13:58.05N 61:01.73W

We were sad to leave Tobago Cays but excited to see what Bequia had to offer after so many people had told us how good it was.  We’d also heard it would be crowded at Christmas but when we arrived we found plenty of space to anchor just off the restaurant we’d booked for our Christmas Day lunch.  Perfect!  Richard and Ally (Adastrina) were already there.  The island seemed very friendly and relatively safe.  We exercised with walks and paddle boards, exploring all around the harbour.  Many enticing restaurants and bars on the south side but we were surprised at how few customers there were considering the number of boats in the harbour and the time of year.  Christmas Day was just the same – we were the only diners at the Daffodil restaurant.  A very personal service, albeit from a waitress/bar-tender who had a lot to learn about hospitality and adding up!  Galatea arrived at sunset and joined us for a quick drink to round off the day. Our Boxing Day snorkel around the corner was excellent and we all invaded Adastrina for a supper in the evening. 

We were up early on the 27^th for the long sail to St. Lucia, skipping St. Vincent due to its poor reputation for crime.  Mostly motoring due to the light winds but we did manage to sail for a few hours and that gave us a great opportunity to fly the reacher which Deegs has lent us.  Nice to use it while he was onboard.  Our destination was Laborie Bay and although we couldn’t get into the little fishing harbour (not enough space) we had an excellent night’s sleep just outside at Petit Trou.  Murky water but good holding for the anchor.  The pros and cons of mud!  The next day we motored the short distance to Soufriere.  Think of the English Lake District with a pong!  It’s a national park with volcanic activity.  Hence the sulphur smell.  One of the locals organised everything for us, including customs/immigration, a tour of the local caldera, hot springs and warm water waterfall.  All very interesting and good fun.

The snorkelling was great and even right up by the shore where we were moored, with pigs, chickens and goats roaming the shoreline, the water was crystal clear and the fish numerous.

Sadly, it was time for Jules, Libby & Deegs to leave us.  That’s two months with Jules in a confined space under some testing (and some very pleasant) conditions but we were still all sad that it had come to an end.  Sailing with Libby and Deegs is also a great pleasure and we’ll never stop learning from them too.  We were looking forward to a quiet, alcohol-free evening with just the two of us left, but Sturdeee had arrived and Ian, Dee and Michele invited us over for some wahu.  Well, we couldn’t say “no”, could we?!

On our last morning in Soufriere we climbed one of the two Pitons, two massive volcanic plugs around 750m above sea level.  Unfortunately, we chose the steepest one and that wasn’t good for Jane’s hip.  The view from the top was spectacular though.

After a short sail we arrived at Marigot Bay and anchored on the side of the entrance channel.  I swam to check the anchor and discovered a large rock which wasn’t on the chart, right in the area marked as an anchorage.  It might have clipped our keel if we’d swung at low water, so we relocated and settled in for the night.  As night fell, some bats decided it might be fun to swoop under our bimini.  I came down below to write this and was enjoying listening to their loud “Sooty & Sweep” chattering outside but then they decided to come into the cabin!  They’re about the size of a blackbird so it’s about time I shut the hatches, finished this and went to bed…

Post script: As I was packing up, I discovered why they were so interested in us.  They’re fruit bats and they were gorging on the ripe bananas hanging in the nets under our bimini.  What a mess!

Giles