Author: BettyChurch

It was sad to leave Bequia but we seem to get itchy feet after a week or so and move on to the next island. The islands are so close together here that we’re sightseeing from the boat and checking out different anchorages for next time we pass this way.

A couple hours from Bequia we found Canouan. An interesting island, small and without the charm or amenities of Bequia from a boating perspective. Of course that could be because of the reports of robberies of boats from 2014 and 2015. We really couldn’t find anything recent and had absoulutely no problem. There were maybe 6 boats in the anchorage, most on mooring balls.

Morning brought the rollies so we left after breakfast for Myreau. Before leaving the island we headed south and east to check out the super yacht marina. They seem to be knocking down the hill at the end of the island but we couldn’t figure out what the intentions are. There’s also a Mandarin Oriental and a couple top rated hotels and a golf couse so it seems to be an island of extremes.

On Mayreau we stopped in Salt Whistle Bay for a few nights. An absolutely delightful anchorage, small with a few beach bars (shacks). Ali met us as we pulled in and directed us to a sandy spot to drop anchor. Because he was the first on the scene we became “his” for the duration. He took our trash and explained which beach bbq shack he was affiliated with so we could visit. Cameron brought us fresh snapper, caught that day so we had a good dinner on board and one in the freezer for a later meal.

There are only 271 people that live on Mayreau and the only way in or out is by boat.

Leaving St Lucia we didn’t get off until 11am because of having to clear customs and a stop at the fuel dock. We intended to stay in south St Lucia overnight but once we got there the anchorage was really rolly so we decided to press on to St Vincent, 3 hours away.

Arriving at 6pm there was only one other boat in the anchorage. We discovered why quite quickly. There are alerts for crime on all of these islands but this was the first time we actually felt uncomfortable. So much so that we pulled in everything off the outside, started up the generator and a/c and locked the boat down for the evening.

Young boys and men were on paddle boards and row boats and wanted to hang on our boat and sell us things or take us on tours. We told everyone we were only there overnight but no one wanted to take no for an answer. So we moved on first thing in the morning and headed to Bequia.

Bequia is a jewel. We pulled into Admiralty Bay and dropped anchor amid all the sail boats. Lots of restaurants, craft stalls,  laundries and friendly people. Boats go around each day selling, water, ice, fuel and the laundries pick up and deliver to your boat.

There are water taxis if you don’t want to mess with a dinghy and a floating bar a couple hundred yards away. This really is too easy!

We’re now in the “off season” and some of the restaurants and services are closed or have limited hours. There still seems to be plenty of boats so it will be interesting to see how busy it gets on our return trip in December.

We spent a couple days cleaning the last of the algae and most of the barnacles off the underside of the boat. It’s a never ending process but the new bottom paint does seem to slow down the accumulation.

It was a lazy week but we ended it by having a dinner party on board which forced me to clean the inside, not my favorite thing to do.

May 4

Yaooooooo! That is the greeting of the fruit guy every morning in Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia. And this is what you see when you look out the window.

I’m not sure his fruit is cheaper or fresher than the grocery but you can’t beat the service. I bought some bananas and mangos and he threw in a huge bag of mint so we’ve been having mojitos!

St Lucia is a beautiful island and definitely one of my favorites. The people are warm and friendly. They love to tease and have fun. Rodney Bay seems to be where everyone goes to work on their boats.

We arrived on a Monday afternoon and had barely tied up to the dock when a hoard of workers descended, each one with their own speciality. We hired someone to clean the inside of the boat, wash and wax the outside of the boat and since our dryer in not working the local laundry “Suds” picked up our sheets and towels and dropped them back at the boat all nice and clean two hours later. I could get used to this!

Day two more people showed up at the boat trying to find something that they could do for us. My inside cleaning lady showed back up and brought me some local fruit that I’ve never seen before so we might have to have a tasting session later.

There is no need to rent a car as the taxi stand is at the end of the marina and for a few dollars will take you anywhere you need to go. Linus took me to the big grocery store and came back an hour later to take me back to the boat. The next day we found the pet store for cat food and kitty litter (difficult to find in the islands sometimes) and the gourmet grocery store. The day after that he took us and a couple friends on a 4 hour sight seeing tour which included a quick stop at the “big box” store to check on a part that our friends needed.

Like most of the islands here in the south, St Lucia is very hilly and the water is deep right up to the coastline. The views from up the mountain are spectacular. It’s an island of big cities and small towns. Marigot Bay is beautiful and has a first class resort if you are interested in someplace to go off the beaten path.

