15.34:75N 61.27:65W Don't spit on a Bocie
Lady Corinne
iain and gaynor macalister
Sun 28 Mar 2010 21:30
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Hello Everyone,
Well this really is very pleasant isn't it?
Been a while since I sat outside in the cockpit at night writing a blog
and I'd almost forgotten how enjoyable it can be, We are at
anchor in Prince Rupert's Bay at the Northern end of Dominica and having
just enjoyed a delicious pasta dish, made with all the French ingredients we
were able to buy in Martinique, we are trying to find somewhere cool to
be. It's a beautiful still night and the sea is flat calm and almost oily
in it's appearance. We reached Dominica yesterday after covering the
thirty odd miles from Martinique, We arrived around 1600 and after we'd motored
into the bay noticed that the engine temperature had shot up. We shut it down
and sailed in and looked for a place to anchor. We were
approached by Pancho, a boat boy, who welcomed us to Dominica and asked if
we needed a mooring, "No thanks we're going to anchor" came my standard reply.
"OK but if you have problems you can call me on channel 16" I should
have known from the look on his face that we would be needing his services
later. We circled around to try and find somewhere to anchor but there is
a very narrow shelf between the beach and where the bottom drops
off very quickly to massively deep water. Admitting defeat we found
Pancho just in the shade of a Catamaran hull and I think he was smirking! Once
we were safely tied to one of his mooring buoys he came alongside and enjoyed a
cold arriving beer with us while he told us all about his
island . The mooring was quite rolly and at one point during the
night Gaynor thought she might have to take the dingy ashore and sleep on
the jetty. This morning we decided we'd go to the Anchorage Hotel for a
shower and then visit the market. We got all our stuff ready and dingied
down to their jetty and went in. Unfortunately the showers never happened
as they wanted to charge us 10US$ each for the privilege, I know, I know,
but I do have my Scottish side to consider and I'm sure we're not really that
smelly anyway. Due to the movement on the mooring and the cost of being
clean we decided to head off but first I had to see what had caused the engine
to overheat, All simple stuff, a hose pipe had split and as I had a spare
length I was able to repair it fairly quickly. Once it was all done I
needed to top up the cooling system with fresh water, as I undid the radiator
cap the thing just "fell apart in my hand" which I thought, smugly, didn't
matter as I knew I had a spare one onboard. Gaynor and I spent the next
two hours searching the entire boat and I really do mean the ENTIRE boat, but
all to no avail. OK I thought , there are lots of old cars on the island I
must be able to find one somewhere. Setting out, as mad dogs do, we started our
search, each place we visited made the same facial _expression_ and told us of
another place further up the road where we might find what they considered to be
a bit of a relic from a bygone era. Four sites later and nothing,I was
beginning to admit defeat, then a horn sounded beside me and one of the
guys from a place we had been to previously brandished a second hand
rad cap. He'd found it after we'd called there and come after us with it,
what's more he wouldn't take anything for it! Restores your faith in
humanity doesn't it? We did buy some cold beers and dropped them into
them on our way back to the boat, I hope they really enjoy them. We
had one as well, just in a little grocers shop and it was great to find that
they are now only about 80p after the shock of 2.5 Euros in the French
islands. We are thinking that we'll probably try and hire a car to look
around this island as there are lot's of interesting places to visit. Oh and the
blog title? well they all have things written across the top of their
windscreens and very few of them make much sense but this was one I
saw today and I really have no idea what it means.
Still havin loadsa a fun in the sun
Lady C and her Bocie crew wish you were here
too
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