Christmas in Rodney Bay

We took off for St Lucia on the 23rd of Dec around 11:00 am knowing we would only go as far as the top end of St Vincent and stop for the night there. With an early departure the next morning we would arrive long before sunset. The winds were supposed to be dropping down and the seas will follow in the next 24 hours or so. But ... the weather man didn't see this one coming. We were in not bad winds and waves when we left Bequia and motor sailed along the coast and when we passed the volcano at the northern tip of St Vincent we were in for a ride. We had the main triple reefed and the jib in and out as the winds decreased and increased. Dawn and Laurie were ahead of us and they kept checking in to see we were ok. We had wind gusts of around 36 knots and they had 44 knots....  too much for sure. You can check out their blog for a full run down. http//corbettgonesailing.blogspot.com

When we arrived in Rodney Bay that is when the fun really began. We were anchoring in a thunderstorm unlike anything we have seen in southwestern Ontario. They don't get thunder and lightening like that around here. Brian was on the fore deck handling the anchor and chain as I was on the helm ...a large stainless steel wheel with lightening all around us. It was pretty intense for sure. It rained so hard and so long it knocked out bridges and roads and generally made for a very sad Christmas  for many locals. Land slides, homes washed out and loss of life in many communities. The airport has reopened and things are getting back to normal but just this morning Dawn and I went to the grocery store and saw many empty shelves. Especially the fresh produce and meats were pretty slim. People were buying up cases of bottled water as there are shortages and no water supply to many locations. At the restaurant the washrooms were locked due to lack of water. 

We are off to Cat Tales for dinner. Dawn has a new pressure cooker and she loves to use it. We have a BBQ so we make out quite well around. We have been keeping up on the general chores.... laundry and barnacle scraping. A walk to Cas en Bas is in order tomorrow for about 10 people from various boats in the anchorage. Never a dull moment for sure. 

Slight correction

Have to correct last blog update with the date we arrived. I posted Dec 6 and alas it was Nov 29 th. Definitely time to move on. 

We have enjoyed our time here with lots of great work being done, good walks and good restaurants to enjoy with Dawn and Laurie on Cat Tales. One of the more interesting things they have here in Admirality Bay is the water, fuel, laundry service that you call for on VHS 67 and the barge comes along side your boat for a fill up. Now it is a bit more expensive than other other islands but so convienient. The young boy was helping his dad. We used the laundry service called Miranda's and she comes out picks up your dirty and returns either wet for you to hang out or dried and folded. I opted for the wet and it was only 12 EC about 4CA. But it does always seem to rain when I hang out laundry. But the wind is strong and I haven't lost anything YET! Almost though! 

Weather window

We have been in Bequia since Dec 6 th and it would be nice to move on. But!!! The Christmas winds have been wild. We are still on a mooring ball paying by the day, Cat Tales is on two anchors next to us and boats around us anchor and drag and re anchor all the time. Yesterday a band of squalls passed through with wind gusts of 28+ knots. My hair looks frightening and we are all quite tired of this. But it doesn't look like any reprieve soon. Dennis and Arlene on Tiger Lilly 11 are due in today from Carriacou    Just a few hours to the south of us. He is a retired weather man from Toronto and offers a weather net on the SSB radio in the morning. He said they got beaten up pretty badly yesterday so sit and wait is his opinion. Sunday or Monday look like our best days to travel. We would like to be somewhere with more friends for Christmas (Rodney Bay) but we'll be grateful for the friends we have wherever we are. 

All the work is completed even the dinghy davits are installed. We now will figure out the best way to attach it for easy lifting and take off the motor for open sea travel. With the new canvas it is a little more in our way on the stern. We have decided Bequia is a great place to get work done .....just not so busy.

 Brian and FixMan2 installing the davits. 

We have enjoyed Dawn and Laurie's company and had a great walk to a beach bar yesterday. We have been using our BBQ and having evening get togethers. We get pretty wet in the dinghy with the waves and these winds. It doesn't make you want to go far especially at night. 

A little spirit of the islands just as we were about to post this blog. Cheryl the owner of the Fig Tree is dancing and waving as a party boat is passing by booming out the tunes. Live advertising!

