While awaiting the right winds

We're done with what we had to do in Antigua for this time. While waiting for a good weather window (yes we have finally learnt to await the good winds instead of always beating against whatever there is) to be able to smoothly move on up towards SXM. In the meanwhile we're dedicated to everything childish and wonderful we can think of. Sailing small boats, climbing in mountains and trees, cast fishing, swimming with turtles and discovering the sea creatures underneath the surface of the sea. Life can be so damn serious at times, so better to enjoy the simple pleasures whenever there's a chance to do so.

Sunday sailing

As members of the Antigua Yacht Club, we're free to use any of the clubs boats, windsurfs and other water sport activities, among many other benefits they have for their members. So we've been checking out the collection of boats that they have for a while now and yesterday was my first time ever to set sail on a boat smaller than 35 feet. We took one Laser Pico together, thought that could be alright for me to begin with. We tacked and gybed back and forth, around and around in the bay of Falmouth Harbor, got all wet and salty. It was so much fun, I can't even tell you! It gave me a total new feeling of the technicality of a boat, its weight and movement. The wind felt more powerful in any increase or change and even the few capsizes' we made felt exciting and important to go through. Alex was also happy like a child, love seeing him in the element he loves the most. We agreed on that this must definitely be something we will spend more time doing.

And where was I when these photos were taken you ask? So after been sailing for an hour or two, I told Alex to drop me as close to our boat as possible, I jumped into the water with my harness and all, swam to the boat, run in to dry my salty hands, grabbed the camera as the photo nerd that I am, snapped some pics of Alex zooming by and back in the water I went to join the ride once again. What a perfect Sunday adventure. Next time we'll try the faster Laser's for sure.

5 favorites bottles from the West Indies (and I ain't talking rum this time)

There are so many delightful recipes to get inspired from here in the Caribbean and they all have a bit of sting which is always very welcome. Best way to collect and keep these wonderful flavors for the days when we're no longer here, are to stock up on your favorite sauces on bottle. I'm sure most of these can be found in other variations around the world, but these are my five favorite Caribbean bottles of joy that I have came to love during our stay here in the West Indies:

Garlic Sauce - Simply a bottle full of garlic. I'm addicted to this shit. Just opened our second bottle in less than five months so you can only imagine how good we smell around here. Can be used for everything and anything.

Passionfruit sauce - A delightful, creamy sauce based on passionfruit but which also contains onion and salt to balance out the sweetness. This one is perfect for BBQ marinades and salad vinaigrette's. 

Coconut oil - Can come handy instead of olive, sunflower or whatever oil you're used to cook with but I use this mainly for baking due to its wonderful light sweetness. It doesn't have any coconut flavor as one might assume, only a very tiny hint of something reminiscent of vanilla, or nuts perhaps.

West Indian Hot Sauce - Just as the name suggests. This is a very very hot yet marvelous sauce that I add into most of my concoctions. Chicken stew, meat casseroles, thai mahi mahi and so on. This sauce is filled with the explosive bonnet peppers so be careful with how much you add to your food..

Green Seasoning - Another true Caribbean classic. A great supplement to any dish. This sauce is based on papaya, onion and peppers making it quite round in flavor. It is much lighter and a bit sweeter in taste than the previous, perfect when you're having visitors who are not too fond of entirely burning hot food.

Back in Antigua for a few days

If only it could be the beginning of 2012 so that we could move on to the Pacific ocean, Asia and beyond, but until the storm seasons are finished here and on that other side of the world and until we're done with what we have to do here in the Lesser Antilles, we will continue to zoom around these islands that we are so familiar with by now, here in the Caribbean. We are currently taking advantage of and enjoying all what we can of this calm before the high season officially begins in a few weeks. 

The world in my eyes

Just a few of my favorite shots from this month. Location: La Désirade airport, Les Saintes. Model: the sexiest man alive. Here accompanied by one of the most genius songs/tracks ever written/produced. Don't forget to observe Dave on stage at 1:31 and 1:43 please, I'm dying of his impeccable sense of style and perfection in every goddam detail. Fucking dying.

Beautiful Saintes

We are back in the peaceful Saintes again. We've been around here now quite some times, so much that people have started to remember us in the bars and on the streets and it feels kind of homey to get back here once more. This main island of Les Saintes, Terre de Haut, is a lovely little fishing port where time moves slowly and people from an interesting melange of backgrounds seem to be living in a comfortable pace. Les Saintes is unique in the way that it is one of very few islands in the Lesser Antilles with a majority white population, the reason being that not much slaves were brought to or used here during the colonial times. Most of the early settlers were from Breton and Norman in France and apparently there is a strong Breton cultural influence on the island. Nevertheless they all seem to have mixed up well with the black/Caribbean people, and they have developed their own Saintois look which is quite interesting and equally beautiful.

Morning

Looks like it is only in the anchorages of the French islands where you'll find many boats during hurricane season. We got happily surprised last night when we arrived here to Anse Mitan and realized that the whole bay was full of boats. With actually people in them. Good with a change of view, normally we're used to be one of only 1-3 boats anchored during this dead season, on the other islands around.

By the way, we have totally forgotten to put a track on our travels this past month, but now it is possible to follow us once more. Just click here to follow our route and to see our current position.

You know you're in St Lucia....

... when your counter is filled with ugly looking grapefruits and speckled bananas. But do not let the appearance fool you, these grapefruits are the sweetest on earth and the bananas are sweet and firm with just the right amount of spiciness in them.

Price: 20 XCD for 6 huge pamplemousse and 8 large bananas (that's equivalent to around €5, $7,50 or 45 SEK)