And Then There Were Two (again)

Whew! It has been an eventful past few weeks! Since our good friend Jeannie left to return to Colorado, we have been entertaining our youngest daughter Ellie and her two delightful daughters, AJ (7) and Liv (4). We thoroughly enjoyed their visit albeit a brisk and busy time.

We had arranged to have our usual taxi driver take us to the airport to pick them up but somehow he got wires crossed and we were left to find another driver while waiting at the curb for the first guy. Not to worry, a friendly marina employee called his friend Rodwell, another taxi guy taking a day off, and he came to pick us up straightaway. We arrived at the airport with time to spare as it seemed to take forever to get everyone through customs and immigration. But before long, Ellie and our beautiful “grands” came bounding through the exit lobby, spied us, and ran straight into our arms with huge grins and hugs. A good start to the trip, for sure.

Ellie had hoped to show the kids some “not so American” scenes while visiting us on this trip and our drive back to the boatyard provided just that. We drove through small villages with less than idyllic schoolyards, neighborhoods that needed some paint and maintenance, and various roadside vendors selling all sorts of strange fruits and vegetables. The kids took it all in and perhaps appreciated their home living situations a bit more.

After arriving back at our boat for the first night, we experienced a rather rough first night, weather-wise. My previous blogs explained the crazy weather patterns Jeannie had experienced with us and they continued for the first few days of the girls visit. (Read most recent blog entry to see what happened their first night aboard!) Prior to their arrival, during Jeannie’s visit, we had arranged to have a local mechanic come to the boat to do some minor work. On the designated day, a very nice looking young man named Jage arrived to provide his mechanical skills and we welcomed him aboard. We quickly noticed his thick Scottish accent and commented about it. He grinned and told us he hadn’t lived in Scotland since he was 18 and that France was his home when not aboard his catamaran which was currently anchored near ours in the bay outside of Jolly Harbor marina. We found out that he was currently living on his boat while his wife and kids (girl 10 and boy 15) remained back in France for the school year. We learned that the boy was an upcoming young freestyle skier and explained that Steamboat Springs was a big hub for Olympic competitors. We hit it off nicely and enjoyed getting to know each other. We invited him over for several “happy hours” and he seemed to enjoy having company, especially with the girls, as I suspect he was missing his family some.

After he completed the necessary boat work and were chatting with him, telling him of the upcoming visit of our family, he offered up some of his kids’ lifejackets and floating toys for their use while aboard our boat. We were delighted as Ellie had worried about finding lifejackets that would fit properly and that she would be most happy not to have to pack two lifejackets in their luggage. He said he also had a two person kayak which we could borrow if we wished. We took him up on it and Ellie and the girls spend several times paddling around each harbor in the kayak, learning to synchronize their strokes to avoid banging their paddles together.

Since the girls had been working hard on their swimming skills prior to arrival, they were most anxious to display their progress. They spent many hours afloat off the back of the boat, playing on the floating toys and noodles, while splashing and displaying their newfound and rapidly increasing swimming skills. Little Liv seemed especially proud that she could paddle about in her tiny life vest, without anyone guiding her, allthewhile exclaiming “don’t hold on to me, I can do this by myself!” I am certain they easily doubled their swimming prowess while with us.

Since the weather and wind were so intense for the first few days, we decided to get a dock berth so they could all ease into the boat’s undulations and not get too green from it’s rolling about. That proved to be a good decision as the proximity to the marina and the local supermarket helped all get accustomed to the local food offerings. Since the girls are on a strict Gluten free/dairy free diet, we were concerned that there would not be adequate options for them while visiting. However, we found several gluten-free choices offered and with what Ellie had packed to bring with her, they seemed to be well fed and happy the entire trip.

After a few nights on the dock, the weather had let up some so we headed around the corner to English Harbor, the historic harbor which was once the home base for the famous Admiral Horacio “Hornblower” Nelson, famed pirate hunter. We did some historical sightseeing and hiked up to the fort one morning, but they especially loved the harbor and the adjacent beaches. On their first Sunday night in English Harbor, we all went up to Shirley Heights for the weekly steel pan BBQ and party. They seemed enthralled by the 20 piece steel drum orchestra and loved the views from the elevated location. After a big day of swimming, hiking and music, they were all too ready to head back to the boat for bedtime, as were we all.

We were able to take the kids into St. John’s, Antigua’s capital city, on the local bus and we think they enjoyed seeing the local people and sights along the way and the farmer’s market in the city with all of the strange looking fruits and vegetables that were offered.

When we sailed back from English Harbor up to Jolly Harbor, AJ wanted to “drive” so Rick had her sit in the helmseat and she was able to do the course corrections on the autopilot as he told her how any degrees to enter. He even taught her that she needed to respond “Aye, Captain” when she received a correction directive. Then, and only then, would she be allowed to push the buttons to make the course change. She found it to be great fun. She also learned that the sides of the boat were not referred to as “left” and “right” but starboard (right) and port (left). Lots to learn, but an eager and attentive student. Much of the rest of the time the girls seemed to really enjoy the beach time and all the swimming off the boat. AJ showed some real mastery of her snorkel gear and swim fins and Liv practiced paddling around without our assistance.

We invited Jage over for supper one night and he brought the adults a nice bottle of Chilean wine and a couple of storybooks from his kids’ boat library to read to the girls. He read them with such sincerity and with his beautiful Scottich accent that he quickly won the girls hearts, we’re sure.

The 10 days went by much too fast for everyone and we were all surprised when the end of the visit arrived. As the weather had begun to stiffen again, we decided to move inside the harbor entry to a mooring ball for the last day to allow them some sense of calm while preparing their departure packing. Then out of nowhere, Jage appeared in his dinghy with a bag of assorted foreign coins for the kids and a magnifying glass for the girls to examine their “pirate’s booty”. The coins were from places all over the world which he had kept in his change box as he traveled around the globe. They were delighted to have this wonderful surprise and after big hugs all around, he was gone and we were off to the taxi stand to meet up with Rodwell, our driver, for their trip back to the airport.

Overall, it was a terrific visit, albeit exhausting for us. We loved seeing the girls grow their sea skills in front of our eyes and having Ellie with us for some great quality adult time together.

That night, as we sat in the cockpit having our boat drinks, we spied Liv’s swimming vest hanging outside to dry and became a bit misty thinking about what fun it had all been. The good news is that there is always another time…