We arrived in Cordoba to a deluge of rain and found our hotel (following a minor arguement over fitting the kitebag in a taxi). We spent the next 4 days flitting between shopping, milling around and eating. My mum and nan were in Cordoba so it was a good chance to check out some nice restaurants and a chance to learn some useful family history regarding the haunts of my grandparents.
We made a trip to Alta Gracia and the teenage home of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. His old house is a little museum which had some interesting information and good photos. We did have some minor stress as the bus station was quite far from the centre of town and the museum. Sarah did not believe I could find our way back to the house (we did).
Sarah had her heart set on Paragliding which was supposed to be very good in a village 80k from the city centre. We borrowed a car from a family friend and set off with mum and nan in tow. We drove past Dique San Roque, which I remembered from my childhood, on our way to La Cumbre. The final destination was a nice town in which we had lunch and had its own Christ the Redeemer statue. We tried to get to the paragliding spot but had to abort about 10k in as the route probably required something more rugged than a citroen c3. On our way back we stopped at a paragliding school to discover that the 20knot winds pretty much excluded any chance of paragliding.
The drive back gave me a chance to experience rush hour traffic in a city well kwnown for its driving 'standards'. There were one or two close moments and the obligatory wrong turn as my mum tried to relay directions from our friend via mobile.
Our coach journey back to BA was not entirely uneventful. It took us right through the heartland of the farmers strike. After 14 hours and 3 long stops (I was contemplating stealing a motorbike) we made it back to BA at 2am. The remise journey from Retiro bus station might as well involved a submarine as the rain was bouncing 3ft off the road and several trees had blown over.
In BA we went down to the coast and had yet more meals. I went kitesurfing in the river at Peru Beach and had a pretty good session. Sarah remained unconvinced about the water quality (as of May '08 I'm still not blind!) . We did some more shopping and I started my dental work extravaganza.
It was discovered that a dentist was a) easier to find and b) cheaper than the UK. So I booked myself in and had an exam and clean... unfortunately I needed 6 fillings... just goes to show that 7 years without a dentist is probably a bad idea.
We decided to head to the beach and try and get some kitesurfing. It turned out the wind would probably be better in Argentina than in Uruguay so we booked a bus to Pinamar. I had been to the resort as a child and I think it was definately changed. There was a massive beach and we managed to get a session in on the first day! Unfortunately that was pretty much it for useable wind. We tried to get to Punta Rasa which was further north but the car rental place was closed. We did manage to rent bikes and ride to Carilo which was really really nice. Massive houses set in dunes with pine trees. The walk back along the beach allowed Sarah to see if the bike was waterproof as she got caught in the wash.
The flat we stayed in was nice and had a TV and kitchen etc.. lucky really as the resort was pretty much closed out of season. Finding a resurant was more luck than judgement. We did have some nice meals at the weekends. There were some fishermen that stopped on the beach each day to gut the fish they had caught. We bought two corvinos (like a bass) and cooked them up at home awesome meal for about 2 pounds.
Getting back to BA on the coach we stopped just outside my nans flat, which was nice. For the last 3 days we ate some more and shopped & I had my 6 fillings in 2 days woohoo!
Our journey back to the UK was fun....we were worried that we would have a short changeover in Sau Paulo but I think the flight times were changed as we had over an hour. The relief at this part of the journey was contradicted by the arival at Madrid. We had to transfer to the massive new terminal 4. It was more like a shopping centre, this turned out to be a good thing as our flight was delayed 3 hours. We go onto our plane and then after a half hour wait we were told to get off as the lane had a technical fault. After some milling and some more food we were loaded onto another aircraft. Again we had to wait as we had lost our landing slot at heathrow. We did eventually get to heathrow. Here we were greeted by an enourmous queue at immigration...it was fun... but at least our luggage was ready (and amazingly present) when we got through to baggage reclaim. The tube journey back to Holloway was enough for us to realise that London wasn't really the place we wanted to be. Oh well.. Norway beckoned!!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Rodeo & Barreal
Rodeo was cool for a few days; super nice Argentines at the hostel who sorted us out with food and an asado, cool cat called Maui and a couple of sessions on the reservoir. Ok so the sessions were short, there was only an hour or so between no wind and 40 knots, but we both managed to get out blasting across the turquoise water. If only we had something smaller than a 9 metre! Rest of the time we spent sunbathing, listening to some tunes at the little bar and watching the awesome windsurfers.
From Rodeo we struck out for Barreal (for the second time). We seemed to be lucky with the weather as the day we left it was raining lots. The drive down through the mountains and then up the Calingasta valley was impressive with the greeney blue river, and orange canyon. When we got to Barreal it took a while for us to find the hotel. We checked in and had a good lunch of fine wine, fiambres and salad.
After a night of mosquito killing we headed out to the mudflat and parque Leoncito. The place was huge and windy and empty. Determined to get good photos for an article we set about blowing up the 9m Instinct light. Without a pump this was a bit difficult but we got there in the end and managed to get some cool photos with the Andes in the background. We were both gutted we didnt have a board, or even a buggy would have been great. Steve then tried some speed runs in the car to see just how big it really was.
In the afternoon we went up to the observatory in the national parque and tried to spot some pumas in the undergrowth. The leaflet we got when we went in said if we did encounter one out walking, we shouldnt run but should wave our arms above our heads, unfortunately we didnt see any.
From Barreal we went back to San Juan and dropped off the car, we had one night there then a whole day to kill until we got the bus to Cordoba.
From Rodeo we struck out for Barreal (for the second time). We seemed to be lucky with the weather as the day we left it was raining lots. The drive down through the mountains and then up the Calingasta valley was impressive with the greeney blue river, and orange canyon. When we got to Barreal it took a while for us to find the hotel. We checked in and had a good lunch of fine wine, fiambres and salad.
After a night of mosquito killing we headed out to the mudflat and parque Leoncito. The place was huge and windy and empty. Determined to get good photos for an article we set about blowing up the 9m Instinct light. Without a pump this was a bit difficult but we got there in the end and managed to get some cool photos with the Andes in the background. We were both gutted we didnt have a board, or even a buggy would have been great. Steve then tried some speed runs in the car to see just how big it really was.
In the afternoon we went up to the observatory in the national parque and tried to spot some pumas in the undergrowth. The leaflet we got when we went in said if we did encounter one out walking, we shouldnt run but should wave our arms above our heads, unfortunately we didnt see any.
From Barreal we went back to San Juan and dropped off the car, we had one night there then a whole day to kill until we got the bus to Cordoba.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
More Argentina
So...back to Bariloche. After the rafting we spent a couple more days there chilling out. Did some bike riding (once we found the rental place, first time we walked straight past because we were arguing about mortgages!!!! why???), saw some more of the mountains and drank more beer.
We then got the night bus to Mendoza. First experience of a longer bus ride in Argentina was great. The 18 hours or so flew by in our reclining seats, we watched three films, played bingo for a bottle of wine and were even given dinner and breakfast, what more do you need? when we got off we shared a taxi (well jumped in the back of a pick-up) with tim and just from the hostel and agreed to meet up in the evening.
The day was spent sorting out a hire car for our trip to San Juan, seeing the sights in Mendoza and eating. Next day we met-up with just and tim to do the bike and wine tour. Great concept, you get a bus out to the vineyard area in Maipu, hire a rubbish bike and then cycle round all the different vineyards sampling the wares. We went to a good 5/6 different vineyards, tried lots of wine and had some good food at a little italin vineyard. The more expensive wines were deffo for sure the nicest. After the tour we took a quick power nap then headed out on the town.
Next day was an earlyish start, we weren´t too hungover, which was good considering stevo was driving. We picked up our hire car and headed out of the town without hitting anything. The route we planned to take went up towards San Juan and then through the mountains the Barreal. The lonely planet that was published in 2005 did say that the road we planned to take would be closing because of a new hydroelectric dam, however, the map we brought had it marked so we chose to ignore the information. Bad move, after taking a few wrong turns we discovered the road was definately closed. Probably why the local I had asked for directions had looked at me kind of funny. We decided to abort and spend the night in San Juan then go straight to Rodeo.
