St. Lucia and the End of our 2017 Fall Cruise

We slipped our mooring in Admiralty Bay, Bequia early on Sunday November 5 and headed north in light rain.   There had been heavy rains and storms the night before, but the seas were flat and winds were low as we left.  Our spotty autopilot quit again after about 30 minutes, requiring tiresome hand steering for the rest of the long day, covering 64 miles to our planned destination in St. Lucia.  We hoisted our mainsail to help steady the boat, but once again we had to primarily rely on our diesel engine to keep up our speed on this trip.

The 9 miles to St. Vincent were easy.  The west coast of the island was pretty and green in the morning light, but the overnight storms had flushed trash, coconuts, brush and logs out of the rivers and into the waters we were traversing.  Many times we diverted around clumps of brush and we gave wide berth to coconuts because it is so hard to distinguish them from the floats on lobster and crab traps.

On the north end of St. Vincent, the winds increased and the seas kicked up a bit, but the ride on Avventura remained comfortable for the 24 miles of open Atlantic over to St. Lucia.  Near the most photogenic features of St. Lucia, the two sharp coastal mountains called the Pitons, a strong squall came tumbling down the mountains and dumped on us.  The wind picked up quickly, accompanied by strong rain and much reduced visibility.  At times like this I really appreciate my moving map GPS system at the helm, which helps me stay off the rocks and reefs when I can't see much in front of the boat.  The storm ended abruptly after 20 minutes.  While the sky continued to threaten, the rest of our day was dry.

In the late afternoon we found the small entrance to Marigot Bay, a lovely spot that we had visited 10 years earlier on a bareboat charter trip.  Marigot is ringed by steep hills and is lined with mangrove and coconuts, giving the place a "South Pacific" feel.  This picturesque bay was featured prominently in the 1960s version of "Dr. Doolittle" with Rex Harrison.  There is a luxury hotel with a marina and restaurants and other businesses.  We checked into the marina, which does not have finger piers like most US marinas, rather you back into a wall, where you tie off and then they tie your bow to a buoy out in the water.  For the first time in more than 3 weeks we had water and shore electricity available to us and we could just walk off the boat to go places, without having to load onto the dinghy, fire up the outboard, etc.

Avventura in Marigot Bay Marina

Customs and the marina office were both directly behind and just a few steps from Avventura.  In the late day light I gathered our papers and trotted into the Customs office to check into the country.  I was very surprised to learn that the customs office had already closed!    I was embarrassed to realize that it was actually later in the day than I thought.  Daylight savings time had changed in the US over night and on our watches, but because the Caribbean never adopted daylight savings time, they had not "fallen back" overnight.  This could have been a very bad mistake for me if we had run into any delays in our travels that day, as we might not have reached our destination during daylight hours.  It is dangerous to enter many of these harbors at night, as there are few buoys and lighted aids to navigation in the southern Caribbean.  We always want to be settled well before dark.

I became familiar with the Customs guy at Marigot, a friendly chap. I checked the boat into the country the next day in his office, but he admitted to me that the Immigration officer had not shown up to work.  I continued to check back in the office several times a day, but the Immigration guy did not show up until late morning on the third day in Marigot.  So officially our boat has been in the country several days longer than our passports say we have been there.  The Customs officials are always in tidy uniforms, complete with a tie.  They have let the cruisers know that there are minimum attire standards for visiting their offices, including shorts or pants, shirt and shoes - no swimsuits!    Like customs officers everywhere, it pays to be respectful, friendly and cooperative and not to be too pushy.  I was chatting with the Customs officer one morning when a somewhat demanding Russian cruiser entered barefoot in his skimpy little "Speedo"-type swimsuit.  My friendly Customs guy suddenly became very officious and in a raised voice asked the Russian whether he had entered this government office in his underwear?  The Russian stammered and the customs officer hotly told him that if he was in his underwear or swimsuit he would have to leave immediately.  However, the officer explained if those are his pants then he could stay and do his business.  The Russian, quite alarmed, affirmed that the skimpy Speedo trunks were in fact his pants, and apologized.  The Customs officer gave me a little wink.

