was good for foiling which we did almost every day, but not as good for preparing the boat to haul out. We found lulls to pull in the sails, the first time we have ever removed all the sails from the boat. We pulled the halyards up into the mast, and removed all deck level running rigging.

Finally it was time to haul out, and we motored around the corner to a mooring, awaiting direction from the yard. Two days later they were able to haul us out, after fixing their broken machine. This was cutting it a little close, and after settling KODA on her hard stands we spent about an hour running around putting things away and tidying up. Then we took a taxi to the airport, suddenly encased in air conditioning. We boarded our plane and were lifted away from the small island occupied by KODA. Surrounded by blue, it drew a line under how far we have come aboard our new home. Crossing an ocean and spending an entire season island hopping, we are living our dream. Although leaving seems necessary, I am already wanting to be back aboard, with the sails straining and the bows pointed west, into the blue.