We had talked about going into town to the botanical gardens today but never got around to it. Just before lunch the sky got quite dark and we decided it was quite comfortable onboard.
We have been watching the crew on the boat moored beside us provision for their guests. They have been loading cases and cases of cold drinks, beer, bottled water and wine. This boat, “Aeolian” charters for $35,000.USD a week. It appeared by the way the crew was polishing everything in the cockpit and laying out the placemats that today was the day the guests were to arrive. Sure enough, at 2PM the crew (four of them) wearing their matching uniforms greeted the guests in a lovely tropical rain shower. All of the polishing was for naught. We thought it might have been someone famous who could afford the cost of this charter but we didn’t recognise anyone.
Rick learning from the Aeolian crew, offered me a warm towel before cocktails. The problem was that there were no placemats and our cockpit looked like a Chinese laundry with the clothes hanging to dry that I had washed earlier. The ambiance just wasn’t quite there.
As I relaxed in the cockpit Rick went below and prepared a gourmet meal of pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce.
Well the winds have started to come down and the seas will follow. It appears however that this may be another short window so we are going to leave while the going is good.
After breakfast we went into town knowing that it would be quite deserted on a Sunday. It was a little more deserted than we expected. The customs offices as well as the immigration office were both closed. We stopped by the police station and asked them where we could check out on a Sunday. They nicely checked for us and found that we would find the officials at the airport which is about halfway back to the boat. After officially checking out we walked across the street to a large supermarket that was open on Sunday. There we were able to buy things that are normally difficult to find like 2 gallon ziplock bags, coffee filters and frozen flying fish. It was a worthwhile visit.
We returned to the boat and after putting the groceries away we got ready and went back ashore to the beach. There was another restaurant that we wanted to try call XCape. The food was excellent and it was much more affordable than the last restaurant we tried.
The afternoon was spent acting like tourists. We lounged on the beach, read a book and went for a swim. When the sun became too much we returned to the boat to prepare for dinner and a morning departure.
When we awoke, before anything else, I checked the weather. The great forecast we had a few days ago was getting worse with each update. Conditions now appeared to be better today rather than tomorrow when initially conditions were supposed to be perfect for travelling to St Lucia tomorrow. Even today wasn’t great but it was the best we were going to get this week.
We prepared quickly for a 48 nautical mile trip to St Lucia rather than the 10 mile trip to Wallilabou. The sky was very grey and overcast when we let go of the mooring lines at 7AM but the wind was from the East and the tide was incoming. It was a wonderful motor sail up the island until we were almost at Chateaubelair. The current became stronger but we were tucked in close to shore avoiding most of it. The last few miles toward the end of the island become very choppy and brain rattling even though we were now into slack tide. The passage between St Vincent to St Lucia is one of the windiest and roughest in the Eastern Caribbean because this is the middle of the island chain where the winds are always the strongest. The hardest part though is just getting away from St Vincent. Our rig was tightened nicely today so the boat was handling things well. The crew was a little uncomfortable at times but the captain had taken stugeron (sea sick pills) before setting sail so all was well.
About 5 miles off the coast of St Vincent when we had cleared the point and gotten away from the land effect, the seas settled down to be much more comfortable. The winds were definitely from the East at about 20 knots. This is much better than the Northeast winds forecast for tomorrow. The waves were about 8 feet also from the East and what wasn’t mentioned in the forecast was a huge northeast swell that was still out there. We climbed many mountains (the swell) but in most cases slid down the side. Only a couple of times during the whole trip did we fall off the mountains.
We thought we were on our own out there until we saw a huge container ship coming quickly downwind toward us. I called him on the VHF “Big ship, Big ship heading west between St Lucia and St Vincent, this is Sailboat at 14 degrees North bla bla bla.” I did this a couple of times but received no reply. It was only a few minutes later however when we watched him alter course and pass to our stern. We would have altered course but needed to know which way he wanted us to go. This was happening as our bilge alarm was acting up. It had gone off a few times yet when poor Rick went below and checked the bilge it was dry. It’s good to have events like these during a passage or it could get a little boring.
It was 3:30PM when we were in the lee of St Lucia and I called Harmony Beach Restaurant and Resort in Soufriere to ask if we could have a mooring and dinner reservations for the night. Ben Jr. took our call and gave us a mooring right in front of the restaurant. There were snorkelers all around us so it was a great spot. Ben Jr. also picked us up for dinner so we didn’t have to splash the dink. Dinner was lovely I had fish and it was a wonderful filet of mahi mahi. Rick had Chicken Creole. The food was excellent and the price was right. It was even better when we realised that we didn’t have to pay for a line handler for the mooring and we received free wifi from Harmony Beach.