The marina at Marigot is lovely, but was relatively empty as our visit was several weeks before the high season opens there.  Residence in the marina gave us access to the stylish pools, complete with swim-up bar, and excellent restaurants in the hotel complex.  We had a top-notch meal one night in their fancy restaurant, with the best lobster bisque I have ever tasted.  I was very impressed that the marina worked hard to regulate our electricity in the first few hours of our stay on a Sunday night so that we could run our shipboard systems, particularly the air conditioning.  We like this place and hope we can return!

Lunch at Cafe Mygo, Marigot Bay

On Wednesday November 8 we left Marigot for a short mid-day 9 mile hop up to Rodney Bay, where we checked into the marina after topping off our diesel tanks with fresh fuel.  As mentioned previously, Rodney Bay is the biggest and best marina in the southern Caribbean, with well-built and roomy docks, mostly dependable US power, good water and friendly and knowledgeable staff.  There is a pool and multiple good restaurants and services right in the marina.  The laundry lady will pick up your bag of laundry in the morning and have it back to you warm and folded before noon.  St. Lucia is close to twice the population of St. Vincent and Grenada, so there are better hardware stores, pharmacies and especially nice supermarkets.  Life just seems to be a bit easier there.

Life is easy for this little finch, who entertains
for crumbs at a tapas bar in Rodney Bay

Our week at Rodney Bay was busy.  We made supermarket and hardware store runs and met with several workmen who will be doing work on the boat while we are away for the holidays.  In particular we made a decision to purchase a new generator and arranged for it to be installed with a local marine equipment dealer.  We also hired local workman "Vision" to do varnishing jobs on the boat, which of course took multiple days for all the required coats and sandings.

One day we took our dinghy 2 miles to Pigeon Island at the NW end of Rodney Bay, where they have a national park.  We enjoyed a vigorous hike up to the old English fortress on the Pigeon Island peak, where the Brits guarded Rodney Bay and kept a watchful eye on the French forces just 20 miles N at Martinique.  We also enjoyed a time on the beach there as staff prepared for a late afternoon wedding on the sand.

Rodney Bay from the Pigeon Island fortress

Steep trail up to Pigeon Island fortress

Later in the week we arranged for a trip to the mountainous interior of the island to visit another national park.  In this park a private company runs the "Rainforest Adventure", which includes a tram ride up through the rainforest to a mountain peak, and then a zip lining course down through the trees. The zip lining course included 8 stages of different lengths, the longest of which was almost 600 feet.  All of the lines were 50- 80 feet off the ground.The experience was unique and great fun!  We were very impressed by the professionalism and extreme attention to safety details exhibited by the staff.  We sat in comfortable harnesses and were clipped into the lines with three different attachment points.  We also enjoyed the company of the other folks who did the course with us, including 2 American women and a couple from Aberdeen, Scotland.  We would recommend this adventure to anyone who visits St. Lucia.

On the tram ride through the rainforest.  Love those hairnets!

Cindy zips through the forest

After cleaning out the refrigerator, freezer and everything in the boat, we flew home on November 16,leaving our 82 degree island paradise and returning to a dreary 30 degrees in Kansas City.  Avventura is safe in a slip at the Rodney Bay Marina until we return to her in January.

In retrospect, we had a very successful Fall cruise.  We met interesting folks, we slowed it WAY down and learned to dig in and really enjoy the places we visited.  Weather was not perfect, as it was the last of the rainy season in the Caribbean, but the rains were usually quick and parts of every day were fair and sunny.  Most of our crossings were easy.  Anchorages were relatively empty as there are few cruisers in these waters in October and November.  We managed to have a good mix of pampered times in marinas and more "roughing it" at anchor or on moorings.  We settled into our cruising chores and routines quickly, and everything seemed easier than last year.  Aside from the generator and autopilot failures, the boat systems and machinery worked well.   Avventura is a sound ocean cruiser.  We look forward to our next adventure, although we are still undecided as to whether we will stay in the southern Caribbean or visit some of the hurricane-damaged spots in the northern islands, including the Virgins and Puerto Rico.

