Union Island - Last of the Grenadines

Well, after leaving Mayreau we took the long and arduous sail to Union Island (about 3 nm and we only needed the foresail to get here). Union Island is the midway point between St Vincent proper and Grenada and is very handy to Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island, all part of the Grenadine Islands. The island is only 3.2 sq miles, with a population of about 1900, including Palm Island and Petit St Vincent. These latter two islands are quite small with the only habitations being resorts or resort buildings. The people who work these resorts mostly come from either Union Island or Mayreau.

There are two towns here, with Clifton being the main town and Ashton just down the coast. They were actually going to build a huge marina/resort complex at Ashton that would join Frigate Island (a blip of land with a big hill) and the mainland but like so many projects down here in the Caribbean, it was started and then abandoned. I said to Cheryl (minor cynic/realist that I am) that I think a lot of these get started by companies who get the initial investment from whatever source they can, begin the project and then abandon it after skimming the investment money off the top. Of course the islanders are the ones who suffer because not only do they lose the possibility of financial input to the islands but any building or digging or work that has already been done is just left where it is and is usually just an eyesore.

So, what have we done here - well, we anchored in Clifton Bay, which is well protected from the seas by the reefs surrounding it but still exposed to the wind, which is a good thing - keeps the heat down. A downside is the bottom which, like Admiralty Bay in Bequia, is in most places a layer of sand over rock or gravel. There is some good sand close to the reef but if you remember from our last blog where we left Mayreau early because of the fishing nets being put out, the result is we got here too early and the boats that were going to leave had not gone yet. Consequently the good anchoring spots were taken up. We had a boat boy following us trying to get us to take a mooring ball but the balls here are suspect at best so we didn't want to do that. As a result the first time we dropped the hook (anchor) it started to slide and then of course when we started to bring it up it got caught on a rock and we had to do some fancy maneuvering to get it loose. All the while the boat boy is offering the mooring buoy or offering to dive down and free the anchor etc etc. Actually quite annoying. We did try fastening to his ball but it put us very close to two other boats so we picked another spot and anchored again. We stayed on that spot for the night but didn't feel real sure that it was securely hooked so moved ahead the next day to a spot that actually buried our anchor.

On the edge of the anchorage there is what appears to be a small island with a building on it. We found out that it is a bar and has a history. The fellow that owns it used to have a bar in Ashton that was not profitable. He was also involved with the environmental clean-up in Ashton and had a pile of conch shells to get rid of. He took the shells, made an island by the reef and build a bar. As they say the rest is history.

The people of Union Island are friendly and helpful although the boat boys drive like they are in a race so we have to pick the time we swim off the boat. There seems to be a number of European business people, notably French, and it is funny because although most businesses close for a couple of hours around lunchtime, the French stores close at noon for the day.

One of our day adventures involved walking down to the other town, Ashton, where we tried to find the breakwater that was built to extend to Frigate Island for the marina. We were able to see it from the shore but could not find where it started so we never did get out there. One reason we wanted to look was to see what the anchorage by Frigate Island was like in case we didn't like Clifton but as it turned out, we decided not to anchor there anyway.

Another of our adventures was a walk up Fort Hill. The fort was originally called Fort Murray but the locals started calling it Fort Hill quite a while after it was no longer in use. It's original purpose was so the British (Union was once owned by an English merchant) could protect Mayreau, Palm Island (originally Prune Island) and Union Island from the French and from American privateers (pirates).

Fort Hill as seen from Mystic Journey

We climbed to the little gazebo you can barely see on top!!!

There is a good view from the top of the hill and while up there we could see not only the whole of Union but also Mayreau, Palm Island, Tobago Cays, Petit St Vincent, Petit Martinique (belongs to Grenada) Canouan and Carriacou (also Grenadian) and way off in the distance a glimpse of Bequia. It gave us a good perspective on the directional context of all these islands that are so close together.

Since they don't have crows on the islands we have not seen any scarecrows in the gardens. However, we did see what we are calling a 'scaregull' on a boat. It was on top of this boat's bimini and the arms flapped in the wind. There were no gulls sitting on that boat although they were plentiful throughout the anchorage. Griff said the 'scaregull' reminded him of the final scene of 'Moby Dick' where Gregory Peck is tied to the whale and his arm flaps whenever the whale surfaces.

