David and Audrey’s Maxolar Cruising.

The first UK winter cruise, 1998-99, from Florida down to visit the Bahamas, was plagued with problems. Many faults were found, with the ancient German Farymann engine constantly leaking lots of oil, diesel and water into the bilge, overheating, and occasionally refusing to start. New compass and winches were bought and installed, a larger and different design anchor, new chain, new toilet bought and installed. A sub forestay, topping lift and navigation lights brought the sailing up to the designers standard. David felt as though he was constantly working every evening in order to move on the next day, but it was still all good fun, and a continuing learning curve, specially for Audrey, quite new to the excitement, deprivations and uncertainties of the sailing life.

Maxolar finally left the dock at the end of November 1999, and crossed to the Bahama bank, in December, and right down the chain to the Exumas, by February, before heading back.

There was however, a very unusual aspect to this trip. A dove came aboard to sail with them

Waynes boatyard had several unusual occupants, some permanent, some living in caravans, some having been living and working aboard their boats for several years. One of these, a single old guy, had a big four wheel truck, a motor launch, a smaller sailboat, and a huge motor caravan in which he lived. One day, a dove flew into his motor home and settled on the TV, refusing to fly away, and seemingly quite at home indoors. He fed it with grain, and other human food, but a very short time later, when wanting to drive back to his northern summer home, Audrey and David were asked if they would take in the dove, or try to find the original owner. They agreed, and carried it aboard in a supermarket basket, and putting advertisements in the LaBelle local paper., for the owner, but to no avail. They then gave it the name of Noah, ready for their planned cruise. An old fridge, had been removed and the vacant corner fitted with a perch and feeding tray, with a curtain over the cabin entrance, allowing Noah to fly freely around the back cabin. That winter, sailing well over 2000 miles, Noah provided untold pleasure and fun for them, joining in their meal and playtimes, and for the many visitors invited aboard. But, during the sail back, Noah began to act quite strangely, and finally laid three eggs………….prompting an immediate name change to Nora.

Back to Waynes on 6 March, Audrey again flew home, but David stayed on, taking Nora to a bird sanctuary,free to fly free in the wild. He removed the ailing Farymann engine, taking it to specialists for a thorough overhaul, and worked on the interior, completely transforming the galley area inside, and making a new Centreboard and drop keel, before joining Audrey at home in Hampshire at the end of April.

On their return in late September for the 1999-200 winter the engine was refitted, with a new folding propeller, the sterncastle completely removed and rebuilt much wider, gas locker changed, and many more improvements made. In the last week at the dock, David built a complete 9 ft dinghy named Minnow as an addition to the small one Micro that came with the original purchase.

December 13 they left the dock, shortly to be joined by a catamaran Class-i-cat, with Sid and Julie, (David’s old neighbours in UK), and Bud and Judy aboard Trixolar. Crossing the Bahama Banks on the eve of the new millenium, year 2000, was both without problem and memorable on a beautiful clear night with the stars and shallow water These three multihulls then cruised in company through the Bahamas, down to the Turks and Caicos Islands, on to Puerto Rico, to haul out in April 2000.

David’s return alone in October found resident cockroaches and ants aboard, and a swarm of bees in the aft locker, and more work inside and outside, but before the month end, he sailed off to collect Audrey as she flew into the British Virgin Islands on 5 November.

During all the cruising, Maxolar was often visited by family members from UK, and friends from other countries, all managing to sleep in an extra four in bunks for short holidays aboard in the sun. One memorable visit was Audrey’s son and girlfriend, when he proposed on a hilltop in Peter island, and one other, but with bad memories, when a friend from Canada had a severe heart attack during a snorkelling trip off ‘the Indians’ in the Virgin Islands, entailing a ‘Securite’ radio call, the only emergency call ever made.

2000 was an eventful year, meeting and cruising with many friends, memorable cycle rides ashore in various islands, lots of work on the four year old ‘one week dingy’ Minnow that began to leak into the bilges, and ending badly when Audrey had to fly home from Martinique in February to a sick mother. David left alone, had a great memorable lone sail down to Grenada, with the wind vane ‘Aaron’ doing all the steering with David happily playing clarinet on the front deck. Hauled in March at St Davids yard, he spent three lone months completely remodelling the galley before flying home on the last day of May.

