Soufriere - Holy Pitons, Batman!

Yesterday morning we woke up early and headed over to the Bat Cave area to pick up one of the moorings (without sails this time). Solstice is just a hundred feet or so away from the area's namesake -- a tall narrow cave loaded with bats. We can hear their high-pitched chattering all day long. Later in the morning we took a taxi tour to the main sights of Soufriere. Our first stop was the Diamond Estates Botanical Gardens, where we were shown around by a site guide named Alexander the Great. He had long fingernails, a few missing teeth, and a lot of energy. He claimed to have had special botanical training and we believed him. He knew the common and scientific names as well as the origins of every plant in the place. He must've told us about a hundred different plants in the space of thirty minutes. He was shouting and pointing them out at such a fast pace that it all became a jumble, but the flowers were gorgeous and the temperature was cool under the tree canopies so we weren't complaining.

After the gardens we took a taxi to the "drive-in" volcano, which is really just hillside covered in sulfur springs not unlike the ones you see at Yellowstone (the crater walls of the original volcano eroded thousands of years ago and there hasn't been any kind of eruption in three-hundred-odd years). The stink of hydrogen sulfide was overpowering, and Kevin shot a video of some of the bubbling pools of muddy water. The mudpool named "Gabriel's Pool" has an interesting story behind it. Apparently tourists used to be able to go right up close to the pools but about fifteen years ago one of the guides, Gabriel, was jumping up and down to demonstrate the instability of the terrain when the ground caved and he fell waist-deep into the boiling mud. (Not to worry: he narrowly avoided winning a "Darwin Award"; he survived and still has the use of his legs. He has, however, changed professions and is now a fisherman in Soufriere.) After the sulfur springs we hopped back in the taxi to view a small waterfall and then we called it a day and headed back to the boat. Kevin fixed the swim ladder and we had a snorkel off the boat -- there's a really good variety of fish and coral here. As the sun set we watched and waited expectantly for the bats to burst out of the cave in one big swarm but it didn't happen.

This morning we dinghied ashore and wandered around the friendly town of Soufriere for a bit before taking a taxi over to the Ladera Resort to have lunch at Dasheene restaurant. We found the food to be so-so but the view was breathtaking. Dasheene is nestled on a hill between the two Pitons (St. Lucia's famed steep coastal mountains) and we had the best table in the place, overlooking the valley and bay between them. During the meal we knocked back a couple of liquid Pitons (locally brewed beer) and enjoyed what is definitely the best view in all the Caribbean.

Where we are:
Location=Soufriere, St. Lucia
Lat=13 51.435
Lon=61 03.913

Soufriere, St. Lucia

Yesterday we spent an hour digging out our scuba gear in order to try to dive the Devil's Table. I say "try" because we weren't very successful. We finally got both sets of gear into the dinghy and motored out there only to find a very strong current and tide-driven surge. It was definitely unsafe for two people to dive on their own without a chaseboat; we would've drifted out halfway to St. Vincent! So we headed back in. Not to let all that prep-work go to waste, Kevin decided to don his gear in order to scrub Solstice's props and hull. Unfortunately it ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth (we usually just use snorkel gear instead of scuba gear) -- we were only in 6-8 feet of water and he kept stirring up sediment so that he couldn't see. And to top it off he got himself, his wetsuit, and his BCD covered in tiny brine shrimp (think Sea Monkeys). Ick. But then he tried to climb out of the water while still wearing full gear and he broke the swim ladder off -- what a fiasco! One of the brackets broke completely and the other one is bent and twisted. So now we can't go swimming. Well, we can go swimming but can't get back aboard the boat without getting smurfy blue bottom paint all over ourselves. We knew those brackets were chintzy so we do have two spares but Kevin didn't have time to fix it yesterday since we still had to grab some last-minute groceries and clear out of the country.

