Life Aboard & Abroad

Since we’ve been back stateside, we have had plenty of questions about life aboard a sailboat.  So we’ve decided to answer some of those questions in todays blog by describing what life aboard was like for us.  Feel free to post new questions in the comment area below and don’t forget to help us win a trip to Argentina by clicking here!

Life Aboard:  The Day Begins

The sun is nature’s Alarm Clock.  It happened every morning despite our best efforts to crawl further into the shadows of our bunks.  Still, there was no hiding from the sun once it rose high enough to shine through the open hatches.  But it was a nice, gradual way of waking up.  Nothing like the annoying screaming of my alarm clock now.  But thinking back on the size of my small quarter berth, I don’t think I’ll ever complain about having a small apartment again.

Sleeping soundly in my bunk.

Once we had crawled out of our bunks and had a good stretch it was time for a shower.  Nothing shocks you awake like diving off the boat into cool Caribbean waters.  I miss personal hygiene being this simple.  It was as easy as falling over board.  Since most bathing was done outdoors, modesty really wasn’t a practiced concept in most anchorages.  Eventually, we got used to seeing our neighbors’ bare asses …and having them see ours.

Our morning shower. Photo courtesy of www.djkphotos.com

Shave Optional:  On days that I deemed a good shave necessary I would shave with a bucket of saltwater and a dull razor.  I definitely don’t miss this.  Its unbelievable the amount of hair that gathers all over the boat.  It was a daily chore just having to sweep it all up.  So it was just easier to do all my shaving over a bucket.  Thats probably why I didn’t shave so much.  And I have no idea how Alyson managed all her shaving.

Next comes a saltwater shave from a bucket.

Transportation:  Life without a car

Its strange.  I love to drive, and I drive a lot.  My ole pick-up truck has covered a lot of ground in the past 10 years, and I would definitely rather drive 1000 miles than fly the same distance.  That being said, I didn’t really miss having a car at all.  As a matter of fact, life without a car forced us to plan better, be more resourceful and more outgoing.  Which in turn, led to new friendships and experiences we would not have made otherwise.

the Dinghy:  Our dry way of getting to shore.  Even though we got along fine without a car, there was no living aboard without a dinghy.

Going for a Sunday drive.

There never seems to be any good, free dinghy docks in the Caribbean.  Most are dangerous, falling apart, or costly.  Even though this one in Curacao was so small, it was probably one of the best kept we saw.  Trying to get a parking spot here on grocery day was a nightmare though.

Trying to find a parking spot.

We always did a ton of walking which we really enjoyed.  Especially since we didn’t have a busy schedule we could take all the time we wanted to explore on foot.  As long as we made it back by sunset.   Even now Alyson and I look for excuses to walk places instead of driving.

Going to town.

Public Transportation in the southern Caribbean and South America rocked! Although we had to learn to be more patient and arrange our plans a little better, it was still a nice way to get around. We survived off the bus systems in Curacao, and the Maxi-Taxis in Grenada are great, but no one could beat the efficiency and cheap prices of taxis in Cartagena.

We literally spent hours a day waiting for buses.

After months of travel, distance became a relative concept. It wasn’t long before walking miles for even the smallest things became no big deal.

Here we walked nearly 2 miles to get a cold drink.

And for those occasions when we needed to cover great distances, we could always rent a car or scooter.  It was on these days that we got the need for speed out of our systems.

Alyson with our rented scooter. Photo courtesy of www.djkphotos.com

The Bare Necessities

The most basic necessity of life:  Water…for coffee

Every few days (depending on fresh water showers and consumption) was water day.  This meant having to replenish the boat’s water tanks with clean, fresh drinking water brought from shore.  This experience really taught me a lot about the importance of water conservation.  Especially, since I was the guy having to haul all the water back to the boat.  Here I am topping up the tanks.

Doing laundry on a boat is all about how long can you go without having to do it.  Its a hassle.  It takes up a lot of fresh water if you do it aboard, and still doesn’t come out that clean.  And if you take it to the laundry mats ashore you could end up spending a bundle…because you’ve waited so long to do laundry that you have to wash all your clothes now.

