Jus' Sail Blog

A big thank you goes to...

2012-08-27T05:04:00.002-07:00

The Jus' Sail Youth Training Programme has now come to an end for this year and we are already planning and thinking of ways to make the programme bigger & better in 2013!

We have quite a few people to thank before we share some pictures from our 6 days with the students.

A big thank you goes to ...

IGY MARINA FOR BECOMING OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR & ALL THE STAFF WHO TOOK TIME OUT OF THEIR BUSY SCHEDULE TO SHOW THE STUDENTS AROUND THE WORKINGS OF THE IGY MARINA, ST LUCIA

Adam Foster General Manager thank you for the tour of the IGY Marina, St Lucia

George Bevan for showing the students around the workings of an engine

IGY Marina, St Lucia

Damon O'Donnell for taking time out for running an inspiring customer service workshop

Damon and James with the students

Jemima Lorde for sharing her knowledge & expertise of sea life with the students with a big smile!

Thank you Ti Kaye hotel & Dive shop for loaning us the snorkeling gear

Fresh magazine for spreading the word about the programme ...

Thanks Jo for sponsoring the Jus'Sail programme certificates

Bill Mortley thank you for our press pictures

Our first mate Herbert Evans for imparting his knowledge of seamanship with enthusiasm, wisdom shared with joy!

And last but not least all the Jus'Sail fans who purchased a t-shirt or a baseball cap in support of the programme.

And another big big thank you from us!

The Students

Jn Pierre

Jn Pierre with his catch

Lance on the ropes

Lance at Helm

Prince with his Jus'Sail certificate

Prince at the Helm

When all the hard work was done it was time for a swim ...

Lance was always the last out, he loved the ocean

Lunch time

Back to work ... learning about the power of the winch

Then back on the ropes

And there was always time for some serious fishing

Students on the IGY tour

Students sailing along on Good Expectation ...

Cheers from IGY!

Captain James taking a well earned rest ...

Boys you have made us at Jus'Sail and your families very proud!

Jn Pierre's Mum & Dad

Lance's sister and mother

Prince & his mother front left & the Jus'Sail crew

And not forgetting our class room for the week Good Expectation!

Check out our website if you want to learn more about our St Lucia Day Sailing Experiences

Pictures of Good Expectation in action by Dani Deveaux

Please 'like' our Facebook page to stay up to date on our Jus' Sail adventures

Happy Days !

Jus' Sail's new online store is supporting youth development

2012-07-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

So this week Jus' Sail has opened its online store for supporters and guests to be able to purchase our Tshirts and Caps. The great thing about the online store is that 100% of the profits from the sale of merchandise goes towards supporting our not for profit youth development programme thats runs in August. So you get to cut a dash in your own Jus' Sail gear in full knowledge that you have also helped a local St Lucian youth gain access to the wonderful world of traditional sailing and the sea... Jus' Sail loves a win-win!

We have already started to work with some local youth in readiness for the main event in August, following are some photos to give you a taster of how our young shipmates have been getting on...

Joshua, David and Scott take charge of Good Expectation!

Scott helping set up the awning for some shade.

David learning about how to use a winch... important stuff in sailing!

If you ever want to work on a yacht or gain the respect of others within the sector its essential to be able coil a line properly!

First Mate Herbert shows David how to "make fast" the main halyard...

The purpose of the programme is to take a select group of local youth, who have been picked through merit, having submitted an essay on why they should be involved, and give them an intensive - week long - immersion in the skills of sailing, working as a team and learning more widely about the marine sector by visits to sights of interest such as Rodney Bay Marina and Boat Yard (a big thank you to IGY and Marina Manager Adam Foster for their support) and the Soufriere Marine Management Area - a world renowned marine park that stretches to Anse Cochon a wonderful snorkelling spot at the foot of Ti Kaye resort. Who, by the way, will be kindly donating the snorkelling gear for the students to get a close up view of the coral reef in the bay, so thank you Ti Kaye!

The programme is part of Jus' Sail's commitment to investing in local people and is designed to assist the participants in getting solid skills in sailing and aspects of seamanship thereby becoming more confident on the water and also more engaged in marine issues, maybe even enough to pursue a career in the marine sector. Additionally, it is expected that participants through working closely together in a supportive and structured manner on the programme will become more confident communicators, leaders and team players. All useful skills that will help them to become more competitive in the search for employment.

We look forward (for'ard in nautical parlance!) to welcoming Prince, Lance and Jn Pierre our winners from Corinth Secondary School aboard in August! Well done guys...

The goal is for each year the programme to become bigger and better with more participants, more resources and more collaborations with other partners to take the participants further... Ultimately we want to have our own dedicated boat, another traditional Carriacou Sloop as a full time sail training vessel for the Jus' Sail Academy! Now thats going to take a lot of Tshirts to finance but we believe its worth the effort, so... watch this space!

If you would like to directly support the training programme and fancy yourself in one of our lovely Tshirts or caps please go to the Jus' Sail online store and place your order securely through PayPal by credit or debit card. We will be sure to get your merchandise shipped out to you safely packed and registered ASAP.

Thank you for your support and please share with your friends and family!

The Jus' Sail Team.

JusSail pictures of the month!

2012-06-26T04:22:00.001-07:00

Hi all, its that time of the month where us at Jus'Sail look back and remember the guests we have had aboard Good Expectation and it gives us a chance to share with you some of our special moments out on the caribbean sea!

