Island Hopping. St Lucian makeover
Thisbe
Thu 1 Feb 2007 02:14
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Tuesday night the 16th as I write, been on my own
now since Friday 12th.
Slowly plodding through the list of jobs, feeling totally apathetic after all that has gone on. Replaced the broken hinges on the saloon table with some smart new stainless ones. Had a major tidy up of the cockpit lockers, sorted out the tangle of rigging and flag halyards. Tried and failed to make some sense out of all the post Atlantic crossing junk up in the forepeak, reckon I will have to jettison a lot of that as no longer required. Clothes, pillows, bedding, sails, all crammed in as only someone as sloppy as me can cram. Have decided to go for the varnished finish to the woodwork around the boat after seeing the results obtained in this hot weather. A small army of people are busy maintaining the boats left here after the Arc and doing a great job. I have had a quote for the work and they are starting tomorrow, Wed. Must try to keep busy and make best use of the time alongside, engine maintenance tomorrow. I am seriously considering leaving the boat here for six months after I return to the UK May/June. After the long haul to get her here it seems pointless to rush her back to the cold water up north. There is almost endless wonderful cruising to be enjoyed here. Anyway, doing sums with that in mind. Friday 19th. Jan 07. Work rubbing
down in preparation for varnishing going ahead apace and looking very good
already Bit of a disruption to the daily routine but the activity
around the boat has jerked me out of the previous lethargy so the job list
is dwindling rapidly. The plan to sail south again is starting to crystallise in
my mind and I find myself making plans, based on the previous experience down
south, for departure in about a week. Must take security more seriously, a
couple I met on the dock were upset as their dinghy was stolen in Wallilabou,
one of our previous stopoffs in St. Vincent. Travelling alone may also present
problems but we will see.
Monday 22nd. Work on the varnishing
has been going well. 2 undercoats and two top coats done so far, the boat is
looking much better, it even feels better, bit like your car does after a
polish. Getting a bit restless here now and anxious to be off, only a couple
more days. I have been helping to move some boats around due to shortage of
crew.
Wednesday 24. Major change of
plan. Another much larger ARC boat is looking for more crew for a trip to the
northern islands and I have jumped at the chance to join. I feel a bit bad
abandoning Thisbe here in St Lucia but it will only be for a while. Bit daft to
miss the opportunity of a trip in a new 50 footer, all mod cons, showers,
watermaker, all nav by swanky chartplotter etc etc. Martinique first stop. Spent
the night in a nice anchorage near Pigeon Island and set off north Thursday
morning, spanking along at 7 to 8 knots, effortlessly ploughing through the big
waves between St Lucia and the south end of Martinique. Anchored in a little
creek of the bay of Fort de France which is huge. The volcano which
devastated the island in 1901 is visible with its cloud topping in the distance.
The creek is near a little town called Trois Islet, very smart and busy little
town with a definite Creole feel, the people have a different look about them,
generally a bit lighter and kind of more arty, very interesting. Plan was to
stay here for a couple of nights then make our way up the island. Stayed
for three nights in the end and then set off to another anchorage, St
Pierre. The city is right at the foot of Mount Pele, the volcano
I mentioned earlier which last erupted in 1902, resulting in the death
of 26000 people and completely destroying a very elegant city, once known as the
Paris of the Caribbean. The new town, not a patch on the old of course, is built
among the burnt remains of some of the old walls, a very busy and roly
anchorage, but it is the last decent place to stop before the jumping off
for a 55 miler to Dominica. Most people
like to stay overnight there and then make the trip in a day, arriving
in daylight. We explored St. Pierre and sailed over to Dominica Monday 29th,
arriving at Prince Rupert bay at the north end of the island
in the afternoon. A bit exposed to a fresh N/E wind but a pleasant enough
harbour. The usual ramshackle town sprawling along the seafront, the
rusting hulks of half a dozen small ships hard up against the town where they
have been laying since a hurricane blew through sometime during the last
five years. The trip up the Indian River is a must for visitors, a brackish
small river winding among the mangroves, well used so looking a little
muddy and tired. Engines of any kind are not allowed in an effort to preserve
what remains of an interesting swampscape. Small boats, mostly crowded with
American tourists off the cruise ships anchored in the bay and done up to
Dixie in huge lifejackets,
are rowed up and down the three quarters of a mile
stretch of four foot deep water by the locals, and given a commentary on
the flora and fauna growing along the banks. Coconuts from the trees,
which make up the most of the growth, are laying all around, sprouting
where they lay, adding to the impenetrable feel of the
surroundings.
After a short walk along a well trodden trail and a
coconut drink climbed for by one of the guides, (apparently if
they fall they are too far gone to be palatable) We returned to the start and
made arrangements to go up a local mountain by minibus in the afternoon. At
nearly 5000 feet it was a welcome change to the heat lower down. The rainforest
at the top was wonderfully cool and interesting, huge trees growing up straight
as arrows from strange, webbed, above ground root systems. The
trees, many of which had strange plants clinging to their
trunks, were spread densely all over the mountain and adjacent peaks. Still
surviving we were told due to it being uneconomic to log them. Before returning
to sea level we visited a very dramatic 200 foot waterfall, a good day
out.
The following day we did the three hour sail
across the rough gap to Les Saites, a group of islands off the southern tip of
Guadeloupe. On the way we caught a fish, a two to three pound tuna, the first
catch after dragging, and losing, lures for over 5000 sea miles.
Manny
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