Bequia

May 25 - 27, 2014

A -- Admiralty Bay - Port Elizabeth

33 - Iles de Saints,  34 - Dominica,  35 - Martinique,  36 - St Lucia,  37 - Bequia   

On our way to Bequia I'm reading the island introduction in our guide book.  Then I pass it to Brian and he reads it.  The guide tells us, 'the mooring balls break free quite often.  They are poorly designed  and the customs office issued a warning about them.  Rely on your own judgement as the vendors are only interested in collecting their fee.  If you do pay for one be sure to get a receipt.'  Our boat is heavier than most of the boats down here.  And, the wind is howling.  Greater weight and high wind equal more stress on a mooring ball.  So, as we approach the bay we are greeted by Baker who convinces Brian that he has a mooring ball that will hold us.  We pay him for two nights and get no receipt.  He has none with him.  Consequently I'm up writing at 3 AM!  Just waiting for the anchor alarm to go off telling us we are free floating.  Oh, ye of little faith....that's me!  The mooring ball held through three nights.  When we were on shore, I kept looking out at the harbor to make sure Gotta Smile was in her appointed location.  She behaved well, just as Baker had promised.  

I have to tell you, after the introduction about the mooring balls, I was pretty skeptical about how much I would like this island.  Boy, did I get a surprise!  It is one of my favorites!  The harbor has a beautiful paved walk right at the water's edge.  There are vendors with some beautiful work for sale and at reasonable prices.  The people were extremely friendly.  The water is pristine.  The beaches are palm lined and look like a movie set.  The shops, restaurants, hotels and homes all blend in with the scenery.  There are no big fancy resorts and there is no cruise ship pier.  In other words, this is exactly what a brochure for a quiet Caribbean vacation would look like.

 

The Gingerbread House was perfect for a mid
afternoon snack.  Gingerbread for Brian (or course)
and sorbet for me: coconut and passion fruit!

Paved walkway from the harbor to the beach.

Two new taste sensations:  sweet apple and wax apple

Richard, a Bequian whale bone carver, in his beach
front shop....no walls - just a palm tree and beach.

Bequia is one of the few places in the world where limited whaling is still sanctioned by the International Whaling Commission.  The natives of Bequia are allowed to kill up to four whales per year, but they must use the same technique and equipment that their ancestors used:  hand thrown harpoons, small open sailing boats and the whale must be brought to shore by the same small boat (no motors).  Only native Bequians can participate in the hunt.   Many years no whales are taken.  The art of hunting without technology and mechanical assistance is almost lost.   

Two whale ribs form an arch at the entrance to the
Whale Boner Restaurant & Bar.  

                  

A rib bone accents the bar and vertebrae serve as 
seats on the bar stools.  The Whale Boner is a 
legendary stop in Bequia.

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

St Lucia

May 21 - 24, 2014

St Lucia:  A - Rodney Bay, Yellow Line - The road around the island  

31 - Antigua,  32 - Guadeloupe,  33 - Iles des Saintes,  34 - Dominica,  35 - Martinique,  36 - St Lucia 

I had a mental image of St Lucia before I read anything about the island.  I think the name is so beautiful I expected the island to be this Garden of Eden....all tranquil and lush.  Unsubstantiated images are seldom accurate.  It was lovely, but after Dominica, it came up short.

Overlooking Rodney Bay

We have seen houses partially completed since
we got to the Bahamas.  Apparently, people don't
like to take loans.  They build what they can, save
money and then build more.  

We decided to stay in the Rodney Bay Marina for four nights.  This was the first marina since Sopher's Hole -- almost seven weeks ago.  It was a good decision.  The marina had most everything a boater would need:    Island World for boat parts, an IGA within walking distance, propane, pool, customs and immigration, car rental, five restaurants and a very friendly staff.  We did a few chores to get the boat ready for storage and relaxed.

We stopped to see Marigot Marina.  It is in a
hurricane hole surrounded by mangroves.

