We had a little bit of a roll and some rain overnight but it wasn’t bad – we thought. In the morning, a lot of boats were moving around. Waves had damaged a dock northwest of us. We were tucked up in a corner that was nicely protected and that’s where all of the boats were moving to, our little corner. There had been a northwest swell during the night, which this island hadn’t seen since sometime back in the 80’s.
Later in the morning we went ashore to Doris’s where I purchased a nice leg of lamb, fresh rosemary and some small red potatoes for dinner tomorrow. We stopped at the Rasta market by the dinghy dock and I picked up beautiful fresh carrots and enough mangoes to make a Mango Crisp.
Back at the boat, I decided to make the mango crisp before washing the floor, as I can be a very messy and sloppy cook. However, it wasn’t necessary I finished the crisp without tossing flour and sugar everywhere. When the floor was washed, I was finished for the day. We later sat in the cockpit and watched boats arrive and anchor.
We looked outside at what appeared to be the beginning of an all day rain. Once in a while the wind was strong enough to cause a few boats to drag but most often there was very little wind and just a lot of rain.
At 7AM we saw the bread boat going by and waved him down for a nice loaf of whole wheat bread. With a nice fresh bread onboard and some fresh eggs that we had pick up from Doris yesterday, Rick offered to make poached eggs for breakfast.
When we had finished breakfast, the Daffodil Laundry boat came by and picked up our dirty laundry. They just pulled away and we had a visit from Bronc and Petrina (Clear), the Australian family we met in Dominica. The kids were not with them, they were back onboard completing their lessons and the parents had escaped. They came aboard Wind-Borne and we discussed safe travel through Venezuela for a while and eventually loaned them our Venezuelan guide book.
Rick went ashore between rain showers to get some apple juice for one of my recipes. His timing on returning to the boat was not so good and he was soaked when he a got back.
In the afternoon, we had a little visit from a new Canadian cruiser who just stopped by to say hello.
By the time Denis and Arlene arrived for the evening, the rain had eased off and we were able to eat the main course in the cockpit. We moved down below just after desert but before Rick made the special coffee. By that time the cabin had cooled and the heat from the oven was a thing of the past.
It was a fun evening and after 9PM by the time it was over.
It’s been long enough! The rain continued through the night and this morning we could hardly see the tops of the hills around us because of the rain and low clouds.
We waited out the miserable weather and finally by afternoon it let up. We, as well as almost every other cruiser jumped into our dinghy and went ashore. We just went for a walk to get off the boat and it was enjoyable. We made our way to Dive Bequia on the other side of the bay stopping at Noah’s Arcade, Frangipani Restaurant, the Whaleboner Bar and the Green Boley. On our return to the dinghy dock we picked up some plantains and flying fish for dinner. We had to make one last stop at Tradewinds Restaurant to check out their menu. Not only was the menu a little expensive but so was the beer. Rick ruled this place out immediately.
Dinner was the flying fish, plantain and to make it a traditional island meal it should have been served with Coo-Coo however, I had the nice herb roasted little potatoes from last night so I cheated and fried them up. It wasn’t a traditional meal but it was good.
Finally! The sky has cleared and the sun is shining. We went with Denis and Arlene (Tiger Lilly II) who arranged a tour at the Moon Hole houses. We have been to Bequia a number of times and never got around to seeing these unique houses. There were eleven of us in total and we all climbed into the back of a pickup truck taxi in the afternoon.
There are 19 Moon Hole houses now. The first one was built in the 1960’s out
of rock and in the rock. Each structure is different no walls are straight. If
there is a tree in the way it is not disturbed, the house is built around it.
Jim and Sheena Johnston live in the second moon house that was built. His father
was the creator of the project and Jim lived in the first Moon house when he was
16 years old. It is situated under an arch of rock that is referred to as the
Moon Hole. During the equinox the moon sets directly in front of this arch. When
a large chunk of rock fell from the arch into the first Moon Hole house Jim’s
mother wanted to live in a safer house and the second of the nineteen homes was
built.
