S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - Last Week In Guadeloupe (Wed Dec 13th - Tue Dec 19th, 2023)
Highlights this week: Maddy has a minor dental emergency; Lizzy comes down with a mystery illness; binge watching our favorite Christmas movies; snorkeling the reefs around the anchorage in Deshaies; planning our passage to Antigua in order to be in Jolly Harbour for Christmas.
Wed Dec 13 - typical school and trading day; Maddy has a minor dental emergency as one of her brackets popped off her tooth; fortunately we were able to remove it without issue, thanks to Maddy's tenacity. Ben made chicken fajitas for dinner. Watched the original animated movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Thu Dec 14 - typical school and trading day; rain off and on with big wind most of the day. Washed a load of clothes and made water; hung the clothes in the house due to the rain. Amber made an enchilada casserole for dinner, then some super rich hot chocolate from Del Oro in the DR. We learned a lesson that us “old folks” can’t drink that stuff late at night and go to sleep. Watched "Home Alone."
Fri Dec 15 - today we had a break in the weather. Typical school and trading day; paid the boat boys for another week on the ball in Deshaies, as the sea state offshore remains gnarly (10-12ft with a period of only 6-8 seconds) at least through the end of next week. We plan to make for Jolly Harbour before Christmas and next Friday is looking like a possible window. Ben and Aliza went ashore to pick up a few grocery items; her reward was ice cream (of course). Ben cooked a mushroom risotto and warmed a baguette for dinner. Watched the original 1964, "Rudolph the Rednosed Raindeer," movie.
Sat Dec 16 - slow morning; beautiful weather today. Lizzy is running low grade fever; she has no other symptoms but slept on the settee most of the day. Ben and Amber went snorkeling from the back of the boat. Madelyn had a FaceTime call with her friend Melody. Amber made her famous white chicken chili for dinner; watched, “The Happiest Millionaire.”
Sun Dec 17 - worship time after breakfast; we sang some Christmas hymns then listened to a couple of talks by Prof John Lennox, who is an Oxford Professor of mathematics and committed Christian. Lizzy has a fever of 101 and a lack of appetite; no other symptoms. Ate leftovers for dinner. The kids watched a "Star Wars" movie.
Mon Dec 18 - regular school and trading day; Ben is doing a test drive with the Charles Schwab/ TD Ameritrade's "Think or Swim" trading platform today; it's certainly powerful but not particularly user friendly; their UI design needs a lot of work. Amber made pizzas using day old baguettes. Lizzy is still feeling unwell; pushing fluids. Amber, Ben, and Aliza went ashore and discovered a larger grocery store we didn’t know was here; bought some items we haven’t found recently. We visited the boulangerie for fresh baguettes and pastries. Aliza mailed a letter to Père Noël. Then returned to the boat. Amber made Cheeseburger Pie; one of the girls’ favorite recipes from Ginny Teatro of SV Jabiroo. After reading the book, we watched the movie version of, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."
Tue Dec 19 - regular school and trading day; Ben taped off all the teak trim in the forward head to prep for varnish. The temps and the water clarity are much improved, so we took the kids snorkeling after school. Spotted the largest pufferfish we have ever seen; the fish was at least 20 inches long! Lizzy is still not 100%. Our Friday window for departure to Antigua is still looking good. Ben made a lightly pan fried chicken with pesto pasta. We watched the movie, “While You were Sleeping.”
God Bless,
SV KOINONIA