Numbered days

32 Days – 5 Weeks – 4 habours – 4 isles – 2 countries – 1 capital -

6 stops - 1 nature park – 2 birthdays – 1 ruined pair of flip flops -
64 cups of coffee –2 homemade cakes baked in a pressure cooker –
4 ice creams – 1 stingray – 3 stranded Indonesians - 1 tug boat
1 shark – 11 mailed postcards – 14 read books – 2 attended concerts -
2 birthdays – 1 game of billiard – 63 insect bites – 1 bronze tan –
1 dinghy ‘accident’ – 9 snorkeling trips – 20 turtles – 1 water accident with my phone –
29 showers in bikini – 1 naked shower – 6 Austrian nudist …………..
my life in numbers………….
so how to translate numbers into stories, that’s always the difficult part at least for me!

So let’s start from day 32 and take a sort of Adam and Eve approach

Sunday May 30, 2010 – We are now back in Carriacou. It is a bit more crowded than the last time. The weather is slowly changing and the hurricane season is approaching. With coming of the hurricane season the sailing community is abandoning the north and heading south down to Trinidad and Tobago, and for those with a bit more courage or who are not scared to risk their life Venezuela.

So how is my typical Sunday – get up and have my two cups of coffee and a bowl of oats, followed by a morning swim in the ocean and drying up at the stern of the boat. Afterward ,I read for a couple of hours in my book and do some work. In the afternoon I bake a bit, today brownies and bread, and while the cake is baking and the bread is rising I go for the second swim of the day.
So a Sunday somewhat similar to a Sunday in DK except for the weather, 32 degrees and a humidity of 75 percent……………and yes I am melting like butter on toast

Since Saturday was pretty mediocre I’ll skip as we only did a bit of laundry and I escaped to my cabin to watch Eurovison

Friday May 28, 2010
Woke up in Clifton – The Grenadines and went to bed in Carriacou – Grenada. Friday was the day were we had to say goodbye to our to guests from the states - Ben and Becky - and it was the first day in 30 days where I had my first warm shower and weren’t wearing a bikini.
So Ben and Becky have been keeping us company on the boat for the last week and during the week they provided us with lovely food, great company and lots of fun. It was absolutely great to have some new energy and input to the daily life on Outlier.
To the daily life of Outlier is the daily showers after the daily swim, most boats including this one have their showers in the cockpit. As the cockpit is the place where you have the steering wheel it should be easy for all of you to guess that privacy is not an opportunity. So unless you are from Austria and don’t mind the fact that people might can see you, you shower in your bathing suit. So for the last 30 days I have been showering in my bikini.
As Becky and Ben chose to spend their last night in the Caribbean in a hotel I took the opportunity to borrow the shower in their room early Friday morning. I cannot describe the pleasantness in this unknown luxury. Being able to take a shower without the entire boat community being able to watch me during this procedure was so great ………… the privacy of a shower should not be underestimated.
Feeling reborn and well smelling I was now ready to return to Carriacou.

Thursday May 27, 2010

After a last swim and final goodbye to the Tobago Cays we left for Union Island, more exactly Chapham Bay. Chapham Bay, the beautiful isolated bay with no phone signal what so ever………..well unless you want to take your dinghy out to the open sea in the middle of the night to make a call (yes that did happen once). Fatigue we did the only thing we could do after arriving, jump in the dinghy and head straight for land for a 'cheeseburger in paradise' lunch and mosquito hell. This was probably the best burger ever, it helps when you haven't had one for a month. Anyway here we were, 1 hours by car to the nearest town, nothing but a sandy-white beach, two shags and 1 resort and 5 boats and eating the best burger ever.

After a nice lunch Becky and I decide to have a trail run on her birthday, this included several of glasses of wine before strolling down the beach to re-visit Vanessa the owner of the Sun Bar in Chapham. After a few rum punches there we were now ready for the great fish dinner dinner at the Sun bar. We'll I remember it as being great but guess that Rum and Wine always add positive to the impression. The night ended with 'pirate' tales from a flight observer from the US, me wanting to steal a massive big Swedish flag hanging in the middle of the bar, someone from our crew getting dangerous close to falling in the water when he/she had to crawl up from the dinghy and up to our boat (not me) and a birthday song in Danish for Jules on the flying Buzzard and our own Becky.