There was no rain overnight but it was a little rolly. Our plan was to have a
leisurely sail up the lee of the island. It began as a nice sail, I was down
below washing breakfast dishes when the first gust hit us. The wind which was
probably about 20 knots from the northeast was funnelling through the valleys
and racing down the side of the mountains so that when it hit us it was more 30
knots of wind. We would go from a nice flat calm to racing at an uncomfortable
heel and back to a calm. Gradually the calms disappeared and we were just
racing. We dropped the sail and pulled into Marigot Bay to see where we would
anchor, moor or dock on our way back down the island in a couple of weeks. We
left Marigot with our favourite reefed main and staysail but eventually we had
to furl the staysail and just motor into the wind.
We arrived in time for lunch and waited until a little later in the afternoon
to go ashore. The first task was to check in with Customs and Immigration. When
we were legal we walked over to Cable and Wireless which is located in the
marina, and got a St Lucia sim card for our cell phone.
We had enough time remaining to walk around a little, and have a nice cappuccino while waiting for our friends David and Lenora (Midnight) who although they sold their boat were visiting St. Lucia and staying in a cottage. They arrived to pick us up along with our other friends Denis and Arlene (Tiger Lily II). Arlene had caught a huge Dorado on their way here and offered to share and cook it for all of us.
When we arrived at the cottage we met Carol and John who were also ex-cruisers and friends of David and Lenora they were sharing the cottage.
This was not your everyday cottage; it was a gorgeous building with a lovely pool and an amazing view of Rodney Bay.
The company and dinner was wonderful and when it was over, David drove the four of us back to the dinghy dock at Rodney Bay Marina.
The rough passage the other day has somehow started our water tank leaking again. Gradually it has drained to almost empty and that is why the bilge alarm kept acting up. Hopefully it will seal itself again as it did a couple of months ago. It isn’t too much of an issue as we just ran the water maker long enough to give us enough water to wash and rinse the salt from the stainless, canvass and deck. Each day we will add a little more to the tank to see how much it will hold without leaking. The repair job will not be done until we return to Carriacou. Meanwhile we will have the cleanest fresh water rinsed bilge in the Caribbean.
When the morning boat chores were done we went ashore to explore.
We took the dinghy through the bay to a shopping mall. The grocery store had more fresh produce than we expected and it will be nice to buy a few North American vegetables that we haven’t had in a while, although there is also a vegetable boat in the bay that comes by daily with a nice selection. We had already purchased a few things from Gregory on the fruit boat so we didn’t need any additional from the store.
When we left the shopping mall we wandered down the street on the back side of all the beachfront hotels. We ended our walk at the yacht club where we had a drink and made use of their book exchange.
It was a nice day to remain onboard. There were four cruise ships in dock so the beaches were packed and all of the water toys were racing around the bay.
Gregory came by in the morning and had some fresh young spinach, limes which are becoming scarce and some bananas. I still had grapefruit and papayas from yesterday.
Yesterday while washing all of the screens, ports and hatches I removed the curtains. Today seemed a perfect day for washing them. Rick washed all of the fans.
We were sitting in the cockpit eating a wonderful fresh salad for lunch when Gregory returned to tell me he had 4 Julie Mangoes. Really he had only 3 because he ate one. There was no hesitation on our part and we had fresh fruit salad for desert.
The curtains were dry and I was able to get them off the line just before an
afternoon shower rinsed the boat.
There was a barbecue on the beach tonight but we were both happy to stay onboard. I cooked up some lemon chicken, steamed spinach, peas and rice and we also had left over Flemish cabbage. In Grenada, they don’t refer to a food guide for healthy eating; they just say to eat your colours. I don’t think we missed a colour today.
When we awoke the visibility was less than a mile. It almost looked like fog which is something we don’t see down here. It was raining and appeared as though it might rain for most of the day.
I had fallen asleep last night thinking about our water tank problem. In my
mind it didn’t seem like such a big deal. It didn’t take much to get Rick to
think of it as a non issue either so by 9:30 AM he had his little Japanese hand
saw out and was cutting 2 inches from the top edge of our forward bunk where we
had drawn a nice line. He said that the little saw was a life saver because it
cut on the upstroke rather than the down stroke. Supposedly, this made it much
easier to cut through the fibreglass. I was ready to go to the hardware and
purchase a small electric saw for him but he said it wasn’t necessary.
