Vitamin bomb

Not too hard to stay healthy in the West indies. Almost everyday we're having some fresh and incredibly sweet mango, the juiciest pineapple straight from the field and new passion fruit made in heaven... 

Alcohol did not build this body

You guys keep asking about my hair and I love you for that, loving your enthusiasm and interest in such a dull subject. And the truth is that it is alright when I have it up like this, when it's down the whole carrot thing is visible and that is basically what I'm trying to avoid to not scare anyone around. Will bleach it all to blonde one day soon, just giving my hair an additional healthy time off the chemicals. 

I've been pretty good with staying off the chemicals myself as of late, and the fourteen (OK thirteen, I cheated) days as a complete teetotaler and non-smoker have made good for my body. I also stayed off chocolate and other toxins during this very same time and that was more or less what my body needed to get back in shape. That and the daily sit-ups, lunges and donkey kicks of course.

The non-alcohol period lasted until Saturday night when I had a couple of glasses of an amazing Bordeaux wine served at the hotel and the following delightful pina coladas on the terrace. Can't stay off the spirits forever right. Tobacco, on the other hand, will continue to be off my list of necessities in life for the time being.

Did you all note that down now? Very important information I'm sharing today. /T

Tan carefully.

Reborn

We're back home from an amazing, amazing weekend at Cocos Hotel. Will write a longer summary and show some more photos of our brilliant stay with that romantic resort later on but I can immediately proclaim this to be one of the best places to hide away on this island - the service, the room, the FOOD, the ambiance.... aaaah. It was just perfect and we couldn't have been more satisfied. Even the weather turned out to be a bit better than expected. Sun on the day, rain in the nights. And never have a massive downpour felt so right, like when you laid in your huge bed in your private cottage on a dramatic cliff, the terrace doors wide open to the vast ocean while listening to the rain patter on the metallic roof above.. Total perfection. Can't wait to do this all again very soon. /T

Yes it rains in paradise too

The rain continues. It is said that this was the worst torrential rain that have hit the island in years. Something similar to the rain which normally occurs during a hurricane. Roads are flooded, gardens are overfilled with dirty water, goats are literally floating around on the roads as they lost their grip on the ground and stores and offices are closed due to the massive amount of water that has penetrated wherever it could possibly get into. So what else is there to do than sitting inside, finally dry after the attempt to get to the grocery store and back, now chillaxing with some Indian jasmine tea, Scottish shortbread and whatever else cookies we found in the lockers, chill music on the stereo, scented candles and the necessary mosquito coils burning. Could've been worse, I guess. If we just could get rid of these nasty mosquitos too, then all would be pretty close to perfect. /T

Rainy days

We were supposed to escape to a romantic resort for the weekend but changed our plans when we realized it was going to rain non-stop for the next seven days. The cocooning in clean white hotel sheets and the devouring of scrumptious Caribbean hotel breakfasts on a private veranda overlooking the turquoise sea below will have to wait for some days until the sun decides to get back. Instead of that, we prepared our boat for some wet sailing and left to a deserted bay where we spent two days and nights watching the downpour playing against the surface of the ocean. Very fulfilling and relaxing, in a completely other type of way. /Taru

Colors of the night

Happy weekend readers - We have a wonderful schedule for the next upcoming days - hoping to be able to bring you with us, otherwise see you in a few days. Love from paradise

Beauty of the nature

It doesn't happen too often, but sometimes they do show up in shallow anchorages - like they did last night. Just when we were preparing for dinner in the cockpit and the sun was just about to go down behind the hills we spotted a pod of maybe 6-10 dolphins slowly swimming around our boat. Back and forth. They moved soooo sloooowly, up and down below the surface, sometimes swimming on their back showing their white bellies while observing us from underneath the water. We could hear them breathing through their blowholes and communicating to each other with their characteristic whistles. It was so relaxing hearing them and seeing them playing around us and as a great coincidence we had a chill Moby track softly sounding from the ipod speakers as they approached and there was a moment of maybe 2-3 minutes when everything was just perfect. Such an amazing serene symmetry with the nature, the easy evening breeze, the sunset, the dolphins moving around us in rhythm to the music... Magical and surreal. Those are the moments you feel like crying out your gratitude to the nature and you feel utterly blessed for being able to take part of the greatness so closely. Like so many times before, the dolphins got us speechless for many minutes after they were gone. Speechless and mesmerized. /T

Morning

One of the best times of the day. It's 7.20 am, sun is rising behind the hills, the emerald green water shines with its depth and invites you for a swim. Having a healthy breakfast on deck, some work out and then let's start this day. Yet another day in paradise has just arrived...

