Leaving St. Vincent - 19Feb2009

I had been looking forward to this vacation since the Fall. Lizzy and I were returning to the Caribbean to spend a long week cruising the Grenadines with our great friends, Mark and Laura. We had done three similar cruises with Mark and Laura, and each, while different, had been near perfect escapes to life in a tropical paradise. This year, with the economic mess, craziness at work, and a colder than normal winter, I was especially looking forward to the trip. (Although, at one point in the Fall, as the market crashed through another low, I called Mark and asked if he still wanted to make the trip. Without missing a beat, Mark responded "Absolutely. If the economy gets much worse, we'll just go down and not come back!")

We had booked a one-way bare-boat charter with TMM out of St. Vincent to Grenada. There are two key advantages to a one-way charter. First, you can visit more Islands since you don't have the return leg. Additionally, this allows sailing almost exclusively with favorable winds due to the prevailing direction of the Trades. This turned out to be especially advantageous during our time in the Grenadines, since the weather was unusually breezy with gusts well above 30 knots.

Getting to St. Vincent is a bit of trip in itself, since there are no direct flights. While Mark & Laura began the trip in VA and we started in NJ, we met in the San Juan, PR airport in time to catch the LIAT ("Leave Island Any Time) island hopper. The flight itself was uneventful, but Lizzy and my luggage didn't make it to St. Vincent. But what the heck, we were in the Caribbean. In the morning, along with provisioning, we picked up bathing suits, tee shirts and flip flops at the local stores. The good people at TMM assured us that, when LIAT found our luggage, they would take care of collecting it and putting it on a ferry to catch up with us (which it eventually did two days later.)

We were anxious to put to sea, and in the afternoon, we left Blue Lagoon, raised the sails and began the exhilarating sail to Bequia. Almost immediately, with the salt spray in my face, the wind in my hair and the We Two's wheel in my hands, the craziness of the last several months was left miles behind.

Carriacou Boat Building

We woke on Ash Wednesday to a peaceful sunrise on Tyrell Bay. There was no external evidence of the previous night's revelry. A short, au naturel swim off the back of the boat cleared out the remnants of fat Tuesday. Hard to feel the need to repent in such surroundings!

As we enjoyed a cup of coffee, we were visited by a local merchant. "Hello, my name is Simon, I am mentioned in the cruising guide and sell the wine". We selected a couple of bottles. Simon clearly had been out fishing early and we bought some snapper for dinner. Simon has a good reputation among cruisers and we asked if he'd be willing to give us a tour of the Island. Simon met us at the yacht haul-out dock with his small car. Once we had squeezed into the car, I mentioned to Simon that the guide books refer to him as Simon the smuggler. He took offense at this characterization, but he didn't let his offense stand in the way of giving us a great tour of this beautiful island. We were particularly interested in visiting the local boat builders in Windward.

The Windward shipyard is just off the beach hidden behind the mangroves.  It was quiet the day we visited.  Simon introduced us to Charles McLauren, who took a few minutes to explain a little about the two boats they were building.   One was a 30 ft boat that would be used by a local fisherman.  The other was a 44 ft sloop that was being built to race in the classic regattas.

The keels are made of Greenheart trees imported from Guyana.  The remainder of the ship is constructed from Cypress.   Charles explained that shipwrights take forms into the forest and find trees that match the shapes they need.  Charles guaranteed that these boats, if maintained, will last over 100 years.

It seems like the kids are let out of school at mid-day in most of the Caribbean.  As we left the shipyard, we spotted two kids who were have a great time playing in the gentle surf.

As we headed back to Tyrell Bay, Simon stopped to show us the weather beaten side Atlantic coast.  Carriacou is a beautiful island with friendly inhabitants.  I look forward to a longer visit.

From Here to Carriacou

Before I go on to describe more of our recent Grenadine's cruise, I'll digress about the links in space and time that brought us to Sandy Island. Back in the Fall of '79, Lizzy (back row, far left) and I were students at Duke living in Wilson House. Lizzy and I had met a few months earlier and were still getting to know each other. Wilson House was a wonderful enclave of kids with widely diverse interests. Recently Lizzy and Lynne Wolfe (sitting directly behind me) reconnected on Facebook. Lynne is now a mountaineering guide and editor of The Avalanche Review. (When I heard this, I felt oh, so corporate - but I guess I am pretty corporate!). Lynne learned we were heading to the Grenadines and suggested that we look up Tom, her husband's uncle. It turns out Tom is a long-time Bequia resident and publisher of the The Caribbean Compass. Lynne introduced us to Tom via email and Tom responded that he was "happy to meet with anyone who was willing to buy his drinks." Unfortunately Tom was under the weather when we were in Bequia. I let Tom know, via email, that we had never been south of Tobago Cays and asked if there was any place special that we shouldn't miss. Tom responded right away that we should head to Carriacou and spend a day at Sandy Island. Thank you Tom!

Carnival in Carriacou

During our short cruise from St. Vincent to Grenada, we had successfully lost track of time. We innocently sailed into the Hillsborough harbor and dropped an anchor just before noon. We knew we needed to dinghy over to the Customs' dock and check into the the nation of Grenada (Carriacou is part of Grenada). What we didn't know was that we had arrived in Carriacou just in time for Carnival (Mardi Gras).

