Coming to an end... and FAST!

We have less than a week left in this leg of our adventure and are saddened to see it wrapping up. We came across to Grenada, our last open water passage this season in record time, making a new speed record for s/v Allergic to Cities. We had perfect conditions with medium to strong winds at 15-20 kts steady, with a following sea and light swells (2-4 ft). We did see a couple of bigger gusts (up to 25 kts) but they were short lived and didn't cause us to put a reef in our main (shorten our sails). We were sailing for much of the time at over 8 kts and for sustained times at speeds over 10 kts, with a new speed record for us at 10.7kts (not from surfing down waves!).

As mentioned in the last blog, we greatly enjoyed the island of Bequia and found it to be a pleasant region with a quiet anchorage. We spent time ashore wandering about the small town and perusing the many model boat building shops. This area is renowned for model boat building and we soon found out why. As a woodworker, I was duly impressed with the details these builders were able to include in their models. Most of their boats were of the sailing variety but some represented larger cruising mega-yachts. All of these boat models sell for more than $1000 each and are quite beautiful. At Bequia we found an active farmer's vegetable market run by Rastafarians. These Rasta guys were noticeably aggressive in their sales tactics and the negotiations involved heavy bargaining and equally aggressive refusal of a purchase. Vicky found their tactics so intolerable she refused to return after her initial visit. They did have a good variety of fresh produce, however and once one figured out the routine, negotiations were made much simpler. Basically it went like this: When one walks into the market, several sellers rush to approach and try to sell various products. All speaking at once and confusing one thoroughly. If the buyer doesn't immediately "take charge" of the situation, chaos ensues and a purchase decision is made very difficult. If however, the buyers says quickly, "OK, I'll deal with this guy first then I'll see if I need anything else, so everyone else just wait!" then all goes well. Otherwise, pandemonium continues until they either confuse you into buying something or you leave without your intended purchase. It's really quite comical.

After a few days, we left Bequia with Nebula for the little island of Mayreau in the Tobago Cay area. We had hoped to stop off at Mustique, home of many of the "rich and famous" crowd. Several celebrities (for example: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Rachael Welch) and famous monarchs (the late Princess Margaret) have vacation homes on this private island and one never know when they might bump shoulders with someone famous here. But the winds were coming from the wrong direction and short of making a rather circuitous sailing route to get there, we decided to leave the rich and famous alone for this trip and we headed directly to Canauan, the next island in the chain. Windfreak decided to stay in Bequia for a couple of more days so we parted, thinking our traveling with them was over. It was a sad goodbye as we have become fast friends over the past many months of traveling together. Hugs all around, we pulled anchor and headed off.

Arriving at Canouan, we decided we could skip this island as a layover and continued on to the next island destination, Mayreau. Pulling into this pristine, white beach bay, we noticed a group of people in the water near the beach obviously having a party. One guy was in a dingy, acting as the bartender, while the others stood around the dingy conversing and drinking and generally having a good time. Since we have a shallow draft in our catamaran, we pulled up close to the beach as usual for a more wave less anchorage, and realized the guy in the dingy was our friend Jake from Offline. After anchoring and doing our boat anchoring chores, we joined in the festivities. The drinks were strong so the night was short and we crashed into bed early on. The next day we hiked along the Atlantic side of the island and saw some beautiful sights along the way. We came back to the small resort near the anchorage and all ordered cheeseburgers, hoping for the "real thing" as most times the product is less than ideal. We were again disappointed as the meat seemed to be a soy product and was overcooked, to boot! We laid about for the rest of the day, after completing some additional, obligatory, never-ending boat chores.

Most all of the group, including our other buddy boat friends Offline and Nebula, left with us the next morning for the Tabago Cays. This area has to be the most beautiful area of our entire trip. The waters around the cays is the clear blue of post cards and the sandy beaches are unequalled anywhere we've been. The Tobago Cays are a National Park of the Grenadines and rightly so are a protected area. No fishing, unattended scuba diving, anchoring on coral beds, etc. are the rule. The coral formations abound and are spectacular in size, colors and abundance of fish and sea creatures. We spent a lot of time with our snorkels on and swam with sea turtles regularly and really enjoyed this area to the max. It goes at the top of our list of recommended places to visit. Certainly we could have stayed here for many more days but felt pressed to get closer to Grenada due to anticipated upcoming weather conditions which might make our passage across difficult.

