Rodney Bay, St. Lucia

Cat Tales is sitting at the north end of Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, very close to Jambe de Bois (Leg of wood) Restaurant.  S/v Peace and Plenty is behind her, and S/v Stopp Knot is behind P&P.  We also have friends Sitatunga, Silk Pajamas, and Aspen in the bay, as well as many even older friends and acquaintances.  We really can't move without meeting somebody worth a chat or more.  The bay has been a bit windy, making trips into the marina, shops, restaurants, and chandlery a bit damp, but not too bad.  There is a problem with jet skis and powerboats that makes even checking your anchor a dangerous thing to do, but we expect it, and (Satisfaction)= (Anticipation) - (Reality); so we're fine.  When I swim out to check the anchor, Dawn watches me from the bow of the boat with a fox forty whistle at the ready!

It was fun in Bequia, where we did at least four different hikes, ate at L'Auberge, Green Boley, and the Fig Tree, as well as a lovely little economic lunch spot, and spent one afternoon at a music festival; but we were all feeling like it was time to move on.

We (and P&P) left Bequia as planned, with anchor up at 3 a.m., and were behind St. Vincent by daylight without incident.  As the clouds over the northern volcano seemed benign, we set our course a little closer, coming within about 7.5 nautical miles from shore.  I had already set two fishing lines, hoping to finally catch our first real fish of the season.  Well, did we ever!  I had just set up the radio to talk on Denis' weather net on the ham radio, when the port fishing rod started zinging as it let all the line out.  I looked over at the clothespin that holds the handline on starboard, and it was released as well.  Dawn took over talking to Denis, while I fought our port-side fish.  It really seemed that the fish had stopped the progress of Cat Tales - but in all honesty the wind had decreased some.  What a fight!  Dawn came out and assembled our net and I placed a comparatively more tired fish in her.  We then worked on the starboard fish, and amazed ourselves that we did not lose either.  They were foreign fish to me, but our reference material made it obvious they were rainbow runners, a 30" and a 34".  As our adventure was a live part of Denis' program, we had a lot of fun with it; and many people knew what was going on.

Soon after, we had sailed to the end of the island, and were subjected to very difficult seas.  I stayed at the steering station while Dawn kept me informed as to what windows were leaking.  I had one wave hit me such that I thought I'd be knocked out of the chair.  A double whammy hit that actually threw the boat ten feet and 40 degrees off course - something that has never happened.  Although I feared Dawn would hurt herself in that one, she did not (though she had already bruised her ribs hanging over the stern with the fishnet).  After a bit, the seas seemed to subside a bit, and I was getting anxious about the brutes laying in the morning sun in the dinghy, and took a knife to them.  The salt water spray, bouncing boat, and undersized cuttingboard combined to make the cockpit look like a terrible crime scene, but we got the lovely white meat filleted and into the refrigerator.   We've even frozen the heads to provide to a local for soup.  It was an awful cleanup job, and we were more than grateful when the next morning provided some fresh rain to help.

Rainbow Runners caught off of St. Vincent

Quite a fighter these were!

Laurie's fish cutting table is a bit too small, but once the head and tail were gone, it fit much better!

As the pictures show, the next night, we invited 9 guests aboard to help us enjoy the fish.  Dawn did an excellent job of preparing the fish, using a recipe she got from a cook in Union Island years ago, and all guests brought excellent cold salads and complementary dishes such that it was a meal to remember.  Yes, the fish was excellent, and yes there is a little more in the freezer for us.

Left to right:  Maria (Aspen), Lorna & Brian (Peace & Plenty), John Fallon (Stopp Knot), Dawn, and Dan (Sititunga)

Terry (Silk Pajamas), Cindy (Sititunga), Kristin (al soSilk Jammies) and Laurie

We've started up our social program here, and expect a lot of visiting, and a bit of hiking.  Already, we've walked Pigeon Island to death, had a happy hour on the marina boardwalk with 25 cruisers, and Dawn has had a haircut party on Cat Tales, with Lorna and Dan and Cindy getting cleaned up! However, our primary plan is to make it north to Dominica for February 14th, so we are presently planning to sail to Martinique on Tuesday.

More Fun in Bequia (St. Vincent & the Grenadines)

I'm (Laurie) proud of myself today - I got credit for producing perfect banana, corn meal, bran, Betty Crocker pancakes.  Yup.  It might be a mix, but I improved upon it, got the griddle just the right temperature, and got real praise from the Admiral; tempered by the mess I made, of course.  Two bananas made them lighter, a quarter cup of soaked corn meal made them heavier, the bran made them healthier, and Angostura Bitters made them tastier; but yes, still a Betty Crocker mix for the backbone of the recipe.

