After taking a little time to ourselves after recovering from the tragic news of Jessica’s brother’s passing, we’re now in Antigua and have a few days before the excitement of Antigua Sail Week begins.
Realizing that our cupboards are getting empty since our last big provisioning trip was in Florida, we take the bus to the capital of St. John to hit a big and modern grocery store. Along the way we explore the town a bit, find their HUGE fresh market, and take in a lunch of shwarma and local beer.
A few days later, friends begin to arrive and we start to take full advantage of the company. Going out with our long time friends Bill and Grace of s/v Calico Skies, we find a snorkel spot at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, and Grace even catches a stingray on film!
With love from Antigua!
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Plans have changed and we decide to stay in St. Barth’s!
To get out of the extremely rolly and uncomfortable main harbor, we drop our mooring ball and take the 2 mile trip around the corner to Anse de Colombier. Here we figure we can begin to tackle a few of the boat projects which need to be done before our Atlantic crossing.
Matt discussing our 3-D sheeting set-up for the mainsail, and I talk a little bit about route options and why we’ve decided to stay put. On our list of chores is removing the traveler from our boat, but before it can be *all* the way completed, our grinder burns out.
Making a few trips in the dinghy all the way back to town, we find that we can not get a replacement grinder in St. Barth’s…..and also learn of some tragic news back home.
With love from St. Barth’s!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
It turns out you don’t need a lot of money to be able to enjoy St. Barth’s. You just need a scooter to take full advantage of all its beaches.
Having spent much of our time centered in Gustavia, we wanted to see what else the tropical paradise of St. Barthelemy had to offer. And prior to this, when we asked other travelers what there was to see and do on the island, their answer was always ‘So and so beach’…and of course the airport.
Heading out in the morning we had a list of beaches to tackle, although really the main goal was just to drive and stop when something looked good. And it turns out…a lot of the beaches looked pretty good!
First was Anse de Colombier, which was a great hike leading to a beach and anchorage that left us drooling…and then back on the bike to Anse de Lorient which was fairly empty and had a laid back vibe.
Anse Marechal was the next stop for us…a popular beach with the kiteboarders. From the air, it was a spectacular view. Our fourth beach for the day we knew we needed to make a visit to. Anse de Grande Saline, or the nude beach. In French islands, all the beaches are topless, but usually they have one or two nude beaches also. And well….we kind of wanted the chance to go skinny dipping without getting a fine. The water here was amazing and we could have stayed all day.
There was a late lunch at JoJo’s Burger Shack before watching the planes come in to land at the airport…the 3rd most dangerous in the world. And then and visit to our last beach of the day…Govuneuers Harbour.
Saint Barthelemy, you have really stolen our hearts.
Cheers from St. Barth’s!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
Now that all of our chores in St. Martin are done, it’s time to head back to St. Barth’s and have A LOT of fun.
Arriving a few days after their annual regatta begins, the Voiles de St. Barth, we actually find ourselves sailing into Gustavia mid-race! And not knowing what the course is, we find ourselves right in the middle of the action!
Even if the ride to get there was a little bumpy and at some times hair raising because of all the boats finishing the course next to us, we were completely rewarded later that night at the festivities. A surprise concert by Jimmy Buffet! And, while trying to sneak toward the stage with my camera, I actually get pulled up there for the best seat in the house!
The remainder of the race week held a few more activities for us, like getting the chance to wander parts of the island and shoot a few photos for one of the companies we’re an ambassador for, Code Zero Sportswear. Not only do we get to sport some of their stylish gear for the event, but while going out to meet the founder, we even chill at the very posh Nikki Beach for a few cocktails.
Race weeks ends with some great live music, brilliant fireworks over the harbour, and a toast of Prosecco with old friends and new. Absolutely one of our best weeks in the Caribbean.
Cheers from St. Barth’s!
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If there were ever an island in the Eastern Caribbean to get projects done, this is it.
Settled into Simpson Bay in Dutch Sint Maarten, we continue to tackle our weekend of projects. First up is getting Georgie to the vet for some blood work. In order to get her into the E.U. she needs to have a rabies titer test performed, the results have to be sent to the US, and she’ll need one more vet appt after that to prove she is healthy enough to travel.
Matt starts a project we’ve been lagging on for way too long now, and begins to shape the PVC which will hold the bolt rope for the fabric part of our dodger. Using some driftwood as a template, we use a heat gun to make the plastic pliable, and then bend it around the wood, holding it there until it cools and keeps its shape.
And although we’re knocking out our projects left and right, the swells rolling through Simpson Bay make our stay a little less than comfortable. Matt puts a bridle on the anchor so our bow is pointing into the waves, instead of taking them on our side, which would be the case if our bow had been pointing into the wind.
Oh, and we also get a new neighbor for the night of Riley and Elayna from Sailing La Vagabonde (no, we did not get the chance to meet up).
There was lots for us to do, but this one little island held everything we needed to get them completed.
Cheers from Sint Maarten!
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Music:
00:28 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
02:56 – Parallax – Luwaks (ES)
07:50 – Wasted Education 2 – Anders Bothen (ES)
11:46 – Intimate Electric 10 – Stefan Netsman (ES)
We’re on a mission to get a load of projects done within about a 5 day time period.
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Of course aside from clearing in to Sint Maarten, getting our propane filled was our number one priority. On the list as well was washing our laundry (hasn’t been done since Florida); restocking food supplies; and getting Georgie an appointment for blood work that will allow her into Europe.
