A Craft Takes Shape Over Willoughby Bay

I think I'm a sensible person. I'm living on an island. There are no cold days that prevent wimps like me from being out on the water like back home in New England. There are incredible coral reefs, mangrove swamps and distant beaches to explore. I love working with my hands. So what do I do? I decide it really is just the perfect spot to begin building another kayak! The stitch and glue 17' Arctic Tern kit arrived last week and, now, with a little vacation time, some help from budding young boat builders, K4 is starting to take shape in my driveway. Stay tuned for construction updates and a launch party!

Island Signs

A few pictures of signs I've captured.

Field Trip!

The last week before Christmas break is a great time to take the class on a hike as their energy and excitement knows no boundaries.  We had a great day climbing up through the rain forest to the exposed summit of Signal Hill.  We endured a few warm rain showers and slid on the muddy trail. Only a small number of my students had done any hiking before so it was a new experience for them.  The usual complaints (“How much longer?”, “I’m tired!”, “My feet hurt!” ) were issued but fell on deaf ears and soon afterward we reached the summit. At the lunch stop, the boys engaged in fishing with their hands in a small pond and couldn’t help getting soaked. On the trip back, I went into principal mode and got angry at two boys who ran ahead ignoring the essential rules of staying as a group. They were lucky they didn’t take one of the many other trails that intersected ours and end up lost in the thorn tree forest. Back at the park at the base of the hill we collected one large garbage bag of litter and replenished our water bottles. The class did have a great time but I don’t think it made a dent in their energy level!

The Land of a Thousand Rainbows

Antigua is known for its 365 beaches; one for each day of the year. But spending time here, one quickly notices the rainbows. During this time of the year, there are daily rain showers that pass over the island. They are small showers only lasting a few minutes as the clouds coming off the ocean get a chance to drop their burdens. The sun is always shining somewhere through the partly cloudy skies and this produces rainbows. You can see three or four every day. They come in different intensities and shapes from a little segment to a complete horizon-to-horizon arc. They're just another thing that makes living here interesting.

Quick Trip Home

It was great to go home and see my family and celebrate the 101 wonderful years my grandmother lived. There was a nice service in the cemetery and a gathering afterward to share memories and visit with cousins, aunts and uncles. The weather in New England did not surprise me providing temperatures in the low 20s with 20mph winds. It was just the thing for my tropically modified blood!

To Absent Friends!

My grandmother passed away two days ago at the age of 101 after a long and fulfilling life. I've been thinking that in so many ways, she is the reason that I am here. 

She and my grandfather purchased a summer cottage on the shores of Buzzards Bay where I learned to sail as a gangly nine year old.  The love of the sea that spending summers there instilled in me was responsible for my signing on as crew on a 55 ft ketch in Boston Harbor soon after I got out of university. I spent almost a year living on that boat and sailing most of the islands in the Windwards and Leewards. On that trip, one of my favorite stops was Antigua so it was without much hesitation that I took the  job teaching here when it presented itself some 25 years later. 

Granny is also responsible for the friendly, outgoing and positive qualities that my family and I possess. These qualities have made it easy for me to establish myself in a new job, in a new country, with new friends. 

For all this and much more I am grateful for what she has given me. 

I will miss her dearly and will carry on the toast that I first heard at her table:

"To Absent Friends!" 

Movember

Some of you may have heard about Movember, the renamed month of November, where men around the globe grow MOustaches to raise awareness of and money for prostate and testicular cancer. A group of us here at school have been working hard during the past month cultivating a variety of styles of below the nose and above the mouth adornments. This weekend, we will celebrate our efforts with a party and official shaving-off ceremony.   Our little group has raised over $3000EC. If you'd like more info or are interested  in donating, go to Movember.com. You too, can become a MoBro!

Thanks in advance for your support.

Prairie Island

When one thinks of a Caribbean island like Antigua, images of pristine beaches, aquamarine waters and swaying palms come to mind. After getting around the island a bit, some of the landscapes seem surreal, as if they are from a different place in the world. One landscape that grabs my attention is the grasslands.  