Once we had removed the fibreglass top of the bunk and he disconnected all of
the hoses that run to and from the water tank, we turned the tank on it’s side
and inspected the seams. It was difficult to tell but we noticed dampness under
the tank only in one spot and in that same area on the tank there appeared to be
a tiny hole in the weld of a seam. Rick cleaned the aluminum and applied JB Weld
all along the corner seam in the leak area. Next he painted the underside of the fibreglass cut-out as it was unfinished.
It was just noon and we needed to kill 6 hours before we could return the
water tank to it’s proper position so we went ashore to the Iguana Restaurant
for lunch, walked down the street to a hardware store, visited the Flower Shack
in the marina, stopped by the bakery, had a drink at Bosun’s and then finally
returned to the boat. The 6 hours were still not up so we relaxed and
read for
an hour. After a light dinner, it was finally time. We returned the tank
to it’s proper position but the paint on the fibreglass was still not dry. After
standing the mattress from the forward bunk on it’s side in the forward cabin
and laying the piece of fibreglass upside down on the bunk we made room for the
two of us to sleep in the salon.
The big test today was to see if the water tank would hold water again. There was also a bit of a rush to purchase the wood that we needed to install to support the cut out piece of fibreglass. We are not that familiar with shopping hours on St Lucia so we felt it would be wise to shop in the morning in case the stores closed early on Saturday. Rick went to find the lumber store and I remained onboard with the generator and water maker running.
Rick wasn’t gone long but long enough for me to be confident that the water tank was no longer leaking. He returned with the 2X4’s and started installing them immediately. One piece had to be ripped as it was a little too wide but everything else worked well. Once the wood was screwed into place the cut out piece of fibreglass was screwed onto the lip created by the wood and unless we were to show it to someone you would never know the top of the bunk had been removed.
By the time happy hour rolled around there was more than enough water for us to each have a nice warm shower. Life is good.
March 9th, St LuciaWe skipped the poached eggs for breakfast this morning because in Rodney Bay on Sunday most of the cruisers go to the yacht club for a great lunch. It was just before 11AM when we headed ashore to the dingy dock. It is a little walk from there to the club and we arrived just as they were opening the doors. The place fills to overflowing very quickly so we selected a table and then made use of the book exchange again. We were waiting for Denis and Arlene who arrived shortly after us along with the rest of the anchorage. The meal was great and inexpensive.
After lunch Rick and I walked along the beach and stopped in at the Royal
St
Lucia Resort to check on events that we may be interested in attending.
It was late afternoon when we returned to the boat for a siesta and more water making .
The weather is improving every day. Today, after a morning rain shower it was hot and sunny for the rest of the day. Although it is still very windy it’s not near as bad as it has been.
Rick changed the filters on the water maker and the oil in the generator. While he was doing his chores, I stayed out of his way by ripping CD’s on the computer to MP3 format. I know that I have a new MP3 player on it’s way here next weekend. The CD’s I ripped this morning were my Christmas CD’s so now I’m hooked on humming Christmas Carols until I start ripping something different.
When Rick was just about finished his chores and it was my turn to tidy and clean I noticed that there was no power in the outlet I had the computer plugged into. I tried a different outlet and rechecked everything finally I checked the panel by changing to “shore power” rather than “charge” even though the generator was running. Sure enough the inverter/charger was not charging. I think this season is a test of stamina. I started calling the electronic repair places in the bay while Rick disconnected and removed the unit. We will take it in tomorrow morning to see if it can be repaired.
Meanwhile we now have half a tank of water so I started doing some of my hand laundry. The majority of laundry I will send out tomorrow.
The wind eased a little and the Northeast swell caused a terrible roll for the boats anchored off of Reduit Beach which was where we were. So first thing in the morning, Rick went ashore and took the inverter/charger to be repaired. I remained on board and waited for Foxy Johny who was coming by to pick up our laundry. Rick returned with fresh bread and sweet buns which we devoured before lifting anchor and moving to the other side of the bay off the Landings Beach condos next to the Sandals Resort Beach.