Brian wanted to rent a car.  He loves driving these islands!  Maybe he just misses driving a car.  I ordered a small car which also meant a small engine.  There were several mountain passes that I thought I would have to get out and push us over the crest.  The two lane roads are extremely curvy and every time there was a short straight away three or four cars would zip passed us.  The center line on the highway is just a suggestion in these islands.  Most drivers take the middle of the road and only slide over at the moment before impact.  The vegetation is pretty scrubby.  However, driving through the mountains we did see a

Ceramic tile billboard set into the side of a mountain.

rain forest several times.  We have also noticed living fences on the last couple islands.  We first became aware of them when we went to Costa Rico about thirty years ago.  Branches are cut off trees and used as fence posts.  The land is so fertile that the branches begin to sprout leaves and grow into a new tree.  

Overlooking Soufriere, one of four major towns on
St Lucia. 

Shops are small in town and along the road.  This is
a jewelry store.

Downtown shopping 

Produce stands are frequent on all city streets
 and highways.

All of the Caribbean Islands that we have visited are extremely poor.  The people come up with some pretty creative ways to make a living off the tourists.  Unlike our visits to Mexico and Jamaica, we have not seen begging.  The further south we go the more aggressive the salesmen are becoming.  They still remain friendly, but if you get out of the car expect to be approached by several people selling native crafts, t-shirts and produce.      

In order to sell bananas to exporters,
the fruit must be blemish free.  They
are grown in these bags to protect
them from bruising.

For our Krogen friends:
This 38 foot sailboat was designed and built
by Jim Krogen for his personal use.
 It is one of a kind.  Still looks beautiful.

The Bird Man cornered us as we came out of a shop
and insisted on carving love birds for us from a
coconut husk.  After it was completed, he named the
birds Jackie and Brian and then blessed our marriage.
I want to throw it out, but I'm afraid it will break the
blessing.  Being together 24/7 we need all the help 

we can get!  

The finished sculpture.  This picture flatters it.

Saturday night Michelle and Randy (on left) invited
us, Doug and Kathy to dinner at Jambe de Bois!
Hoping we will cross paths with Nautilus again soon.  We've only known each other for a short
time, but feel like old friends already.  Thanks for
a great dinner and lots of laughs.

The Pitons near Soufriere are two mountainous volcanic plugs that rise from the sea.  
Gros Piton is 771 meters tall and Petit Piton is 743 meters.  What a site!   

                                                                           Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Martinique

May 16 - 20, 2014

A - Fort de France,  B - Anse Mitan,  C - Grande Anse d'Arlet

32 - Guadeloupe,  33 - Iles des Saints,  34 - Dominica,  35 - Martinique

First view of Martinique

Martinique is part of France.  Walking down the busy streets of Fort de France the French vibe is very evident.  Passing pedestrians seldom return a friendly smile or deviate from their course to give a little space to oncoming walkers.  The residents are obviously proud of their French heritage.  No matter how politely I asked, “parlez-vous Anglais?” I got a look of disbelief and disgust.  They don’t seem to grasp the concept of a visitor only staying in their country for a few days.  The impression is — if you are in Martinique you better speak French!  

Fort de France
The tall building was a casino/hotel -- now vacant.

Michelle and Randy's Nautilus 

Brian and Randy deep in conversation while the
women are out gathering food in the market.

Fort de France was the first big city we visited since leaving Miami.  One night was enough …. the city was too big, too French and too dirty.  When we pulled into the harbor and prepared to anchor we saw Nautilus with Michelle and Randy, who we had met in Portsmouth, Dominica.  After checking in, we stopped for a tour of their beautiful aluminum sailboat.  They had the same itinerary for Saturday morning that we did:  meet at 9 for a French breakfast (lots of delicious gooey pastry), see the market and stop at the big grocery (hyper-marche).  By noon we had moved both boats across the bay to Anse Mitan.   They came over for dinner which gave us time to exchange stories.  Brian and Randy have lots in common.  Michelle is an extremely talented woman who has had a very interesting career path.  And, she is a more than competent sailor.  We all laughed at the two times I ran our boat into piles of rock (they were under water) and did a ‘U’ turn in front of an oncoming tow boat loaded with barges.  No one would ever describe me as competent.  Hopefully, I’ve learned from those errors.  Michelle and I enjoy each other in spite of our different talents.        

      The historic fort in Fort de France.

