PREMATURE SEASON ENDING

It was March 11th, with Cat Tales anchored in Bequia, and we awoke to listen to the morning net.  When the social announcements were being read, I took a turn to invite other cruisers along for our trip on the daycharter of Friendship Rose, scheduled the next week.  Well, it all changed when somebody piped up to say that a case of Covid-19 flu had been found on the big island of St. Vincent, next door.  Not only did we not get any takers for our charter, but our friends began calling about whether we should get our money back and get to Grenada ASAP.

Al and Dawn discussing the seriousness of world news over rum punch at Mac’s Pizza the night before we dashed! 

We made arrangements for credit for the next year for the day charter, and one by one, we sailed out for Carriacou.  Before we left, Dawn attempted to rearrange our flights, haulout, and accommodations, and I cleaned the hulls and began the year-end maintenance.  Although there may have been some false bravado while we had discussed the pandemic in the previous days, the news was full of countries closing their doors and locking down travel and society ahead of the problem.  We all concluded that, to keep our options open at least, we should get to Grenadian territory so we could at least be legally checked into the island where we intended to be hauled out.  Our traveling tribe at this point was: Clarity (Rick and Deb), Changes (Chris and Fran), and Tarantela (Al and Michele), with Fido (Don and Fiona) coming in the next day.   

We all checked into the country at Tyrell, with the Immigration Officer in a mask interviewing each captain outside of the office before we could enter to clear customs.  Rick of Clarity, still on his obvious hiking kick, asked if we could organise a hike, and we picked a good one for the next day, the hill at the back of Tyrell Bay: Chapeau Carre.  Some climbed over, and some took the road around, but most of us got a good bit of exercise.  We had a little trouble finding a lunch spot, but ultimately got a very nice meal.  One bad story:  As a result of the Covid scare, the restaurant had everyone wearing gloves, but without proper training as to the objectives.  Dawn went to the kitchen area to add to her order, and caught the waitress blowing her nose behind the counter with her gloves on.  We survived, but realized immediately how useless rubber gloves can be without proper training.

Dawn and Michele going up, up, up!

Michele is still smiling, remarkably!

Another outstanding view from the top of the mountain!

Everyone was planning a beach day for the next morning at Paradise Beach, and were intending to meet up with Fido, who had spent the night in Chatham Bay, just 12 miles to the north.  However, as Dawn monitored the international news, we got cold feet and told all that we would be heading for Prickly Bay.  We may also have been spooked by the extra entry requirements and the poorly understood rubber gloves in the restaurants.  Tarantela, who intended to be hauled out in Trinidad, were waiting for forms to fill in to comply with new Covid restrictions for entry.

We had a lovely sail down to the anchorage outside of St. Georges, carried out more year-end maintenance the next morning, and motored around in light wind to our usual anchor spot outside of the Spice Island boatyard.  The water was outrageously flat, making the trip around to Prickly Bay the easiest, kindest we ever had.

The next morning, Tuesday, March 17th, we got hauled out of the water, 23 days earlier than scheduled.  Luckily, our relationship with Cool Running resulted in no problems with accommodations, and Dawn had acquired Air Canada tickets for Saturday, 4 days away.  We worked hard on getting the boat sorted out, and I think we did a reasonable job, doing little more than what was necessary to minimize deterioration.  When we get back to the boat, however, I’ll want 10 days on the hard to sort out all the issues.

We got home on Sunday, the same day that Grenada closed the airport to all flights.  Several who decided to spend an afternoon on Paradise Beach were stressed with the feeling of abandonment, but Air Canada made special arrangements to fly for another week, picking them all up.  Interestingly, Tarantela ended up hauling in our boatyard when Trinidad closed its doors days earlier than advertised.  

The airport in Grenada was comparatively normal, but for people a little on edge.  Some were keeping an extra foot or so apart (like us), while some had themselves and their children in masks and gloves, usually with more face-touching than normal.  Toronto airport was different.  Very few were within 6 feet of each other, and most were avoiding handrails, etc.  Our lineup for our room at the airport hotel was almost comical, as any lineup at all filled the foyer.  We got at least 3 different communications about our need for 14 days of quarantine.

