My Progress In Retiring Onto A Sailboat

Learning

06/1999: Suddenly got obsessed with this idea.
08/1999: ASA Basic Keelboat Sailing certification at Spinnaker Sailing in SF Bay area ($370).
09/1999: Waterproof jacket at West Marine ($70).
09/1999: Gloves ($27). [One of the most useful purchases I've made.]
09/1999: ASA Basic Coastal Cruising certification at Spinnaker Sailing ($370).
10/1999: ASA Spinnaker-Handling certification at Spinnaker Sailing ($180).
10/1999: Polarized prescription sunglasses ($250).
10/1999: 1-year Advanced membership at Spinnaker Sailing ($1450).
10/1999: Skippered a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay.
11/1999: Took Red Cross Standard First Aid / CPR class ($42).
11/1999: Hat at West Marine ($18).
11/1999: Crewed on a Cal 25 in San Francisco Bay. Storm-front conditions (25k wind, 3-foot chop).
11/1999: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
11/1999: Pants at West Marine ($40).
11/1999: ASA Coastal Navigation certification at Spinnaker Sailing ($180).
11/1999: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
12/1999: Subscribed to Practical Sailor ($60/year).
12/1999: Passed test for Ham radio code-free Technician license ($6.45).
12/1999: Singlehanded a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay.
12/1999: Singlehanded a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay.
12/1999: Got my Ham radio call-sign: KF6ZSO.
12/1999: Singlehanded a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay. Very foggy. Ran aground solidly !
01/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
01/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
01/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
02/2000: Attended a marine radio seminar at H.F. Radio On Board in Alameda CA. A little disorganized, perhaps, but lots of good info.
02/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay. Occasional heavy rain. Flew the spinnaker.
02/2000: Attended Cruising Symposium in SF CA ($250). Wonderful people and great info, but they really went through each topic very quickly.
02/2000: Subscribed to Seven Seas Cruising Association ($30/year).
02/2000: Passed element 3B test, part of Ham radio General license ($6.65).
02/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
03/2000: Attended a weatherfax seminar by Marilee Shaffer at Waypoint in Alameda CA. Absolutely terrific.
03/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 2 non-students.
03/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
03/2000: Skippered a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay with 2 non-students.
03/2000: Crewed on a Catalina 27 in San Francisco Bay.
03/2000: Subscribed to DIY Boat Owner magazine ($18).
03/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
04/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 2 non-students.
04/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
04/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
04/2000: Certified as a First Responder through Red Cross Emergency Response Training class ($175).
04/2000: Joined BoatU.S. ($14).
04/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 2 non-students.
04/2000: Attended Tom and Mel Neale's cruising seminar ($95). Pretty good.
04/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
05/2000: Completed Red Cross Wilderness Advanced First Aid class ($75).
05/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 2 non-students.
05/2000: Subscribed to Sail magazine ($12).
05/2000: Started SCUBA lessons (40 hours, including 8 ocean dives, with equipment, for $310).
05/2000: ASA Bareboat Chartering certification at Spinnaker Sailing ($600).
Sailed Ericson 30, Catalina 36, Catalina 42.
I think the course partly taught me that I still have a fair amount to learn.
- I found it harder to tell where the wind was coming from, without a wind indicator, on a bigger boat. Maybe because we were going faster, or just because we were sailing in really swirly areas near the Golden Gate.
- Sail trim seemed to be harder to do right, partly because trimming a sheet took so much effort that you tend not to experiment enough.
- Seeing around the jib seemed to be harder. Maybe because we were in a higher-traffic area than we normally are.
- Docking in a strong wind was a real adventure. I didn't expect the bow to blow around so quickly on a 42-foot boat.
05/2000: Bought SCUBA textbook ($20).
06/2000: Took sail-repair class at Hogin Sails in Alameda CA ($76).
06/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 1 non-student crew.
06/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
06/2000: Did one-day Golden Gate - to - Farallones Islands trip at Modern Sailing Academy ($185).
On a Mason 43, we motored (no wind) out and back. Good trip, but bad conditions.
But we did see a whale, and a school of dolphins.
06/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
06/2000: Bought JamC@m digital camera ($84).
07/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with 1 non-student crew.
07/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Dan.
07/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann. Me
07/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann.
07/2000: Started SCUBA lessons again. I wasn't ready to ocean-dive after the first set of lessons. ($60 for more rentals)
07/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann. Johann and I
07/2000: Bought SCUBA snorkel ($42).
08/2000: Skippered a Cal 24 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann.
08/2000: Had a long chat with John Anderton, a live-aboard in Alameda CA, on his Cabo Rico 38.
08/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann.
08/2000: Bought SCUBA fins and gloves ($67).
08/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Sandy and Johann.
08/2000: Bought SCUBA socks and boots ($80).
08/2000: Open-water SCUBA diving to finish SCUBA class:
Had a busy weekend:

