Sailing Maracudja

28/09/2024

We are safe and sound in Indiana. Some winds yesterday and lots of rain still going on. Branches down in the ground and one big tree that fell in the campground thankfully not affecting anyone.

On a good note, our friends Cindy Harlow Speth and Tom Speth of SV OopSea picked us up yesterday and spent the afternoon and evening taking us to two beautiful historic hotels in the area dating back to the early 1900’s, Chicago Mafia and bootlegging era.

We met in Luperon, Dominican Republic in early 2020 as we were making our way south. We became fast friends and had some crazy adventures together 😃. Unfortunately we separated in Samana and due to unforeseen circumstances were unable to get together again as we were all sailing the Caribbean. Until last night. Almost 5 years! But it was just like yesterday 🥰

10/07/2024

Karen McLain Michele Godfrey Hughes
This is so sad. That beautiful church at the top of Mayreau has been destroyed 😢. Those people’s life were spared 🙏

Mayreau resident Norbert Dembar battled inside a church for two hours to save 40 of his fellow islanders during the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, 2024.

04/07/2024

It’s been a while since I posted but this is extremely important. The tiny island of Carriacou is where we spent a lot of time with our beloved Maracudja and where we left our boat during two summers in a row while we went back to the states.

Hurricane Berryl, category 4, yesterday devastated the island along with Petite Martinique, the island of Mayreau and Union Island as well. 75 people missing and at least 3 dead so far in Carriacou . Everyone is homeless and they are badly in need of supplies. Please donate to provide them the most basic needs. Share this post with your friends and family. Thank you 🙏

On 1 July, the eye of Hurricane Beryl bore down on two tiny i… Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada MAYAG needs your support for Help the people of Carriacou and Petite Martinique recover

15/02/2024

It’s official: Maracudja is no longer ours 😭😭😭 we have turned the keys over to its new owners. On November 12, 2019 we left our home port of Lake Worth Florida direction the Caribbean.
We did our best to care for her and in return she has protected us and carried us across oceans, island to island. A total of 18 countries and 84 islands 😃. Personally I am so glad Gary talked me into doing this. What an adventure we lived! We know Maracudja will be lovingly taken care of. She has a lot more to give.
For us new adventures will be happening this year. More of that later, I’ll keep you in suspense a little longer 🤫😜. So to all of you waiting to follow your dream…. Don’t wait, we only have one life and you don’t know what’s around the corner. Live your dream, dont dream your life 💛

04/02/2024

October 2020: we were invited by Doc, a local of Grenada, to join him at the Hot Springs in the mountain. A hole that he dug with his son and set up as a little pool. Surrounded by lushes greens and beautiful flowers, it was a wonderful escape from the coast.
With Patrick and Karen McLain, Doc, Rosie and her granddaughter. Thank you Doc and Rosie for taking us there.

02/02/2024

February 1 2024: Maracudja is so pretty with her new bottom paint and stipe and is all shiny ready for her new owner 😄😢

01/02/2024

March 2023 in the Dominican Republic: On our way to Luperon the North Coast, we ran over our own fishing lines while jibing (making a large turn) 🤦🏻‍♀️. Gary had to dive in the questionably very dirty waters of Luperon (high tide only) to get this mess off the propeller. Living on a boat definitely has its challenges.

31/01/2024

March 2023: the wild horses of Vieques. They don’t belong to anyone and just roam around the island. We were anchored right off the beach and could watch them walk back and forth in between the sunbathers 😄

30/01/2024

March 2020: just before the world ended! Well when Covid started anyway and shut everything down, we sailed to Île Fourchue between St. Martin and St. Barth. A little paradise ❤️

29/01/2024

November 2021: With friends from SV Maeve we toured the Trois Rivières rum plantation via quad cars. Beautiful views from all around and a lot of fun too

28/01/2024

March 2022: Carnaval in Guadeloupe. It’s that time of year again. For the cruisers in Guadeloupe, there is a parade every weekend in Guadeloupe right now. Find out when and where and go see it. The best one in my opinion is the last one in Basse-Terre. It includes the best troupes of the island

27/01/2024

December 2022: Touring the island of St. Vincent two years after the Soufrière volcano eruption. A very beautiful island.

26/01/2024

June 2022: The mud baths of St.Lucia 😃. The Soufrier volcano of St.Lucia last erupted in the 1700’s. It is considered a dormant volcano but still has hot gases coming at of cracks in the earth. The island also has lots of natural springs so together create these wonderful hot spring. In this particular case, the spring is mix with the volcano ashes and spaces were dug for these mud baths making it a fun activity that tourists and locals love to experience. We were not immune 😁

25/01/2024

The view from up above in Port Elizabeth, Bequia. Our first walk OFF the boat after being quarantined for 24 days on the boat due to Covid-19. Even after that, we were so happy to be living this life.

24/01/2024

September 2020. River tubing down the Balthazar River in Grenada. A great way to spend the afternoon. Getting in that cold water was so refreshing and then lunch with friends. Great times 😀

23/01/2024

Everyday I’ll share a picture of our travels through the Caribbean for the last 4 years:

My first time riding a motorcycle… in the Dominican Republic…no helmets! I had the time of my life 🤪🫣🥰

31/12/2023

We did so much in 2023 and traveled a long way to be back where we started. From Martinique in January we sailed back to Florida and discovered new islands like Montserrat, Statia, Saba, and Vieques and a few new ones in the Bahamas along with reconnecting with old friends while making new ones. In between spending time with family, we drove to Virginia, Upstate New York and Washington DC. We moved back into our old home for the time being anyway, I started walking long distances, we put Maracudja up for sale and Gary is helping our son Mathew with his new to him camping van.

Let see what the New Year 2024 brings us.

Happy New Year to all 🍾🎉

23/12/2023

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Sometimes life is not easy so we wish to all those we love that 2024 will bring you happiness and joy.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à tous ceux qu’on aime 🥰