Both were back aboard for a quick launch on 5 November, 2001, but a very bad start to the season when after carrying water aboard, David was struck down with a bad back injury, which necessitated flying home for an spine operation, only to return in mid February, 2002, for a gradual and delicate return to shortened cruising season, with Audrey delegated to anchor raising. Across to Tobago Cays , and then up to meet family in St Lucia, for a three week slow sail back down to Grenada. It was here that a new laminated teak windscreen was started, with a solid top to stand on, for easy access to the mast, and a great high viewpoint for shallow waters, before their flight home at the end of April.

Back in October 2002, for a months work onshore, to finish the screen, and fit a larger aluminium front hatch, and new solid teak rubbing strips along each side. Launched on 2 November, and an aborted night sail to Tobago with a shredded mainsail. , but soon fitted with a brand new main, and enjoy Tobago hire car, taxi and bike rides with cruising friends from Holland, and a return to Grenada. More visitors out from UK for Christmas and a memorable morning church service in Union Island. Audrey flew home mid January, for two weeks, before sailing back to Trinidad, to haul in Peaks yard for a complete professional bottom sand, epoxy reseal and antifoul. Maxolar again new under the waterline ! Back to Grenada, to haul and fly home 3 April 2003. But booked to have a complete paint job hulls and decks. Big news is that David finally pursuaded Audrey to marry him, and the date is 10 May in Hawaii !

Winter 2003-4.

Aboard as Mr & Mrs in October, for two months work and play in Grenada with friends and cruisers. Their marriage and honeymoon had entailed a mind blowing night walk on a live volcano, and now they planned to sail up the Caribbean Island chain to visit an island that had been completely devastated by the volcano four years previously. They sailed away north from Grenada on 8 December for what should have been a five to ten day passage. In fact it was 5 February before they anchored in Little Bay Montserrat.

They had spent a very frustrating 48 days in the expensive French islands, finding and waiting for spare alternator parts, and then having an engine fault giving bad overheating. The only mitigating part was finding lots of old cruising friends, including bike rides with Sid and Bud, and to bring in the New Year.

Montserrat was eventually well worth the visit, quite a spectacle, half the island smothered in deep ash, and giving some adventure too, almost getting washed away on a taxi river crossing, but the anchorage was extremely rolly, both being seasick, and ending with a 51 hour extremely rough passage, 325 miles down to Testigos Islands, average speed 6.3 knots. Audrey scalding herself and David being thrown against a winch and breaking a rib ! Undoubtedly the most dangerous passage to date, but Maxolar taking breaking beam seas, with strong winds, reefed down, with Aaron happily in charge, and crew on full alert day and night. Four days enjoyable relaxing and recovering, in deserted Isla Iguana, exploring with inland walks, before sailing into Venezuela, Margarita island. An interesting time there, before haul out on 3 March, where a dog gave birth to 4 puppies under the hulls, and before they flew home at the end of April, 2003.

Returning in October 2003, was unusual, as the air fare included a 7 day all inclusive holiday in a hotel complex, delaying boarding until late on13 October, perhaps a bad omen.

Normal food stocking, printing a Christmas letter, with launch booked for 25^th. BUT just two days before, on opening the engine compartment, there was an obvious huge crack in the exhaust elbow casting, and on removing it, an even bigger crack underneath. Though this did explain the overheating last season, it posed problems finding a new one. It was 26 November when the new one arrived, and launch on 1 December, with a celebratory G&T and a log entry, “Nine months since last afloat “.

Gentle and leisure sails around the area, Cubagua and Cochi up to Blanquilla, and a Christmas present of a new 2hp Yamaha for small dinghy Micro. Into Laguna Grande on the Venezuela mainland, cycle rides, food ashore, clarinet playing aboard, great times, and absolute peace and quiet, fireflies and magnificent stars with not a sound to herald the start of 2004.