- got up at 6 AM Saturday to drive to Monterey by 8 AM and do two SCUBA dives by noon.
- went to a party up in the redwoods from 1:30 to 8 or so.
- spent an hour washing all of the SCUBA gear, then collapsed into bed.
- got up at 5:45 AM Sunday to drive to Carmel by 8 AM and do two SCUBA dives (actually in Pacific Grove near Asilomar) by noon.
- drove home, spent an hour washing all of the SCUBA gear, showered myself, returned all of the SCUBA gear, then collapsed for the evening.

My apartment looked and smelled like an explosion in a SCUBA shop after I washed all of the equipment and strewed it around to dry. My tub drain is still clogged with sand.

Have to do another 2 dives next Saturday, then I'll be finished.

The first 4 dives get me "open water 1 certification".
The first 6 dives get me "open water 2 certification".

It is foggy and cold in the mornings in Monterey. The last thing you feel like doing is getting in the water, which is about 54 degrees. I wore normal socks, polypropylene socks, neoprene boots, 2 wet-suit pieces (overalls and torso), gloves, a hood, mask and snorkel, buoyancy compensator and regulator and tank, and 35 pounds of weights. Moving on land (and clambering over rocks) wearing all of this stuff was a real effort.

With the stuff on, even in the water, most of you feels reasonably warm. But every gap that lets in water makes your skin feel painfully cold. Every now and then I'd bend or twist and some gap would open, and it would feel like someone had dumped ice cubes inside my suit. Each dive lasted about 20-30 minutes, and that was plenty long enough.

But on the second day, I actually had fun a few times. So diving in warm water in Florida should be ecstasy.

Horizontal visibility was limited to about 12 feet the first day; there was a plankton bloom. We dove from a beach right in downtown Monterey, on Cannery Row. About 60 other divers (mostly schools) were there at the same time, so it was real mob scene. Tons of kelp in the water; sometimes it was hard to find a route through it. Coming out of the water the second time, we actually had a traffic jam, and had to wait as 12 or 15 divers ahead of us made their way through the kelp and onto the beach. Looked like a frogman invasion of Monterey, in some very bad movie.

The first dive on the first day was a checkout dive; an instructor sat on the bottom in about 18 feet of water, we swam down to him, did some buddy-breathing, removed and replaced and cleared our mask, took out the regulator and cleared it a couple of different ways, swam a circle to demonstrate buoyancy control, etc. The second dive was more of a fun dive.

The second day, we dove from Point Pinos (aka Sewer's Beach) near Asilomar. Just us (6 instructors and 4 students). Very rocky, and a tricky entry/exit through rocks with a small swell coming in. But very nice scenery. Lots of rocks and kelp, but many nice grottos and clear areas. Went to about 25 feet, with about 25-foot horizontal visibility. Lots of surge.

We saw LOTS of kelp and eel grass, a fair number of small fish, a few 1-foot-long fish, some big crabs, some starfish and jellyfish. Saw a white seal: once it flashed by about 25 feet away when we were underwater, and then we saw it on the surface about 100 feet away. Saw an otter about 200 feet away on the surface.