We have decided to stay here for this weekend and then on Monday head for Petit Martinique for a day or two. Although this island belongs to Grenada there is no customs and immigration clearance there, apparently they realize that sailing over to Carriacou to check in to Grenada customs and then sailing back to Petit Martinique would likely result in most yachties taking a pass on visiting there so they don't bother much with clearance for the short term.


So, here is is Sunday and we are taking a day of rest. I had to work on the starboard solar panel yesterday and also clean some filters but otherwise we have been quite lazy. Since the wifi here is quite good, however, my task has been to write this blog so we can put pictures in before we leave so - here you are.

Swimming with the Turtles

When we were telling friends about what we were going to do on our sailing adventure, I mentioned that we would send pictures of us swimming with the turtles. While we were in the Tobago Cays we did just that. Unfortunately our waterproof camera has quit working – for the second time – so the picture of the turtle is one Griff took of one swimming beside our boat. You will just have to take our word that we did swim with the turtles. It was neat watching them ‘graze’ on the grass on the sea bottom and then come to the surface every once in a while to breathe. They are very graceful when swimming. I was surprised to see that when swimming they only use their back flippers as rudders and propel themselves with the front flippers.

The day we snorkeled around Turtle Island we also saw a couple of other interesting things. One was a spotted trunk fish attacking a starfish. It would nip at the tip of one of the starfish’s arms and then back off. The starfish would move away, but the trunkfish would grab it by the arm again and drag it back to its original feeding spot. Griff said he was tempted to dive down and rescue the starfish, but then realized that what we were seeing was nature in action. The other thing we saw was a fish that looked like a file fish sitting on a lobster. That is it had all these things sticking out from its sides. When it started swimming away all the things were smoothed against its sides and it was very streamlined. We later found out that it was a lionfish and extremely poisonous. It was beautiful though.

The Tobago Cays are a cluster of five uninhabited islands protected from the sea by the Horseshoe Reef. They appear as classic, deserted tropical islands – white sand beaches, palm trees and water that is a kaleidoscope of greens, blues and aquamarine. The Cays are a popular anchorage for cruisers, charters and day tour boats as evidenced by the 50+ boats that were there when we were.

Out in this tropical paradise you would think that you would be away from the touristy things found on other islands. Not so!! Boat boys come out daily selling everything from bread to t-shirts to fresh fish. We bought banana bread from Walter whom we had met last year. And Griff bought a t-shirt from Sydney who was an interesting character with his unique form of dress and his boat Sir Prises. We spent an enjoyable couple of days snorkeling and cleaning the dinghy bottom before we headed onward.

Our next stop was at Mayreau, a small island we missed visiting last year. Mayreau is only 1.5 square miles and has a population of 250. It too appears as an ideal tropical island. There is only one hotel and two guesthouses on the island so most of the tourism is supported by the cruisers and charter boats that stop in its two anchorages. We anchored in Salt Whistle Bay which was a tiny bay, but one day there were 18 boats anchored. We walked the length of the island to see what there was there. Spring must be the time for goats to have kids just like sheep have lambs because there were a lot of baby goats all over the island. Griff helped one goat that had tangled itself in a bush and then went around in circles so often the rope was twisting back on itself and was close to choking the goat. We saw a little boy, maybe 7 years old, who was leading a goat and trying to tie it to a tree. Griff helped him. However, shortly a woman came and untied the rope and let the goat free so it could cross the road to where its kid was. Both the goat and the kid were ‘bawling’ noisily. The rest of our time here was spent lazing on the boat and swimming in the clear water.

The day we were planning on leaving we were debating about when to leave since we were only 4 nm from our next stop, Union Island. We had decided to leave later in the day when we noticed a fishing boat being rowed through the anchorage. It had a large pile of fishnets and 7 fishermen in it. As well there were two other boats beside it. To us it looked as though they were going to set out their nets, possibly across the mouth of the bay. We then decided we should leave before that happened and set out for Union Island about 0900 instead of later. Stay tuned! We’ll tell you about that in our next blog.