When driving by or walking through some parts of the island, open spaces full of high, wavy grass are visible. Sometimes they have requisite livestock grazing laconically in the tropical sun. Often, they are as clear as a Kansas wheat field marked only by a solitary tree bending with the wind. The grass reflects the sunlight and, depending upon the time of day, gives off a variety of earthy hues. 

Mt. Obama

On a recent Saturday, I climbed Mt. Obama, Antigua’s highest peak at 1327 feet above the surrounding azure seas.  Until this past summer, the mountain was called Boggy Peak. The government chose to change the name to honor Barack Obama’s election.  

            The most accessible route to the summit is by the access road that was built to install and maintain the communication dishes and antennae at the summit. There is a foot trail that winds up through the rain forest, but that will have to wait until I get to know the island a little better.

             I was to meet two other teachers, Mark and Chris, at ten in the morning but car troubles postponed their arrival until 11:30, just as the hottest part of the day commences. Luckily, we carried extra water. The road is full of switchbacks and has some of the steepest grades I’ve ever seen. Near the summit the pavement is slick with moisture and mossy plant growth making for slippery footing.  I certainly would not want to drive Subi up or, especially, down on this road. It makes the Mt. Washington Auto Road look like stroll in the park.

            There are good views of the island as you climb. Unfortunately, the summit is disappointing because it is fenced off and one is not permitted inside.  We tried to get views by climbing an antenna outside of the fenced-in summit to get above the surround treeline.  I can only hope they open it up for President Obama if he ever visits! After all, he has reached quite a summit of his own.

Green Island

On the eastern side of Antigua lies Green Island, an uninhabited island with many small beaches and great snorkeling. Some of the Italians that Abi works with venture there regularly to spear fish and cook out on the beach. I was lucky enough to join them on their last voyage.  Two small boats brought us out to a secluded beach with beautiful white sands.  We set up the grill and soon had a fire going to grill some tasty chicken and beef cuts.  Serafina, the youngest member of the landing party at 14 months, basked with us in the warm shallows. The raggazzi donned wet suits, weight belts and snorkels and were gone for nearly three hours.  When they returned with lobsters and several fish, we unfortunately had to break camp and head home as the mosquitoes came on with a vengeance.  

Sailing to Mushroom Beach

My neighbor, M, generously gave me use of his sailing dinghy, a Vanguard 15. It’s a 15 foot, fast planing hull with jib and large main. He and I have sailed a few times and after getting used to her ways, I’ve taken friends out when M is not around. Last week I took the triplets and their mom on a light wind day up to the head of Willoughby Bay. With one triplet between N and I, and the other two on the leeward side of the boat, we tacked upwind for an hour or so swapping sides in a delicate choreography every time we came about.

The waters are laced with coral heads, reefs, patches of sand and weeds. N stood watch on the dagger board ready to raise it quickly if we got into shallow waters but we managed to maneuver through all the varied colored waters with ease. We even came up with a saying to guide us; ‘Blue is True, Green is Keen but if it’s Brown or Black, it’s Time to Tack!’

We ended up reaching ‘Mushroom Beach’, a remote spot we’ve hiked to while fossil hunting. We took turns holding the boat off the beach while we swam in the gently rolling surf. On the downwind run home, we pulled up the dagger board and skirted over the shallow parts we had to avoid on the upwind leg. The kids hung over the sides peering into the shallows trying to spot rays, gar fish, conchs and other sea creatures. We surprised what we guessed was a rather large basking sea turtle as there was a huge thrash and splash ten feet off the bow. A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon in November!

Countdown to Splashdown

The two person, 14’ sailing dinghy I acquired is getting closer to her first dunking under new ownership. Michael, the bondo expert, was over to help with hull repairs and some general male bonding. I’ve located several missing standing and running rigging parts that should arrive in a few weeks from the states.  The mast has been polished and messenger lines have been fished inside awaiting new halyards. She will no longer be a ‘ship without a rudder’ as I’ve managed to find a used blade in S. Carolina.  Some prospective crewmembers have helped in fairing, waxing and polishing the hull and a trip to the sailmaker is in the works to repair a few spots in the mainsail.  With more hard work, some luck, a name and a bottle of champagne for her christening, the dinghy should be ready for launching and exploring Willoughby Bay, and beyond, sometime in December. 