For this reason, many sailors prefer to just stay naked when aboard.  Or at the very most they just wear a  swim suit each day.  A few times, Alyson and I were able to do some impromptu laundry during the afternoon rain showers in Curacao.

Alyson doing our laundry.

We get a lot of questions about buying food. We just went to the grocery store and purchased food with our debit cards. The same as anywhere else. Every once in a while, we would visit the open air markets to find new and interesting delicacies. The brown root looking vegetable in the photo below is a Yucca plant, and it tastes amazing when cooked like a fried potato.

Going to Market.

We ate pretty well, but most often when other people cooked.  On the days when we felt ambitious enough, we would make some pretty good meals in the galley though (including Hayashi-Chuyuka, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Po-Boy Sandwiches.)

Alyson pulling one of her homemade pizzas from the oven.

We ate a lot of seafood.  Catching fish off the boat is like having a pizza delivered for dinner.  Free food without even having to leave the house.  One of our favorite ways of preparing the fish was Sashimi style.  This eliminates even having to cook it. Bonus!

Fishing with Paul on SunRunner.

Here are three pretty Bonitas caught, cleaned and ready for the cook.

An easy supper tonight!

And on nights when cooking on board was too much of a hassle, we could just go out to eat.

Going out to eat.

Today’s post is a little different. Instead of me droning on for an hour, for you slow readers, or twenty-eight seconds, for those realizing they got the wrong site, I would like to present you with a cinematic master piece. A MONTAGE!!!

But before you cringe let me also say that it has music, and dolphins jumping, and oceans, and an amazing car race with scantly clad women….OK the last part is a lie.

It’s a video re-cap of our sailing journey across the southern Caribbean from Grenada to Colombia, over 1000 nautical miles, 7 months, and 2 sailboats later.

So go pop some pop-corn, sit back and relax!

Sailing The Southern Caribbean from Hop & Jaunt on Vimeo.

It’s also on YouTube if you have a preference.

I think your pop-corn is ready now.

Happy New Years from the Crew at Hop & Jaunt Travelouges!  We’re excited about the new adventures and travels that lay ahead in 2010.  But before we jaunt into the last year of the decade, lets hop back and take a look at some of our favorite experiences from the past year.   Its Hop & Jaunt’s Top Ten Favorite Adventures of 2009.

10.)  Beach Bumming at Roger’s Bar on Hog Island, Grenada

Roger's Beach Bar - Hog Island, Grenada

Roger’s Bar on Hog Island was our first Caribbean experience after joining Alyson’s parents on Quercus.  Roger’s ramshackle beach shack not only had the appearance of being thrown together with driftwood, bamboo and palm leaves, but it literally was put together with nothing more than driftwood, bamboo and palm leaves.  Many afternoon ‘sundowners’ turned into late night ‘howl at the moon’ sessions underneath the glow of the single 12 Volt powered light bulb.  Live reggae music, sand between your toes and always a cold beer set the perfect mood for mingling and socializing with the  locals and sailors from around the world.  To read more click here.

9.)  Baby Sitting a Whale in Curacao

Giving baby Sully a tummy rub.

While boat sitting in Curacao we decided to try a little baby sitting as well.  We volunteered to watch after a 10 foot baby pilot whale that was being nursed back to health.  Sully the pilot whale was beached by his family after becoming too ill to keep up with the rest of his pod.  Efforts by local marine biologist and volunteers helped to restore the baby whale back to full health.  We spent a few nights lying by Sully’s pen keeping him company as he vied for our attention by requesting several belly rubs.  It was an experience we will always remember.  Unfortunately efforts to integrate Sully back into the wild have failed, and there are talks that he will be moved to a tank in Sea World, San Diego.  For more click here.

8.)  Oil Down in the Jungle

Hiking into the Jungle for an Oil Down Party

One of the most authentically local island days we’ve had. We joined a young group of locals and sailors for a cook out by the jungle rivers up in the mountains of Grenada. The dish we cooked was a local delicacy called an “oil down” because the different oils sink to the bottom of the pot.  As Grenada is one of the famed ‘spice isles’ we drove through the island picking up our fresh ingredients from along the road, people’s yards, and in the trees.  After a hike through the jungle with our pots pots, herbs, and breadfruit we jumped in the river to cool down before building a fire and cooking our very own “oil down” in the jungle. Click here to read more.

