Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Rodney Bay, St Lucia
Today we were able to pick up our camping gas cylinder and check out of customs, I also tried to find us a new kettle for our hob ours now only held on at one side of the handle after a dive off the work surface on the way north. I was not successful in this task but with everything else ready we decided to get an early night so that we could make an early start on Thursday.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
We were enjoying breakfast outdoors in the cockpit with a gentle breeze and a gentle sunshine when we heard a gentle ripple and saw hundreds of tiny silver fish jumping out of the water in waves, it went on for a few minutes moving across the surface of the water, all obviously escaping some dreaded predator. We were still enjoying another chapter of Patrick O’Brien (Kevin has also now started the last 10, so no hope of much work from either of us!) when Lawrence headed off on Papillon with a friend to Dominica where he is delivering some older Optimist dingies which have been donated by the St. Lucia Sailing Club to a sailing club there. We had already agreed to follow the next day so we waved them off and carried on with our planning our route north. Unfortunately both Martinique and Guadeloupe are not ideal to visit at present as there has apparently been a general strike in both concerning the price of food which has lead to shortages in both food and fuel, which means longer hops north. Additionally one of our small Camping gas cylinders ran out today and with no likelihood of a refill until Antigua and with strong northerly winds due we decided to refill in St. Lucia although it meant we would be a day late for our meeting with Papillon.
Monday, 2 March 2009
Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
We had agreed to meet Lawrence on Papillon outside in Rodney Bay today but before we could do that we had a whole list of internet jobs to do, not least of which was finally getting the blog up to date with photos going back a month still not posted. Therefore I worked all morning on getting the blog completed and catching up on internet banking etc with the Wifi connection we had managed to get in the Inner Lagoon – these being so precious that you need to use those available.
Our other job whilst we were within such easy reach of the good supermarkets of Rodney Bay was to reorganise and restore our provisions on board. We still have many stocks of dried and tinned goods which we bought in the Canary Islands but which have been picked through and do not necessarily make up meals. Kevin therefore had to dig out all the stored boxes of food buried beneath bunks and seats and try and work out a shopping list, being the cook onboard. Although you might think that the Caribbean may be well provisioned, on the smaller less touristy and therefore poorer islands the supplies are not much better than we found in the Cape Verdes. Therefore, Kevin went off to the supermarket with his list whilst I worked on aboard. We had a final run into Rodney Bay marina together to get a pilot book for the Leeward Islands which we plan to travel to next and to get a crate of beer – the shop here allows you to cash in empty bottles for a discount like pop bottles when you were a kid.
Therefore fully stocked and finally upto date we pulled up the anchor and headed out into the bay to find Papillon, who it seems had just headed in for fuel and water ready to head north the following day. We managed to get Lawrence on the VHF though and took a nice spot to anchor under the shadow of Fort Rodney where we took photos last time we were here. Hot and sticky from a long day in the breezeless inner lagoon we were both soon in the water to check the anchor and go for a swim. As soon as I got into the water a large shoal of silver fish swam beneath me reflecting in the late afternoon sun. After a snorkel round I headed back to the boat as Kevin shouted out that there was a turtle just behind me, I swam out but it was a little murky and I couldn’t find him.
After a hot shower, we had a hail from Lawrence on Ch 16 who was now coming out in the bay anchored up – were we thirsty there was a fresh pack of 24 just chilled at his boat. Well you can’t turn down such an invitation, so we dingied across to Papillon and enjoyed a pleasant evening onboard Lawrence’s beautiful large Eleuthera catamaran (of the same manufacturer as Invincible, but we are the smallest in the range and his is the largest).
Our other job whilst we were within such easy reach of the good supermarkets of Rodney Bay was to reorganise and restore our provisions on board. We still have many stocks of dried and tinned goods which we bought in the Canary Islands but which have been picked through and do not necessarily make up meals. Kevin therefore had to dig out all the stored boxes of food buried beneath bunks and seats and try and work out a shopping list, being the cook onboard. Although you might think that the Caribbean may be well provisioned, on the smaller less touristy and therefore poorer islands the supplies are not much better than we found in the Cape Verdes. Therefore, Kevin went off to the supermarket with his list whilst I worked on aboard. We had a final run into Rodney Bay marina together to get a pilot book for the Leeward Islands which we plan to travel to next and to get a crate of beer – the shop here allows you to cash in empty bottles for a discount like pop bottles when you were a kid.
Therefore fully stocked and finally upto date we pulled up the anchor and headed out into the bay to find Papillon, who it seems had just headed in for fuel and water ready to head north the following day. We managed to get Lawrence on the VHF though and took a nice spot to anchor under the shadow of Fort Rodney where we took photos last time we were here. Hot and sticky from a long day in the breezeless inner lagoon we were both soon in the water to check the anchor and go for a swim. As soon as I got into the water a large shoal of silver fish swam beneath me reflecting in the late afternoon sun. After a snorkel round I headed back to the boat as Kevin shouted out that there was a turtle just behind me, I swam out but it was a little murky and I couldn’t find him.