Bequai Time Coming to a Close?

Well here we are it's Tuesday December 17 and our canvas projects have been completed, except for paying that is! We have a new bimini complete with drop down side and stern curtains, new dodger with removeable sun shades and rain deflectors on the sides and modified frame so Lorna and I can stand erect under it all! That's saying a lot since she is 5'2 and I'm 5'8 give an inch or so for shrinkage. Heights that is! We also had a large canopy/rain catcher made for the fore deck and the sacrificial strip on the jib replaced in navy blue. As soon as the winds drop below 15 - 20 knots we will think about putting the jib on, but the batteries are full!  We still don't know when we can leave since the winds are so strong. Even when the wind drops it will take some time for the seas to calm. Dawn and Laurie have friends arriving on the ARC in St Lucia and want to be there to greet them.i. It will be the last leg of their around the world voyage. 

Some people ask how we fill in a day here, let me say it's quite easy. Sometimes we watch the sun go down and wonder where the day went. A lot of the time we make a list of stuff to do like chores, for instance today I need to scrape the bottom; it's best to get the molluscs while they are small, or grocery shop or other projects some times we hike the hills.

Sunday we hiked to "Peggy's Rock" which overlooks Admiralty Bay. The story is that "Peggy" would go to this overlook and signal the fishermen where the fish were. How is unknown. It seems more likely that she would watch for whales since Bequai is known for whaling and still is permitted to harvest up to four a year. It is a huge event when they get one and just about the whole island gets involved. Back to the hike. Laurie and Dawn (Cat Tales) and us took a bus to the whaling museum at LaPombe on the West side (2.00 EC each about 75 cents CA)  then we started walking just about straight up! The pictures will tell the story: (the last shot is from the boat, Peggy's Rock is the second highest point, slightly to the left). Kendra we used your walking sticks and they were great. It was tall grasses in some   places,followed by a rocky path,followed by climbing over boulders. It was a great hike certainly our first major one this season. Today is Tuesday and I still can feel it a bit in my calves. 

Windy in the Bay

The work goes on and on but things are really taking shape with the canvas work. Avell and his guys have completed the bimini and the dodger. The dinghy and motor cover are finished and the rain catcher Is in place. We had most of the work done by Thursday afternoon and as we awaited Dawn and Laurie's arrival a wild rain squall passed through. Every seam on the bimini leaked and rain and wind swept around the dodger. We did not think we needed a flap of fabric but alas we were wrong. He came back out yesterday with a block of bees wax to rub down each seam hopefully eliminating the leaks. The side panels for the rain will be done on Monday. All that's left is paying the bill! We haven't got the final bill but so far it is far less than we were priced in Martinque and far less than St Lucia. The davit installer still has not arrived to install but he has the blocks of wood and the backing plates in the ready. He is using a wood called Purple Heart. We had never heard of it but he claims it to be a very hard wood perfect for the job. He doesn't work on the weekend or Monday so we won't have that job done until next week. Then we will be free to leave and get to Rodney Bay for Christmas, depending on a weather window for safe passage. 

Dawn and Laurie arrived on Thursday afternoon. They were in Carricou and the winds have been very strong.....they call these winds the Christmas winds and will continue for some time. But they took their best shot and made it here in almost one piece. They had a squall and a gust of 32 knots hit them and suffered a tear in their mainsail. It was still usable and has been repaired already. 

This is a lovely little island to spend time on waiting for work to be done. It is so unlike Rodney Bay with supermarkets and malls etc. The grocery store is quite complete but very basic. They sell no fresh produce in the stores only vendors on the streets with a huge variety of good fruits and vegetables. A meat man arrives on Saturday morning and cuts portions on a table on a side street. The fishermen blow a conch to let you know they have fresh fish on the beach. It is very rustic and very quaint. The town will have the lighting of the lights under the almond tree tonight. It is at 8:00 so not sure any of us will still be up. The town is quite decorated for sure. With Dawn and Laurie here I'm sure a hike will be in order. 