We stayed a week to enjoy the amenities and wait out some weather. Next stop St Vincent and the Grenadines.

April 28

We stayed in Isles des Saints a couple days longer than anticipated because I was really sick for a week. Thanks to my great doctor back home we had antibiotics on board that helped knock the germs. Even so I’m still coughing like crazy which makes it difficult to get in the water, forget snorkeling or diving. But the winds finally died down and I felt well enough so a few days ago we crossed down to Martinique, bypassing Dominica completely.

Checked in with customs and immigration at Fort de France with the intention of anchoring there for a few days. Unfortunately the ferry traffic is non stop and made for a very rolly stay. After one night we moved south to St Anne. Good choice.

St Anne is a good sized harbor just south of Marin with room for lots of boats. We were surprised to see two other trawlers when we pulled in as we are usually the only one amid all the sailboats. Sparkling, clear water, cute restaurants and shops, a small grocery and a big cruiser presence. 8:30 each morning, MWF on channel 8 we have an interactive discussion on everything from weather to local rules and customs, welcoming new arrivals, saying goodby to departing friends, social announcements and even a swap and sell. Friday night at 5pm everyone meets on shore for happy hour so you know where we were.

We’ve caught up with friends we met in Isle des Saints and made new friends we’ll see in a few days at St Lucia.

Martinique is the last of the french islands and although we’ve enjoyed the food, markets and “bodies by croissants” Gary is looking forward to english being the primary language again so tomorrow we’ll move on.

April 16

Arrived in Deshaies Harbor in north Guadeloupe on the 12th for a couple days. It’s a French island so the food is really good but the anchorages are crazy. There are mooring balls close in but our boat is a little too big to do that. We had also been warned that the holding wasn’t great and to take care anchoring, leaving lots of swing room as the boats can move in a 360 degree circle during the night and they don’t necessarily move in the same direction. What?

They weren’t kidding. We decided to drop anchor on the outside edge of the harbor to give ourselves more room. The anchor didn’t want to set the first couple tries but we finally got it to a point where we were satisfied. Even with that we decided to sit on the boat for a couple hours with the anchor alarm on to see what happened. Everything looked good so we dropped the dinghy and went into town to clear customs and have a nice dinner.

A word about anchor alarms. We have a program on my ipad that works with gps. Once you drop anchor it acquires a gps signal and places you on the map. You draw a circle around the location to allow for swing room as no boat sits in one spot due to wind and current. If the locator leaves the circle at any time an alarm sounds on the ipad indicating you may want to check and see where your boat is drifting to.

Things still looked good when we got back to the boat after dinner so off to bed. I woke at 5am with the anchor alarm screaming. When I went topside to see what was happening I found Gary who had been up a good portion of the night on the flybridge watching our boat swing in a complete circle. We had out 145 ft of chain and our boat is 64 ft long so that’s almost 400 ft of clearance needed to not hit another boat. Because the boats WERE all facing in different directions. Never seen that before as normally boats at anchor will all swing in tandem. Well, it is a French country and they do like to be different….

After a couple uncertain nights we decided to give up and moved down to Isles des Saints just south of Guadeloupe. It’s a group of small islands with pristine water for diving and snorkeling. All of the close in anchorages here are mooring balls only but THEY can handle boats up to 20 meters. Since we roll in at just under that number we decided to try it. With some patience and a little ingenuity we were able to attach to the mooring ball and here we sit like a cuckoo among all the sailboats. It’s beautiful, peaceful and we’re staying here a week to just relax and have fun before moving on to Martinique.

Staying on French islands definitely has advantages. All the restaurants are good and fresh croissants and baguettes every day are spoiling us.

We spent a lot of time and money in December at the boatyard repairing and upgrading systems before heading south this time. The idea was that we would just cruise and relax. We also acquired many, many  spare parts just in case….

Well that worked for a while but 4 months later things are starting to catch up with us. The dryer quit a couple weeks ago. We hope it’s just the motherboard. They don’t make this model anymore so we ordered a used motherboard and it’s being shipped to Grenada for installation in early June. Meanwhile doing laundry has become interesting. You can find clothes drying all over the place in our stateroom, the hallway and guest rooms. Unlike a sailboat we don’t have all those nifty lines outside you can hang things from. Thank goodness it wasn’t the washer that broke because then we would have to schlep our laundry on shore which is a real inconvenience.