The month of July is usually a quiet time for visitors on the island so we have taken the opportunity to make preparations for the Jus'Sail Youth Program which starts in August. There will be some more information about the program in the coming weeks on how YOU can be part of making it happen for a JusSail youth member here in St Lucia so watch this space...

Two of our favourite guests this month were David and Misty. They took the helm, raised the sails, snorkelled with the fishes, enjoyed lunch at Ti Kaye, supped plenty of the Chairmans rum and bought the t-shirt in support of the Youth Program .... Cheers to you guys!

Raising the sails

David at the Helm

Misty getting ready for a snorkel

In the blue Caribbean sea

Off to lunch at Ti Kaye resort

And just enjoying the view...

When we go to the south of the island we always make a point of using a local water taxi. Our guests enjoy it and its one way of supporting other local businessmen like Tiger, what a cool name...

Herbert is our first mate aboard Good Expectation. He is an old experienced hand in these waters. He always has a story to tell but sometimes he likes to kick back and take in the sunset...

This month had one of the most amazing red sunset skies we have seen so far...

We also had aboard Good Expectation this month our youngest guests. The Maxwell family wanted a bit of adventure so they chose Jus' Sail for their first outing out on the water...

Our youngest guest...

We also had guests Cory & Khayla celebrating their first anniversary... Congratulations to you both!

We look forward to sharing with you soon the Jus'Sail Youth Programme winners until then...

Check us out on Facebook & please 'like' us & take a look at our website www. jussail.com

Happy Days!

Learn How to Sail with the Jus'Sail Crew!

2012-05-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have had some wonderful guests aboard Good Expectation many of whom have been excited to take the helm and get involved in the sailing. Some have sailed before and for some it's the first time out on the open seas. There is always an appreciation for the skill it takes to make sure everything is running ship shape.

From tying the ropes...

To raising the sails...

Dropping the sails...

Watching the sea and knowing when a gust is approaching...

Taking the Helm...

Trimming the sails...

And checking their trim...

Picking the right spot to anchor...

And generally having a fun time sailing a traditional sailboat!

We are also excited to announce that for every 'Learn to Sail' experience sold Jus' Sail will also be contributing a portion of the income towards running a series of 'Learn to Sail' experiences for local youth over the school summer holiday. So by enjoying learning to sail yourself you will also be ensuring that a young local St Lucian also gets the same experience... We think thats a pretty good deal for everyone!

So if you have ever had a longing to learn how to sail or you know someone who does why not drop us a line or give us a call and book a session with us at Jus'Sail.

Please visit us on Facebook and 'like' us too to stay in touch with all our new adventures aboard Good Expectation!

Happy Days!

Jus'Sail meets some great people

2012-05-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Jus'Sail crew are not only passionate about laid back sailing we also really enjoy meeting people. Over the past few months we have met some wonderful and interesting folk from CEO's of companies, Film producers, great Mums & Dads and of course newlyweds honeymooning here in St Lucia. We like to say thank you for choosing Jus'Sail and we look forward to welcoming you all aboard

Good Expectation sometime again in the future .....

Happy Days!

Have a look at our Facebook page for more pics and 'Like' us too!

Who Loves Chocolate? ... JusSail loves Hotel Chocolat

2012-05-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

JusSail took a trip down to Soufriere to visit Hotel Chocolat .....

Pronounced Shok-o-LA

Good Expectation looking sweet underneath the Piton's awaiting the arrival of 6 Hotel Chocolat management for an afternoon sail!

Sweet .....

You may have seen the Hotel Chocolat shops on your high street but the Rabot Estate is where it all begins .....

First they take the Cocoa from the tree

The pods look like this ......

Then the seeds are taken out fermented for up to 3 weeks before being dried in the St Lucian sun

Each seed needs to be tended and turned in the sun by someone who has the knowledge .....

And commitment .....

And as you know in gardening there has to be forward thinking so lots of new cocoa plants on the go....

This is where it all ends up in a chocolate box all wonderfully wrapped up ready for you to eat .....

And drink .... Fresh Cocoa Bellini's at the bar!

All the fruit for your cocktail is picked from the tree at the Rabot Estate .....

You can also enjoy the sunset like this guest ....

Not only do you get a chance to eat and drink at the Rabot Estate you also get a chance to sit & swim by the award winning pool .....

Eat complimentary chocolate in your hotel room .....

Enjoy the most wonderful shower .....

Wake up to the most amazing view of Petit Piton in the morning .....

And now for breakfast .....

Poached eggs and cocoa tea for me .....

And scrambled eggs & cocoa tea for him .....

Before we leave to sail back up to Rodney Bay we visit Club Boucan and take in the view one more time .....

JusSail

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Happy Days!

2012-04-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Wow what a few weeks we have had at JusSail meeting the most amazing people and also partnering with some of the most beautiful hotels on the island such as Cap Maison, La Sport , Hotel Chocolat ,

Tropical Villas , Villa Capri & East Winds Inn to name but a few.....

We believe at JusSail that a picture tells a thousand words so we have captured a few here for you to enjoy so, Enjoy!

When the engine goes off and the sails go up there is always a feeling of excitement. The excitement of feeling the wind on your face, gliding along on the Caribbean sea it gives you a real sense of freedom & adventure theres nothing like it....

Picture taken by Chris.

If you want you can take the Helm and experience sailing a Carriacou Sloop you can, it always brings a smile to the faces of those who do .....

Tom guest of East Winds Inn

Chris and Cary guests of Cap Maison

Vicky guest of Villa Capri

Neil & Sarah guests of Tropical Villas

We also have a knack at finding a hidden gem of a beach where you can usually have the place to yourself, anchor for lunch and just chill-out this also brings quite a lot of excitement too .....