Monday May 24, 2010

After a day of some pleasant snorkeling - where we among others spotted a shark and five turtles - we went for my first visit to Mick and Jule's magnificent Tug boat 'the Flying Buzzard'. Bringing along a home made banana cake we arrived at the boat late afternoon just in time for happy hour. We were introduced to the rather big crew, which included 4 English’men’, 3 Indonesians and 1 guy from Argentina - a night in company with the world. Julian the Argentinean took me on a tour around the boat, which among other contained a 4x4, one crane, one 10 meter long bamboo stick, one library and one billiard table..............well hello there billiard table. So as you might have guessed the beer drinking happy hour company was quickly abandoned by me and instead I spent my evening in the company of three photo shooting Indonesians, one Argentinean billiard shark soft to the eyes of a woman and one billiard table. In the heat of the game swear words, compliments and jokes were thrown around in Indonesian, Spanish, Danish and English as the ball would change position either by human force or by sea force. The latter, either turning out to your fortune or devastation. All in all a great night, with the only negative being that it ended to early

Bequia

After six days in Tobago Cays - watching an uncountable number of fish and turtles and what else might be hiding in that deep blue sea - we once again sat sail and pointed the Outlier towards Bequia. After a fair amount of interesting sailing with some nice big waves and a new speed record made by your truly (7.9 knots) we reached the beautiful town Port Elizabeth on Bequia. And what a great feeling after six days of no contact with solid ground to finally be able to move around freely in a town buzzing of life. The day after our arrival I set out for a day on my own in the town, wandering around with now purpose, taking in the different smells, colours and tastes and in general feeling the life around me. I ended up in small placed called the Ginger House where they sold home-made icecream, and I made up my mind to spent the last few coins I had brought with me on a coconut icecream, for some reason the nutmeg sounded tempting but than again. The ice was amazing, my first ice in 3 weeks so flavourful. All in all a day well spent.
I really like this place. It has some sort of artist feeling over it and I can see why. The bay is a lush green spot with crystal colour water. The green hills are dotted with colourful house of style I can quite define, a bit South German and bit British mixed with a Nordic tradition of wooden house with fine cut ornament following the edge of the roofs. At the seafront you can find small hidden caves which are covering small pools of water.
I’ve read in the Lonely Planet Guide that Port Elizabeth is no more that one main street with stalls. Perhaps it’s the six days in Tobago Cays that has made me grower fonder of this place. I am a city girl no use denying that, but time away from it makes even the smallest town seems great!
We have picked up some new crewmembers in Bequia and couple from the states who will keep us company the next week. They have been so kind to bring me liquorices and the Economist……………..YAY Liquorices!! Love it at home and this is a love that grows fonder in absent. They are good people, good fun and has added a few more spices to the life on Outlier.
We are now after three days in the lovely Port Elizabeth heading down south again. Tomorrow we’ll pull up the anchore and go back to Tobago Cays

Tobago Sun

SunRise, SunShine, SunTan, SunScreen, SunFish, SunSet,
Boiling, hiding from the sun
cooling down in the sea
turning into a mermaid
Visiting the metropolis below
The metropolis of blue and green
Motorways, streets, avenues and roundabouts bustling with marine traffic.
Lit-up planktons and sea-grass.
fish as cars, bicycles, busses, mopeds, rickshaws and pedestrians,
all rushing around like downtown Calcutta in rush-hour and
with Jellyfish on line as pavement for Seawood Boulevard
A trail of bubbles left behind from a speeding fish.
Trails appearing and disappearing in all directions
– above and under – five storage high.

Like a time-exposure photographs taken of metropolises at night
an eXplosion of colours in the metropolis of the sea
Milan Fashion Week on ecstasy
Bright gold and shining silver
Deep blue and lush green
Blushing red and cautioning pink
Poisonous yellow and earthly brown
Uncountable combinations of styles and creations
Submarine life spinning out of control – crashes – wounded – two seconds of sadness followed by forgetfulness
the memory of a goldfish keeps the metropolis spinning in eternal joy and harmony
I gaze at this metropolis below the surface –
like observing a city from a zeppelin, can see but never be absorbed.

SaturDay SuperAbundant

Once again, we have concurred the waves, the wind and this time the rain. We made it to Tobago Cays, in the rain. A grey wet Friday followed by a just a grey, windy and wet Saturday morning. The day was brightened with pancakes a’la Matilde Style – meaning cheese and ham placed on the pancake, while still on the pan so that it can melt, the pancake flipped in half and served with freshly grounded black pepper on the top.

Afternoon - the sun broke through and eventually won the battle. I came out and had a look at surroundings, and concluded this is where the world ends; we have sailed to end of the world. A large reef provides us with a safety net and protects our boat from falling over the edge. To the right is the island where Jack Sparrow was abandoned and left to the mercy of the sun, sea and sand.

No internet, hardly any phone-connection ( not that it matters as my phone is out of credit and cannot be recharged before I reach the next habour) – I did not think that places like this, place where one can hide from the rest of the world still existed.

Questions in my mobile inbox are left unanswered and smoke-signals won’t reach them but hope my thoughts do.

Despite its isolated location, survival is made possible. Small colourfull boats from Clifton – Union Island come by to sell you fish, banana bread and t-shirts – you are never without hope or risk of dying at the end of the world.

