February 2, 1998 -- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Hi from beautiful
downtown Ft. Lauderdale! Actually, it is very beautiful here, and
it will be hard to leave when the time comes. After spending many days in
the paint shed, the boat is presently at a marina on the New River. The
mast is going up this week, and the electronics installation is about half
completed. Until all the workers are finished so we can move aboard, we
have rented a little house in the burbs. Call my mother or e-mail me for
the number, if you want to say hi.
The boat will be
substantially complete in time for the Miami Boat Show, where Hylas will exhibit
it. If you're in the neighborhood, come on by. After the boat show,
we'll spend a few weeks shaking the boat down here and in the Keys, and then
we'll head out. Summer plans right now are to cruise up to the Chesapeake
and to Maine, followed by a short winter in the Caribbean. As always,
those plans are in jello. Hope to hear from you soon!--Liza
February 8, 1998 -- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Well, we survived
what the local TV stations labeled "The Storm of 1998" with little
more inconvenience than a few hours without electricity. And we thought we
were getting away from tornadoes by leaving Texas! At the height of
the storm -- and stopping just short of drumming our chests and issuing
seafaring Tarzan yells -- we made our way down to the docks to battle the
elements on Heartsong's behalf, prepared to shout things like "avast there,
she's gonna blow," "batten those hatches" and possibly "I
canna hold her, cap'n."
Of course, the
boat spent the entire night bobbing gently at her docklines, and all we did was
get very, very wet. We did, however, appear to entertain the neighboring
sailors (snug in their cabins) and most of the waterfowl, so it was not a total
loss. The mast is up now, though the sails haven't arrived yet from Hood,
and we're motoring down to Miami for the boat show on Tuesday.--Liza
February 15, 1998 -- Miami Boat Show
What a day for a
boat show! The wind was steady at 30 knots, with gusts up to 50. We
all wished we were out sailing instead of trying to keep Heartsong safely at the
dock and out of the way of all the other boats that were struggling to do the
same. Thank goodness for Sam Lewis, Dick Jachney, and Kyle Jachney, who
spent the day (and probably all night) setting extra lines and fenders.
The other days of the boat show have been very nice, however, and many people
have come aboard to look around.
We had dinner last
night with Carlos B. and his son, in from Guatemala, and he says hello to all
the North Texas Anesthesia and Presby folks. We miss y'all and hope you
are well and happy. --L&A
February 23, 1998 -- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
It looks as if we
will get to move aboard the boat this week. We are so excited I can't
begin to tell you! Much work remains to be done, particularly on the
boat's electronics and electrical system, but the rigging and sails should be
completed and operational today. We are hoping to take him out for a test
sail tomorrow or Wednesday. Heartsong's "sister" ship
made the run from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Thomas in record-breaking time (5.5 days
for 1300 miles), so we are looking forward to seeing for ourselves how fast he
is.
Alan and I have
been taking a 2-week course to prepare us for the US Coast Guard captain's
license exam, which we will attempt to pass this Saturday. Our delusions
that we were fully competent sailors disappeared the first day, and we have been
scrambling to complete all the work. I can say without hesitation,
however, that the oceans will be a much safer place hereafter! Please
e-mail with all the news. We love hearing from you. --Love, Liza
March 15, 1998 -- Desperado Marina, Hendricks Isle, Ft.
Lauderdale
FROM LIZA: Thanks
for the e-mail and letters! It's great keeping up with everybody at
home. Belated happy birthdays to Kurt and Lauren, and happy anniversary to
Mark & Kristin!
We are living aboard
the boat at Hendricks Isle, near the Las Olas area of Ft. Lauderdale. I'm
remembering how to operate a marine toilet, how to conserve fresh water, how to
check our mechanical and electrical systems daily, and how to crawl down into
the bilge to find that jar of spaghetti sauce for dinner. On land, the
word "inconvenient" would come to mind, but the trade-off seems like a
bargain every evening when I sit out on deck and watch the sky change color
above a mirror-calm, mast-lined canal. I understand that living aboard
isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I have never been happier!