It was a very interesting tour and afterward Arlene, Denis (Tiger Lilly II), Lee and Cindy (Tranquility) and Rick and I stopped at the New York Bar for a drink before returning to the boat.
It was a relaxing day. Rick took the propane tank ashore to be filled. It won't be back until Tuesday because of the Easter weekend. We had WiFi to play with and we even watched at DVD in the afternoon.
It was about 3:30PM when Jerry and Daniela arrived. We agreed to meet them at the skippers meeting at the Frangipani Restaurant around 5:30PM. At the restaurant, we found Tim who took over when Roy retired from the haul out in Tyrrel Bay. Ingmar and Elaine (Winona II) came with them. David and Dianna (Just 'N Time) who have been here a while joined the gang.
We all sat and talked while Jerry went to the skippers meeting. Afterward Rick and I wanted to go for dinner. We tried to get a table at the Frangipani but because the meeting was held there, many people had made dinner reservations. There wasn't a table available until after 9:30PM which is a little late for us. Instead we walked along the beach to the Gingerbread Restaurant where we not only had a nice meal but we were able to get one of the prime tables along the railing, overlooking the bay. It was all in the timing.
The first race of the regatta began in Friendship Bay. Jerry (HOIC) and crew came in second. We attended the welcoming party at the Frangipani where they served free drinks and so many wonderful appetizers that neither of us wanted dinner after the party.
The main street was busy when we went ashore today. It was Saturday and everything was open. We were on our way to pick up some groceries when we ran into Dennis and Allayne (Audrey Paige). We knew they were in the area as we had received an email from them letting us know that they heard us on the radio but that we couldn't hear them. We arranged to meet for lunch at the Bistro when we had each finished shopping. It was great catch up with what they had been doing.
When we returned to the boat and put everything away, we had a little rest before getting ready for the evening.
There were three races back to back today and as we looked over to one of the marks we could see that a boat had lost it's mast. The crew was all standing on deck and the mast was still hanging in the water. The boat was Beauwolf a 40 foot Beneteau.
We went for sundowners on board Mistress V with Michael and Louise. Mistress V is a gorgeous 53 foot Kanter Yacht. It has 3 full bedrooms 2 bathrooms (heads) a small eating area in the galley as well as a full dining area, indoor and outdoor steering and a huge cockpit. We had a great time and although we had intended to stay only for sundowners the time flew by so quickly that we were there for dinner as well.
The ferries were bringing in hundreds if not thousands of people today. The Club Med II sailing cruise ship was here and the Maltese Falcon arrived later in the day. The local boats were racing in the morning and at noon, the crazy craft race began. We decided to avoid the crowds and watch what we could from the cockpit today.
In the afternoon I made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce some to freeze and some so I can make lasagne tomorrow.
Today Andy and Lorna invited us for sundowners aboard Tixi Lixi, the boat anchored next to us. We were presently surprised to find that they had also invited Mal & Joan (Mal de Mer) whom we hadn't seen since 2003. It was an enjoyable evening.
This was the final day of the regatta. If we thought that there were a lot of people here yesterday, today it doubled. The music, dancing and full-blown party began before lunch and carried on until midnight. The waterfront street was closed to traffic; the huge speakers were vibrating with soca music all day. It was a family party and the children were everywhere but mainly in the water. Bequia is well known for its model boat making. It appears as if every young boy owns one. They are not radio controlled and there is no string, they just let them all go in the water and watch to see whose boat sails fastest. It's a scramble afterwards to rescue them by dinghy or on surfboard.
We went into town in the afternoon and walked through the crowds to the Frangipani where the prize giving took place. Jerry came in second over all in the J24 class. We all eventually left the mobs of people at the Frangipani and went next door to the Whaleboners Restaurant and Bar for drinks. Jerry and Daniela will leave tomorrow morning at 4AM with Elaine and Ingmar (Winona II) onboard Relic (trawler previously named Serendipity). They have three J24's to tow back to Carriacou.
We said our good byes and told them that we would leave to join them in a few days.
