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Last update June 04 2013.

May 1st, we're glad our JoHo is ready. We leave St.Maarten and take the 9 am opening of the Dutch Bridge.The bridge is open three times a day.
Along with SY Pipe Muh Bligh St Maarten we left, once outside the lagoon our ways separated.
They went to St Eustatius (Statia), we to Guadeloupe. After a couple of hours the sea became annoying, that was not predicted. But with a seasickness pill no problem for me and John doesn't have any problem with it.
Then, the autopilot failed in the middle of the night, it appears that our steering rod is broken. We start the engine, but it stopped immediately as we have a line in the propeller -our own Genoa line- and on top we're windward 3 miles off St Kitts. So no engine, no rudder and we are on a lee shore (the wind pushes us towards St Kitts) just to get the full picture. No fun and potentially dangerous, but as I manage to manouver with mainsail and genoa, John fixes a temporary solution for the broken rudder cable in two hours.
In daylight w
e then head to Monserrat and let the line in the propellor where it is untill the sea calms down. Around two in the afternoon we stop the boat. We float near Ronda island. John dives under the boat with a knife. After fifteen minutes the line has been removed and we can start the engine again. Necessary, as the wind completely died down.
In the evening the swell at Monserrat is huge, so we decide to sail one more night to
Deshaies (Guadeloupe).

On May 03 we arrived in Deshaies, it's still early in the morning and already there's no wind at all. Anchor out and we just jump into the water to cool down and relax, what a pleasure. Then quickly to the bakery for a fresh baguette with a big chunk of Brie. Upon arrival we met some old friends, Lutz and Ulrike (catamaran Dorado), which we know from Portugal. They saw us coming in and hailed us, so we made an appointment to meet the next day.

After a bad rolly night (night number three without much rest mind you) we left Deshaies early and motor-sailed slowly to Ilet Caret along the beautiful coast along the outer reefs and then into the sheltered bay of Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin. At the entrance we met Dorado again and gathered at Ilet Caret, a small island near the entrance. There was totally no wind, the temperature on board was high, so we cooled off in the water again. Late in the afternoon we went to the small island and afterwarts we had a drink on board of JoHo with Ulrike and Lutz.
The next day there was still no wind and we decided to stay one more day on this anchorage. In the morning I went with Ulrike in a canoe to the shore of the island and at night we had a drink on Dorado and said goodbye.

Monday May 6, we motorsailed to Baie Mahault. Late morning we arrived in this secluded and familiar spot. We booked the t ickets back to Aruba and prepared JoHo in the days that followed. On Wednesday Rene and Stacy (SY Pipe muh Bligh) and Chris, Christiaan and Denise (Cat Anne Bonny) visited us, they came specially to Baie Mahault for us to say goodbye and being in such a nice anchorage they stayed for a couple of days. So we arranged two rental cars and on Thursday and Friday we all went together exploring the island of Guadeloupe. Hiking, climbing, swimming, eating, didnt forget to drink either, we had a lot of fun and some beautiful but exhilarating days.

On Saturday we said goodbye to everyone, JoHo will be at anchor for almost 4 weeks before we come back from Aruba. Our flight to Aruba will stop for 24 hours in Miami, where we'll shop untill we drop. Then we are back in Aruba and after the first day I already miss this life and our friends. In thought I'm counting down the days to get to JoHo again, leaving her all alone in a bay doesn't feel good.

Jolanda

I finished a special photobook, about our travels 10 years JoHo's travel from 2001 to 2011.
Curious ? Then click the link.
And iIf you're interested in sailing the BAHAMAS, BERMUDA, MALDIVES or BONAIRE have a look at our books at SAILADVENTURES where the books are available online.
You can always mail us for more info on these cruising grounds or cruising in general, we'll gladly help you out.

Jolanda

Current position

JoHo is on anchor in Baie Mahault, Guadeloupe at 16°16'3 N - 61°35'2 W.

Plans

Sailing the Caribbean and working our *-* off at Tierra Del Sol, Aruba. Meanwhile poor JoHo will be neglected somewhat, only used in 'holidays' in between.
But our floating office and home will be there after this assignment. Ready for us to work for ourselves as 'writers' compiling cruising guides on our way.
We'll see how things will run, life's too complicated to plan anyways. Live life and plan the rest is what we say.

John and Jolanda