Cooking Oil Down in the Jungle

7.)  Windsurfing in Curacao

Windsurf Curacao

While anchored in Spanish Waters in Curacao, we were constantly watching windsurfers whizz by us.  So when we were given the opportunity to learn ourselves, we jumped all over it! Though I would not say we were exactly graceful during our first lessons we did manage to pick up the basics and enjoyed surfing past our friends on the sailboats.  To read more click here.

6.)  Scootering Around Bonaire

Our Macho Scooter from Bonaire

One of our most favorite days was just riding around the small Dutch island of Bonaire on our rented scooter.  Speeding on the curvy roads alongside breathtaking cliffs that plunge down into the blue-green sea was an incredible way to see the island.  We spotted ponds of flamingos, scattering iguanas, and the occasional wild donkey.  Nothing like having the salty sea wind whip by your face as you race full speed through the desert.  We also enjoyed Bonaire for the unbelievable snorkeling.  The underwater wildlife was other-worldly yet beautiful.  Its definitely somewhere we would like to visit again.  For more photos and video click here.

5.)  Scuba Diving in Curacao

Spotted Eagle Ray

Speaking of breathtaking sea life we can’t forget to mention our scuba excursions off the coast of Curacao.  Thanks to our good friend and dive instructor Andy along with some money earned by cleaning boat bottoms, we were able to obtain our Scuba certifications.  The sensation of being 65 feet below the sea’s surface is both tranquil and intense.  The imagery we saw would be difficult to explain in words.  I can only recommend that you do it for yourself.  The fish and coral are like living works of art.  One moment in particular that stands out for us was our very first time diving together.  It was just Alyson and I…and one curious Spotted Eagle Ray.  The sight of that giant ray gracefully flying through the water as he circled us was awesome.  For more Curacao adventures click here.

4.)  Festivals in Cartagena

Festival Parade in Cartagena

Everyone loves a good party, and no one does it quite like Cartagena.  The beautiful old world city is the perfect setting for the week long celebration of parades, fireworks, and concerts.  We had a blast hanging out with our good friends as we all joined in the fun.  The festivities were filled with amazing costumes and dances with plenty of good food and beer, not to mention the all out foam wars.  A not to miss for those energetic enough to last the never ending fiestas.  Plenty of photos and videos here.

3.)  Sailing the Seas

Alyson tanning on deck.

The only way to travel, there is nothing like coming into port by sailboat.  While we have been to some amazing places and done some pretty cool things, one of our favorite parts was just getting from point  A to B.  At times it was relaxing and easy going.  Other times we were wet, tired, and struggling to keep wind in the sails.  Still we love it.  The splashing of dolphins on the bow.  Catching fish underway.  And being alone in the cockpit on a late night watch with just the millions of brilliant stars above.  If you ever want to have an experience of a lifetime…then go to sea.

Click here for more tales of the Spanish Main.

2.)  Turtle Watching in Los Testigos

Watching the Turtles Lay Eggs

We will always remember that dark night on the east coast of Testigos when we watched the giant, dinosaur-like sea turtles emerge from the crashing sea waves.  Their immense size and prehistoric appearance reminded us of how enormous and old the world really is.  Its important to have moments like that every once in a while.  We were also surprised by the gentle nature and careful precision of such an odd and slow animal.  These turtle mothers plan their nests with the most patient manner.  They are actually quite capable of digging with incredible accuracy.  Not to mention the delicate care they treat each egg with.  The whole experience was in a word…beautiful.

Click here to read more.

