Rob Charuk, a Canadian telecom consultant and “The Prime Suspect” has created what is widely regarded as the definitive work on cruising the Grenadines. Rob found the lifestyle in the Grenadines to his liking then found a way to enjoy it on a more regular basis by purchasing a Beneteau 40 and placing it in the charter trade through Barefoot Charters of St. Vincent. My wife Michelle and I chartered the S/V Usual Suspects for our honeymoon in January, 2004. It was by far the best cruising experience we have had so far. I will add a post recounting that trip in the near
future.

Rob’s Website recounts the adventures and misadventures of the S/V Ususal Suspects as she finds the best places to go, the most colorful people to meet and best rum drinks to over indulge in. His flowing prose creates a picture for the reader of this off the beaten path area of the Caribbean. In fact, I was so impressed with the detail of his website, I printed and bound his stories and local knowledge taking it with me for a travel guide while I was sailing down there.

Tobago Cays, just one of the many amazing anchorages in the Grenadines.

The Usual Suspects website is not to be missed by anyone considering sailing in this part of the world. For those of you not familiar with St. Vincent and the Grenadines, they are the southernmost “Windward Islands” just north of the island nation of Granada.

Visit Rob and his Motley Crew at: http://www.usual-suspects-sailing.com/index.html

There are several charter vessel management companies in the Grenadines including the big ones. I recommend Barefoot Yacht Charters in Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent. This was a very smooth operation and the people there know how to ease you into the slow lane. If readers are interested in hearing more about chartering in the Caribbean, feel free to contact me at: .

Dan

MonsterMaritime.com is pleased to point its readers to a well done website that chronicles a family’s voyage of discovery. They learned about the world, the ocean and each other. Read, The Cruise of the S/V Paticat.

This website documents the voyages of the catamaran Paticat which sailed the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, and the East coast of the United States with two children and their parents. Click on the picture above to explore the website, see the the pictures and read the stories of this family’s journey.

Dan

In 1992, I was the Navigation Officer aboard the USCGC Woodrush, a seagoing buoytender stationed in Sitka, Alaska. I talked the Captain into letting me conduct a Polynesian Navigation Experiment by navigating the ship from Hawaii to Alaska, over 2300 nautical miles using just the techniques practiced by the ancient Polynesian navigators. We sailed across the Pacific Ocean without the use of a compass, sextant, electronics or any other modern means of navigation. It was both an intellectual and spiritual challenge. This is the story of how it was accomplished.

I am publishing the Navigation Officer’s personal log of that trip here on MonsterMaritime. It is the first time the story has appeared on the web. This log was originally published in Ocean Navigator magazine in June/July of 1992. I have been told that for years after this log first appeared in print, the story of this journey and the techniques used were discussed in the celestial navigation classes at the Coast Guard Academy in New London and the Naval Academy in Annapolis. I am not sure if this is still the case.

Click on the title below to read my log in PDF format.

Enjoy,
Dan