Travels with the Laa-Dee-Dah

We had a knarly crossing from St Croix to Culebra for a quick overnight before jumping over to Puerto Rico proper to pick up my brother. We had been in St Croix, part of the US Virgin Islands and an American territory where we checked into customs and immigration so we figured we were cleared. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at Marina Del Rey and were informed that we were supposed to check in back in Culebra. We tried to do it on line with CBP Roam but because Gary couldn’t facetime with his phone we were told to sit tight at the marina office and someone would come to us. DO NOT MOVE.

About an hour later a very nice young man from CBP showed up and apologized for making us wait. What? We were in the wrong and he was apologizing. He cleared us in very quickly and then we were faced with our accumulated trash.

Coming into a US island you cannot just dispose of your trash in the nearest trash can like we had been doing all along the island chain. In an attempt to contain bugs, molds and other yucky things being transferred into the country, your trash has to be specially treated. They pick it up from the boat and put it in special containers and then haul it off to be incinerated. In St Croix they wanted $75 to dispose of one bag of trash so we just held onto it until Puerto Rico where we paid $18 for two bags. Go figure.

It’s a little confusing as all the stuff that we bought on other islands that is generating trash going forward is okay. They are just concerned with what is already trash.

While provisioning the boat we hit the third of our fast food wishes and found a Wendy’s. Gary was happy.

My brother, Robert, came in for a week. We had a few days at marinas and a few days anchored out in Calebra and Vieques. Although he much preferred the marinas he was a good sport about the anchoring and got a taste of the peace and solitude we’ve come to really appreciate.

The Laa-Dee-Dah is now docked at Palmas del Mar where it will be for the next couple of weeks while we head north to visit friends and family.

 

St Croix is a little out of the way when traveling the island chain of the Caribbean so when cruisers come here they tend to stay awhile. That means the marinas are full, the mooring fields are full and there isn’t a huge choice about anchorages.

With no room at any marina on the island we were forced to anchor at Christiansted in Gallows Bay which was rolly with a capital R. We lasted one night and moved the following morning where we had seen a large wooden sailboat moored closer to the boardwalk area. No problem, drop anchor, good set and calm! Just as we were congratulating ourselves on a wise move the Captain of the sailboat (that had moved) dropped by in a dinghy to let us know they would be bringing the boat back to their private mooring and needed 180+ feet to clear our boat. So up anchor again and move back about 200 feet to re-drop just outside the no anchoring area. Whew.

Next morning the local dive shop picked us up and we set out for a choppy boat ride to the reef and one of the best dives ever. (More on that in a minute.) After two dives we returned to our boat and were visited by DNR who said we could not anchor where we were, even tho the charts said we could, and if we didn’t move we’d receive a citation. So up anchor again and head back to Gallows Bay but a bit further east as close as we can get to the shoreline. Was it rolly? Yes. But not as bad as in our original spot. That lasted one night.  Even before breakfast the next day we had the boat moving outside the bay and further east inside the reef with no land protection from the wind. Surprisingly it was much calmer as the wind was keeping us oriented to the waves so we were not getting broadsided and rolling.  Added bonus is we got to watch the seaplane take off and land off our aft deck. If you’re keeping track that’s five anchor drops in 60 hours. We usually do one drop every four or five days.

Now the really good part. We hooked up with Dive Experience for a two tank dive outing. Sam and Jay picked us up at our boat and we were the only divers! Yes the water was choppy and the boat ride out would have been uncomfortable for a lot of people but it was worth it.

The first dive was Turquoise Bay and within sixty seconds of dropping in the water a 6-8 foot manta ray decided to visit us. He was just swimming thru and was nice enough to hang around long enough for some pictures.  Congratulating ourselves on a very special sighting we turned around to a turtle, and another turtle, and another turtle, and then a reef shark! Our entire dive consisted of turtles and our personal shark escort who just kept circling and watching. The turtles were totally unconcerned with us. Whether it was the two circling around a small coral head, batting at each other, or the one with his front feet wrapped around the coral taking a break or the various ones we found sleeping under ledges, they all just watched us swim by. Probably one of the most entertaining dives we’ve ever experienced.

Gary decided to continue his fast food trend and we walked 1 ½ miles to a McDonalds for lunch one day. He started out saying it was only 6/10ths of a mile but guess what? GPS lies like a rug. The Big Macs tasted great as did the fries but they only had water and apple juice to drink so no chocolate shakes. Bummer! On the way we passed a grocery store so walked back to it, got some staples and then a cab ride back to the harbor. Found a cigar store, a jewelry store, a liquor store. This place has it all.

 

We spent some quality time in St Kitts’s last spring on the way down so this was just a quick stop at the mega yacht marina for a break and provisioning. Unlike last spring there were many yachts in dock. We did have a nice dinner at the Hyatt property one night. A huge place with very few people. We wonder how they stay in business?

