13:00.67N 61:14.47 Bequia

Looking at the photographs dear reader, you may think that we have decided to do a cruise of film locations instead of the world, but this is not the case, it is just that so many of these beautiful islands have been used for films. At John’s request, tomorrow we intend to sail to a bay where they filmed Bambi and if he’s really good we’ll take him to where they filmed The Lion King. (only kidding)

Again I am typing this first thing in the morning when the rest of the hard working crew of Swiftwing are still in bed. I’ve just been interrupted in my typing by a photographer who has delivered a framed photo of Swiftwing. As we approached Bequia yesterday, about three miles off, in reasonably heavy seas, Duggie K (Kerr) who was helming at the time said, “look at this idiot all the way out here in a wee boat”. It became obvious that he was in our path and the soft hearted, caring Bev said, “watch out and not run him down”. As we got closer it was apparent that he was determined to stay in our path so the skipper said, “just hold your course, let him get out of the way, might is right”. Then he took up what looked like a small bazooka and pointed it at us and we realised that he was a photographer in a small RIB.

Anyway, I digress. We set off from Marigot Bay on St. Lucia, heading south for St. Vincent. As Duggie K said in the last blog, we left bang on 0800. Sheila had taken copious amounts of Stugeron ( anti sea-sickness pills) the night before to cope with the big ocean swells and the expected 25 - 30 knot winds. We entered the narrow channel at Dr. Doolittle’s beach and were immediately confronted by a huge flat calm, so bad in fact that we motored all the way to St. Vincent, passing and photographing the magnificent Pitons at the south end of St. Lucia en-route.

There was however a large swell running from the north, after an unusual period of northerly winds. Our first port of call on St. Vincent was Wallilabou Bay, but the boats already at anchor there appeared to be wallowing markedly in the swell, so we came back out of the bay and motored back north for less than two miles and entered Cumberland Bay which was far more settled. We dropped the hook quite far out, for we carry 200 meters of chain on the main anchor, and backed in to the beach handing over the end of a stout rope to the boat boy who rowed it ashore and tied it off with a fisherman’s-sheepshank or some other knot that is not in the book, to the nearest palm tree. There we lay very comfortably for the night. As it was by now only about 3pm. we had a remarkably refreshing swim from the boat, we being anchored right in the mouth of the river carrying fresh cold water down from the mountains.

Next day we had a long lie, or the crew did, and after a leisurely breakfast in the cockpit we decided to get on the move. As the boat boy we had contracted to release our stern rope failed to trap, our very own Mark Spitz (John) dived into the water, swam ashore and released the half-nelson-fisherman’s knot, then was towed back to the boat by those pulling the rope in.

A short motor of about two miles took us to Barrouallie Bay where we were to clear Immigration. Dougie K and Sheila also came ashore for the walk and to look around. Our impression was that the place is very poor. The kids were playing cricket on the beach and Bev was taken by the fact that the fielders were mostly in the water, the batsman realising that a strike out to sea would be a six. The kids were having a great time swimming off the pier and playing on boats and the laughter and skelaching (Doric word) was infectious. It reminded me of our childhood, somewhat lost to the kids nowadays because of the Play station and Game boy epidemic.

I was fascinated at the local fishing boats. The fishermen here are too poor to afford outboards, so they row out for miles in what can be rough water to fish and escort visiting yachts to moorings as an addition to their income. These boats are called “Double bows” and are in fact double enders not unlike tiny Colin Archer designed boats. They are only eight feet long with about 6 inches of freeboard. These boats can also be sailed, but in local terms they are horrendously expensive at £500 new. However they are expected to last 20 years.

After clearing Immigration ( a cop with 20 years service who had had enough - where have I heard that before?), we hauled anchor and motored to Wallilabou Bay, where we picked up a mooring and again tied the stern rope off to a palm tree. As this bay was the main film set for Pirates of the Caribbean films, and as the film set has been largely left untouched ,(and unmaintained) we thought it would be good fun to walk round the set. Everything but everything has been left as it was, and you might think that they were going to shoot that day. We were amazed at how lifelike the stonework is as well as the other props which had been properly made. There was a full size working ox cart but fitted with balsa like spokes on the wheels so that they would break easily. The wheels were real and made of a heavy oak-like timber. It’s amazing that these skills are still around. (get the pun)

We then went for the regulation swim off the docks used in the films sporting the cranes on which Captain Jack Sparrow swung round and escaped the dastardly Kings men. We returned to the Anchorage Hotel and had a look around the props used in the films together with photographs of the cast and crew.

We set off next morning in heavy tropical rain for The Blue Lagoon, but that’s another story.