Gregory came by with his fruit boat and a new outboard engine. After we purchased some fruit and vegetables he mentioned that he was asking customers who were going to be around for a while if they would like to run a reverse tab. He needed some cash as a down payment for his new outboard. We thought that was an innovative idea and joined in with a small tab or donation whichever it ends up to be.
We went ashore at 3:30PM first stopping at the Liferaft and Inflatable Centre where they service fire extinguishers. We took three extinguishers in to them but the price they gave us for service before looking at them was more expensive then purchasing new extinguishers. We last had them serviced in Venezuela so we will just purchase new ones when we return to Carriacou.
Next we took our propane tank in to be filled which will be back tomorrow. On our way with the tank my cell phone went off and it was the electronics company (10 steps away) was calling to let us know that our replacement pump head for the water maker had arrived and we could pick it up. After that, we went to meet with Linus a taxi driver who we were going to make a deal with for a few trips to different places around the island. All in all it was a very productive afternoon.
Rick replaced the water maker feed pump with the new one that we received. While running the engine (still no charger) to charge the batteries, we ran the water maker and I did some more hand laundry. Today we stayed on board and finished a few small little chores.
Gary (Elusive) came by to borrow a pipe wrench at 9AM. He is a little upset (totally pissed) because he has to repair so many things on his boat. He thought he had repaired everything and was finished. We need visits from other cruisers like this to make us feel better. Repairing the boat in exotic places is all part of cruising.
Our clean laundry was delivered back to the boat around 10AM
During the afternoon while the engine was running I ripped some more CD’s in preparation for our new MP3 player.
We took a local bus into Castries and the market today. There were two cruise ships in and the downtown was busy. The market does have some fruits and vegetables but the main area is all geared to the tourists. We wandered through and had a look but didn’t purchase anything.
We had lunch in an area by the market where the locals were eating. It was good food and inexpensive.
After picking up a few groceries we were on our way back to the bus area when we heard some kids calling “Rick, Rick”. When we turned around we found our Carriacou kids, Mia, Josh, Lucas and Kadisha and a few of their friends standing on the corner. They had all sailed up on Jason’s boat (Lady Hawk) with Jason and Ted as chaperones for a swim meet that begins tomorrow. We saw Lady Hawk at anchor when we came ashore in the morning.
Back in Rodney Bay, we were walking toward the dinghy dock and the rest of the family, Zachary, who was shopping with Jason ran up to say hello to us.
We told them that we would try and make it to a least one day of their swim meet to cheer them on.
George’s Cocktail and Weather Net forecast was not very promising for next week. There is a gale that is forecast to come off of the east coast of North America which might send northwest swells our way by Wednesday. We’ll check the weather again tomorrow and if the forecast stands we may decide to move the boat again and tuck up into the Northwest corner of the bay behind Pigeon Island.
Rick took off in the morning to pick up a few groceries for me. I remained onboard with the engine and the water maker running. The weather forecast has changed a little. The swells are forecast to come from the North rather than Northwest and the will be up to 20 feet.
Good news in the afternoon. The charger/inverter is fixed and Rick not only picked it up but installed it just to make sure everything was working properly. It was.
In the late afternoon we walked down the road to the sports centre where the Carriacou kids were all competing in a swim meet. We don’t know how they did at the meet because we had to leave before they finished. The location was perfect as we had agreed to meet for dinner with David, Lenora and Mickey, Chuck (Coram Deo) and Gary and Sharon (Elusive) at Key Largo which is a wood oven pizza restaurant across the street from the sports centre. Dinner was great but David and Lenora fly home tomorrow so we were sorry to see them go.
Kelly arrives tomorrow and the next day is St. Patrick’s Day so today was a good day for food preparation. I made some hummus for snacking then potato salad just because it good to have on hand. Lastly I made Irish stew for our St Patrick’s Day meal.
Rick polished stainless steel which he hasn’t done for a while.
It was a nice day. While the generator was running I slipped a few more CD’s into the computer to rip.
In the afternoon after listening to the weather forecast we decided to move the boat again. By Wednesday we may have 20 foot northerly swells and Rodney Bay is large and wide open so it could be dangerous. The first choice was to move into the marina however with rebuilding the docks and dredging operations that are underway inside the bay the marina could not provide a slip and would not allow anchoring inside the bay . We decided that the next best option would be to tuck into the Northwest corner of Rodney Bay behind Pigeon Island so that is where we moved.