1.)  Our Secret Cove

Alyson Drinking Coconut Milk at Secret Cove

Everyone out traveling and sailing is looking for that one paradise spot.  The one isolated, remote, and private place that makes you say, “this will always be our spot”, and from then on when you think of paradise its the image that comes to mind.  Ours was secret cove.  Sailing along the Colombian coast and through the morning mist we were awed by the landscape before us:  Beaches, rainforests, water falls, and snow capped mountains.  We spent nearly a week in Secret Cove enjoying the snorkeling, dinghy sailing, beach BBQs, midnight rows, and being away from the rest of the world. You know, this spot actually has it’s own name, but it will always be our secret cove.

See more amazing photos and video of ‘Our Secret Cove’ here.

Beach BBQ at Secret Cove

If you would like to go back and read the blogs about each of these places just click on the link after each paragraph.  Thanks to all our readers who have followed us this year and to all our good friends we’ve made along the way.  We hope you all have a Happy New Years and look forward to seeing you again soon in 2010.

We have now been in Curacao for over three months and the time has come to move on. The situation with us, however, is very different now than it was when we entered the island. My parents, Michael and Donna, have decided to return to the States where they will pursue a whole new adventure and life on the mainland. The reason we are even in Curacao right now is due to their one comment over ten months ago. “If you are looking at having an adventure or going off sailing, why don’t you come with us for a while and see if you really like this life style.” The rest, as they say, is history. We sailed and lived aboard their 36’ steel sailboat, Quercus, for over five months and have sailed across the Caribbean together. John and I not only had a blast but we were able to learn a lot in a short time that other wise would have taken us years and far more painful mistakes to get. Thank you Mom and Dad. P.S. My Mom is a photographer and she took some amazing photos from our trip and also from around the Caribbean, go check out her site at djkphotos.

My parents left roughly a month ago and since then John and I have been onboard alone. Quercus has been sold to a nice young Australian couple. They could not get to the boat for a month and so we agreed to watch over her and take care of her while we lived here. It has worked out great, not only did we have a nice safe place to stay but we got to truly experience what living on a boat on your own is like. We were expecting this period to be rather quiet and maybe we would even get a lot of personal projects done, such as updating this blog more! But as it turned out this month has been the busiest we’ve had in some time. We started our design “business” and have bartered free windsurfing lessons for some graphic design work. (p.s. From now on just click on photos in blog to view larger or for slideshow!)

Curacao Windsurf Diploma

I also designed a website for an amazing luxury yacht, named Astahaya. If you ever want to ACTUALLY sip on a cocktail while watching the sunset in paradise on a boat this is the way to do it. John worked on setting up and teaching a couple of close friends how to use and manage a blog. When we were not doing “office” work we (and I mean mostly John) also stumbled upon a thriving business, cleaning bottoms….boat bottoms that is. The water in Spanish Waters is like a warm lake, it is not the prettiest waters in the world. In these warm waters thing grow incredibly fast. A sailboat, in order to operate efficiently, needs to have a clean hull and prop. While we had no scuba gear, during this trip we have discovered that John is a good free-diver. So off he went diving under boats with nothing but a mask and a scraper.

One of the most pleasant aspects of these past months in Curacao is that we have met a ton of amazing people and have become close friends with many. Due to the people we have met we have also been able to take part in and enjoy a lot of new experiences. Here’s a short re-cap of the past few weeks.

We met Tom and Christian in Curacao, but they had actually been family friends for a while. Over the past few months we have become close friends and have spent a great deal of time together. When they found out that not only was Curacao hosting a gay pride week “Get Wet” but that we have never been to one before they insisted that we go along for the ride. Luckily for us, the event was advertised as “straight friendly!” It turned out to be a great weekend between having dinners in swanky restaurants, watching a movie by the beach in a designer bar, and several surprises along the way as well.

Tom & Christian

Tom is a kitchen wiz, and so is Christian, so when we invited them over to dinner I was a little nervous about their reactions. They are sweet but I can imagine they would be brutally honest as well! I cooked a few Japanese home style dishes since I figured it would be new for them. After some juicy Kara-age (fired chicken)

Kara-Age, Ummm Yummy

and Hiyashi-Chiyuka (summer noodles). It was a big hit if I may say so myself. I gave Tom the recipe and he has even cooked it for his guest…not bad for a girl who still can’t make white sauce. The first night’s reception was held in the historic and beautiful Hotel Kulanda.