We flew into Fredericton, with snow on the ground and a cold wind.  Hugh and his niece had driven our car in and left it for us, and we came directly home to a functioning household, filled by Hugh and Liz with enough groceries to carry out the quarantine.  A few days later, Ron and Judy picked up another big load of fresh food from Costco.  Here we are 3 weeks home and haven’t gone for our own groceries yet.  We are always blown away by the generosity of our friends, knowing we don’t deserve it. 

Feeding the fire is now one of our daily rituals.

Our view of Grand Lake.  The water is rising, but at the moment is still below flood stage.  The next couple weeks will tell the tale!

Our time since then has been, for the most part, the new normal; with good food, social time on the computers only, and feeding the wood stove.  

We are thankful to have been able to make it home.  We are in communication with a good number of friends who are stuck on their boats, anchored or tied up to islands who do not want them, but will not let them leave.  Even if they did leave, they can not check into another island because they have closed their borders.  It is a mess, and it may get worse as these islands are quite full of many locals who live hand-to-mouth.  

TECHNICAL

After a little stressful negotiation, Budget Marine took back the remaining two start batteries they had sold as deep cycle batteries for full credit (the third had been traded for various stuff with Fred of Dakota Dream).  The engines got cleaned out with some solvent added to the oil, then an oil change.  The saildrive with the bad seals got an emptying, and a clean-out with kerosene, then got filled with good oil for storage.  When we get back, the seals will be replaced in both saildrives.  Many other projects will be waiting for our return as well.

Cat Tales is out of the water over a month earlier than scheduled.  We’re so fortunate to have  had the cooperation of the boatyard, Cool Running Apartments and of course, Air Canada to get this show on the road!

Oblivious To The Pandemic

(Our movements and news, from February 19th to March 12th, 2020)

Cat Tales and crew continued to enjoy Ste. Anne, Martinique, with trips into Marin, hikes to Saline Bay, and happy hours with Changes, Clarity, and Denis and Arlene Webster ashore.  After a wonderful lunch at the Pirates’ Restaurant at the “Wobbly Dock”, we got invited to see Denis and Arlene’s tidy apartment up the hill behind the restaurant.  Denis and Arlene sold “Tiger Lily II” a couple years ago but still enjoy their old stomping grounds by renting an apartment.  We can see, that they have a safe and reasonable alternative to traveling to and from a boat, typically with groceries and boat repair equipment and kitch.  Actually, it reminded Dawn and me of a very similar apartment we rented in Pointe-a-Pitre back in the 1990s:  a long room with bathroom near the door to the common hallway, a bedroom, and a balcony kitchen.

Dinner in Saint Anne with Denis & Arlene, Chris & Fran, and Rick & Deb

Denis & Arlene’s kitchenette outside on the balcony of their apartment in Martinique.  This is Denis and Deb (s/v Clarity)

It was soon time for a change, and on February 24th, Dawn and I checked out of Martinique with the computer at Snack Bou Bou (possibly with a cheater chicken and a tank of dinghy gas), and left the anchorage the next day for Rodney Bay.  Customs at Rodney was easy, but the Immigration lady was absent, so we sat at an extended lunch and beer break with John Fallon, s/v Stoppknot and Mike White, s/v Jackfish, and got all caught up on their news.  Indeed, every time we got to shore, we could find these two eating lunch or ice cream, but at different venues.  However, we did finish up the formalities and paperwork eventually - which included a visit to a Health Department office in the Rodney complex.  Interestingly, there was very little discussed regarding any new bugs, though I did get info on the island’s success in fighting the Dengue mosquito.  Success or not, we were visited by night mosquitos every night we were anchored off of Reduit Beach, in the bay.

A group of us hiking from Rodney Bay over the mountain and down into Cas en Bas, Saint Lucia

We also found our friend John, of s/v Manana, and connected up with him, Jenny of s/v Tanglewood, and Don of s/v Fido for a hike over to Cas-en-Bas.  It was a lovely afternoon, though a bit strenuous for Don’s newest hip.

On our way to check out of Rodney on March 1st, we were lucky to again catch John and Mike, and also captured Robin Unwin as he went by, and very happily got our visit in with him.