We expect to be here
for another few shakedown weeks, after which we'll christen the boat and take
off. The christening is set for April 7, our 14th anniversary. The
good news is that we feel so confident about the boat that we're considering
re-instating our plan to cross the Atlantic in June to spend the summer in the
UK and on the Atlantic coast of Europe. That's an adventure I have been
dreaming about for years.
By the way, we both
passed our exam for Coast Guard captain's licensure, and I took an additional
week's course to obtain an endorsement in radar operation. We feel very
official now.--Love, Liza
FROM
ALAN: Blimey, Aaaargh! It's been many a day since I've seen a
good Chardonnay! Well, we finally moved on the boat. What a
relief! After living the last few weeks in rental homes and apartment
motels it's nice to have a place of our own. The boat is beautiful.
But underneath the exquisite exterior lurks a confusing myriad of wires, pipes,
and unidentifiable doohickies just waiting for the most inopportune time to self
destruct. This leads to severe depression on my part and thoughts of
wonderful days under flourescent lights with a mask over my face.
Actually, Liza and I are delighted with the boat and having a grand time
learning the systems. There are not enough ways to say the word beautiful
to describe being together in the cockpit as the sky turns infinite shades of
pink. We miss all our friends in Dallas and hope everyone is doing
well. HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, LAUREN! Welcome to the newest Hoffman
and Karabinos. Hello to everyone in the operating room! We
hope to see you soon.
March 27, 1998 -- Hendricks Isle, Ft. Lauderdale
Hi! We continue
to work hard to get the boat outfitted for blue water. Most of the safety
equipment is now on board, checked out, and stowed, and I have finally figured
out how to use the satellite communications system. My next projects are
getting fluent in weatherfax and breaking the code on the forward-looking
sonar.
Alan has been working with the riggers and mechanics to de-bug the
systems. By the way, the all-in-one washer/dryer works like a charm, oh ye
of little faith. We have now had the opportunity to get out and sail Heartsong,
and he performs every bit as well as he should--fast, smooth, and beautifully
balanced. (Yes, I know that a boat is traditionally supposed to be
"she," but I can't help but think of Heartsong as essentially
masculine. Maybe the traditional nomenclature has something to do with
captains historically being male? I would love to hear other opinions on
this issue.)
We had a wonderful
visit with Barbara R., who was down here with her folks for a couple of
days, and we had a very educational chat over lunch the other day with Gerry M., who stopped by after spending 18 months cruising the Caribbean in his
Hylas 51. Alan says hi to everyone, especially the pharmacy. Hope
you are well and happy, and thanks for keeping in touch! --Liza
April 14, 1998 -- Hendricks Isle, Ft. Lauderdale
Gosh--so much has
happened since I last wrote. We christened the boat, with much inspired
help from fellow cruisers, along with sustained consumption of champagne.
Yes, we broke a bottle over the bow in the time-honored tradition. Sam
Lewis, a good friend and Hylas representative, did the honors. It was a
great way to celebrate Alan's and my 14th wedding anniversary and my 17th annual
29th birthday, too.
Heartsong has
performed beautifully throughout this week's shakedown cruises. We'll be
heading for the Bahamas early next week in the company of our "next door
neighbors," John & Sue W. on Phantom, a Hylas 47. We
still haven't made a final decision on which direction to sail after the
Bahamas, but it is unlikely at this point that we will head up to Maine.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, we are likely to continue on to the Caribbean,
as originally planned. Although we are disappointed that we won't see the
beautiful New England Coast, we are very excited about the possibility of
returning to Plan A to cruise and dive the Caribbean, South America, and Central
America prior to transit of the Panama Canal next February or March.
Heartsong posed for
some Hylas brochure photographs this past week, and we hope to have a few to
post in the near future. In the meantime, here are some snapshots from the
christening and shakedown cruises. Love to all!--Liza
Photo Album April 1998
May 3, 1998 -- Hendricks Isle, Ft. Lauderdale
What a ride! We
sailed overnight, week before last, to Grand Bahama Island. The wind was
25 knots on our port quarter, and seas were 8-10 feet directly abeam.
