Position: 13:15.70N 59:58.77W

Date: Sunday 10^th February 2013

After 2 weeks up the river in Bridgetown, in a location known locally as ‘The Careenage’ we were able to leave and head off back into Carlisle Bay.  It felt a little like a grand escape. We were glad that we were protected from the rolly anchorage of the bay, but after a while it became very claustrophobic in the basin, locked in as we were by the lifting bridge and subject to the increased temperatures of town and the unpleasant smells as heaven knows what drained into the river upstream of us.  The small park that was in front of the boat was very pleasant to walk around but it was also used by the local evangelicals who would set up an impromptu PA system and broadcast their ‘lordy lordy’ messages to us uncaring souls.

The lifting Bridge, opening so that we could ‘escape’.

A turtle who would turn up most days to eat the grass growing on our mooring buoy.

We spent Saturday night in the anchorage.  There is an election coming soon to Barbados and this Saturday was the night of competing election rallies.  Whilst we sat on Ocean Gem in the anchorage we were assaulted from both sides by the very loud, open air PA systems of the rival parties.  I still can’t get some of the incessant, inane political jingles out of my head. 

The slogan of the ‘Red’ party was quite amusing though and my thoughts go back to the rather pathetic figure of Neil Kinnock who almost singlehandedly led the British Labour Party to vainglorious defeat largely as a result of his adoption of American expressions.  Now if he had turned his attention slightly south of west to the Caribbean he may have been more successful. Supporters of the Red party wear bright red T shirts emblazoned with the slogan

T’ings Dread

I’s Votin’ Red

On Sunday morning, still a little bleary from lack of sleep we upped anchor and sailed the few miles back up to Port St Charles, the port where we had first entered Barbados, so that we could complete customs formalities before sailing westwards again.