St. Lucia to St. Vincent

Cruising Log: St. Lucia to St. Vincent - 1999

November 5

We just arrived. It rained all night getting heavier towards morning. We will have to get the foul weather gear out just to get to breakfast. Tom is to talk to the Manager of Moorings at 8AM. He wants to get some information about when we take possession of the boat, and how to get some essential equipment - things like a life raft. Moorings have container shipments that come down regularly from Clearwater, and we can ship some things that way.

We all went to the chart briefing. We had to fill out some paper work after the briefing, so we all went to Bob and Cynthia's room for a cup of tea while we did that, and Tom found out that the reason for the rain was a weak tropical wave so we were advised to wait until tomorrow before we decide whether to go to Martinique or not. We will go to Rodney Bay for tonight and then see how things stand tomorrow after Tom listens to the weather at 5:30 AM. I don’t mind whether we go North or South tomorrow, and I would be quite happy showing the Fort to Cynthia and Bob. I wouldn't be able to climb up to the top, but the gardens are pretty and well cared for. We left Marigot around 2PM after stowing all the food and beverages aboard. Lunch was cheese sandwiches and Brie. We put the sails up and had wind for a few minutes but it soon dropped to a complete calm. We saw frigate birds and Cynthia went for meditation on the forward deck. The sky is completely gray and there is no wind, so we have the engine on.

We anchored around 4. Tom and Bob tried to rig a wind scoop from the bits and pieces of three that were on board. At this point we started the list of things broken or missing. After a delicious dinner of grilled salmon steaks, pasta, green beans and French bread, the stars started to come out. We tuned in to the World Service to hear the news. I went to bed at my usual bedtime, which is when the sun goes down.

November 6

It was a noisy night. There was a great deal of wind, and we were up many times to make sure all was well. A squall came through about sun-up and Tom listened to the weather report. The decision was made to go south to St Vincent and Bequia. The wind is still pretty strong, and will be for another day or two, and the trip to Martinique would be a bit of a thrash.

I pointed out one bloom on a flame tree to Cynthia. Tom had decided to take Capri into Rodney Bay Marina so that we could shop while he goes to Customs to check us out, but that plan had to be canceled when we discovered the dinghy did not have a gas can in it for the outboard. It is a beautiful day with a lot of wind, so we are off to Marigot to get our gas can. We can check out there just as easily, and then we will go on to Anse Cochon for lunch.

Lunch was good at Anse Cochon, and then we had a short snorkel on the reefs there before sailing to Jalousie where we picked up a mooring. We saw the Unicorn with most of her sails up on the way down - she was built for the Dr. Dolittle film. Cynthia and Bob were very impressed with the Pitons. They are very pointed and come straight up out of the sea. We were going to have steaks tonight, but there is no wind here after the sun goes down, and it would be difficult to grill out safely. So we had shrimp instead. Everyone else is busy in the galley as I write this, and I feel a little guilty that I am not helping. But after all three cooks are enough.

It is very dark here tonight with no moon. After dinner we all went on deck to look at the stars and to try and see a satellite. The Milky Way is unbelievable, and I took out my field glasses for a better look. We are all tired tonight - it has been a long day. Tom was making “I’m off to bed” noises when I asked him the time 7.30 pm. We all decided that was really a bit early to retire, so we tried to read - but I bet we were all asleep within the hour!

November 7

The sympathetic crew had us on our way before 0630, and as soon as we got out of the lee of St Lucia, poor Cynthia succumbed to seasickness. The day improved a lot however when the wind picked up and we started swooping up and over the waves instead of rolling from side to side. It improved even more when I saw some interesting spray off to port. It turned out to be a pod of whales. We could see their spume, their backs, and finally their tails. Wonderful!!! After that, every one kept their eyes peeled, but the only other things we saw were brown boobies, frigate birds and lots of flying fish.

Just outside Wallilabou on St Vincent we were met by Ashley, a boat boy. He managed to get himself tangled between Capri and the dinghy, so his boat was swamped, and Tom had to tow him to shore. There are a lot of boat boys here, all wanting money to help us pick up a mooring. Tom and Bob got quite testy dealing with them, and Cynthia and I made us scarce down below. After lunch and a siesta Cynthia, Tom and I went on shore to find the Customs man and to have a drink in the bar. We watched some small boys climbing up anchor rodes, in and out of people’s dinghies, and on to any part of any boat they could reach. I was glad Bob was still aboard Capri and could throw them off the stern whenever they tried to climb aboard. They used our dinghy as a dive platform and they made everyone uncomfortable - especially Cynthia who was grabbed by the arm by one of them. When she told him to let go, all four of them shouted obscenities at us. What a welcome to Wallilabou and St Vincent!

We decided to eat at the restaurant tonight and Tom hopes the Customs man turns up eventually. He is only two hours late already.