Mustique - An Estate Island

So here we were in Mustique, supposedly home and playground to the rich and famous – mostly rich. As with most of the islands we have visited, this 1400 acre parcel of beauty was originally inhabited by the Arawaks, to be eventually replaced by the bloodthirsty Caribs, who then succumbed to the even more bloodthirsty British. In order to protect the seven sugar plantations which were subsequently built and owned by various British aristocracy, the Crown built three forts to ensure the French, who they had battled with for most of the other islands at one time or another, did not win out on Mustique.

In the 1800’s sugar beets replaced cane as the major source of sugar and the economy decayed rapidly until the island was divided into just two plantations which grew cotton, peas and corn to export. Then in 1958, the Honourable Colin Tennant (Earl of Glencannon) purchased the entire island and took over all production. His estate flourished and in 1964 the village of Lovell was created to house the islanders who worked the estate. This in fact was the only employment for the islanders as the fishing was done by men from Bequia. At this point, Mustique was virtually self-supporting; even though still part of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In the meantime Mustique’s reputation as a good “get-away” island for the wealthy was growing and in 1960 Princess Margaret accepted a 10 acre plot as a wedding present. Shortly after that the government of St Vincent entered into an agreement with developers who then committed to building 140 (no more than that allowed) homes/estates (mainly designed by Oliver Messel who is apparently someone special) to be purchased by – you guessed it – wealthy people. These have included among others David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Raquel Welch and others.
The island is 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide at its widest point with essentially seven valleys each with a white sand beach. The educational system for the islanders as well as the roads, electricity, communications, a desalinization plant, a medical clinic and air transport services are all run by The Mustique Company, with the education and medical services guaranteed free and for life by a special trust that was set up. In other words, this is undoubtedly the best equipped and serviced (for the inhabitants) island in the whole Caribbean.

So much for history – now our time there. Britannia Bay is the only area for pleasure craft (i.e. yachts) to stay and if the boat is less than 50 ft, you have to take a mooring ball. They charge $75.00 US and that covers 1-3 days – if you stay one day it is $75, if you stay 3 days it is $75. We figured we might as well get our money’s worth so we planned on staying 3 days. Although the bay is a bit rolly at times, the water is crystal clear and there are no bars on the shore booming out music. There was also a great view from the boat of the very pristine looking shoreline. There is a dock there where small freighters load and unload and on one day a barge full of gravel came in and it backed into the shore and was also unloaded but it was very quiet in spite of this.

The first day we went ashore and walked to the village of Lovell. Unlike the other islands, the roads here are in absolutely great shape and the village looked clean and tidy with no sign of the shacks or poorer housing that usually exists in some area of the towns and villages we have seen on the other islands . The people are friendly and helpful although there is a lot less interaction as no one appeared to be trying to “tourist” us to death or sell us stuff we didn’t want or need. Although there was a breeze when we were on the boat, on land it was very hot, probably around 34-36 C most of the time, so a swim in the clear cool water was a welcome treat when we got back to the boat.

Next day we decided to walk to the northwest corner of the island up by the airport. As in the areas we walked the day before the roads were in good shape and on our walk we passed one place that had about 6 well maintained tennis courts and then further along a riding club with the type of lands and outbuildings that I usually associate with places like Spruce Meadows or Kentucky riding estates. The airport, when we arrived and started walking down the length of runway (there is only one) was quite unlike anything I have seen before. It was shaped like a “U” that has had the arms bent towards the ground. In other words, you land on a down slope and if you get to the other end of the runway you are on an up slope. If I were a pilot I would be quite careful landing on a surface that falls away from you as you are trying to land!!

We walked around the runway with the idea of getting to either Macaroni Beach or L’Ansecoy Bay, whichever was more accessible. All the way along we had been passing driveways with Private Property – Keep Out signs on them and it was no different up there. The one exception was a place that I estimate to be about 30 acres (although we couldn’t see the entire estate) called Seascape. From what we could see of the property and house(s?), it obviously belonged to someone quite wealthy but I have never been one with any great desire to ogle the “rich and famous” so staying off the property was no big deal.

