Caribbean Update

Wow time flies when you’re having fun! We have really been soaking up the past few years cruising.  We spent two hurricane seasons in Grenada with some cruising to Martinique in between.  We have officially pointed our bow north.  We will continue to travel at a leisurely pace, waiting for the best sailing weather to get in as much sailing as we can.  This will be our last year cruising.  Our goal when we started out was to cruise for 3-5yrs, and so mission accomplished! We left TN in July 2016, so we’ve been traveling about 3.5yrs now.  By the time we return in a year, we will be almost at the 5yr mark.  Anyways just reflecting back on all we’ve accomplished and I’m still a bit stunned we made it this far.  I regret not keeping up the blog as I hoped to, but it is still a great platform for us to shift gears! I figured theres no time like now for an update, so here it is!

paradise found! the tobago cays

We are currently in Martinique.  This is a French Caribbean island, so we are indulging in luxuries like brie and baguettes! We enjoyed our time in beautiful St. Lucia, but didn’t stay too long due to concern for cruiser safety.  The Grenadine Islands of St. Vincent are definitely our favorite of the Caribbean.  Grenada is also a beautiful island that will always hold a special place in our heart.

sailing past the pitons of st lucia

I guess knowing that this is our last year, and that this will be our last time in some of these idyllic destinations makes me appreciate this life even more.  I’ll be the first to admit boat life is very challenging, but its also extremely rewarding.  As we shift gears and mindsets into what the future will bring, Erik and I both have some goals we want to work towards!

sunset in bequia, one of my fav islands

With his free time Erik has chosen to learn programming.  He has built an iPhone app called “Heading Alarm“.  Please go check it out in the App Store and download it! It’s a compass display that will alert you if you deviate from your desired heading.  I think it will have lots of functional uses for lots of different folks, so check it out!  He is excited to continue learning and brainstorming what his next app will be!

sandy island, carriacou

I have always wanted to work with fish, and getting to spend all of my time snorkeling the beautiful reefs here in the Caribbean has only solidified that.  I invested in a good underwater camera and have been having so much fun trying to capture some of the awesome critters that inhabit the waters here!  In fact I’ve created a new section on the blog called “Reef Guide“.  Be sure to check it out to see some of the best pictures! I will continue working on it as we sail north.

snorkeling with sea turtles in tobago cays

Our loose plan is to continue cruising north, being sure to stop in some destinations we skipped on our way south.  Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Antigua are just a few planned stops.  Then we will head to Puerto Rico to stock up on provisions and get items mailed to us.  After that back to the Bahamas, which has definitely been our favorite cruising grounds to date.  We plan to spend as long as we can there before hurricane season.  Then going to hit the east coast of the US. And we will see what the universe has in store for us there! And all these plans are just written in the sand at low tide, because one of the main things cruising has taught me is that you can try your best to make plans but they will always change.  So just go with the flow!  I do post short daily updates on our Facebook page SV Ragnarok if you want more pictures and updates follow us there! Thanks for tagging along on our adventure!

frigate rock, union island