This turned out to be quite lucky as the hostel we were planning to stay at in Rodeo was fully booked when we had been planning to go because of a windsurfing contest. Rodeo itself was pretty awesome place, up in the mountains in the desert / cordillera, it´s a reservoir of turquoise blue water with a back-drop of the Andes. Pretty much everyday the wind goes absolutely mental in the afternoon, we´re talking 40-60 knots!
We then got the night bus to Mendoza. First experience of a longer bus ride in Argentina was great. The 18 hours or so flew by in our reclining seats, we watched three films, played bingo for a bottle of wine and were even given dinner and breakfast, what more do you need? when we got off we shared a taxi (well jumped in the back of a pick-up) with tim and just from the hostel and agreed to meet up in the evening.
The day was spent sorting out a hire car for our trip to San Juan, seeing the sights in Mendoza and eating. Next day we met-up with just and tim to do the bike and wine tour. Great concept, you get a bus out to the vineyard area in Maipu, hire a rubbish bike and then cycle round all the different vineyards sampling the wares. We went to a good 5/6 different vineyards, tried lots of wine and had some good food at a little italin vineyard. The more expensive wines were deffo for sure the nicest. After the tour we took a quick power nap then headed out on the town.
Next day was an earlyish start, we weren´t too hungover, which was good considering stevo was driving. We picked up our hire car and headed out of the town without hitting anything. The route we planned to take went up towards San Juan and then through the mountains the Barreal. The lonely planet that was published in 2005 did say that the road we planned to take would be closing because of a new hydroelectric dam, however, the map we brought had it marked so we chose to ignore the information. Bad move, after taking a few wrong turns we discovered the road was definately closed. Probably why the local I had asked for directions had looked at me kind of funny. We decided to abort and spend the night in San Juan then go straight to Rodeo.
This turned out to be quite lucky as the hostel we were planning to stay at in Rodeo was fully booked when we had been planning to go because of a windsurfing contest. Rodeo itself was pretty awesome place, up in the mountains in the desert / cordillera, it´s a reservoir of turquoise blue water with a back-drop of the Andes. Pretty much everyday the wind goes absolutely mental in the afternoon, we´re talking 40-60 knots!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Back to Argentina
So after the trekking we got an early bus back to Argentina and onwards to Calafate. We spent the first few days there trying to sort out a flight out of el Calafate to Bariloche. This proved difficult. Prior to arriving in Argentina we found that LADE did not have a website and a net search revealed that they did not like picking up the phone. The reality was not much different, we made a lot of trips to the LADE office to try and catch it open. On a whim I decided to check if they had a website, somehow it managed to appear. I tried to book a ticket once and it said there was no availability, then magically it worked the second time. I got an email confirming the flight.. Result!! Now to pay.. you would think that this was easy, however the 3 phone numbers given for central and local offices were not answered, so we had to trek back to the office in town to pay. Amazingly they had the booking so I paid and told Sarah to guard the print out with her life. We´d been told that flying with LADE was quite an experience and we were happy we´d avoid the 72 hour bus journey over unpaved roads on the notorious Route 40.
Next day we went out to the glacier and spent a day trekking in crampons on the ice. The glacier itself is massive and we saw huge chunks of ice carving off and crashing into the water. Walking in crampons took a bit of getting used to but was well worth it for the views of ice caves, big wells of turquoise water and random lakes.
Back in Calafate we didn´t really do much as it was really expensive compared to the rest of Argentina; so we only really did a bit of cycling and lots of eating. We had a message from the airline that the flight would be delayed by three hours and when we got to the airport unfortunately discovered that it had been delayed by another 2. The whole time we could see the perfect 20mph plus clean wind, if only we´d had our kitesuring kit and a a very very thick wetsuit!
The flight itself was cool, a kind of executive jet with a retro 60s interior. It was pretty fast and we had great views of the barren desolate wasteland below. Seriously we flew for hours and didn´t even see a town, just miles of patagonian tundra with the odd lake thrown in. On our descent to Bariloche we could see mountains and lakes in the evening sunshine. The LADE flight made up for the booking stress...
Once we got to the hostel we foraged for some light food at the local petrol station and then had a good game of poker with a very good looking argentine (male) who worked at the hostel. Unfortunately we lost a few pesos.
Following day we were all set to go cycling round the circuito chico when we found a kite shop. After chatting to the guys in the shop we decided to ditch the bikes and hire some kit instead. Luckily the wind gods we smiling on us for once and although the locals were complaining about the direction and it being gusty (it really wasn´t) we both had a great session. It´s so nice kiting on a lake, such clean fresh water you don´t even have to wash your hair afterwards. The sunset was really cool and the guys who owned the shop even gave us a lift back to Bariloche where we headed out for a really bad mexican with some English guys we´d met on the kite trip.
The next day it rained!!!!! so we didn´t do much except sleep, go on the internet. We discovered the joys of Skype and cheap international calls and asked very nicely if Steve´s mum could send us our kite kit to BA. In the evening we went out boozing with the guys at the hostel. We woke up early and dragged ourselves out of bed to go rafting.
The minibus ride to the upriver launch gave us a chance to sleep off our hangovers a bit more as we headed out to the Rio Manso. After being kitted out we got in the raft and had a lesson in how to paddle. the river was pretty low so the rapids really weren´t very scary. Pretty much perfect for a hangover. The scenery was amazing and the asado that followed was even more perfect for my hangover.
Next day we went out to the glacier and spent a day trekking in crampons on the ice. The glacier itself is massive and we saw huge chunks of ice carving off and crashing into the water. Walking in crampons took a bit of getting used to but was well worth it for the views of ice caves, big wells of turquoise water and random lakes.
Back in Calafate we didn´t really do much as it was really expensive compared to the rest of Argentina; so we only really did a bit of cycling and lots of eating. We had a message from the airline that the flight would be delayed by three hours and when we got to the airport unfortunately discovered that it had been delayed by another 2. The whole time we could see the perfect 20mph plus clean wind, if only we´d had our kitesuring kit and a a very very thick wetsuit!
The flight itself was cool, a kind of executive jet with a retro 60s interior. It was pretty fast and we had great views of the barren desolate wasteland below. Seriously we flew for hours and didn´t even see a town, just miles of patagonian tundra with the odd lake thrown in. On our descent to Bariloche we could see mountains and lakes in the evening sunshine. The LADE flight made up for the booking stress...
Once we got to the hostel we foraged for some light food at the local petrol station and then had a good game of poker with a very good looking argentine (male) who worked at the hostel. Unfortunately we lost a few pesos.
Following day we were all set to go cycling round the circuito chico when we found a kite shop. After chatting to the guys in the shop we decided to ditch the bikes and hire some kit instead. Luckily the wind gods we smiling on us for once and although the locals were complaining about the direction and it being gusty (it really wasn´t) we both had a great session. It´s so nice kiting on a lake, such clean fresh water you don´t even have to wash your hair afterwards. The sunset was really cool and the guys who owned the shop even gave us a lift back to Bariloche where we headed out for a really bad mexican with some English guys we´d met on the kite trip.
The next day it rained!!!!! so we didn´t do much except sleep, go on the internet. We discovered the joys of Skype and cheap international calls and asked very nicely if Steve´s mum could send us our kite kit to BA. In the evening we went out boozing with the guys at the hostel. We woke up early and dragged ourselves out of bed to go rafting.
The minibus ride to the upriver launch gave us a chance to sleep off our hangovers a bit more as we headed out to the Rio Manso. After being kitted out we got in the raft and had a lesson in how to paddle. the river was pretty low so the rapids really weren´t very scary. Pretty much perfect for a hangover. The scenery was amazing and the asado that followed was even more perfect for my hangover.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Torres Del Paine
So...after lot of mincing around we finally got all the kit we needed for the W trek in Torres. Not being big on the sport of walking (kiting, biking or drinking always seemed to be so much more fun), it was going to be a new experience for us to carry everything we needed for 5 days of trekking. With a bit of advice from the hostel we were staying at we thought we had it all covered. We would live on a healthy diet of porridge with powdered milk and honey for breakfast, tortillas with ham and cheese for lunch, a proper meal in the evening of packet noodles, cup a soup or 5 minute pasta, and snacks of chocolate, trail mix and raw carrots.