Jill guest of East Winds Inn

Sarah guest of Tropical Villas

John guest of East Winds Inn

And when you arrive at your destination and all you want to do is jump in .....

Our aim is also to keep things laid back as possible ....

Sarah & Alfie guests of Cap Maison

We also made some young friends who turned below deck into a hiding place and a place to read their TinTin books

In the summer months we plan on teaching sailing and also mentoring for some young people on the island who want experience sailing and to see their beautiful island from the sea.

We recently invited a young man who has had experience sailing smaller dinghies and has won competitions for his skill.

Scott belongs to the Yacht Club on the island and us at JusSail thinks he's a star on the ocean .....

If you would like to learn to sail aboard a traditional Carriacou Sloop drop us an email at Sail@JusSail.com

We have had some special moments on Good Expectation seeing whales, turtles & amazing sunsets.....

As the sunset set we get the lanterns out and make our way home ....

We look forward to welcoming you on a JusSail experience .....

Happy Days!

Our JusSail favourite pictures of the month!

2012-03-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

We are finally up and running and Good Expectation is looking great!

We have had some wonderful guests spend some time with us and as you can imagine lots of pictures have been taken. So, we figured why keep them to our ourselves, so every month we will post our favourite pictures and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

And always check our website too to see what we are up to
Enjoy!

Our lucky charm we love it .... Thanks Finlay

Chuck was visiting St Lucia from Canada with his wife Joanne. He so excited to be going sailing .....

You not only JusSail with us you eat with us to. We offer local produce from fresh coconut water and local juice to Mullin's delicious blackcake served with premium rum .....

If you look very carefully you can see James up the Mast

When we do a moonlight cruise as the sun goes down we light Lanterns which always gets our guests into a laid back mood

The Massiah family from New York had so much fun and when the lanterns came out it bought back some happy memories of living in St Lucia back in the day

Part of our aim is to introduce local youth to sailing. Sailing is part of caribbean culture & heritage so we aim to give them an opportunity to sail in a traditional Carriacou Sloop on the caribbean sea .....

Scott at the helm

Sails going up!

The Tully's from the UK just loved sailing on GE .....

And relaxing ....

When you JusSail on Good Expectation you just have to relax .....

Passing Gros Islet village

And finally a lovely sunset for you .....

Bye for now.....

Jus' Sail starts taking friends out aboard Good Expectation

2012-02-26T15:04:00.010-08:00

Ok so the past month has been completely full on with getting the boat ready for chartering and we have managed to sneek a few trips out with friends and friends of friends for some great days sailing.

A great Valentines day out was had with our good friends Charles and Christina, we sailed down to Anse Cochon South of Anse La Raye and enjoyed lunch at the wonderful Ti Kaye resort. Charles enjoyed being on the helm, whilst Christina enjoyed relaxing...

Good Expectation looked fantastic lying at anchor in Anse Cochon Bay, it was a real moment of pride for us to see her there from the restaurant at Ti Kaye after the months of hard work getting her renovated.

Last week we also had our friends the Tully's come aboard for a fantastic afternoon putting Good Expectation through her paces, they really took to her and loved every minute of being aboard as their faces show in these shots....

It hasn't all been plain sailing though, with a number of maintenance issues raising their heads including replacing a water pump on the engine and replacing the turnbuckle on the dolphin striker (the chain below the bowsprit) which chose to snap whilst sailing last week. On inspection it was corroded through the middle and it was fortunate to have gone when it did in Rodney Bay and not half way across the channel to Martinique, it was a lesson in how important it is to inspect the standing rigging on a regular basis with a magnifying glass because stainless steel has a habit of looking sturdy on the outside but corroding on the inside through even the tiniest hairline fractures.

We also completed our Maritime Safety inspection by the St Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA) which is great news. One aspect of which involved the fitting of a permanent VHF which required my climbing to the top of the mast to install the aerial and then running the cable down the shroud with cable wrap all the way to the deck, a long and laborious task, which ends in drilling a hole in a perfectly sound deck to run the cable through to the VHF in the companionway below. But it was successfully concluded and well sealed with a deck fitting and silicone to avoid any water getting in.

We also now have the vessel officially registered in St Lucia with the number SL 077784. Unfortunately with so many 7's in the registration process at present none of the chandleries have any 7's left in the official sized stencils! So the hunt is on for a signage company to make some up specially so we can get our registration on the front of the boat....

Coming up in April is the 25th Anniversary of the Antigua Classics Regatta the premiere event for classic sail boats in the Caribbean. Good Expectation is expected to attend and is available to charter for Classics Week so if you are interested in chartering her please email james@jussail.com for more info... We hope to see you there!

Sneek peek of some shots from the first Jus' Sail photo shoot with Dani Devaux

2012-01-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Friday was an exciting afternoon when we took Good Expectation out for the first of a series of photoshoots to capture the essence of the Jus' Sail experience. Following are a few sneek peeks from the photo shoot. The best shots are being processed for use on the website and will be uploaded ASAP...

Jus' Sail Crew ~ Picking a spot to anchor at Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay, St Lucia.

Rigging detail on Good Expectation, Pigeon Island in Background

Nice bit of branding!

Its not all lounging around drinking rum! Raising sail and away we go...

For a few more photos please check out our facebook page album ~ Jus' Sail Photoshoot #1.

12.01.12 ~ Launch Day for Good Expectation in Rodney Bay, St Lucia...