We eventually reached L’Ansecoy By and walked along the beach with the idea of getting back to the road towards the end of the beach. At one point we went further inland and a man immediately came out and asked if he could help (riiiiiight) we said we were looking to get back to the road and he said all the places along the beach were private and the only way to get back to the road was the way we had come. He was nice enough about it but obviously privacy and property are quite precious to the owners up there.
After meeting up with some fellow Canadians from a boat moored close to ours in Britannia Bay (we met them at L’Ansecoy Bay beach) and talking with them for a bit, we headed back for another cool swim and a quiet evening.

Last full day on Mustique we decided to walk the other way and visit the south end of the island. We brought along our scuba gear because Doyle’s guide book and the Mustique literature said there was good snorkeling around the corner. As it turns out their definition and ours were at opposite ends of the spectrum so we didn’t get any snorkeling in there but we did find a Conservation Trail that was extremely well done. It was well marked and had some information stations with some really interesting presentations offered to the “seeker of knowledge”. We had not brought the camera as we intended to be snorkeling so of course we had to come back in the afternoon and do the trail again. Although I mentioned the island is quite small, when you are meandering through the nature trail the mileage adds up. The one blessing is that we didn’t have the hills to climb that we had encountered the two days before. Cheryl has inserted some pictures of some of the things we saw on our walk.

Wild Pineapples on Machineel Trees

Land Crab Hole

Red Mangrove Roots - grow down from the tree

Black and White Mangrove Roots - grow up from the ground

Again, back to the boat for swimming and reading and resting and one of Cheryl’s great suppers. Although Mustique – specifically the mooring area in Britannia Bay - has a reputation as a somewhat rolly anchorage, our first two nights had not been bad. The third one made up for it so in spite of the beauty of the island, we were happy to set sail the next day for Tobago Cays.
If I had to sum up Mustique in a short way – imagine a tropical island, palm trees, white beaches and happy people – that has been turned into an estate by someone with a lot of money and a flair for tidiness. Mustique!!

Beautiful Bequia

May 15, 2009
Here we are again in beautiful Bequia. We stopped here for a couple of days last year with Randy and Aleitha so this blog is going to be a compilation of that visit and our visit this year.

Bequia is part of the political entity known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent and the Grenadines gained their independence from Great Britain in 1979 and is now a parliamentary democracy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.

Bequia is the northernmost island of the Grenadines Islands. At seven square miles it is the largest of the islands that make up the Grenadines. About 5,000 people live on the island and the ones we have met have been very welcoming and friendly.

As with other Caribbean islands, Bequia was first settled by Amerindians from South America, the most recent being the Caribs. The French were the first Europeans in control of the island and they ceded the island to Britain in 1763.

The island existed on sugar, cotton and cocoa until the mid-1800's when emancipation of the slaves resulted in the decline of the plantations. The island inhabitants then turned back to the sea for survival and boat-building became a renowned skill here. This remains so today, although tourism is also a major industry.

We have had the opportunity to see some of the seafaring skills the islands still in use. We spent an enjoyable hour at the Shipbuilders' Museum with Lawson Sargeant. He is the original model boat builder on the island. The museum had pictures of the boats that were built on the island and as well as there are some large - some 6 feet long- models of whaling boats and sailing vessels. All of the models were carved by Lawson and other model builders. He had pictures of a presentation he made to Queen Elizabeth II of a model of the royal yacht BRITANNIA. The other boat of note that he pointed out was the WATER PEARL. This was a sailing yacht built on the island in the 70,s for Bob Dylan. Dylan's captain later grounded it on a reef in Venezuela.

We toyed with the idea of having a model of Mystic Journey made to put on the piano when we finish our journey. However, the price tag of $1,000.00 USD for a model 2 feet in length soon put that idea to rest.

Besides the model boat builders there are still boat builders on the island that build the historical whaling boats which are still in use today. There is one whaling ship still in use in Bequia. The FRIENDSHIP ROSE is currently being restored and is used as a tour ship during the season.

