1 Year anniversary!

Yesterday, when I finally found a good wifi connection, I got a message from a friend back in Israel.

She wanted to catch up, and was wondering how was life in Boston...

So much has happened during this year, and yet my reply was: " We've left Boston a year ago yesterday, and have been sailing the Caribbean ever since, a bit of a bumpy start (hit a reef, lost our boat) but now everything is great"

That's it. our year in a nutshell.

it was exactly 3 days and one year ago when we said our last goodbyes to GilGil, and wearing Crocs and socks got into a taxi in 20 degrees F. ready to fly out to San Juan, board our boat and start the adventure of a life time. One year and 3 days later, the adventure is still here.

Kids at the Boston airport, December 2013

Same kids, one year later, December 2014

Mika lost 5 teeth and grew new ones, Gur learned to read and write in Hebrew and English, and Arbel started the trip with night diapers, which now looks like a light years away...

And they're all about four inch taller...

A short post it is, but deserved an entry of its own.

Happy 1st birthday Crazy Boat Trip!

Happy Hanukkah everyone!

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Made in Del-Max

Life on the boat brings out all the creativity we have. 

Some things are hard to find, others are out of our budget, and in some cases we run across local creations we just have to recreate. 

Here are some of the things we have proudly manufactured:

The Rain Catcher (RC-001)

Water is limited on the boat. We have 2 water tanks that can hold up to 100 gallons (about 400 litters). This water is used for drinking showering cooking an dish washing, and when they're gone we either have to find a marina with a fuel dock to tie up to, or do water runs with our jugs. Since we only have 16gallons of jugs this can meen many back breaking runs. Not fun. 

On the other hand, it does rain so often out here... Which is why we have decided we must have our own rain catcher. 

Oren came up with the design and we have dusted our brains to pull out all that high school trigonometry to optimize  the angles and size. Then it was down to me and Marina's old sewing machine... 

And it's working! We have been catching rain!

The Dodger

When sailing in strong winds and rainy days, especially when going up wind, sitting at the cockpit and specifically at the helm can be very uncomfortable. unless you have a dodger protecting you. Which we didn't. We got a very high quote from the canvas guy for manufacturing one for us which is when Oren came up with the brilliant idea of me making one...

With the help of Marina's sewing machine and the moral support of Carole from La Jeanoise (who basically told me it can be done) I have set up to create the dodgy dodger. But hey! It works!

Window covers

The boat originally had very dark window covers. Once again Oren had a vision... Replace the dark opaque covers with semi transperant ones, that would block the sun heat but let the light come in. 

Done!

Home made Sorbet de Coco

After tasting it in Guadaloup, Oren took upon himself the mission of Re-creating the flavor of the local speciality, Le Sorbet de Coco. 

Trial and error with the help of Mr. Google have helped him bring this creation to perfection. Served only on board Del-Max. 

The Chanukiya (menorah)

It is the Jewish month of Kislev and Jews all over the world are lighting their Menorahs. I tried to prepare (as Liron must remember) to all the holidays we were supposed to celebrate on board, but since we left right after Hanukkah last year, we weren't supposed to make it on board to celebrate another one. Yet here we are...

And so we have collected bottle caps, Gur painted a paint mixing stick and Oren was in charge of connecting them into our very own Menorah. Four candles are already behind us and four more to go. 

Happy Hanukkah! 

Homemade Yogurt

We like Yogurt. We eat it with Granola in the morning, and use it to thicken our smootheys. We like Yogurt. The problem is, that Unlike the French islands, where the dairy fridge is packed with a huge variety of yogurts, other islands don't stock them at all. 

Little did we know, if you have just a few spoons of good Yogurt, you can recreate it and make more and more and more. It's a miracle!

Our friend Ida from s/v Cheers came over for a Yogurt workshop and introduced us to the secret (yet oh so simple) world of yogurt making. 

We have been making it for a while now. 

Love it!

We are constantly learning more and more tricks, recipes and ideas for making our lives better and easier and implementing them one at a time. 

Wanna see for yourself? Come visit!

Stay creative!