Our meal was quite good. The restaurant owner finally ran to earth another Customs man, and we could at last check in. During our meal Cynthia fed a pretty little cat bits of fish.

We have decided to go to Bequia tomorrow. From here it is only a short sail. As I remember it is is a pretty little island with a huge market and a shop that sells very expensive wooden model boats. Here in Wallilabou we are all tied to moorings and to palm trees. We are lined up like sardines - very close too. If we want privacy we will have to undress in the dark! Before we went to bed Tom set up the GPS all ready for tomorrow’s sail. Bob was concerned he wouldn't get breakfast like today, but it is such a short sail we don’t have to leave when the sun comes up, so he can have his bacon and eggs.

November 8

Bob made pancakes for breakfast, and Tom listened to the weather report. Seas and wind will be less today so our sail to Bequia should be pleasant and not give Cynthia more problems. One thing I have found out - sunscreen dissolves nail varnish. I now have very sticky nails that pick up everything, including the fluff from our bright red and blue towels. Tom put the sunscreen on me today, but he doesn't like the feel of it between his fingers, and I am going to have to think of something else.

The sail to Bequia took about 4 hours. I kept an eye out for whales, but they didn't want to play today. Not surprising really, in the 20 odd years we have been sailing these waters, we have only seen them twice. As we neared Bequia I took the helm, and with calm seas, plenty of wind, I could forget my stuffy head, and really enjoy myself.

As soon as we were anchored in Port Elizabeth, a local artist stopped by Capri, and I bought half a dozen watercolors from her. After lunch we all took the dinghy and went into the town to walk around a bit and check if the shop with the models was still there. It was. Tom walked around a small boat yard and was interested to see that the local craftsmen use white cedar. They choose pieces with natural s-bends for the stem and stern of the boats, then the craftsman designs his boat around those pieces of wood, and keeps everything square using bits of string.

When we got back to Capri with our purchases of bananas and an owl card, Willie came alongside with some pretty earrings made from coral. Cynthia bought a pair of them, and I was sorely tempted, but the local government frowns on people bringing things like that back into the States, so in the end I didn't get anything. Willie was interesting. He told me that Bequia can kill a whale once every three years, but the last time the islanders tried, they had to deal with a lot of Greenpeace boats, and they finally decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

We are going to Tobago Cays tomorrow and I hope we will be able to stay there for two nights. It is where I saw my first turtle and I remember the reefs were spectacular.

November 9

Every morning and evening we have to run the engine to keep the refrigerator cold, and we are doing that now. As soon as that is finished, we are off to Tobago Cays. It is very pleasant sitting here off Port Elizabeth watching the sun come up. Tom will make garbage run to town, and I hope he can find some fresh bread we can use for lunch. If he doesn't, we can always eat that “wonder” bread, but Bob is the only one who likes that! There are a couple of herons sitting in a tree near us. They look like green herons, but are quite a bit larger than the ones we have at home. There are brown boobies flying all round this anchorage.

We have just discovered we have run out of water in one tank. How can that be, none of us use much for anything, and we haven't been on board long enough to have done laundry. She told me she thinks the islanders are an angry people - funny, my impression is the exact opposite. I find everyone I meet to be friendly, and I don’t think the island has changed much since we were last here.

The water barge arrived, and Cynthia has been proven right. The driver was a taciturn individual who didn't want to talk. We filled the 53 gallon tank, checked that the other tank was still full, and then we set off for Tobago Cays. We passed some very interesting houses built into the side of the rocks. They looked to me rather like the cave dwellings at Mesa Verde, but as we got closer you could see that they were actually houses with great arched windows. Apparently curious visitors are not welcome there, so we didn't stop or go in for a closer look.

Tom took some sun sights and he was sad to discover he was four miles out compared to the GPS. At Tobago Cays we followed the range markers in through the reef and set down our anchor early in the afternoon.

We will spend two nights here. We took the dinghy out to the reef for a short snorkel, the sun being already a bit low for the best snorkeling. Cynthia saw an eel, and Bob was fascinated watching some sort of war going on between two schools of fish. The only really interesting fish I saw was completely black but with bright orange fins. The current was very strong, and I had difficulty steering around the coral.
Somehow I managed to get myself back into the dinghy - not very elegantly, but it saved my having to swim all the way back to Capri.

