A view onto the anchorage. On this day we had many rain showers moving through, lasting only minutes, if not less. We appreciated the clouds - this way it was easier to adjust to the temperatures (from -30C to plus 30C).

The dock in St. Anne. These little churches, you find them everywhere, most with a little plazza in front of them.

Sainte-Anne: le mouillage le plus populaire de l’Ile! Cette petite église est typique pour les bourgs martiniquais. Celle de Sainte-Anne fut incendiée par les Anglais et reconstruite en 1730...Il y avait beaucoup de musique et de tambours ce soir la sur la place de l’Eglise...Mardi Gras oblige! Plus la nuit avançait, plus l’atmosphère s’egayait!

And have a look at these docks - impressive and very well maintained structures.

This little town was a fitting introduction to cruising in Martinique.

After a night in le Marin - a large and very full anchorage (we thought about Nomad ...!), we went shopping.

The first trip was to the boulangerie - fresh baguettes!!!! Then an extended breakfast - we were ready for a hard day of life in the tropics.

What do you want more: You jump into the dinghy and drive up to the supermarket take a shopping card, and serious shopping could begin. We had a week ahead of us, and this was one of the best places to fill up the boat, get wine, rum - everything.

Ma première expédition d’épicerie fut au supermarché CHAMPION...Heiner et Peter sont venus me rejoindre plus tard. Ah! J’étais fébrile tellement que j’étais excitée! Des fromages, des vins, des yaourts et fromages frais, des légumes inconnus et intrigants...Il y avait ce jour la des Christophenes (aussi appelées Chayotes) en vente: j’ai évidemment demande a deux clientes de m’instruire sur la chose....je n’en ai acheté qu’une, ne sachant pas trop a quoi m’attendre !

First round went fast - we knew what we wanted, and in not time was the dinghy full.

The next round for some small items we thought we may also want to have, was soooooo much slower. The store was going to close at noon - Carnival - and every man and women on the island must have decided to engage in some last minute shopping - with the cashier working on island time. Marleyne had enough time to make acquaintances in the store - she felt like "at home" in her French environment (just much hotter!).

Ouais, Heiner faisait la queue...il y avait au moins 20 personnes devant et autant derrière...je me suis donc permise quelques escapades au travers cette foule bigarrée...mais très patiente...j’ai déniché quelques merguez, d’autres fromages, et fait la causette avec le monsieur sur la bière locale...très sympa!

Making it back to the boat, up came the anchor and we left for St. Anne a few miles down the bay - to go swimming and to relax (meaning: enjoying one of the many good red wines we had bought!).

Le bateau Aquataurus avait une cale bien garnie avec des conserves de bonne qualité (tomates, champignons, haricots, couscous, et de petits cartons avec de la crème fraîche...)...essentiels si on veut être capable de mijoter de bons petits plats même s’il n’y pas d’épicerie dans le coin. Mais ca reste quand même un challenge de trouver ustensiles et aliments sur un bateau qu’on ne connaît pas...

One week of sailing in Martinique.

Peter picked us up at the airport, via a rental, and drove us south to le Marin, showing us the coastal stretch while doing so. It gave us the first impression of Martinique (that is: heavy traffic on the highway, wonderful and charming side roads, beautiful views ...) - and we had our first beer in a small village overlooking the harbour - one which we were going to see again in a few days.

It was a wonderful way to arrive in the Caribbean!

Aussi appelée “Madinina”, l’Ile aux Fleurs, la Martinique mesure 80 km de long par 39 km...et aucun point n’est éloigné de la mer par plus de 12 km!!!! La douce France...version antillaise!

... waiting for us ....!

It is February by now, 2007, and the winter finally arrived. Late, but unmistakenly there!

It may be fun for a while, but hey, we had enough snow, and enough work removing the snow so that we can drive the car out of the garage .... we had it!

Ruth and Peter, our friends on Aquataurus, happen to be sailing in the Caribbean.

We got an invitation to join them - unfortunately only Peter, Ruth had to go back home.

