Christmas in Bequia.
Oriole
Mon 31 Dec 2012 12:16
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Admiralty Bay, Bequia,
SVG
13:00.54N 61:14.26W
Phat Shag, yes that is really his
name, was waiting with our mooring when we arrived in Admiralty Bay.
Bequia gets so crowded at Christmas and Easter that we have found it a good plan
to get away from dysfunctional anchorers, the type who appear just as its
getting dark, you are planning to go ashore, they anchor too close or drag their
anchor, are usually French, and claim not to speak French or English!
Christmas in the company of the crews
of four other yachts, Shian, Quadrille, Breezing Up
and Moonbeam has been a continual round of parties. After a "very
local" carol service on Christmas Eve in the tiny Roman Catholic church we
repaired to the Auberge de Grenadines, the best lobster restaurant in
my quite limited experience. Christmas Day, midday snacks and bubbly in the
garden of the Green Boley by kind permission of the landlord who
forgot we were there and failed to turn up for his free drink - last time we
were there two years ago he drank a whole bottle of bubbly on his
own.
 Andrerw joins the party at the Green
Boley.
 Gitana's and
Oriole's tenders keep company.
Gitana arrived on Christmas
Eve and Andrew dropped by occasionally when passing in the tender,
and managed to join us at the Gren Boley. He was busy with his
charter guests most of the time, but it was
great to see him and exchange presents.
For Christmas Dinner ten of
us sat down at the Gingerbread which in the past has done an
excellent nouvelle cuisine turkey with all the bits. This year it was
still excellent but certainly not nouvelle, and we had little room left for the
contents of the amazing desert buffet table.
 Christmas Dinner.
On Boxing Day we had planned a long
strenuous walk which Chris and I were going to lead, but it is quite complicated
and although we have done it a couple of times before, we chickened out
and at the last minute telephoned our delightful friend and guide
Martine, who jumped at the idea and proved very quickly to Chris and me
that there would have been some disagreement about the route!! The walk
takes in three beaches with some steep descents and climbs, and a late
picnic lunch comes near the end after a swim in Frendship Bay, before walking
back to Admiralty Bay.
 Pineapple for elevenses. Martine
using seagrape leaves as a plate.
 Picnic lunch after a swim at
Friendship Bay.
The new rigid bottomed dinghy has
been a real boon. No longer the rather wet (in brisk conditions) 3.5 h-p
plod, we have the 8 h-p dry zip down to the beach for a swim and a walk after
the customary afternoon zzzzs. It stows neatly on the deck and so far has
not budged when assaulted by big seas crashing on to the deck, not that we have
had many of those yet this season.
After ten days we needed to escape
the fleshpots and we were underway at 0600 on Sunday morning for what proved to be a stunning sail up to Rodney Bay, St
Lucia. The wind was just free so we could lay the course, and with 20
knots we were flying along with an occasional wave leaping aboard, flying fish
everywhere, the sun sparkling on the white wave crests, with a few
white puffy clouds in the otherwise clear sky. We dropped anchor and found
we were in company with some friends who we had not seen for three or four years
although we have kept in touch on the long range radio. It is very small
this cruising world.
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