The Leeming's Guest Blog

The Leeming's Guest Blog

Thursday 5th December 2024

Hi - we're Jo & Pete, friends of Mike & Gloria and we've had the fantastic privilege of sharing the first part of their current trip back to New England. We met them in Grenada for Cotinga's launch back onto water, and sailed to Martinique via St Vincent and St Lucia.

As is customary when staying on Cotinga, a blog is required when leaving. Accordingly, here's a few reflections on what has been a fantastic experience over the last 3 weeks.

Having sailed in the Caribbean last year with Mike & Gloria, we expected the beauty of the islands, snorkeling, great anchorages, delicious food, wonderful sunsets etc.

But what we hadn't fully anticipated was the amount of maintenance work required on the boat, both at the start where Cotinga needed to be readied to go back in the water and during the trip, as the many systems on the boat required tinkering (or more!). It was a rare day Mike didn't have his head in the engine compartment, in the bilge, under the fridge or, well ...., in the heads!

I'm sure experienced sailors will be more than aware of this, but it was a surprise to us! What we've learnt is you need an encyclopedic knowledge of your boat's systems, a good selection of spares and an "anything can be fixed" attitude, all of which Mike & Gloria were able to display in full!! We felt very safe in their hands 

Perhaps the most concerning issue was a saltwater leak into the bilge..... but this turned out to be from a leaking hose supplying cooling seawater to the engine, so wasn't as serious as first thought!

That's enough about maintenance! However, before we move onto the beauty of the islands we've visited, we must mention the damage we saw from hurricane Beryl from 4 months earlier, particularly in Carriacou and Union Island. It was very evident. We can't imagine what it must have been like to go through a storm like that and have your home or business destroyed. It's remarkable how much progress in terms of recovery, these places have made over the last 4 months.

Everyday, without exception has been a fantastic experience but highlights would have to include the tiny palm lined, Sandy Island in Carriacou, swimming with turtles in Tobago cays, the peace of Chatham Bay on Union Island Bay and more peace and quiet / snorkeling and the French Caribbean feel at Les Anses d'Arlet & Anse Noir in Martinique. 

It must also be said that pretty much all the sailing between the islands has been fantastic too. What a great trip!

This is Jo blogging now. We have been on Cotinga for 3 weeks and I can’t believe we have managed to get away with only writing one blog! We leave Cotinga today to go on land for a few days before flying back to the UK and the depths of winter. 

This year’s trip has been a slightly different experience to our time in the Virgin Islands last year. As Pete said we have become much more aware of the upkeep and resilience required on a boat but also feel much more at home on her as we understand how most things work - and where all the kitchen stuff lives! It has been an extremely relaxing trip for us both as we have got into the boating lifestyle, early to rise and (very) early to bed! Still can’t understand why not doing much all day can lead to fatigue that sees us wanting to go to bed before 8pm! My favorite time of day is early morning sitting in the sun with my legs dangling over the side, a cup of coffee in hand watching what sea life passes beneath the boat. I will miss this. 

My highlights of this trip have been swimming with turtles in Tobago Cays, the botanical gardens in St Lucia and just enjoying the quiet bays we have anchored in - and not being seasick! As a geographer I was also very keen to see what impact Hurricane Beryl has had and was taken aback by witnessing it first hand, not as pictures in a textbook or on the news. The resilience and community spirit of the settlements affected was amazing to see. 

Mike and Gloria as always are superb hosts, but need to be forced at times to sit down and relax too. Snickers and peanut M&Ms seem to be good incentive though we found!

So, finally, an enormous thank you to Mike & Gloria for being such great hosts/guides and allowing us the privilege of joining them onboard Cotinga.

Jo and Pete Leeming

14 32.627 N, 61 04.203 W

A five masted clipper ship sails off into the sunset

I was disappointed to have missed the clipper ship as it passed under the setting sun ... so I faked it! This image was created from two separate shots (sunset and ship), with the ship overlaid in the desired position. The colors came out weird so i made it B&W

Super-yacht in the early evening

This abstract shot is a 3s exposure (handheld) of a super-yacht displaying it's neon blue underwater lighting. I rotated the camera slightly during the exposure, guessing where to point the lens as Cotinga bounced around

A young girl giving her dad the sand-bath treatment on the beach at Grande Anse