Our “best man” Bob Alves joined us in Grenada to help us start heading north toward home. In the two and half weeks he spent on board we covered over 500 miles: from Grenada to the BVIs. We averaged 24 miles per day, so we were on the move, but we were able to make some great stops along the way and which gave Bob a chance to see several different islands, harbors and countries. He arrived to Port Louis Marina in Grenada where he pulled up in style in the security golf cart – we’re not sure how he got the ride, but we think they thought he was a high roller headed to a mega yacht – they must have been surprised when they pulled up to Carried Away!

We headed right off the next morning to Sandy Island Carriacou where we dropped the anchor and let Bobby enjoy the azure blue water and gorgeous view of the national park. The next morning we stopped quickly at Union Island in the Grenadines just to clear into customs. There Bob found himself engaged in a spirited discussion with a local islander about US politics. He decided after that encounter, in order to avoid political confrontations, that he would just say he was Canadian and it worked for the rest of the trip!

During our stop at Union island which is known for more aggressive boat service providers, we were approached by Alphonso who wanted us to buy our Tobago Cay BBQ lobster dinner from him. We explained that we planned to see Tyree who had hosted us last time, but Alphonso really pressured us and told us he wasn’t sure Tyree would even be there, so I caved and agreed to have him as hour host. Well, as we pulled into Tobago Cays, who came to greet us and help us with our mooring but our buddy Tyree! I explained that we had already signed up for dinner with Alphonso and he said “no way, that’s not allowed”. But to fix it I had to get in Tyree’s boat and go to the BBQ pit where all the hosts work and explain to Alphonso’s chef Elizabeth in the middle of the pit that I was cancelling dinner with her – OMG it was so uncomfortable. But Elizabeth was most gracious and while I expected Alphonso to come yell at me, he never did and we had a great lobster dinner with Tyree!

Next stop: Bequia. This is one of our favorite places and Bob loved it too. While there we reconnected with Doug & Lucy (SV Surprise) who came aboard for dinner and we also joined a Salty Dawg cocktail gathering at Jack’s Beach Bar. It’s always fun to connect with this community of cruisers.

The weather forecast for our trip to St Lucia called for “salty conditions” but we actually had a lovely sail and made very good time up to Rodney Bay. On all of our voyages the guys put out the fishing line – we haven’t had much luck and we hear from other cruisers and locals that the water is just too warm, but we keep trying. As we pulled into Rodney Bay Marina, the dock master Nigel greeted us warmly as usual and then as we backed into the slip he laughed and shouted “and you’re still fishing!”. We had forgotten to pull in the fishing line! All the dockhands got a good laugh as Bobby raced to reel it in before we backed over i

A couple of nights at Rodney Bay and then we sailed up to Saint-Anne Martinique and then further up the boast to Saint-Pierre where we explored beyond the Mt. Peele Museum which we had seen last time and walked up to the ruins of Maison Colonial de Sante (an old sanitarium). It was eerie not just because everyone had perished during the volcanic eruption, but because the small rooms and metal chairs where patients must have been restrained were still in place. On a more positive note, they had advanced the use of gentle hydro therapy and the hydro baths which were still visible. There was an old horse roaming the property who must be used to keep the grass low.

Its interesting going back to places we visited earlier in the season and being able to explore new spaces like this one – we know we have only scratched the surface and have lots and lots more to see.

Next we sailed north past Dominica (no time to stop) and on to Isle de Saints the group of small islands south of Guadeloupe. It was a long day logging 75 nautical miles and the winds weren’t quite in our favor, but we made it to a mooring just before sunset. We rented e-bikes on the main island of Terre-de-Haut and had a blast with Bobby bombing up and down the incredibly steep hills and seeing all the sights and views. The island is known for having wonderful restaurants and Bobby picked one which turned out to be AMAZING. Au Bon Vivre is a French (of course) restaurant which specializes in offering the “Chefs surprise”. You can pick from 3 or 4 courses but have no idea what you’re getting until it’s served. The food was amazing and we ate every bite!

We continued up to Deshaise on the northern side of Guadeloupe – where we ran into our new friends Fiona and Marnix from SV Plankton who have decided to have their boat shipped back by freighter to Europe so they can spend the summer there – we are sorry they aren’t coming up the east coast of the US, but certainly understand the desire to get to home waters.

We sailed up 75 more Nevis and grabbed a mooring off of Charlestown just for the overnight so we could start early the next day for St. Martin. We wanted to be sure to make the Simpson Bay bridge opening at 3 pm, which we did, and settled in comfortably to the Lagoon by late afternoon. While we really miss the beautiful water and nature of the Windward islands, it was also nice to be back in a busy port with access to lots of services and provisions. We spent a couple of nights there and then headed west early in the evening for an overnight sail to Virgin Gorda. We had lovely weather (clear skies, but wind was light) and a full moon to escort us back over to the BVIs. With a quick stop to clear in with customs at Spanish Town, we headed the short 7 miles over to Trellis Bay where Bobby could easily walk to the airport for his flight home the next morning. While we missed the “Full Moon Party” by one day – we enjoyed Aragorns studio and the local eateries – all so close to the airport!

It was a whirlwind time with Bobby on board and we’re so grateful for his enthusiasm to cover a lot of miles in a short amount of time. We’ve got some work to be done in Nanny Cay Tortola – then we’ll be heading west to Puerto Rico and north to the Bahamas! We are officially heading home!