The check-in process is a bit cumbersome. First a stop at Customs, then Immigration, and finally with the Harbor Master. They were all in good moods and seemed anxious to move the process along so that everyone could get back to the festivities at hand.

Carnival in Carriacou is an all day affair. Early in the day is the Shakespeare Mas. Revelers take turns reciting the various parts of Shakespeare's Julius Caeser. If one misses a line, then he is playfully beaten. We tried to find out the background behind this part of the festival, and especially about the emphasis on Julius Caeser. We were simply (and proudly) told that "it is part of our culture."

Knowing that the festivities would be going on through the night, we headed back to the We Two and motored the two miles or so over to Sandy Island.

Sandy Island is a small strip of perfect beach with coral reefs on either end. We dropped anchor in about 10 feet of crystal clear water just in time for a light lunch.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and taking turns snorkeling over to Sandy Island to explore the island and the reefs. The waters were complete with beautiful corals, stunning fish and even a pair of green turtles. The beach was complete with a nude sunbather (French of course, but friendly, even if she was chain-smoking!)

As the afternoon started to wane, we accepted that we needed to pull anchor and head over to Tyrell Bay. Tyrell Bay is a well-protected harbor popular with both cruisers and working fisherman. In fact, there is a "Hurricane Hole" -- a lagoon surrounded by mangroves -- that is used by hundreds of boats during large storms.

Up to this point, we had managed to overnight on a mooring, and had even tied up to the end of the dock in Union Island. While the wind had settled down, it was still gusting well above 20 knots. I was nervous about the anchor holding, especially with the number of beautiful boats close by that we would collide with in the middle of the night if our anchor started to slip. It took us three times, but finally the captain was happy that we had securely anchored far enough from other boats to sleep through the night. But first we had plans for the evening.

We got cleaned up and loaded into the dinghy. After puttering around Tyrell Bay, we ended up at the main ferry dock. This was fortuitous, since just as we were securing the dinghy, a Dollar Bus pulled up onto the dock and asked if we wanted to ride to Hillsborough. (At some point, I'll do a posting about the Dollar Buses, but for now let's just say it was only a few lively minutes before we were deposited just back outside of Carriacou's main town.) Carnival was in full swing.

Everyone at Carnival seemed to be enjoying themselves (although some of the younger revelers looked pain exhausted even though it was still early in the evening.) This women was really enjoying being costumed and getting lots of attention. As is evident in the photo, the audience was also getting a kick out of her .

What you don't get from the picture is the sense of the lively and loud Caribbean music.








After enjoying the festivities for a while, we walked through town to the Green Roof Inn. The Green Roof Inn is a small guesthouse and restaurant a mile or so North of Hillsborough. Except for the faint pounding of the amplified music wafting across the harbor, it could have been in a different world.

We had a wonderful meal on the veranda overlooking the harbor. At one point, just before they were ready to serve our entree, the electricity in the restaurant cut out. We could tell that power was fine in the rest of the Island since we could still see the lights on in Hillsborough and hear the deep bass of the Carnival bands rumble across the water. The friendly staff at the Green Roof Inn never missed a beat. They brought out a few extra candles and served an exquisite meal.

After such a luxurious meal, we were not ready to crowd into a Dollar Bus, and asked the restaurant to call us a cab. We were happy when we got back to Tyrell Bay and found that We Two's anchor was still holding!

Sunday's Sourlands Winter Hills Ride

Got out on the road.

(Update from Last Sunday's Ride)

The roads were messy, but everyone had a great time. Did about 36 miles. Of course, stopped for some picture taking. It turned out to be a beautiful day...

Flat Stanley Visits NY

Joy, my niece, called last week and explained that Olivia, her daughter, had a school project and asked for my help. Olivia wanted me to take her friend Flat Stanley to NY. I immediately replied that I would do anything for Olivia.

Flat Stanley arrived in the mail a couple of days later. On Friday, I took him with me to NY. We rode the New Jersey Transit train to Penn Station and then started our walk across town towards my office. Walking up 34th Street, Flat Stanley saw the Empire State Building and decided to climb a tree to get a better look.

Next we stopped in Herald Square and imagined what it would be like to be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.




Our next stop was Bryant Park. Bryant Park is a wonderful spot that is located next to the NY Public Library. It is a great example of public-private partnerships. During the summer, they show classic movies in the evening and have concerts on Friday mornings. Right now they are setting up a big tent for "Fashion Week", where they will have a Fashion Show. Too bad Flat Stanley wasn't here a week earlier, when Ice Skating was set up in the Park.

We continued to walk across town. Normally, I don't walk through Grand Central, but I knew that Flat Stanley would like to see the inside of the famous landmark. Grand Central Station was built at the end of the 19th century by shipping magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt. By the 1970's the station was badly deteriorated and many people wanted to tear it down. Others banded together and found the money to restore the station. The revitalization was completed in 1998. Today it is a beautiful and functional space.




























