End of the Year Wishes from Irie

Mark and I wish all of our family, friends and readers of the blog happy holidays and a satisfying wrap-up of 2014. We hope you all had a pleasant time over Christmas, surrounded by family, loved ones and heaps of exciting gifts… For the New Year, we wish you nothing but good things, from positive experiences and great health to caring friends and a wee bit of adventure.

Mark and I are finishing up a tough year, what with him being diagnosed with cancer, almost losing Irie when her mooring broke in Marina Taina and putting all our time, energy and focus into The Wirie and the upcoming new products. As many of our friends have suggested: 2015 can only be better! Our beloved catamaran Irie is for sale, the business still has high priority and new adventures await. Plans, always vague in the past, are non-existent this time. Who knows where we will be and what will happen to us the coming year; very exciting! :-)

As for the final days of this year, Mark and I sat out some weather systems in a hurricane hole in Taha’a (Haamene Bay), which offered all the protection we needed. The first storm was a bit tricky with strong wind gusts and boats dragging in the bay, but the second one (briefly declared a tropical cyclone), passed far enough away from us and only brought some rain and light winds. We never deployed our second anchor, which sat on deck, ready to be launched.

Christmas was spent on Irie – which seems to become a yearly tradition. Around 4pm, our friends Patrick and Rachel from SV Namaste (who were also present last year) and Garth and Monique from SV Heartbeat joined us for a delicious feast after hours of preparation by all. Appetizers consisted of sushi, tuna cakes, brie and apple, and Deviled eggs, while the main course included roasted garlic chicken, roasted potatoes, rice salad, Greek salad, and shrimp cooked two ways (broiled with herbs and pan fried, Cajun style). For dessert, we had a choice of rum balls (thought to be “rumbles” by the non-native English speaker), Bahamian rum cake, macaroons and two kinds of “pudding” (cake in NZ) with custard. An abundance of beer and red wine accompanied the yummy dishes.

On December 27^th, Mark and I cut our time in one of the nicest anchorages in French Polynesia (on the eastern reef in Taha’a) short, to use a favorable forecast and head back east to Huahine. In light NNE winds - which we knew were present this time, being anchored in the open and close to the ocean - we managed to sail all the way to Fare, Huahine’s capital. It was a beautiful day with sunny skies, great visibility, and no squalls. The conditions were so mellow that Mark could do work inside, while we sailed close hauled (upwind). At the moment, Irie is tied to one of the new (free) mooring balls, as are Namaste and Heartbeat. We will celebrate New Year’s Eve here and hope to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of Huahine over the coming weeks.

Christmas on Irie with Patrick, Garth, Mark, Monique, me and Rachel

And then, more rain arrived and we moved back inside

A plethora of delicious dishes

And, back outside to eat dinner

Leaving Taha'a and Raiatea - Will we ever be back?

Time for some pesto and vegetarian pizza with fresh spinach?

Mark works 12 hour days - even underway!

There is SV Heartbeat (and Huahine); we almost caught up with them

Irie slowly overtaking Heartbeat

The "race" to Huahine continues in 10 knots of wind

Rainbow over Fare, capital of Huahine

Raiatea and Taha'a, 21 miles west of Fare's anchorage

Christmas in the Tropics – Nuku Hiva Style

One of the reasons Mark and I came back to Taiohae, the capital of the Marquesas, was to be in a “city” over the holidays. If anything fun was going to happen in this remote group of islands, it was going to be here. And, we were right as far as Christmas was concerned.

On Christmas Eve, Henri, the owner of Snack Vaeake – home of the yummy poisson cru - at the edge of the bay, threw a little party for cruisers and his family. For the price of 1500 francs (about $17) per person, we were treated to a whole table of well-prepared meat, fish and vegetable dishes. The drinks were BYO and the company consisted of many people we met in the Pacific or back in the Caribbean. Our friends Chris and Katie played some live music, followed by the ukulele sounds and Marquesan songs from Henri’s family. It was a good time and we did not go to bed until 2am – a personal record. And, it wasn’t even New Year’s Eve yet.

