Sailplan for Zephyr 2011

Hello again friends. For the moment I am enjoying the Scandinavian summer.

The weather has been a mix of rain and sun.

NOW it is sun and 25 degrees C. so it is nice to move outside in T-shirt and short pants.

Well, I have a sailplan from September and out 2011.
I am planning to spend the hurrican season down south, around Margarita and the ABC islands.
( ABC= Aruba Bonaire Curacao)
The hurrican season normaly last until the end of November.
How much time we will spend on each island, will be up to the crew and captain to decide.
But I am sure it will not be hard to ´kill´ a couple months here.
So after that, I will head up north towards Puerto Rico (USA) probably,
and then sail south from island to island.

The sailplan looks like this:

From Trinidad we sail to Margarita Island. We start going up north towards Grenada, and thern turn

to south/west towards Margarita island.

Margarita island is a part of Venezuela, and is a very popular Holiday island.

Here are some pictures I down loaded from internet.

To see more, Google on `margarita island`

Not the worst place for a umbrella drink?

Margarita is a pretty big island ( 2,5 mil people)
And have some beautiful beaches and the rest of what comes into a perfect Holiday.
I have some friends that have been there  2-3 times.

Next stop is Bonaire.

Don´t know how long we stay at Margarita island. It all depends on the crew and the weather.

From here we sail west, towards Bonaire. On the way there are some other island, so don´t

know if we will stop on the way, or sail directly in one go.

Bonaire is a beautiful island with not so many residents. Only about 1500 I heard

on TV the other day. It has FANTASTIC snorkeling and scupa diving places.
 Also here for more information, 

google ´bonaire  island´ 

As you can see there are a lot of places around the island

Curacao

From Bonaire to the next island, Curacao, it is only a short sail.

Curacao is the most populated island of the ABC island ( Aruba-Curacao-Bonaire)

They all belong to Netherland, and they speak dutch and use Euro as currency.

Hopefully they sperak some English also, since my Dutch is pretty bad.

Once again, to get more pictures and information,

google: curacao island

 Looks like Amsterdam, but in the Caribbean colours.

Swiming with Dolphins

Aruba

The last of the ABC islands is Aruba.

It is also a GREAT place for diving. 

Have red some reports fro sailers that has been here, and the other islands,

and they can´t  say to much good things about this islands.

Don´t know why this picture is so little.

But it is beautiful

 

Tobago to Trinidad

First of all. SORRY for the delay of info.
My computer burned down one week before leaving Trinidad.
Hope to get it fixed while in Norway.
Anyway, here are the last part og the venture, before I put the boat on the hard ( land) June 15th.

Slow days at Charlotteville Tobago

Things go very slow and cool in Charlotteville. After two weeks there, ecept the 3 night at

Bateau Bay on the east side, we decided to sail south towards Englishman Bay.

Sailing out, with the 3 sisters rocks ahead.

We had a beautiful sailtrip the 3 hours doen to Englishman Bay.

The sea was calm, so we made some lunch for the cockpit table.

                                                                    Pascal and Tonje

Enjoying the lunch and the wine.

Entering the Englishman Bay was beautiful. We had heard the snorkeling there was

fantastic, and the lonely white sand beach and no traffic.

Looking into the white sand beach.

The pilotbook said there was a beach bar and restaurant there, but we couldn't see it.

I was very worried.

Zephyr to the right.

To check out the bar we took the dingi to the beach.

And there was the restaurant and bar.

But FUCK, it wasn't open. shit shit shit.

But nice it was.

Well, we checked it out again next day, and then it was open.

Next stop was Store Bay at the very south end of Tobago.

There we were picking up Hollies, which had to get his passport sent

by express mail from Trinidad to Tobago to be able to sail with us to

Chaguaramas. This was told by the imigration at Chalottevillle.

Later we found out in Chaguaramas imigration, that this was not nessesery

since he was a Trini. Well, well. We did as the officer had said.

Hollies had never sailed before, so he was really looking forward to come with us.

                                                     Hollies ready for his first sail adventure

Happy crew ready to haul the sails.

Back in Trinidad.

The first 5 days we berth at the bridge at Coral Cove Marina, waiting for June 15th. to be lifted.

Next door there was a fishing competition with free fish soup we heard,

so we went over and saw all the boats coming in with there catch.

About 20 boats entered.

Measure the winning Tuna.

The judges was dressed in some kind of fish skin outfit.

Well, I don't know.

At the Coral Cove Marine we had a little clean pool we could dip into.

That was very nice in the 38 degress shade weather.

One day some Venezuelian fishermen we get to know, gave

us about 25 kg. og Tuna and Dorado files.

So, we mad a BBQ at the poolside and invited everybody around us.

Nice shade around the poolside.

Leaving Zephyr on the hard was new.

I never been on the hard more than 3 days before, the 7 years I have

been living onboard. So the feeling was a bit different.

But I felt safe in the secured marina with 24/7 security, and also

got to be friends with some of the gards.

Lasse, my Norwegian friend is on the hard next to me, so he

will look good after her also.

I spoke with him today July 1st. and everything is fine.

The adventure of Zephyr will continue from about September 23-25th.

Since the Hurricane season continues until December, I am planning to

sail along the South Americas north coast.

This aerea supposed to be the most beautiful part of the whole Caribbean.

First stop will be Margarita Island. A beautiful  holliday place for many nations, but

belongs to Venezuela.

