Tag Archives: Rodney Bay

St. Lucia — May 10-17, 2014

We traversed the 21 nm from Le Marin, Martinique to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia on May 10, making nice progress except when we slowed down to haul in a wahoo, our first of that species.  There is a lot of meat on a wahoo, so even though this one was a modest size, as wahoo go, we have had many fine meals since.  On May 11, Barb decided to use up some of the gluten-free flour she had purchased in order to support my glutten-free experimental diet.  Something went wrong; see below the picture we also posted on Facebook.  Next day, it was time to get the quarterly blood tests that are needed to monitor for possible bad side-effects from my arthritis medicines.  Barb went along, and we also asked for cholesterol tests.  A few days later we had the results:  no problems from my meds, and my cholesterol is just fine, thank you.  Barb, on the other hand, has had another spike in her cholesterol.  Faithful readers may recall that she had one about a year ago, and went on a crash program of reduced alcohol and carbs and increased exercise.  In just a month, she reduced her cholesterol by 100 points to normal, as verified by a subsequent test in Trinidad.  Guess who is once again on a crash program?  Speaking of crash(ed) programs, about a week ago after about 10 weeks on the experiment, I abandoned the glutton-free diet.  I never saw any real improvement while on the diet, and I have not seen any deterioration after getting off, despite some rather joyful episodes of gluttony as regards pasta, bread, pancakes, cake, cookies, chips and beer — not all in the same meal, I should add.

We got a lot done in Rodney Bay.  We both got our teeth cleaned at one of the few offices in the Caribbean that has a hygienist on staff; in most offices the cleaning is done by the resident dentist. We took the boat in to the Marina in order to equalize the batteries.  While there, Vision came around and we asked him to wax and polish the entire outside.  It took him and his lady Meshana two days, but they did a great job for a fair price.  Meanwhile, I got started on cleaning up the engine room and all four bilges, so that I could take pictures in support of a self-survey we must complete in order to change insurance companies.  We had hurried down to Rodney Bay in order to attend the Jazz Festival, but after arriving the weather turned rainy and the list of performers seemed too lack-luster to justify the steep admission fee, so we limited our participation to attending the free jam session held on the night after the official final close of the festival.

Rodney Bay is the home of one of our favorite restaurants:  A Taste of India.  We actually went twice during our week stay; once for dinner and then again the next day at lunch to take advantage of the marvelous 4-dish sampler that is offered every day (except Mondays) from noon until 4 pm, but with different dishes each day.

On May 17 we left Rodney Bay and motored on down to Bequia.  As we passed the Pitons on the south end of St. Lucia, we were joined by a pod of spotted dolphins that played in the pressure wave of our bow.  Initially there were many, but after a time there were only three, and they stayed with us for a very long time.  I always wonder, when they stay so long, how they can find their way back to the pod.  We hope you find your way back to our pod, um, blog.  Until next time.

St. Lucia – May 30-June 17, 2013

On May 30th we grew impatient with waiting for “trawler weather” and instead departed during a slight lull in the conditions that have characterized this Spring, the windiest, as a friend recently observed, in seven years of cruising the eastern Caribbean.   Since Le Marin is in the southern part of Martinique and Rodney Bay is in the northern part of St. Lucia, the 26 nm trip was without the benefit of an island to be leeward of.  Rather unpleasant trip.  Just as we arrived at Rodney Bay, the trip log maxed out at 10 thousand miles for the second time since we bought the boat in April, 2005.  Time and distance have certainly flown.

The winds have persisted pretty much unabated since we arrived, so we have been in St. Lucia longer than we expected or wished.  On June 6 we took the boat in to Rodney Bay Marina, where we equalized the house battery bank and commissioned “Vision” to wax the hull.  We had no sooner gotten settled in to the Marina when we looked up and saw another Kadey-Krogen 48 North Sea arriving at the Marina:  Ann Louise with Ann and Bill Miller aboard.  A rare sight indeed.  (They were under pressure to get to Grenada to meet guests; we look forward to spending more time with them when we catch up.)