Pictures:
Me and rocks
Me and same rocks
Ditto
Mike, me, Shawna
Ditto
Water's edge
09/2000: Open-water SCUBA diving to finish SCUBA class:
At Monastery beach in Carmel, CA. Beautiful, sunny day with big, clumpy clouds. Water warmer than previous weekend; very nice. Saw a couple of schools of fish, and lots of interesting little tidbits.

Pictures:
Me, Roger Dunton, Mike
Roger Dunton, Mike, Martin, Cooper, Shawna, me
Me
Shawna, me
Shawna, me, lots of kelp
Shawna, me

All done with SCUBA class ! Next stop: warm water !
09/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
09/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann.
Me
Me again
Das Boot
09/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann.
Me
Johann about to start the motor
Johann sailing
Johann sailing again
09/2000: Renewed subscription to DIY Boat Owner magazine ($40 for 3 years).
09/2000: Subscribed to Ocean Navigator magazine ($28).
09/2000: Started painting the kitchen cabinets. Good practice for doing boat maintenance.
09/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann.
09/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann, Tracy and Chris.
Tracy, Johann, Chris
Tracy, Johann, Chris again
Flying the spinnaker
Tracy (big)
Tracy and Johann (big)
Bill and Tracy (big)
Bill and Tracy again (big)
Bill (big)
10/2000: Had dinner with Gary and Sheary Elder, sailors from Florida. Asked them as many questions as we could think of.
10/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann.
Me
10/2000: Skippered a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay with Johann.
Johann
Johann again
10/2000: Singlehanded a Merit 25 in San Francisco Bay.
Me
10/2000: Decided to slip my schedule 2 months, due to increased value of my company stock options.
10/2000: Bought "The Voyager's Handbook" by Beth Leonard ($35).
10/2000: Renewed subscription to Cruising World magazine ($56 for 2 years).
10/2000: Singlehanded a Santana 22 in San Francisco Bay, in heavy rainstorm.
10/2000: My Advanced membership at Spinnaker Sailing expired.
11/2000: Subscribed to Ocean Navigator magazine ($26 for 6 months plus 2 special issues).
11/2000: Skippered a 1985 Catalina 27 from Pacific Yachting and Sailing ($204).
Sailed in the ocean off Santa Cruz CA with Sandy, Johann and Rand. We had a great time: weather was nicer/warmer than we expected, boat was in great shape, lots of boats and wildlife to see. Several times we saw schools of 10-15 seals. Lots of pelicans and other birds.
Sandy, Bill, Rand
Bill, Rand
Rand, Bill
Rand, Bill again
Sandy, Rand, Johann
Rand, Johann
01/2001: Passed element 1 test (5 WPM Morse code); got my Ham radio General license ($10).
01/2001: Renewed subscription to Seven Seas Cruising Association ($29).
02/2001: Skippered a 1988 Catalina 34 from Pacific Yachting and Sailing.
Sailed in the ocean off Santa Cruz CA with Sandy and Johann.
A bit of confusion as the engine wouldn't start on the boat we were supposed to sail (1982 Morgan 32), but they very nicely upgraded us at no charge.
Heard a couple of Pan-Pan's from the USCG about a supposed overturned boat very near us, but I think it must have been a false report. We saw nothing and there were no confirmations from anyone else.
02/2001: Renewed subscription to Good Old Boat magazine ($40).
04/2001: Renewed membership in BoatU.S. ($14).
04/2001: Renewed subscription to Blue Water Sailing magazine ($30).