We left Bequia at 4am this morning for the 55 mile journey to St. Lucia. We had our sails up but winds were very very light, almost nothing. In fact at one point the sea in the St. Vincent Channel looked like glass; it was a very strange sight to see in an area known for its steady tradewinds. So we motored with our sails up. We gave up and dropped the jib but left the main up (this will factor into the story later). We arrived around noon and had hoped to pick up a mooring in an area known as the Bat Cave, but as we headed into Soufriere we could see that all of those were taken. Plan B was to pick up a mooring ball in a different area, Malgretout, at the base of one of the Pitons. A boat boy came up in his skiff and offered to tie us up. (In the Malgretout anchorage, you pick up a mooring but then you also have to tie your stern to a tree on the beach.) Malcolm helped get us situated and then started giving us information about the area and offering to arrange a taxi to customs and possibly a tour for tomorrow. So after Malcolm left, Kevin went up to the bow to check on the mooring line and he just happened to look back and notice that our mainsail was still up. We had picked up the damn mooring, tied ourselves up broadside to the wind about 150 feet from the rock-strewn shore, and then sat there chatting for ten minutes! Which just goes to show how little we actually sail. Folks watching us pick up the mooring must've thought we were either total pros or total idiots, depending on their perspective. Thank goodness there was no wind at all and we were able to quickly and sheepishly take down the sail. I am still shaking my head in amazement -- who forgets to take down their sails?!? Proof that no matter how long you have been cruising you are bound to do something pretty dumb every once in a while.

Where we are:
Location=Soufriere, St. Lucia
Lat=13 50.632
Lon=61 03.787

Bequia - Music Fest 2008

On Thursday night, Bequia's annual Music Fest kicked off to a great start with the 13-piece Elite Steel Orchestra. Luckily for us it stopped raining long enough for us to dinghy in and meet up with Mike & Kylie from "Meggie". The music had already started by the time we got there and there was a big crowd of people dancing and enjoying the music. The steel band was very good, and played everything from Beethoven's "Fur Elise" to more recent stuff like Alicia Keys' "No One". We've posted some photos and will hopefully post a video as well.

Saturday afternoon we headed out in the dinghy to a good snorkel spot affectionately called the "Devil's Table". The coral was okay, nothing spectacular, but the reef was teeming with activity. It was late afternoon and all the reef fish were in a feeding frenzy, so there was lots to look at. We also saw a small group of two-inch cuttlefish, which looked like tiny aliens hovering in the water.

And just before we got out of the water, Kevin spotted a big old lobster taking shelter underneath a coral overhang. We must've irritated the heck out of him, as we kept diving down and getting as close as possible trying to get the "perfect shot" with our camera. He didn't complain though; he was probably just happy we didn't take him home for dinner.

Yesterday afternoon, both "Lucky Dog" (who we met in Mayreau) and "Meggie" stopped by to let us know that there was a free concert on the beach. It was the last day of the Music Fest, and we had nothing better to do (except do our taxes -- hmmm...tough decision, there) so we headed over. The beach was gorgeous and there were people swimming, hanging out on the sand, and of course dancing to the music. We listened to a jazz ensemble followed by a reggae band and both were really really good. There was a fun festival atmosphere and at the beer tent they were giving away these lottery-type scratch off tickets for every Hairoun (local beer) purchased. Of course Kevin's ticket was a winner and he got to choose from an array of prizes. The only really appealing thing were these bright orange baseball caps bearing the "Vita Malt" logo. Now, we've seen this drink throughout the Caribbean but never actually tried it. It is apparently a non-alcoholic carbonated malty-tasting nutrition drink. Not something I'd be likely to order but now that my husband is a walking billboard for it, we'll have to give it a try sometime.

Bequia - Windswept

Well we are getting plenty of power out of the wind generator. For the past day and a half winds have steadily been up over 20 knots in the harbor. At least Admiralty Bay is well-protected so the anchorage itself isn't rolly. Just windy. Very, very, windy. In fact last night Kevin and I were sitting outside when the wind started to howl and within ten minutes we saw all these red and green navigation lights on in the bay -- the lights of boats who had dragged in the gusts and were now motoring around looking for another place to anchor in the dark. Our anchor is holding well so far and we've been lucky that none of the boats in front of us have dragged either (knock wood).

On Saturday afternoon, we walked across to the windward side of the island with Mike and Kylie from "Meggie". We met up with some friends of theirs, Alan and Liz, who have just bought property here near Industry Bay. Their property was amazing; it was on a hill overlooking beach/reef views, no other houses (or land) in front of them to spoil the view -- and for a second Kevin's eyes lit up when he saw a "For Sale" sign on a neighboring parcel. But we found out the price and it sounds too rich for our blood. Anyway, the nearby beach was lovely and there was a great beach bar with nice lounge chairs where we all sat and basked in the late afternoon sun.