By the time we finished with breakfast, the anchorage was starting to look very empty. Most of the regatta competitors had already left; the charter boats were getting underway, leaving just the cruisers and locals to enjoy the bay. The regatta is over and it’s time to get some work done.
I began an interior project of refinishing some of the woodwork. The teak on the heavy use areas is looking a little dark. We use Cetol on the interior teak but I prefer the way I apply it rather than Rick. His method is great for the exterior but I like the interior to have more of an oiled rather than lacquered appearance.
While I was playing with the woodwork, Rick went ashore to pick up propane and buy a nice warm baguette.
We also had a few people stop by in the morning resulting in very little work accomplished but every little bit counts.
I also attacked our stainless steel boat horn that was looking corroded enough to be tossed into the garbage. I wet sanded it and it now almost (not quite) looks like new.
We invited Dave and Nora (Knotts Gypsy) for sundowners. Dave came but Nora was not feeling well. They thought it might have something to do with a Mexican dinner they had last night.
Plan “A” was to leave today but it was dependant upon Baked Apple getting their clean laundry and leaving by 9AM. Our anchor is directly beneath them. We awoke knowing that the laundry would not be delivered before noon so we moved into Plan “B”.
I sanded a door from one end of the salon table and Rick scraped and sanded the bulkhead next to the companionway. I am not good at scraping wood but Rick does it perfectly. The bulkhead had a few scratches in the wood from last year when the engine was on it’s way out and when it came back in which has been bugging both of us. I was then able apply two coats of Cetol to the door and companionway and finish the area around the starboard settee before lunch.
After lunch, Rick went ashore to pick up baguettes for tomorrow (I know they won’t be fresh tomorrow), they’ll be better than the bread we can get from the boat boys in Mayreau. We definitely plan to leave tomorrow.
After a nice lunch, we rested for a while and had just started into sundowners when Randy and Cheryl (Latest Caper) came by. They joined us and we had a nice evening.
We removed the outboard and raised the dinghy ready for a reasonably early start. Baked Apple left as soon as they had their laundry so there was nothing left to hold us back.
This was one of those perfect days in Paradise. We had to wake up the people onboard a catamaran that anchored in front of us and have them move ahead a little to let us raise the anchor at 7:30AM.
The forecast was 15 knots of wind from the east and seas of 7 feet. It was right on except the seas seemed more like 5 to 7 feet. We were able to make between 6 and 7 knots most of the way to Mayreau and arrived in Saline Bay 11:30AM. We considered stopping in Salt Whistle Bay but as usual, it looked pretty busy. The nice surprise when we rounded the corner to Saline, there were no boats at all other than a small cruise ship. The beach was covered with lounge chairs, umbrellas and people but we knew that they would all be gone before dark.
We anchored, had a nice lunch and jumped overboard for a swim. There was a large school of small silver fish being chased around our boat by a good size Jack. Every so often, hundreds of them would break the surface all around us. If we were laughing, talking or for some other reason had our mouth open we would have had a sushi style afternoon snack.
We left Saline Bay in Mayreau at 9AM. It’s less than 4 miles to Union Island but we wanted to spend the day there.
There are 2 miles of water between the Tobago Cays and Union Island that is unprotected by the reef. These 2 miles always seem rolly no matter what the weather. The waves make their way from Africa and funnel through this one little gap in the reef. As usual, the waves were on the beam and we rolled, but not for long. Behind the reef in Union, a boat boy asking if we wanted a mooring met us. I told him that our friend Buda had given us a great mooring up close to the reef and we would like the same one. Immediately he asked if we were the people who had taken Buda’s picture. Evidently, Buda was very proud of his picture and had been showing it to all of his friends. We ended up with the very same mooring as before.
Luciana, our friend from Carriacou saw us arrive and immediately came over for a visit. It was almost lunchtime when she left and we waited until 1:30PM to head into shore as Customs and Immigration often close for lunch.
