Year 2 Northbound

Our second year cruising felt much easier than the first. While we visited many islands we had missed the first time we also made long stops at some of our favourites. Familiar landfalls are so-o-o-o much easier.

First stop was Grenada where a local choir was tuning up for Christmas.














We had a long stop in Prickly Bay waiting for a new gauge to be flown in from the US - and enjoyed many fine sunsets.




We wanted to be in Bequia for the holiday - it is a traditional stop for cruisers at Christmas. Particularly for Scandinavian boats since a Norwegian ex-cruiser now living ashore throws a gigantic party for anyone who can understand the language. We were taken by our friends on Galadriel - he speaks Swedish.















Beaches and sunshine at Christmas still feel odd!









Many stops are less scenic but feature nice little towns with comfortable anchorages and good services (such as a nice bakery to buy a baguette or two) within easy walking distance. This little square is in Ste. Anne on Martinique.






This is coming in to St Pierre also on Martinique, but not a very comfortable anchorage. However, we really wanted to see the ruinsof the old town destroyed when Mt Pelee in the background erupted a hundred years ago. A flourishing town of 30000 was destroyed.


Now a much smaller village has regrown on the same spot - nestled under the tropical greenery on the steep hillsides right behind the town.







From Martinique we visited our old favourites - Iles des Saintes - once again. And gained a new crew member. A small French stuffed rabbit named Lapin came aboard. Lapin features in many photographs we take now. We add captions and make the photos into picture story books for Ella and Nico - the grandkids. Lapin gets to show them Argo

and all the sights ashore - much more fun than pictures of Grandad and Grandmum doing those things!















Lapin's first trip ashore was a hike to the top of the island - a lookout tower left over from the Napoleonic era gave a great view of Le Bourg.



Les Saintes once again felt like home - with a French accent and we stayed for a week before rolly anchorages drove us north. The so-called Christmas winds blew well into the New Year but we found one tranquil day to make the passage from Gaudeloupe to Antigua starting from Pointe a Pitre well before sunrise in order to pass under the bridge which crosses the Riviere Salee on it's only daily opening at 0-dark-30.