Most of the first day was spent on transport to the park, the bus ride brought us to the park itself where the mountains of doom were looming in the rain. We quickly got our waterproof gear on during the wait for the catamaran and then headed across the lake to our starting point at Pehoe. By about 1pm we were on the first stretch heading up to Glacier Grey. Our packs were comfy enough and in the light drizzle it was a pleasant walk up the valley. We could see the snow covered mountains to the left and the lakes below. Some of the walk was really windy and there was a lot of up. First glimpses of the glacier were v impressive and when we finally reached the free campsite Guardas at the top we were just above it and could look down. We pitched our tent and then headed out to the look-out point to chill out in the sunshine. Quick cook pasta hit the spot and after washing the dishes in the stream we hit the sack early listening to the rumbling glacier below.
We both slept a good 12 hours and awoke feeling refreshed despite the hard ground. The morning was drizzly and we had breakfast (v tasty) packed-up and started our descent by 9.00. Back down at Pehoe our shoulders were aching and ste was beginning to complain about hunger. We had a massive cheese and meat sandwich and then moved on the next free site at Italiano. This campsite was really cool, right next to raging river fed by the glaciers in the French valley, under the trees, and it even had a toilet! Supper was a combination of noodles and cup a soup and again we went to bed early as soon as the sun went down. It was a cold night with the wind coming in through vents in the corner of the tent. Ste was suffering in his inadequate sleeping bag and my feet even got a little bit cold in my new fleece lined cosy sleeping bag.
The days trekking was good because we could leave our kit at the campsite and walk up the French valley with only a day pack. We set-off early to avoid the rush of day trippers. The climb was really steep with amazing views all the way up, a steep glacier on the left with the raging river below and big rocky mountains to the right. Half the walk was through the forest climbing over trees and rocks. When we reached the top there was very steep scramble up a stream which took us right up above the tree line and gave great views over the valley and lake at the end. It was really cold at the top so we didn't hang around for too long. The trek down was really quick passing all the day trippers on the way. When we got back to camp ste went to try and scrub the cheese from between his toes with a rock in the stream, the smell of his feet were starting to be a real issue and it did look like they were practically rotting.
With the tent down we began the trek round the corner, we were both knackered so took it slowly. It was always the last two hours trekking each day that seemed to be the killer and we both got a little tetchy. Ste was adamant that we should have brought at least double the amount of chocolate that we had and he may be starving on the number of calories we were eating compared to the amount of energy expended. The terrain on this stretch was really mellow, we were sheltered from any wind and rain by the mountains and the sun finally came out turning the lake a stunning turquoise blue. The campsite was right by the lake and as it was a paid site even had showers. We decided to treat ourselves to a tin of tuna to go with the pasta and a beer each. After an awesome shower, a beer and a meal which left you full we felt almost human again.
The night was cold which made for slow start the next day, we knew this was the longest stretch we would walk and weren't particularly keen. The first bit was nice and flat and took us along and round the lake. The scenery changed again as we reached the next valley and looked more alpine. It was a really steep climb up to our final campsite and unfortunately we got absolutely soaked at one point. Luckily the weather changed further on and the sun came out so we managed to get our clothes dry. By the time we reached the campsite we were knackered. After we got the tent pitched another shower came in, it was really cold up near the Torres and the wind was howling through the vents in our inadequate tent. I tried to build a stone wall to shield us from the wind but it proved largely ineffective. We both put on all the clothes we had with us and huddled in the shelter as we had noodles and soup debating whether we would get up for sunrise at the Torres. Reluctantly we got into sleeping bags for our final night on the hard ground. Even with all our clothes on it was still cold and neither of us slept well, at about 4.00a.m. it seemed to get warmer and the wind calmed down so we finally fell asleep properly.
The alarm woke us up at 5.45a.m. and I could see from the light outside that the sky had cleared and the sunrise may be worth it. We stumbled out of bed, found the torch and got the pack with breakfast in it together. The hour long climb up the near vertical boulder field in the dark was interesting. Our route leaving the campsite missed the actual path and we had to climb round some trees before we got out. Even with the other backpackers heading up it was really difficult to see where we were going and I went the wrong way at one point heading away from the big rocks onto dangerous scree which fell way beneath our feet. Luckily we didn't fall down the mountain in a landslide. The climb was really hard but we made it to the top and could see the Torres looming in the dark and the sun starting to come up. We made breakfast and dawn started to break. When the first rays of sunlight hit the rocks everything turned a crazy red colour. The light was awesome and made the early start well worth it. Breakfast on the rocks was cool and unlike anything we had done on our time off so far.
The final walk down was nice and easy with barely any up and good views down the valley. The transfer back went pretty fast and before we knew it we were back at the hostel. The shower when we got back and the evening meal with some guys we met on the trek were awesome. We all agreed that the 72km trek had been well worth it.
Most of the first day was spent on transport to the park, the bus ride brought us to the park itself where the mountains of doom were looming in the rain. We quickly got our waterproof gear on during the wait for the catamaran and then headed across the lake to our starting point at Pehoe. By about 1pm we were on the first stretch heading up to Glacier Grey. Our packs were comfy enough and in the light drizzle it was a pleasant walk up the valley. We could see the snow covered mountains to the left and the lakes below. Some of the walk was really windy and there was a lot of up. First glimpses of the glacier were v impressive and when we finally reached the free campsite Guardas at the top we were just above it and could look down. We pitched our tent and then headed out to the look-out point to chill out in the sunshine. Quick cook pasta hit the spot and after washing the dishes in the stream we hit the sack early listening to the rumbling glacier below.
We both slept a good 12 hours and awoke feeling refreshed despite the hard ground. The morning was drizzly and we had breakfast (v tasty) packed-up and started our descent by 9.00. Back down at Pehoe our shoulders were aching and ste was beginning to complain about hunger. We had a massive cheese and meat sandwich and then moved on the next free site at Italiano. This campsite was really cool, right next to raging river fed by the glaciers in the French valley, under the trees, and it even had a toilet! Supper was a combination of noodles and cup a soup and again we went to bed early as soon as the sun went down. It was a cold night with the wind coming in through vents in the corner of the tent. Ste was suffering in his inadequate sleeping bag and my feet even got a little bit cold in my new fleece lined cosy sleeping bag.
The days trekking was good because we could leave our kit at the campsite and walk up the French valley with only a day pack. We set-off early to avoid the rush of day trippers. The climb was really steep with amazing views all the way up, a steep glacier on the left with the raging river below and big rocky mountains to the right. Half the walk was through the forest climbing over trees and rocks. When we reached the top there was very steep scramble up a stream which took us right up above the tree line and gave great views over the valley and lake at the end. It was really cold at the top so we didn't hang around for too long. The trek down was really quick passing all the day trippers on the way. When we got back to camp ste went to try and scrub the cheese from between his toes with a rock in the stream, the smell of his feet were starting to be a real issue and it did look like they were practically rotting.
With the tent down we began the trek round the corner, we were both knackered so took it slowly. It was always the last two hours trekking each day that seemed to be the killer and we both got a little tetchy. Ste was adamant that we should have brought at least double the amount of chocolate that we had and he may be starving on the number of calories we were eating compared to the amount of energy expended. The terrain on this stretch was really mellow, we were sheltered from any wind and rain by the mountains and the sun finally came out turning the lake a stunning turquoise blue. The campsite was right by the lake and as it was a paid site even had showers. We decided to treat ourselves to a tin of tuna to go with the pasta and a beer each. After an awesome shower, a beer and a meal which left you full we felt almost human again.
The night was cold which made for slow start the next day, we knew this was the longest stretch we would walk and weren't particularly keen. The first bit was nice and flat and took us along and round the lake. The scenery changed again as we reached the next valley and looked more alpine. It was a really steep climb up to our final campsite and unfortunately we got absolutely soaked at one point. Luckily the weather changed further on and the sun came out so we managed to get our clothes dry. By the time we reached the campsite we were knackered. After we got the tent pitched another shower came in, it was really cold up near the Torres and the wind was howling through the vents in our inadequate tent. I tried to build a stone wall to shield us from the wind but it proved largely ineffective. We both put on all the clothes we had with us and huddled in the shelter as we had noodles and soup debating whether we would get up for sunrise at the Torres. Reluctantly we got into sleeping bags for our final night on the hard ground. Even with all our clothes on it was still cold and neither of us slept well, at about 4.00a.m. it seemed to get warmer and the wind calmed down so we finally fell asleep properly.
