Category: adventures

May 20, 2015

Goodbye Grenada, Hello Virgin Islands

I know, I know, I’m terribly behind in sharing with you all what we’ve been up to the last six months. I’ve been a bit more active on Facebook but it’s time I catch up here on the blog. Lets step back in time a bit…

It was the end of November when we decided to pack up and leave our cozy little anchorage as we waved ‘Goodbye Grenada’. Our friend Steve on Lunacy was aiming for the same weather window we were to head North before the Christmas Winds arrived, though he took off a few days before us (pictured above). He knew it would be a little rough but preferred to have enough wind to sail the entire way and not have to motor as long as he could help it. We, on the other hand, preferred to wait for slightly calmer waters.

Instead of island hopping up the chain, we plotted a course straight to USVI from Grenada. The first day offshore was a bit uncomfortable, but we had been through worse. Eventually the wind and waves subsided and we motor-sailed the rest of the way in the light and variable winds. Could we have handled the rougher conditions that Steve experienced and used less fuel? Sure. Did we want to put the stress on our boat and on ourselves? No. Because we have dogs on board, rough conditions make it very challenging to take the dogs potty on deck and to simply make sure they’re safe. Gunner is getting older and we agreed it would be better for all of us if we took it easy.

I’d say Gunner was comfortable, wouldn’t you? :)

It was just us and the ocean. All alone. We were maybe 100nm away at most from any land though it felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere. After living in Grenada for a solid 4 months it was really strange to be on a passage again. Only this time, we felt at home. It was a new experience in the sense that it was our longest offshore passage to date, though we knew what to expect and we were prepared in a way that we hadn’t been before. A little bit of experience goes a long way.

I had made a few ziplocks full of popcorn to snack on and the dogs sure were happy to share. It’s been Gunner’s favorite treat since he was a puppy so he was pretty excited when Peter kept tossing him some as we leisurely cruised along.

We saw gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, each with new palettes of colors painting the entire sky.

We saw The Green Flash and even captured it on camera a few times… Can you see it? Look close.

Before we knew it, three and a half days had passed by and we were sailing into the US Virgin Islands. We passed by St. Croix and headed for Great St. James Island. Little did we know, Christmas Cove would be our home for the next six months.

We are currently STILL sitting in Christmas Cove and preparing to had back down island for Hurricane Season. Stay tuned for photos of all the friends and family that came down to visit and kept us busy during the last six months!

April 12, 2015

We’re Still Here! 6-month recap

Lately, I’ve done a terrible job at keeping up with the blog! I think it’s been a whole month since I posted something here last.

Please accept my apologies for the gap in publishing and please keep checking back for new stories. There is SO much I want to share with you all but life on a boat is actually quite busy on the Mary Christine. The dogs keep us busy and there are of course always projects to work on and things to fix.

When we left Grenada (pictured below) we bee-lined it up to the Virgin Islands in a 3 and a half day passage. Ever since, we’ve had guests on board for almost more time than we’ve been alone. We LOVE sharing this life of ours with family and friends but it leaves little time for me to write both here and over at Tiny House Blog. If you don’t hear from me or see new posts for awhile, just know that we are off doing something really cool ;)

Here’s a little glimpse of what our last six months have looked like:

November – Izzy – 10 days

December – Dad and Stacy – 3 weeks

January – Lucy (Peter’s aunt) and Julie (Cousin) – 8 days

January – Wiley (Peter’s step-dad) and his sister Emma – 8 days

February – Captain’s School – all month

March – I worked at Pizza Pi helping out for a week and photographed a wedding!

March – Michael and Stacie – 7 days

April – Michael and Stacie – 5 days

April – Mom and Kevin are here on the boat with us now for two weeks :)

I know some of you that read the blog do not use Facebook. Please know that even if you don’t have a Facebook account, you can still see what we’ve been up to! Our Facebook page is public and you can check it out anytime, just like you visit this site. www.facebook.com/wherethecoconutsgrow – Consider it as our ‘second’ website! This is where I post most of our updates, random photos and current info about what is going on in our world. We’ve shared some crazy adventures recently ;) If you’re already following us there, THANK YOU for liking our page! We love to see your comments!

Just in case you missed some of the recent posts I’ve done on tinyhouseblog.com, here’s a recap of the posts published in February!

Tiny Floating Homes: Necesse – A tiny house tour of SV Necesse, home to our good friends Eben, Genevieve, Arias and Ellia. >>Click here<< for the full article

Outside My Window: Grenada – Living in a tiny floating home and exploring new places all over the world. >>Click here<< for the full article.

Tiny Floating Homes: Chance – Kelley and Jason traded in their Brooklyn studio for a 34′ sailboat back in 2012. Chance has been the perfect boat for them and their two dogs, but the time has come to find something just a little bigger. >>Click here<< for the full article.

Pet Food Storage In Small Places – Creative storage solutions for a LOT of dry dog food in a tiny floating home >>Click here<< for the full article.

Hopefully this will give you some reading material until the next post here on Where The Coconuts Grow :) We’re currently on vacation with Mom and Kevin sailing around St. Thomas, St. John and the BVIs!