If it’s not the motherboard we’re facing a new washer and dryer combo. Not a big deal except they have to fit a specific space and we have to get them to Grenada. At this point it costs more to ship them then to buy them. Hopefully someone in Grenada will have a better solution when we get there if we need it.

We also discovered the sump pump in the master head (bathroom for landlubbers) gave up the ghost when the center bilge alarm went off because the shower was draining directly into it. So we cleaned all the parts and realized that the pump motor was at fault. Break out the spare motor and after 45 minutes and two us us working we got it fixed and operational again. A quick trip to the marine parts store in Antigua and we now have another spare for when the next one quits. We have several sump pumps on board so it’s just a matter of time.

Then after 2 weeks in marinas we decided to anchor out only to discover when attempting to drop the anchor that it wouldn’t deploy. That’s when I told Gary that it was all his and I took over the helm. 30-45 minutes later after taking apart the windlass and lubricating all the moving parts it was working again and we successfully dropped anchor for the night.

That’s not the first time I’ve pulled the “it’s all yours honey” line. It’s good to know your limits and I know mine. A few weeks earlier we were attempting to anchor and the anchor just would not catch which is unusual. When we pulled the anchor back up I noticed the small chain that was attached to the anchor to allow for emergency retrieval had come loose and was impaled on the point of the anchor. The anchor couldn’t grab because the chain was in the way. I couldn’t move the chain because it was imbedded on the point of the anchor. Nothing a good bolt cutter can’t cure. Bolt cutters on a boat? Saved our butts!

Or how about the time In Puerto Rico when Gary was in VA and a storm knocked the flag off the back? Not a big deal but the flag was attached to the top of a navigation light and I didn’t want water to get inside and corrode where the bulb is located. Nothing a couple good rubber bands can’t fix at least temporarily. A couple weeks later we really knocked it off bringing the dinghy back up in a windstorm. Now it’s been fixed by GRC and it WILL not come off again.

We’ve also had the gas shock for the engine room hatch access go bad, resulting in a creative use of bungee cords (bungee cords and duct tape- 2 of the 7 wonders of the world). We ordered a new shock but it’s not strong enough to handle the weight of the hatch cover so we’re looking for someone that can add more gas to give it more omph. Maybe in Grenada. Otherwise we’ll be ordering another shock.

Over the past several months we’ve had to replace engine exhaust circuit breakers, a dinghy master switch and voltage regulator, deck courtesy lights (no not the bulbs), deal with the windlass and anchor issues, replace the sump pump and fix the danged flag holder. This in addition to the normal maintenance and cleaning.

Through all this I’ve gained a new appreciation for not only spares but the tools needed to put them on. And the patience. Especially the patience. Oh, and someone with way more technical knowledge than I have. Thanks honey!

April 2

Arrived in Antigua yesterday at Jolly Harbor Marina. In a flash we’ve gone from being the smallest boat in the marina to the biggest. Our friend Bob is here for the week with his brother and nephew working on his house so it will be a fun week catching up and meeting locals. Next week we’ll anchor out and get some diving in.

It’s a beautiful island and one we’ve visited before. Jolly Harbor Marina is a good place to stay as evidenced by the large cruiser population that stays for months at a time. Good restaurants, a pharmacy, grocery and other nice shops all at the end of the dock. What’s not to love?

After a week of socializing and having fun we moved the boat to Five Islands Bay for a couple days and chilled before a quick stop back at Jolly Harbor to clear customs & immigration then on to a final night at Manora Bay.

For two weeks now we’ve been looking at Guadeloupe. You can easily see it from St Kitts and Antigua as it’s a large island with tall peaks on the west side. It’s always fun to actually be able to see where you’re going when you leave in the morning. So of course Mother Nature had a laugh on us as we woke up, pulled up anchor and headed out the harbor only to be met with clouds and mist. Where is Guadeloupe? In the mist somewhere. Onward into the unknown. Again. Couldn’t see the island until we got within about 20 miles of it.

Somewhere along the last few islands we managed to pick up an algae growth at the waterline of the boat. Nothing serious but seriously ugly. Back at Five Islands Bay I decided to jump in the water and see how bad it was. Armed with a plastic scraper and soft pad I sat on a float and scrubbed away. It came off easily so after doing the stern I moved around to the port side only to be pushed right back behind the boat. Seems the wind stirred up the water just enough that the water wouldn’t allow me to stay in one place long enough to scrape anything. Bottom line is the stern looks great but the sides will have to wait for a still anchorage.