We met a very nice couple at the Hyatt and shared dinner with them. Meeting new people is always interesting. On the way out we stopped at the gift store and spent all of our remaining EC as that was the last island we could use it. Two cigars and three bags of peanut M&M’s later  we were ready to move on to St Barth’s.

We skipped St Barth’s on the way down so were interested to see what it was like. It has a reputation as the playground of the rich and it is deserved. There are more mega yachts here than we’ve encountered anywhere else and it’s not a large island. We anchored in Anse de Colombier on the north of the island as Gustavia is a very rolly anchorage and the marina was full. Unfortunately it’s a three mile dinghy ride to get back to the town so we didn’t do it often.

The island is very upscale with lots of good restaurants with hefty prices. High end stores line the main street, Gary calls it the Rodeo Drive of the Caribbean, and everyone is dressed to be seen. Not really some place we’d come back to but it was worth seeing.

Every day major yachts have come in and anchored next to us, some for the day, some longer. It’s been fun to watch the crews scurrying around, cleaning constantly and waiting on their guests. It’s also been interesting watching some of the smaller boats here in the anchorage. Like the catamaran that came in flying a rainbow flag with six bare assed guys. We’ve witnessed a fair amount of nudity on various boats but this took it to a whole new level. And so we were entertained.

We have turtles off the side of the boat every day and if we toss food overboard there is a feeding frenzy with all the fish. We’re also seeing dolphins between the islands now. It’s comical to see them surface and then beeline straight for our boat to play in the bow waves.

While here a major wind storm blew through so we’ve been sitting for a few days. Perhaps a few too many but the seas are calming and we leave tonight at midnight to move on to St Croix.

 

Somedays are just magical. Our passage from Dominica to Guadeloupe was calm seas and sunny so of course we were on the flybridge enjoying the day. Out of no where Gary says “I’m not sure what’s in the water ahead. It looks like… it is! It’s a whale!” Sure enough, passing right in front of us was a good sized whale with a calf right next to it. After it passed us it flipped it’s tail as if to say “goodbye”. We smiled for hours afterward.

On the way south last spring we skipped over Dominica and went straight to Martinique so this trip we made sure to stop and check it out.

Dominica seems to be a fairly poor country. They were hit pretty hard by Maria two years ago and are struggling to recover. We skipped Roseau in the south due to the cruise ships docked there and went to an anchorage in the north at Portsmouth. Our boat boy, Elvis, explained that with the hurricane they lost 100 feet of waterfront due to erosion. It may have made the harbor bigger but they lost many houses and businesses.

We went ashore for lunch one day and found only a couple restaurants that were open and the menu selection was sparse. There were a fair number of bars but not much food. There’s a lot of building going on, just not quickly.

There’s not much to do unless you’re into hiking (not our thing) so we signed on with Elvis for a river tour one morning. Once you reach the mouth of the Indian River motorized boats are prohibited so Elvis broke out the oars and rowed us a mile or so up the river and back. It was scenic and peaceful with land crabs, iguanas and birds.

The movie Pirates of the Caribbean was shot around these islands and on an offshoot of the river was a replica of Calypso’s hideaway as the original was destroyed in the hurricane.

A couple days and we were ready to move on so a quick and calm 3 hour boat ride found us once again in Isles des Saintes in southern Guadeloupe where we picked up a mooring ball for a couple nights. We’re getting proficient at snagging and attaching to the mooring balls. Maybe some day we’ll be as good at that as we are anchoring!

We checked in and completed the necessary paperwork after having an amazing lunch at our favorite restaurant here. Guadeloupe is a french island so cassoulet was a given. Yummy.

A little short dive off the back of the boat, very short, a little socializing with Regina and Rob from s/v Ramble On and it’s time to head on to Point Ferry on the north end before moving over to St Kitt’s.

We’re on a schedule now as we need to be in Puerto Rico by the 18th to pick up my brother for a visit.

What’s not to love about Martinique? The food is very french and very good, lots of markets for provisioning, and it’s beautiful. We anchored in St. Anne’s where we stayed before. The little town is pretty and the people are very nice although not much english is spoken here. As one guide book stated “they don’t get a lot of english speaking tourists”.

Off to town to check in, exchange some money (euros only here) and on the way back to our dinghy who do we see? Liza and Kaz from Xanadu!

We decided to rent a car and crawl over the island as last time we only saw the coast. Liza and Kaz were up for the adventure so off we went. What a revelation. The roads are plentiful and in great condition. The towns and cities are clean, pretty and very upscale. Shopping malls and urban areas everywhere. But we didn’t come to shop.