The alarm woke us up at 5.45a.m. and I could see from the light outside that the sky had cleared and the sunrise may be worth it. We stumbled out of bed, found the torch and got the pack with breakfast in it together. The hour long climb up the near vertical boulder field in the dark was interesting. Our route leaving the campsite missed the actual path and we had to climb round some trees before we got out. Even with the other backpackers heading up it was really difficult to see where we were going and I went the wrong way at one point heading away from the big rocks onto dangerous scree which fell way beneath our feet. Luckily we didn't fall down the mountain in a landslide. The climb was really hard but we made it to the top and could see the Torres looming in the dark and the sun starting to come up. We made breakfast and dawn started to break. When the first rays of sunlight hit the rocks everything turned a crazy red colour. The light was awesome and made the early start well worth it. Breakfast on the rocks was cool and unlike anything we had done on our time off so far.
The final walk down was nice and easy with barely any up and good views down the valley. The transfer back went pretty fast and before we knew it we were back at the hostel. The shower when we got back and the evening meal with some guys we met on the trek were awesome. We all agreed that the 72km trek had been well worth it.
Monday, March 3, 2008
South America 1
So...we`ve been in Aouth America for a good couple of weeks now. Its gone really fast. We started off with a great couple of days in a very hot very humid Buenos Aires where we were extremely well looked after by Steve`s gran. We ate lots; parillas, meat, more meat and cake mostly and tried to acclimatize to the 30 plus sunshine. There was lots to see in San Telmo, Purerto Madero, Palermo and we checked out the modern art museum, a random Manga event at the Japanese garden and managed to get some trekking essentials at the shopping centres.
After re-packing we were back on a plane again. We worked out we`d taken off and landed 9 times in the past 3 weeks so were glad when we stepped off the plane in Ushuaia and only had bus rides for the next few weeks. The first hostel we stayed in was ok apart from the excessive cleaning that went on around you in the kitchen whenever you were trying to cook, the cats that slept on the beds and the obligatory snorer in the room each night. Ok so it was the worst hostel so far.
Ushuaia itself was a bit strange, loads of shops and a bit of a tourist trap. The Tierra del Fuego national park was really nice and you could explore the hill behind up to the glacier. We spent the first night getting hammered with a Dutch guy in a bar that had the awesome local brew "Beagle" and made really good apple martinis. The next day we got some trekking practice in, it did take us an hour to get out of town as I got my east and wests confused and sent us half an hour the wrong way, I blame the hangover (SD: yeah right). Unfortunately I managed to pick-up some bug so following a 10 mile trek the day after I was a bit sick. Another day recovering and then we headed out of Ushuaia on a bus to Punta Arenas in Chile. The bus journey was long and over unpaved roads which is pretty tiring. I hadnt believed Steve when he said there was a lot of nothing in Argentina and Patagonia, I do now. So much of it is barren desolate wasteland as far as the eye can see. The bus journey included a brief ferry ride across the straights where the boat was followed by a couple of cool cow print mini dolphins.
The next hostel was awesome, super attentive really nice couple running it, great breakfast and our own room. We spent a while working out what we need to do the trek we wanted to do in Torres Del Paine national park and managed to get hold of a cheap tent and some roll mats in the duty free area. In the afternoon we went to see some magellanic penguins which we well amusing. There were quite a few of them coming in from fishing, catching some sun and waddling between the sand dunes and we got some good video footage. After another great meal with good wine. Our first impressions of Chile were all good. The town was more established than Ushuaia, less tacky and had more of an old school colonial feel, only problem was the Chileans speak Spanish super fast so I can`t understand anything.
We moved on to Puerto Natales after a couple of days, our final stop to get all our food etc sorted for the trek in Torres Del Paine.
After re-packing we were back on a plane again. We worked out we`d taken off and landed 9 times in the past 3 weeks so were glad when we stepped off the plane in Ushuaia and only had bus rides for the next few weeks. The first hostel we stayed in was ok apart from the excessive cleaning that went on around you in the kitchen whenever you were trying to cook, the cats that slept on the beds and the obligatory snorer in the room each night. Ok so it was the worst hostel so far.
Ushuaia itself was a bit strange, loads of shops and a bit of a tourist trap. The Tierra del Fuego national park was really nice and you could explore the hill behind up to the glacier. We spent the first night getting hammered with a Dutch guy in a bar that had the awesome local brew "Beagle" and made really good apple martinis. The next day we got some trekking practice in, it did take us an hour to get out of town as I got my east and wests confused and sent us half an hour the wrong way, I blame the hangover (SD: yeah right). Unfortunately I managed to pick-up some bug so following a 10 mile trek the day after I was a bit sick. Another day recovering and then we headed out of Ushuaia on a bus to Punta Arenas in Chile. The bus journey was long and over unpaved roads which is pretty tiring. I hadnt believed Steve when he said there was a lot of nothing in Argentina and Patagonia, I do now. So much of it is barren desolate wasteland as far as the eye can see. The bus journey included a brief ferry ride across the straights where the boat was followed by a couple of cool cow print mini dolphins.
The next hostel was awesome, super attentive really nice couple running it, great breakfast and our own room. We spent a while working out what we need to do the trek we wanted to do in Torres Del Paine national park and managed to get hold of a cheap tent and some roll mats in the duty free area. In the afternoon we went to see some magellanic penguins which we well amusing. There were quite a few of them coming in from fishing, catching some sun and waddling between the sand dunes and we got some good video footage. After another great meal with good wine. Our first impressions of Chile were all good. The town was more established than Ushuaia, less tacky and had more of an old school colonial feel, only problem was the Chileans speak Spanish super fast so I can`t understand anything.
We moved on to Puerto Natales after a couple of days, our final stop to get all our food etc sorted for the trek in Torres Del Paine.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Ocean Fusion BVI Kitesurfari 2008
26th January
After a 4.30 wake-up call we set-off to the bus-stop to get the number 17 to London Bridge followed by a short train ride to Gatwick. We had more than enough time and ended-up freezing on the platform for 45 minutes waiting for the train and arriving at check-in almost 4 hours before the flight. With no sign of the guys we were travelling with we decided to get all our stuff checked-in and sort out some cash for the trip. Half an hour later we still couldn’t see anyone else with kite-bags and were starting to worry whether anyone else would show. A quick call to Royce (our skipper for the trip) confirmed they were running a bit late and we should go through security and catch them at the gate. After some light shopping and a coffee we headed for the gate and met Royce, Roz, Sarge and Phil for the first time, which reassured us we weren’t part of a major holiday scam.
The flight was busy but comfortable with plenty of films to keep us occupied. We arrived in Antigua about 7 hours later to bright sunshine, 27 degrees and a pleasant breeze. Sitting on the grass outside the airport we soaked up the sun and got to know each other a little better. Jabberwock beach is only a short ride from the airport so we decided to check out the first kite-spot of the trip. Unfortunately there wasn’t much wind but we were able to check out the temperature of the clear, turquoise water; approximately that of warm bath water, and confirm that we would only need board shorts and rashies for the whole trip.
Back to the airport we had a nutritious meal of hot dogs and beer before jumping on the small LIAT turbo prop for the last leg of the journey from Antigua to Tortola. We arrived at Beef Island airport Tortola in the dark a little weary. Despite our concerns we were relieved to see that all of our kit had also arrived safely. The transfer from the airport to the marina was a short 15 minute journey in an open-air “taxi” and took us to the end of our 20 hours travelling. We unloaded all our kit and managed to find our boat which was going to be home for the next two weeks. A quick tour confirmed that the catamaran was awesome, four double en-suite bedrooms with sea views and skylights, a large well-equipped kitchen/diner, outside seating area, sunbathing on the trapeze, the accommodation was spot-on. Excited about setting-off the next day we all had showers to freshen-up (in what are possibly the best showers in the world...ever) and after a couple of beers and making a start on the complimentary bottle of rum we got an earlyish night.