2012-01-13T03:53:00.000-08:00

OK this is a quick post with some photos of the launch yesterday, more detailed shots to follow over the weekend... Needless to say yesterday was a very exciting day and an auspicious event for us at Jus' Sail... Enjoy the following shots of the process from the tent to the water...

So there is Good Expectation happy and at ease in the water. Today we load the lead ballast ~ back breaking heavy work, fit the floor boards and the new vanity unit with head and sink, plus start to get the rigging sorted out. Over the weekend another coat of paint on the deck... Hopefully the engine to be installed early next week then sea trials! We will keep you posted as we move along...

Good Expectation shows her new colours...

2011-12-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

So its been a full on few weeks since getting back to St Lucia. After a couple of days we hauled Good Expectation and had her placed stern first into one of the covered berths in the IGY Rodney Bay Boat Yard. A very well kept and smoothly run boat yard by the way and one I would certainly recommend to other boat owners.

A great distraction during this time has been the ARC ~ Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, held at the IGY Marina, who also did an excellent job at organising some great parties. By all accounts the visiting yachties and us locals all had a great time, big up to Adam Foster and his team at the marina for a great couple of weeks.

So the main activity recently has been a lot of sanding and painting, which seems to be what we have done a lot of, except that now we seem to be getting somewhere! We hope you agree...

Simultaneously, we have had a local carpenter Jim and his son Darryl, who is learning the trade from his dad, helping us build sections of the interior ~ bunks/storage, engine compartment, vanity unit to house the toilet and sink and the Greenheart hardwood floor boards. Its all coming together down below, they have done a great job, photos of it installed will have to wait until the New Year when we relaunch the boat as we have to replace the lead ballast before it all goes into place ...

Jim and Darryl at work

Over the past week we have also been helped by Pepsi with a lot of the painting of hatch covers, its been great having her with us in the boat yard adding her personal touch to the detail of the painting...

We have also received our first order of Jus' Sail Tshirts that we ordered from a local firm Button Up Ltd. - Lymwell and Julie have been fantastic, working very hard to get us what we needed as soon as possible. We are very happy with the outcome and have handed some out to some of those people who have helped us out with this venture so far... Within 24hrs we sited one of the tshirts in the marina... We think our friends son makes the perfect model for the first public showing of the Jus' Sail tshirt...!

A nice surprise today was a brief visit into into Rodney Bay by fellow Carriacou built vessel ~ Jambalaya . She is a beautiful schooner with a wonderful layout of staterooms and comfortable berths down below. She is available for charter throughout the Caribbean... Google her for more info!

It hasn't all been hard work the past couple of weeks, we were also lucky enough to be treated to a wonderful night at The Jalousie Plantation, which is nestles below Petit Piton, we stayed in one of the new majestic villas, which had a stunning outside pool and backdrop of the Petit Piton...

The pool area with villa behind... Highly recommended for those wanting to splash out and spoil themselves in a tropical paradise...

The beach at Jalousie is one of our favourite places in St Lucia, the setting is unsurpassed.

Behind which is also some wonderful relics from the Sugar mill which dates from the 1700's...

One of the things that I love about these old pieces of industrial history is the name plates, one of these days I will look up this company ~ Mirrlees, Tait and Watson and see where they are from and if by some miracle they are still in operation...

So with Christmas Day approaching its time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and may 2012 be a bumper year of all good things to all of you who happen to read this blog. We will be starting 2012 with a flurry of activity as we prepare for the launch of the Jus' Sail business on the back of the relaunch of the new look Good Expectation early in the New Year!

A tiring few weeks but Good Expectation is now in St Lucia!

2011-12-03T06:28:00.001-08:00

Its hard to believe that the last post on the blog was the 12th of November! I knew I had been remiss in not updating the blog for a couple of weeks but not 3 weeks! Anyway, better late than never... There is so much to say about the past few weeks its hard to know where to start.

First off, we launched good Expectation after a flurry of activity getting her a few coats of paint and touching up areas of the hull. The time had come to launch no matter what, the weeks were flying past we had overrun in Antigua already by more than two weeks and for various reasons we had to get home ASAP.

At 3:30pm on the 23rd November the travel lift came to pick her up for the Splash...

The hull was looking great with a nice coat of Antifoul to help keep her bottom clean...

Before going in the water, its important to remember to put the rudder back in place!...

Needless to say Herbert and I were very happy indeed to have her in the water and making way under her own steam... the engine worked fine (at this point!).

We then had to bring her back alongside the boatyard to replace the lead ballast in the bilge which was taken out before she was hoisted from the water. And to start getting all the various bits and bobs back onboard for the sail home. The decision had already been made that the majority of the painting to make her look smart will have to wait until back in St Lucia.

Whilst the boat was being readied Mr Cochrane was busy finishing a new end of the boom which he spliced in along with brand new mahogony jaws which fit around the mast to hold the boom in place. The spliced section is throughbolted and stronger than the original which had extensive sections of rot in it....

As we had been in Antigua weeks longer than expected Pepsi came up to see me for a couple of days before heading back to the UK for work commitments. It was great to see her after so many weeks, but it was also great to see the samples of the Jus Sail Tshirts that she brought along with her aswell!!!

We finally left Jolly Harbour on 25th November - Friday evening at sunset after a rush to clear customs, say goodbye to people and generally get ourselves into some sort of order. We had had a small launch party the night before to thank everyone for their help in the project and had said goodbye to many people then. After six weeks it was good to be saying farwell to Jolly Harbour and on our way home. And to all of those friends that we made there, we will see you again no doubt (you know who you are!). That first night we motored around to Falmouth Harbour on the South side of Antigua. Unfortunately we realised that one of the injectors on the diesel engine was leaking badly so the stop off was essential to effect a repair.