November 10

It was a windy squally night and we were up many times, either opening or shutting hatches, or trying to stop various things from banging. As usual Tom got up for the weather report, and it looks as if we are in for a rainy day. Squall lines are on the horizon and Tom says the wind is about 20-25 knots. Cynthia says it is 30-35! I do hope the wind dies down a bit, we won’t be able to see anything if we snorkel in this wind. 
After breakfast we took the dinghy to one of the beaches. I was sad to see litter everywhere -everything from plastic bottles and glass to cardboard boxes. Our beach stroll came to an abrupt end when Bob noticed a large squall line approaching, so we all hopped into the dinghy to get back to Capri in time to close the hatches. The squall passed, and then someone came around selling T-shirts. We bought one each for the kids, and one for me. The weather never really cleared up, so after lunch we decided to try snorkeling even though the sky was very gray. This time with all the waves and wind I couldn't come near to getting myself in the dinghy, and was just resigning myself to a long swim home when Cynthia suggested we go to the beach where I could just climb in the thing. Again we were all in bed before 8pm.

November 11

I ate my breakfast up in the cockpit watching the other boats wake up. Most of them sleep much later than we do, and they miss one of the most beautiful parts of the day. As usual, after the refrigerator is charged we will set off. The general plan is to go to Friendship Bay on Bequia. We have never been there before, but as always it will depend on the wind direction. We will be going N N E so it will be a bit of a slog into the wind, and there is a lot of wind today.

Our sail to Friendship Bay was great. We were hard on the wind for several hours and as usual I kept a watch out for whales. What an optimist!! We saw a lot of birds that had obviously found schools of fish, and watched a great feeding frenzy. Then I saw something jump out of the water, but it didn't come up again. Then Cynthia saw a dolphin. I was down in the cabin and nearly missed it, but just managed a glimpse before it left us.

When we came near to Friendship Bay the seas became very rough, with short choppy waves each with its own white crest of foam on top. There are reefs on either side of the entrance, and I was a little nervous when asked to take the helm. As soon as we passed into the lee of the island the waves flattened out and the only problem was setting the anchor. Then the rain came.

After the showers passed Tom Bob and Cynthia went on land to look at a little boutique. Tom and Cynthia came back for money and me, while Bob sat on a sea wall and admired the view. We went on into the boutique where Cynthia looked at some very expensive hand-painted shirts to take back to her sister. She decided not to get any though, hoping she would find something better on St. Lucia.

The anchor roller is coming apart, and we don’t have the Allen wrenches necessary to fix it, so Bob rowed ashore and borrowed some tools from Dive Paradise. He and Tom couldn't fix it properly, but it is much better than it was and it kept Bob and Tom happily occupied for an hour or more. Today marks the halfway point in our trip, so we treated ourselves to clean sheets and towels.

November 12: Back to St. Vincent

What a night. We had everything from high winds that made the rigging whistle, to total calm where Capri rolled back and forth in the swells. And short sharp rain squalls that got everyone out of bed in a hurry to close hatches. We had pancakes for breakfast cooked by, and very good they were too.

The sail to Young’s Cut was really nice. Winds out of the E S E and moderate seas - it was lovely. I kept my usual eye out for interesting occupants of the sea, but the only thing we saw were a few flying fish and a few gulls. As we neared St. Vincent the seas became lumpy again with white foamy crests on top of each wave, but as soon as we got in the lee of the island, everything calmed down nicely. A man called Sparrow showed us to our mooring, and then after lunch, Cynthia and Bob took the dinghy round to the grotto we had seen upon entering the Cut. Cynthia was very excited - she saw lots of fish and said it was well worth snorkeling there. We are off to Frenchy’s tonight for my birthday dinner. The restaurant is under new management, but still touted to be the best in the Grenadines. When they came back we went on shore for a drink and to look at the shops. Tom bought me a necklace made from copper and brass, by Chris Anderson, an artist from Trinidad. We went to check out the menu at Frenchy’s. They had lobster, which is what Cynthia and I wanted for dinner, but just as we were ready to return to Capri, the rain started again.

Dinner at Frenchy’s was good. Cynthia and I had a lobster each, Bob a steak, and Tom a dorado. For dessert we tried the Russian Cigar, a crepe filled with ice cream and with a chocolate sauce on top.

We arrived back at Capri at the incredibly late hour of 9pm. Bob was in bed first, within five minutes of our return, Tom followed after he had written something in his log.

November 13

It is my birthday today. We were out of bed very early because of a short fierce shower that rained in on us through the hatch. By the time we had run around shutting hatches and then opening them because the showers are short, it wasn't worth going back to bed. Everyone surprised me.

Tom told everyone that today’s sail should be very easy because the wind is the same as yesterday, and we are only going a few miles. First stop Petit Bayhaut, a pretty little bay on our way to Wallilabou. There is a hotel there, but no roads lead in to it, so they come and go by water. We tied up to a mooring, and went ashore to explore.

Sharon, the owner of the hotel was very interesting. Apparently she and her husband bought the land at auction, and they have cleared quite a bit of the hillside. Then they planted lots of flowering shrubs, and hidden amongst the lush foliage, they have built rooms for their guests. Each room is completely private, and it's a good thing too. The toilet sits out in the open on three sides, and there is a tent under a big roof that holds the beds.