March 11, 2015

IZZY IN THE ISLANDS

It feels like yesterday that our friend Izzy was here on the boat with us…

Peter and I had been chatting with Izzy over emails for quite some time. He found us while searching for cruising blogs with dogs and had a-million-and-one questions about how we went from zero sailing experience to being liveaboards in the Caribbean. He had questions about having a dog on board, safety in foreign countries, how we have access to the internet, what we do for food, and all kinds of other questions about the cruising lifestyle. He seemed genuinely interested in the whole experience and was very appreciative of the time we spent talking with him. We knew there was something special about this guy, so we kept writing back.

You see, Izzy has the same dream we once did to sell everything, buy a boat and sail away with his furry four-legged best friend. He desperately wants to leave the rat-race behind and go explore the world. He shares our passion for the sea, for the tropical sun and for the feeling of freedom you get when you hoist those beautiful white sails and turn off the engine.

We invited Izzy down to come sailing with us and see what this lifestyle is all about. He arrived in Grenada toward the beginning of November just after our haul out. We took him grocery shopping in Grenada and showed him how to get around. Then we showed him our whole routine. Docking the boat for fuel, cleaning the bottom of the boat, securing the outboard motor before a passage, navigating through channels, trolling fishing lines under way, and many other operational tasks. He learned about watermakers, engine maintenance, marine plumbing, and all kinds of other bits of knowledge we’ve acquired over the last year and a half.

We left Grenada and sailed up to Sandy Island just North of Carriacou. Peter and I had been there before and wanted to show Izzy the pretty beach and great snorkeling.

Peter showed him how he dives the anchor to make sure it’s dug into the sand well. We even had him watch underwater as I backed the boat down in reverse so he could actually see the anchor dig in.

It’s a good thing we took extra care making sure our ground tackle was secure because later that night Izzy experienced his very first squall. We had gone over to visit our friends Mike and Jennifer on Three Sheets for sundowners and dinner when a 30-knot squall barreled through. It was pitch-black and we had anchored in the back of the pack just in front of a reef. It was more stormy than we cared to venture out in by dinghy to go check on the boat so we sat tight on Three Sheets and waited out the storm. Our Delta anchor held solid, though my stomach was in knots the entire time.

That night we laughed so hard we all got an ab workout and Izzy was super stoked to experience first hand just how amazing the cruising community really is. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to meet such kind people that all share a similar passion. We’re pretty sure he was already hooked but this night really sealed the deal :)

To put the icing on the cake, we took Izzy to the Grenadines and made our way over to the Tobago Cays. Our first trip there a month before was amazing but seeing it again was just unreal. The view is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and I’m pretty sure Izzy felt like he was in a dream too.

We swam with turtles and dove along the drop-off at Petit Tabac. Izzy got the full Caribbean experience in our favorite place of all time.

We visited with our friends Dustin and Courtney on Captiva over an incredible gourmet lobster dinner and Izzy heard even more amazing cruising stories.

I’m short and all… but Peter was standing up hill from me, I swear :)

We hope Izzy had a good time, we know we sure did! He is back in LA now tying up some loose ends and selling many of his belongings. When he finds the perfect cruising boat he plans on moving aboard with his dog, Kova, and then he’ll prepare the boat to meet up with us (we hope!) down island.

Izzy is a fantastic writer and an INCREDIBLY GIFTED artist, illustrator, designer and instructor. If you’re interested in learning more about Izzy and why he is choosing this amazing life at sea, click >>here<<. If you’d like to follow his progress be sure to check out his website: www.artaboard.com

We’re currently in the US Virgin Islands looking for work now that Peter has completed all the coursework for his 100-ton Masters Captain’s license! Do you know anyone that’s hiring?

March 8, 2015

The Windtraveler Twins Turn ONE!

You probably know by now that Brittany and Scott have returned to Asante with Isla and the twins to pick up where they left off cruising around the Caribbean. It’s even more awesome that just a few days ago the Windtraveler twins, Mira and Haven, turned ONE! Can you believe it?

We had sailed over to Maho Bay, St. John earlier in the week for Genevieve’s super fun surprise party on a local floating bar, Angel’s Rest. I still can’t believe Genevieve and Brittany got me to jump ;) Be sure to check out all the shenanigans >>here<<.

For the twins’ first birthday, March 6th, we got everyone together again on shore for a little celebration which turned out to be a picture perfect location for this very special event. With Arias and Ellia (SV Necesse) and Isla, Haven and Mira (SV Asante) the beach was overflowing with cuteness!

It’s pretty obvious from the photos, but these darling babies really are THIS happy in person! Their little personalities are bigger than life and so different from one another. Hats off to Brittany and Scott for living on a boat with three under three and making it look so easy!

I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to capture all these gorgeous photos on such a special day, though it was so hard to choose my favorite photos. There are dozens more, but these are the ones I couldn’t wait to share…

February 10, 2015

Carriacou Round Two

After our mini vacation to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we checked out of the country at Union Island and sailed back South to Carriacou.

Our friends Mike and Rebecca on One Love were making the same passage so we snagged a few photos as they passed us.

Somewhere along the way, Peter decided to check the fishing lines. We had two out and there is usually Sargassum weed tangled around the lures. It seems to be everywhere between the Caribbean Islands, making trolling for fish a real chore.

Just as he was bringing in the cedar plug, he got a bite not more than 10 feet from the boat and the fish took off! I leaped up to slow the boat down and bring in the other line while Peter reeled his in. Just then, we both saw it jump. He had hooked a gorgeous Sailfish! Sailfish are “highly prized game fish, and are known for their incredible jumps and great speed. They can swim 100 m in 4.8 sec.” Read more