We walked down the road to the airport where we checked out with Customs and Immigration for a tomorrow morning departure. As usual, we then walked into town for bread and fruit. We picked up the bread from Captain Gourmet; it’s expensive but good French bread. Jenny’s fruit stand had some chicken on the barbecue so we stopped and had chicken, chips (homemade) and a salad for lunch. We were sitting at her picnic table and she asked if we would like a fruit punch to go with lunch. Next, we heard the blender, a solid mixed tropical fruit smoothy from the fruit stand made not only a nice drink but a wonderful dessert as well.
We returned to the boat in time to check in with the Cocktail and Weather Net on the SSB. It’s habit that we listen to the weather but we already knew that tomorrow was forecast to be a perfect sailing day. The only problem is that we’re not going very far. It’s only 7 miles to Hillsborough, Carriacou where we check in and then only 3 miles from there to Tyrrel Bay.
We let go of the mooring at 8AM. Our friend Luciana was in the cockpit of her boat to wave goodbye. We will see her in Carriacou next week.
At first there wasn’t enough wind to sail, we were almost drifting rather than sailing to Carriacou. When the wind did pick up Rick told me to slow down and let the rain shower up ahead pass. I was trying to catch the rain. Our decks were encrusted with salt crystals and we either needed a nice rain shower to clean the sails and deck or we would have to do it ourselves when we arrived. The rain was wonderful. It washed everything beautifully and gave us some good winds to go along with the fresh water.
It was about 9:30AM when we arrived in Hillsborough. We checked in with Immigration and Customs. The Immigration officer who checked us in was our friend Fitzroy’s brother, Lyndon who we had met before. Norbert our favourite bus driver gave me a great hug and welcomed us back. One of the fruit and vegetable ladies (Denise) recognized us and called to say hello. We certainly felt that we had arrived home again.
We stayed in town and picked up a few items one being a good chicken roti for us to eat while we sailed around the corner to Tyrrel Bay.
Back in Tyrrel Bay we went ashore to say hello at the Haul Out and Yacht club then returned to the boat where we just relaxed. We enjoyed sundowners in the cockpit watching the boats arrive from both the north and south.
We had great plans for the day but somehow we did almost nothing in the
morning. In the afternoon, Elaine (Island Girl) announced that Scrapers was
having a beach party with a live band.
We delivered the 50 lbs of dog food we have been carrying since St Martin, to Fitzroy and left for the party. Instead of leaving the dinghy at Scrapers, we left it at the Lambi Queen, which gave us the opportunity to say hello to Edwin and Punto. Sherwin wasn’t around.
The party was just getting underway at Scrapers when we arrived. Scraper’s four-year-old granddaughter adopted me for the afternoon/evening. We walked around and did everything together.
The band was great. Quite a few locals as well as cruisers showed up. Our
doctor (Carol) from the Carriacou clinic was there dancing on the street. She
called Rick to come and dance with her (exercise was the word she used).
Elaine was filling in as bartender for Scraper and doing an excellent job of it. We were able to see many of our friends who happened to walk by. Nester (mother of Trevor from the Yacht Club) gave me a great welcome back hug.
Finally after a local meal of chicken, pork, coo-coo, beans and potatoes. We said our goodbyes and returned to the boat just in time to watch for new arrivals.
Today we got down to serious business. Rick took the laundry into the yacht club and discussed haulout plans with Jerry at the yard. We are starting to prepare the boat to put it on the hard for 5 to 6 months while we fly home for a visit this year. We have never had to summerize the boat before and it’s very different from winterizing.
Since we have time, we’re not leaving until the end of next month, we decided to have the boat in as close to pristine condition as possible so that when we return, we can get back into the water and sail as soon as possible.
I continued working away on the interior teak while Rick started stripping some of the exterior wood.
We did well and accomplished a lot today.
Just after we tidied and sat in the cockpit for sundowners, Sherwin called to say he couldn’t see our boat and was on his way out to visit with us for a while. I explained where we were and he was with us in no time. We had a great visit and since we haven’t had a ride in his new powerboat yet, he wants to take us to White Island for a barbecue one weekend before we leave.