We took advantage of the local restaurants to get some food in our stomachs and couldn't help being amused by the similarity of our vessel and this old poster on the wall of the Mad Mongoose Bar in Falmouth Harbour....

We spent the night at the Cat club Marina and in the morning were given a wonderful rainbow behind the boat...

The diesel engine needed a number of issues dealing with it and this delayed our leaving Falmouth. We eventually raised the sails at sailed out due South towards Guadeloupe at 1pm on Saturday 26th Nov. The next four days were to be some of the most frustrating and at times downright miserable of any of our combined years at sea... Fickle winds, intense lightning storms and unbelieveable heavy rain and 50-60knot winds followed by dead calm again delivered very challenging sailing conditions. Under normal circumstances this would not have been too much of a problem with a solid diesel engine to power you home, sadly our engine was far from finished with its issues that meant for most of the journey we were without engine power and left at the mercy of the elements to make our way home.

After a long night of sailing down the leeside of Guadeloupe and managing to sail across the channel to Dominica we chose to put into Portsmouth in Northern Dominica to get a charge on the battery (the alternator packed up and stopped charging the battery!) and fix the transmission cable which had come away from the transmission. We also needed to try and find replacements of the tiny springs which make a winch work as the portside winch had become unreliable and at the most inopportune times chose to release the sheet by spinning free. Very dangerous especially when grinding the winch with the winch handle under the full load of the sail.

Prince Rupert Bay in which Portsmouth sits is a picturesque scene. It was good to get ashore and get a hot meal and more provisions.

We managed to charge the battery but could not get the winch springs and had to make do as best we could. We left Portsmouth at 2pm on Monday under a wonderful following breeze, what sailing in the Caribbean is all about...

Sadly it was all too short lived, the trade winds deserted us again and we motored down the leeside of Dominica. What was amazing was how the mountains of Dominica had been keeping the bank of heavy cloud to the East at bay, acting like a huge block to their westward progress...

On reaching the channel between Dominica and Martinique the cloud was spilling through the gap and looked very menacing. By this time it was getting dark and we had no choice but to continue on into the blackness ahead of us. There was very little wind to speak of even in the usually very gusty channel. By daylight we had made it past Fort De France the capital of Martinique, Diamond Rock was off to our portside and St Lucia due south. The engine had packed up again in the night, this time due to overheating and a problem with the cooling system. We had been crawling along at only a couple of knots for the past 10 hours or so and the coming daylight did not bring any further increase in the winds. All of Tuesday was spent trying to make progress across the channel to St lucia with little success, but we were halfway between the two islands and there was no point in turning back. Martin pulled out all the stops in light wind sailing techniques, wetting the sails, shifting ballast over to the lee side of the boat and getting all of us sitting on the same side to change the hull shape in the water to eck out some more boat speed. We did the best could under the circumstances and by sundown we were 17 miles or so from Rodney Bay. The clouds had been building all day and soon after dark the first really heavy thunder started to rumble behind us from over Martinique. We could also see lightning over St Lucia, it looked to be concentrated down south around Soufriere (which we subsequently heard suffered more landslides under the intense rain). For some hours we bobbed around in the middle of a number of storm cells, we had no wind but knew there was wind and lots of it in the squalls. Around 10pm we got hit by the first of a number of very intense squalls. From no wind to 50-60knots in seconds, dry to soaked by the heaviest rain imageinable in less than 10 seconds. The pattern of being battered by squalls and becalmed once they passed continued throughout the night. Until around 3am when Martin was hit in the back by the boom during a particularly ferocious onslaught from the weather. He was hurt, not sure how badly but enough that he had to go below and flake out. We were worried about him. It was critical we got to shore now. By 4:10am we were within 6miles of Rodney Bay and I managed to get a cell phone call into Adam Foster the Marina Manager. He thankfully picked up the phone and got straight onto the Coastguard who came to our aid and towed us in around 9am Wednesday morning, by which time the current had taken another 3 miles NE out towards the open Atlantic and the dangerous windward side of St Lucia and Martinique where there are no anchorages and no shelter. We had made a number of VHF calls on Channel 16 in the hours prior to the cell phone call, we tried to hail a crusieship, a passing container ship and a number of other sailing vessels. No one answered! what has happened to the camaraderie of the high seas that used to centre on the VHF?

By 10am we were at the dock. Exhausted yet so relieved to be in harbour. The sleep deprivation and constant soakings from the rain had left us tired, cold and hungry. clearing customs was a blur i was so tired and spun out I could hardly stand up. The past six weeks of 12hour days hard work on the refit and the rush to get ourselves back to St lucia had all taken their toll. But we had made it.

The worst part of that day for me however was the news from Pepsi by phone around 6am that our beloved puppies Bonny and Marlie had been cruelly poisoned (subsequently we have been told deliberately due to the type of poison), they died on Sunday. With a working engine we might have been back in time and they may not have strayed so far from home to get in touble. Had the refit taken fewer weeks they would almsot certainly still be alive as with me home they would not have gone so far. Bringing Good Expectation home this week has therefore been a very emotional and bitter sweet event. I will miss our dogs and am focussing on the future and the fun we will have with this boat in the coming weeks, months and years. I had hoped for B&M to be boat dogs and help me entertain our guests. Sadly I never got to take them aboard. I know they would have loved it.