The Del Maxians

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Thanksgiving

I am sitting in the quiet saloon of our boat, a stone-throw from the beautiful beach of the island of Bequia (pronounced back-way). Everyone already went to bed, and I should probably do the same, as tomorrow we plan to head out very early, towards the island of St. Lucia.
When we first got to Bequia, on the day of Oren's birthday, over four months ago, I had no idea we would ever be back here. And yet here we are again, this time heading north. Up island as Steph would say.
Weren't you supposed to be home by now?! is a very common questions these days...
Well, we were...
The original plan (well, perhaps I should say, the last plan) was to head south to Grenada, spend a month or so there, and then sell the boat and head back home. But as we finally got to Grenada, and spent more and more time with other cruisers and cruising families, we realized we still haven't had enough.
Going back home, or to reality, as some of our realistic friends call it, means going back to the endless rat-race. We realize it and we accept it. But we're just not ready yet...
And so instead of selling the boat and going back home, We have decided to extend our trip, turn around and head north, towards the Bahamas.
You see, so many cruisers we've mat told us the Bahamas were the most spectacular part of their trip, that we just have to see it with our own eyes... so we've waited for the Hurricane season to end, took the time to paint the bottom of the boat and do some other 'boat projects' and when the time was right, lifted our sails and headed back north.
I just realized that although we've figured out our new plan a few good weeks ago, I haven't had the chance to update you personally. sorry...

And so This year, as the holiday of thanksgiving is just about to start, I find it easy to be thankful:

Thankful for my amazing family. Spending such a long time together in such a small space takes some special people, tall or short. I am thankful for having such great companions for this trip!

Thankful for our family and friends, patiently waiting back home, sometimes baffled by our current way of life, but constantly supportive. We love you all!

Thankful for the amazing new friends we have made along the way, giving this experience another dimension, one of a strong, supporting community (more about the community in the next post)

And finally, thankful for you. if you're reading this you probably belong to one of the above :) and yet knowing you're reading our stories, makes us feel that in a way, you're taking this journey with us.

I want to take a minute and wish 4 happy birthday wishes: first to Oren's dad, Saba Ezra, who celebrated 70 today!

To my beloved brothers, Eyal and Erez who celebrate this week!

And finally to our friend Vicky who invited us to our first ever thanksgiving dinner, six long years ago.

Happy thanksgiving everyone!

Darya 

(you didn't really think I'll only post 1 picture did you?! here goes:)

Gur swimming to shore from the boat

My back yard yesterday

Mika at the turtle sanctuary

School time on Del-Max

Who said Lego are the only Legos?

(Thanks again for the extra pins, Molly)

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Camp Grenada

 Today is our last day on the island of Grenada.  They say time flies when you're having fun, but still it's hard to believe that it has been almost 3 months since we first got here.
Before we came our friends told us about 'Camp Grenada' with endless activities, a strong community and hurricane-safe anchorages, it sounded too good to be true, and the fact that we were robbed the very first night we got here made us very skeptic about just how real those promises were.
But guess what? it was all true.

Following Perry we set our base at the cruiser-friendly Prickly Bay. Ever since our boat was broken in to we have been sleeping with the hand held radio in our room, standing by on channel  68, and thus, every morning at 7:30 our day would start with the VHF announcing:"good morning Grenada, good morning cruisers, The Grenada cruisers net is starting in 2 minutes on channel 66" and so, every morning, kind of like in ground hog day, we would listen to Cruisers just like us, who volunteer to run the cruisers net, 6 days a week, and provide every possible piece of information you can possibly need, from local weather, to cruisers social activities, to help with parts and services you might need or want to sell or trade, and finally a slot for local businesses (ones with access to VHF radio) with a chance to blow their own horn.

Cruisers social activities anyone?
In Prickly bay alone you have to choose from the following activities, all provided by volunteer fellow cruisers, who want to make their stay here in Grenada a better one:
Mondays and Thursdays 8:30: Yoga with a smile provided by Pier-Ives from S/V umido at the very same time, Gabi from S/V cool change is teaching Yoga to kids 16 and younger.  seeing Gur and Arbel practicing Yoga poses and challenging each other to extreme combinations is simply priceless! ("while doing a tree pose, touch your toes and make a candle. Can you do this Gur?")
Tuesdays and fridays 8:30: Tai Chi, again by Umido
On Sundays and Wednesdays 2pm: Grenedian train Dominos winner gets the fame of being announced last week's champion on the morning net
Then there's chess twice a week at 3pm, volleyball you can play and shopping buses that will be happy to oblige you, and take you anywhere you want to go.
Every Saturday there's a HASH, a hike/run followed by beer consumption, a great experience where locals and guests explore different parts of the island.