Today, Rick put up the sun awning. The wind was dying and the sun was hot. When the sun awning is up it seems to lower the temperature inside the boat almost 10 degrees.
I began to prepare more interior wood to be refinished. Rick sanded the handrails on deck. In between coats, I started to empty and clean the aft hanging locker and under the port settee. I also put our nylon jackets to soak for a while and washed them. It was too much, the boat looks like a typhoon (oops it should be a hurricane in the Caribbean) went screaming through, there are bags of items to give to friends, there are other bags of items to be donated. Entering the boat must be done with care as I have removed the interior steps to finish the wood behind and around them.
Finally about 2:30PM I jumped in the water for a swim. Rick was right behind me but before he got into the water, Petra arrived. She came with a quote and made a pattern for canvas work we requested. The dodger, bimini and main sail cover will be removed from the boat while it is on the hard. We want a cover for the binnacle in the cockpit, the two winches and hatches on the cabin top which are normally protected from the elements by the dodger and finally a cover for all of the halyards that are secured at the bottom of the mast. I would like canvas to cover the dinghy that will be secured on deck as well but I think we have maxed the budget for this month.
When Petra left, Rick came for a swim as well. We watched our friends Pam and Chas (Night Owl) arrive on board Havana Good Time with Cindy and Tom. Pam and Chas built a beautiful house on Grenada. They have been without a boat since hurricane Ivan destroyed Night Owl so they accompanied Cindy and Tom for a sail up to the Virgin Islands and back.
The wind became very strong about 4:30AM and didn’t let up for most of the day. Some cruisers were complaining that their boats were rolling. We didn’t find it uncomfortable.
Rick continued working on the exterior wood. I took a day off from woodworking and attacked a few more storage areas. The good news is that our boat has a tremendous number of large storage areas but then the bad news is that our boat has a tremendous number of large storage areas.
I have only finished with the aft hanging locker, under the starboard and port settees and behind the starboard settee. We have been hording so much it’s unbelievable. I called our friend Rosemary who heads an organization that helps young mothers on this island. She says that it will all go to good use.
In the evening we went to the Lazy Turtle (AKA Turtle Dove) for dinner with Mark and Jackie (Kardia). Afterward we stopped by the floating bar, ‘Angels Rest’ for a couple of drinks with Alana and Brad who are running the bar for Sherwin. Both the restaurant and the bar were very busy this evening. We met a gang of Australians who are in the Caribbean to watch the World Cup Cricket games but as well, they chartered a captained boat and are Island hopping.
The wind was still howling through the anchorage. Rick, after applying Cetol on the handrails which are on the cabin top had to go over the deck with a rag and some acetone due to the brush spray caused by the wind. I did some prep work sanding the companionway stairs but most of the day was spent still emptying and cleaning storage areas. I tackled Rick’s clothing today. He moaned a little as I sorted his items into acceptable, work clothes, donations, rags and garbage. By the afternoon, I called Rosemary and asked when would be a good time for her to pick up our donations, as it was getting difficult to walk around and even sit in the boat. She promised to be at the main big jetty tomorrow morning by 10AM.
After breakfast we gathered together all of the bags for Rosemary as well as dinghy cleaning items and hair cutting tools. Two trips were required, as the things for Rosemary left no room in the dinghy for anything else. I waited on the jetty with the six bags of goodies while Rick returned to the boat to retrieved the dinghy cleaning and hair cutting things. Rosemary arrived promptly at 10AM and we loaded up her back seat.
I met Rick at the beach and pulled the dinghy up in the shade of the Manchineel tree. He sat on an upside down pail in the sand with a cushion on top, while I cut his hair. After a nice swim, it was time to give the dinghy a good cleaning. Rick first scraped the St Martin barnacles off and then used soft scrub-bleach solution on the bottom. He was half finished when I started using the On-Off which required no scrubbing. When the bottom was clean I went in the water to cool off and while there, our little friend Elvis came by for a swim. He’s not so little any more. I think he grew at least a foot while we were gone. He and Michael can no longer sail the optimists mainly because of their size. They are good sailors and have now graduated to the Laser group.
