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09.04 17:14.53N 62:39.58W
While we were in St Kitts, we anchored off the SW coast
in Ballast Bay. Across a narrow beach and a scrub covered hump lay a large
salt lake, which Chris and I decided to go and investigate. It was all at
once beautiful in it's bleakness, and revolting: clearly no life
except for flies everywhere, and a smell that you just wouldn't want
me to describe. we weren't sure if it came from the stagnant water or the
gentle smattering of cow poo plastering the banks, rendered more pungent by
the heat. We headed off round the windward side, but it is rather a large
lake, so we got half way round, and decided that that was quite enough of the
experience thank you.
However, the bay was beautiful and quiet and
peaceful, and did also offer delightful snorkelling. My coup de
grasse was finding this little chap on the right. it was mesmerizing to
watch him flitting too and fro, extending an unfurled tentacle and scooting
after it, all the time gently changing colour to the hues of his
background. They really do look like aliens with their elongated
heads!
fortunately they haven't yet invented scratch and
sniff for computers... An
OCTOPUS!!!
We moved to Basseterre the next day, to fill up with water and diesel and check-out. Basseterre
doesn't have a whole lot going for it, I'm afraid we only got as far as the
customs office, and the area just before you hit town which has been purpose
built in various shades of pastel for the cruise ship market:
expensive 'gift' shops selling nothing from the Caribbean, several diamond shops
(they're everywhere - what's with that?), and designer clothing outlets like
you'd find back home. All eerily silent and echoic when there isn't a
cruise ship in town, but it did have free internet courtesy of a
government building which suddenly switched it off as everybody trooped out and
went home! I wouldn't bother with the marina unless you have to - it
offers nothing of interest, and you can't even plug into the electricity
cos it's an American socket and they don't provide adapters...
But we did catch up with Chris and Chris on Sea Squared
and spent a pleasant evening chatting and comparing notes on who'd been where,
and eating a delicious curry. Thanks guys, it was lovely to see you and I
can't believe we got home at 1.45am!
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