St Lucia

Joana on a mooring in front of the Pitons

Sulphur Springs

Oprah Winfrey reportedly has said that the Pitons in St Lucia should be on everyone’s list of top 3 places to see before you die. Now, we don’t go by everything Oprah says, but my mom was coming to visit, and we thought that mooring right under the Pietit Piton (which I think is actually more breathtaking than Gros Piton) would be a pretty cool introduction to her three week vacation on Jo-Jo. Boats have to take a mooring in Soufriere, where we were anchored, as it is a marine park and also the bottom is about 100-300 feet down right up until about 20 feet from shore. Most moorings are set close to each other, so that boats secure the mooring to the bow of the boat and then must take a stern line to shore and tie it to a coconut tree, so you don’t swing and hit your neighbor. Luckily, we were able to get on one of the moorings designed for bigger boats and therefore away from most other moorings and could swing freely.

Cath and Gail at the Sulphur Springs

We got to St Lucia a few days before my mom was due in, so we were able to clean and get the boat ready. We were also able to observe the drama that was unfolding on the boat closest to us. It was a catamaran that had been charted by a family and they had a captain on board. Early one morning, we watched the captain zoom off in his skiff and return awhile later with one of the locals whom we had met that is in charge of the marine park. Both of the guys got suited up in their dive gear and had, who we assumed was the wife of the chartering couple, in the dingy, with a rope leading to them underwater. She was slowly driving back and forth, with them following her, we assume, in a grid pattern. Now, don’t forget, these guys are most likely in 150 feet of water. They did this all afternoon one day, and in the morning the following day. Our friend Nola, couldn’t stand the suspense and motored over to ask what was going on. Evidently, the wife had mistakenly thrown her ruby, diamond and emerald ring overboard with the banana peels the previous night! YIKES!! That afternoon, the catamaran sailed off, and we can only assume they found the ring, otherwise there would have been a whole lot of locals diving that spot – and I would have been right there with them! Lesson of the day, leave your bling bling at home.

Maria and Cath at the mud baths

Mom showed up the following afternoon, we took a dingy tour around the two Pitons and then she treated us to a great dinner at the Hummingbird restaurant, which is on the water overlooking the Pitons. Isn’t it great when family comes? The next day we did an island tour and the first stop was the Sulfur Springs. The springs are from an active volcano that hasn't erupted in hundreds of years but the ground was so hot that the springs bubbled up and looked like grayish bubbly hot clay. It looked like a scene from another planet, with barren, brightly colored soil, bubbling pools and spurts of steam. The smell of sulfur was very strong and would almost burn your nose. We walked down a-ways to the mud baths. It was about 11 in the morning, so a little hot to do a full mud bath (as the mud itself is about 120 degrees), but we did put some on our face, hands and soaked our feet in it. Talk about a miracle skin transformation – after only having the mud on our skin for about 5 minutes, when you washed it off, your skin feels baby smooth! A lot of the islanders go there in the evenings a few times a week…no wonder why Avon never took off here!

Gail sailing to Bequia

After we beautified ourselves, we took a stroll through the Botanical Gardens. The tropical gardens are beautiful and well manicured. There is a small waterfall that was featured in Romancing the Stone (Harrison Ford and his leading lady slid down it), and although we couldn’t swim in it, it was fun to see. There are also naturally hot baths in the gardens, but we opted not to soak in them, as it was still quite hot outside. We made it back to the boat around lunch time, relaxed, had some sundowners (a few hours before sunset), cooked dinner and went to bed, as we were getting up early the next morning to sail to Bequia.

Martinique

What an awesome sail we had from Guadeloupe to Martinique. You know those days when everything just comes together? 18-22 kts of wind, 2-4 foot sees, wind just a smidge forward of the beam? Jo-Jo screaming with all sails set at 8 – 8.5 kts! Okay, fine, for some lighter boats, that’s a decent day of sailing, but for this 37 ton girl, that is FLYING!!