Before leaving the beach, Scraper (Scraper’s Bar) asked if I would come by to see him before leaving. He wants to start making and serving hamburgers and chips for lunch every day. I asked him if he knew how to make hamburgers (most islanders don’t) as it’s not a local dish. I promised to help his wife make the first ones and to pass flyers to the boats in the anchorage to spread the word.
We returned to the boat and found it was already after lunchtime so just had a light snack. We went to the Lambi Queen for dinner and we were joined by Mark and Jackie (Kardia), Denis and Arlene (Tiger Lilly II) and Susan and Roy (Windborne) who are back on Island. Rick and I were going for lobster dinner because lobster season is almost over. We were in for a little surprise however, the very expensive resorts on Petit St Vincent and Union Island promised the fishermen here on Carriacou that they would take all of the lobsters they could catch and pay them 20EC (7.50US) per pound. When we left the island in October, the going rate for lobster was 10 to 12 EC (3.75 to 4.50 US) per pound. The fishermen want 20 EC from everyone now.
Today we tackled the storage area under the aft bunk. This is a large area where Rick keeps many spare parts. It was good to go through it and re-inventory everything just to know for sure what was there.
Winston and Barbara (My Island Girl), invited us for sundowners onboard their boat a Bayfield 40. It was a very pleasant evening and quite late by the time we returned to our own boat.
We both returned to our woodworking today. Rick is making good progress outside. The more I do inside the more I notice what needs to be done so I’m not sure how much headway I’m actually making, but what has been done does look good.
It was another woodworking day.
Our friends Graham and Ann (Rasi) arrived from Grenada and we said goodbye to Tiger Lilly II, Kardia and My Island Girl who all left for Grenada and Trinidad. Even Joe and Elaine (Island Girl) took off today but they headed to Mayreau for a regatta.
We went ashore for lunch at Scrapers. While we were there Rick was limping noticeably. Sure enough, when we returned to the boat we agreed it was gout. He has been drinking a lot of water but down here a lot isn’t enough, he has to drink more. He took the gout medication we keep onboard and put his foot up for the rest of the day.
I continued with the interior woodworking while the patient with his foot up on the settee supervised my technique.
Later in the morning, I had to call Sherwin and let him know that we wouldn’t be able to go to Whites Island with him tomorrow. He was very nice about it and said to let him know when the “old man” could walk again and we would make plans to go then.
Rick remained on the settee for the day with his foot elevated and I was able to do some more woodworking.
Graham and Ann (Rasi) stopped by in the morning, they were going ashore and wanted to know if we needed anything. I asked them to pick up some pan bread for us. On most islands, the everyday bread is more like a fat French baguette with very tapered ends. However, it doesn’t have the taste or texture of a baguette. A loaf of pan bread is bread that has been baked in a loaf pan and is much better for toasting or sandwiches.
I continued with the woodwork and Rick went out on deck and worked away a little on the exterior wood. Afterward he sat in the cockpit and watched for new boats arriving. Our friend Luciana (Kima) called to say that she was coming back from Union Island single-handed. We promised to keep watch for her. She sailed into the bay, dropped her sail and picked up her mooring line with great finesse giving us a high sign as she passed by our boat.
Rick got a spurt of energy in the afternoon and started to empty his tool locker. This is a very large hanging locker that he modified with nice strong shelves. All of his tools and containers of miscellaneous items were placed on the floor of the main salon. He removed the tools from the tool bags so that I could wash the bags for him. With the boat in chaos, his energy faded. It was time for sundowners.
First thing in the morning, after breakfast I applied the last coat of Cetol on the interior wood. I want to refinish a couple of other areas but I have other things that must be done before we haul so this is it for now.
I had put the tool bags to soak overnight and it only took a while to finish washing and rinsing them. I had just hung them to dry when Luciana arrived. She was anxious for some more of that special coffee that Rick makes. While we were sipping the coffee, Gary and Sharon (Elusive) came by to see if we needed anything. Rick was feeling well enough that he wanted to go into town in the afternoon, so we were fine.
