Well, we've been travelling more and more slowly as we get to our hurricane season hang-out. It's getting so that 10 miles is a big deal!
After Bequia we spent three days (again) in beautiful Salt Whistle Bay in Mayreau. On our third anchoring, we had made it to the front row in the NE corner along the beach, where no one blocks the view and the swell is not noticeable. After that, it was off to Chatham Bay on the west side of Union Island. This is a big bay with beautiful beaches and several eateries / drinkeries (is that a word?) along the beach. There were only 5 boats in the bay, compared with about 15 in much smaller Salt Whistle. We had dinner ashore courtesy of Shark Attack - the tuna was overdone, unfortunately. On Sunday we moved to Clifton and walked along the ?? beach.
The next morning we cleared out at the airport and sailed down to St. George's, Grenada, anchoring in the lagoon. Tuesday morning we checked in - including a mandatory visit to the health inspector, part of the new clearance procedures to reduce the likelihood of swine flu reaching Grenada. (It has already reached Trinidad and Barbados.)
There seem to be many more boats here than we recall from last year. It seems as if folks are trying to avoid Trinidad in favor of hanging or hauling in Grenada for the season. The opportunity is not lost on the local marine industry which is working hard to make the cruising community welcome while encouraging the government to understand the impact of cruiser dollars. New marina developments like Phare Bleu and Port Louis have lots of room and there is a growing community of yacht services available.
Like any port we get to these days, there are a lot of boats we know so we need to re-acquaint ourselves, and we are always meeting new folks. Canadians seem to be the dominant cruiser species here, followed by Americans, Brits and everyone else. Since we arrived late on June 29th, we had only a day to prepare for Canada Day. We celebrated at Clarke's Court Bay Marina along with 70 other Canadians and 20 wannabees. We have simple tastes, dining on cheese burgers with Canadian Bacon - wow! Our friends Grif and Cheryl (Mystic Journey) from Fort McLeod, AB won the costume competition as Captain Canada and consort.
On Monday, July 6th we left the lagoon and anchored just outside the harbour near Ross Point. While the lagoon is flat calm, it also is noisy and doesn't get much breeze so it is hot and stuffy. And you certainly wouldn't swim there! Ross Point is quite close to beautiful Grand Anse Beach with all its resorts and restaurants. Ross Point can be rolly, but you can swim with abandon!
On Tuesday we said goodbye to Jules, another IP, with Nani and Peter heading off to the Testigoes en route to Australia. We first met them in January in Sint Maarten.
On Wednesday we motored around to Hog Island, the definitive cruiser hangout on the south coast. Imagine a pond about ½ mile in diameter with a reef bound entry to the south, a small island with a lovely sand beach to the east and a peninsula to the north and west. There is a dinghy passage under a bridge at the NE corner so you can get into Clarke's Court Bay to visit the marinas, go shopping, etc. Oh, yeah - almost forgot there is a bush bar on the island! There are presently about 40 some boats at anchor, on moorings or tucked up into the mangroves ranging from derelicts to "wow, I want one!"
Someday soon the Island will be a Four Seasons resort - but not yet!
Cutty, one of the local taxi and tour guides invited the cruisers to an Oil Down near his house on July 11th. By the time the buses rolled there were over 40 cruisers signed up to join the local folks for the party.
An Oil Down is Grenada's national dish which consists of salted pork, beef and/or fish, leaf and root vegetables, stewed in coconut milk. This is cooked in a large pot over an open fire by the side of the road. The feast takes all afternoon to prepare as each item is sliced or chopped and put in the pot in layers. All male guests help in peeling, chopping and grating, and placing the food in the pot. (In truth several cruiser ladies stood in for their less adept spouses including yours truly.) The bush bar at the same location provides the beer necessary to adequately lubricate the chefs. Best of all was the opportunity to chat with Grenadians about all manner of things. The day started about 2:30 and we were back on the boats by late evening.