Another first

Each day brings along with it a new set of challenges. Our refrigerator had been seeming to draw a lot of power and not really get as cold as should be. We have had crazy winds and the batteries were well topped up but when the frig was running it would drop dangerously low. We supplemented with a couple bags of ice over the weekend until Sam The Refrigeration Mabn could be called first thing Monday morning. He was so prompt and was at the boat by 10:00. But he said he needed AC power to do his work. We don't have  that capability. We had met a lovely coulpe on s/v Chill a couple days before and had drinks on their boat and dinner on ours ... to use the meat I couldn't keep frozen. We had also taken an island tour on Sunday with them. So when they heard our dilemma they offered for us to raft up to them as they have a 1000 watt inverter and an extension cord. They are at anchor and we took a mooring ball ...we ran a really long line and drifted back and came along side. Oh my heart was pounding trying to do this and not hit anything. We did lose the boat boat pole and Brian had to dive in after it. Thankfully they make them to float. I had the swim ladder down as I'm still driving the boat and he clambered on and with Dan's help we were secure. The frig man was here all day and got the job done. We are making ice again!

An old favourite with a Bequia twist ......BLT

We left the boat for a walk up to Fort Hamilton (just a battery really). Not a very long walk but very steep in places. The view from the top is always amazing. We returned to the bottom where we had tied the dinghy to the dock at a restaurant, L'Auberge, where we of course rewarded ourselves with a cold beer. They specialize in lobster and had a huge tank on the lower level. Brian had fresh grilled tuna and it was delicious and I had a BLT ....bacon,lobster and tomato. Hard to find that at home. WOW it was amazing with huge chunks of lobster. Won't need a big dinner tonight. No table cloths but pretty fancy. 

Last night around 5:30 the winds shifted and a huge burst of wind hit us and set us practically spinning on our anchor. We did drag some and had a very uneasy night. We moved to a mooring ball first thing this morning after Brian swam around and inspected a few. We are in an area where it is convient for the workmen doing our canvas work and the davit installation but the holding isn't as good as on the beach side. The weather is supposed to be gusty for the next few days with 25 knot winds. We will rest much easier on the ball. 

No one here works on the weekend so we will not see anyone until Monday which is kind of nice. We are taking the weekend to do some walking and sight seeing. We spent Thursday afternoon trying to save us a few dollars. We are having the canvas strip on the jib replaced to match the new navy canvas. So with two seam rippers Brian and I sat with a huge sail filling the cockpit and picked out all the stitches. Miles and miles of thread I'm sure ..... three lines on zig zag stiches. Then there was the bits of threads left behind what a mess inside and out. The wind did a good job getting rid of most of it. 

So we are having fun and getting things done. 

Peace Out 

The canvas work in progress

We had decided after last year our canvas work needed replacing. Well it really decided for us. Much like a new roof on your house you don't want to do it, don't want to spend the money but low and behold when it starts leaking and ruins a ceiling you just have to do. Well this season as we started putting things together a zipper wouldn't zip, a window fell out and there were more leaks that you could dodge. We zip tied the window in and sewed and zip tied the zipper shut and hoped it would hold together to get here. So after some investigation we made our way here to Bequia where a company came quite highly recommended. We can now see why! Monday morning Avell came to the boat ... on time with notebook in hand and came up with a plan. Tuesday morning he called and needed confirmation of fabric for the sunshade. Wed morning he installed the completed bimini without side curtains yet. Today they were here by 8:45 and the dodger template is being constructed. They make it out of a light weight plastic. The bimini (the back cockpit roof ) is almost 18 inches higher and about a foot wider. It looks like we have a new living room I ...all 5ft 2in of me can stand up straight. As well Brian can also. He adjusted the support system for the wind generator to accomplish the wider area. It will keep out so much more sun and rain. So far we are very impressed and amazed at their good fast work. Usually everything is very much island time......today maybe tomorrow and maybe next week. But not these guys! So we are sticking fairly close to the boat for the last couple days while they work. You can see some winkles in new navy canvas but no front supports have been added. Finally some fun boat work that looks good. The new instruments are of course a good investment and sure made the sail here more enjoyable. All for now and more pictures when everything is completed. 