When we returned to the Bay on June 8, we had to anchor at the north end of the bay, since the center and southern portions were the venue for a large regatta of youths on Optimists and Sabers.  On June 11, after the conclusion of the races and after we had moved back to the southern part of the anchorage, we noticed some activity on a nearby catamaran.  We could see that someone was being removed on a stretcher.  Barb grabbed a few shots on my camera, and then I took a few more when the Police arrived.  We learned later that there had been a shooting and that one person had been taken to the hospital in critical condition.  Later reports circulating through the anchorage were that a note had been found, and that the injured person had been shot in the head in a suicide attempt.  I posted to the Facebook group “Coconut Telegraph” the pictures and a short blurb from a St. Lucian newspaper, and the post began immediately to attract Facebook comments of concern and sympathy, followed by an incredibly insensitive “joke” about there now being one fewer catamaran to drag onto neighboring vessels, which itself then attracted scolds of outrage and anger.  Tired of seeing my pictures associated with the original “joke” and its subsequent venom, I removed my original post, which had the desirable effect of removing all of the associated comments.  But the controversy lived on, revived by the wife of the original  “joker” posting an irrelevant and gratuitous attack on cruisers for being excessively Politically Correct and for not having the courage to venture out to new venues and instead just cruising up and down the Caribbean chain year after year.  After more scolds and more outrage, that post also disappeared, having been removed by its author or one of the group moderators, I know not which.

On June 12 the Terns and the Takks moved down to Marigot Bay.  Barb and I finally were able to dine at the Rain Forest Hideaway, where we were greatly impressed with the service, the food, the presentation and the live jazz, the latter being a feature on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.  Next day both vessels moved down to take moorings between the Pitons, a lovely spot described by Devi as “in the cleavage”.  As we have many times before, we contracted with Peter, the head ranger at the St. Lucia Marine Management Area, to take us for a dive.  This time we dove one of our favorites:  Superman’s Leap, named thusly because one of the movies  (Superman II) featured Superman leaping off Petit Piton, as well as scenes shot in the nearby Diamond Botanical Gardens, which we also visited this time while we were in the area.  (An aside:  The film starred Christopher Reeve – nominated Best Actor — in one of his memorable roles.  Other shooting locations for the film included Canada, Paris, and Norway.)

We had intended on continuing southward after exhausting our two-night minimal mooring permit, but a consultation with updated weather forecasts made it clear that the expected weather window had disappeared and/or had been pushed back almost another week.  The winds coming down between Petit Piton and the Petit Mitan ridge to the south were extremely gusty (often in excess of 30 knots), so we decided to go back to Rodney Bay to await the weather window.   And that is where we are now, awaiting a weather window that keeps migrating.  While waiting, we have been busy socializing:  card games on shore and on the boat, a trip to pizza, attending a farewell party held at the Yacht Club for the departing Manager of Rodney Bay Marina, a trip to the East Indian restaurant Razmataz and other fun activities.  The gentle reader will have to see the next installment to learn if or when we ever leave.

Trinidad to St. Lucia: Nov 17-Dec 3, 2012

Life at Crews Inn, Chaguaramas, Trinidad can be pleasant. Nearby chandleries, nearby roti shacks, nearby grocery store (and nearby transportation to larger grocery stores), and nearby swimming pool. Interesting restaurants, both in the immediate area, and toward Port of Spain. By the time America’s Thanksgiving arrived, we had much to be thankful for. While back in Savannah, Barb had had her cholesterol tested. She was shocked to learn that her cholesterol was 287! The doctor advised that she immediately go on statins, but she had heard about so many negatives associated with the drugs that she decided to try diet and exercise first. So for over a month she stuck to an almost-total vegan diet, and exercised every day by doing yoga, walking or biking, and totally eschewed alcohol. Then we both caught a maxi-taxi to the West Shore Clinic, where we had our cholesterol checked and I had tests done to see if the high-risk drugs for my arthritis were causing any problems. Two days later we got the results: Barb’s cholesterol was down to 185, mine was about the same as last time at 177, and my liver and blood counts continue to be normal. Yes!