About midnight, we realized that we were going to get to the tricky channel
entrance well before our planned dawn arrival, so we double-reefed the main and
Genoa. Even standing on the brakes, we were rocking and rolling along at 8
knots! Glorious sail!
Of course, on the way back, there wasn't a
breath of wind, so we motored most of the way to get back across the Gulf Stream
before a predicted deterioration in the weather. By the way, we learned
that even the most familiar port looks entirely different at night.
I won't go into it, but let's just say that the starboard navigation light on
that departing freighter really did look like the Port Everglades channel
entrance marker. It really did.
The photos aren't
developed yet, but let me be the first to inform you that Alan is a very tasty
apple-red after our little Bahamas excursion. We are very pleased with the
boat's performance and readiness. We plan to stay in Florida a while
longer to provision and to complete a few crucial pending projects (dodger,
bimini, varnish work, etc.) and then to head out on the 1,000-mile passage to
the Virgin Islands. The adventure has definitely begun!
Happy Anniversary to
Kurt and Claire and to Nancy and Naikang! Thank you all so much for
keeping in touch. We love hearing from you.--Love, Liza
May 1998 -- Hendricks Isle, Ft. Lauderdale
Hi, everybody. I have nothing exciting to report. We are settling
into the cruising lifestyle. For me, it brings back warm, small-town,
1950s-type feelings: people sitting out in the yard in the evenings; kids
chasing lightning bugs; somebody cranking homemade ice cream; folks exchanging
tools, casseroles, gossip, and the occasional bit of wisdom.
Cruisers --
at least the ones we know so far -- appear above all else to value the concept
of neighborliness. People drop by. If someone's going to the
store, he or she often asks if we need them to pick up anything for us.
The mere mention of a mechanical problem results in a relevant magazine article
or the proper tool turning up on our deck the next morning. Pot luck
suppers are commonplace. We live as much outdoors as in, and so does
everybody else. It occurred to me today that I no longer think it's odd to
traipse along the dock to the shoreside shower in my pajamas, bare feet, morning
hair, and pre-caffeine disposition.
Although the primary emphasis of this
venture has always been on the actual sailing of the boat, I have to say that
living the cruising lifestyle has been Gatorade for this girl's dehydrated urban
soul.
Here are a couple of new photos of Heartsong III under sail. Have a
great week.--Liza
June 21, 1998--St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Hello from the beautiful Virgin Islands! We completed our first
significant open-ocean passage yesterday with landfall in Charlotte Amalie, St.
Thomas, after 7 days at sea from Port Lucaya, Bahamas.
I finally figured out why Alan has always wanted to go to sea: clothing is
not required in the middle of the ocean. Had I known, we could have saved
time and money by simply joining a nudist colony! His predilection
backfired on him one evening during our passage, however. He was dozing in
the cockpit, in the buff as usual, while I was taking care of something on deck
during my watch. All of a sudden, he jumps up, screeches, hops wildly up
and down, and starts laughing hysterically. I assume that lack of sleep
and the constant motion and physical exertion of the past several days have
precipitated the inevitable psychotic break with reality. I sigh; I would
be the next to go.
Turns out, though, that a flying fish has flown a kamikaze mission into the
cockpit and directly into Alan's lap. They were both pretty upset about it.
We had a heck of a passage. Alan had to spend a fair amount of time, when
he should have been sleeping off-watch, practicing his wizardry on multiple
mechanical annoyances. We sailed through everything from doldrums to a
full gale, and the wind and current were against us every inch of the way.
On the up side, we are now very good at tacking, and I am confident in my
ability to handle the boat alone on my watch. On the down side, I
definitely underestimated how physically demanding and -- I'll admit it --
downright scary an ocean passage can be. I don't mind telling you that on
several occasions had a taxi home been readily available, I would certainly have
hailed it.
