A Squirrel at Sea

11/06/2018

A rare sighting of the elusive Albino Caribbean Sea Otter in its native environment...

25/03/2018

We've arrived in St John. Oh how I've missed being here! Can't even express how happy we are!

24/03/2018

St Martin still has extensive damage...lots of boats sunk or destroyed...so sad.

22/03/2018

Sea Squirrel is safely anchored in Marigot Bay, St Martin after a "swell" overnight from Jolly Harbor,Antigua!!

16/03/2018

And now for something completely different...

14/03/2018

Sitting at anchor in Deshais, Guadalupe.

05/02/2018

It has been 5 months almost to the day that Sea Squirrel checked into Grenada at Le Phare Bleu Marina and hotel and found a home. We spent our time establishing routines and making new friends which I would now call family. Along with many cruisers who we look forward to meeting again as we travel north, our new family are friends in the expat community and others that are Grenadian born. Our weekly runs to the vegetable markets and supermarket on the "shopping bus" made life "normal" and our favorite restaurants were visited regularly. We looked forward to the tradition of happy hour which was "happy" because we were with friends. We mastered the bus system and were able to travel the island with the same stoic acceptance as a local. We had settled in. But... we are cruisers right? Travelers who happen to live on a boat. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, after at least 3 attempts and the requisite goodbye parties for each attempt we finally cut the lifeline at Le Phare Bleu and started back up the island chain. Our first stop in Carriacou reminded us why we do this. A most spectacular sunset that only the Caribbean can provide! Also a small collection of random photos of Grenada...and let the adventure continue!!!

07/11/2017

12/10/2017

We toured the island of Grenada with our good friends from Pyxis and Adventure US2. And Jesse had this to say about one of the stops. It ended up being quite a wonderful experience to see traditional rum making in action.

Patrick GrenadaRiver Antoine Royal Grenadian Rum – A Bottle of Unexpected ContradictionsRiver Antoine Royal Grenadian Rum, GrenadaI don’t think I’m overstating when I say that River Antione Rum of Grenada is one of the most incredible cases of unexpected contradictions I’ve experienced in all my tra...

25/09/2017

On our way down to Grenada, we had a wonderful stop in lush, tropical Dominica. Did some fun guided trips with cruising friends and enjoyed meeting the Dominican people. Unfortunately, the island no longer looks like this after Hurricane Maria passed through. Hopefully, some of these pictures will help us remember what Dominica was like before this disaster. It seems a little frivolous and insensitive to post this now but please know that we loved meeting the people and visiting this welcoming and genuine Caribbean island. Definitely has a major place in our hearts.

22/09/2017

04/09/2017

Irma to the north and Grenada to the south. We are heading south!

23/08/2017

As we continue south towards Grenada, the next stop was the beautiful island of Guadalupe. Very lush and verdant, we rented a car for two days but that want long enough to see everything we wanted to!

26/07/2017

Jesse White from Pixus sings his new song, Pyxis and the Squirrel."

24/07/2017

We had a great stop in Nevis just after St Kitts as we continue south towards Grenada. Did a nice island tour with with Pyxis and had enjoyed some excellent repasts, and, of course, jerk wings and several Killer Bee rum concoctions at Sunshines on the beach!

26/06/2017

Just pulled into Nevis after a few days in St Kitts and also a stay in St Barts before that...working our way south in between tropical waves...

28/05/2017

We finally said goodbye to our winter hangout the Virgin Islands. Last night we did an overnight passage on the O my goddah...erm...Anegada Passage. It never fails to disappoint for a fun ride!! But we are here in Marigot Bay off San Martin recovering from an uneventful but shall we say gnarly motor sail ready to start our slow crawl down to Grenada (and beyond?) Savoring each Caribbean jewel as it presents itself

01/05/2017

A Squirrel at Sea has been waaaay to quiet!!! But that's only because we have been lazing away our days, entertaining family and friends and making new ones in perhaps our most favorite place of this whole journey. We love the U.S. Virgin Islands!!!! We have found it difficult to move forward since the New Year! And while sunsets, amazing beaches and of course "happy hour" have kept us content we recognize that we also want to continue our journey. Soon we will be looking for a good opportunity to head back "down island" spending more time at those amazing Caribbean islands we rushed through last year. We did take a slip in a marina in Fajardo, Puerto RIco for a month. There we spent some land time in perhaps our second favorite place, Old San Juan. We also attended to any boat maintenance that needed doing and were able to re provision easily. Here are a few photos of sunsets, hikes, safe anchorages and the superb sailing of St John and St Thomas, USVI. And of our time in Puerto Rico and the artsy little island of Culebra.

12/02/2017

Sea Squirrel and her crew are happy to report we have been able to see all these sites with the exception of actually hiking the Pitons of St Lucia-which will happen-and were awed by them all!!!
Even the cruise ships are a sight to behold.

Condé Nast Traveler Photographer Tommy Clarke is used to seeing things from greater heights. His signature aerial work, shot from a helicopter, depicts stunning images and unique views of some of the world’s most amazing destinations. Here, he takes us on an island hop adventure with award-winning c...

02/01/2017

As we watch toast the last sunset of 2016 we look forward to what 2017 has in store for us. Happy New year!

01/01/2017

As we toast to the last sunset of 2016 we look forward to what 2017 has to offer.
Happy New Year!!