Peace out

Admirity Bay Bequia. ... Part two

Arrived in Bequia Friday about 4:00. Just checking out the town today after clearing customs. We'll post more tomorrow. 

Part two

Sunday morning now and after a quiet day yesterday I'll bring you up to date.

We left Rodney Bay on Wed after struggling to get the dinghy out of the water,flipped over and secured to the fore deck to prepare to sail. Our dinghy davits have not been installed yet ( another job hopefully for Bequia). We left about noon and had a pleasant sail down to the Pitons. We sailed down at about 6-7 knots along the coast line for about 18 miles. Our friends on Saltscar III were there with dinner waiting. We were off early on Friday morning for a 50 mile sail. We made 7-8 knots most of the way and managed to dodge any showers. The winds gusted to about 20 knots but no difficulties at all. We sail with 3 reefs in the main for more control and 7-8 knots is lots for us so far. We arrived in Admirlity Bay 4:00 in lots of good sunlight to anchor. It is a large bay and not crowded at all. So an easy spot to anchor. On Sat we checked in to customs and set out to explore the town. The main road is very quaint with fruit and vegetable stands,jewellry,t-shirts etc set up but no one is aggressive and not at all intimidating. We found a good spot for wifi and a good spot for lunch. We found the shop where the canvas work will be done. Wel'll see him Monday am .... he doesn't work on the weekend.....amazing. 

The last picture is Sea Bound Spirit anchored further out in the bay and a couple boats getting under way. A slight shower had just finished .... not enough to rinse the salt off the boat yet. Rainbows are so prevelant here it always amazes me. 

Hope everyone is having fun preparing for the busy Christmas season. They have been playing Christmas songs in the stores and decorations abound since we got here. 

Peace and Plenty out 

Rain rain and more rain

We are having a very rainy couple of days ... Open the hatches close the hatches and duck for cover. It has been quite windy too. We had been grocery shopping and getting back to the boat when the heavens opened. The rain and wind was so strong it actually flattened the waves. We pushed through and got to the boat drenched dispute our ponchos flapping in the wind. 

 We were anchored in a nice spot but when Brian swam and checked the anchor this morning  it was totally undone. Three charter boats came in the evening and the closest one was perhaps too close and maybe he upped our anchor along with his own. We took two tries to get set today in a new spot not so far from town if we get caught in the rain again. 

We have seen lots of pictures of the nasty snowstorm in London,Ont. We really wish you all well but sure don't miss any of that.  This was our Sunday afternoon in the photos. 

We are making preparations for our first sail of the season. We are leaving on Thursday or Friday for the small island of Bequia. It will be about a 60 mile sail south of St Lucia. We have contacted a person to have our canvas work done and need to there the first of Dec for about two weeks. We were there many years ago with Dawn and Laurie . 

All for now take care 

Peace Out 

Ready for Sea?

Well maybe it would be more correct to say ready for the bay!

We've had a couple of good days when it comes to getting things done and there has only been some minor bloodshed. First of all after three tries by Island Water World the dinghy is no longer taking on water. It seems the manufacturer (caribe) considers sealant on hulls optional! We took it from the marina to Jambe de Bois, planing most of the way there and back,  pulled it out, opened the drain and just a few drips came out. Another success story was with the raw water pump on the engine. When we hit the water and started the motor it was dripping very steadily. It's old ( as in obsolete) so we were concerned that it may need to be replaced. Into the manual we go and onto the Internet. By the way we don't have a model number just the make. We have a schematic diagram, so we pulled it apart. The lip seal is gone. Nice to know but where do you find a new one. Since we use a Volvo-Penta impeller and they were referenced on Google they seemed to be the place to start. Finding them is the first step. It turns out they are about two blocks from the boatyard and in a residential area. After calling on the phone and getting no answer it was time for a walk. The place is a shipping container! Keeping the story short, it was cleverly divided into office an shop. The part number we had made no sense so we had to return the next day (yesterday) when the boss was there. Well we came back with the housing containing the seal, should have brought the shaft as well! Back to the boat. Back with all the parts. Low and behold they had just received a shipment of seals and they fit! So Egbert Charles of MarinTek cleaned up the parts and re-assembled the pump and only charged for the seals. We bought a spare. He did suggest that the pump was well worn and we should look for a replacement. We had already come to that conclusion.  Back to the boat, install, run motor, PERFECT! Having prayed for favour in the morning we believe we received it along with considerable excercise hiking back and forth.