So in memory of Bonny and Marlie we take Good Expectation and Jus Sail forward.

In the next two weeks we will undertake a major face lift to Good Expectation with a through paint job. So watch this space....

The process of creating a solid and long lasting hull is time consuming but worth the effort!

2011-11-12T19:59:00.001-08:00

Ok so this week has been full of long hard days of work on the hull of Good Expectation. The week started with Mr Cochrane finishing the work of replacing rotten and damaged planking on both the hull, deck and doghouse sections.

Meanwhile Herbert and I focussed upon cleaning out the seams of the hull to ensure that when it came time to caulk and seal them that there would be a tough strong bonding surface to ensure many years of healthy planking.

The Topsides, which is the part of the hull above the water on the side of the boat were taken to bare wood and the seams thoroughly excavated by hand and electric grinder leaving a solid platform on which to build the new layers of protection for the wood.

A different section of the topsides, this section is original "purpleheart" a type of wood commonly sourced from Guyana in South America, its very hard, strong and longlasting, dense like mahogony and beautiful, but very tough going to sand!

So once the seams have been cleaned out its time to caulk them. This involves banging cotton string into them, the string is called caulking twine and its a long and labourious process which includes rolling the twine on your thigh like you're making a Cuban Cigar! This specialised job was undertaken this week by Manny a new member on the team. He is very experienced in this process. By the end of the week Cochrane and Bowtie had joined in the caulking and the side they worked on was a constant mix of banging and heated debate on many topics, but mostly about the state of local politics and understanding the fairer sex!

Caulking Mallet and Twine

Once the seams have been caulked its time to fill them. Above the waterline this is done with Putty, mixed with linseed oil and redlead powder. Its a surprisingly tiring job and tough on the fingers as the constant kneading of the putty gives you cramp! The putty is similar to that used to bed window panes. Below Herbert prepares the putty for filling the topsides seams...

Below the waterline we use a different material - West System epoxy, which hardens like cement but stronger. Not only does it make the wood totally impervious to water, it also forms an impenetrable barrier to the dreaded worms! Not as obvious as the orange putty, below image shows the West System sanded smooth and filling the seams. Next job here is to paint a film of West System epoxy other the entire bottom to make a complete impervious barrier. This is a costly process but well worth the investment for the long term benefit of the boat.

Here you can see the putty clearly filling the seams. Next it needs to be sanded and then a coat of the primer can be applied, once this stage is reached the boat will start to take shape very quickly with the back breaking works all behind us...

Earlier in the week we were treated to an amazing lightning display out to the West over Montserrat. I managed to capture a couple of shots, but as usual they do not do the display justice!

This Week - Rumbles the Spaniel, Tyre Fire, Engine arrives, Good eating spots in St John's and the Arrival of Sweetheart!

2011-11-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how much can happen in a week and how quickly it all blends together over the passing days.

Last Sunday I was invited to go sailing with George, Stacy, Sam and her lovable dog Rumbles. No offense to the other shipmates but Rumbles was the highlight of the sail due to her love of swimming.

Spaniels were bred to retrieve dead ducks from lakes after being shot, so they have a natural urge to leap into the water. Rumbles is no exception and Sam has a doggie lifevest for her, not that she needs it because she is such a strong swimmer, but it does make it a LOT easier getting her back on board as she can be lifted by the strap on the back of the vest!!! It is still under debate whether her constantly wagging tail helps with propulsion...?

Another source of excitement that morning as we sailed out of Jolly Harbour was the plume of black smoke rising from the otherside of the hills North of Jolly Harbour. Later that day it came through the news that a dump of used car tyres had caught fire (arson suspected). It seems there is a mountain of old tyres at the municipal dump and recent contracts had been signed to ship them overseas for recycling. Its a shame the Antiguan government don't invest in the machine to chip them up for use in road aggregate which not only increases the lifespan of the road surface but saves huge amounts of money as well as providing an excellent end use for the tyres...

The juxtaposition of the fire so close to holiday centres such as Jolly Harbour and the ultra exclusive Hermitage resort must have had many people feeling very uncomfortable...

Monday was eventful in that we discovered that the stem (the front) of the boat was suffering from rot and needed replacing. Mr Cochrane was not phased and wasted no time in cutting out the rot leaving a gaping hole in the front of the boat...

He then went home to get some mahogony in the form of a raw trunk and proceeded to fashion a replacement with a chainsaw. In my view, its art, sculpture and the science of boat building all rolled into one and exactly what makes these boats and the people who build and maintain them so special....

Tuesday was also Antiguan independence day so the boat yard was shut, but by Wednesday morning the stem was being replaced...

And then by Wednesday lunch time it was fixed in place and looking better than ever...

Also on Wednesday the Engine arrived newly renovated by diesel mechanic Dassa. Shiny Fire Engine Red to boot! Its a make from Denmark called Bukh and they are used in North Sea lifeboats, designed to be indestructable, reliable and very fuel efficient, sounds good to us! The goal is to have her fitted back into the boat sometime this coming week and then have the prop shaft lined up and attached by this time next week...

By Thursday Good Expectation had also been joined in the yard by another Carriacou Sloop coming out for renovation. The well known Sweetheart, who like Good Expectation had been neglected for a couple of years and now needs some close attention as well. Its great to have a sister ship being put back to her former glory in the yard at the sametime. Its also interesting to note the similarities but also the subtle differences in lines, design and layout of the different sloops, all with their own unique individual charm and character...

Like Good Expectation Sweetheart is going to enjoy plenty of new planking...

