Some of the race photos I shot earlier today. It was my first day out in the middle of a race (except for this one) and it was very exciting to observe the action so closely. Adrenaline pumping sport that is. /T

Today is the second day of the races in this Antigua Sailing/Race week and I'll be going out with the press boat to try to capture some action photos. Looking forward to share them with you later tonight. We're also looking forward to join the race with one of the larger race boats later in this week. /T

The partying is over for our part for this time but here's some more photos for you. We have by the way met so many wonderful blog readers in the last few days here in Antigua, we love when you come talking to us! Sometimes it is hard to imagine how many people there actually are out there who "knows us" through this website, but it all gets another dimension when we actually meet our readers and fans. Since we left Morocco we've ran across blog readers on almost every island from the Canaries to St Lucia, Martinique and to here and it is fascinating to realize what a small world it is, and how many people from all over the world that knows about us and this blog. Crazy but amazing. We look forward to meet many more of you guys in the future.

We will be moving the boat over to this larger anchorage today as there is no wind here in Freeman's bay and without it we have hard to charge the batteries on the boat. We are usually fine with only the wind generator running as the trade winds here in the Caribbean are strong enough to keep it in constant movement, but this bay is protected by mounts and hills breaking the wind flow and the solar panels alone doesn't give us enough power to run all the equipment onboard, the fridge, fresh water pump, lights, chargers etc. So it's now time to move on just around the bay to top up the batteries and to change our vista for a while. We'll see you on the other side. /T

Sorry for the lack of writings in the past forty hours. I asked for party and I got it. This bay is full of crazy people, especially some of the Swedes (I'm talking to you Pär) and they don't say no to a good fiesta. Yesterday was the first day in maybe six months that I experienced a hangover extravaganza, and I had totally forgotten how miserable it was to wake up with major headache, dry and disgusting taste from all the cigarettes I smoked last night and some sort of ugly anxiety which made me pathetically question my life and behaviors. Alex was laughing at my pitiful revelation, You asked for a party and now see how you handle it. I told you to stop drinking after the fourth round. Yeah I'm definitely not 20 anymore, thanks for rubbing it in my face. I've even have had that much fun that I've managed to avoid being in front of the camera on each of those parties, seems like I've lost it completely? I should definitely take a vacation from the rum bottle for some days, but I just received an email saying that we're very welcome to pick up our media passes and the Chivas Regal VIP tickets for the race/sailing week parties so now I don't know anymore. What we've just decided though is that the secluded paradise island of Barbuda will be our get away detox island straight after this hectic race week which begins today.

So we'll see you out there tonight, I guess. /Taru

The trio will most probably move on towards the Southern islands in a while. We'll try to hang out with them as much as possible until they leave. I love Fox's swimming suit with matching cap. Adorable. /T

I can begin to show you how it looks from where we "live" at the moment. You have already seen how it looks like when we look astern, behind the boat. That is where the open sea is and it is more or less from that direction we arrived when sailing from Guadeloupe. These pictures above shows you what we see every time we look in front of the boat. We have an approximate 15 seconds dinghy ride to the white sandy beach or 3 minutes swimming if one would prefer. Up the hill there are beautiful private villas and a couple of classy restaurants and hotels. I can already feel that I will be saying this thing quite a lot in the future, but this island is truly a paradise. And look what a stylish neighbor we have just in front, that Bowman (yacht) is a true piece of art. /T

I don't know where to start really but everything so far has proven to be top notch here in Antigua. The anchorage in Freemans bay in English harbor is excellent. We are anchored in a turquoise aquarium and we're able to take a refreshing swim in crystal clear water every morning or night or whenever we prefer. The water is perfect for snorkeling and thousands of fish and corals can be found in rainbows all colors, just under our hull. There are giant turtles swimming around the boats here and sometimes they pop up their head just next to you and first they scare the shit out of you and then makes you bubble with happiness. The nature of what we have seen so far is extraordinary. Green and lush vegetation, palm trees mixed with cactuses, limestone hills overlooking the dramatically beautiful waterfront, the hills where thousands of goats stroll around freely. Donkeys are walking on the streets. Graceful hens chasing each other in the gardens. Hummingbirds are flying above your head. Frog lizards and green tree lizards stroll around on every tree if you study them closely enough. There are 365 beaches on this small island and of the five we've seen so far, they seem to get better for each and everyone of them. The georgian architecture of dockyards and buildings are perfectly kept from past times and there is a comfortable ambiance everywhere as the nature, the style and design of facilities, the local people and the beautiful sea with the ever so calming trade-winds makes for an excellent mixture and they all seem to be living in perfect harmony.

Every time we stroll around in town I receive this immense feeling of balance. Just like all that is needed is here and that everything is perfectly woven into each other. The local people are welcoming and friendly. They seem to be enjoying their own lives fully, and who wouldn't if they were living on this beautiful island, while they also appear to appreciate visitors. You will find a great mixture of upscale dining and luxurious facilities, bars and restaurants and would you prefer to kick back with a beer in flip flops, there are great places for subtle enjoyment as well. The greatest testimonial so far must be the fact that I have brought the camera with me every day and night while we've been dining, walking, partying and exploring and I still haven't shot more than just a very few pictures. We just have had too much fun and enjoyed ourselves way too much for me to destroy the moments with photographing. Aaah, we really needed to see this after our light disappointment with Martinique. We love it so much here that we most probably will we be staying here for at least one more month. So many beaches and restaurants and hotels and bars and locations and forests and waters to discover. Thank you Antigua for being such a wonderful place. 

