Fai Tira Blog 16.00 UTC  Wednesday 13th January

Fai Tira in St Lucia    13:51.02N 61:03.70W

For me Dominica had set a standard that was always going to be difficult to improve on and its impression will be long lasting, so the next port of call, on our Southerly trek, would have to be good if it was going to impress.

Our planned schedule remains under constant review after our extended stay in Antigua, and our arrival in St Pierre in Martinique was at the expense of a visit to Le Saints, but it did have the added bonus of a cracking sail and our first encounter with one of the giant mammals of the sea. And wouldn’t you know it, having spent all that time in the Atlantic so relaxed that, at times, we were almost horizontal, and where if one had turned, up we could easily have viewed it at our leisure.

So then what happens? Here we are on a short hop between Islands. We find ourselves in 35 knots of wind under full sail, and are in the process of pulling on loads of pieces of string while trying  to reef down. Then suddenly on our port beam appears a black shinny convex mass.

Pete’s up to his ears pulling things, steering, trimming and generally doing all the sailory bits you do at a time like this. And then by the time I recognise it for what it is. Watch in awe as its beautifully sculptured tail climbs gracefully into the air. Then with its profile silhouetted against the skyline, gaze as it silently and slowly slides beneath the waves without a splash or ripple, Pete looks up, but by then it’s gone.

We alerted Debbie and her mum Eileen, who were following on Scott Free about a mile behind, and learnt later they’d also seen it

The steeply shelving sea bed, at St Pierre in Martinique, meant that we could anchor close in, it also meant we would be in deeper water than normal, requiring 45 metres of chain to ensure a secure hold. We were close to two other BWR boats Blue Magic and Jackamy and before long Scott Free also dropped anchor not far away.

We hooked up with Deb and Eileen in the evening and ferried them ashore, their tender outboard being a bit iffy, found a bar to have a drink and ended up staying the rest of the evening and indulging in the pizza speciality.

Debbie is a qualified diving instructor and the opportunity for Pete to go diving with her was too good to miss, so they made arrangements for the next day leaving me with the chance to explore on my own.

First of all though, we had to book ourselves in. This was done at the local internet cafe, on line. During this time a Swiss guy, from a nearby boat, came rushing in with the news that Scott Free was dragging her anchor and heading out to sea. Suddenly the cafe emptied. It was quite scary, but luckily prompt action by the other BWR guys saved the day. Yet another wake up call, if one were needed

This is Sunday, and I remember the rash and totally inaccurate judgement that I made about St Johns when it was deserted, so I tried to keep an open mind as I walked the streets of this strange empty town, but I’d been there on the night before, Saturday, and quite honestly it was no different.

Mindful of Pete’s philosophy that you can always find something good about a place, I wondered around looking for redeeming features and what I came up with was, that the ruins of the jail and theatre were interesting (tried to do some sketching) and I had a good ice cream. I have to say not the most commendable observations.

The next scheduled stop was due to be St Lucia and a number of boats, six in total, arranged to meet at Rodney Bay, to celebrate Pete’s 57^th birthday.

Yet again we had a great Island hopping sail, tight hauled in about 15 knots of wind and moderate seas making a consistent 5-6 knots.

During this time I baked a chocolate birthday cake. Well actually strictly speaking, I threw eggs, water and oil at some brown powdery stuff that came out of a packet, agitated it with a whisk, in order to look professional, poured it into a tray (I’m sure that when my mum made hers, the mixture  stuck to your fingers) shoved it in the oven fully expecting it to emerge looking like a chocolate biscuit and was pleasantly surprised to find out, twenty minutes later, that it had worked.

The party took place on Fai Tira and loads of guys turned up bearing all sorts of goodies. It was a great success with people finally leaving at about 2am. I’d try to describe it but things are just a bit too hazy and no point asking Pete, He’d fallen into a deep sleep before the end.

Rodney bay is a place that seems to have been completely commandeered by commercialism, and much of that driven by the boat world with the construction of a huge marina and supporting complex that must be about 20 times the size of the original town, Gross Islet. It still exists, is truly Caribbean and sits there defiant,  like an oasis, in this desert of wealth.

It was far later than we’d planned, by the time we set off heading for Soufriere Bay, Still in St Lucia, and the imposing Deux Pitons.

Another great sail. This time almost directly downwind in 15 knots, calm seas and making 5 -6 knots with just the genoa flying. The coastline was spectacular, with villages perched on the sides of, what at times looked, almost shear tree clad mountains. It’s then that the Pitons come into view. They are two almost vertical green clad peaks that rise directly out of the sea and totally dominate the landscape. Just around the corner and nestled beneath them is La Soufriere Town. Our boat boy, Messiah, hooked us on to a mooring buoy and here we are.

The real Caribbean again!!

Bye for now.

Pete and John