Unbelievable! When I awoke to the aroma of coffee being made, Rick announced that the refrigerator was not working. The compressor was running but it wasn’t chilling anything. Sounds like lack of gas. He got out the gas and the gauges and attempted to top up the system but it didn’t help. Of course this is Sunday so forget getting a refrigeration man out to the boat. Even if he would come we couldn’t afford his Sunday rates.
We had our breakfast and Rick went ashore and bought some ice to keep us going until tomorrow. It was 1:15 PM when we left by taxi to head for the airport at the other end of the island. We arrived at 2:35PM and Kelly’s flight landed at 2:36PM. There were four flights that all landed within minutes of each other so it was after 4PM when she finally emerged from Customs and Immigration.
We had a nice ride back to Rodney Bay and arrived on the boat minutes before sunset. The bottle of champagne was popped and we all sat in the cockpit watching the last few boats arrive as the sun slipped below the horizon.
This was supposed to be Happy St. Patrick’s Day and we had planned to spend
the day on the beach and the evening partying onboard the boat. Instead it
rained all day. We got soaked going to shore and we got soaked again returning
to the boat. We all wore our green St Patrick’s Day shirts that Kelly brought
for us but I don’t think they were noticed. We stopped at the one restaurant
that was celebrating St Patrick’s Day and instead of green beer we were served
green rum punch.
The rain seemed never ending so I cancelled our evening party due to weather. The three of us still ate the Irish stew and soda bread that I had made. Kelly and Rick drank green beer and we played Irish music.
The refrigeration repair man never arrived even after many phone calls so Rick called another who will hopefully arrive tomorrow.
The big event of the day was listening to the weather forecast. It isn’t getting any better there are still major swells coming our way by Thursday.
I didn’t sleep very well last night and this morning we got the message loud and clear. It was not even 6:30 AM when this huge French charter catamaran started lifting his anchor. I say started because he didn’t lift it off the bottom and started going from behind us to up along our port side and across our bow. Sure enough, I was down below but saw the stern of our boat really swing around while at the same time the anchor alarm started sounding. The idiot had caught our anchor line not just with his anchor but after the manoeuvre he did it was wrapped around one of his rudders as well. A couple of young men onboard jumped into the water with their snorkel gear and were attempting to free our line but this captain was still gunning his engine and going many different directions. We quickly put out fenders as his boat looked like it was going to go side by side with ours. He didn’ t have anyone hang fenders on his boat. While he was still doing crazy things trying to keep his boat from ours but dragging us along with him, he almost rammed another boat (missed Blue Gull by inches) while he was looking behind rather than where he was going. He quickly reversed and was heading directly for another boat when the Frenchman on the other boat started yelling at him. He finally got the message and our lines were free at last. He waved and said goodbye with a smile as he headed back toward Fort de France in Martinique.
Now, if that wasn’t a message to lift our anchor and move I don’t know what it was. Rick still felt we would be safe anchored where we were, I wasn’t so sure but hated the idea of going into the inner bay of Rodney Bay. Kelly suggested that she didn’t find Rodney Bay all that interesting and would rather leave now for Marigot. It was a great suggestion. I called the marina and they said we could have a mooring in the inner bay which is a great hurricane hole and much nicer than Rodney Bay.
We quickly had some coffee and yogurt then headed the almost 9 miles to Marigot Bay. It was down wind and we just put up the stay sail and ran the engine to charge the batteries. We arrived just after 9:30AM and we had our choice of moorings as the place was very empty. The emptiness didn’t last long. Boats arrived all day long tucking in to a safe haven to wait out the storm. It was surprising the number of mega yachts that came in as well. By dinner time there were no moorings or slips left in the inner bay and the late arrivals had to take a mooring in the outer bay. Even the outer bay looks to be very protected here but we won’t know for sure until Thursday. The initial swells will be in our area tomorrow but the biggies don’t arrive until Thursday.
I had to call and reschedule our tours. The refrigerator is still not fixed
but the ice is holding well. We were all feeling much more comfortable about
being in a very safe spot. While Rick, put the sails and deck in order, I made
bacon and eggs for brunch and Kelly tried to avoid the boat boys who were doing
their best to talk her into purchasing souvenirs.
Rick went ashore in the afternoon but Kelly and I remained on board. When he returned, it was time for a nice tropical drink. We have quite a lot of fresh fruit so Rick put on his bartender hat and made us blender drink of pineapple and bananas.
Dinner was also on board and finished just in time to go below and close the screen doors before the cabin filled with mosquitoes.