But as moms say about childbirth, the memories of pain are already fading, and
the wonder of it all is intensifying. Before moonrise, the Milky Way is in
magnificent 3-D when you're hundreds of miles from any artificial light.
The moment before dawn, the wind suddenly and completely ceases, like a
conductor raising the baton to get the orchestra's attention before the symphony
begins. Alone in the cockpit on a sunny day, you can spend happy hours
doing nothing but meditating -- the sound of the sea, the feel of the
waves. On a cloudy night, you finally achieve "letting go," as
the boat hurtles forward into a pitch-black unknown. And as you are
double-reefing the jib in a 30-knot wind for the umpteenth time, you realize
that your muscle tone has improved appreciably!
Right now, Alan is popping the cork on the champagne for a slightly delayed
landfall celebration, and we're planning how we'll tackle the next major
crossing (to Venezuela) and which anchorages we'll take time to enjoy
here. Our love to you all.--Liza
July 15, 1998 -- St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Hi!
We're back in St. Thomas after three glorious weeks of exploring the British
Virgin Islands and St. John, USVI. We've enjoyed having several visitors
from home, and we'd like to thank each of them for being such excellent crew.
One of the
highlights so far was a unique encounter with a dolphin while we were at anchor
in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. While some of our guests were swimming near
the boat, "Fred," a lone dolphin, swam up and hung out for a
while. (I'm sure our swimmers got an impressive adrenaline rush when they
first spotted that fin knifing through the water!) Later, after visiting
several other boats in the anchorage, Fred checked in with us again. He
started to swim away before Alan could jump in, but as soon as Alan hit the
water, the dolphin turned around and swam right back to play. Amazing
experience! Twice!
Another highlight was our Fourth of July celebration at Marina Cay, BVI.
Alan hoisted a brand-new American flag on the stern of our boat, and all six of
us aboard treated (?) the rest of the anchorage to an impromptu medley of
patriotic songs. Don't tell me how corny I am. I already know.
An overall highlight has been the intense natural beauty of these islands.
The water is classic Caribbean turquoise and clear as mountain air. The
beaches are palm-fringed and soft, and the clouds look like they've been dipped
in fluorescent white dye. What is it about swimming in a flawless sea that
gives a person such a feeling of well-being? I am nowhere near ready to
leave, but it's time to head south for the hurricane high-season. In about
a week, we'll be heading either to Grenada or to Isla Margarita, Venezuela,
depending on the wind direction at the time.
Since several people have inquired about corresponding via satellite e-mail,
though, I'll go ahead and include the instructions in this letter. If you
want to send us e-mail so that we automatically receive it on the boat the same
or next day, please click on these instructions
.
Alan sends his love. We are just a little homesick, and I am very eager to
check several weeks' worth of e-mail (as soon as the marina here has a phone
line available for us) and to send for our snail-mail to see how you are doing
and what all is going on. All of our very best wishes--Liza
Photo Album July 1998
July 23, 1998 -- St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Nothing new
to report. We're waiting for a tropical wave to pass through before
heading south to Grenada tomorrow or the next day. Charlotte Amalie, St.
Thomas, has gotten a major facelift since we were here last before Hurricane
Marilyn. The island is cleaner, spiffier, yet somehow less touristy than
before -- and it now boasts hitherto unthinkable amenities like a health food
store, workout facilities, darling little sidewalk cafes, and beautifully
landscaped walkways to go along with the ever-present war zone of duty-free
shopping plazas and cruise-ship docks. We used to avoid St. Thomas on
principle, and now I am actually enjoying it.
It occurred
to us a few weeks ago that we have never really said "thank you" to
Hylas Yachts and Dick Jachney for building us the boat that is making this
adventure feasible. So, here finally is an
open letter of thanks to the builders and designers of Heartsong III.
Y'all take care.--Liza
August 8, 1998 -- Secret Harbour, Grenada, West Indies
We're here at
a nice sheltered anchorage on the Southern coast of Grenada, at the very tip of
the West Indies. The trip down from St. Thomas took just under 3 days of
easy, brisk sailing to weather. That included spending the whole of the
final night maneuvering in circles to avoid a series of thunderstorms.
