Water!

That's the only right thing to do in this heat..
And who cares if it's in the dirty waters of the harbor area, at least it's refreshing!

Good morning world

It's 6.30 and we're sitting here planning for the nearest future. Lots on our mind. The new boat. When should we leave. What about the hurricanes. Where should we go after Antigua. When will we be done with what has to get done on Caos. What is the plan when we get South. The new boat again. Is it a good choice. What are the benefits with such a drastic change of boat/home/vehicle and so on... You might think that we are on a permanent vacation of some sort, but this life is also very much our normal life. We have everyday things to deal with even though we might have chosen to call the world our home instead of having a fixed land based house or an apartment. We also have a future to plan for and we want to make sure that we take the right decisions and make the right moves, you know all those questions that most of us have to deal with in this world. Ok I can admit that the majority of things are easier to handle when you are not forced to work 9-5 and instead you're able to take those life decisions while surrounded by beaches and palm trees and beautiful nature, but still, this is our life and no matter how the layout of it looks, we want to make sure we do the things right. One thing that is really really annoying right now though, call it a luxe problem if you want, but the temperature and the humidity is almost unbearable here in the Caribbean at the moment. And when you are not on the beach or swimming, it is a joke to try to be fresh when sweat is constantly pouring down your skin. That's one of those problems we have to deal with over here..

Have a great Thursday you all. /T

Night in Liberta

We had a loooong walk to the neighbor town tonight. Was really nice although the massive rain hit us just before we arrived into a safe and dry restaurant by the road. And lucky us to find out that buses were still running in between villages after 8.30 pm so we didn't have to walk all that long way back home again. /T

Work it

Great gym here at the Antigua Yacht Club. First time I visit a proper gym in around ten months. Well needed. Usually gym's are not suitable for this sailing gypsy lifestyle we're living and I have to find my own ways of keeping myself in shape on the boat, but it's perfect when we're staying longer in one place like we're doing right now. Will abuse this gym to the max as long as we're here in Antigua. We only live once as far as I know, so no reason to be anything less than the best looking we ever can during that only lifetime.

And as for Alex you ask? He doesn't need anything but natural physical work to keep himself in good shape. He has that sexy toned muscular street fighter kind of look on his body no matter what he does or eats. Very annoying. /T

A hidden gem

Good morning Monday, you are back again? I think we'll spend some time to explore more of "our" little cave on that deserted beach we found the other day.. The ambiance of this hidden part of the island reminds me a lot of the settings in Carroll Ballard and Francis Ford Coppolas classic movie from 1979, The Black Stallion. You know that part where the boy and the horse first became friends after been washed up on land on a deserted island. Somewhere on the coast of Morocco I think that was. Beautiful surroundings. Just a wild horse that is missing right here. /T

A Saturday sail

We had a great day of sailing yesterday with fine conditions. It was also finally about time we got a couple of photos of our Caos under sail, after having sailed her now for almost two years together. She's beautiful, isn't she? /T

Break the rules

Hello, ms carrot head here. Just wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend, cause that's some sort of a tradition we established here on the blog isn't it. It is weekend almost every day in our lives nowadays and a Friday and Saturday doesn't actually differ much from a Monday and Tuesday. Kind of amazing when you think about it. We've been away from home now for nine months and in spite the hard work we had/still have on the boat, we are now more free than ever. Of course it can be hard in small doses every now and then when we miss our families and friends, but over all this is totally the way we always somehow dreamed of living. Free, unbound, attached to nothing, no obligations to have to deal with, no stress that makes ones life miserable, no greater burdens on our shoulders than perhaps that pile of dishes that we've left too long, the dinghy which should get cleaned once and for all or that laundry bag which we continue to neglect, but other than that - life is good. And I get a feeling that it is like this the life is supposed to be. Were we really born to do anything else than this? 

