Sunday 14th March (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Thu 18 Mar 2010 11:50
I have mislaid my mobile phone and am not very happy. With England
four hours ahead I watched the morning disappearing, desperately
wanting to ring my mum on Mother’s Day. While Andrew taxied Si over to
the customs office I emptied every cupboard and lifted the bunks in
case it had slipped down the side of the bed into the bilges. There is
nowhere else I can think to look. . Si returned and spent a stressful
hour trying to buy a month of wifi with ‘Hot, Hot, Hotspot’ available
here, Guadeloupe and Antigua. You would have thought an internet site
like this would be simple if nothing else. Once connected I
immediately checked my mobile account fearing someone had run me up an
enormous bill. All was well however so I have put a hold on my sim
card for now.
We motored Shovell over to the fort this afternoon for a spot of
hiking up Cabrits National Park but the big swell was in danger of
trapping it under the dock. We took no risks after almost losing it
the other day and motored over to the town shore and walked back.
Eighteenth century British Fort Shirley is being restored with lots of
building work going on and a marquee was being dismantled after some
event or other. What a fab location looking out over the cannons into
Portsmouth Bay. From the fort we took the trail up West Cabrit in the
welcome shade of the dense trees. There were rewarding glimpses
through the vegetation of Douglas Bay and surprisingly burned orange
crunch leaves under foot between the tree roots. The trees at the
summit opened revealing a very impressive twenty four pound cannon,
views out to the islands of Guadeloupe and The Saintes but an
unbearably scoring sun. We hovered but a minute before retreating into
the shade for a drink. Back on the road I thought of Julie and Daniel
who are so keen on making preserves from hedgerows as mangoes and
bananas grew alongside the road.
Tonight Andrew had sold us tickets for the weekly charity barbecue
at Big Papa’s. Money is raised from the sale of tickets to yachties to
man the security boat supplied by the government which patrols the
anchorage every night: This country is so full of good ideas. Help was
at hand at the dinghy dock to first help us off as boats leapt about
in the huge swell, then pull Shovell safely up on the sand with the
other dinghies. Quite a crowd had already gathered and soon people
from all over the world were coming up and introducing themselves. It
is so interesting hearing of other yachty adventures. Apologies were
made for the short wait until ice was finally found then rum punch
flowed freely all night. There was also no shortage of rice and salads
to go with a mountain of fish, chicken and pork which we ate at long
trestle tables with new friends. It would have been lovely to stay
until the end but Simon was keen to get back with an early start
planned for the morning, so I missed out on the dancing in the sand on
this occasion.