Book Club
of course morning are dedicated to school work and then in the afternoon the kids want to get together at the pool or on the beach, either way they coordinate their rendezvous in the sweetest VHF calls you would ever hear...
On Friday morning the kids had a book club.where they would discuss books they have read,  read poems, play games and learn about different countries.
I was amazed to see how serious the kids take the activities at the book club. here are some shots:

One book club sessio was dedicated to geography and every kid presented a country

All pieces were then connected into two big global balls

Every family brought a tipical dish to share - what a feast!
I am so moving on board 4 coconuts as soon as I get a chance

Learning Kapuera from Regina and Helena

Tomorrow is a long day, as we plan to start our journey north. and so I think I will stop now.
I will post more Grenada stories later.
The last few days were filled with goodbyes and left me very sad and yet very happy and feeling really blessed. The friends we have made here, and the memories will stay with us long after we say goodbye.

Thank you Camp Grenada, and thank you to all our new friends who made this Hurricane season such a special one
fair winds, where ever you might head - we hope to see you soon
Darya and the Del-Max crew

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Happy Birthday Arbel!!!

October 13th was Arbel's birthday. My sweet baby boy just turned 4 and is definitely not a baby anymore!
His birthday was to be celebrated while our boat was 'on the hard', that means the boat is out of the water, in the boat yard while we lived for 2 weeks in an apartment we rented not far from the yard. Being away from the bay and the water for so long, made planning a birthday party somewhat of a complicated task, but yet again, the day was saved by fellow cruisers. It turned out that Helena from our Brazilian friend boat Matilda was celebrating her birthday 2 days before Arbel, and her mother, the much-more-organized Regina, already had almost everything arranged for a party on the 12th. As we shared the same guest list, Helena was kind enough to share the day with Arbel and thus we had a double birthday party.
The chosen venue was the lance aux Epine beach, where everyone can just land their dingy and join the party.
Friends from about 10 boats showed up for the party, and grown ups and adults alike had a blast!
I was so grateful to be able to celebrate yet another birthday so far away from home, and yet feel so surrounded by loving friends, that it made it feel just like home.

Happy birthday dear boy! you amaze me every single day!

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Shana Tova

The month of September brings with it a lot of new beginnings, one of which is the Jewish new year. 

For those who are confused: the Jewish calendar has 12 months (usually), just like the regular calendar, but is going by the moon. That means that a new month begins with a new moon, and the middle of the month will always be accompanied by a full moon. The first month of the Jewish calendar is Tishrey and it has 3 major holidays: 

- Rosh HaShana - the Jewish new year

- Yom Kippur - 10 days after Rosh Hashana, a holiday in which we fast for 25 hours, reflect on the  year we've had, and ask for forgiveness from anyone we've hurt, or for any bad deed we have done. You're not supposed to drive on Yom Kipur, and in Israel it is the most special day of the year, when nobody is driving, roads and highway are filled with pedestrians and bike riders. It is the most peaceful day. 

- Sukot - 15 days after Rosh Hashana is the holiday of Sukot (pop quiz: what is the shape of the moon every year in Sukot?) 

Weather you know us personally, or have just been following our blog, I'm sure by now you've realized we're Jewish. 

Jewish cruisers, it turns out, are a rare commodity, and since cruisers make close to a hundred percent of our world we were left to celebrate the holidays alone. Or so we thought...

Shortly after we've arrive to prickly bay we went to visit friends who stayed on land while their boat was out of the water. On the way to their apartment we passed  a sign that pointed up a hill to  "Chabad of Grenada". Chabad can be described as a Jewish mission. With over 2000 centers all around the world, they help serve as a Jewish home wherever there are Jews. We made a mental note to check it out, and of course, forgot all about it five minutes later...

A month later, on a Friday about 4 weeks ago, we went to provision and in the store I saw a tall guy with a baby on his arms, a yalmuka on his head and a beard. I said to Oren that I'm going to say hi to the Chabad guy. He asked why do I think it's the Chabad guy? I said I was pretty sure he looked like a rabbi, and if he was, I'm sure he is the only rabbi in Grenada. He had to be Chabad. 

And so I went and said hi and we started a conversation in English, until the kids joined me, and we realized we both speak Hebrew, and (this one is for you, Rozio)

Turns out that until he was five he lived in Tel Aviv basically in the same neighborhood I grew up in... Small world... We quickly learned that he and his wife came to Grenada less then a year ago to start the first ever Chabad here.  We also learned there are about 500 Jewish students at St. George's university! Well of course there are, There's a med school here...

Finally, as it was a Friday, we were invited to a Shabat dinner that evening. And so Baruch, Chaya and little Mandi came into our life and our hearts. 