Great light show!
I get so paranoid about lightning that I always rush
below and trundle the laptop into the microwave. A fellow cruiser told me
that the microwave RF-shield protects electronics from lightning damage.
Someday I'm either gonna find out that this rigmarole is the cruising equivalent
of snipe hunting, or else I'm gonna accidentally cook the computer.
Our anchorage
is about a foot and a half south of the 12th Parallel. That means, in
theory, that we are out of the hurricane zone and safe for the rest of the
season. I hope the hurricanes are as aware of this boundary as our
insurance company is.
Grenada is
gorgeous -- mountainous, green, lush with what appears to be every variety of
flowering plant on the planet. We're heading into the interior to go
hiking in the rain forest in the next few days. I don't know if CNN
covered it, but Castro spoke here this week in conjunction with Grenadian
Carnival. Our opinion? He's surprisingly dull, but Carnival promises
to be a lot of fun.
Happy
anniversary to Leslie & Bill and Scott & Allison. Happy birthday
to Mom, Dad, Claire, Jon, Julie, and an extra happy 81st birthday to Mamaw.--Love
to all, Liza
August 28, 1998 -- Mt. Hartman Bay, Grenada, West Indies
After three
weeks in Grenada (pronounced Gruh-NAY-duh, by the way), I can tell you that it
is a wonderful place to visit. We intended to head to Tobago about 10 days
ago, but haven't been able to tear ourselves away. Surprisingly, we have
run into many Texans here -- even some Dallasites -- living aboard and cruising
on their boats as we are. We all got together for home-cooked Mexican food
and margaritas last week, and I was in ecstasy. To you who can just get
into a car and drive a couple of miles to a good Mexican food restaurant, I say
this: savor it, enjoy it, appreciate it -- you are among the favored of the
universe.
Grenadian Carnival, which is similar to Mardi Gras, was a blast -- outrageous
costumes and even more outrageous behavior! At the dawn J'ouvert parade,
revelers paint themselves from head to toe in either multi-colored grease paint
or used motor oil. Seriously. Anyone who shows up clean is
immediately painted by the crowd. We got away fairly lightly, as you can
see from the photo.
It's difficult to be here for very long and not develop an interest in Grenadian
history, particularly events surrounding the United States invasion in
1983. The most popular Grenadian national pastime appears to be
overthrowing their government. Alan regularly engages in heated political
discussions with our taxi drivers while I hold on to the seat for dear life,
given that the second most popular Grenadian pastime appears to be avoiding road
repair.
And speaking of war and politics, thanks to those of you who have kept us up to
speed on recent very scary national events. We are sincerely grateful.
Love and kisses, Liza & Alan
Photo Album August 1998
September 22, 1998 -- Secret Harbour, Grenada
One of the
big changes in our lifestyle as cruisers is the degree of importance we now
attach to the weather. Our comfort, mobility, and, indeed, safety revolve
around it. In Dallas, I remember going for weeks without caring, as I went
from garage to car to parking garage to office. Now, I monitor several
forecasts on single sideband radio and satellite, and I download weather faxes
and confer with other cruisers daily. My conversation is peppered with
phrases like "980 millibar low," "possible convection," and
"Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone." Maybe I'll be a weather girl
when we get home. (Do they have plumpish, middle-aged ones??)
As you may
have heard, Hurricane Georges wreaked havoc in the islands north of us. We
decided to stay put in our very well-protected bay until Georges (preceded by
several tropical storms, depressions, and waves) passed us, and I'm very glad we
did. About 100 boats dashed in from the north for shelter. Talk
about a party! As it turned out, all we got this far south were a couple
of days of somewhat breezy weather and a couple of nights of uncomfortably rolly
seas--a far cry from the devastating hurricane conditions to the north.
The biggest worries in Grenada are still tennis elbow, rum hangovers, and
failure to find tonight's lobster dinner on the reef. We practiced
readying the boat for extreme conditions, though, and I hope it never pays off.