We awoke to a beautiful sunny day. I wondered whether we would awaken with
the noise of roosters or birds. Well, as it turned out, I heard nothing until
Kelly and Rick started talking. Kelly said it was the sound of dogs singing or
howling depending upon ones point of view that woke her.
We called our refrigeration man who said he would be in Marigot early this morning. Rick dropped Kelly and I off at the beach where we settled in on lounge chairs under a nice palapa umbrella.
The fridge man arrived as promised and identified that we needed a new
evaporator (again). He took off to buy one for us and said he would return in
the evening. Rick came to the beach to join us and we went to
Doolittle’s
Restaurant for lunch. Seconds before our lunch arrived we received another phone
call from our repair man who said he was standing at the dock. Poor Rick charged
out to pick him up as his lunch was served. I asked that it be put in a
take-away container so I could get it to Rick but when I called him he was too
busy to eat it. I held it for a few hours and then put it in the trash as it was
a chicken roti and salad which I didn’t think would be very healthy after
sitting in the heat.
Back on the beach, Kelly and I were joined by a lady and her two young girls. They were from Toronto and had spent last week skiing at Mont Tremblant and this week in St. Lucia. We learned that when at home, they regularly eat at the Rosedale Diner so I asked that they say hello to our friends Dubi and Esti there.
It was getting late in the afternoon so Kelly and I picked up a couple of rum
punches and lounged in the pool for a while.
Eventually, Rick after having finished with the installation of the new evaporator and dryer for the fridge picked us up in the dinghy. We all got changed to go for dinner at Chateau Mygo for a Latin night. Well we had dinner but Latin night is now on Thursdays rather than Wednesday so we will have to return tomorrow.
The locals are all referring to the sea swells that are coming as a tsunami so tomorrow will be interesting.
We expected the seas to be large when we awoke but looking out from ourprotected little bay they didn’t appear to be too bad yet. The few boats that ventured out were French chartered catamarans that most likely had to return to Martinique. No one else was moving even the mega yachts that pulled into the bay yesterday were sitting tight.
The sky was very overcast and it looked like it would give us an all day
rain.
We went ashore to roam through the Marigot Bay Marina Village. There were many interesting stores to check out. We went to the bank and picked up some extra cash, topped up our cell phone, shopped at the little grocery store and best of all visited the French Bakery.
We returned to the boat in a drizzle but it stopped for a while allowing us to have lunch in the cockpit.
Rick spent the afternoon onboard Squiz showing Murray how to whip lines.
In the evening we went back ashore for Latin night at Chateau Mygo. It was
great fun and wouldn’t you know it, we met another couple from Toronto.
Actually, they were from Schomberg but claimed to be Torontonians. Ian and Chris
were vacationing at the resort. We had a great evening talking while the band
played and eventually, Ian and Kelly got up for a dance. They were great fun to
watch. Next Chris and Kelly were dancing then Ian and Chris were dancing.
After a fun evening we said our good-byes and returned to the boat.
It was another overcast and rainy day. We didn’t care. It was about 10AM when we went to the beach and tried to enjoy a sunny day in the shade. The problem was that it wasn’t a sunny day. Every half hour a rain shower would come through. We were tucked under a palapa umbrella but still it seemed chilly. Finally about 2 PM we moved from the beach to the Discovery Hotel where we had a lovely lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool with Murray, Nadine and their daughter Michelle (Squiz from British Columbia).
March 22nd, St LuciaThere was no rain overnight and we awoke to a blue sky. Rick went ashore early and got some nice warm bread from the French bakery for breakfast.
We went on an Island tour today. Our driver was Linus who allowed us to spend as long as we wanted at each location. He took us to the Diamond Falls where the movies, Romancing the Stone and Superman 2 were both filmed. We roamed through the Botanical Gardens with a very knowledgeable guide then went to the drive thru volcano which was nicely bubbling and providing a gross sulphur smell.
We had a wonderful lunch at the Dasheen Restaurant in the Ladera Resort. This
has got to be one of the most scenic views in the Caribbean as it is located
high on the mountain between the Pitons.
We stopped at Zaka’s Studio on our way back to Soufriere and bought a couple of wildly painted masks as a souvenir.
Next we stopped in Soufriere where I was looking to purchase some shoes for tomorrow. We planned to go zip-lining in the rainforest but we were informed that we must wear covered shoes. After carrying running shoes around for six years and not needing them, we took them home last year. We only have Teva’s onboard and the shoes we found in town cost more than the day of zip-lining so we decided to cancel tomorrow’s adventure.