27th January – Day 1 on the boat
The sun got us up early and we were all keen to see the marina in the daylight. Setting the scene for the voyage the marina certainly met our expectations of how a Caribbean kitesurfari should begin. Crystal clear turquoise waters surrounded by lush green hills, colourful boats, bright blue skies, pelicans, luxurious swimming pool and of course the unforgettable high class showers; consisting of spacious air conditioned marble tiled wet rooms with a massive drenching ceiling mounted shower head as well as a wall attachment. A hectic morning followed stocking-up the boat with the food for the trip, buying beers, safety briefings, getting cool boxes and a supply ice, sorting out kite-kit and choosing snorkels and fins for the trip. By 12.30 we were all ready to go and after Royce had given Steve and Sarge a training session in the rib we cast-off.
Out on the open ocean we made our way to a good snorkelling spot by some caves near Pelican rock. The wind forecast for the first couple of days was poor so it was decided we’d take our time getting to the best spots and make sure we got to see all the attractions on the way. A couple of the crew members were concerned they may experience sea sickness and took a combination of drugs and natural remedies to try and counteract any ill-effects.
When we got to the caves we all dived in to check-out the wildlife under the water. We spotted jellyfish (luckily avoided), pipefish and loads of other brightly coloured fish. After the snorkelling we headed for a mooring on nearby Norman Island. As the sun went down we chilled out on deck with some beers and watched the pelicans catching fish. That evening we went over to a local bar to listen to some reggae music, it was a quiet night and everyone left the bar early on, we decided to leave and check out the “party boat” across the way. A short journey on the rib and we found where everyone was partying and had our first experience of the yachting social scene; which seemed to consist largely of groups of middle-aged pissed men and what Sarge decided were swinging couples. The party boat was definitely a good place for people watching and Phil enjoyed a good boogie on the dance floor, the highlight of the evening was when a large group of very drunk Americans left the boat and made their wobbly way to the rib. One of the members of the party was so inebriated he fell backwards off the rib fully clothed and it then took four people to haul him out. At one point we did worry he was going to give up the struggle and just drift off under the water but luckily they persevered and managed to get him beached on the jetty.
28th January – Day 2 on the boat
Another beautiful sunny day. We enjoyed brekkie on the deck watching the fish below. Despite it being 38 feet deep the bottom was clearly visible and we could see leopard rays and puffer fish cruising along beneath us. The first stop of the day was at Dead Man’s Bay on Peter Island where there was a picture postcard beach and a potential kitesurfing spot on the windward side. We swam in to chill on the beach and wandered over to the other side of the island passing an exclusive spa. There were lots of Pelicans and a slight breeze but not enough to kite. We had a quick snorkel but the dark water beyond the reef looked a bit deep and Phil’s comment that he had seen sharks here the year before made us a little cautious so we went back to the snorkelling on the other side of the island.
After lunch and some more chilling we headed onwards to our mooring for the night at Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island. That evening we had a bit of a jolly in the tender before settling down for beers and food.
29th January – Day 3 on the boat
After breakfast we set-off for the Baths on Virgin Gorda. The weather was a little cloudy and the seas quite choppy so by the time we moored a couple of the crew members were turning a bit green. Keen to get on land we clambered into the heaving rib. Half of the crew were deposited near the far beach to swim in and meet-up with Phil who was lazing on the rock after swimming from the catamaran the other half moored the rib nearer the Baths. We walked inland along the road and descended down to the Baths.
The Baths is a group of naturally formed boulders on the beach that form grottos and pools you can climb through, snorkel and explore. We wandered through the rocks checking out the different caves and the more adventurous climbed up the rocks to get different views of the beach and boats. At the end we had a nice swim in the surf and Phil tried to mount a rock. We spotted a couple of Barbie and Ken types with matching swimwear and chic sunglasses. Unfortunately the Ken of the couple had gotten a little aroused whilst his girlfriend was bent over taking off some of her clothes, to our amusement his v tight shorts left very little to the imagination as he wandered down to the sea.
We made our way back through the caves we swam to the rib and managed to scramble back on board in the high seas and headed onwards to the Bitter End Yacht Club and moored near Saba Rock passing by Branson’s island on the way. The rough seas subsided as we made our way into the flat water between the islands and the sun came out to provide more picture postcard views of sun, sea and boats. There was a little wind so we chucked all our kit into the rib and headed to a beach round the corner that could work in this direction. Unfortunately the wind dropped right off and there was no way we were going to get any kiting so we went back to the boat and to shore to take advantage of the marina showers.
We ate ashore that night, had some beers and challenged some guys and girls to killer pool. The girls put on a good show but lucked out in the end and Sarge won.
30th January – Day 4 on the boat
We woke-up to decent wind coming through the gap between the islands and wasted no time getting our kit together and setting-off to the nearest beach. Phil was first out on the water and Steve, Sarge and I quickly followed. The wind was around 16/17 knots but a bit up and down, enough for us to cruise around and check out the island on the opposite side but not enough to get up to the reef or do any decent jumps. It was a great first session though to warm up for the rest of the trip and I got to see my first turtle as I was cruising along; the little dude was getting some air just in front of me and as soon as he clocked me coming towards him he dived back down. After a couple of hours we stopped for lunch and a siesta back at the boat whilst Chris had his first kite lesson with Royce on the foil.
The wind picked-up again in the evening and we had another session with a bit more power so we could start getting some jumps. Unfortunately once Royce arrived the wind dropped right down so he didn’t get the chance to head out. Back at the boat we had our first BBQ and, as usual, some beers before hitting the sack.
31st January – Day 5 on the boat
The wind first thing was pretty good and we headed out for our morning session. It wasn’t really enough though so we all came back in fairly early, except Phil who ended-up on a downwinder past the boat. I came close to taking the turtles poor head-off as I cruised along but luckily he got out of the way just in time.
In the afternoon the wind seemed to pick-up but once we set-up wasn’t really enough. Phil ended-up on the beach opposite and Steve and Sarge came back in. I had a good session on the 13m Instinct Edge and got the chance to practice some jumps and rotations. A squally shower came in and the wind switched direction to an off-shore. This proved a difficult launch but Royce and Steve managed to get out. Royce finally got a decent session after two burst bladders and having the effect of killing the wind whenever he even thought about kiting. Phil was in the ideal place on the island opposite and had a great time, but Sarge didn’t quite make it out and we had to do a boat rescue after his kite inverted and ditched. I spent the rest of the session helping with the sketchy launch and landings.
After dinner we went ashore for some rocktails and to watch the Moray eel and lobsters fighting it out in the pool on the deck at Saba Rock.
1st February – Day 6 on the boat
We left Saba Rock and headed to Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda to re-stock before making the crossing to Anegada. After getting so used to the boat I found myself getting landsick in the supermarket and had to go and sit outside. We sailed the crossing in 6-7 foot waves, it was great fun sitting up the front where you got the full effect of the waves. Sarge and Steve felt a bit worse for wear but sat it out on deck watching the horizon. We all got the chance to take the helm and practice steering the boat. There was some stormy weather coming in at the end of the crossing and we saw a cool rainbow as the rain descended. Once we made it to Anegada we found a mooring close to shore that would be good for getting some kiting, and narrowly avoided running aground on the sandy bottom. First impressions of the coral atoll were that it was very different to the rest of the islands; much flatter, less developed and also a lot quieter. Everyone was tired from the crossing so we had an early night.
2nd February – Day 7 on the boat
We woke up to good wind and got out kiting as soon as possible setting-up on the nearby beach. The wind was a little gusty but strong enough for everyone to have lots of fun. After a couple of hours we stopped for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon we headed to the local bar to get a taxi for a downwinder and try out the flat water in front of the reef. The taxi driver dropped us at a dodgy tiny strip of beach in front of a building site that was covered in Steve’s favourite spiky plants. Phil was the first to set-up and get out as usual but the dodgy beach slowed the rest of us down. By the time I got out there were big storm clouds gathering on the horizon and the wind was picking-up with the incoming rain. I headed back to the beach to land before it went crazy and warn Sarge and Ste it was a bad idea to launch. Phil and I managed to land but unfortunately Phil had broken his board. With the bad weather and likely calm following the rain we decided to call it a day and get a lift back with the taxi driver who had come to pick-up the pump and bags. We were gutted we didn’t get to do the downwinder and had a couple of beers at the bar to console ourselves. That evening we headed to a local restaurant and had bbq lobster which was awesome.