On thursday it also became clear that a trip to town was required to purchase some tools and a vacuum cleaner to help stay on top of the dust and wood chippings down below. This gave me a chance to explore the capital of Antigua - St John's for some good places to eat. The following spots all looked good for various reasons. AJ's for its pure Caribbean flare in the colours of the building (located on the southern side street from the cinema - which you can the top of in the back ground of the picture)...

Swhole looked great for its clean contemporary take on fresah and healthy vegan foods its located on the opposite northern side of the Cinema to AJ's...

However, this time round I chose Roti King on High St. due to the simple fact that it had a steady stream of local office staff coming and going for their lunch break, always a good sign! And I have to say, the wholewheat boneless chicken Roti and fresh local Guava juice did not disappoint one bit!

I also loved the little sign in the small outside eating area, scrawled upon the plastic water tank, that itself sat upon a much older original stone and brick cistern, which probably dates to the 18th Century...

Watch out for more updates next week when we will be showing progress on the replacement of some of the deck planks, the frame to the doghouse, cleaning of the seams and the caulking process (filling the gaps between the planks with cotton prior to sealing)....

After our first week of sanding and scraping the bare wood appears!

2011-10-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

So along with First Mate Herbert this week has been long hours of sanding and scraping to uncover the original wood in preparation for priming and repainting...

Herbert the master sander shows no mercy to old paint...

So now the topsides have been sanded, the seams need to be resealed before wiping down with thinners to clean up any residue and dust, then its time to prime!

In addition to the topsides (the side of the boat above the waterline) Herbert and I have been busy preparing the deck in the same way. Securing a watertight deck and worm free, sealed hull are absolutely crucial to maintaing a seaworthy wooden boat. The deck is therefore not be rushed...

Whilst scraping the seams of the starboard side deck which itself came up nicely...

A nasty bity of freshwater created rot was uncovered along the edge of the doghouse, a leak around which was picked up by the surveyor so we knew it needed fixing, however, the photo below indicates how important it is to spot any cracks in the paint and caulking and take preventative action ASAP because over time the water works its way through the timbers completely dissolving the wood but there was no obvious problem under the old paint, which needed to be scraped off in order to expose the true extent of the problem...

Luckily Mr Cochrane and Bowtie are adept at cutting out the rot and replacing with new planking , making it stronger than before with no obvious sign of the work, this week between them they have almost replanked the entire portside below the waterline (the dreaded worm strikes again).

Bowtie lines up a new plank. And fits it...

Also during the week I visited A&F sails in English Harbour to get the sail inventory checked and prepared for some repairs and possible recutting of the mainsail. Franklyn and his team have a stunning working environment in an original building of Nelson's Dockyard...

The sail loft (absolutely no shoes allowed)...

The view from the sail loft entrance...

And finally here's the view in front of Good Expectation in Jolly Harbour Boat yard, notice the Pelican on the dock who keeps us amused with his high dives into the water to catch fish...

So watch this space for more updates next week.... Till then fair winds and calm seas to everyone!

Refit of Good Expectation continues apace ~ Transom finished & hull planks going on thick and fast...

2011-10-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

So over the past week Mr Cochrane and his second in command Mr Bowtie have made excellent progress with the refit. The transom has been completely rebuilt in treated white pine & is now closed up and ready for the next stage which is the caulking of the gaps between the timbers to seal and make watertight...

The Portside has had a number of planks replaced from the transom for'ard, when fresh water ingress occurs it will spread quickly, that is why constant maintanence is so important in these vessels, regular checks and licks of paint to keep the water out will make a world of difference to the lifespan of the timbers...

The Starboard side has had a similar amount of new topside planking inserted as well, its safest to replace quite a way past where any rot was found to ensure the soundest timbers are maintained.

This is a crucial stage the replacement of the Garboard planks including the Devil plank, so called because its the toughest to fit correctly! Garboard? you say! What's that? A definition for you from the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company ~
gar·board (gärbôrd, -brd)

The first range or strake of planks laid next to a ship's keel.

[Obsolete Dutch gaarboord : possibly Dutch gaar, cooked, done (from Middle Dutch gaer) + Dutch boord, board (from Middle Dutch boort).]

So there you go the first strake laid next to the keel... A strake being a strip of planking in a wooden vessel or of plating in a metal one, running longitudinally along the vessel's side, bottom or the turn of the bilge, usually from one end of the vessel to the other. (as taken from Wikipedia!)

Mr Cochrane and Mr Bowtie undertaking the tricky task of attaching the devil plank, the devil being a seam where two planks meet, in this case at the junction between the vertical keel garboards and the rounded hull planks. Interestingly, this devil may be the one referred to in the old saying "between the devil and the deep blue sea"... So there, you learned something new today to amaze your friends over dinner or in the pub!

Replacing these planks takes strength, skill and patience, notice how the shipwrights have to contend with curvature over 3 dimensions following the gentle curve of the hull lengthways, vertically and laterally, its quite a task and not a moment to disturb them with inane questions. Maintaining the correct width is critical to ensure a tight fit, notice how the space is maintained by banging in thick wooden chocks towards the bow.

Once these tricky jobs are completed work will continue apace, so watch this space for further updates.

Sharing some wonderful images of Carriacou Sloops from Alexis Andrews

2011-10-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Alexis has kindly allowed Jus' Sail to use some of the images from his wonderful coffee table books, which we are happy to share here on the blog...

The next set of images cover the construction of his own vessel Genesis...

This is a great shot of the frame starting to take shape, very early in the
process.