Speaking of
reefs, we have been doing some diving here. Alan got his Rescue Diver
Certification last week. There is a fascinating sunken cruise ship in
about 100-160 feet of water. A dive book author was shooting photos of it,
and Alan may have a whole new career as a male model.
I attach a couple
of photos we took while hiking in the rain forest. Many Grenadian insects
had a feast that day they are probably still raving about to their friends and
relatives.
Happy anniversary
to Ray & Mayme and Claire & Dan. Congratulations to Helene on her
twins and to Angie on her promotion. Happy birthday to Stephanie, Gayle,
Leslie, Cory, and Jessica. Much love, L&A
Photo Album September 1998
October 17, 1998 -- Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad
Hi, everybody. Hope you are doing well. We miss your faces!
Three weeks in beautiful Tobago went by in a hurry, and we had an exhilarating
overnight passage to Trinidad. The guidebooks describe Tobago as
"completely unspoiled," which turns out to be travel writing code for
"the phones don't work and you can't get a Diet Coke." But we
loved the colorful reefs, dense rain forests, and the amazing variety of birds
for which the island is quietly famous. At a small fishing village where
we anchored for a week, the men go out daily to battle the Atlantic and some of
its larger fish in 10-foot wooden boats with bamboo rods. Very
Hemingway. They support their families and feed their nation with less
equipment collectively than we have in our aft lazarette. The
sport-fishing industry would be horrified.
We're getting pretty good at eco-hiking in Caribbean rain forests, though.
That mainly means that we don't litter and we clean up our blood after each
laceration. At this point, there would be a close contest among our hiking
injuries, our sailing injuries, and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Just
kidding, of course. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a picnic compared to
the type of body bruising, toe crushing, knuckle bashing, knee skinning, head
conking, and muscle pulling that constitutes life as we know it. If I lose
one more toenail, I'm applying for disability.
But back to Tobago. The island was a crystalline, Zen-like lesson in
simplicity -- a lesson we clearly flunked, as we were lured to Trinidad by
rumors of Internet access, diet soft drinks, and electricity on demand.
Our immediate plans call for turning on the air-conditioner and sitting without
moving.
All jokes aside, we're healthy and outrageously happy and starting to get the
boat ready for the Main Event -- transiting the Panama Canal and crossing the
Pacific thereafter.
Happy birthday, Ray! Happy anniversary, Dad & Fran! Thanks,
everybody, for keeping in touch, and a very special thanks for the videos!
To end on a serious note: goodbye, George -- we're going to miss you, and our
thoughts and love, Lynn, are with you and Shelby every day.
Much love, Liza
Photo Album October 1998
November 3, 1998 -- CrewsInn Marina, Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad
Cruising In Time
Time was once a balance beam
And I a gymnast, just to stay on it,
On time.
Hard on its edge I ran my routine
And prayed for precision, not to fall from it,
Fall behind.
Now, time is nothing so much as a bean-bag chair --
Amorphous, conforming to my derriere.
My time is full and thick and warm in the sun
As I nestle into it.
I may not get much done
But there's all the time in the world to do it.
--Love and kisses, Liza & Alan. Happy birthday to David, Anne and
Allan, and a very happy 72nd to Jack.
November 23, 1998 -- CrewsInn Marina, Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad
What a
place! Trinidad is a thriving, upwardly mobile island country with over a
million people, about 40% of African descent, 40% from India, and 20%
"other." The markets are fascinatingly ethnic, while the malls
and supermarkets are familiarly American. In addition to its broad
industrial base, Trinidad has developed a maritime reputation as a
cost-effective venue for expert boat repair and maintenance.
And that is
the basis of the real story here. In and around Chaguaramas Bay at any one
time are about 2500 sailboats from all over the world, some in the water, most
"on the hard." This transient city-without-a-country has its own
informal governing body, monthly news magazine, regular social and cultural
events, and -- yes -- suburbia-type gossip! (Of course, the guys call it
"exchange of information" or "having a beer.") Every
morning at 0800 is the Net, a moderated 2-way radio forum for sailors'
announcements, requests, barter, hellos, goodbyes, and whining. If you
miss it, you're behind for the whole day. Kind of like in the mid-90s
going to work on Friday morning having missed Seinfeld the night before.