3rd February – Day 8 on the boat
The conditions looked bad when we woke up, stormy skies and rain didn’t bode well for good kiting. We all sat around chilling out and reading hoping it would clear up. Phil decided to go on a recce mission round the headland to check out other possible spots. He came back with news of an awesome spot round the corner with perfect cross-on wind, flat water and a bit of reef. We wasted no time chucking all our gear in the rib. A 10-15 minute journey round the headland passing small cottages and a private helicopter and we could see the kites flying at the spot. We picked our way through the reef and finally got to beach. It was indeed a perfect spot with flat turquoise water and some nice little waves to play in, although the reef made coming back in a bit sketchy. Sarge, Phil, Steve and I had an amazing time burning up and down and we got some great photos. Royce joined us later and Chris had the chance to get another lesson.
We chatted to the other kitesurfers and found out they’d got a company helicopter across from St Thomas to come and play for the day, now that’s the type of job I want! Everyone kited until they were absolutely knackered and it wasn’t til about 4.00 that we realised we hadn’t had any lunch and should probably head back. The journey back seemed to take ages with the waves crashing over the boat and everyone hungry. When we got back we were all knackered and spent the evening eating and chilling out. We found that unfortunately because of the waves crashing over the rib and the failure of my two plastic bag waterproofing system our camera had got wet and was no longer working. Luckily we later managed to recover the photos from the memory card.
4th February – Day 9 on the boat
For our last day on Anegada we headed to shore and got a taxi across to Loblolly Bay. The beach was really nice with a good restaurant, some benches and parasols and hammocks under the trees. Conditions were really good although the wind dropped off a little towards the end. We all had great sessions but didn’t quite have the same level of energy we’d had the day before. Lunch was really nice and we all had a post lunch snooze. At 5.00 we got a taxi back to the other side of the island, Steve was keen to have another session but didn’t go out in the end. Instead we watched a rider on a Flexi Ion 2 having a great time going back up wind to his boat, he was really good and kited right up near our cat before pulling a very stylish slim just in front of us. That evening we went to shore to charge our electronic equipment, play poker and drink.
5th February – Day 10 on the boat
We got up slowly and Royce took Chris for another lesson. Around lunchtime we made preparations to leave Anegada, the plan was for Royce and Chris to sail the cat back and the rest of us to kite the 17 nautical miles back across to Scrub Island. We all waited on the beach as the boat headed out through the channel in the reef. Sarge was first up and made his way out following the boat. I was next and after a dodgy launch managed to get going. Steve was next and finally Phil self launched to get clear of the beach. Unfortunately a couple of hundred yards out Steve looped the kite and ended-up ditching, he managed to re-launch but got into trouble again and ditched the kite with no hope of recovery. Phil kited past and went to let the boat know he would need a rescue. After an age Steve got rescued and the boat finally caught up with the rest of us who had been hanging about. We continued with the crossing, Sarge at the front, Phil buzzing the boat, going in front and then coming back to check-up on me at the rear. The crossing was far from easy, with limited experience of downwinders I found that whenever I tried to gybe I keep falling off my board, and with 6-7 foot seas it was really difficult to kite normally. After falling in numerous times, losing my hat, losing my board, getting really bad muscle burn in my right thigh from being on one tack and worrying each time I ended up body dragging I would look like attractive shark bait I thought I wouldn’t make it. At one point we were right in the middle of nowhere, Anegada was out of sight and the island we were heading to was just a hazy green blur, I was tired and thirsty and did consider giving up but I stuck with it. I didn’t get too far behind everyone else and managed to cling on. As the island ahead came into focus and the seas dropped I was excited that I was actually going to make it. I could see Phil checking out possible landing spots on the island and saw him land on the left hand side followed closely by Sarge. The boat headed on into the harbour and I finally got right near to the shore. Unfortunately I didn’t hear Phil’s warning about the reef and suggestion I sail right in until I had landed the kite. The reef was indeed evilly sharp and staggering in on jelly legs was really difficult. It had taken over 3 hours to do the 17 nautical miles as the crow flies (much more with all the tacking) and we were tired and thirsty but it was an awesome experience. That night we moored at Marina Cay and had a few quiet beers to celebrate.
6th February Day 11 on the boat
We left Marina Cay in a tropical storm and stopped at Monkey Point to try and lose the rain. We all had a good snorkel and saw loads of fish: barracuda, parrot fish, tarpon and shoals of little fish. Dropping food into the water drew them all in and we got some good under water photos. Once the rain had cleared we headed onwards to Sandy Spit to check for wind. It was up and down with the rain but Steve, Sarge and Phil managed to get a session. I was happy to be kite monkey for the afternoon as I was knackered from the crossing. We had to rescue Phil from the island opposite as he’d ended-up on a downwinder as usual. That night we anchored in Great Bay on Jost Van Dyke. A yacht race that day meant that it was really busy and we all headed out for a meal. Sarge made the fatal mistake of asking for the “largest lobster” the restaurant had and was hit with a bill for $157!!! After the meal we headed on to Foxy’s and had a good laugh.
7th February Day 12 on the boat
Our last day on the boat started off quite rainy. We had a slow start leaving Great Bay and moving on to White Bay. Another picture postcard beach greeted us and the sun came out. We swam ashore and spent some time wandering on the beach where I saw possibly the greatest invention ever: a floating trampoline – awesome! We did some more snorkelling and were lucky enough to see a large stingray cruising along beneath us, heeding what happened to Steve Irwin we decided not to chase it. After lunch we moved on to Sandy Cay for the final session of the trip. Luckily there was enough wind for us all to get out and have a buzz around. Phil decided to take the last session a little further and disappeared off on a downwinder visiting all the surrounding islands. After a while we had to go and rescue him in the cat, Royce wasn’t best pleased as if he’d ditched his kite it would have been very difficult to find him and get back to the marina before nightfall. We managed to pick him up ok and made our way on our final voyage back to Road Town.
Making the most of the last journey we spent our time up the front of the boat holding onto the mast and jumping up and down. As we went over the waves to our amusement we managed to get airborne for a short time and were all giggling like school girls on a fair ground ride. Everyone was sad it was the last day but getting back to the marina taking advantage of the awesome showers made up for it. Roz made a fantastic one pot wonder from the remaining tins and we tried to drink what we had left and swap photos on the laptop.
8th February
We woke up early and started to pack up our kit. Everyone had plenty of time to sort out their gear, tidy up the boat and take good advantage of the great showers. Chris headed-off first to get his flight to Canada. Sarge was next to get his flight onwards to more adventure in Puerto Rico. The rest of us were last to leave to get our short flight to Antigua, followed by a quick turnaround onto the plane to Gatwick. The flight was very quiet and we had a relaxing journey home with a row of seats each.
So did the trip that was billed as “the trip of your life” live up to expectations? In the words of Roz, “heck yeah” and some, the whole trip was amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer group of people, more perfect location, great boat and most importantly the most awesome kitesurfing conditions.
After a 4.30 wake-up call we set-off to the bus-stop to get the number 17 to London Bridge followed by a short train ride to Gatwick. We had more than enough time and ended-up freezing on the platform for 45 minutes waiting for the train and arriving at check-in almost 4 hours before the flight. With no sign of the guys we were travelling with we decided to get all our stuff checked-in and sort out some cash for the trip. Half an hour later we still couldn’t see anyone else with kite-bags and were starting to worry whether anyone else would show. A quick call to Royce (our skipper for the trip) confirmed they were running a bit late and we should go through security and catch them at the gate. After some light shopping and a coffee we headed for the gate and met Royce, Roz, Sarge and Phil for the first time, which reassured us we weren’t part of a major holiday scam.
The flight was busy but comfortable with plenty of films to keep us occupied. We arrived in Antigua about 7 hours later to bright sunshine, 27 degrees and a pleasant breeze. Sitting on the grass outside the airport we soaked up the sun and got to know each other a little better. Jabberwock beach is only a short ride from the airport so we decided to check out the first kite-spot of the trip. Unfortunately there wasn’t much wind but we were able to check out the temperature of the clear, turquoise water; approximately that of warm bath water, and confirm that we would only need board shorts and rashies for the whole trip.