That evening, we sailed down to a little cliff-sided bay called Canaries, to get a 2 hour head start on the trip to Bequia.  The sail the next day was lovely, with very much north in the wind angle.  Indeed, there was not much of a wind shadow down the west side, but for a half hour at the far south corner.  Interestingly, in the channel to the south of St. Lucia, we found, through AIS, that s/v Changes was approaching from the north.  Both boats had enjoyable sails, but with Changes motoring further than us, as he chose to be closer to the island, with more of a wind shadow.  The motoring took them, at 6.5 knots, far ahead of us, and they arrived in Bequia at least 45 minutes early.

The next evening, we caught up with Rick of s/v Clarity, who was solo after Deb flew home to help out with a sister with some medical trouble.  Rick, with Chris and Fran of s/v Changes, joined us for a few evenings on Bar 1, the floating bar.  Rick, however, wanted us to tour some of our favourite Bequia hikes with him, and we quickly organized one to Ma Peggy Rock, then another, two days later to the park above Cinnamon Gardens.  We enjoyed a great meal after that one at the Firefly Restaurant (and pool), being joined by Chris and Fran, as well as two new friends, George and June of s/v Fathom This.

A group youngsters celebrating a 40th birthday party with an ‘80s theme at Bar One in Bequia

After a good hike up to Peggy’s Rock in Bequia, we stopped to enjoy the view and a break before doing the treacherous downward hike.

Another gorgeous view of Admiralty Bay from Ma Peggy’s Rock!

One of the things we were intending to do while in Bequia, was to organize a group of sailors to again go for a day-charter on the Friendship Rose, as we had last year.  We were getting pretty well set up for it, and Dawn and I paid the fee along with a couple other boats, and even asked for more sailors to join us on the morning net.  All was going well, when, on Wednesday, March 11th, the morning VHF net, somebody reported that the main island, St. Vincent, had its first verified case of Covid-19.  And, with canceling the Friendship Rose trip and many hops later, we were on the move with fire on our heels.  Well, all for now.

TECHNICAL

While we were slamming away to Pointe-a-Pitre earlier in the season (fun sail, actually), Dawn informed me that salt water was finding its way into the starboard hull through a side port (window).  Later, as we were returning south, she said a port-side port was also leaking.  We took the time to open all four of the ports, and Dawn cleaned the salt and corrosion deposits to try to get better seals on these windows.  However, the gaskets on the open windows looked like crap.  Then, as we attempted to sail in heavy seas to get around Diamond Rock to Ste. Anne, solid green seas were hitting the giant, wrap-around windows of the salon, on the port side.  We tracked that down and realized we had a lot of trouble.

While in Ste. Anne, we traveled into Marin, and purchased gasket, neoprene cement, and a giant tube of black Sikaflex 295UV.

Dawn digging out the gasket that Laurie had reinforced ages ago with 5200 glue.

We replaced  the gaskets on all 5 port windows, and were happy with the job.  Then, I went to work on about a metre of the edge of the salon window, manufacturing tools and improvising to dig out old calking as much as we could.  The interior fill was some kind of foam tape, about 5 mm thick and at least 30 mm wide, with the true seal and glue on the outside of that.  Once satisfied with a deep enough opening on the outside edge, we taped up the area with great amounts of paper and tape, using old editions of Caribbean Compass.  Then, together, we attempted to squirt the Sikaflex into the edge.  It did not work, which was no surprise, but I had gloved up, and had various tools on hand.  Both the West stir sticks and a flexible plastic spatula for spreading filler worked just fine for getting at least 4 mm of the black stuff in, and within two hours the removal of the tape made the seam look Bristol-fashion.

We also had been having trouble with our baseboards.  Leaking windows and poor maintenance (mostly while under charter, before we had taken ownership, I swear) had taken their toll on these long, 4 mm thick boards, causing them to delaminate.  I had found, by accident a shop called Caribbean Woods in Bequia on the way up the island chain, and upon our return, we spent 2 hours removing the boards and took them ashore for new cuts.  The fitting, staining, and 3 coats of varnish are done, and the boards are at present waiting to be glued back on.