Next stop will be Aruba, which is a Dutch colony. So Boinere and Curaceau

and hopefylly Cartegena Columbia.

You will get more information later. But I have empty boat, so if you

want to got on some of this legs, please write me on

bent.nordmann@gmail.com

The adventure of Zephyr will continue from about Sepember

.

One afternoon we went up the hill to Hollies to watch the sunset.

Hollies made a fire to keep some of the mosquitos away.

Hollis making fire

From Marigot Bay to Tobago

From Marigot Bay St. Lucia to Charlottville Tobago.

After 10 nice and pleasant days at Chateau Mygo Marigot Bay we set sail for a direct leg to Charlotteville Tobago. 36 hours later we arrived at the 17th. of May ( The Norwegian national day) at 03.00 am

We anchored in the bay and went to bed for a couple hours.

My friend Ronny from my home town Fredrikstad had told me about Charlottville, he has been here 2-3 times. He told me is was some very nice people here, and very relaxed living. It's a fishing village, so there is alot of smal 25 foots open boats with a 50 hp outboard and two bamboo poles out for the fishing lines.

This is the bar we have been hanging out while at shore. Ayo's.

Sqeeze on gitar, Pascal and Tonje and my self at Ayo's bar. 

Here at Ayo's bar we met Osama Bin Laden him self. We had just heard that he was shot,

but to our surprice he was here in Tobago under name 'alias' Hollies'

Take a close look at the picture.

Pascal and 'Hollies'

One day we were invited to go out fisning with one of the local fishermen. Taffy. he took us out for about 6 hours in waves and alot of sun. We cought 3 tunas 2 sharks .

It was a great day at sea, but very bumpy. And hour asses was not in a A1 condition. To much salt water on your pants for to long time. The skin does not like it.

Captain Taffy, the fisherman

Here are some of the pictures from our catch on the line in 15 knots speed.

Pascal with a 3 kilo tuna.

Tonje with another one.

So at night we took the dingy into the beach for a BBQ.

One the beach was also a British family. Pete, Mel Luke and Sam.

And also a Frence couple.

Well, the British family was not on the picture yet.

They joined the party later that night.

The day after we were back on the beach again. One guy had cought a Iguana, so we were cutting it apart and BBQ it. Tast like chicen.

The end of that iguana.

Here is Luke and Sam anyway.

A swing a made from some old ropes hanging from the tree.

After 8 days at Charlottville we sailed over to the east side of Tobago. A bay called Bateau Bay.
A fancy hotell with name 'Blue water inn' Everything was twice the price from Charlotteville. and the water was the same price pr. liter as the diesel. So we didn't fill water, but did that at the fishermanns pier at Charlotteville when we came back after 3 nights and days.
The place was beautiful, but no ships. Only hotell guests.

Zephyr by anhcor at the bay of Bateau.

Back in Charlotteville Friday May 28th. we meet our friends again, and we needed to do some laundry.
We have to check out from Tobago the same city as you check in with imigration and custom.
So we will do that here, and ask for a cruising permit for stopping at 3 other bays on the way south.
Englishman bay and Plymouth and then Store Bay all the way south of Tobago.
Then we will sail to Trinidad. My boat will be put on the hard ( a shore) for 3 months before I arrive back September 14th. to sail the north coast of south America.

Bequia to St. Lucia.

On the way to Marigot Bay St. Lucia.

Tonje joind from Bequia, and we been here at Chateau Mygo now for 10 days.

We been to an active vulcano were we were bathing in hot ( very hot) natural pools

with sulfor. Didn't smell good, but it felt good for the skin.

Afterwards we stoped by a little waterfall, which also was warm.
Pictures will come later when I get them from Pascal.

Today we are sailing south to Tobago Trinidad. about 180 miles.
We might make a stop at Mystique, depending what time of the day we pass by.

Tobago Cays to Bequia.

  By anchor at Admirality Bay Bequia.

Back again in Bequia. My favorite island sow far.

We spent about 10 days here, and Arne and Jonny went home as said before.

Pizza Hut. (not a meber of the American chain) But very very good pizza.

Jonny and Steave in front of Whaleboner bar and restaurant.

As you see the entrence is a whale ribbone. The seats in the bar are whale backspines.

Bequia is allowed to catch two whales a year, because they do it the old way.

They sail out with a smal sailboat without engine. Into the whale and harpune by hand,

then they clime up on the back of it and keep killing. After death they saw the mounth

together so it want sink.

After, some other motor boat is coming out to drag the whale back to and little island

were they part it up.

One the way to Bequia.

One the way to Bequia from Grenada.

Next stop up north was Curriacou, were we anchored for one night.
Then next day the short sail to Union Island. Spend one day and one night here.
Of course we went out to Happy Island. I think that is an obligatory visit while at Union Island.
We asked to take picture inside, but the rasta man which live there with his wife, said that
was now his pirvate home and was not to be used if the rain storm would apear all of a sudden.
He had also bought Persian carpets, which he wanted to keep clean.
Arne said he was working for a Norwegian newspaper, so he said. Give me the camera and
I take some pictures. Here they are.

Inside the round house, on the round island he made himself.
Next stop was Tobago Cays, were we snorkeled and went for the BBQ lobster on the beach at night.
This time we put mosquito spay on, rembering the bites from last time.

Lobster BBQ at the beach. Lot's of food.