Looking for a Boat

01/2000: Went to San Francisco boat show. Only three 40-foot sailboats, but crawling around them was fun.
04/2000: Went to an "open boat weekend" in Alameda CA. (2nd weekend of every month. Farallone Yacht Sales)
04/2000: Went to Pacific Sail Expo in Oakland CA. Very good.
08/2000: Went to an "open boat weekend" in Alameda CA.
09/2000: Went to NCMA Power and Sail Boat Show in Oakland CA ($13). Very hot weather.
11/2000: I looked at a 1972 Morgan Out Island 413 for sale in San Rafael CA.
I learned a bunch of things:
- always take my girlfriend to see boats (she found a bunch of stuff that I didn't).
- don't rely on the broker for accuracy.
- look at paperwork in nav station.
- took 2.5 hours and I only looked at 1/4 of the things I needed to.
- disliked interior layout of a walk-through center-cockpit boat.
- not thrilled with the deck layout of a center-cockpit ketch.
- some boats are a mess.
01/2001: Took a quick look at 1979 Gulfstar 50 CC ketch "Dream Reach" in Ballena Bay / Alameda CA.
01/2001: Took another quick look at 1979 Gulfstar 50 CC ketch "Dream Reach" in Ballena Bay / Alameda CA.

Quit Job, Move to Florida, and Buy Boat

07/2000: Donated several cheap chairs and sofa to Salvation Army. Donated and threw out a bunch of other stuff. Very therapeutic.
11/2000: Changed email from work to Yahoo.
12/2000: Changing banks from local credit union to ETradeBank (internet banking, large network of ATM's, bill-paying service).
1/2001: Gave notice to vacate my apartment a month from now.
1/2001: Sold 2 bookcases for total of $50.
1/2001: Signed up for free voice-mail from Yahoo.
1/2001: Sold 6-year-old sleep-sofa for $50.
1/2001: Sold 6-year-old VCR for $10.
2/2001: Sold 2 lamps and a pair of hand-weights for $25 total.
2/2001: Sold 8-year-old 26-inch TV for $50.
2/2001: Moved out of my apartment. Still have to sell/donate a few pieces of furniture, and I still have a car, but other than that my earthly possessions fit into about 18 boxes.
2/2001: My girlfriend sold one of my chests of drawers for $75 (sold it in 1 day after I tried to sell it for weeks).
2/2001: Got PO box in Marathon FL ($20 setup plus $150/year).
2/2001: Had a garage sale out of my girlfriend's place.
2/2001: Gave notice that I'm quitting my job.
3/1/2001: Last day at my job. I'm outta here !
3/2/2001 - 3/8/2001: Drove from California to Florida.
3/2/2001: Started paying $35-$90 per night for motels.
3/8/2001: Pensacola FL: saw 2 brokers, examined 1 boat (Gulfstar 43).
3/9/2001: Pensacola FL: examined 2 boats (Hunter 54, Bristol 40).
3/10/2001: Panama City FL: examined 2 boats (Irwin 37, Coronado 45).
3/12/2001: St Petersburg, Clearwater: met 3 brokers, examined 6 boats (Morgan OI 41, Allied Mistress 39, Bruce Roberts 45, Formosa 51, Jeanneau 44, Gulfstar 44).
3/13/2001: St Petersburg, Palmetto, Bradenton, Punta Gorda: met 4 brokers, examined 4 boats (Morgan Classic 41, Morgan 44, Morgan Out Island 41, Coronado 41).
3/14/2001: Marco Island, Naples: contacted 1 broker, saw Gary and Sheary's Morgan Out Island 41, saw Lee's Morgan Out Island 41, examined 1 boat for sale (Gulfstar 41).
3/15/2001: Florida Keys: contacted 1 broker, examined 1 boat (Corbin 39).
3/16/2001: Miami Beach, Ft Lauderdale: contacted 2 brokers, examined 5 boats (Morgan 43, Gulfstar 41, Lancer 45, Gulfstar 44, Creekmore 45).
3/17/2001: Ft Lauderdale: examined 1 boat (CS Yachts 40).