It was almost lunchtime when we left and “Luxon” was the first bus to drive by. We went with him to L’Esterre where we thought we could buy a few sports bags to use as luggage. The store had a few but they all had zipper problems so weren’t for sale.
We returned to the street to wait for the next bus, wouldn’t you know it, along came our friend Norbert. He drove us into Hillsborough where we first went to the ATM. I hate the ATMs that give you your cash and receipt before returning your card. I often walk out without my card which is exactly what I did this time. I went inside to the bank and they said I could get it back tomorrow. Meanwhile we went looking for our sports bags. The first little store we went into had exactly what we wanted so after purchasing three large sports bags we walked through town to buy some fresh fruit and vegetables. There were some good-looking tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and even some lettuce. No eggs or potatoes today but since we had to return tomorrow, we were fine. One last stop at the Patty’s Deli and we could return to Harvey Vale and the boat. Norbert was waiting for us so I think this was the fastest we have ever been to town and back.
When we arrived in Harvey Vale, we stopped to see Beverley who runs the Alexis Supermarket. She had just received a delivery of chicken and had saved us half dozen boneless chicken breasts, which are normally very difficult to come by here.
We returned to the boat and as soon as the groceries were stowed, we started reorganizing Rick’s tool cabinet. We accomplished a lot but it’s not finished.
We awoke to a rain shower in the morning. I think this was the first rain we’ve seen in a couple of weeks. When it finished raining, we left the boat and went ashore. We arrived just as Norbert’s bus was arriving at the jetty.
The first stop in town was the gas station where Rick had the jerry can filled and left it there while we visited other stores in town. I picked up my bankcard; we purchased some prescriptions and then walked to the Marketing Board store. I was able to get some nice fresh callaloo, bananas, pineapples and any other local vegetables I wanted but still no potatoes. Everyone seemed to have eggs today so Rick will have his favourite weekend breakfast of bacon and eggs.
We stopped at Velma’s for a cold drink. Velma, who is an older lady hasn’t been at her bar for almost a year now. Instead, Cuthbert, her son now runs the place. Eventually, we will have to stop calling it “Velma’s”.
We loaded everything into the dinghy and on our way back to our boat we stopped at Rasi to deliver bananas and the Elusive to deliver crackers. When everything was onboard and put away, I looked outside and we had another heavy rain shower coming our way. Timing was everything today.
In the evening, we met Nora and Dave (Knotts Gypsy) and Graham and Ann (Rasi) at the yacht club for sundowners. Afterward, Graham and Ann went to the Lazy Turtle with us for dinner.
Day 4 and the tool locker is finished. Everything has been inventoried, cleaned, oiled, repacked and returned to the locker.
We relaxed and did nothing for the rest of the afternoon.
We had a couple of nice Mahi Mahi steaks for dinner that I marinated with some garlic, onions, sesame oil and fresh pineapple. Rick barbecued them perfectly while I threw together a nice salad. Life is good.
It was Sunday, which means Rick prepares breakfast and I relax. He didn’t
stop after breakfast. Another coat of Cetol was applied to his exterior wood,
then he changed the impeller in the macerator pump finishing just in time to
wash and change for lunch.
Our friend Fitzroy invited us to his place for lunch. He made fried chicken and chips with a salad for us. We took pictures of his new Rottwieller pups Rocco and Reba.
After lunch we returned to the boat for a while but then went to have sundowners with Sharon and Gary on Elusive. It was a nice evening and almost 9PM by the time we left.
Today we tackled cleaning the cockpit lockers. We have been able to get rid of so much that I think the boat is probably floating a little higher in the water.
Once the lockers were emptied, inventoried and repacked, I washed the bimini sunshades and the squall proof wind scoops so that they could be packed away clean.
We both wanted to go for a nice swim in the afternoon but the wind is too strong. We would have to struggle against the current. Maybe tomorrow, instead we just relaxed and read in the afternoon.
