Sailing, Sailing................

Griff's last blog left us heading to sea again. Since then we have sailed to Martinique and back. No WiFi on the boat there and the keyboards ashore were French so we decided to wait until we were back here in Rodney Bay to do the blog. French keyboards are different. You have to shift to get numbers and some of our common punctuation marks. As well the letters are arranged differently. For those of you that we did send emails to that explains the qnd's and the e;qils.

A little about the anchorage. We were anchored off St. Anne next to Don and Heather on ASSEANCE a boat from Canada that we had met in Dominica. St. Anne is a quiet little village. One noticable thing about it is the church and shrine on the hill above the village. The church is the first thing you see as you walk up from the dock and the shrine is at the end of a zig-zag path that is very noticable from the boat because it has a white wall that follows both sides of the path with what looked like a shrine at each point of the zig-zag. What little I know about the Catholic religion I figure the path must have been a walk along the Stations of the Cross. We did not walk up the path. We spent an afternoon exploring the rest of the village and walking along the beach. On one end of the beach is a Club Med which of coarse does not allow non-guests onto its premises. At the other end of the village is a series of beaches that are connected by a hiking trail. We walked along part of the trail passing a 'water park' one of the hotels has in place. It consisted of trampolines, slides and water volleyball court. It was easy to picture the grandkids having fun there.

The other area we spent time in was Le Marin. This is another village/marina area about a 1/2 dinghy ride away. It is a huge marina, anchorage, and mooring field. We have not run across so many boats in one area before. Martinique is a province of France and the atmosphere there is more European than Caribbean. You can still get the island tourist gifts and vegetables, but you can also buy delicious French bread, cheeses and wine.

Now about the sailing. It was great to be on the move again. We had good winds both days and were able to sail with the motor turned off. Griff was in his glory! I am still getting over my uneasiness with being heeled over, but it is getting better. The sail from St. Lucia to Martinique was uneventful - winds around 15 knots and seas about 6 feet over the starboard bow. We averaged around 6.5 knots most of the way. When we were about an hour away we realized that the waypoint we were headed to was west of St. Anne, the harbour we wanted to anchor in. That meant we had to turn more into the wind and lost speed so that last hour we had the motor on. I will admit it was my error in not letting Griff know earlier where the waypoint was in relation to the harbour and not realizing that we would have been better turning earlier so we would not lose the wind. Oh well!!! Next time I'll know better. We got anchored with no incidents.

Our sail from Martinique was not quite as uneventful. At 0830 we lifted anchor and started the voyage back to St. Lucia. The first event occurred as Griff was hoisting the mainsail. He was having a difficult time, as if the sail was caught on something. We finally realized that the halyard, the rope used to pull up the sail, was tangled around the lazy jacks, the lines that run up from the boom to the top of the mast and keep the mainsail in line when it is being lowered. So we lowered the main and started all over, this time with no problems. So out of the harbour we sailed with one boat slightly ahead of us off our port bow.

Next event - When we left the anchorage the wind was about 10 knots and the seas we less than 3 feet. As we passed the end of the island the wind and seas increased. We were expecting that because it is a normal occurrance when you come to the end of an island and enter 'open' water. However, to compound things, we also had a squall hit us. This also causes an increase in wind speed as well as rain. The wind picked up to 25 knots and the seas were now 8 - 9 feet. Both were coming from the east which, because we were travelling SSE, meant they were coming over our port side. Mystic Journey was rocking and rolling and I headed for the Gravol. We both put on our lifejackets and tethers.

Next event - As the wind, seas, and rain were diminishing I happened to notice that our boat hook, which we have tied to the toerail at the bow, had worked its way over the toerail and was now hanging outside the boat - a sure way to lose the boat hook. Off Griff went to remedy the situation by bringing the boat hook into the cockpit. Even though the seas had settled a bit, Griff still was a 'little' on the wetside when he got back to the cockpit (Griff here - while I was up there a large wave came up over the bow and hit me. I lost my footing and both my legs went over the side - luckily my body was on the right side of the lifeline - don't tell Cheryl!!).