Kulanda

The hotel is more like a miniature city preserved since the colony began as you wonder around the cobble stone streets.

Hotel Kulanda BuildingHotel Kulanda

Hotel Kulanda

Dance

Africa Shaped Statue

Night Out With Tom & Christian

Rainbow

Reception Night

Pride Week

The second day was a movie night at the designer bar and club, The Moon, where we lounges on sofas watching a movie outdoors. By good timing the full moon was actually out as well. The Moon is a must see for those interested in good design and cool spots while on Curacao.

The Moon The Moon Pool

The Moon Private Dining

The Moon BarMovie Night by the Beach

Night Out

The last night was a beach party. It was to be held right by where we were anchored. We just took the dingy over and watched a live DJ spin tunes in front of the beach while people danced or got thrown into the kiddy pool. Alot of the people we had met in the island over the last few months showed up, and we all talked danced, and sometimes swam until late at night.

On the 29th of September John turned 27. That morning, as we talked about in this post, we baby sat Sully, the pilot whale. What we had to do afterwards with barely any sleep was to head downtown to the immigrations office. We were in the process of requesting an extension to our visas so that we could sail out in a safe weather window. So we spent several hours in the office to find we had not only gotten nowhere but that the Coast Guard had been trying to find our boat for a week and had not been able to. I figured this was due to the fact that a U.S. Diplomat for Curacao had mysteriously gone missing near Spanish Waters just that week. I am guessing the C.G. had bigger issues to work on than finding our boat for a paperwork related matter. After a quick lunch in town we got back on the bus going home and wearily made our way back to our safe heaven, good ol’ Quercus. For this special occasion we had stopped at the grocery store on the way home and had bought cake mix, whip cream, and fresh cold milk! A rare treat in our current life. Unfortunately getting off the bus means you have to wait an hour for the same bus to make his lope and get back to you. The poor milk.

Safely back on board and after a nice nap I woke up and began cooking a sponge cake for John. Since we had no candles I had gotten some red plums and sliced them to spell 27…somewhat.

John turns 27

Happy Birthday!

27th Cake

We sat on the cockpit and enjoyed our cake and milk in the first moment of calm since leaving for town hours earlier. Not three bites into our second piece did we spy the giant inflatable Coast Guard boat coming up beside us. So much for a break! We then spent the next hour going through paperwork, and looking over the boat before they wished John a happy birthday and left us in their wake. We had originally planned on taking the extra cake up to the cruiser’s social to share and have a drink to celebrate. But after the ordeal of the day we just turned off all the lights and radios, plugged in the computer and settled into for a movie night. We found out days later that several good friends of ours, Tom, Christian, Otto, and Lilly had planned on a surprise birthday party and had even baked a beautiful cake for us but couldn’t get a hold of us! Don’t worry though, Tom & Christian have a big fridge and the cake was much appreciated a few days later. Thanks again everyone!

In the last weeks we managed to wrap up our windsurfing lessons, and are now ready to surf! For his birthday, and with his bottom cleaning money John was able to get his diver’s certification through another friend we had made on the island, Andy the Divemaster. In three short days John was able to get his certification, on his last day Andy even gave us a free tank so that we could go dive together alone. The water was crystal clean and as we descended downward near 60ft. we were in a dreamlike world of colors. While I was lost in the dreamlike world floating around I saw John’s eye’s pop out and he started pointing at something right behind my shoulder. Half hoping he was playing another one of his hilarious pranks on me I turned around to face a White Spotted Eagle Ray swimming right behind me! The Ray glided through the water and with it’s unique beak-like mouth and soaring motions there is no other description than to say it was flying. It circled around us several times and we watched in awe. As it slowly disappeared into greater deaths we turned back towards the shore and began swimming up. On the way back we did get to see a giant green Eel hiss at us from it’s hole. Those things really are as evil and mean looking as the Little Mermaid led me to believe years before.