On Monday Kevin and I headed ashore for a leisurely lunch at the Gingerbread restaurant. I say "leisurely" because it always takes a while to get your order there, but who can complain when you are sitting on a terrace enjoying the breeze and views of the bay? Anyway it was fortunate that we spent such a long time at the restaurant because just before we got the bill, another group sat down at the table next to us. Kevin whispered, "Hey, look over to your right..." You may remember back on Mustique that we never did run into Mick Jagger or any other celebrities. Well, our luck had turned because seated not ten feet from us was Donald Sutherland, actor and father of Jack Bauer (er, I mean Kiefer Sutherland). His white mane of hair and piercing eyes were unmistakable but his trademark voice confirmed that it was really him and not just a doppelganger. He must have a house here on the island because Kevin overheard him ask his guests if there was "anything else on the island" they wanted to see while they were here. We looked around for Kiefer but after checking Yahoo News we realized he was stuck in California (having just been released from 48 days in jail).

Bequia -- Get Ready to Ruummmbble!

So we are settling in for a good long stay in Bequia, one of our favorite islands. We were dinghying into town the other day for lunch and noticed a familiar boat in the harbor. Mike and Kylie are some friends we met while in Grenada and their boat Meggie is a beautiful classic wooden yacht (can't remember the make). Kevin recognized it right away so we dinghied over to say hi. Seems like they'll also be hanging out here for a bit while the winds are blowing (20 knots plus for at least the next week). Luckily Bequia is a great place to chill out. Lots of great inexpensive restaurants, like the one we went to for lunch that afternoon -- delicious boneless chicken rotis (note to unsuspecting travelers: ordering boneless is key. The island chopping technique of breaking down a chicken means serious mouth injuries otherwise!) and drinks for two was less than US$10.

Last night we had the Meggie crew over for drinks and dinner. They introduced us to what is sure to be a new favorite drink: rum and ginger ale with lime. Very good, and no blender required! Plus, they brought a bottle of St. Vincent rum called "Sunset" which we found to be better than our typical stock, which is just whatever rotgut is cheapest at the store! Mike and Kylie are our age and have similar cruising plans for the next couple of seasons so it was nice to get to know them better, since I'm sure we'll be running into them in more anchorages along the way. We had a good time and hung out talking until 10pm -- which is a raging Friday night party by cruisers' standards!

So it's now Saturday morning and Kevin and I are getting ready to resume a task that we've been working on all week: tagging our mp3's by genre. Kevin has loaded all our CD's into our player (talk about eclectic) and we realized that when we put it on "shuffle" we get some seriously random tracks: classical, followed by disco and finished with a dose of funky soul (ahh...James Brown, HIT me!). So we decided to categorize everything so we could just shuffle within each category. Easy, right? Not so fast! You might be surprised to hear that opinions and tempers flared in our normally mild-mannered household. Who would believe that people could care enough to fight over whether Madonna belongs in Teen Pop or Electronica/Dance? Or if Michelle Branch should fall into the same category as Britney Spears? For the record, Kevin thinks Madonna falls into Teen Pop (eye roll) and thought I was crazy for thinking the other two belonged in the same category. The funniest part is that we were having the biggest fights over music we weren't even that likely to listen to! And of course Kevin throws out, "I'm just surprised that you are being so stubborn and opinionated." (Oh no you didn't!) When I pointed out that, in order to actually be having an argument, he was clearly being just as opinionated and stubborn he replied, "Well yeah, but I'm right." At this point we realized that we'd only got through three letters of the alphabet, so we laughed if off and called it a day. But Round 2 begins as soon as I'm done typing this so..."Let's get it on!" (In the Mills Lane boxing sense, as opposed to Marvin Gaye.)

Bequia, SVG

We've been in Bequia since Saturday, and plan to stick around for at least another week or so. On the way over we had a nice sail: 15-20 knots wind on the beam, with no waves -- we were doing nearly 9 knots until we had to turn upwind to make it into Admiralty Bay. We like Bequia; there are lots of restaurants and shops, and the water is flat and calm even in strong winds. We stopped in at one of the local boat chandleries where we picked up a replacement boat hook. We also went out for our anniversary dinner at L'Auberge des Grenadines, where we ordered some of the biggest and freshest lobsters we've ever seen.