Ringo of Bequia Caribbean Woods cutting plywood in baseboards that would exactly fit into the spaces onboard Cat Tales.  Laurie is here in the background getting the wood measured for the cuts.  The price was very reasonable and we’re looking forward to our baseboards back in place next season.  Dawn resisted the urge to help this young man pull his pants up!

Our new baseboards, all sanded and varnished, are awaiting their installation when we return to Cat Tales.

Sailing and Hiking Down the Chain of Islands

We just landed in Sainte Anne, Martinique on Sunday, and by end of day Monday, we had:

Visited with Terry and Evelyn (Aquarrelle);
Visited again with Aquarelle along with Denis and Arlene, who are vacationing on land, and with Susie and Lance (Queen Emma) at a coffee meeting at Palle Coco;
Did the “Chicken Walk”, circling the town and returning with a barbecued chicken and fresh produce;
Enjoyed a Boubou Bokit with Swiss friends (s/v Opus);
Had happy hour with Denis and Arlene, Terry and Evelyn, Debbi and Rick (Clarity), and Fran and Chris (Changes).

We returned to the boat, and walked the next day to Saline Bay for a beach lunch.  Seems it doesn’t take too long to conquer a place anymore.

We had said our sad goodbyes to Steve and Maria over a couple of Ti Punches in Pte-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and had a very nice 4-hour sail into the Saintes, finding a mooring ball immediately.  I should say two other things happened, however:  Our ground tackle, filled with the organic of the Pte-a-Pitre harbour, began to stink immediately, making our enjoyment aboard rather difficult.  Because we are required to take a mooring ball in Les Saintes, we were stuck with our smelly chain and anchor.  We opened the anchor locker and aired it out for days, before the odour disappeared.  I also had to clean a lot of barnacles off the boat, and truly scrub our bronze propeller assemblies.

As soon as we were tied up, we announced our arrival to good friends from Cape Breton:  Catherine and Peter (Charlotte D) besides a couple of good meals and a great happy hour, we also shared a couple of hikes and their personalized tour of the downtown - they have been spending the majority of the last two seasons right here.  Something we did together that was novel, was take a ferry ride to Terre d’en Bas, the Saintes island to the west of the basin.  We didn’t hike too far, as it was raining, the trails were muddy and a bit dog-toothed after Hurricane Maria, and I (Laurie) had a footwear failure.  Still, we enjoyed a good lunch and enjoyed some novel views.

Taking the ferry from the main island of Les Saintes to a less inhabited, smaller island, just for the fun of it!

Dawn hidden away in a giant conch shell on Terre e’en Bas in Les Saintes

Before we left the Saintes, Dawn and I had a good leg-stretcher as we hiked to Fort Caroline, overlooking Baie do Pompierre.  We got adopted immediately by a little dog, who I think hiked the same trail 4 years earlier with us and Lorna and Brian.  He was amazing, he peed on almost every bush, and then backed up to one bush and hung a dog-poo on the crotch of another bush.  Very entertaining indeed.

This is the dog who adopted us for this walk.  Lorna and Brian may remember him.  He was not disturbed by the goat head mounted on a fence post!

We almost had an accident along the top of a cliff when Dawn became aware that she was standing beside a goat’s head, mounted on a fence post.  The scream almost had me jump to my death.

Dawn was standing next to this and when she turned to look towards it, the goat head was shocking!  Quite a scream  came from her!

Travelling to Portsmouth, Dominica, on January 26th., was another sweet 4-hour sail for us, one of those days when we sailed fast, but without a salty splash on the boat.  As it was Sunday, we were able to take in the PAYS Sunday Barbecue, where the boat service people raise money to carry out yacht security.  We amazingly had no close friends in the Bay, so quickly made new ones.  Of course, we know most of the PAYS guys well, so it wasn’t an issue anyway.  While left on our own, we investigated new and old restaurants, and the numerous changes that were noticeable after a two-year absence.  At the far end of our wanderings we found a place that served falafel, salad and hummus in a pita, and then did that hike twice!

This is the brand new resort Kempenski, located on the Douglas Bay side of Dominica.  We saw no paying guests as yet, but there were rumours of a few.  It was absolutely stunning!