Bob stayed on Capri, and the rest of us ate lunch in the open dining room. I had just a salad because of the gargantuan meal I had had the night before. Tom and Cynthia had tuna melts. We sat and watched Capri roll in the swells, and felt vaguely sorry for Bob who had stayed on board. There are lots of birds and insects to watch as one eats. We saw several different types of hummingbirds, and lots of lizards, some of them quite large. There were a lot of other birds too, and a number of colorful insects. A very pretty spot.

Shortly after lunch we set off for Wallilabou. Rounding the last headland before Wallilabou, we met a boat boy, who leapt into our dinghy as we passed. Tom Bob and Cynthia yelled to him to get out of the dinghy but he was stubborn, and so Tom steered round and round in circles while we tried to get rid of him. He finally got out, but Cynthia was furious and could hardly speak she was so cross. We took the next boat boy we met - his name was Sinclair, and he helped us to tie up to the mooring, and then took our aft line and tied it round a palm tree. I asked him to get us some bananas, and he walked to the village and brought us back some. We need them for breakfast. Safely tied up we made the chicken in wine dish again, and had a quiet evening. Tomorrow is a long long sail!!

November 14

Woke up to pouring rain. Osborne who was waiting to untie us, was sheltering under a catamaran moored beside us. By a little after 0600 we were underway, motor sailing as close to the shore as we could. It is a little over 36 nautical miles to Jalousie, but that is as the crow flies, and we will have the wind and current to deal with. There was no wind to start with, just frequent showers, but there was a lot of winds and waves as we came out from the lee of St Vincent, and the sailing was quite rugged for several hours. At one point, I saw a lot of spray on the horizon. The skeptics in the crew said they couldn't be whales, just rogue waves. I kept looking anyway, and a few miles further on we did see another whale. With the underwater camera I took a wave-breaking picture, and Bob and I got totally soaked in the process, and a little cold.

The dinghy that we were towing rather sluggishly, decided it was due some attention, and filled up with water. Tom hove to, and we put the dinghy on the high side of the stern in the hope some of the water would spill out. Things were fine until the wind dropped, and then she filled up again, the gas can floating about upside down. Out to sea it's not easy to deal with this problem. The dinghy looked positively drunk, with her bumper hanging lop sided from the bow, and everything else awash. After a massive wind shift to the NE, which forced us to tack, followed by a reduction in wind strength, we started the motor.
Below the Pitons, in relatively calm water a couple of boat boys met us, and they bailed out the dinghy until she was almost dry. The best 10 EC dollars we spent on this whole trip!

We were all very tired when we finally set the anchor down in Anse Cochon. The great thing about this anchorage is that there is no one here but us, so after a cup of tea we all took a naked reviving shower off the stern. My shoulder stiffened up, and would not stretch out when asked, and Cynthia's thumb has turned purple. Tom thinks we probably sailed around fifty nautical miles today - I know it seemed like it!!

November 15

A very peaceful night, and this morning we are still alone. We watched the stars last night, and saw lots of fireflies in the foliage on the hillside. There is supposed to be a meteor shower this week.

We dropped in at Marigot for some shopping and to clear customs. Cynthia and I bought French bread, Camembert and Rollmops for lunch, and then we sailed up to Rodney Bay. Cynthia and Bob want to see the fort.

After lunch Cynthia Bob and Tom went off to explore the fort, and I did some laundry. After that we sailed to the other side of Rodney Bay, and set the anchor down in front of the St Lucian. We took the dinghy into the harbor looking for a restaurant - after we fixed the dinghy motor that wouldn't start - but didn't find one we liked, so we will have to risk beaching the dinghy tonight in front of Spinnakers. I’ve learned my lesson though. I am wearing a swimsuit, and will take clothes in a plastic bag! All went well, and no one got too wet, but the dinghy is a pain to lift clear of the waves - heavy too!

November 16

We have to have Capri back at Marigot before noon. Tom discovered the shower pump in our head was clogged, so he took it apart and cleaned the filter, and Bob cooked breakfast for us all. We did a lot of cleaning - especially the sand on the stern that we managed to bring back last night, and then set sail for Marigot. The sail back to Marigot was very pleasant, and at the dock we met Alex who debriefed us. He had some suggestions for me - to keep a notebook of all the things I want done before we take possession of the boat. Things like a window in the bimini, and dings and scrapes I want fixed. Tom has a list too, but of course they are more about the running of Capri, and not cosmetic.

After lunch at the hotel, we took the taxi to the airport, stopping for a few minutes at the duty free shop on the way. I bought several place mats that are screen printed with birds. Our flights were not delayed and we finally arrived at Steve and Cindy’s house where Cindy very kindly gave us her bed. It’s a wonderful feeling to have a hot shower and get into a bed that doesn't roll and is big enough to turn over without waking one’s partner!