It was well after 4PM when we returned to the boat. It had been a perfect day
for sightseeing.
Today was Easter Sunday so I suggested that in celebration we would go for a special Easter breakfast at Doolittle’s Restaurant. It was a mistake. This is the second time we have tried this restaurant and both times it was disappointing.
The day was beautiful, hot and sunny with a gentle breeze. We remained on the beach for the full day, reading and sleeping with the occasional dip in the ocean and the pool.
Rick made pasta for dinner and then as I was doing dishes, Kelly and Rick sat in the cockpit and watched the Jules Vern ATV and ISS (International Space Station) clearly move across the sky above us.
Kelly enjoyed the sky so much; she moved her sport seat to the bow and lay on deck to watch the sky. Wouldn’t you know it; she was rewarded with a falling star.
Kelly and I began our day on the beach. Rick had a few boat chores to do so he dropped us off there with a promise to join us shortly.
When the three of us were in the shade of the palapa umbrella we broke out the dominos. A game of Mexican Train took us until lunch time when we decided to move over to Hurricane Hole for lunch and a swim in the pool.
It rained off and on all afternoon while we were in the pool area and finally
started to clear when we returned to the boat to shower and change.
Looking and smelling a little more respectable we went by dinghy to the Rainforest Hideaway Restaurant and Bar. This is one of the highest rated restaurants in St Lucia and is also a little pricey. We sat in the bar area enjoyed the view, had a cocktail and joked with the server for a while before departing for Chateau Mygo which is more within a price range we can afford.
It rained before we were up in the morning and it appeared as though we were in for another day of dry season rain. Kelly said that she enjoys doing things spontaneously so I suggested that we have breakfast at the French bakery, pick up a few groceries and leave. I would rather be underway in the rain than trying to enjoy the beach or pool.
We let go the mooring lines about 9:30AM and motor sailed to Soufriere and the Pitons. Along the way there were a few dophins passing by but to Kelly’s disappointment they chose not to come close and play at the bow.
Rick said we needed gas for the generator and dinghy so we took a mooring by the bat caves which makes it easier for him to get to the gas docks at Soufriere. On his way back with the gas he dinghied by Harmony Beach and if he was willing to dinghy that far I was sorry we hadn’t taken a mooring there. It was very rolly at the bat caves so I called Ben at Harmony Beach and asked him if we could reserve a mooring for tomorrow. He said there was one available now and he would have Ben Junior hold it for us and help with our lines if we wanted to move over right away. We jumped into high gear and crossed the bay in almost record time.
It was still a little rolly but enough of an improvement that I was willing to make dinner onboard. We had purchased some lovely looking romaine lettuce so I made some bacon bits and Caesar salad dressing to go with a pork tenderloin I had marinating in the fridge and some nice imported potatoes. The highlight of the evening was that while watching the sunset Kelly saw her first Caribbean green flash.
It took all of us forever to get to sleep as the creaks and groans of the boat with the roll were unfamiliar after having absolutely no motion in Marigot Bay.
Rain, rain and more rain. We had books to read and I had saved laundry hoping to have Ben (Harmony Beach) take care of it for us. His washing machine is being repaired and I am sitting with four loads of dirty clothes on a rainy day.
Ben, when I called him said not to worry, they would take care of the laundry for us. They used the washer in one of their rental apartments and the hung everything under the roof next to the restaurant to dry.
We really wanted to go snorkelling today but the clouds remained with us the whole day. Eventually we gave up and settled in the cockpit for a game of Rummikub.
Ben Junior came to pick us up at 6:30PM in his water taxi and took us ashore for dinner at Harmony Beach. He had picked up another couple Bob and Sue (Brass Tacks) so we asked them if they would like to join us and share a table. They did and we had a very enjoyable evening. The meal was wonderful and when we had finished, Nancy and Jerry (L'ame Libre) stopped at our table to say hello. They sailed over to the Mediterranean about five years ago and have only been back in the Caribbean for four months. We spent a little while catching up on the status of mutual friends and their Caribbean adventures since returning.
Since it was Kelly’s first dinner at the restaurant Ben invited her to choose from the Carib Indian pottery he gives as a free souvenir from St. Lucia.
Ben Junior took us back to our boat at 9:30PM.