Who can say NO! to such temptations!?

Martinique! Here we come ... from minus 31C windshield and parka, mitten and hats .... to plus 30C and shorts!

On the way back we stopped in Prynier's Cove - we were the last boat in the water. What a weekend we had!

Yup, that's me!

Clear sky again a short while later.

Having our first coffee in the morning, looking out into the anchorage, fog lifting. At night it was thick with fog, barely were we able to see our own bow.

Anchoring in historical Picton harbour.

The Fall colours are out ...

Thanksgiving ... a long weekend is coming up and we are heading West, with following winds (we are lazy sailors!).

Our Fall destination - weather permitting ....!

We have had very unpleasant weather the last couple of weeks. We wanted to go the islands and see the fall colours and spend our weekends there, but with heavy rain and low temperatures in the forecast, we were happy if we made it out on the boat for a single night - if at all.

Here are some views of things we are missing ....
http://www.visit1000islands.com/Gallery-1000Islands/

Instead, we are getting ahead on our house projects - well, some benefits of a lousy Fall weather!

Our summer is coming to and end ... sadly, so are our trips in the near neighbourhood. Here we had a nice walk up from Cape Vincent (US) to the Tidbet Lighthouse along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

We came across a short Quicktime movie, giving you a 360 degree view of the area - not much to see apart from the entry to the St. Lawrence Seaway:

http://www.skypanther.com/tibbetts.htm

Fishing is an all-around sport - some catch fish ... others imitate them! That's what Christian of Nomad chose to demonstrate!

I had a great skipper for the day - Antoine - all professional and eager to drive our dinghy. It was fun to have him touring us around ... as fast as the engine (4hp only!!!!) would allow. But the two of us got the dinghy flying!

Thanks Antoine, I loved your company!!!

On our way to the winery ... before Marleyne sprained her ankle. Buth then a nice car, a Jaguar, drove past and offered her a lift back to the dinghy - Marleyne had timed her fall perfectly. But it hurt a lot, and 2 weeks later, is still hurting. A momento to remember this summer holiday (?).

Sailing ... holidays?

We had a short break and went sailing for about 9 days. These were hot days on land, and we were pleased to spend the time on the water; temperatures were in the upper 30sC. Given the time frame, we did not travel much in distance, but re-visited some nice spots, and re-visited the wineries in the Prince Edward country. Unfortunately, Marleyne sprained her foot badly, which put a damper on things (and which happened on her way back from a winery ...).

But we had a good time, and eventually, we met up with friends and some very nice people.

... cooling off!

Enjoying the wineries ... by sights, smell and taste!

Passing "The Rock" on our way west.

And when it gets too crowded in the Islands - we escape West ... there are some wineries in our region (http://www.winedining.net/prince.html).

We enjoy visiting them - they have a fantastic view over the bays and anchorages, we never can get enough of sitting outside, looking at our boat in the anchorage, or who is coming in from the lake.

Here we will post some pictures, impression of our weekend breaks.

Enjoy

... and another channel ...

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... passing along a channel

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... on the way to Gananoque

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands

Our summer sailing region ... one of it. The 1000 Islands, a short run East of Kingston.

The Thousand Islands are a chain of islands that straddle the U.S.-Canada border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. The islands stretch for about 50 mi (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario.

The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario. The U.S. islands are in the State of New York. The islands, which number 1,865 in all, range in size from over 100 km² to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, to even smaller uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are home to migratory waterfowl. The number of islands was determined using the criteria that any island must be above water level for 365 days per year and support at least one tree or shrub.

The area is rich in history - it was a favourite hunting ground of the Iroquois before European exploration, with immigrants travelling along the river and up to the northern lakes in the 1700s and early 1800s.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007992

And with railways built subsequently, tourism arrived at the shores of the 1000 Islands.
Still, the area is home to both: cargo transport via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and individual exploration; at times, pleasure boaters and cargo vessels join the same waters in very close proximity.

