Coastal Breeze News

by Fran Diebler I will be following s/v Moonbeam and her crew as they sail from Marco Island and through the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand completing a Pacific Circuit. Moonbeam is a 52’ Island Packet Cutter. There will be updates from time to time as they push forward to achieve their objective which is from Marco Island to New Zealand via the Panama Canal, visiting many South Pacific Islands along the way. A return trip to Marco by completing the circumnavigation is expected in the Spring of 2014. Ken Bardon, owner and skipper of the s/v Moonbeam, is a ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] he incessant wind had not let up and the anchorage at Iles de Saints was a bit uncomfortable so we decided that we had to move on to Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica. Wow! We just left the very French, sophisticated, upscale island to make a landfall at Portsmouth, Dominica, which is one of the poorest and least developed islands in the Caribbean. Much of this volcanic rainforest is a national park, which looks very much like a primeval forest with its 365 rivers and magnificent waterfalls. Although the scenery is nothing short of breathtaking, we left ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] We loved Antigua for its history, living museums, friendly people, snug anchorage, facilities and so much more. However, after an 11 day stay, we reluctantly had to move on. Our next port of call was Deshaies on the French island of Guadeloupe. Deshaies pronounced “Day Hay” is on the northwest corner of Guadeloupe. From the anchorage, Deshaies looks very much like a village on the French coast with its colorful shops and brightly painted fishing skiffs bobbing on their moorings. The harbor is opened to the West as all of the Leeward Island anchorages are. Seldom ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] Whew! We finally made it safely to Antigua after our last visit from “HELL,” Montserrat. I’m sure that nowadays life is very different from when we were there. However, the wind still blows and the seas still rise. That is just a small part of life on the sea. You do have choices to make during your sailing life. Sometimes, situations occur that you cannot predict or control. Therefore you should prepare yourself, your boat and your crew for any and all possibilities. This should apply to all trips you make on your boat, especially if ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] Along with St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and Nevis, Redonda, and Montserrat are known as the “Islands that Brush the Clouds.” Nevis and St. Kitts are one country. We checked into customs at Charlestown. That was how it was when we were there. Charlestown then was the only town of entry in Nevis. Nevis is a rather unusually shaped island. It is rounded in shape and has been likened to a sombrero with a peak in the center which rises 3,000 feet skyward toward the clouds. Hence the descriptive name of this island group. Nevis was named ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE  Frances Diebler [email protected] AH! St. Barth to the locals and St. Barts to the Americans was just breathtaking as we sailed into the harbor of Gustavia. It is a small French Island, whose history includes being a Swedish possession hence the name Gustavia after King Gustave. Columbus named the island Barthelemy after his brother. It seems as though Columbus had spent his life going around bestowing names on every piece of land he saw. We were lucky to get a mooring in the inner harbor which was more protected and closer to town. We are always moved by ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] We’re on the move again. After spending two months in the beautiful Virgin Islands, we finally sailed over to Marigot Bay, St. Martin, French West Indies. The Christmas winds were blowing for two whole weeks now and the sea state was rather rough. This next passage was a serious open ocean passage from Anagada Passage, aka, “Oh, MY GOTTA PASSAGE.” This is an overnight sail which is only 80 some miles, but it can take anywhere from 13 hours to 24 hours. There are eddies, ocean swells, wind and sea state to deal with all along ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] My husband and I never sailed or ever thought about this subject until one day out of the blue he said, “I want to learn how to sail”. “Okay” I said. “Why?”? We didn’t live on the water at that time. We weren’t associated with other sailors or owned a boat. I was perplexed. We were young and eager to start a family together that would last a lifetime. He, more than I, started to read more and more about sailboats, and cruising, as well as where to go and what to do. We started visiting ... Read More »

CRUISING LIFE Frances Diebler [email protected] Before I continue taking you south through the Caribbean Island chain to the North Coast of South America, I would like to discuss some of the requirements I consider necessary to prepare yourself and your boat for such a long trip aboard. First and foremost, from my perspective and experience, is to prepare yourself and your crew. In our case, my husband was the skipper and I was the crew. We took all of the classes necessary for long term offshore sailing; Advanced Piloting, Navigation and Weather from the United States Power Squadron. We had taken ... Read More »

By Frances Diebler [email protected] We had been gone for two and a half months and we were out of many staples. Fortunately, we had friends, Wally and Linda, who were living aboard their boat, TIRE SWING, long term and had their van shipped to Puerto Rico from Texas. It would have been cheaper for them to have bought an old car here. But they chose to ship theirs. They graciously would come by and take us shopping to the supermarket, Wal-Mart’s, or anywhere we needed to go. We needed to reprovision the boat and had to haul all of the ... Read More »