Home › Archive for Caribbean Islands › Page 4
Blog Archives

Sailing from Cabo Verde to Suriname – Day 1

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

(December 22, 2017) It was hazy and dusty when we left Cabo Verde this morning. The visibility was not good. The harbor was crowded with new arrival of boats and ships. There was definitely Christmas air blowing on the island but it is time for us to sail.

We started with great sailing; wing-and-wing for four hours, making 7 to 10 knots/hour. Things were going well. However, right after a shift change (watch), I heard a big BANG. The heavy aluminum Jib Pole (expandable) got folded in half like a pretzel. We managed to remove the pole (now two broken pieces) and tied it down on the deck.

…

Continue Reading >>


Set Sail from Cabo Verde to Suriname, South America

Posted on by by Posted in Atlantic Islands, Caribbean Islands, Sailings, South America

We are about to set sail today for Suriname (Caribbean Island). It will be the longest sailing for us, about 1900 nautical miles. We estimate it will take about two weeks.

Sending you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Wish us fair winds and following seas.

A Lyric of Cesaria Evora’s Song Translated in English in the Maritime Museum

Mar Azul (Blue Sea)

O… Sea, quietly lie down and let me go
Let me go and visit my homeland
Let me go greet my mother… O sea
Blue Sea,

…

Continue Reading >>


Motor-Sailing at Sunrise (Stuart-Saint Martin Trip, December 2014)

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Florida, Movies on YouTube, Sailing Movies from Stuart, Florida to Saint Martin (December 17 to 29, 2014), Sailings, USA

…

Continue Reading >>


Sailing Movie from Stuart, Florida to Saint Martin in December 2014

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Florida, Movies on YouTube, Sailing Movies from Stuart, Florida to Saint Martin (December 17 to 29, 2014), Sailings, USA

…

Continue Reading >>


Sailing from Rio Dulce River in Guatemala to Key West, Florida, USA

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Florida, Sailings

An adrenaline pumping sailing trip!

April 26 to May 3, 2016: I found that weather forecasts are about 50% accurate. Maybe it will rain, maybe it will not. Maybe it will be windy from the East, or maybe from somewhere else. Our sailing from Rio Dulce, Guatemala to Key West Florida started by motoring for three days, as the wind was directly in front of us, and we had a very limited area to sail in. This was definitely not what was forecasted. We stopped in different anchorages for first three nights to rest, the wind simply was not what we had expected.

…

Continue Reading >>


Shiny Bottom of the Keel, Touching the Bottom When Passing the Rio Dulce River Entrance

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

April 26, 2016: While waiting for a high tide to get out the Rio Dulce Entrance, a local boat stopped by and asked us if we needed his service to pass the shallow spot. We told him that we will follow our previous GPS track that we saved two months ago when we passed the shallow spot. We didn’t hit the bottom at that time.

Figures can mislead us. John showed me the high tide schedule on his iPad. It was different from the data I previously downloaded from the internet. Based on the data from the iPad,

…

Continue Reading >>


Burglar Bars for the Hatches

Posted on by by Posted in Boat Projects, Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

While staying in some anchorages at night, we sometimes wished to have a bit more protection on our deck hatches. We have four small hatches and one big hatch on the boat. These hatches are big enough so we can get out of the boat if needed during an emergency; at the same time, any intruder can easily break-in when we are soundly sleeping at night. Looking back, there are some anchorages, both John and I took a turn to watch at night because we didn’t feel safe. For about three years, John has wanted to have the burglar bars made.

…

Continue Reading >>


Quiet and Family Style, Calypso Marina, Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

Calypso Marina in Rio Dulce, if one loves tranquility, it is the marina to stay. (http://www.calypsomarina.com/)

There are many marinas in Rio Dulce River. Selecting a marina is matter of a personal choice. Marina cost in Rio Dulce is about the same, US$250/month including the water but electricity is an additional charge. Among all the marinas here in Rio Dulce, John decided to stay in the Calypso Marina because it is quietly located in an area with no boat wakes, offers easy walk access to the town, and is cat friendly (We have two cats). The marina manager speaks multiple languages (English,

…

Continue Reading >>


Livingston Town, Entrance of Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

It is known there is a shallow spot at the Rio Dulce entrance between the river and the sea. The shallow spot is about 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) at low tide. Most of the sailors wait for high tide to enter this spot so as not to get stuck on the muddy bottom. Our boat needs 6.5 feet depth (2 meter) to float. To make our boat light, we emptied two water tanks and one fuel tank by consuming them prior. This made ‘Bad Bunny’ float with 6.4 feet depth (1.95 meters) instead of 6.5 feet. We did wait for a night outside of the river and planned to cross this spot during high tide (1.5 feet =0.48 meters higher) around 8am next day.

…

Continue Reading >>


Dry Canal, Anchored near Port Barrios in Guatemala

Posted on by by Posted in Caribbean Islands, Central America, Sailings

Growing up as a kid, I liked geography and I dreamed of visiting many countries. I believe the journey of my sailing life, in a sense, is not a coincidence but is related to my childhood dream; ‘Traveling’ is in my blood. Why do I dream about it? Truly, I would have a hard time answering, but if I have had to answer; I would say “It’s just me”. There are so many countries in the world that I cannot keep up with all the names. Even though I stop counting the number of countries that I have visited, I won’t stop traveling because it’s just me.

…

Continue Reading >>


Posts By Month

Top