Beautiful Bequia

Evening at Bequia

We arrived at Bequia (pronounced "Beck-way") expecting friends to join us for a week.  Unfortunately they had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency, so we suddenly had a week to spend enjoying the island on our own before brother Charlie and Sis-in-law Esther joined us on Oct. 30.  We hope our friends can re-schedule soon.

Bequia is a charming place with a unique mix of good restaurants and modern services with beautiful scenery and a relaxed Caribbean vibe.  It is a part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, located about 8 miles off the S coast of St. Vincent.  The population of the island is approximately 5,000.  We found the people very friendly, asking our names and giving us theirs, and often telling us their goals for the future.  We were surprised to find a Pizza Hut there, which also sold fresh baguettes:

One day we took the Belmont walkway along the waterfront, over a hill and along a rock wall  to the beautiful Princess Margaret Beach.  We could see our girl Avventura in the harbor from the top:

On Saturday Cindy volunteered with a youth reading program sponsored by Cheryl at the Fig Tree restaurant.  She splits children into age groups and has them take turns reading a book, then each group reports about what they read.  They are then served a snack and can check out a book to take home.  There were 11 boys and 1 girl present, it was a fun experience and we will try to send some books for their library when we get home.

The next day we attended worship at the Anglican church, a warm 2 hour service.  Two dogs wandered in and out of the open church, tumbling and play fighting in the aisles.  The Rector admonished the congregants to "pay your taxes and attend church regularly!" based on Jesus' words to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. It was a beautiful church and we were hugged and greeted warmly by all during the lengthy passing of the peace.

That afternoon we checked in to the lovely Plantation House resort for a few nights of rest on a bed that didn't move, good air conditioning (ours was a little anemic in the heat of the day) and pool access.  We were the second guests since they had just re-opened after an extensive renovation.  The former owner was an Italian mogul who got into trouble and had to flee, leaving the property to deteriorate for years.  We had to return to our boat each day to run the generator for awhile to charge the batteries, but  the room was lovely, the staff was unfailingly friendly and helpful and we had a wonderful stay.

Life is FABULOUS!

Some of the gaudy Italian statues placed by the former owner

View from the grounds

Towel elephant made by our housekeeping attendant

Friday was independence day for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, independent since 1979.  We assumed most places would be closed and so we had a quiet day on board Avventura, only to learn later that many businesses were open and we missed some fun activities on shore!  We did see the youth sailing regatta in the harbor, there is an active youth sailing program on the island.

Sunday we left early to sail 8 miles over to St. Vincent where brother Charlie Tantillo and his wife Esther were meeting us after flying in from Kansas City.  We had lunch on board and then headed back to Bequia, the start of a wonderful week exploring the Grenadines.

Our first full day with Charlie and Esther did not start well.  Our often temperamental generator quit and Rob spent the morning waiting for the local mechanic to come out and fix our problem.  Cindy, Charlie and Esther went to the beach and enjoyed some snorkeling.  The mechanic gave us the bad news that the problems with the generator were severe and that I should not put any more money into trying to fix it.  Until we can replace it, probably in St. Vincent, we will be on battery power, meaning trying to save every last amp so as to keep the battery charging by main engine as short as possible.  Sleeping was going to be hot without any air conditioning!

Charlie and Esther are good sports and handled this little setback without complaint.  We made the best of the remaining part of the day by going on a tour of the island with local taxi driver Bill, in the bed of his Toyota pickup truck that is outfitted with a canvas roof and benches.  The E side of the island with exposure to the wild Atlantic is craggy and rocky, but affords magnificent views over the whole of the Grenadines, including the islands of Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, the Tobago Cays and Union.  We visited several high points on the island, a tiny whaling museum and had a great dinner at the Bequia Beach Hotel at Friendship Bay on the S side of the island, where the food, service and beachfront view were all excellent.

We found Esther's bar!

Wild east side of Bequai.  