The sun is swallowed by the sea and people retreat to their boats for cooking, drink beers, rum, water anything that washes away the taste of salt in your mouth that serves as an aromatic reminder of day spent snorkeling in the blue/green sea together with turtles and fish.

The barbeque is lit, fish placed in a safe distances above the coal and sweet plantain served for dessert. The world starts spinning around you – with just two colours and the simplest styles the most amazing sight brought to you from the Gods above. The power of the stars lights up the dark night and keeps you company throughout the night. They suck you up and make you one of their own. The nights at open sea are supreme and leave you hanging for more when the sun once again rises and claims the sky back.

SunDay “Swiftness”

Working and swimming with Turtles. Pizza made in a pressure cooker with success and a bottle of wine emptied – finishing ‘High Fidelity’ by Nick Hornby.

SunDay ups Monday Madness

Morning phone call from Europe! Sports news, everyday talk, chitchatting – giving me new inputs and positive energy. It persuades me to get out of bed, throw some fresh water in the head and get started on the day. And in the heat of the moment I forget what day is and I’m being friendly reminded by a text that it’s Monday and not Sunday – well guess times serves a limited purpose here, you just follow the rhythm of the sun and the heat that comes with it. Time is like the waves, slowly passing you by in a constant rhythm.

I crawl out of bed, have two cups of coffee, a slice of bread, a bit of reading, the sun burns and I make my escape to work. The sound of Kings of Convenience keeps me focus and the tones fits with movements of the sea. Still too warm to do any activities in the sun, waiting for the more mild golden/reddish sun to appear.

Life on the Outlier

I have temporarily left behind the life as a landlubber, in exchange for a boat. My new home is a 37 feet long boat called Outlier. This is where I sleep, eat, read, work, watch the sunset and stars,and drink Stag beer and wine from South America.

The first week was spent on Grenada in a little bay called Prickly Bay. Days were split between the laid back attitude on the boat and exploring the island. After a Friday evening well spent at the Gouyave Friday fish festival; stuffing ourselves with fish of all sorts and prepared in a 100 different ways; meeting the taxi driver Tony who always bring along a local board game in the back of his car just in case someone wish to challenge him, Saturday came, which meant celebration of labour day. This was done by attending a local barbecue on the shore.

Sunday came slow, reading, relaxing and hanging out.

Monday it was the time for taking a closer look at the island and what better way to do it than in a Maxi-Taxi. Full of spirit we got on the first taxi-bus and headed North. First stop was a little village one hour outside St. Georges, refreshment was needed. After a cold drink we got on a second bus and headed directly for the second largest city on the island, Grenville. The bus taking us there drove through the lush and beautiful nature of Grenada. Following a road which followed every little curve and turn of the landscape.  New surprises were waiting around each corners of the road; goat standing as a proud captain on the top of a stone, children running home from school, mango trees reaching for the sky and so heavily covered with fruits that some of these fell for the ground and splashed on the road like colourful bombs of vitamins. The landscape was dotted with colourful houses, banana plants, smiling people and goats.

After many kilometers of greenness we finally reached our destination, and what a treasure. People were so friendly and greeted us with open arms. We sat out to buy a chess game and got one for free. An elderly lady in a souvenir shop presented us to her beautiful selection of postcard from the 70s, which all seemed to have lost a bit of their former glory in her drawer and she asked me whether is was right that Denmark is the country of milk. We ate the most tasteful Rotis made by a woman from Trinidad, who had emigrated to Grenada and who told us tales about Trinidad. And after a refreshing Stag(beer) we decided to return to our point of departure St. George. We got on the first bus that would take the mountain road. We soon realised that here was a driver with a mission, that mission being to make it to Formula1............we were shaken from side to side, and in the numerous curves one had to hang on to whatever with a firm grip. Hang on as was it a matter of life or death. My experience from this type of driver from Namibia came to good use here, and not at any point was I scared that he might would crash into another passing car or a mountain wall.

And this is how the Grenada tale ends, with sweet memories of the Island of Spices and a promise made to a dock boy about a dance the next time I am in town.

Sea lessons

So the first week as a sea nomad has reach its end.So far so good! What are the lessons learned so far? Wear sun screen; use a max. four pieces of toilet papers when using the toilet or you will risk a blockage ( and the person who blocks it - cleans it); always put ALL your belongings in a plastic bag when going with the dinghy anywhere (yes I managed to end up in the water and did not have my phone stored safely in a plastic bag........it survived my fall); go to bed before 1 as, the sunrise which is followed by an intense heat will wake you up around 7; do not use the toilet when on open sea unless you are wearing a skirt, just to difficult to take care of the trousers and keep your balance at the same time. Well that's some of the most important lessons learned so far, sure more will follow.