Thanksgiving fell on the normal Crews Inn potluck day. Barb decided to celebrate by roasting an 11-lb. turkey for the event. (The standard protocol is for each couple/person to bring a covered dish to be shared, and to bring their/his own meat to be cooked on the grill.) Other couples learned of her intention, and brought mashed potatoes and dressing and cranberries and vegetables. Not everyone was in on the plan, so many had their own meats, but everyone got at least a taste of the traditional American thanksgiving menu.

On Nov. 28 the Wheelhouse Pub enhanced their normal “swordfish or ribs” night with seasonal entertainment: the parang band called “Los Hombres Sexuales”, whose motto is “the more you drink the better we sound”. Parang is a type of music imported from Venezuela. The songs are sung in Spanish, and often have a Christmas theme, but also sometimes include social commentary and in no way sound like North American Christmas carols.

On Nov. 29 it was time for another Crews Inn potluck. It was also Barb’s birthday and she decided to save her restaurant birthday dinner for St. Lucia, so our shared contribution was a German chocolate cake that I made. Alas, the cake was such a hit that there was none left over to take back to the boat at the end of the evening.

Early the next morning, we arose at about 4:15 and prepared the boat for departure. We had decided several days in advance to leave for Grenada on that day, and stuck with the plan even though the sea conditions had not moderated nearly as much as had been originally forecast. It took us 13 ½ hours to cover the lumpy 84 nautical miles from Chaguaramas to Prickly Bay, Grenada, a trip made all the more lumpy by the fact that the port stabilizer failed almost immediately, and had to be disabled. That night in Grenada I stayed up late and replaced the knuckle that joins the hydraulic ram arm to the yoke that swings the stabilizing fin.

Next day we motored the 37 nm from Prickly to Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, where we anchored well in front of a sailboat that immediately began to suggest we were too close. His wife was nervous he said, because they had recently been rammed by a boat dragging on its anchor. How much chain did we have out, he wanted to know, and he expected that we would soon be starting a loud and stinky generator.

We were in no way too close. Fortunately, good-natured Barb did the talking. She pleasantly explained that we had backed off on the anchor to check its holding, and that we were secure. That our generator was neither stinky nor loud, and that in any case we had no intention of using it that evening, since our stateroom was well-ventilated and our batteries were fully charged. That we had never drug in five years of cruising the Caribbean, but that she would snorkel out and check that the anchor was firmly set in the sand. (It was.)

The irony was that the boat flew a French flag. Fellow cruisers will understand that sentence.

Next day (Dec. 2) we travelled another 39 nm in another 6-hr. passage; from Tyrrel Bay to Bequia. We always have trouble getting the anchor to set in Bequia, and this time was no exception. The sand layer is too thin, and the substrate too hard, apparently. Finally, on our fourth attempt in a variety of locations, we were secure. There were no nervous French cruisers behind us, and in fact no boats of any description to our rear, which would make it easy to depart at o-dark-thirty the next morning. After supper and after letting the engine room cool a bit, I tackled another project: I had noticed during the engine-room checks during the day that the raw water pump on the John Deere was leaking a little. So down into the warm and sweaty holy place I went, in order to change out the pump. While I was at it, I trimmed off about 2” of the feeder hose; its attachment point to the pump had gotten soft.

As this is being written, it is Dec. 3, and we are on our 69 nm trip from Bequia to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. The seas are extremely calm and the winds are slight; this is a lovely day for a trawler. Shortly after landing a small mahi-mahi, some of which we will have for a very fresh lunch, we passed right by a sperm whale that revealed its presence with periodic blows. Life is good!

Later:

When we arrived in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, Barb bought some fruit from the “flag boat”, and also impulsively decided to try once again to raise her own herbs.

Later, we had Cathie and John (Oceana) over for sundowners. Good to see them again and trade news and rumors.