On Monday the 13th, 12 of us hired Cutty to take us to Levera Beach to watch the leatherback turtles come in and lay their eggs as well as watch the hatchlings start their perilous journey to adulthood. Leatherbacks are the largest turtle species, the females weighing 200 to 600 Kg. with shells alone typically 4 ½ to 5 ½ feet long. Hatchlings weigh a mere 2 oz and are about 2 ½ inches long. While leatherbacks range as far north as Norway (and Atlantic Canada) and as far south as New Zealand, they nest in the tropics. They can dive to over 1 km deep!
We left at 6:30 PM prepared to return around 1 AM. Along the way Cutty picked up our guide Dora. To avoid disturbing the turtles, everyone used red headlamps and flashlights. We were extremely fortunate, since by the time we got to the proper part of the beach one turtle, 7 feet in overall length, was preparing her nest.
Unfortunately, she was digging up a previous nest, so the researchers were encouraging her to move away by filling the hole as quickly as she dug. Once she was a couple of feet away, they allowed her to proceed while collecting the eggs for reburial at a more suitable location. While we were watching, another turtle came ashore behind us, moved along the beach and started digging her nest. The nests are over two feet deep - as deep as their hind flippers will reach - and a foot in diameter. They lay about 100 eggs at a time, and may lay up to 6 times in a season. Once the first turtle finished laying she started to camouflage the nest so we left.
Along the way we stumbled upon a bunch of hatchlings sticking their heads up through the sand and starting their scramble to the water. They are so small that they can get stuck in your footprint! Therefore we had to help them along by smoothing the sand and turning them around when they got disoriented. Only one in a thousand survives to adulthood.
We were very lucky to see everything we had hoped for and were back on the boat by midnight. Unfortunately, we had no moonlight and flash was not permitted, so the pictures we have are from the internet but do parallel our experience.
The next day we moved into the marina at Clarke's Court Bay to carry out maintenance and arrange for some repairs and quotations.
Today (a thoroughly rainy day) we are back on the hook in Hog Island, and planning to go up to Carriacou for the regatta.
People wonder how we fill our days! Well, much the same way anyone who is retired does, although most things take longer. Friday (at least) is shopping day, cause that's when the bus takes us from Clarke's Court Bay marina to the IGA at Grand Anse. Any other day, you have to carry whatever you buy, so you shop frequently. There is always a list of required repairs to be attacked or ignored, depending how you feel. And invariably when you start, you have to go to town for a necessary part or tool. When the weather is bad (like today), who feels like getting the dinghy down and riding through the rain. So reading, or catching up on the blog moves to the top of the list. Then there is sightseeing, hiking, visiting and Liming (having a brew while yarning and hanging about)!
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Vive La France! Unlike the British Caribbean islands which all became independent with all that entails in terms of self - sufficiency and dependence on tourism, Guadeloupe and Martinique remain part of France with a resultant high quality of public infrastructure (roads, parks, docks, etc.) that reflects the subsidy from Europe. In concert with the thoroughly European availability of goods and the French flair for food these are great places to visit and stock up, albeit at prices that are higher than St. Martin.
This time around we spent another two days in Fort-de-France including an evening at their L'Atrium watching folk dancing. The markets are great and the shopping quite interesting - especially if you like ladies shoes! Unfortunately the anchorage is right beside the ferry terminal which is very busy on weekdays starting at around 6 AM. Don't put your coffee cup down or you'll be wearing it! Having been reunited with Bonanza in Dominica, we were in company with them and Daniell Storey on our Martinique visit.
Then we moved 2 ½ miles across the bay to Anse Mitan and had a delightful dinner at La Manureva, a beachfront restaurant overlooking the harbour.
The next day it was off on the 6 mile journey to Grande Anse D'Arlet at the SW corner of the island. Lo and behold, we were there for Martinique's third long weekend in May - that's right, the third - this one commemorating emancipation. (The others were FWI wide holidays - Labor Day May 1st and Armistice Day May 8th.) This is definitely something to be aware of if you want to provision.