Where we are:
Location=Bequia, SVG
Lat=13 00.652
Lon=61 14.611

Mustique - (Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Our guidebooks describe Mustique as an island hideaway for the rich and famous. We read that David Bowie has sold up and moved away, but Mick Jagger is still kicking around and in fact is on the island as we speak. (We haven't run into him -- yet.) The island is privately owned by the Mustique Company, and while they don't limit who can come here by boat they do charge a fee to anchor or pick up a mooring which means that some folks give the island a miss so the anchorage is not too crowded. Besides there are only three restaurant/bars on the island, and our wardrobes preclude us from going to two of them (Ties & jackets? Only if foul weather jackets count!). Basil's Bar is the most casual of the three and we arrived on a Wednesday, just in time for Basil's Wednesday night buffet and jump-up.

The buffet dinner started late for us (8pm!), so we arrived a little early and hung out by the door keeping our eyes peeled for aging rock stars or any of society's creme de la creme. We didn't see any drunk socialites, but let me tell you the Euro-tourists were so entertaining that we weren't disappointed. The food was pricey but nothing special; we actually wished we'd skipped dinner and just paid the US$6 entry fee for the jump-up (translation: dance party) afterward. The band started out with a cheesy rendition of Lionel Richie's "Stuck On You", which is apparently more popular in other parts of the world than you think it is (or than it should be). But from there it proceeded to reggae and soca and soon the dance floor was crowded with tourists hilariously getting their groove on. Remember those Peanuts cartoons when the kids jam out while Schroeder plays the Linus & Lucy theme? Well this was like Charlie Brown on speed. Good grief! But we hung out and enjoyed the band until almost twelve (okay, you got me -- 11:15!).

The next day we took a walk across the island over to the Cotton House Resort, where we had drinks at the beach bar (their regular bar being one of the two more exclusive ones -- people wearing sweaty baseball caps need not apply). Again, no celebrity sightings to report but the drink prices at the beach bar were more reasonable than expected (we were hungry but quick glance at the menu revealed that a BLT was US$17, so we just stuck to the drinks!). Then this morning we wandered up in the direction of Firefly (the other one of the "dress code" bars) and at 10am it was empty so we ventured inside to see what we were missing. It was really posh and had stellar views of the harbor, but being hot and sweaty from our hike up the hill we opted not to spend too much time there. Afterward, on our way down the hill we walked along with a friendly (and chatty) local boat captain named Garnett, who filled us in on all the dish about the island and its residents. He's had the chance to ferry around some of the rich, famous, and royal (yes, both Prince William and Harry!) and in fact just a few days ago he saw Mr. Jagger himself. Well, we leave tomorrow and it's looking doubtful that we'll spot ol' Mick. But then again you know what they say: "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

Mustique - Man Overboard!

We spent a few more nights over in Mayreau in an anchorage on the windward side of the island. It was a much quieter spot; only one other boat anchored there during the time we were there. Troy and Winnie live aboard their trawler "Lucky Dog" with three cats and a German Shepherd the size of a small bear. We had drinks with them on their boat and we had a nice evening.

We then headed up to Canouan, which is the next island to the north. It's the base for the Moorings charter company, and it is also home to a huge Raffles resort. We spent the afternoon walking around the island, and the road along the windward side had some beautiful reef views. When we got back down to the bay we bought a couple sodas and "limed" with young guy named Martin and an old local sailor named "Sheriff". Sheriff claimed to have lived all over the world, from Norway to Taipei. Then he offered to sell us some of his land on Canouan, as he took a sip of his rum and juice. We couldn't tell if all his stories were true or not but they were interesting to say the least. The younger guy, Martin, was curious as to where our children were while we were living on the boat. We explained that we didn't have any and seemed pretty amazed by that. He advised us to start having some right away. This is about the fourth or fifth time that we've run into someone who was surprised that we didn't have a family. I guess in the islands most people our age would already have several kids. So I asked Martin how many kids he had. "None yet," was the reply. "First I got to find a good wife, then we have thirteen kids. Lots of kids." Wow. Ladies of Canouan, be warned!<>