Now for the bloodshed part. While installing the pump and replacement hoses the lid over the engine compartment fell on the captain's head and drew blood. Not severely just enough to be annoying.

Otherwise the admiral has scrapped all the varnish with a chisel (it was that thick!, people must have a varnish fetish here!) Now we are going to rub the wood down with teak oil and see what happens. We are not so particular with the appearance of the wood. It's overrated on a plastic boat!

So today, Saturday, we hope to get out into the bay and start relaxing and reading up on how to operate our new equipment.

Brian 

Saturday has come and gone and we are indeed in the bay. What a joy to be here! It was a beautiful afternoon and we anchored on our first try always an accomplishment. The evening was perfect light breezes and a starrry sky. We had a BBQ having found a butcher shop in the marina village that has beef as good or better than anything we have ever eaten. So wonderful first day in the bay. The sunset was great too although no green flash. 

Sunday has turned out not quite so good so far. When we arrived in early Nov. the bed cushions had to be cleaned and came back smelling fresh and clean. But after a week as I was retucking the sheets around the cushions I found wetness under the middle section. That cushion must have not completely dried and gravity pulled the wetness down. We have it out in the sun trying to dodge the showers... one so far. That also meant the sheet was wet so today became laundry day. 

The bay has been very busy this morning. The marina holds an event to mark the beginning of the ARC. That is a race from the Canary Islands starting Nov 22 and ending here in Rodney Bay. So this morning about 20 sailboats took off for a sail to Castries. Then a Clipper Ship ( a cruise line) arrived and anchored behind us and the general traffic generated from Sandles made for a very busy spot this morning. We spent some time finishing up tidying up the inside of the boat and hanging pictures we brought from home. 

Lorna 

Checking off the list

The work list is getting shorter, room to walk around inside the boat now and generally feeling good about things so far. The Mack Pack sail cover went on quite easily and the main sail is on this morning. The sailing instruments have been finished,the dinghy still leaks back again to the shop and no sign of the davit installer. Win some and lose some! 

It is a good feeling as you are tied up at the dock and people stop to say hello. What a difference a year makes for knowing people. We have friends! The swimming pool here in the marina is a great place to chat with other cruisers. 

We took a dinghy tour out into the bay last night for sunset and the winds were from the west...very unusual to see the boats pointing bow to the open sea. The area we usually anchor in was quite flat but on the south side it was very confused seas with the boats rocking and the masts swinging. Glad we were at the dock! 

So as you can tell we are busy but not too much interesting to blog about. 

Whipper

The new dinghy we purchased at the end of last year was picked up today and put into service. We have named it Whipper in honour of a long time trusty dog Brian and his brothers had. We are hoping the dinghy will serve us as long and well. 

We are still working away on getting things organized down below. Every time a job needs to be done we have to drag out every tool we own it would seem. The weather has been very hot even the locals say so. That really makes a difference when you are trying to work. We still have no cooking as the propane tank was recalled ( new one bought at the end of last season) and new ones have not arrived yet. The owner of the local marine store will loan us one but has not produced it yet. A sad morning without coffee for sure. Some of the hardships we must endure. But on a good note we have wifi on the boat at the dock. So emails and blogs will be regular for a short while. The FaceTime connection is not too good anywhere we go it seems. But always good to see a face even if the audio is poor. 

So much for news today.hope everyone is warm and well.

Peace out

Safe and cooler in the marina

Yesterday Thursday was launch day and we are in the marina for about a week while most of the jobs get finished before heading out in the bay to anchor. It is amazing how much cooler it is. The picture really shows just how much space the yard men have to work with as they move your boat around. The day before they actually leaned the power boat to make room for a 50 footer to pass. But they manage somehow.I don't seem to be able to move the pictures around so things are out of order. The shot of the golf cart is all our laundry returning from cleaning after the mould issue. The shot under the boat is the stuff we brought down. Brian's hand is healing well and still requires a large bandaid and still swollen but he will live to drink another beer. 