The rest of the trip was uneventful except for briefly altering course to make way for a couple of boats heading in the opposite direction. Finally we could see Rodney Bay and were on course according to the GPS and chartplotter. Both of us were looking at the landmarks and chose which point in the distance we should be heading towards. Things didn't quite look like I remembered the entrance to Rodney Bay. Down to look at the chart plotter and change the setting to closer in. Sure enough the point we had chosen was the backside of Pigeon Island not the point of land on the other side of the bay. Slight adjustment in course and we were headed the right way again. It was interesting to see Pigeon Island from the other side. That was the side of the park that we had looked out from when we visited it with Jason, Amelia and Alex. Anchoring in the bay was uneventful and we were settled in by 1330.

We had been going to go in to fill up with water as it had not been available when we left for Martinique but decided with the wind about 18 kts when we arrived, that we would wait for a calmer time - it can be awkward pulling up to a dock with the wind blowing hard like that. So here we are, waiting for our next crew members, Judy and Ivor, to come in on Sunday. Maybe one more blog before then - if we do anything besides clean the boat (Griff here - and fix things - have to pick up a foot pump for the saltwater galley pump - never ends!!!)

Ramblings and Musings

Well, it has been a week and 2 days since Jason left St Lucia and one week since we left the Perry's in the Pitons to come to Rodney Bay. When Cheryl blogged last, she related the problems we had when we arrived here and noted that we enjoyed the sleep that night. Onward, ever onward.

Our intentions in coming to Rodney Bay were to re-provision, clean up the boat a little and move up to Martinique to spend a week or so exploring until it was time to come back to St Lucia to meet our next guests, Judy and Ivor. Well, I thought that I would make a list of little things we could do on/for the boat for a day or so while prepping for Martinique. Of course there is no such thing as a small list when you are talking about things to do on a boat so the list grew and grew until we ended up deciding that we would stay the weekend and go to Martinique this week.

Of course the weather (wind and seas) picked up beginning Monday and since we are feeling particularly lazy (like why fight the weather Gods), we decided on delaying until Friday, when we go regardless.

There is a trade off for this laziness, however. Whenever we stay in one place too long, I find myself feeling very restless, irritable and out of sorts. I believe I start to think too much and try to live too much in the future. I have been able over the last 20 years to learn how to not live in the past. The Serenity Prayer says accept the things you cannot change and of course the past is one of the two things that I keep reminding myself I can't change. The other thing is other people and I am working on that - honest.

Back to staying in one spot too long - a friend of ours, Chris, that we met through the Perry's said that the worst thing you can do down here is to turn into a sailing bum - moving very little, hanging out in marinas or marina bars and just generally not taking advantage of the opportunities available down here to see and learn new things. I think when I stay in one spot I become concerned that this is what is happening. In truth I don't believe it is because if it was, I wouldn't be concerned would I??? Would I??

Something else that has been bothering me and I think this may relate back to something Cheryl said in a blog long ago and far away. She said it feels sometimes like we are not contributing to........anything I guess..... as we sit in these anchorages. I think this has been in the back of my mind for a while now and two places we have visited since the new year started kind of reinforced the concept of it. The first place was Falmouth/English Harbour in Antigua and the second was actually in the Pitons earlier this month. It was sparked by the vista of millions and millions of dollars of floating fibreglass of the super yacht class sitting in marinas with maybe 20 people aboard doing mostly nothing. We mentioned Maltese Falcon in Falmouth in a previous blog, 289 feet of very expensive ego, built so they could say they had the largest sailboat in the world - when it was built. It has of course been surpassed since then by others with more money and bigger egos. Then in the Pitons a super yacht called White Cloud showed up. We googled it just for information and found out it is the 62nd biggest super yacht in the world. WHY? In case you are thinking this is just sour grapes because our boat is only 49 feet of constant repairs(well, not really, it just seems like that sometimes!!!), it is not. Cheryl and I talked about this and discussed whether we would ever buy something like that if we had the money. Emphatically NO! I think about the money that is afloat aboard these boats and then walk through one of the "less desirable" areas of some of the towns in the island, where kids leave school at 11 or 12 to help support the family or they can't go to school because they can't afford the mandatory uniforms (I think uniforms are a great idea but not the idea of no uniform, no school) and I wonder where priorities lie for a large number of people in the world

I guess some of this ties into what I said earlier about us feeling like we are not contributing. I think in some way, I feel a little guilt. I always thought when I retired that I would then sit back and do nothing except play- and be extremely happy doing it. I guess even when I began thinking about just sailing - nothing else - it sounded idyllic and something I could do until I was old. I am beginning to realize, however, that as lucky, or as fortunate (difference between lucky and fortunate is that lucky is dropped in my lap, fortunate is being able to manage my life well enough to seem lucky) as I am, and as grateful as I am for the gifts I have been given by my Creator that enabled me to get where I am, that there needs to be more to our lives than hedonistic pleasure - more than self-gratification as a goal.