We've once again hiked up to Peggy's Rock, where a local girl used to spy the fish in the bay and guide the fishermen; this time with Esther and Alastair if S/y Cranstackie.  Lorna and Brian were with us, but they begged off just before the clamber along the edge of the hill as Lorna became a little over exerted.  It was a clear day, with a view all the way to Grenada, and the ability to make out each island of the Grenadines in between.

Esther and Alastair from s/v Cranstackie from Peggy's Rock

Yucca Tree growing wild along the road.  Check out the beautiful flower on this thing!

We also took in another hike to the crest of the hills to the north.  This time, Cindy and Dan of s/v Sitatunga joined us along with Lorna and Brian.  We were attempting to find a path to the peak behind Hamilton, but when it refused to present itself, we headed north and found the "ridge road" that carried us along the top of the north-facing cliff with great views of St. Vincent.  We got a little lost, found a very long way home, and, with the whole walk taking close to 4 hours, it may be a bit of time before Dan decides to go walking with us again.  The good news is that Lorna and Brian were just fine with it.  Lorna and I agree that our backs seem to improve as we hike.

Long, but not winding road...

Dan and Cindy, Lorna, Dawn and Brian on our 4 hour walk!  Great to get lost on a small island since you can't REALLY get too lost!

You'll also see from the pictures that we are getting enough to eat.  We took in "Fish Friday" at a restaurant called the Fig Tree, as well as a beautiful meal aboard Cranstackie.  For the latter, I made a callaloo soup to complement a fantastic multi-course meal presented by Esther, who cooks as her primary hobby.

Friday Fish Fry at the "Fig Tree"

The band playing light Caribbean background music

Cheryl, the owner of the Fig Tree and our friend, dancing with Laurie

Dinner onboard s/v Cranstackie.  Left to right:  Laurie, Esther, Brian, Lorna and Alastair displaying our FOD flag.  (Friends Of Denis - our weather friend)

Esther cooking for us.  Thank you Esther!!

After a hike to Peggy's Rock, a lunch at the Whaleboner!

Yes, these are Whale Bones decorating the Whaleboner Restaurant in Bequia

We seem to be facing a closure of a good weather window on Monday, so we and P&P are planning to set sail on Sunday for St. Lucia.  In the meantime, there is a music festival here on the weekend.  Stay tuned.

Laurie caught this shot of an octopus.  Our underwater camera died while removing the memory card, so it looks like no more underwater pics.  Glad he got this one though!

Back In Bequia

Our sail to Bequia from Carriacou was fabulous, last Sunday.  We left Tyrell Bay at 7 a.m., and after only one tack, arrived at the tip of West Cay at about 1 p.m.  As a 40 nautical mile sail, one normally budgets 8 hours for this trip, but we had steady winds from the east at 15 knots with just a little south in it and truly enjoyed the day.  Peace and Plenty also did well, actually passing us after the arrival at West Cay, as we carried on to tack back and forth into the 2 miles to the east for the anchorage, while they rolled up their sails and carried on immediately with their "iron jib" (engine).

Last weblog actually had us in Grenada proper, so we should tell you also that the sail from St. Georges to Tyrell Bay was also quite grand.  We did have one outrageous slap from the sea in the troubled area around Kick'em Jenny Rock, where the winds, waves, tides, and sea bottom work together to maintain the name.  We fell down one deep depression in the confused seas, and it filled in with a vengeance from the east to slap our starboard side and salt us up.  No damage done, yet apparent anyway.

We want to share one last picture of us in Grenada, taken at a brewery-pub that was just opening up in a new location.  We were actually hiking out to the place where we were served last spring, when we stopped along the way at the future location to inquire about how the renovations were coming along.  Hilariously, both places were "kind of" closed as they had made the big step that day in moving the taps.  Still, they invited us in and we were among the first customers.  Of course, with an empty pub, we got great attention, many tastings, and lots of stories.  Indeed, I have written an article on the place for the local sailing magazine, and am just waiting for some clarification by email from the owner.

West Indies Beer Company

Since in Bequia, both Lorna of Peace and Plenty, and Laurie of Cat Tales are nursing bad backs and taking things quite easy.  Indeed, on Cat Tales, the maintenance list is growing in anticipation of better health.  Still, all four of us have visited two different favourite lunch spots, done some limited touring, and even some snorkeling.  One of the finds at the reef was a that just defies cataloguing.  Our books have pics of scrawled cowfish - a yellow fish with blue scrawling, and a honeycomb cowfish - a reticulated design that can change colour.  We have to favour the honeycomb cowfish, as it can apparently change to blue; but the design is more scrawling than honeycomb, and nothing in our books explains the explosive yellow colouring behind the eye.  An exciting find for Dawn, Lorna, and Brian.

Honeycomb Cowfish found on the reef behind our boat in Bequia

Sharptail  Eel

Our plans are to sit here for at least another week, then look for a weather window to sail both boats further north to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.  We can always visit again on our way back to Grenada at the end of the season.