Can you for a second imagine the feeling of being completely totally free? I'm not sure that all of you can, but if you ever get the chance to release yourself from the rat-race, say goodbye and see you never again to things that disturbs you and to be able to completely immerse yourself in peace and harmony away from mental stress and obligations even if only for a while, take it, it will fill your heart with such appreciation for life that you didn't knew one could feel, and you would be able to create feelings and thoughts that you never had time for in the past. You will start to appreciate the smallest details in life and your eyes will begin to recognize things which you never would have noticed before. I don't know really how to tell you all of this without sounding like a religious freak, but my soul has definitely opened in a way I never experienced before, and for that I can only thank myself. And Alex of course. I am so thankful for the day we decided to take the step out and make reality of this dream. This dream, our life, has done more good for our hearts than we could have ever imagined beforehand. And still there is more than 100 countries left out there to discover, a couple of more oceans to cross and thousands of more interesting people and beautiful places to visit before we're done with this journey around the world that we've embarked on. If we ever get done and ready, that is. 

So have a great weekend you all wherever you are in the world. And promise me you will try to make reality of all those dreams you have deep inside. No one will ever thank you nor remember you for the things you always dreamed of but never made reality of, try to remember that. My thoughts are especially with my best friend today who are just about to move to the other side of Europe to throw herself into new dreams and a new life far from the expected.

Cheers to all of you out there who are brave enough to break the rules and taking advantage of what this beautiful, magical life has on offer, I'll have a sweet mango cocktail for all of you tonight. /T

Mango fever

Essentials in the Caribbean: Ice-cold water. A handful of mango fruits. Ray Ban shades. Can't fail with that combo accompanied by sunshine, laughter, love, beach and the sea. xoxo

Beautiful morning

Homemade bread, a cup of espresso and a glass of fresh mango juice, a check of the battery monitor to realize that the wind has been charging our batteries well all night, sun is shining, a day on the beach is planned = what better way there is to begin the day in the Caribbean...

Last nights catch

And indeed also last nights dinner.. Sunset and sunrise are the best times of the day to get fish, as I've learnt from my fisherman. Yesterday Alex caught three barracudas in the short period of 40 minutes. The two first ones were too big and I asked him to let them go (greater risk of having to encounter ciguatera, remember?), while the last one was this tiny little baby barracuda, perfect in size for a dinner for us two. Was delicious with garlic and coriander gravy served with oven roasted potatoes. Sorry no picture taken of the meal as the light went out of this place. Here's instead one barracuda meal I made one summer in Sardinia, Italy, if you remember? /T

By the way, we have just edited "our route" post, check it out here.

Kayaking in the sunset

Let's round this day off with one slow mode favorite. good night. 

Boat thoughts and plans

Hope you all had a great weekend. We did. We are still in Antigua and will stay here for some additional weeks. We'll be having some interested buyers visiting our boat which is on sale and we're also hanging around here so that we have close to the new boat in case we would get Caos sold at any time soon. Since Alex also previously been working with one of the most famous boat builders of the Caribbean, he also has the access to one of the best woodshops around here which helps him to continue with the upgrade of Caos. Currently he's busy building a new instrument panel in mahogany to the boat, looks fantastic, will show you pics later for the sailors and boat people reading who might be interested. 

To sell a boat of a quality brand like Hallberg Rassy here in the Caribbean is kind of a tricky task. The potential new owners are most likely from Europe or the States and to be able to fly here and take over the boat on one of these islands, requires a lot of planning. We know that the whole process might take some time, but we're still positive and optimistic for the thought of getting it all done at least before the next epic milestone of this journey, the transit through Panama canal and the entering of the Pacific ocean in March next year. Hopefully we will be able to leave the Caribbean behind in the new boat we have in mind. Time will tell. /T

Greetings from the tropics

Happy weekend. Again. It feels like it was yesterday I wished you the same last time. Time flies fast when you're having fun, no? I have by the way started to accept my new blonde hair. Never though I would say this but I could even go as far as saying that I love it. I've definitely always seen myself as a true brunette and had really hard to imagine being able to keep up a classy appearance with lighter hair, but obviously it works pretty well, this too. Who knows how long this love will last, but at least my hair feels much better now than when treated with chocolate colored dye every second month. The less beauty maintenance here on the seas, the better. Just need to find the energy and will one day to bleach a bit more on the ends to be able to remove the orange hue and then we're all set.