This is not to say that people who sail or just retire and do nothing are to be faulted. When I speak of these things I speak strictly for me and maybe somewhat for Cheryl. At times I envy these people and wonder if I mentally self-examine too much (no - I guess I know I do that!). It is difficult to translate what I am feeling into words. When I think about our sailing experiences so far I don't consider it a waste of time or as hedonistic - well, most of the time anyway - but I think the times I enjoy the most are when we have a goal i.e do 3 overnights to reach the ABC's, sail for the first time in unknown (to us) waters, sail across the Venezuela basin in 7 days. This feeling of goal orientation/achievement can apply to sailing for 4 hours in new waters or the circumnavigation of the globe. It can even apply to living back on the acreage when we are done our nautical life. We can set goals and do our best in working towards them.

So how does this apply to anything and what sparked this long diatribe. Having re-read what I have written after leaving it overnight I think it relates back to sitting in one spot too long.

Or maybe I just get bored. If that is so, why didn't I just say that in the first place. I could have avoided boring you!!!!

Cheryl and I have tentatively laid out our plans for the rest of this year. After we visit Martinique and then have Judy and Ivor crew for us for a week, we are going to start heading south with the goal of getting to Grenada by end July or early August - unless a hurricane chases us down there sooner

In the middle of August we put Mystic Journey on the hard in Grenada to get some anti-fouling work done (Painting the boat bottom so barnacles etc. don't attach themselves to the boat. Hence the term anti-fouling.) and while that is going on we are returning to Canada to visit family, particularly the latest addition (by that time) - Leila and Ryan's first child. Cheryl is also going to attend her 40th Nurses Reunion in BC.

October 3 we are back in Grenada to pick up our boat and are hoping that sister Deb will visit in mid-October so we can sail her down to Tobago and back. Then we continue our journey north to do some exploring in BVI and USVI and maybe a short visit to the Spanish Virgin Islands. This overall period might be a really good time for those of you who have not yet visited to take the plunge. There are some really neat things to see and do up there. This agenda will take us into the new year and then it is a whole new ball game.

I hope that my "ramblings and musings" haven't put you to sleep. I do tend to run on. Will blog from Martinique if we have a WiFi connection or as we heard it pronounced by one Frenchman, a WeeFee connection.

The Pitons to Rodney Bay

Before reading this entry check out the link to Facebook in the comments for Jason's blog "Vacation to this!?!" and the pictures added to our blog "St. Lucia and Part of the Family".

The days after Jason left were busy ones. The day he left we went snorkeling again with the Perrys. Amelia is quite adept at diving down and pointing out various aquatic creatures. She pointed out sea worms, flamingo tongues and various fishes. The flamingo tongues are interesting – they are ‘snails’ (creatures with shells) that attach themselves to the sea fans and feed off of them. I had collected these shells on beaches, but did not know what they were.

Amelia spent Sunday night with us on Mystic Journey. We had a throw together supper, our supplies are running low, and then watched HAIRSPRAY. Amelia seemed to enjoy the movie and pointed out the song she had sung in a production at their school. Monday morning arrived and Alex rowed over with fresh banana muffins baked by Julie. Later Alex came back with his school books and the three of us finished off the music portion of their art lessons. Amelia has a beautiful singing voice and after she felt comfortable with the song, London Bridge, she has to record and send it in. I showed her how to play the song on the recorder. She picked that skill up quickly and was playing the song by memory within a short time. Alex in the meantime was tackling music transposition. He did very well with that, with only very minor corrections needing to be done so he could send it in. I learned a lot helping Alex with this lesson. I have never attempted transposing music before although I was aware of the theory. Thanks Alex for the opportunity to learn.

That evening we spent on the boat preparing for leaving the next mooring. The Perrys visited with their friends on STRAY KITTY.