As a side note, the day we arrived from Mayreau, Windfreak called us on the VHF and said they were approaching the Tabago Cays and asked if we were there. "Of course, we said, so another reunion gathering was had beachside with the entire traveling group at the cays. Then, after just two days at this paradise, we said goodbye, once again, to Windfreak, and pulled out for Union Island to clear customs for our next country. Union Island was noted to all of us as a "don't go" place, due to various crime-related reasons, but Offline had been there recently and found it to be an acceptable stop for clearing customs. So, along with Nebula, we cleared in and out the same day and headed off to the next island of Petit Martinique, checked in and bought a few essentials (beer!) and headed across the bay to another cute island called Petit St.Vincent.

Petit St. Vincent is a private island with a posh resort on shore, which allows cruisers to come ashore if their guest list is not too full. So that afternoon, we dingied ashore to walk the long sand beach which surrounds the island. As we walked along, we came across some of the resorts fine guest amenities. About every 100 yards or so, right next to the water's edge would be a small thatch-roof cabana with a rope hammock underneath, and two chaise lounge style chairs and a small side table with a small cooler of ice water and two glasses. We stopped at one such hut and enjoyed the hammock for a bit before continuing on around the island, imagining what a place like this would cost for a vacation retreat. Returning to the main dock area, we went up to the restaurant for our evening cocktail hour and found a charming bartender at a beautiful empty bar area, delighted to serve us our beers. We sat on the deck and enjoyed the views for a while before returning to the boat for dinner and the rest of the evening. Their restaurant was beautiful and the menu looked very inviting except for the prices. So back to the good ship Allergic to Cities we went for some good ol' home cookin'.

The next morning we decided to continue south and, along with Nebula, headed to Carriacou where we had heard provisioning was good at the main harbor. We stopped there and went ashore to find not-so-well-stocked markets so away we went, down the coast and around the tip to a nice spot called Tyrell Bay. Here we again rendezvoused with Offline and a couple of other boats we've bumped into all the way south from Florida. We stayed one night and since the weather looked good to us for the pass to Grenada, we took off in the morning, leaving the others still at anchor at Tyrell. We imagine we will see them once and finally, over in Grenada once all arrive from that passage, whenever they make it.

So now we are in Grenada, our haul-out country. We are slowly moving south around the island toward St. David's Harbor where we need to be ready to haul on Monday morning at 10:30am. We plan on being tied to a dock for Saturday and Sunday for some major boat wash up with plenty of fresh water. We traveled to the storage yard today with a local delivery lady from one of the boat chandleries, Island Water World. She was very talkative and gave us a nice overview of Grenadian life and showed us around the lower part of the island as we drove along the steep winding roads. The haul out yard seems well equipped and safe so we feel good about storing the boat there for the summer. They have all sorts of trades people on hand to do whatever repairs or installations requested or required, so we intend on taking advantage of a few of those services being done on the boat while we're back in Colorado. Nothing major, as the boat has done extremely well throughout this 4000 mile trip. We had no major breakdowns, mostly menial fixes which I was able to do, some with help from new friend David. Things like loose wiring, blown fuses, hatch hinges breaking, and the like, made up the bulk of our "problems".
This leg of our adventure is entering its final chapter, now that we are at Grenada. As I write this we are sitting at anchor, in a tropical rainstorm. Hard rain comes down in sheets on our boat, nicely washing the salt water off of everything. We will move around the southern tip of the island toward our haul out facility later today. The plan is to tie up to a nearby marina dock for Saturday and Sunday, where fresh water will be abundant so we can give the boat a complete wash down in preparation of hauling. We will also do oil changes on all three engines including the generator. Once we are up "on the hard" at St. David's Bay, we will have electricity and more fresh water available for final clean up but we know our time will be very limited then as we fly out early on Wednesday morning. There will be a list of things we will have the marina technicians do while we are gone, but the more we can do, the cheaper this lay up will be. We have a hotel booked for Monday and Tuesday nights, near the marina, so long hot showers and motionless sleeping will be in order then.