After a hot shower, we had a hail from Lawrence on Ch 16 who was now coming out in the bay anchored up – were we thirsty there was a fresh pack of 24 just chilled at his boat. Well you can’t turn down such an invitation, so we dingied across to Papillon and enjoyed a pleasant evening onboard Lawrence’s beautiful large Eleuthera catamaran (of the same manufacturer as Invincible, but we are the smallest in the range and his is the largest).
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Inner Lagoon, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
We were keen to get to Rodney Bay and get all of provisions and internet jobs done so we can continue north, also to try and find our friend Lawrence on Papillon who we met way back at La Rochelle when we collected our boats the same week.
Breakfast under the Pitons
We had just anchored and been to the supermarket and were unpacking when we saw a dingy going by and both realised it was Lawrence, similarly he was doing a double take at our boat not having been expecting us! So we called him and his friend aboard and had a beer together to catch up on the last few months before they left and we met again for a lovely meal at a restaurant in Rodney Bay village that night. It was great to see Lawrence again and we will maybe get to travel to Dominica together in the next couple of days if all our plans come together. It was great evening even with the surreal local karaoke at the Lime bar to finish off, hearing some fairly dreadful renditions of various karaoke classics such as My Way, so obviously the same old tunes are popular worldwide!
Breakfast under the Pitons
We had just anchored and been to the supermarket and were unpacking when we saw a dingy going by and both realised it was Lawrence, similarly he was doing a double take at our boat not having been expecting us! So we called him and his friend aboard and had a beer together to catch up on the last few months before they left and we met again for a lovely meal at a restaurant in Rodney Bay village that night. It was great to see Lawrence again and we will maybe get to travel to Dominica together in the next couple of days if all our plans come together. It was great evening even with the surreal local karaoke at the Lime bar to finish off, hearing some fairly dreadful renditions of various karaoke classics such as My Way, so obviously the same old tunes are popular worldwide!
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Soufriere, St Lucia
Another day another sail, this time a very early start awake before light and setting off around 06:30am to make sure we made St. Lucia in time to catch customs and immigration and check in. Another fantastic and fast sail as far as St. Vincent then a very slow motor in the lee of this mountainous green island in sun so hot that despite factor 50 and pulling Kevin’s shirt I had on over my head most of the way I had burnt the back of my ears by the time we arrived in St. Lucia. Less focus on fishing today with the freezer stocked up again we just concentrated on keeping the boat moving enjoying full sails up for the first time in a long long time until we got to the channel between St. Vincent and St. Lucia which was quite lumpy and breezy and we were up at over 7 knots again arriving into the shadow of Pitons again by 3pm.
Kevin leads the way through the dead calm in the lee of St. Vincent under full but not filled sails
I went ashore for supplies and to check us in, customs and immigration was very simple and we soon had our passports stamped once more and were cleared in. I visited the ATM and a small local minimarket which was packed and about 6 people queuing at each till. There were several barefoot men stood at the door and to be honest after being approached / greeted by about 5 local guys by the time I had got in there, I was just keen to get back to the boat and didn’t really spend anytime sightseeing. I understand that there has been some development of the town in recent years and it is quite brightly painted and very authentically Caribbean, but I was still swaying from our bouncy trip and after too much sun I didn’t really want to spend too much time there.
We were moored just under the shadow of one of the Piton mountains / hills which are a famous landmark of St. Lucia. The area is heavily forested and the sounds of the wildlife was quite over powering in the back of the boat that night. We fell asleep to the sound of the surf on the pebble beach and the calling of cicadas and other unidentified creatures in the trees.
Kevin leads the way through the dead calm in the lee of St. Vincent under full but not filled sails
I went ashore for supplies and to check us in, customs and immigration was very simple and we soon had our passports stamped once more and were cleared in. I visited the ATM and a small local minimarket which was packed and about 6 people queuing at each till. There were several barefoot men stood at the door and to be honest after being approached / greeted by about 5 local guys by the time I had got in there, I was just keen to get back to the boat and didn’t really spend anytime sightseeing. I understand that there has been some development of the town in recent years and it is quite brightly painted and very authentically Caribbean, but I was still swaying from our bouncy trip and after too much sun I didn’t really want to spend too much time there.
We were moored just under the shadow of one of the Piton mountains / hills which are a famous landmark of St. Lucia. The area is heavily forested and the sounds of the wildlife was quite over powering in the back of the boat that night. We fell asleep to the sound of the surf on the pebble beach and the calling of cicadas and other unidentified creatures in the trees.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Princess Margaret Beach, Admiralty Bay, Bequia
Next leg we decided to go as far as Bequia, passing by Union Island and Canouan on the way. We were expecting to be beating into a lumpy sea again but the wind had actually a little south in it and the swell died down so we had a really exhilarating sail averaging about 7 knots all the way to Bequia. It was lovely sunny day, there were lots of other yachts around and we really enjoyed being out on the water, the leeward side of Union Island is gorgeous with a really well protected long sandy beach apparently with no road access and just a beach hut ashore that we have definitely picked out as a stop off for the way back.