Joana (in the foreground) anchored off of St. Pierre

We set our anchor off the town of St. Pierre, tidied up the boat, sat back to relax and then they came. They being a French catamaran. Now, we aren’t being discriminating, and I may have mentioned this before, but the French LOVE to anchor right next to another boat. I mean no more than 30 feet away. And this time we had a special surprise. The Frenchman, who was bending over, playing with his windlass, was buck naked. AND he was so close, that Maria said, not too quietly I might add, “Hey, at least he shaves!”

Depaz distillery

After a fitful sleep full of nightmares, the next day we decided to take a walk with our friends, Chris, Alex, Nola and Jerry up to the Depaz rum distillery. We dignied over to the dock and tied it up. We haven’t had a problem with the boat yet, so didn’t really worry too much that it was not locked. It was a bit hot, so we hitched a ride in the back of the truck with a local Rastafarian, who, at the end of the ride, gave us a huge bag full of …now, now, I know you are thinking, but no, he gave us local apricots! Depaz is the one of the 11 distilleries on the island, and boasts the use of a water wheel in its rum making process. It sits at the foot of the volcano, Mt. Pelee and is set among fields of sugar cane. Adjacent to the distillery is one of grandest buildings on the island, a massive sugar mansion that dates to 1927 and took seven years to build using imported Italian stone masons. We had a very fancy lunch at the restaurant that sits on the property, and afterward, we took a self-tour of the premises. Of course, the highlight was the rum tasting at the end. I came away with a bottle of their coconut rum punch and a bottle of their orange rum (called shrub). Jerry made the best buy – a box of rum! Yup, instead of box wine, they sell box rum here – what an awesome idea!

Old sugar mansion at Depaz

Jerry and Nola hitched a ride back down, but Chris, Alex and ourselves decided to walk back to the boat. Our travels led us to the far side of the harbor and was a nice walk along the water. That is, however, until Maria said, “Hey look, I think that’s our dingy over there”. We looked at where he was pointing and saw a dingy that looked kind of like ours, but couldn’t have been ours as there were about 15 kids piled into it, just cruising around.

“Nah, that’s not our dingy” I replied.

“Oh yes it is, I know my dingy” she shot back.

Just as she said it, the kids in the dingy looked at us, looked at each other, looked at us again, and started high tailing it back to where it had been docked.

Maria and Jerry rum tasting

“Oh crap, that is our dingy” I exclaimed as we all shook our fists at the little brats in our boat. We stepped up our pace as we watched them jump out of the boat, and one boy run down the dock and tie the skiff back to the cleat. We made it back over to the dock about 5 minutes later, and sure enough, the engine was hot. They did, however, remember to throw out the stern anchor.

By this point, all the little culprits where in the water trying to hide under the dock. Everyone else was pretending not to speak English. Luckily for us, Alex speaks perfect French.

Barrels of fun...I mean rum!

“Tell them, the next time they decide to take our boat for a joyride, to please wash it before returning it” I said with a cross look on my face. Alex translated, and one kid had the nerve to say “Thank you in English.” We jumped in our skiff and sped off, fists still waving at them. The next morning, we dignied over to the dock, made a point of glaring at the little hoodlums from yesterday who were already on the dock looking for mischief, and with exaggerated movements, secured the skiff to the dock with the cable and lock we had to fish out from the depth of our storage space. I guess we learned our lesson.

We spent the rest of our time in Martinique enjoying the good French life…you’ve heard this before…red wine, brie, baguettes and pan au chocolate! There was also a great fresh fruit and veggie market every morning in the town square, so everyday we were there picking up our fresh produce and warm baguette. My belly sure does love the French islands!

The Wild Island of Dominica

The first sentence in our guide book describes Dominica by saying “ If Christopher Columbus came back today, Dominica is the only island he would recognize”, and he is 100% right. Even as you are sailing by Dominica, you can tell this island is different…wild, lush, magical.