The small picturesque village of Anse Mitan was a breath of fresh air on Sunday.  It was so much friendlier.  In trying to communicate, I find myself uncontrollably throwing out Spanish phrases when my hand gestures and English have failed to make the point.  If you find yourself in this situation, please make a mental note — mispronounced Spanish phrases are of no help!  At least, here the residents worked with us and

we were successful ordering lunch, gelato and finalizing several purchases.  We really did have a fun day!  There were lots of families at the beach and on the streets.  They returned smiles and greetings.  I have always tried to help foreign visitors in the States, but now I promise to be even more patient when they are struggling with their English.

                                                            Anse Mitan: shops at street level apartments above.         

                                                               

Monday we traveled an hour to Anse D’Arlet, which is really two towns:  Grande and Petite.  We anchored at Grande Anse D'Arlet in a well protected bay.  There was only one mooring ball left. We did notice that we were conspicuously larger than the neighboring boats, but didn't give it a second thought.  When we stopped in town to fill out the exit papers,

we were told the mooring balls were only for boats up to eight meters.  We are about 15 meters.        OK, we will move after our easy hike to Petite.  This is mistake number two.  I'm seeing a pattern.  When the guide book says 'an easy hike', I think that means five miles or less.  An easy hike in my mind is a couple of blocks.  Big Difference!  So, it is high noon when we start on our 'short hike' to Petite Anse D'Arlet.  An hour later we are looking for a place to eat, but because this is a French island, mid-afternoon everything is closed for a couple of hours.  I thought that there was another cute town south of Petite and convinced Brian we should take the bus to it.  This is mistake number three!  We did take the bus to the next town.  It was not cute and the bus service back to Grande was anything but reliable.  I panicked -- it would be dark in another hour.  I stood next to the road with my thumb out, hoping for a ride.  After being rejected by three cars, the bus showed up.  I jumped in the middle of the road flagging him down with both arms frantically waving.  I truly was that crazy American woman.  The bus did stop for us and we did make it back to Grande before dark.  Brian is still shaking his head and wondering how he got mixed up with me......  

 

I might have been a bit harsh in my judgement of the French in my earlier comments.  The people we met outside Fort de France were very friendly and helpful.  I'm thinking that it is big cities that make some people so surly.  

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!  

Dominica

May 9 - 15, 2014

28 - St Martin,  29 - St Barth,  30 - Barbuda,   
31 - Antigua,  32 - Guadeloupe 
 33 - Iles des Saints,  34 - Dominica 

A - Prince Rupert Bay in Portsmouth

The red line indicates the 115 mile
hiking route.

Dominica is the youngest of the Caribbean Islands and the least commercial.  Little has changed on the island since it was discovered by Columbus.  It is commonly referred to as the Nature Island with it's seven potentially active volcanos, 365 rivers, a boiling lake and a hot waterfall.  This island grows most of the produce for the rest of the islands.  Christopher Columbus was trying to explain what Dominica looked like to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.  In his frustration he resorted to crumpling a piece of parchment to demonstrate the rugged terrain.  It is not as popular with most tourists as the other islands.  But, for those who enjoy nature and hiking it is a favorite.  The Wai'tukubuli National hiking trail is 115 miles long with levels of difficulty ranging from 1 - 5.  The 115 miles is divided into 14 segments.  We stuck to those with a ranking of 1.  

The clouds have been spectacular.  These look like
they are touching the sailboat masts.

We left Florida in November 2013.  Since our departure from the States we have not seen a heavy rainfall.  Normally there is a light sprinkle that lasts a few minutes.  It frequently comes in the night.  We jump out of bed and start closing the windows.  Before we have them latched, the rain has stopped and we need to open them for ventilation.   On Friday night, I heard the rain and awoke from a coma.  I just laid there waiting for it to stop.  Instead it rained harder and harder and the wind began blowing.  This was real rain.  Finally, Mother Nature was giving us a free boat wash.  The rain and wind (with gusts to 45) continued all night and most of the next two days.  