05/12/2016

Sea Squirrel loves the benefits of having extra crew aboard.

02/12/2016

Happy Birthday the Sea Squirrel's captain!! Keeping a sharp lookout for signs of life after 60.

19/11/2016

The new strut has arrived on the ferry from Grenada. Thanks to Hunterowners.com and Fedex and our customs broker who probably wants some money feom me now... Supposed to be installed tomorrow.

18/11/2016

S**t happens. Even in paradise. Let's just say these past 2 weeks have been not quite palm trees, white sands and beautiful sunsets. I can safely say it all started with the election and went downhill from there. The weather has consistently been crappy. Lots of squally, rainy sails and sleepless rolly anchorages. Everything is damp and soggy with that certain smell reserved for really salty sailors. Our recent encounters with the locals have not been as friendly and genuine as they had been. And to top it off we have spent the last week out of the water with our boat "on the hard" waiting for a new part. Upshot is ... we basically broke our propeller. It happened while we were in a remote but crowded anchorage (with unnecessary mooring balls) and we managed to catch a mooring ball line which bent the shaft and broke the shaft strut which holds the propeller to the hull. We were dead in the water. Our engine was useless. We managed to sail out of the anchorage and the 15 miles to a shipyard in Carriacou and with the help of a fellow boater-BIG thank you to s/v Abby Singer- we safely anchored in the harbor while we waited for the boat yard to haul us out. Gone are the breezes and nightly cooling dips in the sea. Gone are the silences as we contemplate the amazing views. Instead, hello to mud and grime, bugs of all kinds, lack of a breeze of any kind, boatyard noises of grinders, metal working, heavy large operating machines and then there are the blazing security lights all night long (where are the stars?) One good thing- our faith in the locals is restored. The guys here are hardworking respectful young men doing their utmost to help us out. We should be back in the water and sailing early next week but with a few less stops than we anticipated as we head to the Virgin Islands for Christmas. Fingers crossed.

10/11/2016

We've left Grenada our southern most destination thus far!!! We really began to feel settled in at our Marina as we explored the Island with extremely knowledgeable taxi drivers. But we also mastered the bus system - in stoic silence with the locals - as we shopped the local markets and dined on fresh fish in humble homes and world class restaurants. We really felt at home here. But with our new crew in place (our daughter Courtney who is joining us for an extended period) and the hurricane season over, there seemed no reason to not continue sailing. We left yesterday to head back north. We are anxious to explore some of the islands we bypassed on our way south. Our first stop out of Grenada is on a beautiful sandy spit of an island just off Carriacou. Perfect for reconnecting with our snorkel gear and sunscreen.

04/11/2016

Spent a fun day yesterday "whitewater tubing" with 30 other cruisers as part of "Shademan's" birthday party in Grenada. The water was chilling and it rained a little bit but at least we didn't need any sunscreen. We had a good flow of water between the multitude of rocks due to the tremendous rainstorm the day before. Rafting was followed by a great lunch complete with wine and birthday cake and ice cream. A long and tiring day but well worth it!

02/11/2016

New sun shades for the Squirrel. Ka-ching!! Hopefully much cooler in the shade...

30/10/2016

We went to the St Georges open air market yesterday and as usual -- overbought!!!

22/10/2016

See what we've been doing in Grenada! A couple we met cruising way back in Miami have this wonderful blog. We've basically been on their heels on this journey following their adventures which closely mimicked our own. We finally caught up again and we were able to hang out and share our experience in person. Here are Lauren's wonderful photos of a great afternoon with new friends and old friends.

Brian and I will look back fondly on the days we spent at Le Phare Bleu. This has been our favorite marina experience by far, thanks to the great community of friends we’ve made here. Before parting ways, we spent one last afternoon together fêting with an epic boat crawl.

06/10/2016

Sunset in Dominica. A nice change from an afternoon of squalls following a great morning 8of sailing with speeds over 7 kts for a bit...

06/10/2016

We just left Guadaloupe behind. What a lovely place. Another French island so clean and organized with great food both for provisioning and dining out. We anchored out in De Shais for 2 nights. It was a little exposed to we went to a group of small islands just south of Guadaloupe but still part of it, Les Iles de Saintes. What a marvelous find!! The tiny little French Carribean town on Terre de Haut was perfect. We were back to croissants in the morning and long leisurely lunches with clean scenic streets to stroll. We really enjoyed the short time here. We are hurrying to Grenada but this was such a pleasure. We'll be back.

04/10/2016

As hurricane Matthew makes its way towards the Bahamas we wish that all our friends (old and new) in his path find a safe anchorage. The beautiful Bahamas struggling along on the backs of tourists can hardly afford this onslaught of Mother Nature. The power of nature is daunting to say the least. Something we experience everyday as we leave safe anchorage.
After St Kitts we overnight end in Montserrat another beautiful island. Not a lot to offer as it is still recovering from its own tango with Mother Nature. A an active volcano ( last active 2003), still spewing ash and smoke dominates the southern end of the island but the untouched northern side is stunningly striking with its deep green curtained mountains, hallowed out cliffs and clusters of villages nestled in the hallows. We almost gave it a miss because most of the time the only anchorage of the island is pretty uncomfortable but our weather checking said otherwise and rather than beat 13 hrs to Guadaloupe we divided the trip in two. And I'm glad we did. Yet another quietly beautiful spot to see Mother Nature at her best and worst.