Tropical Adventures: Turtles, Storms and Unforgettable Moments at Sea

Under the radiant sun and on the swaying, waves we shared laughing moments and deep conversations. An adventurous journey full of new experiences, from curious turtles to tropical showers. But at the heart of these memories lies the shadow of parting and uncertainty. Hanneke also shares their experiences of this adventure.

The curious turtles piqued our curiosity and it wasn’t long before we dropped anchor and dived into the water. As we all swam around the boat, we saw several turtles peacefully feeding while we stared at them. Suddenly a large turtle appeared right in front of us and calmly swam to the surface to breathe. He seemed to look at us curiously, which made us hear spontaneous screams of joy around us. Later in the afternoon, Hanneke and I decided to go further out on the water and snorkel at the coral. While I was looking for nurse sharks, Hanneke hoped that we would not encounter them. Along the way we enjoyed the colorful fish that crossed our path as we slowly swam back towards the boat. Although we encountered several large rays, we saw no sign of nurse sharks. Numerous turtles and rays gathered near the boat, and we watched in fascination for a while before swimming to Tessa, Jasper, Teunis, Jeroen and Rajesh. Upon returning to the boat, an eagle ray loomed in front of us. Normally very shy, but this one seemed unperturbed to search the seabed for a meal, which gave us the chance to see it up close. The spotted eagle ray is without a doubt one of our favourites to encounter.

On board we had created a shaded area to escape the sun. Here we could sit, chat, enjoy snacks and drinks and read a good book. Night fell and we saw dark clouds gather around the boat. Flashes of lightning lit up the area. That night the sky broke open in a downpour of rain. Suddenly a deafening spectacle of thunder and lightning erupted directly overhead. Hanneke shot up in bed, while Jeroen, Tessa and Jasper continued to sleep undisturbed. Rajesh and I walked to the cockpit and watched as the lightning came down all around us through the sky and towards the water. The deafening blows that immediately followed vibrated through everything. A big advantage of all that rain was that the water tanks are completely filled again in no time. For four days we snorkeled, paddled, swam and discovered various islands. Besides relaxing on the boat with lots of chatting, reading and playing games. Together with Tessa I went looking for the nurse shark at the coral reef. Yes, we saw one there, resting leisurely on the seabed next to the coral. A moment later he calmly swam on. Tessa was very happy that she spotted one, while Hanneke was relieved that she was spared that encounter. On the way we also encountered a huge barracuda. Barracudas often swim quite close around you, their cold eyes fixed on you as they mercilessly bare their razor-sharp teeth. As if they are considering whether we are a possible prey or perhaps beyond their reach. We continue swimming undisturbed and eventually he swims further away from us and we soon meet the nice turtles again.

After lunch we sail to Frigate Bay on Union Island. The sea lay like a mirror, not a single wrinkle to be seen. We were there in no time and luckily Jasper was able to leave his loyal friend the blue bucket in the storage cupboard during this sailing trip. There were only 2 anchor buoys left, 1 of which immediately fell off because it was too close to the rocks for us. The other anchor buoy was close to the coast, so Jeroen first went to investigate in the dinghy with the depth sounder and a walkie-talkie at the ready. Jeroen indicates that everything is fine and I calmly sail the boat to the anchor buoy while Rajesh fastens the anchor buoy line. In Frigate Bay it is windless and warm, very hot. Here Jeroen, Tessa and Jasper decided to test out our kayak for the first time, while Teunis and Rajesh paddled around on the sub boards. Hanneke and I have been swimming to cool off in the water.

As the end of the afternoon approaches, Jeroen and Hanneke go to the nearby village to score some essentials, such as bread and eggs. Due to the persistent calm and the heat, we are in the water early the next morning looking for some cooling, although the water itself is also very warm at 29.5 degrees. We decided to sail to adjacent Chatham Bay, a twenty minute mini adventure. There, a little breeze in the bay greeted us, beach bars with the promise of refreshing cold sundowners. The beach was inhabited not only by thirsty sailors, but also by an unexpected surprise – a cute nest of newborn tortoises. These will be released back into the wild in a few weeks. Between laughing and sharing adventures, we met: Akko and Lisa from sailing Choctaw and Jeroen & Karin from the White Pearl on a trip – a cozy mix that gathered around a long table and the tall tales soon spread over the table. Tessa and Jasper have learned what alcohol can do to someone and that if Jeroen has had one drink too many, he can take on the life of a comedian. His words flowed like a bubbling river, he made a lot of jokes and Hanneke, Teunis and I were sure that we will be sitting on the boat next to the rail for a while while Jeroen just keeps talking and making jokes and every now and then feeds the fish. The next morning some of them are still a bit broke, but after breakfast and a strong cup of coffee they are fine again. We stay for another day and the adults take a nice walk to the top, while the Tessa and Jasper continue to chill on the boat. That evening I bake a whole stack of pancakes and we all eat them.

Our sailing trip back to Bequia started the next day. We tested the fish with our lines and caught not one, but two fish – a Mahi-mahi and a Barracuda. It was a nice quiet sailing trip and in Bequia we can anchor close to the beach. That evening I fully deployed my culinary skills to tempt even Teunis, who is normally a meat lover, to taste something. Although he could appreciate it, he still prefers meat dishes. After dinner we organized an open-air cinema experience under the starry sky in our cockpit, including popcorn and a nice drink. We stay an extra day in Bequia before we start our journey back to Martinique.

