Late January – Early March 2026

We had family and friends coming to meet us in Antigua and Guadeloupe in February so we needed to head back “east” from the Virgin Islands. It’s always a bit of a challenge sailing into the trade winds and you have to wait for the right weather window. We finally found a window that allowed us to sail directly back to Antigua. So far this season we have had a few of these situations when we have been stretched (for us – other cruisers do this all the time) to sail double handed overnight and for further distances, while it’s tiring, it’s worked well so far.

We anchored back in Falmouth Harbor, Antigua a few days before Mark and Robin arrived for their week vacation. They had booked the Inn at English Harbor (a very nice place!) and we met them there the first night for a lovely dinner. To meet each other we had to hop across Falmouth harbor, take a 10 minute walk and then cross over English harbor to Galleon beach – it was a fun trip each time. We got to show them around Nelsons Dockyard, take the “Middle Ground” hike and stop for lunch at the Antigua Yacht Club.

My brother Peter joined us midweek so we had some awesome Ho-Jo sibling time! It’s so much fun sharing the places we have come to love with our family – our favorite beaches, hikes, beach bars and restaurants etc. We sailed to Jolly Beach for the day, had lunch at Loose Cannon and Catherine’s Cafe and dinner at Pillars restaurant. We also got to watch a number of the “Worlds Toughest Row” teams arrive to English Harbor after 50+ days at sea, just amazing.

During our time in Falmouth several Marbleheaders came to town: Sally and Tommy Tompkins joined us for a day of sailing up to Jolly Beach; Susan and Stew Walker joined us for the Shirley Heights BBQ; and the Barberas and Wiswells were in town for the Superbowl! It felt like homecoming week!

Mark and Robin headed back to the cold Northeast having gotten some much needed sun, rest and relaxation – we hope they’ll come back! Peter stayed on board to sail south with us to Guadeloupe as he hadn’t been there before. We stopped quickly in Deshaies and then sailed down the west coast of Basse-Terre (the “west wing” of Guadaloupe) around the southern point and up into Point a Pitre (PtP) harbor. Peter loves being at the steering station and manned it all day. We grabbed a mooring, had a yummy dinner at Dragonfly and since he was leaving the next day we arranged a morning tour with our guide from last year, Antoinette. She took us the rain forest, waterfalls, a beautiful beer garden and lunch at a popular local spot before dropping Peter at the airport.

Then it was time to welcome our next crew: Danielle and Johnny McGrath arrived first so we booked Antoinette to come take us on a tour to swim in the waterfalls and get a good sense of the mountainous and verdant Basse-Terre (we also fit in a big provision shop). Sue and Giffy Wigglesworth arrived and we headed south to Isle De Saints to hang there for a couple of days. Our friends Beth & Peter on SV Lasata helped us grab a coveted mooring near town so we could easily enjoy the yummy French food, local carnival parades and downtown vibe. We also took the dingy to Ilet a Cabrit (a small uninhabited island) to hike and snorkel. There were lots of fish to see (surprisingly) and Billy and Sue saw a gorgeous octopus and this time he actually had the GoPro! (see the picture below)

We sailed back up the west coast of Guadeloupe to the Jacques Cousteau marine park where we saw more cool fish! We then made a stop at the hot springs of Bouillante where Johnny and Billy were the only ones that felt like soaking in the hot springs on an 85 degree day. We finished the week back at Deshaies where Sue was able to check out the set of Death in Paradise – it was fun because she actually watches the show!

Johnny and Danielle said they most enjoyed the sailing from port to port and approaching each lovely French Caribbean town. Sue loved snorkeling as did Giffy who took a bit of time to get comfortable with it, but by the end of the week it was hard to get him out of the water! It’s the absolute best when people come and really appreciate the Caribbean islands.

That was as far south as we planned to go this season, and it was time to head north. Billy and I sailed up to St. Martin (as you might know by now, one of Billy’s favorite stops) but with the forecast we only stayed 24 hours – in and out of the Simpson Bay lagoon for laundry, chandlery and pizza!

Jack Attridge flew down to meet us in the BVI for a few days of warmth and relaxation. We sailed up to North Sound for dinner at Saba Rock with our good friends Todd & Cathy (SV Critical Path). Bobby Alves arrived the next day and so we headed back to Road Town, Tortola where we fueled up, filled the propane tank and provisioned (phew!) because once again weather was driving our plans. We needed to get to the Bahamas and Chris Parker (our weather router) said the right window was “now”! So after scooping Bobby and getting our new back rest delivered to the boat by Doyle (amazing customer service!) we headed to Soper’s Hole to check out of customs. The next morning we sent Jack off on the ferry to catch his flight (which he barely did!) and then Bobby, Billy and I dropped the mooring lines and set off for the 695 nm journey to the Bahamas – more on that in my next installment.