Maria in the rain forest

We had a good sail from Guadeloupe and anchored in Prince Rupert Bay. As we were entering the harbor, one of the many boat boys came tearing up to us in his skiff. Some people find boat boys to be a hassle, but we enjoy them. They are part of the island and its culture, are helpful, and if you take the time to talk to them and not just shoo them away, have a ton of local knowledge and are usually quite funny. These guys do everything from organizing tours to getting fruits, veggies, ice and take garbage. In Dominica, these guys are also part of a group called PAYS that also provide security in the harbor and maintain the dingy docks and the Indian River, which they use to do boat tours.

Local bakery on the side of the road

We always go with the first boat boy that comes up to us – we believe that initiative should pay off. In the islands, most boat boys don’t go by their real names, but rather call signs. So, Lawrence of Arabia, aka Monty, was our guy for the time we were there.

The following day, we joined 4 friends (Nola and Jerry on s/v Moonsong and Chris and Alex on s/v Blue Wind) for a full day island tour.

Swimming in the waterfall

Not five minutes after we started driving, we were surrounded by lush forest. As we were driving, we constantly stopped to look at lemon grass growing by the side of the road, papaya, mango, avocado and calabash trees dangling their fruit tantalizing close to the roof of the van. We learned that the locals use the forest goods for medicinal purposes. One very useful one, especially for everyone back home, is if you have high blood pressure, get a green papaya, put it in boiling water for a little while, and then drink the water. The islanders swear by it and we have heard this remedy for high blood pressure more than once.

Our first stop was the Carib territory. The Caribs are the “Indians” of the island pre-dating the Europeans. As history is told, they were fierce warriors and managed to keep the Europeans at by for a couple hundred years. The Caribs are shorter, bronze in color and have Asian features.

View from the restaurant

After buying handicrafts from the Caribs, we continued to one of the many waterfalls on the island. We hiked about 15 minutes into the forest and was rewarded with about a 150 foot waterfall with a deep pool. Before you could blink and eye, we were all jumping into the refreshingly COLD water! Ahh, so nice to swim in fresh water! We swam over to where the water was pounding down and tried to stay above water as the waterfall tried to push us under. We had a great time frockling like little kids in the water for about an hour before it was time to head out and get some lunch.

Rum of the day... Obama Special!!

Our guide picked out a local restaurant that had benches on a balcony which overlooked the mountainous forest. We first sat at the bar and had a local rum tasting. The back wall of the bar was lined with glass bottles filled with rum and whatever local herb / flower / fruit was in it to make the designed flavor. The label on the bottles was made with a piece of masking tape and a sharpie pen. There were the typical rums like vanilla and coconut, and then other rums like olive, guava, thyme, peanut, and one that caused a lot of debate…the Obama Special!!!

After a sampling of the very strong and yummy rum, we sat outside and had a fantastic meal comprised of all the local meat and veggies. I had a sampling of chicken, pork and fish with side dishes comprised of a salad topped with shredded green papaya, breadfruit and deshan (another starch).

Trying to lift a mini out of the ditch

We continued on our tour, stopping at numerous lookouts and beaches. We covered 80% of the island, I would say, and as we were working our way back to the harbor, we came across an older gentlemen who had run his car into a muddy / grassy ditch. It was quite evident from his slurring and weaving, that he had done his own rum tasting at some point earlier in the day. His car was a mini, and we thought that between the 7 of us in the van, we could probably help him out. The first thing we tried was to tied a strap that he had to our van and try to tow the car out. Well, the strap broke pretty quickly, so we went on to plan B. That was for all of us to push as one person took over the wheel and gas pedal. All that got us was a little deeper into the muck and mud spewed all over us. Okay, Plan C. It is a mini, right? They are light and we are strong, so let’s just pick the darn thing up. So, all of us surround the car, bend at the knees so as not to hurt our backs, grunt and curse, and attempt to lift the car up. The bumper came up, but the car stayed where it was. By this point, a few cars have passed, rubbernecking at the white tourists trying to lift a car. No one stops, however. Finally, a truck carrying a few strapping lads stop and take over the situation. They too tried to lift the car, but could not do it either, which helped our egos a bit. They also had a strap, one that was a little more substantial than the first, and managed to drag the car out, almost tipping it over on its side, I might add. I’m not sure how the well the car drove after that fiasco, but the driver didn’t find out until the morning, as one of the locals put him in the back of his truck to ensure he didn’t wind up in another ditch.