This morning we got an early start and motorsailed up to Mustique. Britannia Bay in Mustique is a protected harbor and they prefer that you take a mooring instead of anchoring. Normally Kevin drives the boat while I stand on the bow and pick up the mooring with the boat hook. But these moorings didn't have pendants so that meant we'd have to thread our line directly through the mooring. It would have been easy if we hadn't given away our Happy Hooker (a tool just for this purpose, but that we had never used in nearly 3 years of sailing) back in Grenada! So Kevin suggested we switch: that I should be at the helm while he picked up the mooring. I was a little nervous because I rarely have the helm in these situations and didn't want to do anything embarrassing, such as run over a line or crash into another boat. So I very carefully approached the mooring, and Kevin bent over to thread our line. I watched in amazement as I saw his torso go overboard, followed by his legs. The big splash that followed was confirmation that my eyes weren't deceiving me. I made sure both engines were in neutral and just stayed at the helm, figuring that since he was in the water already he should be able to thread our line through the eye no problem. (I am nothing if not practical.) He finally called me up to the bow to catch the end of the line as he tossed it to me. As I secured the line I looked up and realized we had provided the morning's entertainment for the people on the boat in front of us, who were grinning as Kevin loudly announced that the next show would start at 1:30. Luckily Kevin was unharmed; I wish I could say the same for our boat hook. The aluminum pole was bent in two places and so badly kinked that it couldn't be bent back into shape.

[Kevin's Post]Hey, at least I got it on the first try!

Where we are:
Location=Mustique, SVG
Lat=12 52.738
Lon=61 11.347

Mayreau - I Like Big Boats and I Cannot Lie!

Well we arrived in Saline Bay, Mayreau three days ago. When we anchored we could see a huge cruise ship over in the next bay. We watched as their two tenders ferried hundreds of people to and from the island's gorgeous beach. Rather than deal with the crowds, we just hung out on the boat. All the cruise ship passengers were back on the boat before sundown and we got to watch the boat literally sail off into the sunset (it was one of those cruise ships with five giant masts and a bunch of sails).

Then yesterday morning we were jarred awake by the sound of a very nearby, very loud ship's horn. We looked out the port window and an enormous ship (the daily mailboat/ferry) was sitting in the water about 50 feet to the left of us, honking its horn repeatedly because too many other boats were anchored near the town dock. We weren't in the way, so we just sat out in the cockpit and watched four or five boats scramble to pull up their anchors and get out of the way. Later yesterday afternoon we did go ashore, and we found a gorgeous landscaped beach and a sleepy little town. We hiked up to the top of the hill where there was a tiny but pretty church with a fabulous view of the reefs on the windward side of Mayreau as well as the Tobago Cays in the distance. We had a rum punch at the Combination Cafe and glanced at some of the souvenirs. It seems that most people's livelihood here is dependent on the tourist industry. Even though it wasn't a cruise ship day and there were only a handful of tourists on the island, all the local ladies still had hung up all their souvenir t-shirts and colorful sarongs and had their tables arranged with artwork and jewelry. The island only has a population of 500 people, so it's a huge boost to the economy when a cruise ship comes and drops 2000 tourists off for the afternoon. Cruise ship season ends in March according to the bartender, so it makes you wonder what they do during the summertime.

This morning we were again woken up by a loud noise. This time it was the sound of massive anchors being dropped by the cruise ship that decided to anchor right behind us. Literally. We peered out the back port and they had dropped their first anchor about 500 feet behind us (which is pretty far back for a normal-sized boat, but a little close for a cruise ship!) Anyway, I'm sure their tenders will be zipping back and forth all day, dropping people off at the beach, so we are planning to avoid the commotion and go anchor in another bay.

Where we are:
Location=Mayreau, SVG
Lat=12 38.013
Lon=61 23.926

Union Island - Feeling Great in 08

Happy 2008 everyone! Our New Year's Eve celebration was a little lamer than predicted; Kevin still wasn't feeling too great so we just had dinner on the boat and turned in early (but we did wake up when other people in the anchorage started shouting "Happy New Year", so technically we were awake at midnight). In addition to having a boring New Year's, we've had a pretty boring week so far as well. Kevin can't swim or dive due to his ear, so we've just been hanging out reading, surfing the internet, and in general being "cave dwellers" (a phrase coined by Chris on Moonsail, who noted that all summer we spent 99% of our time in the cool air conditioning on the boat instead of outside. Now that the weather has cooled off, it's pretty comfortable inside the boat even without A/C.) But Kevin's ear is finally starting to feel better, so we will be moving on to the island of Mayreau today, about 3 miles north of here. We've never been there so I'm sure we'll at least leave the cave (I mean, boat) for a few hours to explore ashore...