Bye, bye Colorado

And on our last day with our friends, we had a short outing short in the wilderness. Britt trying to catch some fish in the Vallecito creek ... while we were there, he was unsuccessful (but as soon we were safely back in Kingston, his catching skills returned ...?). Blame it on the fast running river!

But we had good fresh dringing water - hand pumped!

And the stories Britt could tell about his days as a ranger, spending 10 days in the wilderness with his horse and two mules, ... loosing his horse down a ravine .... oh man!

old mill tools everywehere ...

People lived and worked here, throughout the whole year, mining.

And us taking a lunch (and chocolate break!) At snow level (see left hand corner ...).

Ghost town - mining (2)

Ghost town - mining (1)

Leaving town, visiting a mine on the way out, we drove up, up and up. At one point, the sign suggested that this road was not recommended for non-4 wheel drive vehicles ... as Britt pointed out, "not recommneded" does not mean: closed to regular cars, and on we drove - slowly. Our Toyota made it - no problem, and we arrived in our "ghost town", at about 11000' elevation (3300m).

And there was a shoot-out, again, who had more fun? The locals, or us?

Right!?

And if we don�t pay our bills, there is always the local prison:

... with some movie references, this one had been shot in the neighbourhood ...

.. it felt "wild" ...

Britt knew a bar ... what else is there to say!

And that was our first day in Durago.

Next day, a visit to a mining town, Silverton, and "ghost town", of which there are many in Colorado.

Those who live there, and there are about 400 souls in this town year round, must love the isolation of this place, especially in the winter months.

The town seesm to have fun entertaining us visitors, and I was wondering, who had most fun: we looking at them or they at us (look at these tourists ....!).

and with a great view over the valley ...

and �running water� was already available at that time in these villages ...

In this park, we visited more than one side, and at Balcony House (http://www.nps.gov/meve/cliff_dwellings/balcony_house_tour.htm>) we had the fortune to have a guide with a Ph.D. in Archeology. What a treat that was.

... and Ilana and Marleyne wondering to put the living room ...

... what an amazing, breathtaking place ...

A ranger took us down, and we walked among these amazing ruins, taking it all in.

After booking our tickets and tours, we drove, most of the time on top of these mountaneous plateaus, to the only recently �discovered� sites (about 100 years ago).

And the first impressions were like this:

We did not realize that the National Park �Mesa Verde� was close by. It is a place where early Americans lived in �villages� under a rock cliff. As a boy I had read with wonder about these Ancestral Puebloans (remember: Karl May!), and we were eager to see this place - but had no clue what to expect.

A short drive away, about 40 miles, we entered the Park, and the plateau type mountain greeting us was impressive enough to think we had arrived.

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed

(http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html).

History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)


http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed (http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html). History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.

Old mining towns all around us.

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.
And we wanted to see things, visit museums, all of which we did while driving to Durango.

... and those of you who remember �Bonanza�, here we are on the road ...

We picked a good plane connection, arriving early afternoon in Denver, picked up our rental, and left - direction Durango. Britt had suggested a scenic route, which we followed. Within an hour we were up in the mountains (nevermind, Denver is already pretty high) and drove onto the highway called �On Top of the Rockies�. Indeed, we were on top of the rockies; most of the time, elevations were around 9000' (2700m), and at times well over the 3000m mark (10 000'), with a backdrop of 14 000' high peaks.

In 1999, on our sailing trip to destinations south, we met many wonderful people, and with some we stayed friends even after we returned to our lifes on land. One of these lasting relationships is with Ilana and Britt from Windom.

If you want to hear more about their travels, have a look at one of their many websites; they posted great stories and fantastic pictures there.

http://windom.cybox.com/blogger/

http://windom.cybox.com/index.html

Their "life on land" takes place in Durango, Colorado. We had a long standing invitation to come and visit them ...an email from Britt that the guest room was ready tipped the scale (although, there was not much tipping required, but it made an excellent excuse to drop our work, book a flight and GO!).

And so we did, via Denver, which is about an 8 hours drive away.