Tuesday morning we went over to ARTEMO, mainly because we had to take the dinghy off the davits so we could take the motor off, but also to say goodbye. We were just saying goodbye and having a cup of tea when it started to rain and I realized that we had left the hatches open so off we went back to Mystic Journey to batten down the hatches . Julie followed us to download some movies on to our computer for us. More goodbyes and then off we went, headed back to Rodney Bay. We are headed back there to await the arrival of our friends, Judy and Ivor, who are arriving at the beginning of May. We may also head to Martinique for a while before they arrive.

The trip back to Rodney Bay was uneventful. Griff enjoyed himself immensely. Just off Soufriere the wind changed from ESE, behind us, to NE, on our bow, so we were on a close reach which is the point of sail that Mystic Journey seems to do best. The winds varied from 5 knots to gusts of 18 knots. We were doing 6.5 knots SOG (speed over ground as registered by the GPS) when the wind was 10 knots and 7.5 knots SOG with 15 knots of wind. That’s pretty damn good considering that the wind is coming from the front. When I said Griff enjoyed himself that was because we were actually able to turn the engine off and actually sail. He also turned the autopilot off and so he could steer the boat. I am still not totally comfortable with sailing heeled over, but I am sure that comfort level will return to what it was before the squall off Curacao.

Three hours and a bit after we left the Pitons we arrived at Rodney Bay. Now for the “exciting” part of the trip. We checked out the anchorage and decided we wanted to be a little closer to the entrance to the marina so we wouldn’t have the long dinghy ride in for supplies. We picked out a spot and proceeded to drop anchor. Griff had the usual problem of the chain jamming as it was going out. We did get the anchor down and enough chain let out when ------ the engine warning light came on, the engine was overheating. We could not set the anchor (get it dug into the sea floor) because for that we need the engine in reverse at high RPM’s. Soooooooooooo up came the anchor and we were ready to try again. The short time the engine was off was enough to cool it down and we were able to try again. Again we couldn’t set the anchor properly and we started dragging. Griff checked the exhaust of the engine and realized that there was no water going through the system to cool the engine and that was why it was overheating. This time when we got the anchor up we pulled out the staysail and headed away from the other boats and out towards the entrance to the bay. I stayed above decks and kept the boat sailing while Griff went below deck to fix the engine. I tacked back and forth across the mouth of the bay, but realized that the wind was not co-operating and it was difficult to do the tacks by myself. Griff came up and we managed to get into an area that was 25 feet deep and decided to drop the anchor so that he would have a steadier place to work on the engine. He had discovered that the saltwater pump had stopped working and would need to be replaced. Fortunately we did have a new pump he could use. Two hours after entering the harbour we had an operating engine again and weighed anchor to head to a spot closer to shore. Dropped anchor again and settled in.

We were both exhausted by the time sunset came and were in bed by 8PM. It was so nice to sleep without the rolling we experienced in the Pitons. This morning we were able to hear the Coconut Net - our reception in the Pitons was poor to none since we were so close to Petit Piton -and we had the opportunity to talk with Julie on the SSB. She came on the net asking for traffic with us and we hooked up that way.

Today will be spent catching up – writing blogs, putting pictures in other blogs, cleaning the boat, and replenishing the cupboards and fridge.

So this gives you an idea of the ups and downs of sailing life.

Vacation to this!?!

Ok, I sit here 2 days removed from sitting on Mystic Journey's deck with Dad, Cheryl, Julie, Graham, Amelia, and Alex in warm, sunny 30 degree temperatures. It snowed today. All over Alberta. And it was cold. And windy. As if I needed a reminder of where I'm not.

The Bad
So, you know that grimy feeling you get at the end of a camping weekend? As far as I can figure, that's what living on a sailboat is like, all the time. Plus, I was constantly slapping sunscreen on myself, so that added to the grime. There is no good way to shower, so you never really feel clean. Only one or two parts of you feel clean at a time, and those are short intervals.

The Good
Anyway, spending 7 days in the tropics was more ups than downs. I loved the early mornings and late evenings best. They seemed to be the most still. Impossible to feel rushed or stressed at all. If I practiced meditation, that's what it would be like.

Of course it was great to be with family I haven't seen for so long. Especially the kids, they are so sweet! Amelia snuck a little note in my luggage right before I hopped on the water taxi at the end of the week. I forgot about it until I finally unpacked everything tonight and then I found it and read the message. I felt like I was getting another hug right there and then.

