15 August 2010 | Jaji, Venezuela
15 August 2010 | Venezuela
15 August 2010 | Merida, Venezuela
15 August 2010 | Merida, Venezuela
15 August 2010 | Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
12 July 2010 | Tortuga, Venezuela
07 July 2010 | Navimca, Venezuela
07 July 2010 | Cumana, Venezuela
07 July 2010 | Cumana, Venezuela
07 July 2010 | Makro Store, Cumana, Venezuela
Callaloo
10 October 2007 | Bequia
We are always open to trying new foods and this was our first experience with callaloo. It has a large leaf on a long stem and is the texture of spinach and very nutritious. We asked at the market how to cook it and were told to toss it in the frying pan with olive oil and garlic. It was quite delightful. This was also our final meal of tuna purchased from a fisherman in St. Vincent. A whole tuna turned out to be a lot for us to eat. Bill made a curried rice to accompany the meal. We have now eaten callaloo soup and fritters and enjoyed them all.
Switch
10 October 2007 | Bequia
We enjoyed this beautiful sunset from our anchorage in Bequia. Just before dark a charter catamaran, Switch, with 8 French tourists, a captain and female crew member, took a mooring ball right next to us. That's not the first country where Switch has hugged us in the night. They were so close we could almost see what they were eating for dinner. We had two anchors out as the bottom was mud and our CQR had a tendency to drag on its own. We were planning to leave early the next morning. In the morning, as Bill readied the boat for sail, pulling up our Fortress anchor first, I was at the helm trying to keep the boat under control. We immediately started to drag on our CQR and didn't have any room to maneuver. I urgently pressed Bill (OK, I yelled at him) to forget what he was doing and get the anchor up as I was worried about colliding with Switch. I had been powering on and off and juggling our position for some time trying to keep out of Switch's way while some of Switch's passengers frolicked in the water behind the boat. More challenges... As Bill started to pull up the CQR we realized Switch was over it and the anchor was pulling us closer and closer to Switch. Before long we were easing into the side of Switch and grabbing our fenders to cushion the impact. Switch also grabbed a fender and the female crew member said in a friendly tone, "you can't hit me, I'm from Quebec". I really didn't care at that moment whether she was from Quebec or Timbucktoo, I just wanted to be clear from them. We finally got the anchor free and away from Switch, passing other boats also in close proximity as we exited the harbour. What a relief to be away from there. That was a little too much excitement before 7:30 a.m.
Busy Bequia
10 October 2007 | Bequia
The ferries in Bequia seem to be on a frequent schedule and at times there were four in dock at one time. Most of the ferries travel back and forth to St. Vincent, a short hop away. We really don't like anchoring in tight places and Bequia posed some problems. We initially anchored right on the edge of the ferry route and bounced in their wake as they plowed by us.
On the Road Again
10 October 2007 | Bequia
Bequia is one of the islands belonging to St. Vincent and immediately south of it. We sailed to Bequia from St. Vincent, expecting something spectacular, as most cruisers bypass St. Vincent en route to Bequia. We are so pleased we don't follow the crowd as Bequia, although claimed to be a favorite of yachtspeople, was a bit of a disappointment. We struggled to find good anchoring and ended up moving closer to town expecting better internet reception. Despite the fact that we were not in the busy season it was still crowded. We wandered around the town, discovered where we could do some desperately needed laundry the next day and bought a few groceries. Bill was craving fish and chips so we searched out one of Chris Doyle's recommended restaurants some distance from downtown. To our dismay the restaurant was closed. The prices in Bequia were no bargain except for one ice cream parlour we found on the main street. We ended up making a few stops there before we left.
Morna's Craft Shop
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
We read in our cruising guide that along the road to a very small waterfall not too far from the anchorage, was a craft shop where they weave baskets and bowls. It also noted they grow lettuce, herbs and some vegetables and will pick them straight from the garden for you.
On our way back from our hike, we stopped and spent about 45 minutes chatting with Berthold about his unusual creations. He takes old machinery parts and creates artistic pieces for his garden. He has been featured on television and was very interesting to talk to. He also does weaving, along with his mother. He was a wealth of knowledge about the island and had also lived in Canada and taught school for several years.
We asked if he had lettuce and tomatoes for sale as we could see lettuce growing in his garden. He picked the lettuce for us and then went to his own kitchen for tomatoes, as he didn't have any in his garden. We had a delightful time with him.
Laundry Day
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
This scene gives new meaning to the term "laundry day". How we take our automatic conveniences for granted and get annoyed when they are briefly out of service.