Well that's all for today. The weekend is here and I've dressed up in my new tropical dress to go out for some curry conch and jerk chicken with my man. Simple Caribbean food at its best. Hasta luego amigos and have a great weekend wherever you are in the world. /T

One of those weekends

Here's one of my new friends. I was lucky enough to meet a guy the other week who offered me the opportunity to ride his racehorse whenever I wanted to, for no cost, just because he doesn't have enough time for it himself. Now "my" horse had just lost one of his shoes so there was no riding opportunity this time, but at least I got introduced to the horses at the ranch and hopefully the farrier will have the new shoes fixed soon after the holidays so I can get back to the stable and get out riding in just a few days. I haven't been in the saddle since I was in Bahrain last time, and that must have been at least two years ago now. Can't wait to get out in the woods with big red, as is the throughbred racehorse's name (it is not the horse in this pic though, will introduce you to him a bit later).

Well hello there beautiful.

Alex saved me from my ambitious three course dinner plans and said he was dying for some hamburgers, thanks for that! It's too hot to cook here anyway! 

So we went to one favorite hangout where the best fast food, ice-cream and drinks are served by some locals.

On the morning after we left for yet another dinghy excursion. The inflatable dinghy is our everyday vehicle, just like a car or a bike is on land, and we love packing it full with snorkeling and diving equipment, freshly made picnic, fishing rods and some books to read under an umbrella and get out to one of the vast amount of beaches, the beautiful bays and exploring new areas of the islands. 

We found a deserted little spot in Rendevouz Bay where we made a fire and ate hot dogs for lunch.

Went for a walk in the woods.

And by the beach...

Beautiful surroundings.

And warm water.

Alex was fishing from the dinghy on the way home, he got something....

Something BIG!

A huge tarpon!!!

This particular sort of fish is known for its fight and for the show he puts up when being caught and he was literally pulling us and our little dinghy all around the bay. The rod Alex got this beast with was the lightest of all the rods we have here onboard, quite impressive. Would have been nice to catch the tarpon but on the other hand it felt almost better when he finally released himself from the hook and could get back to the sea where he belongs. But wow what an impressive fish, I've never seen them before.

We went to buy some ice-cream. Here with a delicious orange sorbet.

There has been a fishing tournament going on during the weekend and we went to English Harbor to attend the price giving ceremony and to have a look at the big stuff they caught for the day. Here a big wahoo.

Same equipment as Alex has. Shimano Tiagras all around.

More wahoos waiting to get weighted.

Fish for sale.

It was a great festive feeling in English Harbor. Kids playing.

While the women were drinking cocktails.

Sexy Carib girls promoting Carib beer.

Done with fishing for today.

How cute.

I wonder how many years it took to save to that length?

People gathered to get a glimpse of the beast of the day.

Crazy huge.

A 464 lbs marlin fish. (210 kg!)

Mmmm popcorn...

I have said it before, and I'll say it again: Antigua is Amazing with a capital A. Best place with the greatest variety we've experienced so far in the Caribbean islands. We have everything we need here in terms of climate, the beautiful nature, the people are great and easy to connect with, the waters are fantastic, there is good infrastructure, the place offers easy sailing distance to many other lovely places and countries and it seems like there will be no problem at all to find things to do around here. 

One important part of this world tour journey we've embarked on, is to one day perhaps be able to figure out where to settle with that little house we have planned to build for ourselves, and Antigua has climbed right up to number one on the list of places we've seen since we left our home in Barcelona for eight months ago. So who knows what will happen after this world tour, maybe it is in Antigua we will get our very own land-based home. A place on a cliff where we will have our serene vacation spot where we'll be staying in between our travels of the ocean. A place where we will be able to unload all those treasures we've collected on our travels, and maybe it is here we one day will set up that intimate restaurant in connection to our own garden that we have in mind? Who knows? All we know for now is that we love Antigua and the only thing wrong with this place is that it is very far away from our families and friends with no easy and direct flight connections to any of our homes in Europe. I guess our search for the perfect place to buy land will continue for a couple of years to come, but until we found something better, Antigua will stay right there at the top. Competing with our beloved Mediterranean of course. /T

Green Island part II

We made a three day stop in Green Island and Nonsuch Bay again before heading further. We love this place! So extremely beautiful waters, peaceful atmosphere and here's almost no other people nor boats during this time of the year. Yes it might be hurricane season and we need to be aware of the weather changes and the possible alerts of tropical storms, but that gives us also the serenity and the feeling of being totally disconnected to the rest of the world which is incredibly fulfilling and needed from time to time.

Don't forget to check our route on the Spot tracker if you're curious about where we are in the world. /T