17:17.00N 62:43.00W

magicroundabout
brian thomas
Fri 12 Mar 2010 03:03
well its been sometime since i last wrote. that's because i lost the use of my laptop and its been difficult to keep in touch. we are now in St Kitts which is many miles on from the Grenadines and since the last report we have visited:
Martinique - which is very French and a department of France. it was quite a pleasant change to have a European island with fresh coffee, baguettes' and croissants(you get the picture) however i missed the regular buses. all they had was a few expensive taxis.
didn't get chance to see inland as we had a few boat repairs to complete,
Dominica was back to the Caribbean style island. It was very beautiful with coral reefs for snorkeling and lovely colored fish.
Guadalupe was French but more independent so didn't have the French funding and it showed with the lack of infrastructure. However the nearby islands of the Saints was just like being in Brittany but with lovely warm weather and crystal clear seas. On the last night we got the rough end of a minor eruption from Montserrat volcano 30 miles to the west. The boat was covered in Ash. What a mess. It took days to clear. luckily it didn't get into the boat electronics.
Next was Antigua and English harbour, nelsons dockyard was superbly restored. One could almost imagine the bay full of warships. Overlooking the harbour is Shirley  heights. Absolutely stunning views.
Then onto Barbuda. A very quiet remote island with one of the best beaches in the world. 16 miles of soft pink sand completely empty, we also saw the frigate bird colony.
Nevis and St Kitts are very Caribbean independent and very protocol. Not many facilities including no gas refills. Hope our bottle lasts for the next 10 days until we get to St Brats.