So off we go, only one or two more stops and we will be back in Colorado. We are sure we will feel odd stepping off the boat with suitcases in hand. We sure hope that this separation will be short and that come next Halloween-time, we will again be back aboard s/v Allergic to Cities, ready for the next chapter of the sailing/traveling adventure to begin. I will post just one mire blog, once we get back to Steamboat Springs with our final thoughts and then this site will set dormant until we return next fall. Stay tuned...

Some more French bread, a chocolate-filled crepe, and everything overpriced!

Martinique is quite3 a stunning island, geographically. Big, lush green mountains rise from the clear blue seas and provide a stunning backdrop for a cruising sailboat. It is very French, and the money system is Euros, which is VERY strong against the US Dollar, so everything is much more expensive than one would wish. When we lefty St. Pierre, in the north part of the island, we sailed down the west coast to the main harbor at Fort de France. This was, as the name implies, the primary defensive locale for the early French navy. It is now the capital city of the island and a hussle-bussle spot. We opted to choose an anchorage across the big bay at a smaller bay called Anse Mitan. This Anse (bay) was the original spot where the islanders decided to develop tourism in the 50's. It is very attractive, clean, and quaint. The shops are very upscale as are the restaurants and most bars.

Once we arrived at Anse Mitan, we found a suitable anchorage and went ashore to have a look around. From our anchorage, we couldn't see any developed ton of any sort, just a couple of marinas and beach bars. We began to feel disappointed in our choice of anchorages until we got ashore and found a small road leading to the small village where all the "action" was. We found a nice resort style town full of shops and restaurants, and spent the afternoon window shopping and enjoying people-watching. At happy hour, we popped into a nice looking pub and ordered two local draft beers. They tasted very good and as we were ready to order the second round, we thought we should inquire as to the price. We were shocked to find out they were 5 Euros each (about $7.50 US) so the round cost us nearly $15! From there. We slid down the street to another place where we found a local crowd and beers for $4 US. Still outrageous to us but not as exorbitant as the initial round. We found ourselves enjoying our happy hours onboard, from that night on!

The second day, our buddy boaters, Nebula and Windfreak arrived at our anchorage and we had fun recounting each other's prior experiences at other ports. The next day we rented a small 4-seater car (they didn't have anything bigger) to try to explore the island. As all three men are 6 footers or better, and although two of the gals are small, Vicky, though quite slender, is almost 6 ft tall as well. You might imagine the 6 of us squeezing into this little car and driving around the island from tourist stop to tourist stop. When we would arrive, we must have looked a bit like the circus clown car where people just continue to climb out, one after another. That day we visited a rum factory/distillery, a big local supermarket, some notable beaches, and some fantastic overlooks around the southern end of the island.

The next morning, we returned the rental car, individually pulled up our anchors and headed off toward St. Lucia, the next island in our southern direction. The winds were brisk as we headed off, but the forecast called for nothing worse than we were experiencing as we left the harbor. As we rounded the tip of the island, into the open area of the Atlantic, the wind really kicked in along with some more serious wave activity, and we were all experiencing a bit of doubt about continuing across the 25 mile passage to St. Lucia. About 5 miles out, we collectively decided to turn back and wait a day to try again tomorrow. We found a nice anchorage near the southern tip of Martinique called Anse d'Alete and were treated to a comfortable nights sleep before heading off again the next morning.

That morning, the wind and waves were much more favortable, although still blowing consistently around 20kts, the waves were spaced further apart so the ride was not nearly as choppy. We made terrific speed that day and as we all left together, the angle of sail was such that our cat really showed her stuff. We were able to average nearly 8kts/hour across the entire passage and had a very comfortable ride. We are now traveling more in a Southerly and South-Westerly direction, so the wind angles favor our type of boat over a mono-hulled boat for speed. Therefore, when we would be struggling earlier in our trip to maintain the angle of sail to match the mono-hullers, now we just blow by them.