Snorkeling was great in the Piton bay. I had never done it before and we went to a few different spots. I tried to dive a couple of times. And... Fail.

The beach at Jalousie Resort in the Piton bay was nice as well. Graham was nice enough to pick a good spot with lots of "scenery" directly in front of us. Nice to see he was keeping a single guy like me in mind.

I think my favorite night was Happy Hour on Aries (Dave and Cheryl's boat). They served us appies and drinks for a few hours in the dim light of a crank-powered lamp on their deck. Such an easy place to be.

The conclusion
Early on in the week, I started to feel like I was living inside a snowglobe. Alex (independently) had the same observation as me. St. Lucia is such a small island surrounded by infinite water. It was all a bit surreal, what with the perfect palm trees and sunhuts at every distance.

The sea horizon seemed impossibly long, dotted in the mornings with distant boats. There were these strange and frequent gusts of super wind that would take over everything for 30 seconds and then dissappear. Rain came and went just as quickly.

The setting was truly like another world that I had somehow found a secret portal into. I remarked during happy hour that it felt a bit like Truman Show, that if we sailed far enough towards the horizon, we would smash into a wall painted like the blue sky.

Ok this is all a bit dramatic, but that's really how it felt. I can't imagine what it would be like to be on a sailboat with no visible land in any direction. Not sure if that would blow my mind or destroy it.

St Lucia and Part of the Family

Well, as promised, this blog is about Jason's visit with us and Artemo. To begin - I had made arrangements with Foxy Johnny (yes, he calls himself that), a local taxi driver, to pick up Cheryl and I and take us to the airport to pick up Jason. Foxy J does not have permission to come into the marina to pick up fares (I guess he doesn't want to pay whatever that privilege costs) but he dinghies around the marina area talking to cruisers and drums up business that way. We had heard of him from some friends we met in Dominica and they said they had used him and he was quite a character. He had also made himself known to Julie et. al. while they were in the marina. So, he was to pick us up at 11:00 but as it turns out he had a better fare so he sent his friend Raymond who did a fine job of getting us there on time and at the same low (comparatively) rate.

The plane was actually ahead of time so we were able to get Jason and be back at the boat by 3:00 pm or so. We visited with him and Perry's came over to visit too but by 9:00 that night we were all in bed, Jason as a result of his travelling and us because that is what we do.

We had planned on being in Rodney Bay from Sunday until Wednesday so the next few days were spent swimming, visiting Fort Rodney, shopping and exploring the marina and the shopping mall where the main grocery store is located. We also had supper on Artemo one night and they had supper here one night and then one night just Jason in the evening. Artemo had left the marina the morning we picked up Jason and were anchored within swimming distance of Mystic Journey so it was neat to be able to swim back and forth. Jason had a bit of a time adjusting to no standup freshwater shower but he learned quickly to use the sea to get the dirt off and our sun shower to get the salt from the sea off. He also got lessons from Alex and Amelia (and sometimes us) on the proper nautical names for things, like coach roof, cockpit etc etc.

Wednesday morning came in with a flood of rain. We were uncertain whether we wanted to travel in no wind/lots of rain conditions since not only would that mean uncomfortable travel but also the possibility that people would not be leaving the Pitons moorings due to the weather and we would have to moor in Soufriere. Julie and Graham sent a note to Dave and Cheryl on Aries who had already gone there to ask them about moorings. About 10:30 we decided to leave for the Pitons anyway. As it turned out the worst of the rain had passed us by but the winds had not picked up so it was strictly a motorsail down island. We had really hoped that Jason would get a chance to experience the absolutely wonderful feeling of sailing "under canvas" and not motor but it was not to be. He insisted, however, that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience even though the motor made up part of our mobility.

When we got to the Pitons we were able to get the last two mooring balls and in fact we ended up with Aries, Artemo and Mystic Journey all moored in line so it made getting back and forth quite easy. The current is quite strong in the Pitons and the wind is constantly changing so the boats are always swinging around but they are far enough apart that there is no danger of colliding. We had left our mooring bouy quite far out so, because of the opposition of current vs wind, the first night the mooring ball banged the hull a fair bit which was disturbing to Jason as his cabin was in the front and to us because we are always hypersensitive to sounds in the night.