I only work two blocks from Grand Central. When I got to the office, Suzie, my assistant, volunteered to show Flat Stanley around. Flat Stanley especially liked the view of the Chrysler Building from my office. He liked it so much, he tried climbing my plant to see if he could get a better view.






Flat Stanley also got to meet some of the people I work with. We have a lot of diversity in my group. Elodie is from France. The next photo is of Mark (from England) and Nitin (from India). The third photo is of Tara (from USA). In my small group, we also have colleagues from Puerto Rico, Viet Nam, Germany, and Ireland.




After a long day, we headed back to Princeton. When we got home, we found that Julian was still there and was happy to see Flat Stanley. Julian is the first son of Lizzy's cousin Len. Len works in Princeton and we are lucky to get to see Julian quite often.
On Saturday we we drove down to Washington, DC. We were able to visit Olivia's cousin Mark and his fiancee Gloria at their new home in Hyattsville, MD.

It was very nice having Flat Stanley visit us. But I think he may be happy to head back to Atlanta and to get out of this cold weather!

Finally Back on the Road

As much as I like riding in the woods, I've missed being out on the road. Finally this past weekend the temperatures eased up above freezing. Laura was in the book to lead out of Canal Park in Rocky Hill. We had a great ride with a great group -- some regular Hill Slugs: Laura, Mike B, Chris and me along with John and Jane.

In spite of some high winds, Laura led us a great ride over the Sourlands. The photo above is of Mike B crossing the Raritan River outside of Neshanic.

Jane and John have both been riding fixies this Winter. They have become evangelicals in the fixie movement. John is prodding me to come over to the "dark side." He let me ride his fixie (painted bright yellow like a NYC cab) when we stopped for our break. I didn't have any trouble getting started, but I found it really unnerving going into a turn and, naturally, trying to coast which just isn't possible. Even in the few minutes I spent on the fixie I did start to feel the attraction, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take the plunge in spite of Jane's observation that "getting fixed is not the dark side - the simplicity, quiet, and fun we have while on the fixies is pure light and sunshine on any dark day."

Below Mike B, myself, John and Jane take a moment at the bottom of Old Georgetown Road. (Photo has been shamelessly stolen from Laura's post at perpetualheadwinds.blogspot.com).

January Snow Biking

January in New Jersey. Guess what? It's been cold!

Does that mean we are going to stay inside and moan about the weather. Maybe venture to the gym. Not when Mercer County Park is just down the road, and Clayton is a short drive away.

There is nothing like racing through the snow and jumping over logs to make you feel like a kid again. What a great feeling...

They say that if you don't occasionally fall when you are mountain biking that you are not pushing yourself hard enough. The black and blue marks all over my legs would say that I'm pushing just hard enough.

I've included a random selection of photos from the last 3-4 trips out in the woods. Hope to see you there soon.

MTN Biking on New Year's Day

New Years Day (2009) Mountain Biking in Mercer County Park

Like many people around the globe, I was happy to see the back side of 2008 and wanted to start the year off right - on the bike.

It was a cold day (23*F at the start), so the "sensible" option was to stay in the woods. We met at Mercer County Park at noon. Chris brought some CMCs (Chris Made Cookies). It was Mary's first time out with us, but she didn't hesitate to take Chris up on his offer of a CMC.

We had a great group. Mike B., Laura, Chris, Mary and myself. It was also Mike's first time out and he was on a borrowed bike. It took a little time to get him set-up, but then he was off without ever looking back.

We stayed on the West side of the park. (Chris and I had been out a couple of day's earlier and had stayed on the East side of the park. Many of the trails were submerged under 5-8 inches of water. It was impossible to keep your feet dry.) Chris led us through the "Hall of Mirrors." This trail is through a ridiculously tight stand of young oaks. This trail really tests/develops your bike handling skills. There are many spots where the trail is book-ended by a pair of oaks spaced closer together than the width of your handlebars.

Mary has had a great year on the road -- over 10,000 miles before she found out that her frame was cracked at the beginning of December. She was struggling to keep warm, even though we were in the woods. Fortunately, Mike had some hand-warmers that she was able to add to her gloves.

Laura, after being up late hosting a wonderful New Year's eve party, was doing great in the woods. I wish I had done a better job of capturing her jump over the log pile, but she was just moving too fast!

Eventually we found the "playground". Someone has been busy building a number of obstacles that are beyond me. Mike, even though it was his first time in the woods, didn't hesitate to try to make it over the see-saw. No, Chris didn't push him over. Chris was just trying, without success, to keep Mike from tumbling over.

The only downside of the entire day was that Laura's shoe failed her.

In spite of the "wardrobe failure", it turned out to be great way to start the year!

Nearly all of the Cousins

This past September, my nephew David married his sweetheart Jess in Nashville (they are both Vanderbilt grads.) We had a great turn-out. The picture above includes my parents, 14 of their 15 Grandchildren (only missing Jimmy), the two ersatz grandchildren (Helene and Caro), and, of course, the bride. My father likes to claim that his good looks bypassed his children and went straight to his grandchildren. He may be right.