Forecast: Calm Sea and Dramatic Voyage

People have begun whispering in my ear that my blog has become boring because I'm not writing about slashed jibs, lost anchors, and captains knocked overboard by rogue tidal waves.

Photo courtesy of NOAA

 

I've been blithely sitting on my butt, playing guitar, nursing a swollen foot, and watching Mad Men on Netflix. BIG yawn.

 

To rectify the situation and give you, dear readers, another armchair-traveler adventure worthy of the name of this blog, I turned to Pope. He is the master of creating swash-buckling escapades at sea, and he immediately embraced the challenge.

 

The primary plotline will have to wait til January. He is planning a rollicking week in a sub-tropical clime that is undoubtedly replete with sea monsters, pirate lairs, and beautiful sirens laying in wait to lure boats unto the rocks.

 

The best I can do for now, to satisfy your enormous hunger for tales of mischief and mayhem on the water, is a sneak preview.

We will be chartering a sailboat on the French island of Guadeloupe. According to the World Wide Web (that bastion of reliability), there are lots of reasons to look forward to sailing (and blogging) there. These might (or might not) be among them:

 

1) The volcano La Grande Soufrière (French for "big sulphur outlet") erupted in 1976. You can climb to the top of the crater--to hasten your death, perhaps?

Photo courtesy of F.C. Whitmore.

U.S. Geological Survey

2) The mancenilla tree contains a dangerous toxin in the leaves and fruit. A beauty to look at. But don't sit underneath when it rains!
 

3) The days are long. But the mosquito that carries the virus chikungunya bites both day and night. The virus has been reported in 27 Caribbean countries (and Africa, Asia, and South America).

Photo courtesy of CDC

 

4) Die happy. The local rum (spelled rhum) can be a killer, especially the brew from the island of Marie-Gallante--59%.

5) Swimming and snorkeling are rewarding. Watch your feet--you could get impaled on a sea urchin.

Photo courtesy of NOAA

 

6) Little birds called "sucriers" will sing for their supper, then steal your dessert.

7) It's hot and steamy--sunstroke territory. And those delicious coconuts could fall from the trees on your head.

We aim to please, readers. Captain Pope is dedicated to creating an action-packed adventure, floating in a leaky tub on a deep ocean, in just a few short weeks. And First Mate Amber is committed to bringing you the whole story, in all its glorious and gory detail. Stay tuned!