On Christmas itself, Mark and I got it into our heads to do something on Irie with friends. After spending a short time on Iona, being treated to a yummy lunch, we organized a backgammon contest with bets in the form of unwanted boat items. All the prizes were set on a table and your competitor was based on whose item struck your fancy. People brought snacks or a side dish and drinks and we all had a wonderful time with yummy food Mark worked on in the afternoon. Fourteen cruisers (twelve adults and two kids) enjoyed two different pasta dishes, a side salad, fresh focaccia and a choice of three desserts! We lucked out with the weather and it turned out to be a great evening, with enough space, comfort and food for everyone.

Chris prepared sushi at Snack Vaeake for Christmas Eve

Henri setting out all the dishes at "the snack"

Chris and Katie playing some of their lovely music

Marquesan music at the other end of the venue

Christmas Day - the backgammon competitions lasted into the night

Marie (France), Ursula (Germany) and Liesbet (Belgium)

Giorgio (Italy), Patrick (Canada) and Mark (USA) eating inside

Marie, Katie (UK), Dylan (UK) and Ursula in the cockpit

Leili on her throne - the cute queen of Irie!

Alex (Brazil), Michael (Germany), Rachel (Canada) and Olivia (France) have the comfort of the table to eat

Dessert!!

Goodnight, guys! ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Happy holidays, everyone! And, may 2014 bring you peace, happiness, adventure, love, excitement, friendship, good health and comfort!!!

 

Christmas in Colombia

Mark and I were determined to make it to Cartagena, Colombia, by Christmas and therefore felt pretty much on the move and focused since leaving the out islands of Venezuela in November. The reason for making Cartagena harbor before the end of the year was two-folded: the Colombian coast is known for its heavy weather and nasty storms once mid-December comes around, with fewer and shorter opportunities to sail after that, and many cruisers had told us Cartagena is the most magical and fun place to be for Christmas. Even though the sailing trips were fairly slow most of the time (we really missed not having a spinnaker; heavy winds off Colombia? Hard to imagine…), Irie made it to Cartagena on December 15^th. Right in time, based on the gale force winds that battered the Colombian Coast for weeks to come, two days later.

The old town was pleasant and beautiful, with a little bit of a Christmas atmosphere in the streets: some squares were lit up and certain areas had colorfully lit statues; locals were doing last-minute shopping in the busy stores. Santa Marta, however, seemed more bustling, especially in the evenings, and the Christmas spirit there was ever-present. The thing that put us off most about having a “Christmas in Cartagena” was the annoying, busy and filthy anchorage. Basically from the moment we arrived, we couldn’t wait to leave again, apart from the old town’s appeal. We couldn’t imagine sitting there another weekend – Christmas weekend of all times! – getting tossed around in our pitching catamaran while local families and commercial captains would buzz around the harbor, creating massive wake, all day long.

Together with a bunch of other cruisers (Why didn’t they all stay in Cartagena for its splendid Christmas?), we moved to a big and pretty mangrove anchorage called Cholon, about 16 miles south of Cartagena. Lack of wind had us motor most of the four hours and researched waypoints helped us through the tricky entrance into the lagoon. Ex-cruisers Robert and Carmen, who own the refitted Venezuelan fishing boat Manatee, invited all cruisers in the area to their house for a potluck Christmas dinner. They provided the space, a turkey and the trimmings, while the guests brought a side dish, their drinks and a “treasures of the bilge” object they couldn’t use aboard anymore as a gift. On Christmas Eve, a group of cruisers went caroling around the harbor. It prompted us to decorate our cockpit – and ourselves - a bit. We almost forgot it was Christmas, having arrived in Cholon only an hour or so before!

Around 30 people gathered in the house on the hill that Christmas Day. The atmosphere was festive with Christmas decorations present in details like ear rings and clothes, wonderful dishes stalled out on a big table, kids playing around, cruisers socializing and the view over Cholon with lush islands dotting the lagoon was marvelous. The scrumptious food was a highlight, of course, and everybody had done their best to provide something special. Mark and I spent the whole morning making enough tostones and complementary sauce for an army. Whoever brought a gift was able to pick a wrapped gift or an already opened gift and a lot of laughter was had. We all had an interesting and tasty afternoon and appreciate Robert and Carmen’s hospitality to host this Christmas event in their “Crow’s Nest”!
 