Whereas this one really shows that these vessels are made right on the beach and from the raw material of local timber, carved by hand in situ! Such scenes have been increasingly rare in the Caribbean over the past four decades. Even St Lucia had its own wooden boat builders in the past including my wife's grandfather in the village of Canaries on St lucia's west coast who made wooden fishing boats on the beach until the 1960's.

Notice the hull planks being formed to the shape of the frames and the skills required to make these joins watertight and durable in the harsh tropical climate. By this time next week Good Expectation will also be having hull planks removed and replaced in a similar manner.

Basic hand tools are used for most of he refining of the wood, such as this shot of an adze being ably handled on the keel....

This wonderful shot below Alexis scanned from a Grenadan newspaper in the 1990's, its of master Carriacou shipwright Zepharin McKlaren the man who originally built our own Good Expectation. it is the only shot we have access to of him so expect to see it again on our website in the near future where we will be paying our respects to this great craftsman.

Zepharin we hope we do justice to your boat during our renovation and trust that you approve of her new life, back as a working boat, but in a different guise here in St Lucia, where she will be laden with people rather than cargo!

Next post we will share some shots of the vessels at sail and some of the characters who sail them!

A new Transom takes shape at end of week one of Good Expectation refit

2011-10-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

So five days in to the refit of Good Expectation our local shipwright in Antigua, Mr Alford Cochrane has made great progress on replacing the transom supports with his own locally grown Mahogony, notice the shaped pieces in the corner, all carved by hand to fit...

These frames are the very heart of the boat and vital to its integrity, when installed correctly and regularly maintained they can last for decades even in the harsh tropical climate of the Caribbean. The curved pieces are chosen specifically from rough lumber for their suitable shape....

Mr Cochrane's second in command is "bowtie" he has been working on the hull planks cleaning them up to see which need replacing due to worm damage and preparing the seams for re-caulking. Where the worms have the got in the whole plank must come out because like termites they will eat away until the plank is no more! Regular maintenance and an annual haul out to reapply antifoul is crucial for keeping the worms at bay! The following shot highlights the damage worms can do if left unchecked...

So after pointing out the progress to date...

Its time for a well earned end of week beer, ice cold of course...

Will keep you posted same time next week when work will have commenced on replanking the hull...!

Making the decision to buy Good Expectation was easy once we went for a sail!

2011-10-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Laidback Sailing at its best aboard Good Expectation.

OK one thing to understand about Carriacou Sloops is that they are working boats, hand made with rough and ready hand tools on the beach, crafted with love and passion for a hard working life on the Caribbean Sea.

Good Expectation's previous owner undertook a wholescale renovation of her in 2008, but circumstances transpired which meant he was unable to keep up her maintenance over the past three years & the harsh tropical climate has taken its toll above and below the waterline.

But under the peeling paint and odd bit of rotten deck, she is still a beauty with bundles of character...

The great thing about these hardy vessels though is that with the right local shipwright they can be quickly brought back to good working order. So watch this space...

Learning more about Carriacou Sloops from Alexis Andrews...

2011-10-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Without the passion and commitment of Antigua based yachting photographer Alexis Andrews it is unlikely that you or I would even be aware of the classic Caribbean working vessels from the Southern Grenadines - the Carriacou Sloops. Alexis, sailed throughout the Eastern Caribbean from 1997 to 2003 in a beautiful old Carriacou Sloop called Summer Cloud. In 2003, Alexis commissioned a brand new Sloop, with one of Carriacou's last remaining master shipwrights Alwyn Enoe and his sons, it would be the first sloop built on the beach of Windward Village on the small island of Carriacou in over a decade. Genesis has subsequently become the leading race winner in the small class of Carriacou Sloops that compete in regional regattas such as Antigua Classic Week and the West Indies Regatta in St Barths.

Alexis has published a stunning set of coffee table books - Carriacou Sloops Vol I&II, the first of each Vanishing Ways charts the history of these vessels from 1830 when Scottish shipwrights were brought to the Grenadines to help plantation owners ship their produce to markets on the larger islands. Vol II - Genesis documents the building of his own vessel. Together these books offer a wonderful insight into the heritage and cultural roots of these vessels and really convey the beauty and uniqueness of the boats which makes them so much fun to sail and be onboard.

Genesis at anchor in English Harbour, Antigua, June 2011.

Thank you Alexis, your passion is infectious and we look forward to seeing you on the water in Genesis in the coming months.

Alexis at the helm of Genesis, taking me for a sail in June 2011

Jus' Sail's James Crockett enjoys taking the helm of Genesis, yes it was love at first sight!

After years of dreaming & planning we find our perfect Carriacou Sloop

2011-10-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Over the coming months we will share some of the journey which we have been on over the past few years to get us to the point where we are now - about to start renovating a beautiful Carriacou Sloop - Good Expectation - bringing her back to her former glory in order to put one of the few traditional working vessels that remain in the Caribbean back to work, not to deliver cargo but to deliver the most relaxing, laidback, fun & authentic sailing experience in the Caribbean.

Over the coming weeks we will also be posting updates on the progress of the renovation & our preparations to get her ready for setting sail from Antigua, where the refit is taking place in Jolly Harbour, to St Lucia & the new home base for Good Expectation in Rodney Bay.

We hope you enjoy reading about our progress, the ups, downs, trials and victories that we are bound to encounter along the way... Enjoy and if you're ever in doubt as to what to do with yourself whilst in St Lucia? the answer is easy- Jus' Sail!

Good Expectation in former days.