There were no public laundry facilities available in town so we were encouraged to take our laundry to the river. I was tempted to do so, just to have the experience. For many people around the world this is the norm. It is usually turned into a social opportunity and a pleasant experience.
Pirates of the Caribbean
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
Another scene from the movie... We could look behind the scenes and see the piping and construction holding the scenes together. An amazing amount of work goes into putting a production like this together.
Pirates of the Caribbean Signing Board
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
The actors signed this board expressing appreciation for the hospitality of Wallilabou and St. Vincent during the filming of the movie. There are photos on display showing some of the actors as they are actually signing the board. These are on display in the Anchorage Hotel, also used in the movie.
Pirates of the Caribbean Bridge
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
The area around this beautiful bridge is overgrown, hiding some of its charm. In some places you have to walk carefully so you don't fall through.
Pirates of the Caribbean
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
Can you picture Johnny Depp stealing the ship from this dock and sailing away? It would have been great fun to have been an observer while these movies were being shot.
Pirates of the Caribbean
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
Another set from the movie...
This is an idyllic bay for the movie. Individual scenes were shot on other islands as well. On our travels we saw a pirate ship in St. Lucia that took tourists out for daily tours and in Dominica we traveled along the Indian River where another scene was shot. In the Bahamas, at the beginning of our trip, we saw another pirate ship just before it was moved to an island owned by Disney. Photos of that ship are at the beginning of our blog.
Pirates of the Caribbean
01 October 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
The stage sets are still intact, albeit in various stages of decay. Watching the movies now brings a whole new connection for us. The locals said it was very exciting as the bay was full of pirate ships. The fisherman were paid not to work as their fishing grounds were taken over by the movie company. The fisherman were involved as extras or running errands.
We would like to see Wallilabou take some interest in maintaining the stage sets because in time there will be nothing much of interest to see. For now, it is attracting tourists and bringing much needed revenue to their economy.
Fresh Tuna Steak Breakfast
27 September 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
We couldn't wait to wake up the next morning and view our surroundings in daylight. We were captivated by the beauty and serenity. Bill said "this is what I've been dreaming about".
As we sat in the cockpit around 6:30 a.m., a local fisherman spotted us and rowed up to our boat. He welcomed us to the island and offered to fetch us fresh bread, fruit, etc. As an afterthought, he said "how about a fish?". Bill said he was only interested in tuna and the man reached into his boat and produced a freshly caught, nice-sized tuna. We negotiated a price of $40 EC (or $15 US) and he offered to clean it and slice it on his boat (saving us having the mess on ours). What a delightful treat that turned out to be. We had several meals of fresh tuna, including sushi with wasabi paste.
St. Vincent has a reputation for crime so we were cautiously guarded when we first arrived. Like Jamaica, our fears were completely dispelled as everyone we met was low key, respectful and helpful. They seemed to go out of their way to ensure we felt safe, secure and had "no worries". We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Wallilabou and St. Vincent in general, and hope other cruisers will make the effort to stop there on their way by. They will have a treat in store.
Poodle Rock
27 September 2007 | Wallilabou, St. Vincent
We were a little late leaving St. Lucia and the winds were light, so our arrival in Wallilabou, St. Vincent occurred after dark. (We try to plan arrivals in unfamiliar harbours in daylight, but we just ran out of it.) The night was blacker than black but according to our charts, Wallilabou was a straightforward entry with no obstacles. The cruising guide indicated the hotel had mooring balls available. So guided by our chart on the computer, and Bill on the bow with a powerful flashlight, we eased our way into the bay. Scanning the harbour Bill spotted a catamaran nearby so we steered to the right where we located a mooring ball. The Anchorage Hotel had a bright light shining toward the bay which actually was more detrimental than helpful. With the mooring ball visible we were confident we were home free. Then, all of a sudden, through the dark, we spotted a man on a surfboard paddling frantically toward us, placing himself directly between the mooring ball and our boat. He was offering to help hook us up. Bill warned him to move or he was going to be hammered by 30,000 lbs. of boat. We ended up agreeing that he hand us the mooring line, for which he expected compensation. In all fairness, these boat boys are trying to earn a few dollars to support their families and this is one of their roles. He wanted $20 EC but I told him the guidebook said $10 EC was the going rate. He readily accepted payment and offered to come back in the morning to fetch us fresh bread or fruit. We declined, saying we had plenty on board we had to eat.
Wallilabou was the main setting for two of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. This rock, which we named Poodle Rock, had several dramatic scenes shot through the opening.