Up in the Hills

On a recent hike to Strawberry Hill, Javier and I began climbing a trail through the coolness of the rain forest. We ascended gradually to an open ridge that was covered in chest high fields of lemon grass. Lemon grass emits a strong lemon scent when crushed between your fingers and makes for fragrant strolling. Once, when we lost the trail, the lemon grass turned into masses of sharp edged blades that rasped and scraped into our shins. Near the summit we came across several donkeys happily munching away. Some were tethered and tangled and we spent some time untangling them to increase their grazing radius. Just beyond the donkeys we came across two small ponds that contained brown water and small fishes, an unlikely sight at an elevation on a normally dry island. The view from the windy summit (approx. 1220’ elevation)  was panoramic with long views of close and distant hills, roads, and villages all rimmed by the green of the sea.

Keeping In Touch

I brought my tired old LG cell phone with me but had it ‘unlocked’ before I came. This enabled me to remove my ATT Sim card and replace it with one from the local cell provider here. I’ve set up my account with ATT so when I return home, I just swap the cards and will have my original number activated again.  In Antigua I signed up as a pay as you go customer with LIME, otherwise known as Cable and Wireless. The rates are pretty good and you can ‘Top Up’ your account in most roadside stores, supermarkets as well as online. Coverage on the island is excellent as many of the hills are topped by cell towers.  Being a very English place, phones here are not called ‘cell phones’ but simply ‘mobiles’ as in “I’ll give you a ring on your mobile after work.” 

Me Like Mr. President

As we approach the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s election, the impact of that historic moment is evident here in Antigua. Boggy Peak, the highest mountain on the island was officially renamed ‘Mt. Obama’ during this past year. Signs of his popularity amongst the people can be found in many places.  Tee shirts with his image are readily available as well as a special version of the island’s famous Susie’s Hot Sauce.

Road Obstacles

It’s not often that you can say you almost hit a cow on your way to work unless you are from Texas or living in Antigua. There are always various forms of livestock on the sides of the roads here and the cows drag long ropes or chains that are fitted to collars around their necks.  The animals are used to cars and people but they sometimes act in unpredictable ways and accidents do happen.  I came very close to increasing the ground beef inventory on the island the other day but managed to avoid a collision.  In the event that I manage to produce some bovine road kill, I am thinking that the victim’s horns would look good mounted on Subi’s front grill. I’ll just have to get a cowboy hat to match!

National Exams

Last week my school took part in administering national assessments in Language Arts and Mathematics.  All 3^rd and 5^th graders on the island are tested each year to see what they learned in 2^nd and 4rth grade.  The tests took about 90 minutes for students to complete. For two days this week, I left my class in the care of substitute teacher and I joined fifth grade teachers from schools all over the island to mark the tests. About 60 of us sat down and worked on heaps of papers. Each test had to be checked twice and teachers with smaller classes helped those with large enrollments. It was interesting to chat with teachers from the government (public) schools and to look at their students’ work.  For the Language Arts test, students had to write to the prompt: ‘Tell about a time you were punished’.  It was quite evident that corporal punishment is alive and well in some of the schools here as students recounted the number of ‘licks’ they received for a variety of misdemeanors ranging from stealing lunch money to wearing pants too low on the hips. 

Campus Visitor #2

As mentioned in a previous blog posting, the campus surrounds fields that are home to many creatures. It is not uncommon to look out the classroom window to see one.  It always causes a stir with the students and some good discussion on a variety of animal related topics.

Coconut Palms

On a recent hike in the Body Ponds watershed, we came across some coconuts that were sprouting. We carried them home and planted them in a pot. I hope to transplant them on the grounds of Sea Breeze to provide some shade. They are beautiful plants that grow quite tall and provide good fruit as well as a constant rushing sound as their fronds rasp against each other in the wind.