3/19/2001: Ft Pierce: contacted 1 broker, examined 2 boats (Irwin 42, Whitby 42).
3/20/2001: Stuart, West Palm Beach: contacted 2 brokers, examined 1 boat (Columbia 45).
3/21/2001: Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach: examined 5 boats (Islander 36, Hirsch Gulfstar 45, Bristol 41, Wellington 44, CSY 44).
3/22/2001: Ft Lauderdale, Key Largo: examined 4 boats (Lancer 45, Gulfstar 44, Endeavour 45, Pearson 37).
3/23/2001: Islamorada: examined 1 boat (Beneteau 38).
3/24/2001: Key West: contacted 1 broker.
3/26/2001: Naples: examined 1 boat (Gulfstar 41).
3/27/2001: Ft Myers: contacted 1 broker, examined 2 boats (Gulfstar 44, Morgan Out Island 41).
3/28/2001: Punta Gorda: examined 1 boat (Morgan Out Island 41).
3/28/2001: Bradenton: made offer on Wellington 44.
3/30/2001: West Palm beach: examined Wellington 44. Raised offer. Offer on Wellington 44 expired; unable to close price gap.
3/31/2001: Ft Lauderdale: examined 1 boat (Gulfstar 44). Made offer on it.
4/2/2001: Ft Lauderdale: found out Gulfstar 44 was sold 3 weeks ago and broker didn't know it !
4/3/2001: Key Largo: examined 1 boat (another Gulfstar 44, a project boat). Agreed on price. After talking with friends and a broker, decided I would be in over my head with a project boat.
4/4/2001: Key Largo: examined 1 boat (another Gulfstar 44, "Magnolia"). Signed contract with seller ! Contacted a surveyor, Charley Kanter.
4/5/2001: Key Largo: arranged for haul-out of "Magnolia" on 4/11. We'll do survey, sea trial and haul-out all in one day.
4/10/2001: Key Largo: spent the day with the owner, going over various features of the boat, taking a dinghy ride, and drawing generator and engine oil samples for testing ($18).
4/11/2001: Key Largo: Magnolia's survey and sea-trial ($716), and haul-out and pressure-wash ($304).
4/12/2001: Got Florida driver's license.
4/13/2001: Received surveyor's report on Magnolia.
4/16/2001: Ft Pierce: examined another Gulfstar 44.
4/17/2001: Merritt Island: examined another Gulfstar 44.
4/18/2001 - 5/2/2001: Went back to California for a break; continued negotiations for Magnolia by email.
This last month or so has been incredibly stressful, to the point where I couldn't sleep and I could feel my heart racing. Changing lots of things: job/retirement, moving CA to FL, living out of motels, trying to decide on boats, worrying about my girlfriend's feelings, wondering if I'm doing the right thing or making a big mistake.
4/26/2001: Agreed on renegotiated price for "Magnolia", signed new contract, and sent rest of money.
5/1/2001: Shipped remainder of my possessions to Florida ($261).
5/4/2001: Took possession of Magnolia !
Motored away, practiced anchoring, then anchored in Tarpon Basin (Key Largo). Still fairly stressed, worrying about making some big mistake that will sink the boat, worrying that I've made a big mistake in choosing this boat or this lifestyle.
5/5/2001: Motored to Buttonwood Sound, wanted to sail but wind too strong.
5/6/2001: Woke up totally panicked about loneliness, boat problems, mistakes, inability to understand/maintain/fix things, lack of sleep, etc. Ended up motoring to Mangrove Marina (Tavernier) where I got a slip for $600/month plus metered electric and water. Hairy downwind docking with 4 helpers; made it with no damage to anything. My first docking on this boat !
5/8/2001: Titled and registered dinghy ($315).
5/10/2001: Filed for USCG exchange of documentation ($92). Received 6/10/2001 or so.