Because we arrived in Dominica after 4:00 on Friday we didn’t think we could check into customs until Monday. The office closes at 4.  We stayed on the boat and flew our quarantine flag.  There was plenty to keep us busy.  I did laundry, made yogurt, read and wrote emails, did some cleaning and played endless games of Rummy Cube with Brian.  Monday morning we went to customs with all of our documents, filled out the three pages of questions and prepared to pay our fee.  Oh, NO, not so fast!  We had violated Dominica's entry laws. Apparently, you must check in within 24 hours of arrival.  We got a twenty minute lecture in front of eight other boaters waiting to check in.  We were told that we could be subject to a fine of $6,000!  Yowza, numbers like that really get our attention!  And, then a few more minutes of lecturing.  In the end, we only paid a single fee of $5 for entry and exit.  At that point we thanked them profusely and scooted out the door as quickly as we could.    

Maggie, our new friend on Sweet Dreams, sent an introduction about her friends, Michelle and Randy on Nautilus.  She also sent an email to Michelle.  Maggie had no idea which island either of us were on.  Turns out, they were on the boat directly behind us.  They stopped over for a great visit and had plenty of suggestions for our future travels.  They are also on their way to Granada.  We will see them along the way.                      

When we were in Puerto Rico, I entered my picture in a giveaway that Chicos was sponsoring.  I didn’t win.  On Saturday I glanced all the way through one of their emails (which I seldom do) and there was my picture!  So far no calls for professional work.  Oh, I forgot -- my phone is turned off until we are back to the States.  That must be why.....  

Tuesday and Wednesday we rented a car to see some of the sights.  We fell in love with this island.  Don't get me wrong -- I'm not moving here.  But, we couldn't get over how beautiful it is.  We didn't even scratch the surface.  Mainly because we were lost most of the second day.  But, even being lost was good.  The flowers, trees, waterfalls, bubbling rivers and nice people made it all a great experience.  The Dominicans are very proud of their country.  They are friendly and eager to share it with visitors.  

Driving throughout the island felt like
driving through a botanical garden,
without the plant identification signs.  

Bromeliads growing on air roots in
the rainforest.

       

Bananas, papayas, mangos and
 coconuts grow wild.  Did you know
a banana plant only produces one 
bunch and then dies?  

Roadside vegetation is cutback and
a variety of ornamental plants are
installed.  Not in cities or residential
areas.  Along rural roads. 

Small modest homes show pride of ownership with
colorful well kept gardens.

Farming on the steep hillsides.

Cows, horses, goats and sheep are left
 near the road to graze. 

Hiking through the rainforest to Trafalgar
Falls.  This is a level 1 hike?

The two falls at Trafalgar: Father on the left and
Mother on the right.

Mother Falls

A hot sulfur spring near the base of the waterfall.

Very steep roads with hairpin turns and rock slides.

We're almost in the clouds.

Colorful houses in the valley 

Clear Lake is a fresh water crater lake.  We are high
in the mountains no longer in the rainforest.  This
landscape is called a cloud forest. 

The locals walk up and down these steep hills
everyday.  Many of them carry their packages on
their heads.

A view with a house.

The roads were very good.  Notice
the gutters along the road that were
at least a foot deep.  You don't want to
drop a wheel in there!

Pipelines, on the left side of the bridge, carry fresh
water.  They are wrapped with 1 inch thick boards.
Does anyone know why? 

Roseau, the capital of Dominica.

Cascading river.

Back at sea level.

We missed the Carib Indian Reservation, but found a petroglyph by some of our ancestors.

The original construction of Ft Shirley began in 1774.
After falling into ruin, restoration began in 1982.   

Looking over Prince Rupert Bay from Ft Shirley.
Pirates of The Caribbean 2 was largely filmed here
in Dominica.  Enlarge the map at the top of the page
and see the locations that were used.

This is Providence our boat boy.  He is a member
of a group called PAYS -- Portsmouth Area Yacht
Service.  They will take care of any service boater's
need and arrange tours on land and water.  A well
informed professional group of really nice men.       

Providence picking us up at 6 AM for the
Indian River Tour.  

River guide's boats waiting for other early risers.

Bloodwood trees live in salt water with roots that
snake over the soil and also work their way into
the water.  Their base is massive with a more
delicate canopy.
   

The tranquil Indian River

No, we didn't add masts to the boat!
A sail boat is hidden behind us.

       Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!