While trekking around Sint Maarten to work on our chores, we also see for the first time the destruction left by Hurricane Irma. Although the island has cleaned up well, there are still signs everywhere of the chaos that happened only months before.
Finding a good spot to tackle the mountain of laundry we’d accumulated was no small task, but thankfully, we came across Kleanway Laundry. It was a game-changer for us—a bright, clean facility with machines big enough to handle our salty, sun-soaked load from weeks on the water. The staff was friendly and efficient, and we were able to knock out the laundry while catching a much-needed breather from our bustling day. There’s something satisfying about seeing a pile of freshly folded clothes after so long living out of a duffle.
Cheers from Sint Maarten!
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Music:
00:28 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
02:56 – Parallax – Luwaks (ES)
07:50 – Wasted Education 2 – Anders Bothen (ES)
11:46 – Intimate Electric 10 – Stefan Netsman (ES)
We continue to enjoy absolute paradise in St. Barth’s…except, we’ve run out of propane on the boat.
After a few more days of lounging in the anchorage of and on the sands of Shell Beach, we find that our propane has run out mid dinner prep! Not a big deal for that first night, but the next day we realize that almost everything on the island is shut down due to being a holiday weekend.
Finding one bakery that is open, we live off sandwiches for a few nights until we can hunt the streets in search for any place that can either fill our propane canisters or sell us butane bottles to run our grill.
Then a surprising thing happens….a mega yacht drops anchor just next to us, and it happens to be Tommy Hilfiger’s boat! Maybe he can lend us a little propane to get through the next few days?
Cheers from St. Barth’s!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
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Music:
00:16 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
01:00 – Parts of You – Bird of Figment (ES)
01:49 – Body of Water – Velee (ES)
02:37 – Baby Without You – Loving Caliber (ES)
03:55 – Eunoia – Andrew Rothschild
12:49 –
We’ve just made it from the Bahamas to St. Barth’s, and we’re ready to enjoy ourselves! We’ve been placed on an island with perfect beaches, perfect waters, and breathtaking views.
After stumbling around town our first morning, still suffering from sleep deprivation, we instantly fall in love with St. Barth’s and its main harbour of Gustavia. There are beaches full of shells, brilliant turquoise waters, and panoramic views from up on the hillsides.
Being such a popular harbour, we were pushed to the back where we ended up anchored on a bed of rocks, but luckily the forecast was for very light winds and we were not worried about dragging.
Cheers from St. Barth’s!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
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Music:
00:27 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
01:20 – Get Away – Tatono
02:47 – Freedom – Dias D
05:55 – Backpack – CG Guitar
08:57 – You Got Me Too – Loving Caliber (ES)
12:28 – Islands – Prod. Syndrome
15:00 – Summer Nights – Jack Ferguson
16:13 – Keep You Near 2 – Niklas Gustavsson
We round out the second half of our trip, and complete our 977 miles from Eleuthera Bahamas to St. Barths.
Day 5 still brings somewhat unpleasant conditions, leaving both of us still not feeling our best, but starting to get over it a touch. While the waves continue to drench the cockpit, we continue to hunker out below deck.
Day 6 brings the sun and some calmer conditions, and we can start moving about the boat more and even get outside to enjoy the sun. Our hopes are temporarily brought up that we might make it into harbor the next night, but a quick check of our math shows us we still have two more nights at sea.
By day 7 the winds have shifted just off our nose, died down to under 10 knots, and force us to put on the engine. Matt explains why we’ve chosen to go to St. Barth’s over Sint Maarten, and even starts to clean himself up for the arrival.
Morning 8 puts us in sight of many beautiful Caribbean islands, and the entrance of Gustavia Harbor in St. Barths. Elements has finally entered her first port in the Caribbean. Toasting our passage with a bottle of champagne, we go over the boat’s performance on her first offshore passage with us.
Cheers from St. Barth’s!
Watch the full performance review of Elements of Life:
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
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Thank you!,
Matt & Jessica
—
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Music:
00:27 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
02:28 – You Got Me Too – Loving Caliber (ES)
07:25 – Floating Hearts – Julyan Brynn (ES)
10:55 – Get Away – Tatono
We leave Eluthera with only 950 miles separating us from St. Maarten. It’s Element’s first offshore passage since her refit, and ours since we returned to Florida 3 years ago to lay eyes on her for the first time.
We start the journey with a strong breeze and full winds in our sails, covering lots of miles as we leave the Bahamas in the rear view mirror. But a few hours out in standing waves, and we realized that neither of us quite have our sea legs back yet. And Georgie realizes she can’t go 5 seconds without being close enough to touch us.
But it feels good to be on our way, and we give Elements the chance to show us what she’s made of out on the open water.
Cheers from the Atlantic Ocean!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.
To join the Patreon ranks, please visit http://www.patreon.com/mjsailing
or
Buy us a beer through PayPal!
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Thank you!,
Matt & Jessica
—
Use code MJSailing for 20% off your next order! https://abacopolarized.com/discount/m…
Online shop: https://mj-sailing.myshopify.com/
Music:
00:16 – I Met You in the Summer – Loving Caliber (ES)
03:12 – Foggy Beach – Tatono
10:22 – Go Undercover – Martin Hall (ES)
16:47 – Italian Rain – Andrew Applepie