Mango Frenzy

Julie Mangoes are the highly coveted variety during the mango season.  They are small, firm when ripe and have an intense sweet flavor. They also have a small pit/seed without too much fibrous matter.  In the markets here, they appear in crates from Antigua and Dominica and it is a matter of days before they are ready for eating.  

Eating ripe mangoes takes a little bit of forethought as the juices start flowing down your lower jaw on the first bite and if you’re in your work clothes, it can cause a problem.  I prefer to eat a ripe mango while standing in knee-high water at the beach and then rinse off in the cool waters. Some say that fresh mango juice acts as a shark repellent too.

Boys and Their Boats

When friends here invite some of the new staff at the school out on the water, it is hard for me to say no.  We arrived at the dock with our masks and snorkel and plenty of sunscreen.  With everything stowed and the twin 250hp outboards warmed up, we headed down the channel to open water. The coastline we passed is highly variegated with all kinds of little coves, points and beaches. Our hosts buzzed us around to the far eastern side of the island to a small deserted cay where we dropped the anchor and swam for hours among beautiful coral heads and brightly colored fish.  On the return trip we swung by a beach-front restaurant for a wonderful afternoon meal. With all hands pushing, we managed to dislodge the stern of the boat from the sandy bottom where it had settled during our lunch. We sped back to port following the setting sun. A great day out on the waves!

Steelworker for a Day

On the campus grounds of the school, there are some old dilapidated buildings that were damaged during a past hurricane and have become derelict. The long-term plan is to renovate them for classroom space or other school use. One Saturday morning, I volunteered to help with the removal of a twisted net off steel beams, rafters and posts that posed a major obstacle to future rehabilitation work.  I met a few other staff members and Stephen, a metal worker from a local shipyard. He brought his acetylene torch and gas bottles and within minutes was cutting pieces that we were able to lift and pile to the side.  The force of that long past hurricane was evident in how tortured some of the pieces were. As the pile of smaller pieces diminished, we focused our attention on the more dangerous overhead heavier pieces.  Before each cut was made, we used our amateur engineering skills and discussed at length the safest place to stand, which way the steel would fall when released and good escape routes.  Luckily, our ‘safety first’ approach worked and within 3 hours, the whole site was cleaned up.

Subi the Mitsubishi

            For a vehicle, I ended up with a 1999 Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck. It’s rather tattered around the edges but the 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine runs strong. She’s a right hand drive with a 5-speed manual transmission that I had to learn to shift with my left hand. Subi’s a four-door with a short bed and four-wheel drive. The four doors are great because they also double as a changing booth for the after work swim. In a sense, it’s the perfect car for the roads of Antigua, which are rough and will make a newer car feel old very quickly.

            Subi’s four-wheel drive and high clearance enable me to explore some remote places on the island such as Body Ponds, a rich watershed in the interior of the island and Savannah Beach, a beautiful sandy patch with good waves that is always deserted. These places and many others yet to be explored are only accessible with a vehicle like Subi. 

            The truck was not road ready and for the price, that was ok with me.  With help from some friends here, I found a reliable mechanic who got her running well for a very reasonable fee. Subi passed inspection at the Transportation Board with flying colors even though one taillight was patched up with tape and she tends to belch out a bit of smoke from her diesel engine. High on character and emissions too!  A new set of injector tips will help with the smoke issue but I’ve been told that all Mitsubishi diesels have the same problem.

            I spent some time cleaning the engine compartment, scraping off stick-on graphics from the previous owner and sprucing up the interior with new, matching seat covers. The CD player works, it has tinted windows and can fit five adults inside and 6 outside. She gets about 22 miles to the US gallon but this may not be accurate because of the several conversions required. Namely, the odometer is in kilometers, the pumps at the gas station give you Imperial Gallons, you pay for fuel in EC dollars and you drive on the left side of the road!