The anchorage filled up but it was still quieter than we had expected. After a morning hike to Morne Champagne and wandering around the picturesque town of Anse D'Arlet which is in the next bay we returned to rest up for Emancipation Day celebrations which would probably keep us up after boaters midnight (9 PM). We went ashore for a cocktail with Roy and Michelle and discovered a very quiet little town with lots of family dining. Net result - back and into bed by 10. Wow!
Next morning we went 15 miles to Le Marin, leaving at 6AM to get around the corner before the wind came up. �'�39 for laundry and �'�78 for groceries later we are sitting in the cockpit enjoying a sundowner. While we were there we took the dinghys and explored a nearby river, the Riviere Grande Pilote.
After 3 days in Le Marin, we set sail for Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. It was the kind of sail they put on the yacht brochures, hence the opening photo of us enjoying the sail. Wind 10 to 15 knots on the beam, small wind chop, 4 to 5 foot seas on the beam, sunny - what a shame it was only 4 hours!
May 26th marked our third time in Rodney Bay, but we had never explored the area before. We anchored off Reduit Beach with flat water, offshore wind, rock solid (free) internet and great swimming. The only negative is jet skis circling us when the cruise ships come in to Castries, the capital.
We explored Pigeon Island, where Fort Rodney has a commanding view of the harbour (logical) and from the second hill which once was the lookout and signal station, you can see Martinique. Great hiking to get the land legs back in shape. Thought for the day: The Brits and French didn't drag those mortars and cannons up 45 degree slopes to the hilltops. If the water was deep enough to bring a warship close to shore, and the hill was steep enough, they would rig lines from the masthead to the hilltop and winch the cannons across and up!
On Friday we enjoyed the jump-up in Gros Islet, sampling the street food and beverages and meeting some interesting characters. Being both cruisers and seniors, we left before the music hit 100 decibels and the dancing got underway. Hit the sack at the late hour of 2230!
On the weekend the ladies visited the market in Castries, the capital. Believe it or not, Monday June 1st was yet another holiday - somehow we've hit 4 in the last five weeks.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday we rented a car and toured St. Lucia. This has now become mandatory on every island - you get a totally different perspective than from the water side and quickly appreciate that each island is unique. We hiked to the top of Mount La Combe on the Barre de L' Isle Trail , were guided around the Fond D'Or park by Paul, met the radio operator at the top of Cap Moule a Chique on the SE corner of the island and enjoyed the unique view overlooking the Piton's from the Dasheen restaurant at Ladera resort and on the highway above Soufriere. We wore ourselves out over the two days - especially the three hour near vertical hike in 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Guess what? There is still enough stuff left for another tour!
Friday we went back to Gros Islet and enjoyed a great dinner at Tilly's, followed by a walk around the busy bars and street vendors. The boat is now in the Rodney Bay Marina while we fly home for a brief visit from June 7th to 18th. Believe it or not, the marina claims 35% of its business is Canadian.
The trip home was a wonderful break, albeit full of appointments. It was great to see everyone and we truly look forward to getting home next summer.
Meanwhile, back in St. Lucia we spent two days putting the boat back together, provisioning and catching up on sleep. Then it was an overnight stop at the Pitons and onward to Bequia on the 22nd. After a couple of nights in Bequia we set sail for Mayreau in the Grenadines.
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Nell and Phil
Moon Dancer
Well, somehow a week passed whilst we hung about in Jolly Harbour. We enjoyed lunch (flying fish) at Café Bamboula on our visit to the Antiguan capital of St. John's. Lunch was so good that the ladies went day shopping and tried a repeat performance. The restaurant closed the day after as May 1st is considered the end of the cruise ship season.
Generally speaking, the tourism season in the Islands has been tough on the travel industry with many layoffs. Before leaving Antigua we said farewell to Randy & Sue (Nancy Dawson) heading home to NS for the season and to Lisa and Norm (Williwaw) sailing back to Cape Breton to conclude their Atlantic Circle trip.