Back to the airport we had a nutritious meal of hot dogs and beer before jumping on the small LIAT turbo prop for the last leg of the journey from Antigua to Tortola. We arrived at Beef Island airport Tortola in the dark a little weary. Despite our concerns we were relieved to see that all of our kit had also arrived safely. The transfer from the airport to the marina was a short 15 minute journey in an open-air “taxi” and took us to the end of our 20 hours travelling. We unloaded all our kit and managed to find our boat which was going to be home for the next two weeks. A quick tour confirmed that the catamaran was awesome, four double en-suite bedrooms with sea views and skylights, a large well-equipped kitchen/diner, outside seating area, sunbathing on the trapeze, the accommodation was spot-on. Excited about setting-off the next day we all had showers to freshen-up (in what are possibly the best showers in the world...ever) and after a couple of beers and making a start on the complimentary bottle of rum we got an earlyish night.
27th January – Day 1 on the boat
The sun got us up early and we were all keen to see the marina in the daylight. Setting the scene for the voyage the marina certainly met our expectations of how a Caribbean kitesurfari should begin. Crystal clear turquoise waters surrounded by lush green hills, colourful boats, bright blue skies, pelicans, luxurious swimming pool and of course the unforgettable high class showers; consisting of spacious air conditioned marble tiled wet rooms with a massive drenching ceiling mounted shower head as well as a wall attachment. A hectic morning followed stocking-up the boat with the food for the trip, buying beers, safety briefings, getting cool boxes and a supply ice, sorting out kite-kit and choosing snorkels and fins for the trip. By 12.30 we were all ready to go and after Royce had given Steve and Sarge a training session in the rib we cast-off.
Out on the open ocean we made our way to a good snorkelling spot by some caves near Pelican rock. The wind forecast for the first couple of days was poor so it was decided we’d take our time getting to the best spots and make sure we got to see all the attractions on the way. A couple of the crew members were concerned they may experience sea sickness and took a combination of drugs and natural remedies to try and counteract any ill-effects.
When we got to the caves we all dived in to check-out the wildlife under the water. We spotted jellyfish (luckily avoided), pipefish and loads of other brightly coloured fish. After the snorkelling we headed for a mooring on nearby Norman Island. As the sun went down we chilled out on deck with some beers and watched the pelicans catching fish. That evening we went over to a local bar to listen to some reggae music, it was a quiet night and everyone left the bar early on, we decided to leave and check out the “party boat” across the way. A short journey on the rib and we found where everyone was partying and had our first experience of the yachting social scene; which seemed to consist largely of groups of middle-aged pissed men and what Sarge decided were swinging couples. The party boat was definitely a good place for people watching and Phil enjoyed a good boogie on the dance floor, the highlight of the evening was when a large group of very drunk Americans left the boat and made their wobbly way to the rib. One of the members of the party was so inebriated he fell backwards off the rib fully clothed and it then took four people to haul him out. At one point we did worry he was going to give up the struggle and just drift off under the water but luckily they persevered and managed to get him beached on the jetty.
28th January – Day 2 on the boat
Another beautiful sunny day. We enjoyed brekkie on the deck watching the fish below. Despite it being 38 feet deep the bottom was clearly visible and we could see leopard rays and puffer fish cruising along beneath us. The first stop of the day was at Dead Man’s Bay on Peter Island where there was a picture postcard beach and a potential kitesurfing spot on the windward side. We swam in to chill on the beach and wandered over to the other side of the island passing an exclusive spa. There were lots of Pelicans and a slight breeze but not enough to kite. We had a quick snorkel but the dark water beyond the reef looked a bit deep and Phil’s comment that he had seen sharks here the year before made us a little cautious so we went back to the snorkelling on the other side of the island.
After lunch and some more chilling we headed onwards to our mooring for the night at Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island. That evening we had a bit of a jolly in the tender before settling down for beers and food.
29th January – Day 3 on the boat
After breakfast we set-off for the Baths on Virgin Gorda. The weather was a little cloudy and the seas quite choppy so by the time we moored a couple of the crew members were turning a bit green. Keen to get on land we clambered into the heaving rib. Half of the crew were deposited near the far beach to swim in and meet-up with Phil who was lazing on the rock after swimming from the catamaran the other half moored the rib nearer the Baths. We walked inland along the road and descended down to the Baths.
The Baths is a group of naturally formed boulders on the beach that form grottos and pools you can climb through, snorkel and explore. We wandered through the rocks checking out the different caves and the more adventurous climbed up the rocks to get different views of the beach and boats. At the end we had a nice swim in the surf and Phil tried to mount a rock. We spotted a couple of Barbie and Ken types with matching swimwear and chic sunglasses. Unfortunately the Ken of the couple had gotten a little aroused whilst his girlfriend was bent over taking off some of her clothes, to our amusement his v tight shorts left very little to the imagination as he wandered down to the sea.
We made our way back through the caves we swam to the rib and managed to scramble back on board in the high seas and headed onwards to the Bitter End Yacht Club and moored near Saba Rock passing by Branson’s island on the way. The rough seas subsided as we made our way into the flat water between the islands and the sun came out to provide more picture postcard views of sun, sea and boats. There was a little wind so we chucked all our kit into the rib and headed to a beach round the corner that could work in this direction. Unfortunately the wind dropped right off and there was no way we were going to get any kiting so we went back to the boat and to shore to take advantage of the marina showers.
We ate ashore that night, had some beers and challenged some guys and girls to killer pool. The girls put on a good show but lucked out in the end and Sarge won.
30th January – Day 4 on the boat
We woke-up to decent wind coming through the gap between the islands and wasted no time getting our kit together and setting-off to the nearest beach. Phil was first out on the water and Steve, Sarge and I quickly followed. The wind was around 16/17 knots but a bit up and down, enough for us to cruise around and check out the island on the opposite side but not enough to get up to the reef or do any decent jumps. It was a great first session though to warm up for the rest of the trip and I got to see my first turtle as I was cruising along; the little dude was getting some air just in front of me and as soon as he clocked me coming towards him he dived back down. After a couple of hours we stopped for lunch and a siesta back at the boat whilst Chris had his first kite lesson with Royce on the foil.
The wind picked-up again in the evening and we had another session with a bit more power so we could start getting some jumps. Unfortunately once Royce arrived the wind dropped right down so he didn’t get the chance to head out. Back at the boat we had our first BBQ and, as usual, some beers before hitting the sack.
31st January – Day 5 on the boat
The wind first thing was pretty good and we headed out for our morning session. It wasn’t really enough though so we all came back in fairly early, except Phil who ended-up on a downwinder past the boat. I came close to taking the turtles poor head-off as I cruised along but luckily he got out of the way just in time.
In the afternoon the wind seemed to pick-up but once we set-up wasn’t really enough. Phil ended-up on the beach opposite and Steve and Sarge came back in. I had a good session on the 13m Instinct Edge and got the chance to practice some jumps and rotations. A squally shower came in and the wind switched direction to an off-shore. This proved a difficult launch but Royce and Steve managed to get out. Royce finally got a decent session after two burst bladders and having the effect of killing the wind whenever he even thought about kiting. Phil was in the ideal place on the island opposite and had a great time, but Sarge didn’t quite make it out and we had to do a boat rescue after his kite inverted and ditched. I spent the rest of the session helping with the sketchy launch and landings.
After dinner we went ashore for some rocktails and to watch the Moray eel and lobsters fighting it out in the pool on the deck at Saba Rock.
1st February – Day 6 on the boat
We left Saba Rock and headed to Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda to re-stock before making the crossing to Anegada. After getting so used to the boat I found myself getting landsick in the supermarket and had to go and sit outside. We sailed the crossing in 6-7 foot waves, it was great fun sitting up the front where you got the full effect of the waves. Sarge and Steve felt a bit worse for wear but sat it out on deck watching the horizon. We all got the chance to take the helm and practice steering the boat. There was some stormy weather coming in at the end of the crossing and we saw a cool rainbow as the rain descended. Once we made it to Anegada we found a mooring close to shore that would be good for getting some kiting, and narrowly avoided running aground on the sandy bottom. First impressions of the coral atoll were that it was very different to the rest of the islands; much flatter, less developed and also a lot quieter. Everyone was tired from the crossing so we had an early night.