We arrived at St.Lucia to find yet another lush tropical paradise. Huge mountains, covered with thick vegetation, big roky cliffs falling into the sea with coconut-palm lined white beaches between, all along the shore. A true tropical wonderland. Upon arrival, we had intended to stop at Rodney Bay, a large harbor with lots of activity but the marina was under re-construction. Since we had all made such fantastic time across the passage, we opted to continue south along the coast to another harbor for the night. We stopped at a bay called Marigot and found a calm haven, tucked in the shoreline, perfect for a quiet anchoring spot. We went ashore, cleared customs, and wandered about for the rest of the afternoon. That night, we were all invited aboard another boat for supper. We had met this couple in Dominica a few achorages before and enjoyed a shore-side happy hour together at a Roseau watering hole. They are from the Dominican Republic and are our age. They made paela for the group and as we were their first onboard guests, even popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate. After dinner, our host, Luis even offered some fine Dominican cigars all around. Since they are from a Spanish culture, Laila, our friend form Ecuador, and Sophia, the hostess, chattered away in Spanish much of the night. She was obviously happy to have another lady with whom to chat with in her native tongue. Heading back to our boat after the night, made us feel very international. Great food, nice conversation, in a beautiful foreign place: this is why we came.

The next morning, we decided to move along the coast to a famous spot further down the island of St. Lucia. It was a beautiful anchorage at a place highlighted with two giant pointy mountains called the Pitons. Although none of us felt too comfortable ashore, the sight of these twin towers rising beside the boats was spectacular! This anchorage was the first we experienced where we all felt somewhat harassed by the locals. As we've continued to move south, we've noticed what are locally called "boat boys" come out to greet you as you approach a port. Some wish to "help" you secure a mooring ball, some want to sell you homemade trinkets, others are selling fruits and vegetables. Some are very aggressive and seem almost threatening in their demeanor. Although they will take "no thank you" for the final answer, one can't help but feel, occasionally, that they do not have one's best interest in mind as they approach your boat. At the Pitons, the boat boys were especially aggressive and made all us us feel uncomfortable enough to plan on staying only that one night before heading off. We had intended on staying a couple of days there, doing a local tour and exploring the inner island, but the actions for these few forced us to consider otherwise.

We left early the next morning and headed across the next open body passage toward St. Vincent. Although a stunningly beautiful island, and the primary location for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, we had heard from other cruisers of this type of continued harassment on the island of St. Vincent, so we all had decided to bypass that island entirely, and continue on to the island of Bequia (pronounced "Beck-way").
Bequia is considered the beginning of the Grenadine chain and has been touted as a "must-see" by everyone who's visited. We found the anchorage to be outstanding and the bay calm for good sleeping. When we arrived, we anchored off the beach near a local restaurant. Quite a bit of partying was going on at that beach and once we settled in we recognized a beautifu8l local's wedding and reception was in progress. Viewing through binocs, we noted that everyone was in their finest and they festivities were obviously very joyous. The DJ was spinning the tunes, even some straight ahead American country and western was mixed in with some world beat music we'd never heard before. It was especially fun for us to sit on our trampoline after dinned and listen to the music from the party.

Since arriving, we've heard from one couple we haven't seen since the Dominican Republic layover, Ivory Star. It will fun to reunite with them sometime later today. All of us seem to be heading south on a similar timetable, with some planning an extended summer stay in the tropics, while others will return home, up north for the hurricane season.

As for us, we are heading to Grenada, where we have made a reservation for our boat to be hauled out of the water in late June, placed in a special steel framework, strapped to the concrete pad under it, and left on the hard for the summer. We intend to head back to Steamboat Springs for the summer, then hope to head back down here next November, to retrieve the boat and sail her north again, retracing some of the same paths which took us south. This lifestyle is one which we find most enjoyable and, if financially possible, one we hope to continue to pursue for a couple more years.