On April 30th we set sail with Daniell Storey bound for Deshaies on the NW corner of Guadeloupe. We had a great sail until a squall came over and the wind switched to the south. Oh well, if you aren't going to windward...
Deshaies is in a beautiful location surrounded by mountains, but the town doesn't look like much from the water side - a tribute to the odd hurricane and tropical storm that chews up the beachfront buildings and docks. However, the water is crystal clear and the beach is actually lined with restaurants. We enjoyed lunch at Le Coin des Pecheurs. One new local highlight was Harold, who dropped by the first evening by dinghy and asked what we would like delivered in the morning: baguettes, croissants, pain chocolate, crepes, etc. Wow- it was all great, delivered warm at 7:00 AM.
Deshaies is home to a fabulous botanical garden the equal of any we've seen anywhere - well laid out, superbly maintained and well signed for those who don't know a bromeliad from a pine tree (like Bill). At first, �'�14 a head seemed a bit much, but it was well worth the fee.
On May 2nd, encouraged by an expected period of SE winds and squally weather we moved on to The Saintes, the island group south of Guadeloupe. The highlight of the first day was a hike up to Fort Napolean which has a neat museum devoted to the French - English naval battles in the area and a fabulous view of the surrounding islands.
"A Day In The Saintes" for those who want to know what cruising is really like (on the good days like May 4th).
We are up before 7AM to heat water for washing, get the coffee going, lower the dinghy (it spends every night hoisted on the davits) and listen to the Chris Parker weather forecast that comes on around 7:15. Over coffee and breakfast we log in to the SSB Coconut Telegraph at 8 AM so we can locate our fellow cruisers. On this particular day, we go ashore to check in with the French authorities since this will be our 4th day in Guadeloupe and no-one was available to check us in at Deshaies or here on the May 1st long weekend!
We dinghy ashore - this time to the swimming area - and lock the dinghy to the dock. The town features narrow streets, lots of motor scooters and a host of restaurants and bars. Shops open early (7 or 8), close from 12 to 3 and are open until 6 to 8 PM. We wander past the boulangerie and epicerie and note that the tiny lean-to that serves as a fish market is open and busy. At the mairie we fill out the forms and are asked to return in 1 hour since they have to FAX to the capital (Bassetere) for approval. No one looks at our passports or boat documentation.
While we wait, Leona and I climb up to the shrine that overlooks the town. Then we shop at the bakery (hot fresh baguettes) and grocery store (fresh veggies). After picking up the documents (still no peek at the passports and registration) Leona and Michelle return to the fish market where they have fresh tuna and dolphin (mahi - mahi). They negotiate 3 lbs for �'�10 - Leona gets a bit extra 'cause the fish monger has a T shirt indicating he prefers blonds, and she is blonder than Michelle. Back to the boat to store the booty and have lunch on board.
Later we head ashore to visit the shops and have a glass of wine at the sidewalk café that is on the square in front of the main ferry dock. Then it's back to the boat where we enjoy superb fresh tuna steaks on the barbie with some fine wine. This is followed by a movie in the cockpit and to bed before 9. What a strenuous day! The night wasn't so great what with squalls and a swell on the beam rolling us around but that's the price of paradise.
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We left The Saintes on Tuesday, May 5th bound for Pointe a Pitre 21 miles away on the main island of Guadeloupe. We anchored off La Fouillole (we can't pronounce it either) near the marina complex.
We spent the following day walking the city, with its various markets (fish, spice, veggies and flowers: all separate), churches, parks and wild and crazy shopping. Vive la consumerism - there must be more shoe shops in Point a Pitre than Montreal!
The next day we rented a car with Dave & Michelle (Daniell Storey) and toured Basse Terre (the west volcanic island). Every time a cruiser rents a car they look for a super market, so Leader Price was the first stop. Priority two is rum tasting, so next stop was Domaine de Severin for a tour and a sip or two. After all they have a dozen different products - you can't stop with one!