A sailing trip that Hanneke, Teunis, Tessa and Jasper are not looking forward to. They do not like a longer sailing trip due to seasickness and the rocking. After checking out and doing the last shopping we pick up the anchor at half past three, ready for the last week of our trip. As we sailed steadily through the waves, our path was suddenly crossed by the vagaries of a tropical storm and we reefed just a little too late for Hanneke, Teunis, Tessa and Jasper. The boat tilts about 30 degrees and the shock is good for Hanneke and Jasper. In the heat of battle and all hands on deck, while Hanneke and Jasper took refuge in a ‘prayer’ inside the boat, Jeroen, Rajesh and I reefed all sails. In an instant the chaos was over and with reefed sails we continued our way through the rain and wind. Moments like these are just part of it. The rhythm of the waves makes it difficult for Hanneke to get into her reading bubble, making it difficult for her to completely lose herself in the world of the book in front of her. Finally, she decides to go to bed early. Tessa and Teunis also try to go to sleep downstairs, while Jasper, who suffers from seasickness, remains in the cockpit. One of us also sleeps outside on the sofa, while the other sleeps inside at the coffee table. This gives the waiting person a better overview in the cockpit and allows the person to operate the sails without maneuvering over others. The night passes quietly, seeing only a freighter and we maintain a steady speed of about 6.5 knots. We arrive at Sainte Anne early in the morning and drop anchor around 6:30 am. Everyone enjoys a few more hours of sleep, without rocking, before we disembark to check in and buy fresh baguettes. After a night of sailing, the next day often goes at a leisurely pace, with everyone taking the extra rest they need. In the afternoon, Jeroen goes to a water park with Tessa and Jasper where they could get rid of their energy.

Tomorrow we set sail for Grande Anse, a short three hour sail, where we will spend another three days. Days of snorkeling and dreaming, walking and wonder, moments of deep conversations and silent tears and the laughter of shared games. Yet, in the middle of it all, lies the most difficult part of this adventure, the shadow of an uncertain future. Hanneke and I, we share this feeling, this nagging emptiness that remains after saying goodbye. We are happy that they wanted to go on this journey with us and that we were able to introduce them to sailing and life on board, including the challenges that come with it. It took me a while to get all these thoughts down on paper. The farewell was hard and a sense of loss came over me when I saw the taxi leave. There was a desire to stop the taxi, to be together longer. This is the most challenging aspect of a sailor’s life: saying goodbye to loved ones, with no certainty of when we will see each other again. Now as I sit under the sunshade on the foredeck and type these last words, I realize how much this place, this deck, this sea represents an important part of our time together. Hanneke, I miss you terribly and love you all dearly. Of course that applies on behalf of all three of us, for all of you.

I had asked Hanneke if she wanted to write a piece about how they experienced everything. This is what she wrote:

“I will never forget the moment Aagje told me – actually sent me via an app – that they had bought a boat. It was late, I was already in bed and had not put my phone on silent. Suddenly a message appeared van Aagje with the words – I quote – ‘we bought a boat’. I went to the bathroom and let my emotions run free; it was really final now. They were going to make their dream come true, but that also meant that we had to leave them for the time being wouldn’t see ‘live’ again More than a year ago, at their parting, we already knew we would fly their way this summer and spend a few weeks on the boat I have to admit, for someone who doesn’t like sailing especially not at sea, this was a big step, but we absolutely did not want to miss the chance to hug and see Aagje, Jeroen and Rajesh again, all four of us were curious about life on the boat and sailing itself. We were particularly curious to see how Jasper would fare, given his tendency to get motion sickness during car rides. Unfortunately, despite patches and pills, Jasper regularly suffered from seasickness while sailing. The blue bucket, a cloth and a bottle of water became Jasper’s faithful companions on every sailing trip. Fortunately, there were also times when he didn’t need the bucket, but sailing was definitely no fun for Jasper. Fortunately, once we got to our destination and Jasper took a dip, the seasickness quickly dissipated. I myself have conquered a lot of fears: sailing on the boat, swimming in open water (especially in places where I couldn’t stand…) and snorkeling in places where there was so much beautiful underwater to discover, even though I sometimes found it quite scary . With Aagje as a mainstay I have snorkelled in various places and enjoyed it. Jasper found snorkeling quite scary the first time, but with reassuring words from Jeroen he quickly overcame his fear. He especially enjoyed jumping off the boat and doing all kinds of tricks :). Teunis and Tessa have always loved swimming in the sea, without any fear, and have thoroughly enjoyed the underwater world. They confidently dived to the seabed with their snorkels to discover even more magnificence. It was fascinating to experience how dependent we were on wind, current and weather while on the boat. A sudden downpour could suddenly strengthen the wind or cause it to change direction. Also striking was how quickly the wind could change as soon as we sailed past an island. The weeks on the boat were a special experience, during which we were able to admire the new home of Aagje, Jeroen and Rajesh. It’s wonderful to see how passionate they are, whether the boat is stationary or sailing. It is reassuring to see that they enjoy sailing and each other’s company to the fullest and that they are convinced of the right choice they have made. Besides sailing, snorkeling/swimming and hiking on remote islands, we enjoyed board games and especially I (Hanneke) enjoyed moments under the tent cloth (which we hung up again upon arrival) where we could read and talk with Aagje. Of course, we enjoyed the delicious ‘sundowners’ together. This farewell was more difficult than before, because we don’t know when we can meet ‘live’ again. Nevertheless, we have thoroughly enjoyed the past few weeks that we have shared with them.”