There are
some remarkable people here. Anchored nearby is an American woman who
singlehandedly sailed her blind, dying husband through the Panama Canal because
it was his lifelong dream. It is not unusual to meet people in their 80 s
who hop nimbly from dinghy to dock and hoist sails and haul anchors by
hand. One female septuagenerian dynamo is a longtime singlehanded sailor
(and we won't discuss the tender age of her current rumored boyfriend).
There are a number of circumnavigators here, some who have done it
single-handed. There are many families who sail with and home-school their
children. Many people are out sailing after a life-threatening wake-up
call. Many, many people are seeing the world on a budget that wouldn't
feed a small cat.
Within the
context of this huge gathering of international sailors, we are humbled at our
ordinariness. Even with 2500 miles under our belts since June, I feel like
a cream-puff rookie in this crowd.
It won't
surprise you to hear that Alan has been very busy. Apart from replacing
chafed rigging lines, improving refrigeration and plumbing systems, and doing
typical boat maintenance, he rushes off in the dinghy to a medical emergency
every couple of days. He has officially saved at least one life.
There are two other doctors and an ER nurse among the sailors here, and we joke
about setting up a call schedule.
Surprisingly,
lawyers seem less in demand.
Well, enough
for now. We are leaving Trinidad today or tomorrow for a few weeks of
glorious solitude in the Grenadines. Happy Thanksgiving! Happy
Birthday to Kristi , Char, and Erin. Happy anniversary, Eric &
Erika. Love, Liza
Photo Album November 1998
December 26, 1998 -- Home for the Holidays!!
Hope you are
having a wonderful holiday season. We are in Texas to spend Christmas with
our families. The boat is on the hard at CrewsInn Boatyard, Trinidad,
where it will get a couple of coats of bottom paint and a good drying out after
a year in the water. We will be back aboard the first week of January, and
we hope to reach the Panama Canal in mid-March, by way of Margarita Island and
Bonaire.
Before
we hauled the boat, we spent two glorious weeks sailing in the Grenadines.
In one secluded spot -- the Tobago Cays -- the only people for miles were the ones on boats, and all
that was between us and Africa were the Atlantic Ocean and an underwater coral
reef. We snorkeled until Alan's sun-exposed back was more colorful than
the fish. Vendors in small motorboats would come each day from the closest
inhabited island to sell lobster, fish, produce, etc. In a desperate quest
for salad, we bought 4 tomatoes at US$1 each. I won't even tell you what
they wanted for the lettuce.
We loved
Bequia, too -- a populous but charming island with miles of beaches, simple
open-air restaurants, and a laid-back Caribbean atmosphere. This is the
island, you may recall, where the American yachtie couple were accused of
killing a local water taxi driver and held in jail in St. Vincent for about a
year without trial, then released for lack of evidence. We were a little
nervous about staying here, but we had no problems and would recommend the
island as a cruising destination. Mustique, in contrast, was like one big
expensive resort -- manicured beaches and gardens, country club homes, and
little shops that carry Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY. No, we didn't see Mick
Jagger or Princess Margaret, but their vacation homes are very nice.
After
returning to Trinidad, we battled Hauling Anxiety. I simply could not
watch them sling the boat up out of the water. Then we had Separation
Anxiety when we left the boat to catch our plane home. Now after Christmas
shopping I'm having Mall Anxiety (talk about sensory overload!), which will be
followed soon, I'm sure, by Mall Separation Anxiety. The best places to
find us for the next week or so are Wal-Mart and any good Tex-Mex
restaurant. Or in front of the TV watching football.
Happy birthday
Erin, Robert, Estelle, Mayme, Sarah, Phyllis, Jean, Ben, and Fran. And our
best wishes to everyone for a wonderful 1999.--Liza & Alan
Letters Home from 1999
Voyage of Heartsong III