St. Lucia to Grenada
By the time we reached St. Lucia in early January, we were each a little out of sorts. The windless motor
( that is the electric motor that puts down and pulls up the anchor) was no longer functioning. That means that Peter would have to put down and pull up 100 feet of heavy chain and a large anchor every time we went to a new anchorage. To have a new motor shipped here would be outrageously expensive due to import taxes, shipping costs and so on. Peter decided to order the motor, ship it to our house, and have Alex bring it with him mid February. 5 weeks of hauling up chain and anchor!
Also, a shroud was unraveling and needed to be replaced. This could be done here.
I on the other hand was feeling "cruiser's isolation" and needed to meet people and talk about other things besides wind direction, fixing the windlass, and the electrical layout of the boat! Michelle told me to listen to the Cruiser's Net which is a way for cruisers to find out what is going on locally, swap merchandise, get weather reports and plan activities. I was delighted to find out that there was to be a cruiser's luncheon for ladies at at local resort. We made reservations and went. It was exactly what I needed! 30 women attended. We introduced ourselves, drank rum punches, ate lunch and swam in the resorts pool. I felt like I was back in the civilized world again! I enjoyed it so much I went the following week as well.
We took the bus into the capital city which is a crazy place with market stalls everywhere, all selling the same things, cruise ship passengers all buying the same things. We sat with Michelle and Al at an outside cafe and watched this show. We had beers and roti's which have become a favorite. A roti is a hot pastry filled with curried chicken, beef, vegetables or fish and potatoes.
As we went about, I would meet up with some of the ladies from the luncheon and talk and so on. It's nice to see a familiar face and this would continue as we traveled to other islands.
Bequia
Bequia has long been a favorite of cruiser's and we can see why. Isolated enough to remain relatively unspoiled and lively enough to be stimulating and entertaining blending the old and the new. The old traditions continue. Boats are built on the beach in the shade of palm trees. Everything from little fishing boats to large schooners, each is built by eye using only simple hand tools.
While here, we visited a sea turtle sanctuary located on an old coconut plantations. Sea turtle survival is looking bleak as buildings continue to be built on their nesting sites and watercraft endanger their habitats.
On the way back we stopped off at Dawn's Creole Cafe, a lovely arch stone and tile place on a stunning crescent ocean beach . There are 3 rooms for rent here, clean, each with it's own patio facing the ocean for $40 a night! Our taxi drivers was Steve and every time we saw Steve after that ( which was often - small island) he was wave and yell "Hello friends!" and we would shout back "Hello Steve!". Best friends.
We celebrated Peter's birthday and watched the Super Bowl in Bequia. We participated in a Saturday reading program where people are invited to come to the Figtree Restaurant to read to groups of local children. The idea behind this is to reduce illiteracy on the island. These children are so adorable and so well behaved and so much fun!
Martinique
The Caribs called Martinique "Madinina"-Island of Flowers. It is part of France and feels it with excellent roads and a thriving economy. Fort de France is a busy city, bustling with shoppers and cars. The smaller towns are quieter and some look so clean they could have just been scrubbed.It helps to speak French but it's not necessary, though I do wish I paid more attention in French class way back then.
St. Pierre is probably one of our favorite ports. It is at the food of a volcano which erupted in 1902. The side of the volcano facing St. Pierre burst open releasing a giant fireball of superheated gas that flowed down over the city, releasing more energy than anatomic bomb. All that remained were smoking ruins. An estimated 29, 922 people burned to death leaving only two survivors. A cobbler and a prisoner in prison for murder in a stone cell. Twelve tall ships ;in the bay were destroyed at anchor.
Many of the ruins still remain which can be toured and a museum was set up to tell the story. The city has rebuilt and it's lovely to visit. Behind the city are rolling hills of sugar can and plantations. We visited a rum distillery there and learned how the the rum is processed from sugar can to the bottle. Of course we had to do some sampling of the rum.a
Marigot Bay in Martinique is like a picture post card with palm trees leaning over the beaches and turquoise waters framing the beaters.
 |
| A visit to the rum distillery. Look at all the that rum! |
As we traveled further south we stopped at several islands: Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Union island, and Carriacou.
By early February, we were in Grenada, our furthest planned destination and the island that we would have more guests, namely my son Alex, his friend Karen, and Peter's daughter Janna. And the windlass motor arrived, YEA! It was an active week. We went to a local jump up and carnival, went snorkeling and scuba diving, fishing (Alex caught at 23 pound yellow fin tuna, a once in a lifetime catch, and it was delicious), had a BBQ dinner on an island that served from a shack but had a great live band, explored some beautiful beaches, took a tour with Justin ( the driver) hiking into the rain forest to the waterfalls and swam in the pools. The kids partied every night after that with Justin and his side kick Nigel and apparently had a wonderful time. We were sorry to see them leave at the end of their stay.
 |
| Alex catches a yellow fin tuna |
So at this point we turn around and start heading back north, stopping at many of the same places but investigating a few new ones too. We meet up with our friends Sue and Curt for a few days in Antigua then head to St. Martin. Peter's friends will join him for a week while Gracie and I head home. Then the boat will be stored until November when the hurricane season has passed.