The preliminaries dispensed with, we headed off to Guadeloupe National Park (one of 7 in all of France) to check out the rain forest and mountains. Leona led us on a mud slide / hike trapezing down through the rain forest to the Saut de la Lezard (Lizards Leap). The very impressive water fall was followed by Dave inventing shortcuts uphill through the mud. Lunch at another waterfall picnic site brought the energy level back to snuff and cleansed us of mud (except Leona's butt).
The next day we toured Grand Terre (the east limestone island). This island is smaller so we planned to tour, then provision for our stay in Dominica, the next stop south. Unbeknownst to us, it was a holiday - can you imagine having two long weekends in a row? We started at a spectacular cemetery in Morne-a L'Eau - most of the hundreds of mausoleums feature a unique black and white checkerboard motif. We then went to Port Louis on the north inside of the butterfly first - and ran smack dab into a cycling rally involving about half of Guadeloupe! In fact, we got on the course somehow... After resigning from the race, we headed off to La Moule on the east coast - an interesting blend of modern seafront and historic downtown. Next was Pointe des Chateaux - the eastern most point in Guadeloupe where the relentless sea has sculpted formations reminiscent of - you guessed it - Chateaux! It was a great place for a picnic - wild sea, big hills and a cooling sea breeze.
After a stop at Le Gosier and the fort Fleur d'Epee we descended on the Cora store at Bas du Fort only to discover it was closed due to the holiday. That meant we had to provision the next day (Saturday May 9th) without the car. Fortunately, Dave & Michelle had a couple of carts so we could capitalize on the �'�0.68 500 ml beer that was on special as well as all the other goodies in the reputed largest supermarket in the Caribbean. Unfortunately our hands were full so we have no pictures of our ½ mile procession down the freeway shoulder back to the marina dinghy dock.
One thing we'll remember about Guadeloupe: from the charming lady at the tourist bureau to the vendor at the veggie market to the passer by translating labels to Leona in the grocery store, everyone we met was unfailingly helpful, friendly and accepting of our weak French.
On Sunday we left early on the 40 mile passage to Portsmouth, Dominica. It was a great sail for most of the trip, although the winds howled around the north corner of Dominica at 30K+ with 8 to 10 foot seas. The last five miles was truly a wild ride - no autopilot for this part!
Dominica has lots to do and see and the people are really helpful and friendly. Not for nothing is this the Nature Island. While here we've enjoyed a trip into Roseau (the capital) for a walking / shopping tour; hiking Cabrits National Park and the Fort Shirley restoration and ruins and a guided boat tour of the Indian River (see our header picture) with Martin who really knows his flora, fauna and history.
One complaint - for some reason there is a SW swell creeping into the harbour. When the wind dies at night, the boat swings back and forth across the swell - sometimes flat, other times rolling like crazy. Very tough to get a full nights sleep. So we decide to try the other side of the harbour since the grass looked greener. NOT!
Worse, one of the nearby boats was robbed by three young guys in the middle of the night, losing computer, electronics, dinghy, documents and money. Police and the Indian River Guides were quick to respond. We were reminded that the Indian River Guide security patrol only operates in the northeast part of the bay, so we returned the next morning. Dominican coast guard responded from Roseau by Zodiac(15 miles away) within an hour. Not only that, but the Minister of Tourism came out to the boat the following day to register his concern. This was the first incident in the past 4 years and everyone took it very seriously. At time of writing one suspect has been arrested, and the dinghy recovered.
We never lock our companionway while we are aboard - this strategy needs to be re-thought!!
Our last day we took a guided hike to the Syndicate waterfall, featuring an excellent hands on course on Dominican flora on a farm that seems to grow everything and ending with a visit to Dublanc, a quaint village on the west coast.
Tomorrow, it's off to Martinique!
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Stay safe and continue to have lots of new adventures!!
Regards, Sherry