Gary set up the itinerary and the first stop was the Memorial de l’Anse Caffard in Le Diamant. This is to remember the slaves that died when a ship foundered on the rocks and is comprised of Easter Island type rock sculptures facing Guiana where they were captured and transported from.

On a side note, Napoleon’s wife Josephine was born on Martinique and is not highly thought of here. Slavery was abolished and when she came to power and influence she supported the resurgence of it on the island. There is a statue of her on the island that was vandalized and beheaded. Rather than fix the stature the head lies next to the body as a statement n’est pas?

Next stop was Burger King for some fast food. Gary was in charge, remember? Come to find out Kaz had never eaten at a BK so he was initiated.

With our arteries hardening and our stomachs full of good, greasy food we were off to our next stop Sacre-Couer de Balata in Fort de France, which boasts the same architecture as Montmarte in Paris.

From there we traveled north through the rain forest part of the island heading for Mt Pelee. We didn’t quite make it to the top of the volcano because we were running out of time so instead headed to St Pierre which was originally the capital of Martinique until Pelee blew it’s top in 1902. The eruption buried the entire city killing everyone (29,000 people) except for two survivors, one in the jail and one on a boat. Most of the boats in the harbor burned and today is a great wreck diving site. You can visit the remains of the church and fort in town.

Our last stop, as always, was to a grocery store and this being a french island it was Carrefours. Because fresh produce is so plentiful in the town markets I took the opportunity to stock up on junk food and snacks. Those can be hard to find!

We’ve decided to have our parts shipped to St Croix as the davit seems to be working. That way we don’t have to back track to St Lucia. So today we check out at customs and immigration, move up to Fort de France for an overnight and tomorrow move over to Dominica, our next island.

We decided a week before Christmas to just replace the davit system completely, new hydraulic pump, motor, electronics board, etc. It just seemed easier instead of trying to replace it bit by bit as it continues to give us fits. The week before Christmas.

On January 10th we were informed that the replacements won’t be here until January 29th. It then has to clear customs and be installed. Meanwhile the dinghy that we towed all the way from Grenada developed a fuel leak and the tank is under the rigid floor with no access. We think it just got beat up pounding the waves behind the boat. Gary found a six gallon stand alone fuel tank and now that is sitting strapped into the dinghy so we can get around. Looks like something else to add to the growing list of repairs when we get to Florida in May. Then Gary discovered a loose wire in the davit system and now it works although we don’t trust it much.

So we have a few more weeks  to entertain ourselves before we start moving north again. We’ve played golf twice now at the St Lucia Country Club. Sandals bought the club a year or two ago and is in the process of renovating the course so they only have nine holes open that you play twice for eighteen. But the good news is that it is a REAL golf course with a driving range (unlike Grenada) so it was fun. We also went diving again with ScubaSteve’s outfit. Very professional and mostly laid back. That’s the way we like to dive.

When we arrived here at Rodney Bay there were a number of boats with the WRAC flag flying and over the next week or so many more arrived. WRAC is a world boat rally and the next leg was leaving Rodney Bay for Santa Marta on the 11th, roughly 800+ miles. Our friends Rose and Scott on s/v CloudShadow are participating as they are heading back to Australia. We’ve been watching their progress via the website and will continue to track them on their journey. The day they left they took about 34 boats with them and the marina looked a bit empty.

I went to a “ladies luncheon” which is a weekly event led by a couple women who are here on boats for the season each year. There is yoga by the pool in the morning M/W/F, and various social events all of which are announced on the cruisers net each morning at 8am. So there are things to do while we’re here. We’d just rather be underway.

We’ve decided to leave for Martinique tomorrow for a week and come back to St Lucia to pick up the parts when they arrive. It’s only 30 miles away so is an easy up and back. We’ve also heard from Liza and Kaz and they are going to meet us there. We haven’t seen them since we left Grenada.

When we headed south last spring from Rodney Bay we passed Marigot Bay which is just about 30 minutes south and thought “what a pretty place”. So fast forward 8 months and we’re here for Christmas!

The marina is part of the resort property so we had access to all the resort amenities which includes several very good restaurants and an infinity pool. Friends were arriving by boat On the 24th and our good friends Jenny and Chris were flying in the day after Christmas for a visit and some diving.

We said goodby to our amazing boat cat, Isabella, December 23rd, in what was a very bittersweet moment. She had gotten sick and quit eating so at 21+ we decided it was time. Animals on boats are a test of your ability to keep the boat clean and finding someone to care for them when you need to leave for any reason. Isabella was 18 years old when we moved onto the Laa Dee Dah. We didn’t really expect her to still be with us but there you are. She flew to Florida from Virginia with Betty to board the boat and bring it back to Virginia and then lived on it full time with us for several years. She seemed to really love being on the water with the scenery and all the attention she could handle.

