Appleseeds

Peacefully bobbing at anchor at Hog Island, Grenada, we have just finished dinner of bbq’d pork chops and are now enjoying the serenity. Tree frogs are a constant hum. The temperature is still in the low 80’s; (I have given up trying to translate to Celsius) but the heat is over for the day. It sure is nice to have Ace here; she arrived two days ago after having given me ten days to launch the boat and put it in some semblance of order. Today was the first day in two weeks where the rhythm of the Caribbean seems to have returned... slow and easy. The past two weeks have been a bit of a blur. My brother Bill and I met in Toronto, flew down together and were to provide each other with some ... read more

Season II on Appleseeds has begun with my return to Deltaville, Virginia in mid September. Over the summer we had decided that our return trip to the Caribbean would not be a reverse of the Intracoastal Waterway but instead would be a ten day sail offshore from Norfolk, Virginia to the British Virgin Islands, the Caribbean 1500. The offshore decision made the list of things to do pale the list of last year. It included installing a Single Side Band radio, a chart plotter, davits, solar panels, a dodger. It also included purchasing a new dinghy, shipping an outboard from Vancouver, buying numerous charts, a MOM (Man overboard module), flares, a freezer, spares for the engine, a new anchor. It included considering, drafting and practicing emergency procedures for man overboard, fires, floods, dismasting; developing and procuring ... read more