March 27th, St LuciaIt was still raining today but we decided to ignore it. It was a little tricky as we were going by dinghy across the bay and this very wet stuff was coming out of the sky all over us. It didn’t matter, we were wearing bathing suits and heading for the pool.
It worked!!! The sky cleared and we had a wonderful time at the Hummingbird Resort. We were joined by Walt and Elsie (Sea Dream I) with their daughter Kerry and granddaughter Briana. We had a swim in the pool and a nice lunch before returning to the boat.
We didn’t remain on the boat, just jumped aboard to get the snorkel gear. We
went along the beach to
Harmony and then snorkelled from there back to the boat.
Rick after a quick dip, accompanied us in the dinghy.
We spent the rest of the day onboard. After dark Kelly went out on deck again to do some more star gazing.
The rain has been extremely annoying. All morning long we remained down below checking the sky. The blue sky would appear from over the hills, we would get our hopes up and 10 minutes later it would be raining again.
It was a little after 1PM when we decided to go ashore to the little restaurant, Anse Miton, on the beach. We should have swum ashore because the surf made it tricky to use their little stone dock and the stony beach wasn’t much better. We chose the sandy beach that was a little further along the shoreline toward Harmony Beach and we beached and tied the dinghy to a palm tree.
Lunch was very good and we were entertained by the cow and calf that we had been watching for a few days. We were sitting in a cute little restaurant, under the pitons, on the beach, with palm trees all around us and a cow and calf grazing by the edge of the rainforest. I think that is quite unique.
It was 4PM by the time we returned to the boat and while Kelly and I lounged in the cockpit, Rick charged into town and bought a few items that we needed.
He was back in time for sundowners which we enjoyed while watching the sun set and the tide with some swells in it crash onto the beach about 100 feet behind us.
Today we joined Walt, Elsie, their daughter Kerry and granddaughter Briana at
Jalousie Beach which is located between the Pitons. After the surf that we saw
last night, rather than go by dinghy we had Ben Junior take us all in his water
taxi which is a large Pirogue. It rained a lot first thing in the morning but by
10:30AM it seemed to settle down to scattered showers.
We had a nice day on the beach but found it very expensive. The resort wanted $20 US per beach chair and the beer was $5US for a small glass. We sat on our towels in the sand and Rick & Kelly controlled their beer drinking and kept it to a minimum. Lunch was also very expensive but the food was good and the servings large.
The snorkelling off the beach was excellent. There was a wonderful variety of fish and numerous schools that I swam through. Even the coral was plentiful.
We returned in the late afternoon and had dinner onboard.
Wouldn’t you know it, Kelly leaves today and we finally awake to a beautiful
sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. Everyone just relaxed onboard in the
morning and we went ashore for lunch at Harmony Beach. Ben (of Harmony Beach)
drove Kerry, Briana and Kelly to the airport in the afternoon.
The sun continued to shine long after they left so Rick and I relaxed in the cockpit with our books.
Our company has gone, the rain is back and big seas are coming again. The forecast is for Northeast swells this time only to 14 feet. We would be fine where we are in Soufriere but we would be much more comfortable and enjoy Marigot Bay where the swells would be a non issue.
So at 7AM Rick swam ashore and untied the stern line of both Sea Dream I and Wind-Borne III. A rain shower had just finished and another was on it’s way but we were able to get away before the second one arrived. Once the stern line was released we let go of the mooring line and Rick still dripping, raised the main sail for me. Once it was up he went below for a nice fresh water warm shower.
The seas were flat and the wind was calm most of the way but we could see a
heavy black squall line just ahead of Marigot Bay. There was no gray involved in
this squall it was slow moving large and vicious looking. Since it was
very long and a couple of miles wide there was no getting away from it. Just as
we were getting close enough to prepare for rain, the clouds parted down the
middle with part of the squall remaining near shore and the rest heading out to
sea. The nice little clear path seemed to be made just for us. We made our way
through with no rain or wind but once on the other side of the squall line, the
wind and waves increased. We didn’t care we were turning into the channel to
Marigot Bay.
Once we were secured to the mooring and everything was organized and put away, Elsie and Walt (Sea Dream I) arrived. We had already splashed the dink so we picked them up went ashore together. I picked up a few groceries; we went to the French Bakery for lunch and then stopped and paid our mooring fee at the marina office.
During the afternoon we read and had a siesta. Dinner on board was leftovers
with a nice fresh Caesar salad. The romaine lettuce available here is a treat.