Jambalaya, heading out for a sail

Gift-store in Bequia

Admiralty Bay in Bequia

For those who are interested, we are seeing a lot of a sailing cruise ship called the Mandalay of Zanzibar.  There are a few websites that talk about it, but the skinny on it is best told by Wikipedia.  Check it out for the interesting history of this beautiful three-master, formerly one of the Windjammer boats.  Go to Wikipedia and ask for the page called RV Vema to get all the history and some better pictures.

Yacht Mandalay

Back in Prickly Bay

Today, Tuesday, is intended to be an R and R day aboard Cat Tales, here back in Prickly Bay Grenada.  We were thinking we'd just read and rest, but the chores must be done.  I've done a fuel transfer and cleaned up, Dawn is doing laundry in a bucket, and we've cleaned out the anchor locker and wiped it down in preparation of applying some waterproofing to the drain holes.  We're thinking that one of these holes is allowing some moisture into the laminate, and intend to wipe the edges and all suspicious areas with a high quality caulking.  And there is the fun obligation of maintaining communication with those who would like it, so here we are typing away.  Maybe later, we'll have a read.

We sailed south from Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, with Peace and Plenty on Monday; and enjoyed a fantastic and fast sail, with speeds up to 8 knots, and minimal splashing on the topsides even though some of the waves in the "Kick-Em-Jenny" area were tall and sharp.  It really was fun, and not at all stressful.  The two boats tied up at mooring balls at Dragon Bay, where the local underwater enthusiasts have worked with local artists to place sculptures in 15-25 feet of water.  The greatest enjoyment was when Lorna looked down to see a man at a desk, typing on a typewriter and started laughing. That was the first sculpture she saw. We've been here before - but it is always fun to show things to new visitors. 

We enjoyed a pressure cooker meal of chicken and vegetables aboard Cat Tales with Lorna and Brian, and spent the night.  Sadly, Cat Tales, being a cat, played with the mooring ball between her paws all night; while Peace and Plenty wrapped their mooring line around the keel and rolled terribly all night.

Underwater sculpture - a man typing!

Another fabulous underwater sculpture!

Laurie checking it all out closeup!

 We carried on the last hour to St. Georges Tuesday morning; and showed Lorna and Brian the laundry facilities and restaurant at the Yacht Club.  The afternoon had us all shopping in the Island World chandlery and the Foodland grocery.  It was the next day we took them for the foot-tour of St. Georges; showing off the most interesting stores, scenes, and places of historical interest.  They got to see a third world butcher shop in action, and the vision may stick with them for a while.  We'll stick to chicken and fish...We took no pictures.

Thursday was New Years Eve, and Cat Tales had only until noon to pick up her new batteries at Budget Marine in Prickly Bay; so we got moving early, and motored without incident to Prickly.  The acquisition of the batteries was also without incident, and the installation was going well until we were 90% done.  At that point, I reached over the batteries in the little compartment to disconnect a wire on the diode block and I suspect the boat lurched.  I thought I got electrocuted, but there were no wires near the small of my back.  It took a lot of pain to get me out of the shed, primarily with me supporting my upper body while Dawn pulled my legs out.  I could only drag myself to the salon floor and lay on my back for a couple of hours.  As the work had to continue, I coached Dawn on how to connect the rest of the wires and recommission our electrical system.  She said it was like landing a plane by radio, or performing open heart surgery via phone instructions.

With some basic painkillers, I was able to make it to Peace and Plenty later in the day, and, although I took the favoured chair, I was able to hold my own during the New Years Eve celebration aboard.  I have been recovering ever since, and expect to be 100% in another week easily.

Since then, we've shared our friends, our favourite haunts, and our tricks and sources.  Lorna and Brian have decided to adopt the place, and have made plans to haul out here in the spring.

Lorna and Brian at the University Club pool after a wonderful lunch at their restaurant

Kathryn from s/v Katarina and Dawn drying off after a swim

Our view from the University Pool for the afternoon!  Our free Associate Membership is a handy card to have!

Together, we've decided not to get the boats to the coves further to the east, but to turn around and enjoy the season further to the north.  After Peace and Plenty enjoy an island tour tomorrow, we'll head back to St. Georges for a night and then move on back to Carriacou on Friday.

Technical:

The batteries are the big thing.  I've replaced 4 house batteries and one start battery, all Trojan SCS150s (12V, 100AH), and kept the best Trojan for the starboard start battery.  I've replaced these with Exide 31MDC (12V, 115AH), and intend for all five to be both the house and the port start battery in one.  I've sent a specific letter to Exide for charging setpoints for these, given our specific chargers and our particular temperatures.  They've responded with some useful numbers.  One criticism is that the terminal screws are short, and I am installing extension terminals to allow direct connection of sensor wires, solar and wind , and the windlass connections.