That Friday was the day of Mika's Frozen show, and after a great meal, the Rabbi asked Her to perform one of the songs. Without hesitation she stood up and sang Let It Go to a crowd of about 50 people. She did Great! We had a great time and were surprised to enter what feels like a parallel universe. Spending so much time in the cruisers community we finally met the young students. The majority of which are med students with a few exceptions being vet students. They were intrigued by our life style and posed questions like: what do you do all day? Do you cook on the boat?! And where do you sleep? It was interesting to look at ourselves through their eyes. 

Our kids fell in love with Mandi and we promised to come for Shabat again. 

Which we did. And then came Rosh Hashana. Rabbi Baruch told us they were expecting about a hundred guests for dinner! 

Chaya has been preparing for a while, baking the Challahs and cakes, and cooking what ever could be prepared ahead of time. But so many things had to be done right before the meal, we've decided we have to help. In the last three days before Rosh Hashana we came over to their house and had a great time getting into the spirit of the holiday. Mika and Gur were busy wrapping the individual honey cake Chaya made for each guest, we helped setup and decorate the tables and I was in charge of the traditional symbols of the holiday that come from Oren's Iraqi side of the family, like the Karra, the Salka and the Lubia. The Ashkenazi version of the symbols include the Rimon, the apple with honey and the fish head. 

While helping we got to play and enjoy Mandi. Such a sweet baby! 

The meal was great. We really enjoyed being able to celebrate the new year with so many others!

At the end of the meal, Mika was aske to sing again, and this time came prepared with Bashana Habaaa, a song about the new year, and was joined by many voices. It was beautiful!

Our next visit to Chabad was yesterday for the last prayers of Yom Kipur and the breaking the fast meal. This year both Oren and I fasted, and we even rowed the dinghy to avoid running the engine :)

Mika was asked to sing yet again, and since it was no longer Shabat, this time we even have a picture! 

 Today the Rozmarin family came to visit us on our boat. Rabbi Baruch enjoyed driving the dinghy, while Chaya and I tried to fish. We had a great time! Just being able to chat in Hebrew with another woman is something I realize now I've really missed. 

Tomorrow we are going 'on the hard' our boat is coming out of the water and we're going to renew the bottom paint and do some other maintenance tasks. 

Wish us luck! We will spend the next week on land in an apartment we've rented. It will feel strange no doubt, but I'm sure I will enjoy an endless supply of fresh water...

I want to sign off wishing you a happy new Jewish year. May you make new friends and enjoy old friends, may fair winds be always with you. 

And as we say in Hebrew: Shana Tova!

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Dod Yuval!

Dod is hebrew for uncle. there you go. who said you don't learn new things every day...
Dod Yuval is Oren's brother, who lives in Haifa, Israel. On one of their phone calls, Oren asked Yuval if there's any chance he'll hop a flight and come visit us down in Grenada. Knowing we're going to be in Grenada for a while we've said that to a few people before, but Yuval was the first one to say, 'why not?'...
And so it was! Dod Yuval came down all the way from Israel to visit us for a whole week! he was only liveaboard guest so far, and we have prepared the boat for him, shifting kids around and hoping he will feel comfortable in our little home.
The kids were so excited towards his visit and kept counting the days to his arrival.
When he arrived we were still anchored in Prickly Bay, and had plans to show him all there is to see on the island.
One of the gifts he brought with him was a floating Origami book, the very next morning we tried building a catamaran and yes! it floated!

Most cruisers take a tour of the island upon arrival, but we waited with us for Yuval and 2 days after he got here took a grand tour of the island, getting to see all parts of the island, waterfalls, a rum factory, the chocolate farm, a spice farm and rest of this beautiful island.

The next day we sailed the boat up to St, Georges anchorage and visited the busy city. Yuval has been taking sailing lessons lately and was put to work raising sails and helping our with the boat.

The next day we went to Grenada's underwater sculpture park,  spotted with submerged sculptured about 15feet under the water you snorkel around looking for the surprising sculptures. we really liked it!

The only picture I took before my battery died...

Yuval's visit went by so quickly and it was time to head back to our anchorage in Prickly bay where he was to take off for his flight the next day. on the way back we tried fishing and this time got a big Baracuda! in this side of the world you can actually eat the baracuda, and it was turned into a great curry dinner!

By catching and eating the fish we have offered Yuval our entire repertuare and he was ready to get back to civilization, packed with a lot of suveniers and good memories from his visit in Grenada.

Mika summed the visit up nicely  in her journal (in Hebrew...)

Thank you for coming Yuval! it was fun!

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