Whaling still occurs on the island. Bequia has been granted aboriginal whaling rights by the International Whaling Commission and islanders as a whole can harpoon no more than 4 whales each year. In fact one was harpooned a couple of weeks before we arrived. They still hunt the whale in a sail powered whaler that holds 7 men. Once the whale is found and harpooned the sail is lowered and then there are 5 men on the oars, 1 at the bow with the harpoon and 1 at the stern with a steering oar. Once the whale is harpooned and under control then it is towed back to the island by a whaling ship. First they sew up the mouth though so the whale doesn't fill with water and pull the boat down. When the whale is brought ashore the entire population gets a share of the catch. The meat is cooked using the whale blubber for liquid.

May 16, 2009
Today we decided to reset our anchor. The bottom here is sand over gravel with patches of sea grass, not the best bottom for holding an anchor, and we were slowly moving backwards at our first anchorage. We spent the morning re-anchoring, having the barge come out with diesel and water and planning on what we were going to go between here and Grenada. By early afternoon we were content that our anchor was set and we could safely leave the boat.

We took the dinghy and set out to explore the beach area of both Princess Margaret Beach, where we are anchored, and Lower Beach. We did not get out of the dinghy, but were able to see that there was a good place for snorkeling between the two beaches. Then we headed towards Port Elizabeth, the capital where we do our shopping etc.

When we got to the town dock we couldn't tie up. Some islanders had set out a fishing net that enclosed the dock area and were in the process of pulling the net in. We held on to the side of the FRIENDSHIP ROSE and watched. There was a lot of shouting going on and it took us a while to figure out what they were trying to do. The ends of the net were on either side of the dock. What they were doing was moving one end over to the other side of the dock so that they could have the ends of the net together thus encircling the fish. In order to do that they had to bring the net underneath the few fishing boats and dinghies tied to the dock. Unfortunately no one seemed to know how to lift the motors out of the water and the net was getting caught on the propeller blades. Eventually one man did go from boat to boat and lifted the motors. Finally both ends of the net were together and they started to pull. It was interesting watching as there were a lot of people involved in pulling the net in, including children and a least one lady in a skirt. We don't know what kind of fish was caught, but they were about 15 - 18 inches in length and fairly numerous. I was surprised by the noise the fish made. I can't describe it. I don't know if it was from them thrashing about on the shore or from them gasping out of water. So that was another experience of life on the island.

May 17, 2009
Today is Sunday and the bay is filling with sailboats. We decided to go for a walk and head across the island to Friendship Bay. This is a bay on the south east corner of the island that we are thinking of staying in for a night on our way to Mustique, the next island on our journey. We had travelled there by car last year, but it was an enjoyable walk across the island. Not as steep as the walk at the Pitons. One fellow offered his house, at least I assume it was his house, for sale for $100,000 ECD ($1USD=$2.75ECD). We declined. Another fellow asked me to take his picture - he said we could use it on a postcard. We gave him $2ECD for posing. I don't usually take pictures of the islanders without asking. Quite often they do expect to be paid. Better to find that out before you take the picture not after.

After getting to Friendship Bay we decided we would not go there to anchor. There is nothing there except a white/black sand beach and there was a fairly large swell today which means it would be a very rolly anchorage. We'll just stay put here in Admiralty Bay until we decide it is time to move on.

On the way back to the boat we stopped at the Bamboo Chute Resort and Spa for a fish and chips dinner. We were overlooking the bay and could see Mystic Journey as she turned on her anchor.
After lunch we headed back to the boat and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching other boats anchor and re-anchor as they tried to find their place in the bay. We ended the day with our usual episodes of M*A*S*H and Stargate.

Bloggin' On

So, here we are again, with half decent wifi and some time on our hands. Good opportunity to catch up on Mystic Journey's journey. Don't expect anything exciting or life-threatening. I remember when we were starting this odyssey, someone said we should write a book about our adventures and Cheryl said she sincerely hoped that nothing so exciting would happen that people would want read about it. For this blog at least, that fits the bill.