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Well here we go, we're not talking old rock groups here. 

We arrived in lovely St. Lucia on Thursday and hit the tarmac running. Well not quite. What happened was we were the last people off the plane so by the time we got to customs with four bags and two boxes all the West Jet passengers had gone and a BOAC flight was clearing through. We got waved over to a customs agent who proceeded to sign papers and take phone calls before giving his attention to us. To make a long story short he asked what was in the boxes and we said boat parts. Next thing you know he's on the phone to Rodney Bay Marina customs office and informs us we have until 6:00 to get there to have them clear us in and we will have to pay overtime. Fortunately our pre- arranged taxi driver Smarty had the patience to wait for us. When he heard our deadline he called an associate to check the traffic in Castries (the capital) because it would be busy and we needed to get to the other side. By the way it was 4:30 when we finally got everything loaded into Smarty's van and hit the road. Anyone who has been here knows it is nearly impossible to get from one end of the island to the other in an hour and a half. We made it at 6:10. What a ride. Fortunately Smarty had some Pitons (beer) on ice for us. So the customs agent was still there and came down to the van and looked at the boxes and said that we will need to show the items installed before we leave the country. Quite anticlimacticn! Smarty was a bit peeved at them but we were relieved. Much to do about nothing.

Moving on, we are staying at the BayGardens Hotel which is quite nice and just a short walk or $3.00 EC bus ride from the boat.

The boat was clean on the outside; apparently they had a lot of rain this year. Unfortunately there had been a lot water in the bilge resulting in mold. Most of it had been cleaned up for us but Lorna has been scrubbing and disinfecting like mad. We sent all our bed cushions and linens out to be laundered. They should be ready for us on Monday. I have been busy crawling through the innards of the boat getting the motor ready, hooking up the batteries and generally staying out of Lorna's way!

So much for The Sweat and some of the Tears.

More Tears:

We received this picture from our daughter Kendra:

That's our Grand Daughter Sydney (6 mos) looking at Lorna (Nana) while we face timed from St. Lucia. Nana was crying then and when she saw the picture.

About the Blood:

My hand after a bit of attention. I was removing a line from the wind generator when "twang" my hand got nicked by a blade!!!! Lorna asked if I was okay and I said "yes" then I saw the blood and said "no". No tears though. We got busy with some peroxide and steri strips and stopped the bleeding. I have a cut about two inches long on the knuckle. The first bandage didn't last too long so we went with more peroxide, steri strips, gauze pad and gauze wrap topped with duct tape. No more bleeding and it's not too sore. We will see what tomorrow brings!

Brian

Time to Rev It Up - Again

We are heading back to St. Lucia on November 7, with piles of stuff! (again)

It's been a busy six months.  Some of you may recall we were expecting the imminent arrival of a new grand baby. We arrived in London on Thursday April 18, and our granddaughter, Sydney Sophia Wojcik arrived at 7:45 AM on Monday April 22!  Timing is everything! What a delight she is.

 

So leaving is a bit harder this year!

 

We seemed to do a bit of travelling this summer. We started out with 64,000 KM on the van in April and now it is at 85,000!! That includes a trip to New Brunswick (family), 5 round trips to Kingston (family) and several round trips to Bayfield (Peace and Plenty North). What can we say, it will be nice to get back down south and let the vehicle cool off. We also had a two week visit to Calgary for a grandson fix and a quick trip to Edmonton to visit my brother Robert and his family.

 

 

 

Here's Hunter and by the way we also visited with our daughter Heather and her husband Tom.