2nd February – Day 7 on the boat
We woke up to good wind and got out kiting as soon as possible setting-up on the nearby beach. The wind was a little gusty but strong enough for everyone to have lots of fun. After a couple of hours we stopped for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon we headed to the local bar to get a taxi for a downwinder and try out the flat water in front of the reef. The taxi driver dropped us at a dodgy tiny strip of beach in front of a building site that was covered in Steve’s favourite spiky plants. Phil was the first to set-up and get out as usual but the dodgy beach slowed the rest of us down. By the time I got out there were big storm clouds gathering on the horizon and the wind was picking-up with the incoming rain. I headed back to the beach to land before it went crazy and warn Sarge and Ste it was a bad idea to launch. Phil and I managed to land but unfortunately Phil had broken his board. With the bad weather and likely calm following the rain we decided to call it a day and get a lift back with the taxi driver who had come to pick-up the pump and bags. We were gutted we didn’t get to do the downwinder and had a couple of beers at the bar to console ourselves. That evening we headed to a local restaurant and had bbq lobster which was awesome.
3rd February – Day 8 on the boat
The conditions looked bad when we woke up, stormy skies and rain didn’t bode well for good kiting. We all sat around chilling out and reading hoping it would clear up. Phil decided to go on a recce mission round the headland to check out other possible spots. He came back with news of an awesome spot round the corner with perfect cross-on wind, flat water and a bit of reef. We wasted no time chucking all our gear in the rib. A 10-15 minute journey round the headland passing small cottages and a private helicopter and we could see the kites flying at the spot. We picked our way through the reef and finally got to beach. It was indeed a perfect spot with flat turquoise water and some nice little waves to play in, although the reef made coming back in a bit sketchy. Sarge, Phil, Steve and I had an amazing time burning up and down and we got some great photos. Royce joined us later and Chris had the chance to get another lesson.
We chatted to the other kitesurfers and found out they’d got a company helicopter across from St Thomas to come and play for the day, now that’s the type of job I want! Everyone kited until they were absolutely knackered and it wasn’t til about 4.00 that we realised we hadn’t had any lunch and should probably head back. The journey back seemed to take ages with the waves crashing over the boat and everyone hungry. When we got back we were all knackered and spent the evening eating and chilling out. We found that unfortunately because of the waves crashing over the rib and the failure of my two plastic bag waterproofing system our camera had got wet and was no longer working. Luckily we later managed to recover the photos from the memory card.
4th February – Day 9 on the boat
For our last day on Anegada we headed to shore and got a taxi across to Loblolly Bay. The beach was really nice with a good restaurant, some benches and parasols and hammocks under the trees. Conditions were really good although the wind dropped off a little towards the end. We all had great sessions but didn’t quite have the same level of energy we’d had the day before. Lunch was really nice and we all had a post lunch snooze. At 5.00 we got a taxi back to the other side of the island, Steve was keen to have another session but didn’t go out in the end. Instead we watched a rider on a Flexi Ion 2 having a great time going back up wind to his boat, he was really good and kited right up near our cat before pulling a very stylish slim just in front of us. That evening we went to shore to charge our electronic equipment, play poker and drink.
5th February – Day 10 on the boat
We got up slowly and Royce took Chris for another lesson. Around lunchtime we made preparations to leave Anegada, the plan was for Royce and Chris to sail the cat back and the rest of us to kite the 17 nautical miles back across to Scrub Island. We all waited on the beach as the boat headed out through the channel in the reef. Sarge was first up and made his way out following the boat. I was next and after a dodgy launch managed to get going. Steve was next and finally Phil self launched to get clear of the beach. Unfortunately a couple of hundred yards out Steve looped the kite and ended-up ditching, he managed to re-launch but got into trouble again and ditched the kite with no hope of recovery. Phil kited past and went to let the boat know he would need a rescue. After an age Steve got rescued and the boat finally caught up with the rest of us who had been hanging about. We continued with the crossing, Sarge at the front, Phil buzzing the boat, going in front and then coming back to check-up on me at the rear. The crossing was far from easy, with limited experience of downwinders I found that whenever I tried to gybe I keep falling off my board, and with 6-7 foot seas it was really difficult to kite normally. After falling in numerous times, losing my hat, losing my board, getting really bad muscle burn in my right thigh from being on one tack and worrying each time I ended up body dragging I would look like attractive shark bait I thought I wouldn’t make it. At one point we were right in the middle of nowhere, Anegada was out of sight and the island we were heading to was just a hazy green blur, I was tired and thirsty and did consider giving up but I stuck with it. I didn’t get too far behind everyone else and managed to cling on. As the island ahead came into focus and the seas dropped I was excited that I was actually going to make it. I could see Phil checking out possible landing spots on the island and saw him land on the left hand side followed closely by Sarge. The boat headed on into the harbour and I finally got right near to the shore. Unfortunately I didn’t hear Phil’s warning about the reef and suggestion I sail right in until I had landed the kite. The reef was indeed evilly sharp and staggering in on jelly legs was really difficult. It had taken over 3 hours to do the 17 nautical miles as the crow flies (much more with all the tacking) and we were tired and thirsty but it was an awesome experience. That night we moored at Marina Cay and had a few quiet beers to celebrate.
6th February Day 11 on the boat
We left Marina Cay in a tropical storm and stopped at Monkey Point to try and lose the rain. We all had a good snorkel and saw loads of fish: barracuda, parrot fish, tarpon and shoals of little fish. Dropping food into the water drew them all in and we got some good under water photos. Once the rain had cleared we headed onwards to Sandy Spit to check for wind. It was up and down with the rain but Steve, Sarge and Phil managed to get a session. I was happy to be kite monkey for the afternoon as I was knackered from the crossing. We had to rescue Phil from the island opposite as he’d ended-up on a downwinder as usual. That night we anchored in Great Bay on Jost Van Dyke. A yacht race that day meant that it was really busy and we all headed out for a meal. Sarge made the fatal mistake of asking for the “largest lobster” the restaurant had and was hit with a bill for $157!!! After the meal we headed on to Foxy’s and had a good laugh.
7th February Day 12 on the boat
Our last day on the boat started off quite rainy. We had a slow start leaving Great Bay and moving on to White Bay. Another picture postcard beach greeted us and the sun came out. We swam ashore and spent some time wandering on the beach where I saw possibly the greatest invention ever: a floating trampoline – awesome! We did some more snorkelling and were lucky enough to see a large stingray cruising along beneath us, heeding what happened to Steve Irwin we decided not to chase it. After lunch we moved on to Sandy Cay for the final session of the trip. Luckily there was enough wind for us all to get out and have a buzz around. Phil decided to take the last session a little further and disappeared off on a downwinder visiting all the surrounding islands. After a while we had to go and rescue him in the cat, Royce wasn’t best pleased as if he’d ditched his kite it would have been very difficult to find him and get back to the marina before nightfall. We managed to pick him up ok and made our way on our final voyage back to Road Town.
Making the most of the last journey we spent our time up the front of the boat holding onto the mast and jumping up and down. As we went over the waves to our amusement we managed to get airborne for a short time and were all giggling like school girls on a fair ground ride. Everyone was sad it was the last day but getting back to the marina taking advantage of the awesome showers made up for it. Roz made a fantastic one pot wonder from the remaining tins and we tried to drink what we had left and swap photos on the laptop.
8th February
We woke up early and started to pack up our kit. Everyone had plenty of time to sort out their gear, tidy up the boat and take good advantage of the great showers. Chris headed-off first to get his flight to Canada. Sarge was next to get his flight onwards to more adventure in Puerto Rico. The rest of us were last to leave to get our short flight to Antigua, followed by a quick turnaround onto the plane to Gatwick. The flight was very quiet and we had a relaxing journey home with a row of seats each.
So did the trip that was billed as “the trip of your life” live up to expectations? In the words of Roz, “heck yeah” and some, the whole trip was amazing, we couldn’t have asked for a nicer group of people, more perfect location, great boat and most importantly the most awesome kitesurfing conditions.
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