Florida Coastal Cruising

See Magnolia's log for nitty-gritty details; highlights are:

5/4/2001: Took possession of "Magnolia".
5/4/2001: Anchored in Tarpon Basin.
5/6/2001: Moved into Mangrove Marina, Tavernier FL ($600/month).
6/1/2001: Major repair: engine heat exchanger ($1400).
6/8/2001: Girlfriend joined me for 9-day visit.
6/14/2001: Moved into Sombrero Marina - Dockside, Marathon FL ($470/month).
6/17/2001: Girlfriend went home; visit was successful ! She liked boat and sailing in Florida.
7/14/2001: Moved out of Sombrero Marina; anchored out in Boot Key Harbor for 2 nights.
7/16/2001: Moved into Marathon Marina boatyard for work: replace gate-valves, paint bottom, fix davits, store boat ($4200).
7/18/2001: Flew to California for a vacation from the boat.
8/14/2001: Back on "Magnolia"; out of the boatyard and back into Sombrero Marina - Dockside ($518/month).
9/17/2001: Anchored out for 3 days in Boot Key Harbor.
9/20/2001: Moved "Magnolia" into Florida Keys Marina (Marathon city marina; $470/month).
10/22/2001: Vacation from "Magnolia": a week in Toronto.
11/4/2001: Weathered hurricane Michelle.
11/17/2001: Joined on "Magnolia" by girlfriend, her father and two cats !
12/1/2001: Left Florida Keys Marina to start anchoring out and then cruising.
12/9/2001: Left Boot Key Harbor to start cruise.
12/25/2001: Back in Boot Key Harbor. Girlfriend, her father and cats leave.

Bahamas and Florida Cruising

12/9/2001 - 12/25/2001: Cruised from Marathon to Biscayne Bay and back.
1/12/2002 - 4/5/2002: Cruised from Marathon to Bahamas (Bimini, Chub, Nassau, Exumas down to George Town, back up Exumas to Nassau, Frazers Hog, Cat) and back to Marathon.
5/14/2002 - 11/22/2002: Cruised from Marathon to Trenton, New Jersey and back to Marathon, almost entirely on the ICW.
2/28/2003 - 12/6/2003: Cruised from Marathon up the west coast of Florida, around the Panhandle, up the Tenn-Tom Waterway, up and down the Cumberland River, down a small stretch of the Ohio River, down 800 miles of the Mississippi River, and then back down to Ft Myers Beach.
3/20/2004 - 10/2004: Cruised from Marathon to Key West, briefly to Dry Tortugas, back to Key West and Marathon, then up to Ft Myers Beach. Hit by hurricane Charley 8/2004, then hurricanes Frances, Ivan, Jeanne. Only Charley and Frances really came close to me.
10/2004 - 1/2005: Cruised to Key West for Fantasy Fest, then to Miami's South Beach.

Caribbean Cruising

2/2005 - 6/2005: Cruised from Miami to Bahamas (Abacoes, Eleuthra, Exumas down to George Town, Rum Cay, Mayaguana), then to Turks and Caicoes, then to Luperon DR.
7/2005 - 11/2005: Spent hurricane season in Luperon DR.
12/2005 - 6/2006: Cruised from Luperon DR to south coast of Puerto Rico, then Spanish Virgin Islands (vieques and Culebra), US Virgin Islands, and a brief stay in British Virgin Islands. Then back to Puerto Rico.
7/2006 - 11/2006: Spent hurricane season on south coast of Puerto Rico.
12/2006 - 6/2007: To Culebra, then St Thomas, then stuck for a couple of months with engine and battery problems. Then to BVI's for a month.
7/2007 - 11/2007: Spent hurricane season on south coast of Puerto Rico.
12/2007 - 2/2008: In NJ helping my Mom sell her townhouse and move into a senior-place.
3/2008 - 7/2008: In St Thomas and BVI's. Did a boat-delivery to St Martin and hurt myself in a fall.
8/2008 - 11/2008: Spent hurricane season on Culebra and north coast of Puerto Rico. Got a scare from hurricane Omar.
1/2009 - 6/2009: USVI's and BVI's. My transmission seized and I had it rebuilt.
11/2009 - 5/2011: Eastern Caribbean: St Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, Grenadines.