Lady Guadeloupe, Ep. 227

Around these parts, easterlies are the main act. The wind might be a little soft one day, especially if you are in the shadow of tall, volcanic-origin mountains. Or it might be blowing like stink, enough to deposit your hat into the sea if it’s not secured with a tight leash. But the winds still blow out of the east. On occasion, the wind will shift slightly to the northeast, particularly if there is some kind of low pressure disturbance rolling off the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Or, as it did on this day, it can swing a little to the east-southeast, just enough for us to lay a single tack from Dominica to the island of Marie-Galante.

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American(a) In Scotland, Ep. 213

There is a certain lore about the West Coast of Scotland. Unlike the East Coast, all angular and dominated by the large metropolitan centers of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Inverness, the West Coast is full of small villages looking out upon waters chock full of amoeba-shaped islands with curiosity-stirring names such as Rum and Muck. For local Scottish and English sailors – and for that matter Irish – who live in the more populated regions to the south, the Scottish West Coast is the holy grail of sailing destinations. And Karen and I were about to embark – in the prime summer holiday month of July – on a mission to probe the depths of its history and hidden secrets. With any luck, after a week of full-time motoring inside the Caledonian Canal, we might even rediscover the joy of sailing!

Scotland’s East and West Coast dichotomy
Scotland’s Inner and Outer Hebrides, on the West Coast
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