Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Wallilabou Bay

Wallilabou Bay

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Sun 21 Jun 2009 22:00

Wallilabou Bay

We were woken by these little birds singing their socks off. Their friend was sizing up the main sail as a potential nest site.

Morning mist. Leaving Anse de Piton in the early light. Rain falling behind us.

Once more bathed in sunlight as we say farewell to St Lucia.

Another day, another country, another flag. The coast of St Vincent and more rain around the hills.

We left Soufriere at 06:30 with every intention of going straight to Admiralty Bay, Bequia some fifty three miles away. We started to sail down the coast of St Vincent and by about two in the afternoon we decided to overnight in Wallilabou Bay - on the map, the coast town in the parish of St David. I had just lost a beautiful black-fin tuna, we had watched him jumping and bucking until it freed itself. So we pulled in and tied up by three. Several boat boys helped us moor to a buoy and take a rope from the stern onto a piling. 20EC or £5 for the night, refundable if you dine ashore.

The coast of St Vincent

The highest peak in the central photograph is La Soufriere which shares with Mount St Helen in the US as being one of the most studied volcanoes in the world. La Soufriere rises to four thousand feet and last erupted in April 1979. You can take a challenging 4x4 jeep journey, walk a steep route through coconut and banana plantations and reach the summit after three and half miles. Next time we are here and have more time...............The books say it is for energetic hikers????? We think nutters is a better description, especially when you read the bit about having to be careful not to be blown into the crater, a sheer drop of a thousand feet. What no hand rail. Then you have to be really lucky to see anything for the regular days of cloud cover. Next time perhaps.

Skipper pleased with his decision.

The entrance to the bay. Very Pirates of the Caribbean - Yes there's a scene from the movie.

Wallilabou Bay was featured in the first two films as Fort Royal. The dock Johnny Depp swung from. Hangman's Rock that had the skeletons of pirates swinging from it and warehouses.

The warehouse scene is actually half the hotel that had been "dressed" for the film. They have left it as Disney left it, which looks really good.

A scene from the film. Locals getting about their business working around the Black Pearl during filming.

I'm now all for "firsts". When we arrived at this clearing in port, we were told that customs may or may not be open. We had a swim and were half way through a game of Upword when a man in shorts and t-shirt started waving to us from the quayside. Baby Beez asleep on deck, nothing for it then, skipper swim ashore. Towel, t-shirt, shorts, crocs and boat papers duly sealed in a flare tub and off he went. Apparently one of the lads that had helped us in reported our arrival. The customs man got in his car, left the city and drove the sixteen miles to clear us in.

So there he was swimming toward an ex film set. Drying, dressing and trotting to the small office.

Chance for me to take a photo of the empty coffins left behind by Disney, and there is a skipper in front of them post-clearing.

Process reversed, skipper strips, swims back and we carry on with our game. This time with a rum punch.

Meet Nuts, a gift to Bear from Jump Jet. As the skipper gets so hot during the night we felt it best if Nuts wear a life ring. Beds giving Nuts advice as to where the shallow end of the bed really is and where to hide out the snoring............. Thank you. "The truth is never hard to report".