Fri 25th Dec Xmas day 13.00N 61.14W Admiralty Bay
Ca Canny
Sat 26 Dec 2009 12:39
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Dear Blogg readers,
Yes, this is Xmas day in the Caribbean.
Jee man. Christmas is here today. Be Happy. Be
Good. Keep swinging those hips. Take the rhythm.
After breakfast the kids where desperate to open
the pressies.
So again, names where drawn from the hat and each
one had to perform the tast set before opening their present.
Isobel made a rap. Sophie had to taste 4 different
flavours: basil, aloe, soft cheese, jam. Pieter had to arm wrestle with Marc
& Alan. Alan had to make a Xmas song and sing it: as always, he's very good
at putting new text to known tunes. Mary Ellen, had to stand with a glass on her
head, make a 360 turn without spilling the water. It was one of the sundowner
glasses(plastic) but with a long stand. She performed with brio having stuck the
flat bottom into her hear which was pulled tight into a bun.
Tine, had to get up the mast with the bosuns chair,
take some pictures.
Marc & Lucas had to perform a joint acrobatic
stand.
The pressies where all very small as the kids had
49 EC or Caribbean Dollars each to spend and the adults 60. Everyone was happy
with the surprises, which where only surprises for Tine, Alan and ?
Shopping in village for fruit & veggies, rum,
ice, lime etc.
Marc lit the barbecue with the help of Lucas &
Pieter because there was a good blowing wind which made it rather difficult.
Eventually, we had white hot coal. Up went the 2 fishes we bought earlier. Tine
prepared them the Seychelle way.
Alan was visiting another broadblue boat which was
in the bay.
Some adventure this skipper had to get his boat
which was unfinished out of the company's hands when they went bankrupt.
Helicopter chase and all.
It turns out that Prince Edward has been on Ca
Canny when it was the display boat.
Skipper happy again.
After lunch which was a bit overdone and a brief
siesta, we took a local taxi to the Turtle sanctuary. The local taxi is a open
pickup truck with a plastic roof over its head. They hoot at every occasion, to
draw attention, to get people or vehicles to move on or just to greet one
another.
The Turtle place was a small setup, totally private
and independant.
A retired fisherman started to experiment with
hatching eggs and now collects either eggs or the just hatched turtle young.
He has been doing this for the past 14 years on his
own, trying to educate the local people not to kill the turtles. Green &
Hawkhill turtles. He has some of different ages, 3, 5 months but also 3, 4, 5
years. They are released in the sea at some points.
They attack each other very easily as they live
solitary and are not used to be so close together.
So his has an albino variant, a deformed one that
has his balance of shell wrongly which means he can not swim well enough to
evade predators, also one with his front flipper off.
They are all kept as they are too easy pray.
To the beach for a swim, a relax and a read.
Kids can't get enough of snorkelling. The boys
playing in the big rollers that brake over and feel like being in a tumble of a
washing machine. They try to body surf on the big rollers which is more tricky
and difficult.
The girls are playing in the surf at some distance.
Looking at, chasing little fish that are abundant.
Tine is reading the last book I read, she is hooked
and not much company once she has it in her hands.
Alan and Mary Ellen are having a siesta on the
boat.
As ever Pieter plays water taxi for everyone. He
enjoys being at the driving force of the dinghy. After a shower on the back
steps of Ca Canny, we go for some sundowners.
We are all in a jolly mood before we head of to the
Devil's table.
Yes, not the thing to do on festive Xmas day but it
is a piraty place with a lots of atmosphere, lots of sailers, young and old. The
locals are as always very friendly.
We enjoy sitting in this setting, chit chatting
away. Think about family & friends we can't reach with our phone. We hope
everyone is fine, has some company to spend these festive days with.
The kids make their way to their bed, we stay and
soak in the atmosphere as the life band starts to play on the tiny back next to
the rock face that makes out the back of the bar.
The staff are dressed up in black but just not
wearing pirate hats. All in good high end style. As the price is.
Eventually, when ME starts to fall asleep, we make
our way to our bunks.
There is not much wind, so the temp is stiffling
and it is hard to fall asleep.
We all too much realise that all this is coming to
an end for us, the Jacobs family.
Tine starts to worry about being cold in London
between the 2 airports.
As usually, I let Tine worry about the travel
arrangements. So I have no clue when, how etc. but I know that it is all in
hand.
That's how I missed my plane going out to Las
Palmas. It was the first time, I looked at the timing myself. I might aswell be
honest.
It all fell into place eventually and is a long
distance in place and time from now.
Tine, starts to get irritated me spending this time
on the blogg and I agree that I could make 2 liners but I enjoy the writing.
Good or not, it lets family & friends have a small part of this.
Today, the plan is to clear customs out of the
Grenadines, check in with customs at St Lucia. This will take us all day.
Tomorow, we can than clean the boat and leave the
Spence family with a new starting of their journey. Alan, is very interested to
go to Martinique where he suggests spending the end of
this year and introduce the fresh one.
So I'll send this, late I know.
Marc
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