06/22/2006, Tobago Cays, The Grenadines
Beautiful beaches EVERYWHERE
Fantastic snorkeling EVERYWHERE
No need to say anything else. Did I mention that I really love the place?
The Tobago Cays must be the ultimate cruising experience -- the perfect picture of what comes to mind when thinking about spending time on a Caribbean island. This is especially true if you want to get away from civilization altogether because these islands are so small there isn't any with the possible exception of some boat boys offering fresh fish, etc.
One fact of interest to movie buffs. Some of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie was filmed here. In fact we looked out on the island where Johnny Depp swam ashore which was kind of surprising because it is surrounded by a shallow reef. But, I guess having Johnny walk in a few inches of reef wasn't in the script.
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06/18/2006, Bequia, The Grenadines
Bequia is the start of the Grenadines, a group of small islands south of St. Vincent which offer terrific cruising. It is also one of my favorite anchorges with great beaches and places to explore in the dinghy in addition to a charming town which is awfully nice for shopping and simply walking around.
There are very interesting vehicles which take small groups on tours. They are sort of like converted pick up trucks with covered, open air seating where the bed of the truck used to be. We visited several interesting places:
The Old Hegg Turtle Sanctury -- is privately run by a man named Brother King. Because most newly hatched turtles are eaten by predators, he keeps them for several years so they will have a better chance of survival in the ocean . He works mostly with Hawksbill sea turtles which do not repreduce until they are 25 years old. Since he has been operating the sanctuary for about 15 years, it will be awhile yet before any of the turtles he has released will begin reproducing. I think his work may prove very important because he told us he has been seeing fewer and fewer turtle eggs in the wild in recent years.
A lovely pottery making business operates out of an old estate house, and we picked up a nice gift. When you live on a boat, shopping is an interesting experience. I love to look, but rarely buy anything that isn't a gift because we would soon run out of places to put things.
Snorkeling is surprisingly good in Bequia. I saw an enormous variely of fish and other creatures.
The vegetable market run largely by rasta followers was a unique experience, but not very pleasant because they are such agressive salesmen. This attitude is very unusualy to what I have experienced in other places. Fortunately, there are other places to shop where the experience is much more plesant.
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06/16/2006, southern St. Lucia
Very decadent lunch This picture is a view from Dasheen, a restaurant literally perched on the side of a mountain, which looks out over the pitons in southern St. Lucia. All the rooms as well as the rooms in the adjacent hotel are enclosed on only three sides with the fourth side opening onto this incrediable view. There are more pictures in the gallery. I thought it was one of the most spectacular places I had ever been. And the food was also very good. Next trip I hope to spend a couple of days in the hotel. We came here via taxi and stopped at a wonderful studio on the way back to the boat.
The pitons are two very steep peaks rising about 3000 feet straight off the water in southern St. Lucia. The whole area is part of a large marine park and we stayed on one of the park's moorings. There is good shorkeling on the north shore of the bay, and the scenery from the mooring is really dramatic. St. Lucia is a volcanic island and the sand is dark because the rocks it was made from are dark. While the water is very clear, you can't see as well snorkeling as when the sand in light (as in the Bahamas) especially when it is cloudy. So I've had to get used to planning snorkeling when it is bright and sunny. And since rainy season seems to have started, there are more clouds. The result is that I try to get out snorkeling by late morning if the sun is out because clouds seem to build up more later in the day.
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06/07/2006, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Luxury at the Rodney Bay Marina -- Since we wouldn't be able to use the dinghy for 3-4 days while it was being repaired, we decided to enjoy the luxuries at the Rodney Bay Marina including LONG showers, using the dryer and not worrying about the batteries!! Being anchored out when you don't have a dinghy isn't that much fun. This marina has a nice swimming pool which is a real bonus in a harbor where the water may not be great for swimming. The marina is located in the lagoon off Rodney Bay, a very well-protected anchorage and harbor. All around the lagoon are various stores, restaurants, hotels, and houses.
Our enjoyable stay in St. Lucia included:
- Tram ride through the rain forest. A really a neat experience. A cable car with about 8 people and a guide goes up a steep incline through the middle of the forest canopy and returns along a higher level up at the top of the canopy. When the weather is clear, there is a spectacular view coming down. We had to take the guide's word about the view because, not surprisingly, it started raining just as we began coming down, and we all huddled under ponchos for awhile. The rain stopped after about 10 minutes and we could actually see the top of the rain forest canopy. I had not expected to see a lot of flowers growing way up there, but it makes sense when you realize that the flowers need sun, which is found on top of the forest.
- The best of both worlds. Wonderful beaches on the bay just outside the lagoon are only a short dinghy ride from a gentle, non-rolly anchorage.
- Sightings of very cool looking tall ships both anchored out in the bay and tied up to the dock. We even witnessed a mock battle between two of them out in the bay. I wasn't sure why they were firing at each other, but maybe it was for the benefit of guests in a resort on the shore.
- Jazz at Jambe de Bois, a waterside cafe at Pigeon Island National Park, which houses an old fort where a short hike is rewarded by an panoramic view.
- Colorful boats selling fruits and vegetables in the marina and anchorage as well as a terrific street market in the nearby town of Castries.
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06/06/2006, St. Pierre, Martinique
First stop in the Windward Islands and our anniversary. Although our stay in Martinique was far too short, it was important because we finally arrived in the Windward Islands and celebrated our anniversary by having dinner in a terrific French restaurant ashore.
The restaurant owner spoke about as much English as we spoke Frence. However, another patron was able to translate and we had a truly superior meal.
We took off the next morning because the weather was good for going to St. Lucia where we needed to get our dinghy repaired.
As for Martinique, all I can say is "We'll be back!"
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