March 31

We made the trip from St Martin’s to St Kitt’s directly passing by St Barts and Saba. An 8.5 hour crossing that we shared with a brown booby that thought it would be fun to fly beside us, cross in front and poop on the flybridge window enclosure. After 7 hours Gary grabbed the hose on the bow and sprayed the windows clean only to sit back down and have it happen again. We think when the booby was taking a break he was sitting on top of the boat but we weren’t climbing up there to check it out. Let’s just say it took a little longer to hose down the boat when we got into the marina!

St Kitt’s is a beautiful island and seems the least effected by Irma.

We’re in a “super yacht” marina that is not heavily used. I know we don’t have a huge boat but we really do look small sitting next to some of these other boats.

We spent a week here catching up on our “to-do” list and just generally being lazy.  Gary’s figured out a solution for tv by getting a VPN so we can stream shows with HBO and Netflix but most importantly we can now get F1 and GoT when it airs. Yea!

March 24

This island caught between two countries is interesting. Owned by the French on one end and the Dutch on the other makes it fun. If you are in a boat and go to both sides you must clear customs and immigration at each entry point. If you are in a car you can drive wherever you like, no problem.

Our first night we anchored in Sint Marteen on the Dutch side, just outside the lagoon. The lagoon is controlled by bridges on both ends that open sporadically. We didn’t want to get inside and not be able to get back out without seeing what it was like. We had been advised that anchor holding was not that great and as we wouldn’t be at a marina that was a key issue.

We took the dinghy inside for dinner at a quirky little restaurant called Snoopy’s and to check out said lagoon. There really wasn’t a good place to anchor as there are so many derelicts leftover from Irma. Add to that our anchorage outside was really rolly and the next morning we decided to move north to the French side into a more protected area.

You guessed it. We had to clear in and out of customs and immigration at both ends with associated fees. Oh well. The new anchorage was much better and we stayed a few days. Had a wonderful dinner at a cute little French restaurant one night.

The storm damage is much more prevalent on the French side than the Dutch. Either way it continues to be heartbreaking seeing destroyed buildings and homes, damaged boats everywhere.

March 14

We’ve boated in BVI several times so were looking forward to coming back again. It’s a little different doing it in a 64’ boat rather than a 38’ catamaran tho.

For starters these islands are steep and the water is deep right up to the shoreline sometimes. There are lots of mooring balls to tie up to but if your boat is longer then 50’ you’re out of luck. So we have to be careful where we anchor since we don’t have enouh anchor chain for more than 40’ of depth.

Another challenge is that BVI must be the charter boat capital of the world. We came thru a channel today, one big power boat in a sea of sailboats zigging and zagging as they tacked from side to side. If you are a sailboat under sail you have the right of way. So we zigged and zagged trying to avoid about 50 sailboats. It was an adventure!

BVI is still recovering from the hurricane 18 months ago.  Rebuilding is going on everywhere and lots of places still aren’t open. That really hit home today when we arrived at Soper Hole, the second largest harbor on Tortolla only to find that the market and dive shops hadn’t reopened yet. From now on we will call ahead to make sure things are operational before showing up.

We have found some great anchorages and some not so great anchorages. If you don’t choose wisely according to the prevailing wind and wave direction it can get quite “rolly”. Not comfortable and when your cat looks at you as if to say “please make it stop!” you know it’s time to move on. The issue was that all the neat diving sites we wanted to visit were no where near a decent anchorage. Because it’s so crowded with boats (charter boat capital of the world), if you don’t anchor by lunch time you will not find space.

We’ve managed to get a few dives in but one of the best experiences was a snorkel at the “Baths” on Virgin Gorda. I could have stayed there for hours meandering in and out of large boulders. Depths ranged from 3-30 feet so snorkeling was perfect. Although the coral has taken a hit from the hurricane the fish were out in abundance.

Our last night was at Bitterend on Virgin Gorda. This was a place we had visited before and loved. This time it was like a ghost town. Where there were marinas, mooring fields, restaurants and a thriving community now there was….the beginnings of a new marina and a few mooring balls. It was a bit eerie and again brought home that it will take quite awhile for these islands to recover from Irma. The devastation is enormous and recovery will take years.

Just outside of Bitterend is Nekker Island owned by Richard Branson. It was also flattened by Irma but is being rebuilt rapidly. Money really does help.