Fish 1 - Barracuda
To crown what was already an excellent day, after 2 fishing trips in Grenada and no fish caught we had four catches and 2 hits that got away by the time we go to Bequia! The first was a barracuda before we even reached Union Island but we decided to throw him back, then we had two good sized tuna and another barracuda (also returned). Rounding the southern edge of Bequia we saw three separate schools of tuna jumping out of the water and the tell tale diving of birds into the water, the shelf which the Windward Island chain sits on drops off very close to the shore of Bequia and the upward current must certainly bring in the fish. It was here that one of the big reels started to scream and run off a lot of line very quickly a sure sign of a very big fish, unfortunately he’d got off again before Kevin had picked up the rod.
Fish 2 - Tuna
Fish 3 - Barracuda and my first catch - note I'm not getting too close to those teeth for a photo
Tuna jumping off Bequia right infront of the boat
Fish 4 - Tuna
We anchored just off the beautiful palm tree lined Princess Margaret beach in Bequia which we shared with only two other boats, we could see the sea urchins on the sea bed beneath us and we were both in for a swim to cool down after a fantastic day’s sail and having prepared our fresh tuna for dinner, we got out just as the sun set and showered on the back of the boat before a lovely meal of our day’s catch.
The perfect end to a perfect day
Fish 1 - Barracuda
To crown what was already an excellent day, after 2 fishing trips in Grenada and no fish caught we had four catches and 2 hits that got away by the time we go to Bequia! The first was a barracuda before we even reached Union Island but we decided to throw him back, then we had two good sized tuna and another barracuda (also returned). Rounding the southern edge of Bequia we saw three separate schools of tuna jumping out of the water and the tell tale diving of birds into the water, the shelf which the Windward Island chain sits on drops off very close to the shore of Bequia and the upward current must certainly bring in the fish. It was here that one of the big reels started to scream and run off a lot of line very quickly a sure sign of a very big fish, unfortunately he’d got off again before Kevin had picked up the rod.
Fish 2 - Tuna
Fish 3 - Barracuda and my first catch - note I'm not getting too close to those teeth for a photo
Tuna jumping off Bequia right infront of the boat
Fish 4 - Tuna
We anchored just off the beautiful palm tree lined Princess Margaret beach in Bequia which we shared with only two other boats, we could see the sea urchins on the sea bed beneath us and we were both in for a swim to cool down after a fantastic day’s sail and having prepared our fresh tuna for dinner, we got out just as the sun set and showered on the back of the boat before a lovely meal of our day’s catch.
The perfect end to a perfect day
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Tyrell Bay, Carricou
Thursday morning we were up early to get ready to go, I popped across to the Supermarket whilst Kevin did the final boat checks and then when it was free we went across to the fuel dock at Grenada Yacht Club. Ziggy was at the balcony already ready to wave us off and to bring us a card and bottle of Rum Punch for old times sake! I went ahead to start the check out procedure with customs – filling in exactly the same triple carbonated form as when you arrive but this time ticking the box that says Outbound instead of Inbound. There was a bit of a queue and Ziggy sat with me and reminded me that there’s no rush – he is definitely on Caribbean time now. After a slight delay for the tanker to fill the fuel and for that to settle we were ready to go, we said our farewells to Ziggy and finally departed from Grenada.
Invincible at the fuel dock, Grenada yacht club ready to depart
We raised the sails with a decent breeze unusually for the lee of the island and started to head north and within a few minutes we saw a large Wahoo leap from the surface of the water in a deadly pursuit of its prey. Wahoo is our favourite fish and Kevin was very disappointed that we did not yet have the fishing lines in the water, but was very quick to get them on deck straight away after that! We’d prepared ourselves for a long and bumpy ride north and had planned to do an overnight sail straight to St. Lucia, but after our discussions with Ziggy we thought “What’s the rush?” and decided to do day hops instead. It was a bit of a bumpy trip across the channel between Grenada and Carriacou into Tyrell Bay and it seemed to take forever to get in. We anchored near the beach though and had a lovely peaceful evening on the boat and a long and very deep sleep.
Invincible at the fuel dock, Grenada yacht club ready to depart
We raised the sails with a decent breeze unusually for the lee of the island and started to head north and within a few minutes we saw a large Wahoo leap from the surface of the water in a deadly pursuit of its prey. Wahoo is our favourite fish and Kevin was very disappointed that we did not yet have the fishing lines in the water, but was very quick to get them on deck straight away after that! We’d prepared ourselves for a long and bumpy ride north and had planned to do an overnight sail straight to St. Lucia, but after our discussions with Ziggy we thought “What’s the rush?” and decided to do day hops instead. It was a bit of a bumpy trip across the channel between Grenada and Carriacou into Tyrell Bay and it seemed to take forever to get in. We anchored near the beach though and had a lovely peaceful evening on the boat and a long and very deep sleep.
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