Colors of the island

How can one not feel happiness when everywhere you go there are tropical plants, colorful flowers, fruit bearing trees, astonishing palms and fascinating cactuses brighting up your life. The scents and the colors and the interesting structures of plants and flowers are made to give your mind a rush of excitement and to kick up your endorphin level a notch. Scientist claim what most of us already know, but many seem to neglect: that the climate, the weather, the air temperature and the colors we surround us with are critical for the human beings mental well being and when spending longer time here in the tropics I more than ever understand the importance of it all. There is absolutely nothing in the surroundings of this island which could make one feel even the slightest bit down or frustrated like it would back home in Scandinavia in the ambiance of grey heavy skies, constant downpour and dark cloudy days. I often find myself smiling here for no real reason just while walking on a random road and I realize it is those simple little things which gives the mind some sort of balance and fulfillment. The natural things - the green leaves on the threes, a clear blue sky, the scents from beautiful flowers, birds singing above your head, frogs and crickets playing their background symphony in the nights. It is a paradise we live in at the moment and I feel utter thankfulness for our warm and colorful life we've chosen as ours, each and every day. If both me and Alex for many years have been convinced that a cold country is not for us to live in, we are even more sure of it all after these new experiences and places we encountered in the Caribbean. Beautiful Antigua in particular. /T

Bikini season every month of the year

Oh you're waiting for more bikini pictures? You have to wait one more week till I'm back in shape after the past Sailing Week I'm afraid. Here's a month old photo in the meanwhile. Rum and beer was unfortunately not in the recipe for the perfect body so it'll take some time to get back to how it was - or to the better. I've decided that I will add one extra gear for my work out schedule this time, it would be such a waste to not have the perfect body for summer 2011 wherever we will be spending summer this year. Miami for a month or two? Maybe we'll be flying home to Europe for some weeks? Or maybe we'll sail up to Cuba? Why not Belize? Puerto Rico? God knows where, all I know is that my ass needs to get back up to where it belongs and the six pack which is hidden under there somewhere should get back to the front.

BTW, one thing you guys might be willing to help me with: I'm in the search of some fresh new bikinis, I need something new and exciting for the beautiful Caribbean beaches. Let me know if you know of any cool, sexy, classy bikini brands that I haven't heard of. Rather small independent brands than the large commercial ones. Thanks in advance. /T

Early morning in Antigua

Today was the first morning in about two weeks that I woke up at 6.40 sharp, happy and relaxed. Finally back to normal! I feel pure again. Ok, purer at least. And look who I met on the road when I went out to buy fresh baguettes for our breakfast. A mommy with her two kids. They got a bit nervous when I brought up the camera and ran quickly behind me without looking back. How adorable are they with their funky ears and their disturbingly cute appearance.

What I have wondered though is why the people here doesn't hunt and eat these animals since there's full of goats in the mountains. Haven't seen a goat dish on any menu in the restaurants so far. Are the goats here considered as dirty animals climbing the hills or are they perhaps holy like the cows in India? Or are chicken and pigs the only thing they know how to slaughter in the Caribbean? Personally I could imagine the meat of these goats to be very tender as they climb the hills day and night and they keep themselves muscular and healthy. Can someone inform me please so I can sleep at night. And don't worry vegetarians, I'm not about to hunt them myself - to kill a 10 kilos (22 pounds) fish is enough drama for me - I'm just wondering a bit about the Caribbean goat culture. /T

Ghost town

English harbor is almost spooky in its quietness after the sailing weeks final. The season is said to be over here after the first of May and most boats leave home to the US and to Europe. Nice for us, having all the beauty to ourselves. We still haven't quite figured out what to do when the hurricane season begins in a month or so, but until we come up with some master plan regarding the windy season, we will be spending more time here in Antigua, Barbuda and its surroundings. I'm pretty sure many of you are fed up with race pics after this past week so I promise to get back with other type of content in a while. Just need one more day of complete relaxation.. Swimming and exercising, eating healthy, chilling & sleeping are the only four things on my mind right now. /T

An impressive cat fight

Peter Johnstone was kind enough to personally come knocking on our door (hull) to invite us for the final race of the multihull class. Four Gunboats were in the fight and as it was my first time ever to sail on a catamaran, it made the whole experience more exciting. Alex and I were particularly surprised to see and feel how fast these Gunboats could accelerate, with just the slightest increasing in wind speed and the cat flied off, especially with the beautiful mermaid kite flying the hulls. Amazing experience, and obviously "our" boat Tribe won the final race. I said it before when also Sojana won the other day and I'll say it again: if you want your boat to win, make sure me and Alex are onboard! 

Winner for the total week in the multihull group was unfortunately not Tribe, but the Cuban/Puerto Rican Gunboat called CucuBelle, second was Lloyd Thornburg's beautiful 66ft orange monster cat Phaedo - the one which we beat with just a few seconds on the final race, see last photo.

Thanks a lot to Peter and his navigator Joe for this week, we're so glad to have had the chance to spend some time with your team and to take part of such a thrilling ending to the races. Unbeatable! /Taru