As you read in Judy's blog, they visited us from Calgary for a week. I must say that is was the wettest consecutive 7 days we have spent down here in the Caribbean. It was actually more like 10 days because the wet weather started 3 days before they got here. In spite of that, we were able to get some beach time, some sailing time and some exploration time in while they were visiting. Our first sailing day was to Marigot and we got some good winds on a broad reach (from the left side rear - kind of like between 7 and 9 o'clock on a clock, with 12 being the front of the boat). We made good time, 6-7 kts and Ivor earned his crew t-shirt by handling the helm for a good portion of the journey - no autopilot for crew!!!

Cheryl and I had never been to Marigot Bay and will not likely go again. Although it is quite picturesque, the only things there are restuarants and persistent boat boys trying to sell us the kitchen sink.

The next day we sailed down to the Pitons and found we were the only boat there. Perhaps the 30 kt winds and torrential rains had something to do with it. In any case, we were able to take our pick of mooring balls (there are 12 there and no anchoring is allowed). Oh, I must correct myself - the Marine Rangers moved in front of the largest mooring ball a little farther from shore than all the others. We figured it must have been reserved for a large yacht and sure enough, later that day in came a power yacht, not quite superyacht size but still a good 120 ft or so. They were woosies though - they left after experiencing the rains and winds for a couple of hours.

Judy mentioned that we started out on the trek to the top of Grand Piton but the weather was just too miserable. I have looked at the blog for Casting Off that Alex and Graham made of their trek and I must tell you, based on the distance we made that day, that is an impressive climb they made and both are heroes for completing it. See Casting Off's blog in our links.

Judy and Ivor left on Sunday morning and since we were going snakey from being in one place for too long (St Lucia) as well as still being hemmed in by the weather, we decided to go into Soufriere with the water taxi that picked them up to begin their trek to the airport and we would clear out of St Lucia. Our intent, which we were able to follow through on, was to leave for Bequia early Monday morning.

Our trip to Bequia was for the most part really good sailing in 18-20 kt winds and seas that varied from 2 to 3 meters. We had to change our sails while passing St Vincent as, due to being on the leeward side of the island, the wind dropped drastically and came around from the west instead of the east. We had considered coming down the windward side of the island to avoid that but had discussed it too late to make the switch. Maybe when we sail to Grenada.

Admiralty Bay is a good size anchorage that has become flooded with far too many illegal mooring balls dropped in by the various boat boys. Mooring balls are good things IF you know that the line down to the weight is strong and the knots are tied properly and the weights are enough. Unfortunately this is not the case in this bay. The marine authorities are apparently intending to rectify this and examine all of the balls to ensure they are safe but have not done so yet. Even though they are not legal, people still use them and the problem is if you anchor too close to one, the possible user of the ball may think they have the "right of way" which they don't. We anchored well away from them anyway, but another problem in this bay is the composition of the bottom. It is a kind of sandy gravel layered over a coral or rock bottom so it can be a problem getting the anchor to set properly. We had to lay down our anchor twice. The second time it seemed to catch so we let out lots of rode (chain). As it turns out, the wind came up really strong today and we got a little nervous about our anchor holding so we reset it in a different spot.

Bequia is a nice spot. The people are mostly friendly and the town is fairly clean and well made although, like most of the islands, the roads in town are narrow and quite rough. After we anchored we looked around and saw a bunch of boats of people that we knew either personally or from talking to on the Coconut Telegraph - Drum (Canadians), Allegro, Makai, Andiamo. Last night we attended a "Happy Hour" on one of the boats and met some new people. Kind of cool. Earlier in the day we met another Canadian from Vancouver - a doctor.

Of course repairs had to be done - we had mentioned in an earlier blog that when we were in St Lucia I had to replace the seawater foot pump in the galley. Well, when we got here I had to replace the freshwater foot pump in the galley. B O A T - Bring Out Another Thousand ($'s).

So here we are, nothing exciting happening and you know what - that is what we both need right now. Since last December we have been having to or waiting to "be somewhere" or "go somewhere" or "do something" so just sitting here and wondering when we will move to the next anchorage BUT knowing that it is not important is kind of nice.

Griff, Cheryl and Mystic Journey Bloggin' On

Judy and Ivor - Exposed

New crew, Judy & Ivor, arrived at the airport on Sunday May 3 to a blanket of hot tropical air - cold, brown Calgary a faint memory. Immediately Ali, the taxi driver, offered to drive us up and across the entire island of St Lucia for a good price.