These last few days we have truly began to feel like traveling nomads for the first time. The new owner came to pick up Quercus a few days ago and since then we have been bouncing around from friends to friend’s couches. However, since everyone has been so fun to be with it has helped ease the tension of being slightly homeless. Giancarlo and Luisa let us stay onboard their boat and we spent the next day running around town getting boats sorted out. We ended up on the breath taking coast line. Joost, even though he had a huge deadline that night let us stay at his place for a few days. Thank you everyone again!

Cliff Hugger

Coast Line John

Cliff Walkers

Windy Day By The Ocean

Resort Juust

Tomorrow we move aboard s/y Sunrunner with Captain Paul to begin our journey westward to Colombia. We will be sailing along the coast and having heard such great things about it we are excited to get started. Fair seas to all.

July 9th

Spanish Waters

As “Land Ahoy!” echoed through Quercus, our sailboat, a flock of neon pink flamingos flew past us headed back to Bonaire. We had sailed out of Kralendjik, Bonaire, earlier that morning and after another quick down wind sail we were rounding the southern tip of Curacao. The wind was 20-25kts with the waves around 5-7ft and we were under full genoa and main. Our destination in Curacao was Spanish Waters, one of the most protected natural harbors in the Caribbean. A perfect hurricane hole outside of the main hurricane paths. Curacao actually has two such natural harbors, and ever since Columbus’s scout “discovered” Curacao there has been a political tug-of-war between the Spanish and Dutch over the island. In the 1800s Dutch finally gained total control and it has remained a Dutch island for the past two hundred years.

The entrance to Spanish Waters is a very narrow channel no wider than 50-75ft at the most. It is extremely difficult to be certain exactly where the entrance is just by eyeballing it from the rolling ocean for the first time. As we neared the marked spot on our charts Mom and I went forward as look outs and John and Captain manned the helm and sails. Just as we were approaching this critical point in our trip I spied a Coast Guard cutter steaming full speed at us from our rear. While we had to contend with a stiff breeze and choppy seas this ship’s wake was twice as large as the waves in the ocean, some 9-11ft! As it continued toward us at that reckless speed I could see that it would cause wet and rough trouble for us.

I started waving frantically to get them to either slow down or to move away from us. They seemed to get the message about their wake and slowed down at the niche of time but inched closer to our boat and began calling out to us on their megaphone. After a few minuets of chaotic gesturing, while we were also busy trying to lower the sails, not run aground, spot the entrance, the captain finally was able to get them on the radio. The Coast Guard then proceeded to ask for detailed information regard the people on board, passport numbers, saftey equipment, ship documents, all the while we are trying to stay oncoarse. Unlike when you get pulled over in a car, on the ocean, especially when so close to shore you can’t just stop and sit still. The boat keeps moving. Thus by the time the Coast Guard were satisfied and turned to go chase down other ships we had already passed our entrance by several miles! Heading around and clobbering upwind we finally were able to turn into the channel. The weather was slightly overcast and the visibility through the water was nearly zero. Even with depth sounding equipment, the best practice on board when entering new and shallow harbors is to keep a sharp eye out. As we wound our way up the narrow path and avoided running aground some very shallow patches the channel opened up wide and revealed Spanish Waters.

Anchor down, coffee water boiling, and we are finally safe and sound in Curacao. Looking around there are more sailboats anchored here than we had seen in the past few months. There are ships of every shape and size anchored, windsurfers racing around the boats, and tiny little sailboats with white sails roaming around the bay. The first thing we noticed was that the color of the water was brown. After being spoiled by pristine ocean waters filled with color and life, we were a little dissapointed by the pond like water in Spanish Waters. With only the small channel connecting this body of water with the ocean, the water is stagnant and still. We were rather surprised when we threw out some moldy bread over the side and there was no mob of fish devouring it. The sad pile of bread crumbs just floated away. We have found that just a few min. walk over the spit of land reveals the pristine waters we left behind so we are still able to swim and snorkel, just not as easy as jumping of the boat had been! Oh how spoiled indeed we have become. Another thing we noticed coming around the bay was that this was a major island, the bay was lined with summer homes, and at night we are surrounded by the twincle of the city lights. Boy have we entered something different!

Photos From Spanish Waters:

Quercus at Anchor

Windsurfers

Spanish Water Summer Homes