The first night in the Pitons we went to Artemo for supper where we were joined by Dave and Cheryl from Aries. We also went snorkelling, a first for Jason, at a spot up the bay shore that Cheryl and Dave had found. They are both avid snorkellers and Cheryl does beautiful underwater photography so they know the spots to go to. Jason said he quite enjoyed his first experience viewing things from a snorkellers perspective.

The following day the moorings cleared out as they usually do so we decided to move up to a mooring ball that is quite close to the Jalousie Resort beach. Jalousie apparently owns all the land along the shore but they have placed their main buildings at the north end of the bay next to the Marine Reserve - an area that has been roped off and is protected from any boats or dinghies so that the fish and plant life flourishes there. Artemo moved up to the mooring ball right behind us again so we were still swimming distance apart. We also shortened our mooring lines this time to prevent the "mooring ball bounce".

After a bit we went into the resort beach area and snorkelled in the Reserve. Lots of fish and lots of nice coral and plants. Jason again enjoyed himself looking at the underwater world. We then had a swim in the Jalousie pool and sat on the Jalousie beach chairs (until they told us because we weren't guests we would have to pay $20 US each to sit there). Mille and I swam out to the raft - Millie is just like a little dolphin in the water, as is Alex, with both of them diving down while snorkelling like ald pros.

That evening we went for Happy Hour on Aries. Dave and Cheryl were leaving early the next day to pick up friends in St Vincent so they wanted to say their goodbyes. The Perrys and Dave and Cheryl became very good friends so were sad to be parting but the ways of the sea may provide opportunities to meet again. Cheryl and I left about 8:00 to go back to the boat and they brought Jason back later.

Friday dawned bright and sunny. although windy, and the day consisted of Julie, Millie, Jason and I going snorkelling off some rocks up the shoreline. Graham and Alex climbed Gros Piton - be sure to check their blog - that is an awesome feat and they will have a narrated video posted soon describing their adventure. Cheryl had some vegging time and then later that day, Jason went over to Artemo to spend the night. Keep in mind during this narration that although I am outlining the main points, there was also lots of other back and forth stuff. Both Alex and Amelia are quite good at piloting the dinghy so they would quite often row over for a short visit just to pass the time and share. Speaking of handling the dinghy - Jason and I were sitting in the cockpit one day when we saw Millie and Alex setting out from Artemo, Alex at the oars. A sudden squall broke when they were about 10 feet from their boat. Alex started to row like crazy and I have to say it was a totally impressive display. I yelled at Cheryl to get the camera. She started up the companionway, went back for the camera but before she could get back up Alex had gotten them to Mystic Journey. He was rowing so quickly and in such a straight line that they hardly had a chance to get wet. AWESOME!!!!

Saturday morning we had to pick up a couple of things in Soufriere and Jason wanted to get to an ATM so we picked up Jason and Millie and set off. Soufriere is around the corner from the Pitons. We had to follow the shoreline west, go around the point and then head east and by the time we got there it had taken us about 30 minutes. Julie had asked us to check Customs and Immigration for their hours on Monday so that was the first place we stopped. The Immigration office is in the police station which also has cells so when I went in there I was treated to some noises and language you don't usually hear in Immigration offices but - live the experience!!!

Saturday is apparently a very busy day so there were a lot of people around and a lot of noise and seeming confusion. In addition, some places we go to we get a real good feeling about and some are the opposite. In Soufriere the latter is the case, at least for us. It felt - not threatening exactly but not friendly either - so we did what we had to do and came back around to the moorings. Later that day Julie, Alex and Amelia went into the resort and rented a Hobie Cat - a small cataraman - and sailed around the bay for a while. They eventually came and picked up Jason and took him for a ride and then they dropped Amelia off at Mystic Journey and continued their journey. After dropping off the rental, while Alex and Graham snorkelled at the Reserve, we relaxed and prepared for supper.

That evening (sadly the last one of Jason's visit) everyone came over and we shared a meal and lots of good conversation. We sat on the back deck on deck chairs and talked about lots of things. Earlier that evening we had watched the sun set and saw something that not a lot of people see - "the GREEN FLASH". Julie and Graham and the kids had never seen it before and Cheryl and I had only seen it once before and it happened to be when Holly and Joe were down. Of course Jason had also not had the experience. In case you had not read the blog where Cheryl described it before, the greeen flash can occur just when the sun sinks below the horizon. The sky has to be completely clear of clouds on the horizon and you have to be really alert to catch it but WE DID!!