This is the Moroccan Cabrits resort on the Prince Rupert side of the bay.  They have been working on this resort for years now, and they claim that “this is the year”!!  They had extensive damage during Hurricane Maria, and had to back track a bit on the construction.

Here in this photo, is the Moroccan Cabrits resort on the lower right, while this brand new development going up the hill is a housing development for locals who lost homes during the last hurricane, along with Citizens for Investment group.   A couple of our boat boy friends are already enjoying living there.  So, if you wish to have a passport for Dominica, you can!

These lights have been installed all over the island of Dominica.  The windmill and solar makes them “off the grid” for the next hurricane.  Hopefully, they can stand up to the winds!

By Friday, we were joined by Anina and Charlie (Prism) and Kim and Dean (Dreamcatcher), and, after a quick tour of the Cabrits Historical Site with other yachties, we were planning a big hike.  Tuesday, February 4th., had us hiking the Waitukubuli Trail with them as well as Penny and George (Star Shot). Interestingly, I found out that George’s middle name is Laurence, while my middle name is George (first name Laurence).  It was fun and picturesque, though the hurricane damage was always visible, and some landslides were treacherous.  One ledge crossing will haunt us for quite a while.

The group fresh off the local bus ready to begin Section 13.

Anina and Charlie from s/v Prism hiking section 13 of the Waitukubuli Trail

The end of the trail cool down!

The bus driver gave us coconuts to drink.  I’m thinking that it might be nice cold with rum...

Even the cooling relaxing dip was a piece of working getting down to it and back up from it.

The hiking group, or at least the ones who made it over the ledge!

This gentleman showed us one of his dasheen that he harvested.  His hiking stick was an old crutch.  He was delighted to see us along this lonely, long, steep trail where he farms.

After dropping off some new brochures for Bonty, our adopted boat-boy, we left Prince Rupert Bay in the company of Dream Catcher, on Thursday, February 5th, and had another nice enough sail over to St. Pierre.  After checking in, Dawn and I gave Kim and Dean a reasonable tour of the west coast of Martinique, stopping and hiking in Anse Mitan, and in Grande Anse d’Arlet.  In the last spot, we actually did two hikes Dawn and I had not done before.  We bussed to a village called Taupiniere, and hiked through the south coast through Grande Pointe, Pointe du Marigot, and Grande Anse du Diamant.  Although long, it was a fun, reasonably flat, and shady hike along the shore, with almost no other hikers.  The other hike was a previously ignored path over Cap Salomon that looped back to its starting point.  Interesting, short, but a little steep and treacherous; with Kim finally “blessing the hill” with her own older Anglo-Saxon phrases.

A fishing village just at the beginning of the lovely flat hike.

Hiking in the shade on flat ground for 3 hours...a breeze!

Just before lunch and a beer, we cozied up with some tourists for a picturesque view and photo op!

The next day, the hike was significantly shorter, however, it was mighty steep up and down!

We split up with Dream Catcher on Sunday, with them heading to Rodney Bay and picking up company, and us coming around Rocher du Diamant and into Sainte Anne.  That trip was 4 hours, and a battle into large breaking waves.  We found a few leaky windows, 2 which we knew about and 2 we didn’t know about - still a good sailboat, but with some failings as a submarine.  One is already fixed as it was just a loose handle on the closure.

Laurie doing a little barnacle cleaning...

While I (Dawn) take my underwater camera for a little snorkel.

Here’s a snippet of the article Laurie had published in the Caribbean Compass last month.  If you want to read it, go here to download the free magazine.: https://caribbeancompass.com/ and select January’s issue.

TECHNICAL

Sadly, our biggest problems are our starboard engine and sail drive.  First we noticed that our sail drive lube oil was milky, meaning we have failed seals.  I ran the sail drive to stir up the oil, and changed the top half - all I can get from the top.  I’ll likely do it again before haul out.  Then, when checking the engine in Dominica, I found that, once again, the engine had spit out its dipstick and threw out most of its oil in the engine room.  I was cleaning that up for days.  Now we are babying that engine, using it only for anchoring only, and discussing what can be done.  I think another cleansing is in order, and I have purchased a bottle of H5 Heavy Duty Motor Flush.