Beet and chevre salad at the Bequai Beach Hotel

The next morning we secured Avventura and set out on our 4 hour sail South to the Tobago Cays.  The seas and winds were easy, much better than our last transit of this area when we had big wind, storms and big waves!  The Tobago Cays are part of a National Park consisting of 3 small islands and several sets of fringing reefs.  No fishing is allowed in the park, so when snorkeling you see lots of fish and we even hung out with two sea turtles who were lazily munching on beds of sea grass.

The Tobago Cays are uninhabited, but they are served by locals who boat over from nearby Union and Mayreau islands.  The set up a large beach barbecue every night and sell meals, drinks and tour services to the visiting boats.  While they had plates, they asked their guests to bring their own silverware.  We had a huge dinner, with lobster, snapper, rice, potatoes and veggies and then with bellies stuffed, we turned in early.

The next day we explored Baradal island and then motored the 5 miles over to Saltwhistle Bay on the N end of Mayreau.  This is another small and charming island, population 300, and is also a part of St Vincent and the Grenadines.  Saltwhistle Bay has a small resort that is being rebuilt and several tiny beach bars, all with sand floors and tin roofs. The locals have vegetable gardens just behind the beach.  The goats are tied to stakes to munch the grass near the road.  The small children play in the shallow water on the beach under the watchful eyes of their parents who work in the few restaurants and bars.  The older children go to the small school, but secondary students must take a boat to Union Island every day to attend school.  We walked the beach, had lunch and tried the rum drinks at each of the bars.

Capt. Rob enjoys another beautiful sunset in another beautiful harbor

Late in the day we were back on Avventura in the harbor when a large sailing catamaran full of French tourists entered the bay and  in the process of trying to take a mooring just in front of us, they backed over the rope on their dinghy, which immediately wrapped around the prop on their starboard engine and stopped the engine with a shriek.  Pushed by the strong wind, they started to rapidly fall back on Avventura.  The captain responded quickly to drop his anchor, but the boat stopped just feet in front of us.  Over the next 90 minutes we were entertained but also a bit alarmed by the spectacle of nearly everyone on that boat jumping into the water and trying to free their propeller.  Apparently the charter company had not given them much in the way of tools, as they repeatedly had to borrow various tools from us.  At nearly sunset, they finally freed their engine and were able to move to an emptier part of the anchorage.

French Sailors trying to free their prop

The next morning, after a rolly night in the harbor, we caught a taxi to the main town on the island and then got our exercise by hiking back to Saltwhistle Bay.  The highest point on the island is occupied by a tiny, old Catholic Church and the view from behind the church over the Tobago Cays is magnificent!  As in all of the Grenadines, the residents were friendly and interesting and there appeared to be nearly as many bars as people on the island.

And we found Rob's bar!

When we returned to Avventura, we secured her for passage and left Mayreau for an uneventful and easy 4 hour trip back to Bequia.  We took a mooring in the harbor and grilled steaks for dinner.

On our last day with Charlie and Esther, the weather was a bit more blustery and rainy.  We enjoyed a shopping trip into the town of Port Elizabeth and then were lazy around the boat.  We capped the day with dinner of lobster pasta and lionfish at Papa's Restaurant on a hilltop overlooking the harbor.  Our guests left us the next morning on the first ferry over to St. Vincent.  I dropped them at the dinghy dock near the ferry at a bit after 6 AM.  Their return trip including the hour ferry ride, then an hour taxi to the St. Vincent airport, then flights to Trinidad, Miami and then Kansas City.  A very long day for them, but at least they could get home in one day.

Our final day in Bequia was spent preparing for our passage North to St. Lucia.  When crossing open ocean between these islands, you hope for easy seas, but most crossings will have some rough spots, particularly when strong winds wrap around the ends of islands and currents kick up unusual waves.  You want everything to be secured in all cabinets and lockers for these trips.  We had a final lunch at Jack's, our favorite beach bar, and then checked out of the country at the Customs office.  We were a bit melancholy to leave this idyllic island that we have learned to love, as we don't know when, if ever, we will visit here again.

Native Bequaian Willie, hand sailing his wooden boat in the harbor.  Best boat name ever!