Sad Sunday - I had made arrangements with a taxi operator to have a water taxi pick Jason up at the boat and take him to Soufriere where he would catch a land taxi to the airport. The time came all too soon. The Perrys came over about 8:30 so we were able to talk some more before Jason left but finally 10:00 am came, as did the water taxi, and we watched and waved as Jason sped away from us. A kind of silence settled for a few minutes and then the Perrys went back to Artemo and we went back to being the only crew on Mystic Journey for a while.

Jason - thanks for making all of us part of your first "unusual vacation". We love you.

Rob - just a note - although we loved you coming down to Curacao - that was a "Christmas away from home" experience. Now you have to come down for a Caribbean experience!!!

St Lucia - April '09

So, we have been here for 8 days and they have been pretty busy ones. It is completely great having the Perry's here and being able to have the kids to stay over a couple of times. To back up a bit....we left you with us anchoring by Pigeon Island out of whatever north swells will be happening. The first thing we did was go the marina where I dropped Cheryl off at Artemo while I went to customs. There is a new system they are trying to implement down here to link all the islands together so that customs in and out are easier. We set up Mystic Journey in the system and sent a notification to St Lucia when we were coming. If we had a printer we could then print out the clearance form and take is with us. Since we don't, I took the "PAN #" and they were able to access the clearance I had previously done in the system. Right now there are only 5 islands linked but more come online regularly and hopefully they will all soon be tied together.

Anyway, the young fellow in customs was 'tickled pink' (well, not really pink) that I had used the form and besides he was a very friendly and outgoing type of person. In the course of our conversation he asked me what I had done prior to sailing and when I told him I was a psychologist he reacted the way a lot of people do - "whoops, I shouldn't have asked, forget I asked, I am okay......aren't I??? Course he was joking but a lot of people react as if they are afraid I am going to find out some deep dark secret they had intended to keep secret to their graves. Funny!!

After I cleared us in we visited with Julie, Graham, Alex and Amelia for a while and then went back to get the boat in order. Julie had invited some fellow Canadians they had met (Dave and Cheryl - Aries) to join us all for supper so later we went back into the marina and enjoyed a very pleasant evening with everyone.

I am not going to do a day by day account of our comings and goings. Enough to say that we had the grandkids over for 2 days, went grocery and boat stuff shopping, went store exploring and had the Perry's and then Dave and Cheryl over to Mystic Journey for supper. We also explored the fort that overlooks our boat with Amelia and Alex and Millie and I made the long and steep trek to the highest point, Signal Hill, and had a great view of the island and the sea surrounding it.

Right now Alex and Amelia are doing their homework on the salon table (they stayed last night) and later we will likely go snorkeling with them. Graham and Julie and very industriously working on putting new floors in Artemo so us having the kids here lets them get more work done. The kids also stayed with Dave and Cheryl for a night. We are all anxiously waiting for Jason to get here. He comes in on Sunday and will be staying for a week. The only plans we have made so far is to make sure he gets to see the Pitons. Otherwise it is a matter of Jason letting us know what he wants to do - likely some walks, some beach and some vegging.

Just and aside to close. There is a pirate boat here called "The Unicorn". It was used in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the TV series Roots and is now used to take tourists on sails and visits. One of the places it visits is of course the fort that overlooks Mystic Journey. The second day we were here we heard this loud boom. The first thing that both Cheryl and I thought of was the boat we were anchored close to in Bonaire that burned to the waterline, but not before the propane of diesel exploded with a sound very like the one we heard here. When we heard it here we of course immediately checked it out. What happened was that the fort on the hill fired a cannon at the pirate boat. A couple of seconds later the boat, full of 'pinkies' (tourists!!!), fired back. On one of the later visits (this happens quite often we have since found out), Cheryl looked up at the fort after the ship had fired and noticed a guy standing on one of the parapets waving a big while surrender flag. Kind of neat but both Cheryl and I are still uncomfortable with that sound at sea since seeing that boat fire.

So, next time we write it will be about Jason's visit and what we have been doing. Perhaps we will also describe in a bit more detail what this anchorage is like and what the bay itself contains.