This picture was taken at the ninth tee of Horton's Hollow in Cochrane Alberta. Home of Don and Fiona Horton of SV FIDO fame. It was a great day with real western hospitality. I didn't bother to add up my score.  It was my first game of golf in about 10 years. I gave it up for sailing when I had an enlightened moment realising that I've often been golfing wishing I was sailing but never been sailing and wishing I was golfing. Still it was fun, my short game sucks. Brian

 

 

 

At home

We are back home in London Ontario after a wonderful 5& 1/2 months aboard Peace and Plenty.
I have included the last few pictures. The stairway was an absolute God send and my knees sure thanked the boatyard manager Ricky for moving it in for me. The hotel was lovely and these beautiful flowers were every where. We were on the second floor but this cat spent a lot of time on our balcony and slept an afternoon away in rainstorm on our table.
We will have one more short blog to include info on our grandchild that will be born later today or tomorrow. What excitement to come home to!

4 days til home

We are on the hard now and the jobs are just about done. We take the canvas down this evening after sunset and pack it away. Then tomorrow we shut the door and go to a hotel for 3 days. It has been an amazing adventure and we have lots of tales. Probably one of the the best things we both feel we enjoyed are the great people we have met all winter. We have made such a huge mix of people who are all of like interests and would do anything to lend a helping hand.

Back at the dock

We are starting the process of the shutdown and decommissioning. Iris a sad day indeed. I can't believe just how fast the time has flown. We have allowed ourselves lots of time and even a couple nights at a nice hotel at the end. If all the work is done we'll relax before coming home and racing off to Kingston and helping with a new grandchild that we hope will wait for us to get home. Kendra is due about a week after we arrive but the doctors are talking about inducing her a bit early........so we'll see what happens.

As you an see not much news just an update to let you know we are alive and well.April 18 th is our arrival in London.

Easter Monday Walk

It's Easter Monday and for the most part things are pretty quiet. We have decided to take a walk from Sainte Anne to Saline Point with our friends Barbara and Winston from My Island Girl. This amounts to a 2 - 2.5 hour trek over beaches, rock outcrops and past some saline ponds. All relatively flat and mostly shaded. One beach in particular is isolated from motorized access and is practically empty except for some clothing optional and alternate life-style folks. (You tend to watch where you are putting your feet a little more closely than normal, if you know what I mean) the other beaches have near by parking or road access similar to home.

Unlike at home the locals take over the beaches and camp like we have never seen before. The value of a good tarpaulin can never be underestimated and do these folks understand that! The trees were virtually draped in them from one end of the beach to the other. These folks must have been camping on the Easter weekend for generations to be so organized and "well" equipped! Here is a summary of what we saw:

Most # of tents under one tarpaulin - 7
Number of generators - too many to count, the largest was a diesel model.
Miles of extension cords - ? there were lots of them, like spaghetti.
Largest cooler - actually it was a mid sized chest freezer!
Largest T.V. - @ 32" flat screen
Most four foot fluorescent light fixtures at one site - 4 (wet environment kind)
Number of sanitary stations - 0
Number of fresh water sources - 0
Number of whining crying and other wise annoying children - 0
Number of offensive persons in general -0
Number of people enjoying life - all of them
Number of pots of food cooking with the best aromas drifting by - too many to count

These folks were camped all over the trail but they did not mind us walking through. They did seem to be having a great time and there appeared to be all generations represented.

Once we made our way to Pointe Saline Beach we enjoyed a bowl of assorted fruits freshly prepared while we waited only 7.50 euro and it was enough for four. We swam, had a BBQ dinner of ribs and chicken then walked back. Just as we returned to the dinghy is started to sprinkle. Good timing all around!

P. S. - No pictures were taken of the camping as we felt it would be too intrusive. You'll just have to take our word for it!

Beach Day

Yesterday we met a group of cruisers and organized a beach day. We pulled 5 dinghies up on the beach shared some snacks and then made plans to go to Abdels. He puts on an amazing lunch on the beach including wine for 20€ per person. Yesterday was seafood day. We had samosa to start then a shrimp platter,then crab in a curry sauce,rice and a half lobster. Although it was all very tasty there really wasn't much food for the pile of shells left. The Caribbean lobsters are pretty small when you are used to the fine Atlantic ones.
The first picture is some chicks on the beach ....... maybe not the chicks some of you might be looking for but pretty cute. The other pictures are the lunch we had.