Maria on the Indian River

Since the land tour was so good, Maria and I decided to do the boat tour up the Indian River with Monty. Monty picked us up on our boat and motored over the the mouth of the river. Unfortunately for Monty, they don’t allow motors on the river, so he had to row us, including Niko, and his heavy skiff up the river! The river quickly narrowed and was overhung by huge trees on both sides. The trees have massive roots that stick out of the soil and wind their way to the water. As we guided along the river, we had to duck to get out of the way of tree trunks that had fallen and vines that dangled down. Overhead, the sun was hidden by the trees’ canopy, so it was dark and cool. We could hear the calls of many different birds, the chirping of insects and even spotted an iguana in one of the trees. We got out at one spot and took a little hike in the forest. We were happily walking along the trail, minding our own business, when a baby boa constrictor slithered right in front of us. We watched it for a minute and then boogied out of there, just in case the mama was close by!

Maria and Monty

One night we were sitting in a bar ( I know, shocker) and it was basically just us, our friends Chris and Alex, and the bartender. One of the guys that owns the bar and lives right behind it, told the bartender he was going to go take a shower. About five minutes later, the lights in the bar dimmed considerably and then we hear POP and see sparks flying like a bunch of sparklers on Fourth of July. “ Oh sh*%$”! is all I hear and see Maria running barefoot around the bar to the back. I chase after, just in time to see an electrical cord on fire, dangling from a tree, threatening to light the leaves on fire. Then I see Maria reach for her non-existent shoe, shrug, and then hit the burning cord with her hand to the ground. The shower-taker finally appeared, luckily with a towel wrapped around his waist, and took over from there. Maria didn’t get too badly hurt, although she did have some rubber melted to her hand. Back at the bar, she did get a bag of ice, but not a free beer. Humph…will think twice next time about burning one’s hand for no beer!

Whale!

After a few days of R&R, we sailed a few miles down the coast with s/v Blue Wind to anchor off their friend’s bar. On the way, we chased a whale for about a half hour. We were able to get pretty close to it, but still allowing it to feel like it was not cornered. I was just about to jump in the water with my underwater camera when it took one more breath and dove deep. We continued with our sail and anchored in front of the Ship Wreck Bar, owned by Patrick James. It is basically a huge bar with Patrick’s house above it…in the trees. Yes, that is right, he lives in a tree house! How cool!! The bar has been closed for years, but we had a beer and chatted with him for a few hours. The next day we up-anchored and headed off toward Martinique.

Iles Des Saintes

Scooter Row

Great logo!

Iles Des Saintes (or just simply, The Saints) are only 5 miles from Guadeloupe at the nearest points, so it was a quick sail to the only town, Bourg des Saintes on the largest island in the group of islands that make up the Saints. Everyone that comes to the Saints falls in love with the island as it is the epitome of a seaside town, with a sparkling clean town center with cute shops, sidewalk cafes and ice cream shops, meandering small streets, and scooters everywhere! The anchoring is notoriously difficult but they have alleviated that problem by putting in an abundance of free moorings off the town.

The first day we were at the Saints, we just explored the town, did some window shopping, and of course, took full advantage of the ice cream shop. Better yet, it was gelato, not just plain old ice cream! Maria, myself and Niko accompanied Nola and her dog, Tara, to a nearby island for some much needed running, swimming and sniffing.

Another great sail

The next day was Bastille Day, and what a treat it was to be on a French Island! There was a traditional boat regatta to celebrate the day and somehow, Joana’s mooring was smack dab right in the middle of the race! So, we sat on our bumbkin in our bright red folding deck chairs, sipping on cold beer, as the traditional boats jockeyed for position while trying to avoid us. We could literally reach out and touch them, if we dared! The boats are all painted different colors and the logo designs on the sails have a style all on their own.