He bought us a cold Piton beer made locally. We stopped at Dennery for a kingfish kabob en-route to Rodney Bay, in the northwest corner of St Lucia. When we arrived, there were Griff and Cheryl, relaxed and on island time, reading and patiently waiting for the Albertan landlubbers who had been delayed an hour in a long airport line up.

The dinghy was full but we made it in one trip …. At last seeing “Mystic Journey” with our own eyes. We have been reading the yacht blog and understand that this dream week is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of Cheryl & Griff. Operating a yacht is not just throwing up the sails and cruising along, so it is with great appreciation that we have come to witness things first hand.

What a different experience … Judy’s first time on a yacht and there they were, eating bbq'd steaks on the aft deck of Mystic Journey!!

Great first day just swimming and lying on the deck ….Judy prefers the starboard side especially once she learned how sailors feed the fishes from “the head”. Sun was present despite the cloud cover and we soon had a pink hue to our faces and necks.

Off to Pigeon Island where they were preparing for the Island Jazz Festival bands this weekend. No need to pay admission - just lie in bed and listen to the music waft across the water under a moon lit sky. Life does not get any better than this!!

Later on we all enjoyed a meal, Dorado fish with beans and rice, at Jambe de Bois restaurant overlooking the bay and the twinkling lights of the town.

The next day after the crew hiked up to the top of the fort lookout, Griff and Cheryl battoned down the hatches and pulled out of the bay. It was amazing to watch the team work of the two Prairie cruisers as they set the sails. Off we went at about 6-7 knots with some nice winds. The Captain and Ship’s Surgeon turned the helm over to the Englishman who managed to get us to Marigot Harbor where we were immediately swarmed by Rastafarians selling carved manta rays and necklaces, t-shirts and fruit. Once we were attached to the mooring ball and had supper the estrogen team beat the testosterone team at cribbage (correction - Ivor and Griff’s version – the testosterone team, being the gentlemen that they are, allowed the ladies to come from behind and win).

The estrogen team leader, Judy, was like one of those gofers in Chucky cheese that you bonk on the head with a bat and they pop up somewhere else…Whack A Mole … with excitement but not a competitive bone in her humble body according to Griff!! (Me thinks he has had too much sun on his solar panel and it is shorting his wiring!!)

Next morning Judy reported for duty early to prepare for sailing. The Captain’s first orders were to clean the heads. “Neyt” said the Russian sailor!!! The mutiny had begun!! Of course Captain Whack a Mole and her English crewman saved the day and got us into The Pitons despite a minor squall and very little wind.

Next enter Captain Bob on his water taxi …totally looking for some gullible new cruisers to take to the cleaners …… off to Soufriere … He charged too much to take Ivor and I to town and drive to a couple of spots: his driver did not even get out to open the door for the new Captain … wish I was a Pirate so I could hang him from the gallows. Amidst the rain we walked inside a volcanic crater and saw iron mud boiling and folks covering themselves in black iron mud for the sake of their health!! (Too much liquid sun here) However it keeps their botanical gardens magical; St Lucia grows amazing flowers. Imagine seeing cashews growing no wonder they are so expensive!! Tried soursop fruit and yummy passion fruit, Cheryl did her magic in the kitchen with mangos and chicken.

We have been here for 5 days and have had more rain than we care for. Today is our driest day so we were enjoying the break and all set off to climb the Piton. Well we were dry until we got into the dinghy and Griff opened up the throttle and took us full speed into a howling wind…….it was as if someone was standing there throwing buckets of water at us…..in moments we were drenched and our feet were in a puddle of water. Just another memorable moment to go along with so many, like Cheryl’s homemade bread, brownies and great meals, the wonderful hospitality and the great teamwork that Cheryl & Griff display whether operating the yacht or just putting their heads together over a crossword puzzle.

We had a memorable week sailing down island and being with the cruisers was absolutely fabulous……….a huge thank you for the opportunity and the generous hospitality.
Bon voyage………Judy & Ivor