Otherwise, things are pretty good.  I’ve changed one rope in the lazy jacks, and got one of the leaks fixed, and am planning on tackling the rest before the next crossing.

HIKING GUADELOUPE WAS WET, MUDDY, AND STRENUOUS!

Ten full days of a rental car!!  Let’s get going!

Rain, rain and more rain.  So, is this why they call this the ‘Rain Forest’?

Sill smiling, but the worst is yet to come!

The last blog was just a few weeks ago, but Guadeloupe deserves one all by itself.  We have been three nights on moorings in the Saintes, having left Pointe-a-Pitre on January 17th.  We left at the same time as Steve and Maria aboard Aspen, but they went around the south-western corner of the island and headed north to Antigua.

We had arrived in Guadeloupe with bad weather on our tail; heavy winds and easterly waves threatened the whole Windwards and Leewards, with no weather windows in sight, due to a strong north storm.  However, we anchored in the clay-bottom of the harbour, to the south of the main channel, in 24 feet of water, and neither the high winds nor the high waves found us.  The winds had to come across a significant portion of the flat side of the island, then piled up because of the high mountains of the west half of the butterfly.  As well, the reefs at the harbour entrance cut down on the size of the waves that found us.  

We had two days to kill before Steve literally ran the 6 miles out to the airport to get the car, and they were spent touring the aquarium and the new slave museum, as well as a walking tour of Pointe-a-Pitre.  The fairly new slave museum is a massive structure, a work of art from the outside.  Inaugurated in 2015, the Memorial ACTe has high credentials.  Reverend Jesse Jackson called it “the best of this type of interpretive centre in the world”.  We spent two hours going through the exhibit, each with an electronic device which added information about each presentation, triggered by a radio transmission at each exhibit.  Even at night, from our anchorage, the building, with the unique architecture and night lighting, was centre-stage.  

With the car, we ran over every major road on the island, and stopped at all the major attractions: La Maison de Cacao, with both a history and description of the chocolate manufacturing and a tasting session; two historic forts with significant exhibits, and the Musee de Rhum, which had a dispenser of rums and rum products which you could visit and revisit numerous times as you went through the exhibits; and the Grande Anse beach, with great surf, view, and the best value in restaurants.

Louis Delgres statue at the Fort Louis Delgres, a Guadeloupe hero in the fight against slavery and for human rights.

Museum de Rhum

Nurse sharks at the Aquarium

The hikes were a different thing.  We did most of them, as with the attractions, in rain; often soaked to the skin.  Some were absolutely delightful, with walkways and stairs of concrete inlaid with flagstone, through lush tropical rainforest, and with the most majestic waterfalls in the Caribbean.  Others, terribly damaged by Hurricane Maria, were almost impassable due to the demolition of the trails by erosion: high exposed roots, pools of mud, washouts, and sluices where stairs used to be.  We got through some of these, but as the pictures tell, they were often neither fun nor safe.  Sadly, we could understand from the damaged infrastructure that they had been national treasures, constructed with good materials through high cost and effort.  

Many of the boardwalk type structures were still sitting up high, but the ground all around them had been washed out during Hurricane Maria, making it easier to walk beside the structures than get up and down from them.

Sometimes short legs are a disadvantage with these high steps.

Regardless, we attempted ten of these hikes, and finished near seven of them.  The views were outstanding!

At times, these roots were so exposed they were difficult to get over.  No photos of the really difficult ones since we had both hands, and eyes making big decisions on where to place the next foot.

Finally, a section of easy  hiking!!

Steve, our capable driver with Maria on and Dawn at a fort entrance.

We found good meals, but not without trouble; and had to learn where to go, when to go, and which establishments were appropriate.  Interestingly, there were many restaurant fronts, and signs, but it appears only 1/4 of these are actually functioning.  Cleaning out old signs would certainly benefit the tourists.  The bakeries came out on top, with excellent sandwiches and paninis, while we otherwise learned to only go to the touristy sites, never the rural or non-tourist venues.

We hope you enjoy the pictures.

TECHNICAL

As we had little time on the boat during our visit, we neither broke nor fixed anything!