Now that's a colorful hull

After the race, we went to town to help celebrate. All the boats where up on the beach, so we walked around and checked them out. The workmanship on the boats was magnificent. As we were drooling over the boats, a band started up and rocked regae for all to hear. It was a great time, over 100 boats lined on the beach, kids playing in the water, good music playing in the background, and beer.

Maria and Nola 

Later that night, we met up with Nola and Jerry on Moonsong and had a great dinner at a French restaurant that over looked the harbor. The French sure know how to eat well!

Very French Guadeloupe

Deshaies

Fish Market in Pointe a Pitre

Usually if you wait a few days after a good blow, the seas will calm down a bit and you will have a nice crossing. This was not the case from Antigua to Guadeloupe. But, the nice thing about the Caribbean, is , for the most part, the amount of time in the open ocean between the lee of the islands is realively short, so you only have to get beat up for a few hours, or in our case, about 6 hours.

We were about half way through our journey when the magical sound of the fishing line peeling off sounded in the howling wind. And then the sight of a 250 pound blue marlin jumping behind the boat sends the adrenaline rushing through the blood stream.

“Come around behind it” Scotto yells as he hooks up the fish. “Yeah, right” shouts back Maria, as we have all sails set in a good 20 kts of wind and bouncing in 6-8 foot seas that again, seem to be coming from all directions.

“How about I bring her into the wind, slow the boat down and you reel her in, tough guy.”

I have never seen facial expressions like Scotto had as he huffed and puffed and reeled that big fish in. We got her right up to the boat, got a video or two of her, and just as we were going to get a good picture of her, she broke the line. I guess she was a bit camera shy.

Veggie Market in Pointe a Pitre

We pulled into Deshaies (pronounced Day-ah) in Guadeloupe, which is a very French island. The anchorage was surrounded by hills and mountains that acted as a giant wind scoop, so we always had a nice breeze sitting on deck. Clearing into Guadeloupe is a snap as all you have to do is go to the one internet café in the town, fill out a form on the computer and they send it to Customs via a dedicated link. Two minutes later you are cleared in…all for a whopping 2 euro (it is free to enter Guadeloupe!).

Street band 

Deshaies is a very quaint fishing village where not one person spoke a lick of English! The did, however, have the essentials that every person needs… 2 Euro bottles of red wine, brie, baguettes and pan au chocolate. What more does one need?

Maria and I took a bus to Pointe a Pitre, the largest city in Guadeloupe. Pointe a Pitre has a large Creole influence and has great old buildings. The waterfront is home to a bustling market with ladies dressed in colorful madras dresses selling all kinds of fruits and vegetables. As you walk along the the water, fishing boats are docked along the wall, selling fish fresh from their boats. We continued to walk around the city and stumbled upon a beautiful flower market in one of the squares, and a make-shift band jamming reggae in another. Lively does not even begin to describe Pointe a Pitre!

We had lunch in an open-air restaurant and then hopped on the bus to return to Deshaies. We hung out for the next day or two, explored the small town and did some maintenance. While we were there, we befriended a single-handed sailor, Andrew, who was about our age. He and Scott became good friends, and Scotto decided that it was time to seek out new adventures and hopped on Andrew’s boat. I can only image the mayhem those two will cause down island!

Scott sailing away

Cuttle fish

The next day, Maria and I hauled our anchor and sailed a few miles down the coast to check out the Cousteau Underwater Park at Pigeon Island. We went snorkeling and diving with our friends Nola and Jerry on s/v Moonsong and it was unanimous that Pigeon Island had the best diving thus far on our voyage. It was only 25-35 feet deep but the water was crystal clear and the reefs were teeming with activity. The coral was healthy and colorful and housed tons of brightly colored reef fish including a peacock flounder, lots of turtles, and, my favorite, cuttle fish! I chased these poor little buggers all over the reef with my camera! It was a great way to end our time on beautiful Guadeloupe.