Christmas Eve we cleaned the inside of the boat and removed all the cat hair and toys and cat beds. At Rodney Bay we donated the cat food and kitty litter that we still had. No more animals until we are land based again. We will miss Isabella every day.

Christmas Eve and many days and nights after, Rudy was on the bow. He was definitely a hit with the kids young and old! Christmas Eve we spent at the resort restaurant for a very nice dinner surrounded by carols and decorations.

We got in a couple days of diving before taking the boat out overnight and then on to Rodney Bay for more diving and revelry. A friend who has a house on St Lucia recommended a very nice restaurant, Cap on the Cliff, that we tried out for NYE. Then back to the boat for naps and up for the fireworks at midnight. It seems our age is catching up with us as we were all usually in bed by 9 or 10pm so staying up till midnight was a task!

We managed to get in six dives over a three day period with Jenny and Chris and even managed to find a seahorse on the last dive.

Spagetti worms are really interesting. They look like pieces of white string but if you touch a tendril it will retract very quickly. They are everywhere!

We’ll be here in Rodney Bay for a few weeks until our parts come in for the davit repair. Then on to Martinique and points north.

 

Bequia is a pretty island next to St Vincent and our last stop in the Grenadines before heading to St Lucia for the holidays.

We arrived and immediately caught up with our friends Darcy and John on s/v Island Dream. The next day as we were heading back from lunch we ran into Meryl and Jim on m/v Kokomo. They were in Port Louis with us for a couple months and came to Bequia to get their boat painted.

Other friends Rose and Scott with s/v Cloudshadow are here also getting varnish work done so we’ll meet them for dinner one night.

We got in a couple dives that were pretty even though the water was rough.

We’ve been pretty lazy this week. We first anchored on the east side of Admiralty Bay but after a couple days moved to the west side where it was calmer. The wind has been pretty fierce with gusts to 47 knots last night. That means keeping a very close eye on the anchor bridle for chafing and checking the anchor alarm every so often to make sure we’re not dragging. Apparently one of the boats near us dragged their anchor about 4am this morning and had quite a fire drill to get the boat back in place and re-anchored, something that’s not easy to do in the dark. Gary watched while I slept through it all!

We’re waiting for the weather to calm a bit so we can head up to St Lucia on Friday or Saturday as it’s supposed to get knarly again next week. With all the wind Rudy has been in his bag. We flew him for the first two nights and that was it. Hopefully it will be sheltered enough in Marigot Bay, St Lucia so he can come out for Christmas.

We hopped over to Mustique for what we thought would be a few days. It’s a private island and you have to pay a fee just to anchor in the little bay.

Once there we headed to shore to have lunch at Basil’s and check out the island. We decided on a one hour cab tour and saw all the houses where the rich and famous stay. I think the cheapest we saw was $18,000 US for a week.

Although the island is pretty with well paved roads, lots of flowers and landscaping, the workers all live in one area of the island and the temporary construction workers live in another specific area. Everything is very controlled and it just really didn’t have that “island” feel that we’ve become so used to.

The anchorage got very rolly so after one night we pulled up the anchor and headed to Bequia.

We originally anticipated leaving Grenada on the 1st and actually left on the 4th so in boater’s lingo we were right on time!

After a rebuild of the motor our davit still didn’t work we called it and headed for Caricou. We didn’t want to waste any more time in the marina so now we’re just towing the dinghy where ever we go. It adds another wrinkle to anchoring and docking but I think we’ve figured it out and this will be fine until we get to Rodney Bay at St Lucia.  At that point we’ll have all the parts and pieces shipped to us and installed there.

After an overnight in Tyrell Bay, Caricou we headed to Union Island to check into St Vincent and the Grenadines. Then over to Tobago Cays to experience the turtle sanctuary. Although we only saw a couple turtles within the confines of the sanctuary we can see them all day around the boat. They really are everywhere.

Last night we went to a “beach barbecue” and had the best lobster dinner yet. Romeo and his cousin picked us up at our boat and ran us over to the beach in their little wooden fishing boat where we had a table waiting. Great food, great service, definitely not Grenada!

 

 

 

 

Of course we’re back in the land of boat boys and every morning someone comes by with fresh baguettes and banana bread for sale. Afternoons brings a different boat with fresh fish and lobster.

We decided to overnight at Saline Bay on Mayreau. Although it was fine when we went to bed, this is what arrived early the next morning.

So up anchor and let’s move to Chatham Bay on Union Island. We stayed here in the spring and it is a little oasis that not many boaters stop at. The weather is supposed to be “salty” the rest of the week so we’ll stay here and enjoy the beach restaurant shacks, play with the kayaks and snorkel for the week until everything calms down and then on to Bequia to meet up with friends.