I'll show you more pictures very soon. /T

I love you guys. When it comes to hair and bikinis, you're commenting and "liking" like never before. Maybe I should stop posting pictures of interesting animals, the beautiful nature in which we live, the life aboard a sailing boat and on the sea and the philosophies around it all - they don't seem to affect you half as much. LOL. /T

So how did my hair end up, you ask. Blonde? Ha! I can't really define the shade of it. Orange? carrot? yellow? gold? It is something very much reminiscent of my washed out Dolce&Gabbana bikini which I'm wearing on the picture, that's all I know. They suit each other well. My torn bleached hair and the old sunburnt bikini which has a couple of salty seasons behind now. I kind of like it. It's not what I wanted really and it is still quite far from my natural color, but at least the overall tone is a bit more even. And it is definitely much more fun than the black versus blonde I had to deal with for some days ago. I think I'll keep it like this for some weeks and let the sun do the rest of the job before I put the last tone of light brown/ash blonde into it to get back to my natural shade. All these treatments have weakened my hair drastically so it's now time for it to rest for a while. And ok ok, I'll stop talking about my hair now. Maybe. 

 

I get many emails and inquiries every month from other women who are about to begin their own life afloat with their partner and they want to know what is required to be able to get out cruising the big oceans. Many are worried that they do not have the right amount of experience and knowledge with everything from boat handling to safety routines and they ask me about how it really is to be living on a boat, how much do one need to know about safety, what should they do if something happens to them or their partner and are they really able to take care of it all in case something would happen. I understand these insecurities as it is quite a responsibility you take on when setting off for adventures on the sea. A responsibility for yourself, for your partner and the boat - your home. A sort of responsibility that mainly lays on the one who has the most experience onboard, but also on the crew - the woman in most cases, as you basically will be the only one in charge during your watches on night passages and obviously also in case something would happen to your partner.

For me personally, who never had been sailing in my life before I met Alex, I never really questioned these type of things too much as I know that everything is possible to learn with time. If so many people love the sport of sailing and feel confident in that, why wouldn't I be able to learn it myself? Obviously I also felt very secure with Alex's sailing experience. I am a learning by doing kind of person and I refused to start reading sailing books before I actually got out sailing for real, as I believe that I learn better and faster when I practice with real things rather than with only books.

That being said, there are loads of good and informative books which I found out about later on and some of them are great to get started with. My absolute favorite one, which I think I showed you for some months ago as well, is The new complete sailing manual written by Steve Sleight. A fantastically well written and informative book which covers everything one possibly needs to know about the basics of sailing, boat terms, safety equipment, navigation, boat handling and much more. Every time I have a doubt on for example how to really put an anchor (mainly when Alex and I have an argument about it) or when I need to learn about different navigational lights etc, I go straight back to the book and I easily get the information needed. There are also some really good websites out there, Boater Exam is one that I recently ran across and they have a great boater education course and a boat safety course on the site with easy and informative videos teaching you the basics of boats and sailing and the safety around them, in a very easy and understandable way.

I have understood that there will never come a time when you are fully "ready" or completely in the know of everything. I know some guys who've been boaters for 50-60 years and they still learn things about sailing, so do not make the whole thing greater than it is. Sailing and the life on the sea should be fun and fulfilling and as long as you have the right attitude towards it, the rest will come with time. One other thing that I've learnt is that many couples have very hard to communicate when it comes to boat handling. Naturally, the man (I say man here as the skipper in most cases are men) have to take a dominant and leading role as the skipper and if you're a woman like me and you have extremely hard to deal with authorities and people who are telling you what to do and not to, the communication can easily (and often) fail.

Because of the verbal fights one might have to deal with when learning to sail, I have came to understand that it's best that I try to learn much of the basics by myself and for that my book and different websites have been a great help. Less fights occur the more I get sailing and the sea into my veins, but still the most important thing to remember is that you definitely need to make sure that both of you uses the same vocabulary and terms so that misunderstandings doesn't make your life too complicated. Living on a small boat is tight as it is already, so every precaution you can take to make life easier for each other while sailing is essential. This goes for both the skipper and the "crew".

I have loads of more things I could write about this but I'll stop here for this time. Lastly I want to remind you of that I know how hard it can be to get started just like with anything new in life, but believe me it is all so much worth it in the end. A life on the sea is painful and a bit hectic in small doses every now and then, but the reward you get when getting into the rhythm makes it all worthwhile.

Remember now to get that book I told you about, I can see that they have it on sale on Amazon and also try getting out on the sea as much as you can - the warmer and sunnier it is, the easier it is to get addicted and the easier will you learn. And do let me know if I can be of any help for your planning of your first circumnavigation or any new sailing adventures you're about to take on.