Story Tortola
Kalandia Web Diary
Bill Peach
Thu 29 Apr 2010 17:18
Bill and I are alone on board at Hodges Creek in Tortolla. Makes a change but it won’t last long because Mikey and two of his friends are joining us on 28th for 4 days. One of the friends celebrates his 21st on Wednesday. Unfortunately due to flight difficulties they will have to stay in Miami (no drinking until 21) for a couple of days before joining us on his actual birthday. There are some Full Moon parties that night so I think they will all be making up for not being able to drink.
Let us back track a bit. I came home with Bill on 3 January. Leila and Tom stayed on in St Lucia until Bill returned at the beginning of February. They looked after Kalandia very well and also Fizz and Maximillian two other boats which stayed in St Lucia whilst their owners went home for a while. On Bill’s return they travelled to St Vincent and the Grenadines and then back up via Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe to Antigua in the company of Fizz and they also met up with Francoise and Jean Francois of Gala (people we met on the sea survival course at Hamble and then again in Madeira).
In March all three returned home; Leila and Tom permanently and Bill to see his father who was gravely ill and who sadly died on Good Friday. Our plans for returning to the boat were therefore delayed. We also thought the Icelandic volcano might also delay things further but here we are.
Thank you to Dick, Jeremy, Pip, Stuart and Sophie who took Kalandia from Antigua to Tortolla. It was meant to be us on board but because of circumstances Dick kindly stepped in to skipper Kalandia for the others’ already planned holiday. They had a lovely time they tell us and I must say they have left the boat in a wonderful state. It looks and smells lovely. So thank you guys!
A huge American power boat of a traditional style, as opposed to a gin palace type, has just asked us to move off our power point, because their leads don’t reach and they need two points to provide the requirements on board. Luckily we have leads long enough to move further down the pontoon.
April 28
Mikey, Carl and Theo have joined us. We waited for them in Road Harbour and then motored round the corner of Tortola to Soper’s Hole for the Full Moon Party at Bomba’s shack in Cappoon’s Bay. It is actually a series of shacks clinging to the shore line and there was live music and lots and lots of Americans. There were some crazy Brazilians in Bouncer’s (real name Clinton) open shuttle taxi back and everyone was having great fun.
You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the US Virgin Islands (in fact just a couple of miles away). The Moorings an American firm, have taken over Sunsail yacht charters. Having not been here before I don’t know whether that has made any difference. Anyway Brits are outnumbered. Cars drive on the left but all vehicles are left hand drive. The currency is the US$ so our Eastern Caribbean dollars are no good now. There is no Piton beer (delicious and made in Barbados) but there is Carib beer which is also nice and made in Trinidad. The locally produced Heineken is horrible.
We managed to pick up a mooring buoy and it costs $25 per day. Trying to plan a visit to somewhere idyllic but nowhere is quiet as there are restrictions about anchoring so as to try and preserve what is left of the coral. Most boats therefore cram into a determined number of places.
I have been bitten to death and look like I have measles on my arms and legs. I do hope the culprits will lose interest as there are 5 more weeks of this.
April 29
Made contact on short band radio last night with a German couple we met on the ARC crossing on a boat called Hemkehr a classic German fishing boat of the sailing type. It was nice to hear Bert. Marlene was helming as their autopilot is playing up again. They have left Puerto Rico and heading for Turcs and Caicos. We shall follow them next week and see if we can catch up with them in the Bahamas. 7pm.
Mikey the chef has at last agreedto cook for us but wants us to fish for supper. To find open water (not advisable to fish near coral because of a disease fish pick up called cigurade) we will aim for Jost Van Dyke an island just north of here.