{"id":1631,"date":"2013-06-17T21:12:18","date_gmt":"2013-06-18T01:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tusentakk2.com\/wordpress\/?p=1631"},"modified":"2013-06-19T15:24:25","modified_gmt":"2013-06-19T19:24:25","slug":"st-lucia-may-30-june-17-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tusentakk2.com\/wordpress\/2013\/06\/st-lucia-may-30-june-17-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Lucia \u2013 May 30-June 17, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 30th<\/sup> we grew impatient with waiting for \u201ctrawler weather\u201d 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.\u00a0\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Rather unpleasant trip.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Time and distance have certainly flown.<\/p>\n

The winds have persisted pretty much unabated since we arrived, so we have been in St. Lucia longer than we expected or wished.\u00a0 On June 6 we took the boat in to Rodney Bay Marina, where we equalized the house battery bank and commissioned \u201cVision\u201d to wax the hull. \u00a0We 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: \u00a0Ann Louise<\/em> with Ann and Bill Miller aboard. \u00a0A rare sight indeed. \u00a0(They were under pressure to get to Grenada to meet guests; we look forward to spending more time with them when we catch up.)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We could see that someone was being removed on a stretcher.\u00a0 Barb grabbed a few shots on my camera, and then I took a few more when the Police arrived.\u00a0 We learned later that there had been a shooting and that one person had been taken to the hospital in critical condition.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I posted to the Facebook group \u201cCoconut Telegraph\u201d 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 \u201cjoke\u201d about there now being one fewer catamaran to drag onto neighboring vessels, which itself then attracted scolds of outrage and anger.\u00a0 Tired of seeing my pictures associated with the original \u201cjoke\u201d and its subsequent venom, I removed my original post, which had the desirable effect of removing all of the associated comments.\u00a0 But the controversy lived on, revived by the wife of the original\u00a0 \u201cjoker\u201d 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

On June 12 the Terns and the Takks moved down to Marigot Bay.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Next day both vessels moved down to take moorings between the Pitons, a lovely spot described by Devi as \u201cin the cleavage\u201d.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This time we dove one of our favorites:\u00a0 Superman\u2019s Leap, named thusly because one of the movies \u00a0(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.\u00a0 (An aside:\u00a0 The film starred Christopher Reeve \u2013 nominated Best Actor — in one of his memorable roles.\u00a0 Other shooting locations for the film included Canada, Paris, and Norway.)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0 And that is where we are now, awaiting a weather window that keeps migrating. \u00a0While waiting, we have been busy socializing: \u00a0card 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. \u00a0The gentle reader will have to see the next installment to learn if or when we ever leave.<\/p>\n\n\t\t