View of Cholon and all the cruising boats from Robert's place "Crow's Nest".

The entrance to Cholon is a bit tricky - you have to pass very close by these palapas.

A bunch of cruisers caroling on Christmas Eve.

Sunset in peaceful Cholon.

A couple of picturesque islands dotting the area around Irie.

Bequia over Christmas and New Year

To be back in the water after three months in different houses on land and over a week in a dirty, wet and hot boat yard, felt wonderful. This is where Irie belongs and Mark and I as well. As long as the seas are manageable and the anchorages comfortable! We barely spent a week in Prickly Bay on the south coast of Grenada, before moving on. We needed that time to get the last preparations done so Irie would be “sail ready” again. We also had to catch up with our friends Sim and Rosie on Alianna and make Christmas plans…

According to plan, we made our way north, stayed a couple of nights in Carriacou and continued on with a full day of great sailing, until we reached the small island of Bequia in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a few days before Christmas. The most popular spot to anchor in Admiralty Bay is off pretty Princess Margaret Beach, where we dropped the hook in crystal clear water. Not too close to the beach, since there is no need for that anymore without Darwin. And, were we glad we didn’t! After two days in the anchorage, the waves started building and an enormous swell rolled into our part of the bay, starting to break pretty far out. All the boats were lifted ten feet higher than “normally”, up to a point it became a very scary and dangerous situation...

When 5 pm came around, it was really time to move! There was only one problem: right in front of us, another catamaran was anchored above our anchor, so we couldn’t pick it up. And, nobody was home to move the boat forward. A stressful moment, that required a solution before the sun went down. After waiting around for a little while, we decided to let go of our chain (with a float attached) and leave our main anchor behind, hoping it would still be there to pick up when the conditions settled down. That done, we started heading out, climbing over the massive waves, only to see our neighbors return… Back we went, dealing with the anchor and picking it up in an awful swell, urging the boat owners to nudge their boat a bit forward. I was at the helm, needing to get close to the other boat, where the anchor was, and, at the same time, trying not to get smashed on to it by the towering waves. Mark and I were a great team and we managed to get out of this hairy situation without damage or hurt, but our nerves needed a little while to settle down again!

Irie found a nice, cozy spot in a calmer part of the bay and Christmas came around. Sim and Rosie brought English style dishes, while we offered the American version of a Christmas dinner. Our friend Dave from Tatia had taken care of the hand made decorations, which took him days to produce. The atmosphere was festive and all five of us had a wonderful time. After the appetizers of freshly made pâté and Devil’s Eggs, we moved on to the buffet of roasted chicken, pot roasted beef, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, two kinds of gravy, cranberry sauce and home made stuffing. By the time we had stuffed ourselves, there was no room for dessert (assortment of Belgian chocolate)!

The week between Christmas and New Year was a combination of chores, internet work, celebrating Rosie’s birthday and some quiet time. One afternoon, our friends Tom and Angie surprised us with a visit. They had just arrived from the Canary Islands (Spain), after being 25 days at sea and hadn’t even been ashore yet! Another reason to just stay put until early January! New Year’s Eve was a bit less decadent food wise and also took place on Irie. All our friends brought an appetizer - or two - to share and we were accompanied by Tom and Angie as well. After dinner, we planned to go to shore to party, having saved some money by not eating out.

From the moment all of us were settled in the cockpit with a plate full of food, however, it started pouring! We moved inside and stayed there until midnight. At exactly 12 am, the rain took a break and we watched some spectacular fireworks (yes, we were all impressed; Bequia is a small Caribbean island after all) from Irie’s deck. Then, the drinking continued, people started making accessories out of paper, with a paper boat race as a result and - unlike previous years where we barely made midnight – at 3 am, Mark and I went to bed! Happy 2011 to you all!